A/N- I don't say it enough- and by that, I mean I never say it- but I'll always be appreciative of the support the story gets. So, y'know, thanks for that.

Anyways, just so you all can know the time frame we're looking at (and by "you all" I mean the people currently following the story and not the people in the future reading this when it's complete and can just look at the chapter numbers) we're looking at this chapter, two more after this, and an epilogue before it's finished.


Monochromatic Ideals

Episode 29- Black


It was Tuesday.

Kyomu was beginning to worry.

Sure, he didn't expect him to immediately come back to him after they both finished their respective business. Finding a way out of the country, quite understandably, would take some prep work. But the crushing anxiety Kyomu was feeling as he gnawed at the end of a pen in the middle of class would surely be relieved if his brother, at the very least, dropped by after he was done to tell him what he was doing.

Except he didn't. After two days, he hadn't heard a single thing from him.

"He couldn't have... no. No way. It's Hikari." He couldn't even focus on the sheet of notes staring out at him from his desk. Nor could he even pay attention to Mr. Aizawa teach at the front of the classroom. "I'd feel a lot better if he told me why he was dragging his feet, though. Seriously."

Snap!

An acrid taste filled his mouth, and he had to spit out a black globule of ink as he dropped the pen he'd bitten in half by accident. Besides him, Sen quirked his hairless eye ridge and cleared his throat to gain the other teen's attention.

"Dude, you look like a death row inmate taking his final walk," he commented. "What's up?"

"Meh, y'know. Nerves." Some of the ink from the pen leaked onto the desk, and, without anything better to wipe it with, Kyomu grabbed his notes and tried to use the paper to wipe the ink away. This only caused it to smear further into the desk. "Since we're moving into the dorms tomorrow."

Sen nodded. "Oh, I getcha." He paused, and looked up at the front of the classroom as the bell for afternoon lunch rang. The other students were beginning to pack their things their bags, including Sen. Kyomu was the exception, and was mainly just tapping his foot on the ground nervously as he stared at the stain on his desk. Sen frowned at this. "We're just moving onto the campus, man. I really don't think you have to act so nervously about it."

The black-haired teen picked his notes up and began wiping at the ink. "I'm not jittery."

"I, uh... didn't say you were?" When Kyomu's head snapped to meet Sen's gaze, he hesitated before speaking again. "Alright, seriously, what's the matter?" he asked. "I know you're not so nervous over some dorm room, so what's the deal?"

"And I told you that I'm just nervous about moving," he answered back.

Sen scoffed, but otherwise said nothing and continued dig into his bag. Kyomu continued his losing battle against the ink on his desk.

"Goddamn ink won't wipe away. Who the hell decided to make ink so permanent, anyways? Damn desk isn't even supposed to stain." Growling in frustration, he viciously wiped the paper off on the desk one more time before tossing it away. "Forget it," he grumbled, and then turned to Sen. "Hey, so what are we... Sen?"

The bald teen in question was staring intently at his phone. Normally this wouldn't be a cause for concern- he, along with a majority of the class, almost always had their noses buried in those things in their free time- but there was something about his eyes that gave Kyomu pause. They were widened and rapidly moving from left to right as he read the screen, and his mouth was opened in a silent "o" expression. The hand holding his phone was even shaking slightly.

Last time he looked that concerned over news on his phone was four months ago when his brother escaped from prison. He doubted it had anything to do with Hikari, but it must have been serious news nonetheless if he was having this kind of reaction towards it. That assumption was only strengthened when Kyomu cleared his throat only to get no reaction from Sen.

"Hey, Sen." He reached his foot out and tapped the other teen's shin. "Something on the news?"

"Uh, yeah..." Sen gave a shaky nod. "Yeah, it's, uh... yeah."

"... 'Kay then." Kyomu reached down to grab his bag while continuing to speak. "So, what is it? Real bad villain attack or some disaster?" He paused and turned around while crouching near his bag. "It's not something with your mom, is it?"

"No, it's..." Shakily, Sen set the phone down on his desk. "Kyomu, what, uh... the name of your orphanage. It's Sunflower, right?"

Kyomu froze. The name rang out through his head a few time, and the bag he was holding dropped to the ground. "As it happens, yes." He slowly turned towards Sen as he rose to his full height, and his eyes wandered to the phone on the desk. "Sen. What's on the news? And what does it have to do with my orphanage?"

Sen only stepped back. He stepped back, and then shot his hand out to snatch the phone up. "You have to promise me you won't run," he said, slowly. "Before you look you need to realize that there's already police and heroes there, so you can't run off and-"

"I won't." There was absolutely nothing Sen was saying that wasn't causing his heart rate to steadily rise, but he tried to maintain his calm despite this. It was a mostly fake calm, but he held it up if only to get at that phone. "Can I please see what's on the news, Sen?"

