For a little while, while he and everyone else were making their way towards the USJ entrance, Jomei thought everyone would be able to get to safety, see what was what, and send him on his way to grab reinforcements as soon as possible. It may have seemed an impossible task when the League of Villains first showed up, but though some of their number had proven formidable, Jomei's cautious optimism grew the closer he got to beginning his self-assigned mission.

Looking back, however, he realized that taking stock in that idea was just an appeal to ego.

But the moment he caught a glimpse of Eraserhead's battered condition, it was like a bombshell dropped. Jomei had never been so foolish to believe his teacher was invincible, but he had never seriously considered the possibility that Eraserhead wouldn't remain unscathed. Now, the sight of him clinging to life brought the reality of the situation to him with devastating force. The fact that he gave them a look that ordered them to keep moving, to disregard their heroic instincts to help him, only hurt less than the fact that they all listened.

Jomei had to grab Akiko when she hesitated and as they were racing up the steps, something Aizawa had said before charging into battle came to mind.

"Stay back! This isn't some game! Those are real villains, and all of you are in over your heads, so let us handle this!"

Only now did Jomei realize how right his teacher's statement was.

Everyone in his group may have made it out of their zones unharmed, but that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. They were all still largely exhausted after fighting merely a few dozen villains with their classmates to back them up. Meanwhile, Eraserhead had engaged an army single-handedly to ensure they all escaped.

He needed to get Aizawa help before it was too late. That was the plan, anyway.

When everyone arrived at the entrance, after Thirteen finished making sure all of them were ok, the first thing they learned was that Iida had in fact escaped, which meant that other pros wouldn't be far behind. Even though he had known Iida might escape before him, Jomei couldn't help but feel useless and anxious despite his relief that reinforcements would soon be coming.

He trusted Iida, sure, but hearing that someone was going to get help and being that person were two very different things.

Especially when being relegated to spectator duty and barred from doing anything to help the situation but stay out of trouble meant that he had no choice but to watch what happened next.

Every fiber of Jomei's being screamed at him to do something as he watched Aizawa's prone form, pinned beneath a monster that exuded terror – more so than even Shigaraki or Kurogiri – but Thirteen's orders kept him in place.

Even when Shigaraki charged at Tsuyu faster than the eye could follow, even as he realized there was nothing he could do even if he wanted to interfere, he stayed put, nothing more than a witness to Aizawa still protecting his students by nullifying whatever Shigaraki's Quirk was with his own. Bloody, bruised, and with shattered limbs he persevered, and Jomei was truly left in awe.

But that quickly became terror.

He may not have been able to hear what was being said, but as Aizawa's head was lifted up by Shigaraki's monster, a nauseous, churning dread sank into his gut. Every second that passed was another without reinforcements, and another that Thirteen forbade anyone from interfering, much to even the Space Hero's chagrin.

Every second that passed was one closer to Eraserhead's demise.

"We have to do something," Jomei breathed.

"We can't interfere, Nishimura," Thirteen warned.

Other students looked at him, but he paid it no mind. "Why? Eraserhead went down there to buy us time and we're just going to sit here and watch him die!? Even if you don't let us do something, can't you go and help him!?"

"Eraserhead gave me orders to protect you, and that's my priority right now. Besides, Kurogiri is fully capable of counteracting my Quirk – he could open a warp gate and disintegrate any one of us with my own power! I want to help Eraserhead too, but the risk of them destroying one of us is too great to take."

Jomei growled and his posture tensed even further when he turned around and his heart roared in his ears, drowning everything out but himself and the sight of Aizawa below.

He couldn't sit aside and watch him die.

He wouldn't.

Gas began to accumulate around his hand, and Thirteen's eyes went wide.

"Nishimura!"

"I don't care what you say Thirteen!" He aimed his hand toward Shigaraki. "You said we're supposed to use our Quirks to save others, so that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

And then something stunned him.

Or rather, stunned everyone.

An instant before Jomei would've loosed his attack, the solid steel doors of the USJ went flying off their hinges. The movement of the villains below ceased, his Quirk dissipated, and all eyes turned toward the dust cloud kicked up by the new arrival.

For a few moments, only footsteps could be heard.

Then their source emerged from the cloud, his stride echoing throughout the enclosure of the USJ like an all-too-ominous warning to those who would become his foes.

Midoriya and Akiko spoke simultaneously. "All Might…"

Goosebumps emerged along his entire body, and Jomei had never been more glad to have been beaten to the punch of something so important before now. He was left breathless.

The number one hero had arrived, and in so doing… brought the true meaning of the Symbol of Peace with him.

Below, Shigaraki looked undeterred.

In fact, beneath the hand on his face… he smiled.