He seemed extremely hesitant, but under Kyomu's gaze Sen finally relented and tossed him the phone. Upon catching the phone, Kyomu immediately flipped it over and scanned over the contents on the screen.

It was then he almost dropped the phone in shock at what he saw.

There were words and advisories zooming across the screen, but they were completely blurred from his vision as he focused on the picture the broadcast he was seeing. He'd lived there long enough to know that he was looking at the area where his orphanage was. There was the large courtyard and the stone wall that ran across the perimeter, though it had degraded to a point where it was practically nonexistent. There were heroes and police cars all around the street outside the wall. He could see the courtyard itself, and near the front the sign of the orphanage.

He couldn't find the actual orphanage itself. There was just rubble in its place, and a large cloud of dust amidst the ruins. He could, however, make out a blurry form standing within the dust cloud. He could make out no features, but the white beams of light firing out from the cloud and impacting the heroes and police all around it were unmistakable. His suspicions were only confirmed when the form turned into a white blur and began running all around the premises, and heroes and cops alike fell under that blur before it retreated back to the orphanage. It was hard to see due to the camera's field of view, though from the way the bodies were smoking and in pieces, it wasn't hard to imagine those men and women were dead.

That was Hikari's Quirk. So it must have been Hikari.

His orphanage was destroyed, and for some reason Hikari was there fighting- killing- heroes and police.

"What?" Now he did drop the phone, and Sen didn't even make a move to catch it as he looked at Kyomu with concern clear in his eyes. "Hikari, you're... what? What?"

"Hey, Kyomu?" Sen took a step forwards and held his hands out. "I need you to be calm, alright? I know this looks bad, but I need you to be calm and focus on me."

"What?" Kyomu slowly blinked, shook his head once, and looked up at Sen. "What's going on?"

"Kyomu, I just saw that news feed. It came on right as I was looking at the news. I'm just as confused as you are, and I know that what we saw was- it was pretty bad, but-"

A black portal opened between the two of them. Through the classroom window, a second portal on a building's nearby roof could be seen appearing.

"Hey, hey, hey! Kyomu!" The portal dividing the two of them was wide enough that there wasn't a space that Sen could slip past to Kyomu's side, but the sides did have wide enough gaps for sounds to go through. "Kyomu, don't! You can't-!"

But it was too late, as the Void portal faded away with nobody at the other end. When Sen's turned to the window to look at the one at the top of the far off building, that one, too, was fading, and there was no sign on Kyomu.


"Hikari, what are you doing?"

Never before in his life had confusion taken hold of his psyche this strongly. It was the same kind of haze over his mind that had appeared when he'd killed his parents and Kenji by accident that night and when Hikari first escaped prison. He couldn't think about anything else but what he'd seen on that phone, but at the same time it was so confusing he couldn't make sense of any of it.

"Orphanage gone. Kids're... what even happened to the kids? Mido? Why is... Hikari, what's going on? I don't..." Going through portal after portal, Kyomu wasn't even that aware of his surroundings. His sole focus was going straight towards the orphanage, and he couldn't even perceive or hear anything else around him. "Gotta get there. Figure out what's going on."

He would get all the facts straight when he got there. Why his orphanage was burned to the ground, why Hikari was there, and why he was murdering lawmen. He couldn't even fathom that last one, let alone all the other things. Hikari went to great lengths to ensure he didn't kill- he wouldn't have went through all that extra effort of sparing all those heroes the day of his escape otherwise. Kyomu knew he didn't want to kill. So why now? Why now when they were so close to leaving!?

He needed answers. He needed to get to Sunflower.

Hopping out of the last Void portal found him at the sidewalk right outside of what was once the stone wall surrounding the orphanage property. Most of the police vehicles all around were completely totaled. The bodies of faceless heroes he couldn't recognize and police alike moreso. Bodies charred and grievously mutilates, as if they'd been cut apart by an impossibly sharp and hot blade.

Kyomu ignored them all as best he could and stepped onto the property.

The sign that once adorned the front was barely a sign anymore. The small, pavement path through the center of the courtyard leading to where the building once lay was totaled. The grass and surrounding foliage was practically gone, turned gray and flaking ash all around with only a few patches of green here and there to be seen.