From outward appearances, All Might's stride looked determined and confident. The only evidence to the contrary was the furrowing of his brow, but that in of itself bespoke of what truly lay hidden beneath his calm-inducing, iconic exterior.

All Might currently contained the liquid fury of a star coursing through his veins.

Something he was only barely keeping at bay by sheer force of will.

At the villains who dared plan an attack the USJ, at the criminals backing them, and most of all, he was furious at himself.

His students had been going through a nightmare no child should ever have to suffer through during their first year of training to become a hero, let alone their first month. They'd been forced to fight for their lives against adults who had nothing but the intent to kill them for doing little more than wishing to one day enforce justice on those with malicious goals. This kind of situation was one even Pro Heroes dreaded encountering, and his students were forced to face it for real on the day of what should have been an uplifting training exercise. The fact that none of the ones near Thirteen seemed to be injured was of little solace to him, either.

While his children were fighting for their lives, what had he been doing?

Getting lectured by Principal Nezu about how using up his time in his hero form could endanger more lives than those he'd saved on his commute to work. All Might may not have intended for his heroic instincts to get the better of him earlier this morning, but… damn it if he'd deny that Nezu had a point.

He needed only to look so far as the battle-damaged USJ to see that.

But even still, he was here now, and young Iida was rallying even more reinforcements as time went on. For now, though, he needed to put his students at ease. He owed them that much – not just as their teacher, but as the Symbol of Peace.

"It's really him…" Ashido teared up.

"Ha ha! We're in the clear!" Sato cheered. "These villains won't know what hit 'em!"

"But, sir!" Sero interjected. "How'd you get here so fast?"

All Might's stride continued undeterred. "I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong here when Aizawa and Thirteen didn't answer my calls… so I hurried over, and encountered young Iida along the way. He informed me of the villainy that was going down here, and thus… here I am."

He let out a veiled sound of disgust.

'The things that these first-years must have seen… and done to survive this… I dread to think of it. But even still… I must assure them that everything's going to be okay…'

He stopped near the steps leading to the plaza below, and the earth rumbled beneath his feet.

"So there's no need to fear students… why? Because I am here."

And he knew those words to be true.

As the Symbol of Peace, it was his duty to make them true.

Meanwhile, at the grand plaza his gaze was fixed upon, Shigaraki spoke once again.

"So after all this queue time… the raid boss finally decides to show up…" He giddily smiled.

The other villains were far less excited.

"Is it just me or does he seem bigger than before…?"

"He's huge…"

"I've never seen him in real life!"

"You better hope you haven't… idiot."

All Might looked to the presumed ringleader's side, and caught a glimpse of Aizawa. The sight of his colleague, pinned, bloodied, and battered, only made his blood boil even hotter. He took one step forward-

"All Might!" Thirteen called.

All Might stopped and turned his head.

"The fog villain below, Kurogiri, has a warp Quirk, but we don't know what the other two near the skinny one are capable of doing. You're their target, so be careful!"

"Duly noted, Thirteen. Thank you."

"And All Might, sir?" Nishimura asked.

"Hm?"

"Save Eraserhead," he said grimly. "He jumped right into all the villains down there just to buy us time."

All the Pro Hero returned was a wordless nod. It would take the forces of heaven and earth to stop him from doing so, but his pupil's heart was in the right place in merely making such a request. Class 1-A would be like forged steel after this incident, and become fine students, but for now…

He had a job to do.

Shigaraki chuckled. "Looks like we didn't need to take down any trash mobs after all. Nomu? Get rid of the mini-boss. He's done for anyway."

The order registered, Nomu lifted the barely-conscious Aizawa above his head and prepared to cast him aside.

All Might cracked his knuckles.

'It begins.'

Aizawa was sent flying, and All Might moved.

It didn't even take a second. One moment every goon that remained standing among the villains stood ready for action, Aizawa was in the air, and Shigaraki stood calm and in control. In the next, all those statements were invalidated. Faster than the eye could comprehend, All Might knocked out every petty thug in the plaza, caught Aizawa as gently as he could, and knocked the hand on Shigaraki's face off in one fell swoop. He also noticed and rescued Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta before reappearing out of harm's way – Aizawa still cradled in his arms. The abomination that had thrown him remained motionless.

"Wait… what happened?" Mineta uttered.

Midoriya looked up at his mentor, and All Might resisted the urge to look back. His successor, his torchbearer of One for All would have to wait. Right now, the shattered man that lay in his arms was his priority.

"All Might…" Aizawa said weakly, his voice pained and hardly a whisper. "The big one… Nomu… super strength. Other one… Shigaraki… don't let him touch you. Destroyed my elbow…"

He let out a pained noise and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Rest now, Aizawa…" All Might said, and set him on the ground. "You've done more than enough for today. Midoriya?"

"Oh! Y-yeah, All Might?"

"Take Aizawa and bring him to safety. He doesn't have much time."

"Y-yes, sir!"

In a few dozen seconds, the three students took their teacher quickly up the stairs, where Takara and Nishimura met them halfway to help expedite the ascent. Overhead, Yaoyorozu and Jiro were preparing first aid in anticipation of the wounded arrival.

'Good… they're keeping their heads on straight, even now. Just hold on a little longer, Aizawa.'

All Might turned back to face Shigaraki, who now seemed to be in the midst of a slight breakdown.

"Still… still too fast… couldn't see him coming, father…" He gingerly replaced the hand on his face from where he had picked it up off the ground, and his breathing steadied. "But of course a government hero would instantly resort to violence. Still, he isn't as fast as I thought he'd be… as he used to be. So it's true… he really is getting weaker."

The titan refused to react, even if it was true. Ever since he gave One for All to Midoriya, he was destined to lose the power that his unique Quirk provided him over time… even faster due to the hole in his stomach.

His hero time was already wearing thin.

"Even if that were true, villain, that doesn't change what's going to happen to you next!"

His legs tensed. The lead villain hadn't reacted to him rescuing the students or Aizawa, but possessed a Quirk that could disintegrate things if he touched them. On paper it'd seem like closing the distance would be the last thing someone should've done to fight him, but he knew he could move faster than the villain could react.

Which meant that he could take the villains' leader out immediately.

He charged forward with speed unmatched, and his arms crossed diagonally in preparation for his attack. "Carolina…"

"Nomu."

"SMASH!"

The goliath reacted immediately. One second All Might had a clear path to attack Shigaraki, and the next, the monster appeared and intercepted the attack. The air pressure from the attack sent dirt and water flying in muddy waves, but the beast gave no indication that the attack had even registered.

It didn't give All Might a chance to try again, however, and lunged forward in a hasty grab the moment it looked down at him. All Might jumped backward.

'Aizawa was right… this guy must be strong if it took a full-force attack of mine with no effect…'

The Nomu lurched through the distance between them, and the hero ducked under the clumsy right hook that followed.

'But let's see how tough he really is!'

A punch to the monster's stomach followed, but again, the impact did nothing. Two punches to the sides of its beaked face and all the hero earned for his trouble was the sensation of his fists hissing against flesh.

"Pretty good punching bag you've got here! I daresay I could almost feel it when I hit him!" He taunted.

He avoided another attack of the Nomu's, and continued his experimental assault.

"Oh, that's because Nomu has shock absorption, All Might. The only way you'd hurt him is to slowly gouge out his flesh – but something tells me he won't let you do that!" Shigaraki chuckled confidently. "You've finally met your match!"

All Might smiled, and ducked beneath another punch.

"Get the villain monologuing – oldest trick in the book!" He dashed behind the Nomu and locked his arms around its waist. "So thanks for the advice! First it's this guy, then it's on to you!"

One super-suplex later, and all that could be seen was a building-sized dust cloud.

Jomei and Akiko were the first to react when their classmates came up the stairs with Aizawa's body between them. They both sprinted down the stairs to expedite their teacher's journey to safety while the others waited for them to approach. Upon their return, Thirteen, Akiko, Yaoyorozu, and Kyoka immediately set to work to stabilize him. Nothing could be done yet about his broken bones, torn tendons, or his elbow, but they were able to stop the bleeding and buy him enough time for more help to arrive. Denki, meanwhile, was just trying to stay cool in the face of the mangled injuries before him, and Tokoyami was gracious enough to tolerate him.

Meanwhile, with nothing left for them to do, Jomei and Midoriya found themselves intently watching All Might's fight.

Jomei's heart hammered in his chest. He still couldn't yet process how much danger they were all in. Even with All Might here, it didn't change what had happened before he'd arrived, and it didn't change the very real certainty that they were still in danger. Shigaraki's monster withstanding All Might's full-force punch was enough of an indication of that.

But then he picked up on Midoriya's unease, and he tried to set aside his own for the time being.

"I think All Might's got this."

Emphasis on tried.

Midoriya shifted nervously. "Maybe he does… but I'm still worried. The villains came here with the intent to kill All Might, they told us that much… and between that monster, Shigaraki, and Kurogiri, it isn't unlikely that they have a plan in place so that they actually can."

Jomei's hands balled into fists. So much for trying to set aside his own fears. "Do you really think the villains are smart enough to do that?"

He nodded. "Think about it – they broke into the USJ and scattered our class with just one of their team, and that's not even taking into consideration how they somehow bypassed the alarms. They're at least a cut above the average villain. They wouldn't just assume that they could beat All Might… I think they know they can."