Then came the remnants of the orphanage he'd lived in for so long. He felt something in his chest lurch when he saw there was practically nothing left. Just a large, rectangular plot full of embers and slag. And, all around, even more bodies. Bodies that were burned so horribly that they were unrecognizable skeletons, and he couldn't even count them since there wasn't even a single, intact skeleton and the bones were scattered around and broken so much. But the bones were small enough for him to know just who they belonged to. All of those bones were those of children, and if he looked hard enough, he wouldn't be surprised to see Mizo's bones around here somewhere.

"W... what...?" Kyomu could scarcely even comprehend the sight before him. His mind went blank as he stared at the apocalyptic scene around him. So many emotions from horror to confusion to sheer, raw shock was swirling within him, and it was such an overwhelming maelstrom of incomprehensible emotions that he felt lightheaded and stumbled backwards. "What the... why-?"

Step.

Kyomu felt his body completely freeze when he heard the definite sound of a footstep near him. He almost thought he'd imagined it, but then he'd heard a second footstep. His head started to slowly turn towards the sound, thought when the third footstep was a loud crunch!, his head snapped to the origin. He could see why it was a crunch when he looked at the ground: the foot making the noise had crushed one of the small skulls under its foot.

Its completely bare foot with chalk-white skin.

Blinking, Kyomu slowly looked up the foot towards the rest of the body. The legs were bare, with a large, pale scar on its right knee, and the only kind of pants it wore were torn, ragged white shorts that was almost the same shade as its skin. Aside from those shorts, it was completely bare of any clothing, and aside from the skin, seemed normal if not a bit tall and gangly. There were, however, numerous light scars across its body, and a particularly big one on the middle of its torso.

Then he reached the head, and he felt a pit form in his stomach when he recognized some of its features. The lower half was normal enough, with the mouth open in a seemingly thoughtless stupor. Everything above its nose, however, was absent, with the exception of a large brain filling the space with two large, iris-less eyes implanted and staring off in opposite directions.

"A... a Nomu? That's a Nomu, isn't it?" The teen took a step backwards, shaking his head and blinking while staring at the monster in front of him. "A Nomu destroyed my orphanage? Why?"

A high-pitched moan left the Nomu jaw, and the eyes on the side of its brain began rapidly roaming around. Its limbs went into a spasm, and both eyes instantly locked onto Kyomu. Upon sighting him, the monster screeched and raised its right hand towards Kyomu. When white light began building up and coalescing within the center of its palm, Kyomu's eyes had nearly bugged out of his head.

In a flash of light, it fired, though the beam of light that left its hand only hit a near-instant fading black shadow as Kyomu Dark Drifted to the spot behind it. The Nomu screeched again and swung blindly behind it, and while Kyomu managed to duck under the swing, he grew alarmed when he felt the air around the swing displace due to the creature's sheer brute strength.

"Why does it have Hikari's power?"

Hopping backwards, the Void user tried erecting a dark wall in front of him to build space between him and the Nomu, but it must have had some form of intelligence, as it darted around the wall and was sprinting alarmingly fast towards Kyomu. Too fast, he noted, and only then caught the thin film of light surrounding it. He just barely managed to go through a portal and come out a second on the other side of the courtyard before the Nomu slammed its hand down on the ground he'd been standing on previously. There was a flash of light, and the patch of ground was ash.

"All For One is responsible for making Nomu. Hikari went after All For One. This Nomu has Hikari's Quirk." His focus was less on the actual fight and more on trying to figure out just what was happening, and his mind was running so quickly that he almost got a headache from the thoughts running through him. The Nomu, having seen Kyomu across the courtyard, screeched again and swiped its hand in his direction with a large beam of light firing out from his palm.

He'd ducked under the beam in time, but the buildings across the street next to the orphanage weren't so fortunate. He could only watch as a wide, burning scar was carved into three buildings from the laser, and then had to jump to the side when the Nomu dashed towards him in a flash of light and kicked down where he'd been.

"I don't understand. I don't... what's a Nomu? How are they created?" By now, the creature was screeching at the top of its lungs as it wildly swiped and clawed at Kyomu, who only continued to stare wide-eyed at it as he thought and continued to evade. "They're made by artificially transferring multiple Quirks into bodies, right? But... but were do the bodies come from? Did All For One steal Hikari's Quirk and put it in this thing? Or... wait..."

Kyomu's feet slid across the ashen ground as a thought came to him, and he felt his body seize up as the full reality of the thought dropped on him. All the Nomu did was stop and quirk its head in his direction, almost in confusion at him stopping.

"No... don't tell me that's-"

The Nomu's confusion ceased, and it lunged towards him with a right arm wreathed with white light. Once again the Nomu only struck a quickly-fading black shadow, but as Kyomu dodged to its side, a black line swiped through the extended bicep of the monster. Its arm fell to the ground after Void cut through the arm, and the monster screamed an inhuman scream as it clutched the bleeding stump.