'And we're just standing here watching him fight for our lives… just like with Aizawa.'

The familiar warmth of his Quirk wrapping around his hand caught Jomei's attention. He wasn't going to sit idly by to what could be the most dangerous battle All Might had ever fought. It wasn't just his life on the line, it was everyone in Class 1-A's too, and he'd be damned if he was going to let another one of his teachers fight it alone while outnumbered.

Jomei started toward the battle, and it seemed Midoriya came to the same resolution beside him.

"Wait."

Akiko's command halted them mid-step, and they turned around.

"I'll admit it Midoriya, you're smart. You beat Bakugo in your battle trial, and he seems like a guy who knows how to fight, so you're probably right about the villains too." Her voice had an unfamiliar, determined edge. "But I do have trouble with you two running into a fight because you think the number one hero is going to have trouble with it."

Jomei's shoulders slumped. "But-"

"You'd be distractions at best and hostages or dead at worst!" Akiko blurted fiercely as her eyes widened. "I know how you feel. I know you want to help, to try and prevent what happened to Aizawa from happening to All Might, but… I'm not going to let you throw away your life – or Midoriya's – by running in there. All Might told us to fight smarter, not harder, so we need to have faith that he'll take his own advice and make the most of what he knows about those villains."

As Akiko's pleading eyes met his, a chill settled in Jomei's stomach. He knew Akiko was right, that she was trying to keep him from doing something stupid, but still…

"She's right."

"What?"

"She's right," Midoriya repeated solemnly. "I want to get in there too, but… I also know All Might wouldn't let us down even when he is out of t… when he's at his limit!" His hand tightened. "It hurts, but we've got to trust him!

Akiko met Jomei's gaze. "And if you don't want to trust him… trust me."

Finally, Jomei exhaled. He knew that he and Midoriya would still be eager to jump in at a moment's notice, but he also knew that he wanted everyone to come out of this alive. He needed to make sure Akiko would always come out alive.

So it was about time he took her advice and started making sure he would be too.

But as he watched All Might's fight, the pit in his stomach remained, and he doubted it would be going anywhere anytime soon.

The pair's first exchange of blows was merely an opening spat, a way to measure each other's strength – the real fight would begin when the dust settled after All Might's last attack.

And then the true force of conflict between two titans would be felt.

All Might fully expected his suplex to have at least stunned Nomu long enough to get some good hits in. After Shigaraki had taken his bait and flat-out told him his brutish bodyguard's weakness, it was just a matter of immobilizing the damn thing before taking advantage of that information before the other villains could intervene. It was as sound a plan as could be conceived on such short notice, especially given the strength of his current foe.

But instead of feeling the impact of the monster's skull and exposed brain hitting concrete, he felt the thing's momentum continue long after it should've been buried in the ground.

Thirteen's warning immediately came to mind.

In an instant, All Might released his grip on the beast and flipped out of the way of the monster's hands as they appeared from an impossible angle. His backflip continued until he landed a few meters further back, and he finally understood what had transpired.

The Nomu's body was split between two locations. Its lower half remained bent where All Might had started his suplex, and its upper half was now grasping at the empty air where he used to be – and both halves were surrounded by the ominous purple fog that connected the two points. Kurogiri's work.

Had the attack been successful, All Might would've likely been undone. The Nomu would've had free reign to immobilize him, and Kurogiri himself would no doubt have been able to cleave the hero in two by simply snapping his warp gates shut.

"What kind of cheap trick is this?" he demanded. "What, afraid your bodyguard can't take a hit?"

"Oh, I know Nomu could take a hit, but the thing is… a perma-stun like you just tried to pull? That's just cheap." Shigaraki raised his hands in a flippant gesture. "I was hoping Nomu would find a crit spot on you and latch on, but… there's more than one way to cook an egg."

'Which means that they likely have multiple strategies in place to take me down… that warp villain and Nomu are integral to his plan, but Shigaraki himself hasn't moved. If he thought he could've been useful in this fight he would've done so already.'

His muscles tensed. 'Which means he's most likely the weakest of the three… he knows he wouldn't be able to touch me before I could get a hit on him.'

All Might wasn't a genius with technology. He, his students, and his colleagues all knew it. But there was something he knew about himself that many would often overlook. He may have possessed overwhelming power that made most fights a cinch, but there was more than just that insurmountable strength that guided him to victory in every encounter.

He had strategy.

Unfortunately, so too did his foes.

"More importantly… you aren't the only one who knows some tricks." Shigaraki's fingers twitched. "Kurogiri."

In a moment, he was gone.