"Hikari?" As he stood behind the wailing Nomu, Kyomu could barely hear his own voice above its screaming. It was just barely above a whisper, and he could feel his voice crack slightly at the uttering of that single word. "Hikari, is... is that you? Brother?"

The only acknowledgement the Nomu provided was to spin towards him, open its gaunt mouth in another screech, and charge a white ball of white within its mouth. Though the beam fired, it only made it a couple centimeters away from its mouth and into the black portal that opened in front of it. Meanwhile, Kyomu slowly circled the Nomu as it continued to scream its beam into the hole.

"It really is you, isn't it?" The further he examined him, the more Kyomu came to to realize, much to his horror, that he was right. Though his body had become distended and gangly, his thin, angled jawline was more or less the same; a jawline that was so similar to his. That Quirk that was so unmistakably his brother's Quirk. The voice, now that he focused on it, was extremely warped and higher than it should have been, but there was definitely some undertone to Hikari's voice that he heard under all the yelling. Even the pants were the same. They were torn into shorts now, but he remembered Hikari wearing those exact pants when he last saw him.

It was Hikari.

His brother was a Nomu.

"Hikari..." He couldn't even hear it screaming anymore. In fact, any sound besides the blood running through his ears and his own heartbeat became inaudible to him. Anguish was beginning to wash over him in such intensity that he almost believed that one of those beams of light him him, and his vision became blurry. "Hikari, what did he do to you?"

Hikari only screeched and charged him once again.

Shclick!

It didn't make it very far, as Kyomu had met it halfway and rammed his arm, wreathed in Void, right through its chest.

"I... you're not... I'm..." It was a reflexive attack. The kind of move that Kyomu didn't even realize he'd made until he'd subconsciously committed it. He understood why he'd done it, though only after he slowly looked down at the arm piercing through the Nomu's chest and assuredly through where the heart was. "You're no longer Hikari. Are you? Are you even alive in there?"

His only answered was garbled screeching as the Nomu clawed at his back with his remaining hand. He grit his teeth as long, red gashes were left in his back from the long nails at the end of its hand, and with a chocked cry Kyomu tore his arm through its whole left side and out the chest. The Nomu let out a pained whine, flopped down on the ground, and convulsed for five seconds before instantly going still.

A low, shallow breath leaked out his mouth as Kyomu continued to stare at the unmoving body. He didn't know how long he stared at the thing that was once his brother, but he eventually came to the conclusion that the mutilated body under him was well and truly dead, and it was only then did he collapse to his knees.

"I'm so sorry." It was the only thing he could think to say as he stared at Hikari's body. It was the only thing he could say, as his throat had tightened, his body began to shake, and tears finally began to flow freely down his face as the knowledge that his brother was truly dead hit him. "He lost. He lost and All For One turned him into a Nomu." It was the only explanation he could come up with to explain things, and was the only one that made sense. "It's all my fault. We shouldn't have tried to kill him. We... we should have just left. But I had to go and... Hikari, why...?"

His head lowered, and he could barely make out the white form lying on the gray ground past all the tears flowing through his eyes. Through the silent sobs wracking his body, he managed to twitch his fingers. In doing this, the ground under the body slowly began to turn black.

"I'm sorry, Hikari, I... I put you out of your misery without even thinking about it. All that screaming... how much were you suffering before I put you out?" A black Void portal settled under the body, and slowly, like it was slipping under the surface of an ocean, the body began to slip into Void. "I'm sorry I can't s-save you. All I can do is stop your suffering and dispose of your body. I won't... nobody else gets to touch it. Nobody else... I'm so sorry I let this happen, Hikari..."

The body fell entirely through, and the portal closed. The only thing left was the sole surviving twin brother who was openly weeping at the empty, ashen ground as his arms hung limply at his side.

Clap!

The crying stopped the instant he heard that clap. Once again, he felt every single muscle in his body tense and freeze up, and his eyes opened widely and stared blankly at the ground beneath him as he heard more clapping.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed in the loss of that Nomu. Even the good doctor expressed such glee when your brother's corpse took to the procedure so well. It usually takes months for a body to adjust to all those foreign Quirks being installed and to come back through the revitalization process, but your brother managed to do it in as little as two days! Your mother's Quirk truly was something special, eh, Shinka Kyomu?"

He didn't recognize the voice at all. That aged voice that seemed to be full of so much malice despite the almost playful overtone it held. And, despite the fact he could hear the voice coming closer, he couldn't hear footsteps approaching him. Just more of that infernal clapping.