All Might whirled in anticipation of the surprise attack, and his prediction proved true. A portal appeared behind him from which a wiry hand thrust out to grab him – but as he prepared a righteous counterattack, he felt a glimmer of movement behind him.

Nomu.

'It was bait!'

Shigaraki's hand disappeared in another blip of fog, and All Might spun around to defend himself when he realized it was too late. He'd fallen for the feint, the Nomu was too fast, and all he could do was brace for the inevitable attack.

But then the Nomu froze.

Literally.

The entire right side of its body had crusted over mid-air with a thick layer of ice, and the monster remained still, as if the sudden possibility of frostbite didn't even phase it.

Before All Might could question the sudden turn of events, a new voice intruded on his thoughts.

"I'm sorry I was late." Todoroki then glared at the villains. "After interrogating one of your goons about your plan to kill All Might, I must say I'm unimpressed. The number one hero won't be taken down by petty thugs, and if you're the League's best… you don't stand a chance."

Kurogiri stirred angrily. "You dare mock the League of Villains?! Impudent child, you know not what you're dealing wi-"

An explosive tackle to the villain's back sent him skittering along the ground, tearing through dirt and rock in a cloud of smoke that only stopped right next to All Might's feet.

The smoke cleared and Bakugo's grip on Kurogiri's neck brace tightened. "Oh, I think we know exactly what we're dealing with, dumbass!"

"And don't forget about me, Bakugo!" Kirishima shouted.

He plummeted from above, aiming a hardened fist directly at Shigaraki, but the villain moved with unnatural speed away from the imminent impact. Kirishima merely landed harmlessly on the ground where Shigaraki had been.

"Aw, come on, that was gonna be cool!" He jumped back to join his allies.

"Oh, and these two just followed me here," Todoroki deadpanned.

"Yeah right, you icy-hot bastard!" Bakugo seethed.

Kirishima struck a combat-ready pose. "I mean we did come to take down this smoke guy, and he came here to help All Might, so… he isn't entirely wrong, I guess."

"SHUT UP!"

'Note to self – praise and reprimand these three students for entering this fight later. For now…'

All Might turned his attention back to Shigaraki.

"H… how did you figure out I have a physical body?" Kurogiri grunted.

"Because you got careless, you dumb villain!" Bakugo leaned in closer. "It was simple. I figured that after my first attack missed your body that you couldn't be entirely comprised of this mist stuff. I knew that you must have had a physical body to be worried about, or else you wouldn't be moving your Quirk around you to try and distract us, and you sure as hell wouldn't be wearing this neck armor! You aren't immune to physical attacks – they've just gotta hit the right spot."

Kurogiri attempted to move, but Bakugo set off a small explosion with his Quirk, dissuading any further struggle.

"Don't move. You try any smart shit and I'll blow you apart so bad they'll be picking up the pieces for weeks." Bakugo grinned.

"Not sounding very heroic there…" Kirishima warned.

"Doesn't matter! Bastard warps us away like flies and thinks he can get away with it?! Yeah, right! Besides… he's their ticket out of here. Keep him locked down and these clowns are dead!"

Shigarkai stood unsettlingly calm. "So… these students escaped uninjured and captured my two best men… huh. Quite the tricky situation we're in. All Might's unharmed… our tank is frozen in place… and my escape route is silenced. Kids these days sure are incredible, I'll give them that. They make the League of Villains seem like chumps… that just won't do."

'He doesn't seem worried… this can't be good.'

"Nomu."

The beast moved. Even with half of its body encased in ice and in danger of flat-out shattering, it strained against its icy prison and the ice cracked…

And its frozen limbs both shattered into fleshy shards.

It fell to the ground with a thud but kept moving. The exposed stumps where its limbs had been let out a sickening squelching noise, and the Nomu itself let out an inhuman groan as its limbs began to regenerate. Muscle, bone, sinew, it didn't matter – all of it quickly returned until all that was left to regain was the dark skin that wrapped it all together.

"Well, that was annoying," Shigaraki deadpanned. "But I guess that's just raid bosses for you… they always have ads and extra tricks up their sleeves to make things more difficult…"

"What was that?" All Might asked. "You told me his Quirk was shock absorption!"

"Shock absorption is one of his Quirks… Nomu was designed to fight you at one hundred percent of your power, meaning that he's your perfect counter. A walking punching bag that hits you back."

"How is that possible…" Todoroki conjectured.

Kirishima's arms hardened. "I dunno, but he's done healing up, so get ready!"

His arm frothed with ice. "Right."

Their teacher's eyes widened. "No, both of you-!"

"Nomu. Get our ride."

Faster than everyone's perception beyond All Might's own, the Nomu rushed forward, over a metric ton of condensed muscle and killing intent making a dead charge towards Kurogiri.

And Bakugo.