So, naturally, he looked up, but he saw nothing. He continued to see nothing as he looked around, and when he looked forwards, he saw a shadow on the ground. Upon seeing the shadow, he looked up, and gasped out loud when he saw a human form floating high above the ground above him. A human in a black business suit and a strange, black mask that encompassed his entire head. He couldn't help but note the long, white gash that ran through the center of the mask's face.

"Corpse? Hikari?" Kyomu repeated the words in a whisper as his head slowly dipped down to follow the man as he descended towards the ground. "Are you... are you the one that's responsible for that thing...?"

"That 'thing' was a testament to modern medicine and technology born through Quirk research, though, in truth, I doubt I could ever appreciate it as much as my colleague. But I digress." The man's feet touched softly onto the ground, and he remained planted in that spot as he looked down at the kneeling Kyomu, who, in, turn, stared up at him with wide eyes. "Yes. I, All For One, killed your brother, Shinka Hikari, turned his corpse into a Nomu, and set him loose on your orphanage."

It was the clearest admittance he could have ever received, but the sheer bluntness of it set only caused Kyomu to gape it shock. His mouth closed and opened in an attempt form words, and after a few attempts, he managed to croak out a single word. "Why?"

"Why, indeed? Why do anything, Shinka Kyomu? Why become a hero? Why become a villain? Why follow the rules of a society that effectively ruined your life? Why betray the League that offered you a home among villains? These are the questions I struggle to comprehend concerning the Shinka twins. Your brother saw the sham that is the hero society the moment he was unjustly thrown in a jail cell. Surely you discovered the truth, too, if you distrust this society enough to go as far as to murder the Hero-Killer Stain! And though I have no indication as to how many other villains you've killed, if any others, I would assume that the number would be at the higher end of the spectrum." All For One, hands calmly at his sides, took in a ragged breath through his mask before he continued speaking. "Justice, right, wrong... empty terms born of a make-believe society full of fools who dress like comic book heroes, legally flaunting their powers in front of others who cannot through a paper-thin wall of red tape. Justice is a lie perpetuated by a society fueled by weak-willed people who would let others decide what justice is for them, regardless if they agree or not. Justice- true justice- can only be defined and acted on by the individual, even if it goes against the fake justice of this society. That is the only path to freedom this loathsome hero society has provided us." Calmly, his left hand rose up and gestured to Kyomu. "But because of the heroes in this society, the path to freedom and true justice can only be tread by the strong; society would classify those who would use their powers for the sake of their own ideals and freedom as villains. You realized this the moment you went against this society's rules and murdered of your own accord in secret through the power of your extraordinary Quirk- I can see it in your eyes and heart rate that I'm right. Your brother came to the same conclusion, and used his power to claw back his freedom, even if he wasted it in the end. Even I had used my power to build an empire that would have finally rid this society of false platitudes and demeaning ideals, and would have succeeded were it not for that man and that accursed Quirk. So I ask you, Shinka Kyomu: why did you and your brother oppose us so violently even after learning the truth of this society?"

"You..." Kyomu mumbled, "you killed my entire family-"

"A good a reason as any, I suppose. And I truly am sorry I entrusted the collection of your mother's Quirk to that insipid moron, Hirose." Kyomu twitched violently at that. "Having had a brother myself, I could have understood any grievances you both held for me. I would have done everything within my power to make it up, and the League of Villains surely would have welcomed you both with open arms. Under Tomura, you could have all torn down this society that has imprisoned the freedom of everyone born within it. You could have brought true justice to your brother's lost time in prison. But, instead, you both let emotions run the better of you. Tomura has been near-inconsolable ever since you attacked him the other day, and the loss of Hikari has only worsened his condition." A sigh rattled out of his mask as he wiped a hand across the glossy face plate. "He had just begun making extraordinary progress and had started making decisions on his own without my guidance. Slowly but surely, he had begun to grow. You and your brother's stunt has undone months of conditioning and has shattered his confidence. But it's of no concern, as what was lost can be found again, and in the end this setback will have only strengthened his resolve. At the very least, I can thank you for that." The hand quit wiping the mask and fell back to his side. "But the gaping wound you both have left on Tomura's psyche cannot be forgiven. I'll erase any trace of your existence, Shinka Kyomu, starting with your brother and this orphanage."

All throughout the villain's speech, Kyomu's breathing began to steady. The longer he talked, the more and more the outside of his vision began to darken as his sole focus locked on to All For One's body. His hands began to twitch violently as black tears sporadically appeared and disappeared around his forearms.

"So what you're saying..." he said, "... is that you killed my brother. And turned him into that thing." His blue eyes began to softly glow. "You... you killed them all. My parents. My brother. Everybody in the orphanage." His right thumb and middle finger pressed together hard enough that the finger bones creaked. "All For One," Kyomu hissed, "I'll kill you."

He snapped his fingers, and at the same time his irises violently constricted. At that moment, all the sorrow inside him disappeared, and in its place formed a white-hot fury he'd never experienced before his entire life. And all of it was directed at All For One.

There was no period of time after he snapped that the space between All For One and himself wasn't filled with Void. Indeed, it seemed that Void had occupied the space between the two before the sound waves of the snap had even reached Kyomu's own ears. It was great enough that everything within his cone of vision was consumed by the blackness, and it was only a few seconds later when he snapped his fingers once again did the Void instantly blink out of existence.

The entire side of the courtyard he'd been facing was gone entirely. The ashen grass on that half had disappeared and left the soft earth underneath it. The street and sidewalk beyond the orphanage perimeter was completely gone, and the face of some buildings had disappeared as well, making it look as if a giant knife had cleanly sliced off those portions of the buildings off. Everything that had been within his range of vision- including All For One- should have been erased.

It was why he was so shocked to hear something whistling in the air towards him.

Kyomu rolled out of the way just as a leather shoe stomped down on the ground where he'd been. He barely managed to glance at the dark-suited form of All For One before he rolled through a portal and fell through a second above the villain. His right arm was wreathed in Void and posed to swipe at the older man, but just as he came within range, All For One's left arm shot out and gripped Kyomu around his throat.

After that, everything felt wrong.

Dangling in the air, Kyomu kicked fruitlessly with his feet as he grabbed at the hand holding him aloft. He tried to command Void to cut through the arm holding him, but to his shock he couldn't. In fact, he couldn't feel any control over his Quirk. What he could feel was a cold, draining feeling spreading throughout his whole body- it almost felt like all his blood was being drained out from his body. Worse, that cold feeling of something being drained from his body was flowing towards his neck, where he noticed that he felt the coldest.

"My... Quirk..." he realized, and in his panic he began kicking harder. "It's... just by touching...?"

In his rage, he'd completely forgotten how he had been warned that All For One's ability was to steal Quirks. He's forgotten to keep his distance and be wary of the power, as he'd been too focused on killing the man. It was only now that he was suffering under the power's onslaught did he remember he had the power in the first place, and it was only after choking gasps began to leave his mouth did he desperately search for any way to get out of the man's grasp.

"As much as it vexes me to admit it, your Quirk has a certain... irresistible quality to it." The words, much to Kyomu's disgust, almost purred out of the man's throat. It was the same kind of affection a child would display towards a new, rare toy, and the thought of it Kyomu sick to his stomach. "You've cost me time, emotional damage, property damage, and you've even robbed me of a superb Nomu," he continued, "and though I will take supreme satisfaction in your demise, I do not think I will be walking away empty-handed. So I will be taking your Quirk, Shinka Kyomu. I'm certain that I can find a better use for it than you ever could... and who know? Perhaps I'll have your body turned into a Nomu as well, for Tomura. His own pet to remind him of this calamity, so that he may grow and move past it all. I feel it's the least you owe us all."

"Owe... owe...!?" New anger flashed through him, and the grip on All For One's hand strengthened. It was so great that he could even feel the fingers give slightly. "You've taken everything from me... and you think I owe you for it all...!?"

He pressed down harder on All For One's hand, and, to his relief, the fingers around his throat loosened. He could finally breath again, but more importantly, the cold, draining feeling lessened slightly. And with that relief came some modicum of control over his Quirk. It was small, barely noticeable, but he could feel it. And as All For One's right hand reared back, an idea flashed in the back of his mind, and with the last of the control over his Quirk that Kyomu could muster, he enacted his plan.

"Defiant to the very end," All For One admonished. "The same impudent defiance your brother showed me, right before I ended him. The only good it did him was that he managed to scratch my mask. It still irritates me that I have to look at that scratch every time I don it." His right hand shot forwards. "You can die in peace knowing you're following your brother's example."

A forearm stretched in front of Kyomu in an attempt to block the hand, but it was merely grabbed by the villain. The other hand around Kyomu's throat tightened, and the draining of the Quirk resumed.

There was one interesting thing of note, however. The draining feeling he'd felt earlier did not increase. In fact, it was half that of what it was originally. All For One seemed to notice this, as well, as his masked head tilted in confusion as a small, victorious grin spread across Kyomu's face. It was when All For One looked towards the forearm he was grabbing did a low hum escape him.