All Might's legs moved faster than they'd been able to carry him since his ill-fated battle with All for One. Whether he'd later chalk up his speed to adrenaline and the instinct to protect, or to something else, it didn't matter. What did was what happened after both titans returned to the realm of visibility to their respective allies.

At first, it appeared that All Might and the Nomu hadn't moved.

But then everyone noticed Kurogiri secured in Nomu's massive grasp, right next to Shigaraki, while Bakugo was safely secured in his teacher's arms near his peers. The former remained unwaveringly still, its task complete.

"Objective complete. Would've been nice to see the brat turned into a fine red paste, but I guess you can't win them all."

All Might set a bewildered Bakugo down, and his arms tensed. "All of you. Leave, and let me handle this."

"With all due respect, sir, if it weren't for our intervention that monster would have had a clear shot on you," Todoroki argued. "I believe that we'd be of better use here, where we can assist you in battle."

"And I appreciate that young Todoroki, but now isn't the time to stay in the way!" His fists tightened. "You may say that you'd be of assistance to me here, but would you rather stay where I have to worry about your safety, or would you rather let the Symbol of Peace fight without restraint?"

Todoroki fell silent. After a moment he nodded.

Bakugo looked like he was about to argue, but stopped himself. "Tch. Whatever."

"Kick these bad guy's asses, All Might!" Kirishima cheered, and the pair were off.

As the students left, the Symbol of Peace maintained his iconic composure, but when they left his line of sight and his focus returned to the villains, All Might's seething rage returned in full force. He didn't doubt that Bakugo had been in danger when Nomu charged, but Shigaraki's flippant dismissal of attempted murder – of a child, no less – set him on the verge of going ballistic.

"You dare to try and harm a child? Without holding back?" His entire body flexed. "Alright then villain… how about I show you what a real hero can do!?"

"A real hero?" Shigaraki snickered. "Don't make me laugh. These kids are no saints – the blond one was threatening my companion, and you heard his threat. What sort of hero threatens to kill their hostage? And you want to know what… there's a big problem with heroes, and because I'm feeling generous I'll spell it out for you. It's that they can get away with as much violence as they want as long as they say it's for the sake of others. That pisses me off – that some people get to decide which acts are heroic and which are villainous. Passing judgment on what's good and what's evil. You say you're the Symbol of Peace?"

He tilted his head. "You're nothing but a state-sponsored instrument of violence. And what's the old saying? Violence always begets more violence. Once you're dead, I'll make sure the whole world knows exactly how true that is."

"You're nothing but a lunatic. You spout ideology and appeal to nobility, but we both know that it's all a thinly-veiled excuse to bring other people pain!" All Might said. "Admit it! You just inflict all this harm because you enjoy it!"

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed. "Guess there's no fooling you, huh? Well, it was worth a shot anyway."

'He's insane…'

"Oh, and you wanted to show us what a 'real' hero can do, right? Well go on ahead, give us that honor. Nomu? Round two – start."

A pained roar rumbled outward from the beast's jagged maw, and it kicked up a storm of dirt and wind as it launched itself towards All Might. Despite the imminent reality of the Nomu's body slamming into his own, and despite the thing's speed matching his own, time seemed to pass in a slow crawl. The Nomu slowed mid-air, high winds became a light breeze, and the only thing that remained was his own breathing and his thoughts.

He had barely three minutes left in his hero form.

But his blood was still boiling from the Nomu charging Bakugo without relent and nearly pulverizing him.

And his resolve was renewed once more.

'I have to stop these villains… why?'

Bakugo, Todoroki, and Kirishima were all up the stairs and in relative safety.

Which meant he didn't need to hold back.

'Because I am the eighth holder of One for All… I am the world's symbol of peace and justice!'

The Nomu had nearly closed the distance, letting out a feral growl as it raised a fist to complete its momentum-assisted attack. Its shadow hung over All Might like a cloud, and the hero's blue eyes burned with righteous fury.

'And I cannot lose!'

Their fists met, and the Nomu was stopped dead in its tracks.

All Might slowly glared up at it, the willpower of stars encapsulated in his expression.

'I WILL NOT LOSE!'

The resulting pressure of their fists connecting sent gale-force winds cascading from their point of contact. The impact of their legs digging into the ground for more force shattered stone for hundreds of meters. Shigaraki grunted, the combined effects sent him sliding back, and it was all the villain could do to avoid being flung away outright by the bombardment.

A second punch of equal force was launched between the titans, and another storm was born.

A third followed, faster than the last.

And then a fourth, a fifth, and more still until the frequency of their fists' clashing became little more than a blur to anyone besides the pair throwing the attacks. The bellowing of the wind grew violent, louder, dwarfing the cacophony of noise even a typhoon could forge within its maw.