He had assumed, of course, that he had grabbed Kyomu's arm, who had tried to shield his throat in a vain attempt at preserving his life. This, upon him looking, proved to be untrue, as the arm he was gripping had a completely different skin pallor to Kyomu's skin. While the teen's skin was pale, the skin on the arm was chalk-white. When he looked closer, he saw that it, indeed, wasn't Kyomu's arm he was grabbing, but the wrist of a severed arm that Kyomu was holding by the cut-off end.

"In that single moment of control, I used Void to grab the arm I severed off of Hikari. It was lying right behind you," Kyomu thought. "This feeling... it lapsed again. I broke it's concentration! Which means I can do this!"

With the limited control he had, he managed to briefly conjure a line of Void that slashed across All For One's left shoulder. Not the best he could have done, not by a long shot, but it proved to be just enough, as it caused All For One to grunt and throw Kyomu a few meters away from him while the severed arm dropped out of sight. The pain of tumbling on the ground was next to nothing against the warm, relieving feeling of his Quirk flowing back into his body.

The problem was that something else was flowing into him.

The pleasant, warm feeling grew hot. So hot, in fact, that Kyomu began groaning out in pain as heat began to lance through his body. He tried to get up to his knees, but his body convulsed uncontrollably and he flopped back to the ground. He continued to shake as all his veins burned, and he even tried ripping his school uniform's tie away and unbutton his gray school blazer to try and cool himself off. It didn't help in the slightest.

"Hot! It's hot! Burns!" His breathing grew labored, and his pains turned to near-shrieks when all his muscles convulsed once again. "What-what's going on? It... it's getting better I think. Is it? It- yeah."

There was still pain, and there was still heat flowing through him, but it was beginning to cool to a tolerable level. He attempted to get onto his knees a second time, and this time he managed it. He slowly lifted up his arms, and he breathed out in confusion when he saw his veins pulse once before settling.

He lifted his left leg and planted his foot on the ground. The pain pulsed through him once more, but it wasn't nearly as painful as it had been previously. He put his second foot down and finally lifted himself up to his feet. He stumbled forwards a step, took a deep breath, and finally looked at All For One.

The villain remained rooted to the same spot he'd been standing at when he threw Kyomu. In fact, he seemed to be just staring at him silently, and wasn't making a single move. And while Kyomu couldn't care less why it was All For One had paused, he saw something gave him pause as well and froze him to the spot. He saw his reflection in All For One's mask.

His appearance had changed.

Confusion tore right through him, and he had to blind to make sure he was seeing the correct image. While the right side of his shoulder-length, flowing hair was the usual black, the right side was the complete opposite color. It looked as if the entire left side of his head was dyed white, and he could clearly see the line in the center of his hairline where the black met the white. His left eye had changed, as well. While his right remained the usual dark blue color streaming normal tears, the left eye had turned into a deep crimson color with a single line of blood leaking out from the tear duct.

"What the?" Once again he blinked, and in his stupor he rose his left arm up to his face. "My left side... changed colors? Why would... oh."

Something began flowing along his left arm, but he could tell from a single glance that it wasn't Void. Void wasn't completely white in color. Void didn't have the appearance of drawing power out of the air around him. Void didn't flow so freely like that.

Light did, though. He'd seen Hikari use it enough to recognize it.

Blinking, Kyomu looked to his right arm. Lines of black appeared along his arm, and he could feel his control over Void. But he could feel something else there, as well. Something completely separate and foreign he'd never felt before, but at the same time, it was an almost familiar feeling. The look alone of seeing Light flowing around his left arm and Void around his right was surreal enough, let alone the actual feeling. But it was a feeling he had a complete handle on. He focused on the new feeling, and in a showing of almost innate control, the white flowing light around his arm bent and shifted to his will.

"Hey, Kyomu. Try not to let it go to your head, man."

That voice. That voice Kyomu couldn't help but yearn for, now more than ever. It was made worse by the face he felt a hand press down on his left shoulder, and from the corner of his eye he could instantly recognize the pale skin of his brother's hand.

"Sorry for screwing up and leaving you alone. But you managed to pull a miracle off, so do me a favor and don't waste it." The voice of his brother was whispered right into his left ear, and it was so quiet that he had to strain to hear it. "He has a lot of Quirks that make him extremely strong and durable. He's blind, but he has Quirks that make up for it. Don't hold back on him. And don't let him grab you, alright? It's all over if he takes your Quirks." The hand patted his shoulder. "But hey, you're my brother. You got this. You always do."

"Hikari?" Kyomu spun around, but there was nothing behind him. No hand on his shoulder and no mouth leaning in to whisper into his ear. There was nothing but silent, empty space behind him. "What... huh?"