The Symbol of Peace roared, and the assault hastened.

So too did the wind.

Shigaraki finally found purchase on the ground with the help of a nearby rock, and Kurogiri desperately fought to prevent his own slide backward, his gaseous form whipping around wildly within the furious gale.

"No, no! Shigaraki, I can't get near him!" He bellowed against the storm.

'Good! One less thing to worry about!'

And faster still, he fought.

"What are you doing, you fool!" Shigaraki shouted. "We've been over this, Nomu has shock absorption!"

"Yeah? What about it?!" All Might dug his foot into the earth. "You said his power was shock absorption, not nullification! So that means there must be a limit to what he can take, RIGHT?!"

Against all odds, his blows began to strike true.

The Nomu couldn't keep up.

It's dark skin rippled with each impact that connected, and it started to lose ground.

The anti-Symbol of Peace was being pushed back.

All Might started to randomize his blows while maintaining his constant counters to the monster's attacks, hitting wherever he could without sacrificing his defense. Their herculean struggle uprooted trees and tore nearby zones apart piece by piece, and through the roaring wind, All Might could've sworn he heard his students cheering him on.

His fiery determination burned ever hotter.

"Alright big guy… if you can really fight me toe-to-toe at one hundred percent of my power…"

Shigaraki bristled.

"Then I'll just have to go beyond that and force you to surrender!"

His cascade of chaotic strikes continued, and small triumphs started to connect one after the other. He scored hits on the Nomu's face, the underside of its jaw, and its jugular, and the thing began to reel back under the force of his blows. Without so much as making a sound, it spat blood and gore, and All Might was thankful his battle had whipped up a dust cloud, obscuring the grotesque sight from his students.

Even still, the Nomu continued its offensive, breaking the skin on All Might's cheek as one of its own attacks connected, and nearly causing him to cough up blood when another punch hit him right in his weakened side.

But what should have stopped the hero dead in his tracks only succeeded in raising his ire, and his efforts found themselves redoubled.

"A real hero…"

He saw an opening, and he took it. An uppercut sent the abomination flying, and the earth bellowed underfoot as All Might soared to intercept the Nomu before it hit the ground. He grabbed its wrist before it could attack him and started to spin. It reached out to grab him with its free hand, but it was too late.

"Always finds a way to deliver justice!"

A cataclysmic kick that would've broken the eardrums of anyone nearby connected to the Nomu's face, and its impact forged a new building-sized crater in the ground.

It bounced upward, and All Might slammed into the ground before the beast could even move.

"Now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but this time I'll teach you what they really mean!"

Shigaraki's eyes widened.

His students screamed encouragement.

Eight generations of power stockpiled into a single Quirk coalesced in his fist, and he could hear his predecessors' battle cries screaming in his ears like roaring engines to deliver the final blow.

He was only too happy to oblige.

"GO BEYOND… PLUS ULTRA!"

A punch like no other flew true. The hydrogen in the air ignited, All Might's fist sank forearm-deep into the Nomu as its shock absorption was pushed past its limit, and after a few more seconds of feeble resistance, the USJ trembled… and the beast flew.

It rocketed upward like a cannonball, exploding through the air and the ceiling of the USJ alike, and at the unfathomable speed it was going, it would keep flying untold distances before it so much as slowed down a hair.

And the only thing anyone watching could attest to seeing was a black and red blur blinking out of existence, and the USJ gaining a new skylight out of nowhere.

"Looks like I really have gotten weaker… back in my heyday, it would've taken just five hits to knock someone like him out… but today…" He crossed a fist over his chest. "It took over 300 mighty blows."

Steam emerged from his skin. His abdomen screamed as the pain from the Nomu's impact caused it to bleed, and his dress shirt was left little more than a tattered rag over his chest when the dust started to settle.

'Less than a minute left… wounded weak spot… make this time count, All Might.'

"You've been bested villains," he stated. "Surrender, and this will be over quickly."

The Symbol of Peace remained stalwart.

The same could not be said for Shigaraki, however.

His hands reached up to his neck, and he started scratching. "You cheated…"

"What's wrong? Not attacking me? You started round two, didn't you? Well come and finish it… if you dare."

All Might knew if he could avoid more bloodshed, he would… but he also wouldn't hesitate to finish this conflict by force, either.

But then again…

'Just a few more seconds…'

Shigaraki's nails cut into his skin. "You… you… why? Why is it that every time a party plans a quest the dungeon master just has to come from on high and crush the players' hopes of an easy win!?"

"What? You believe you can triumph without hard work and dedication? Villain, if you think that victory will be handed to you on a silver platter then you have much to learn. Now, what's your answer?" He warned. "Surrender? Or be taken in by force?"

The goons strewn about the plaza that he'd knocked out long ago began to stir. He was running out of time.

But it didn't matter. He had bought as much as he needed to… even if his hero form time would be shortened even further still due to the strain of this battle.

"Wait… third option." Shigaraki noticed his followers' moving, and he started to calm. His scratching stopped. "Your health pool and stamina has got to be low by now… my party members are almost back up… Kurogiri."

"Yes, Shigaraki."

"We can do this…" His hands twitched, and he started to move.

Only for his arms and legs to be shot clean through from afar.

'Round two over. Victory goes to the heroes.'

"Iida!?" Akiko shouted.

"Your class rep has returned!" He declared. "I have fulfilled my duty… and I brought reinforcements!"

Midnight, Present Mic, Snipe, Power Loader, the principal himself and more stood at his back.

A veritable platoon of pros had arrived, and one of their number had already incapacitated the League's leader. Jomei, meanwhile, was frozen in place, his mouth agape at the shock and relief he felt in that moment.

"How…?"

Snipe's gun smoldered. "Homing plus bullets. Hell of a combination, kid. Oh, and by the way, 1-A?" He tipped his cowboy hat. "None of you really thought we pros would just take our sweet time getting over here when we heard you were in trouble, didja?"

"Now I know we're late, but we got here as fast as we could!" Nezu smiled. "Snipe? Incapacitate those furthest from the stairs."

With a flourish of his modified pistol, Snipe's Quirk-assisted rain of bullets started flying true once more. "You got it."

"Everyone else? You know what to do."

Ectoplasm stepped up next. The only exposed part of his body beyond his trenchcoat, peg-legs, and the black helmet-obscured head was his large-toothed, lipless maw, and it opened without a second of hesitation. An odd, viscous substance erupted forth and shaped into exact duplicates of himself that raced through the air like ghosts towards the other zones. Several other pros launched themselves to follow after them, and yet still plenty of heroes remained to protect the students.

"And Nishimura?"

Jomei turned to the familiar voice. "Yeah?"

Present Mic pulled down his glasses and winked. "Let me show ya what a real pro can do!"

"Uh… okay?"

He walked forward with abandon and cleared his throat when he reached the stairs. A dozen of the still-standing villains were charging up towards their new opponents, and an almost unsettlingly happy smirk appeared on Present Mic's face.

"Alrighty, villains!" He shouted. "Can I get a YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

His Quirk boomed into existence, and sonic waves the size of buildings bowled the brutes right back down from whence they came. The few that remained huddled to the ground, clutching their heads before they too succumbed to the eardrum-shattering onslaught.

Eventually, the pro paused. "Now how's that for a performance, huh?"

'Oh… right. Man-child rivalry…'

"Well… it was impressive, but…" He noticed a gaseous cloud wrapping around Shigaraki. "The lead villain's about to get away!"

Snipe twitched, and his bullets soared towards Kurogiri, only to disappear through a warp gate raised in his defense. "Damnit! Good catch kid! Hey, we need someone to catch 'em from a distance!"

Thirteen ran to the edge of the stairs. "I'm on it! I've got a bone to pick with this guy!"

All of their fingers uncapped.

"Black Hole!"

The suction that ensued only avoided all other villains below by the grace of the Space Hero's aim, and the force of the attack was so great that Kurogiri and Shigaraki both were being swiftly dragged towards the pillars of justice. There was a glimmer of movement as Shigaraki roared something unintelligible to those above, and the warping villain blinked out of existence, his master in tow.

"No! They got away!" Thirteen exclaimed.

"No matter. Our primary objective is still to incapacitate the rest of the villains and secure our students' safety immediately!" Nezu cheerfully advised.

The pros turned to him. "Understood!"

The tides of justice then swept forth.

And Jomei was left in awe.

Authors Note: Welp! I think I wanted to be a bit more original in terms of the climactic fight, but I (obviously) just ended up making my own little tweaks. I thought staying true to canon with only minor edits to the happenings was the best thing to do. Jomei and Akiko's existence does play a role here, sure, but I didn't think it'd be logical to have them steal the show – in terms of character or power level – in this instance. Don't ya worry though! WFAF is still Akiko and Jomei's story, and boy oh boy will we be back to them soon. If you're wondering what's going through their heads after all this is said and done, you may be pleased to see what's in store!

Oh, and Snipe? Never change, man. I love this guy so much, and he's in MHA less than even like… Midnight or Present Mic. Bless his soul for somehow being cool anyway.

PS: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had it ready to be edited by my beta for a while, but… life got in the way, as it often does. I will still be aiming to release the next chapter three weeks after the intended release date for this chapter, but we'll see how things go.