Absurd.

It was the only word that could come to mind as he stared at the display before him. As he stared at the teen with bi-colored hair looking around and muttering at the empty air around him, All For One could only describe the situation as absurd. The instant he'd seen the other's change in appearance, he'd known what had happened. He'd felt it happen when he felt his control slip for just that second because of the wound inflicted on him.

"When he tricked me into grabbing that severed arm, I accidentally began to take the Light Quirk from Shinka Hikari's fragmented corpse," the villain thought. "I've never had a need to take multiple Quirks at once, so I was unaccustomed to the feeling. That moment of confusion gave Shinka Kyomu the opportunity to free himself. Because of this, the process of me taking the Quirks was interrupted, and unfortunately, the arm was dropped. The Quirks had to flow back somewhere, so they retreated into the only vessel available: into Shinka Kyomu.

"This could prove troublesome." Already, he could see realization replace the confusion in the teenager's heterochromatic eyes, and at the same time they became incredibly focused as they locked onto All For One's mask. "Void is a bad enough Quirk to deal with. It's a Quirk that can kill its opponent instantly if one is not careful. Because of the Search Quirk I appropriated, I am able to read into him and see when he is about to use Void. I can avoid his instant, deadly blows as long as I am quick enough. But if he uses it in conjunction with Light..."

He would never admit that he was concerned, as he wasn't concerned. There was no denying the feeling of foreboding deep within him, though. The same feeling he'd felt during the fight that had so gravely wounded him. The same feeling that had sprouted within him when the number one hero had punched his face off.

But All Might didn't radiate enough killing intent to directly compete with his own. In fact, now that he thought on it, Kyomu hadn't once even flinched in All For One's presence ever since he had made himself known to the other. Even his brother and All Might had buckled slightly under the intense weight of that intent that he radiated. Even against those that had the strength to fight him, he'd always been able to make them waver with his mere presence.

Kyomu was different. The way he was staring at him was much more different than anybody else he had ever faced. He didn't have the desperation that Hikari had in his eyes. He didn't have that look of righteousness and retribution tempered with fury and the pain of his organs spilling out that All Might had had that made him look like a rabid demon right before his sight had been taken from him. No, this was... confidence. Confidence and the deepest, most pure kind of hate being radiated in so much killing intent that the intent of both met right between them, making an almost invisible wall of opposing wills separating the two with unimaginable pressure on either side of the wall.

All For One had never encountered anybody that gave him this feeling. It was such an alien experience that he couldn't even describe it.

There was a flicker of light, and Kyomu's position changed. It was only a few centimeters, but in that time his body flashed with a film of white light and he'd changed positions faster than All For One could track. After the untraceable movement, Kyomu furrowed his black and white eyebrows, as if he was in deep concentration. All For One, not wanting to let the teen get a handle on his new Quirk, attempted firing off his Air Cannon Quirk. He'd risen his right arm, watched it inflate, and then watched it decompress as a blast of compressed air fired out from his arm and shot towards Kyomu. That blast of compressed air that was powerful enough to level whole buildings was stopped short of Kyomu when a wall of solid hardlight materialized right in front of him, and though the shield was heavily cracked and broken, it had done its job and protected him from the blast.

Kyomu didn't even look in All For One's direction. He was too focused looking at the ground and focusing on himself.

He flickered again. This time his position changed by a few meters. Another flicker, quicker than the first and second time, and his distance doubled. At that point, he chose to look up at All For One.

And then he disappeared.

The multitude of sensory Quirks All For One possessed, chief among them being Search, Scan, and Infrared Ray, screamed for him to defend himself. So, moving so quick he couldn't even think, All For One had whirled around and crossed his arms above his mask. It felt as if, the instant he did so, a colossal force smashed down onto his arms. He was able to see that it was Kyomu, with light swirling around his left leg as he kicked down at his arms.

But that couldn't have been right. That kick was stronger than it should have been- he felt himself actually being pushed. Him, with enough strength-enhancement Quirks to rival All Might's strength.

"It couldn't possibly be..." All For One thought as he slid back on the ashen ground under the onslaught of that kick. "Did he accidentally absorb more than Light? Did the various physical enhancement Quirks installed into that Nomu get transferred to him as well? That can't be. A second Quirk is one thing, but multiple? Without the doctor's surgeries, the human body shouldn't survive integrating so many Quirks! Unless... Genetic Hardening." Underneath his mask All For One grit his teeth as the realization beat down on him almost as much as the kick. "Is it possible that his enhanced body makes it so that he can handle the Quirks? Even worse, that they've amplified his already unnaturally-strong physical attributes?"

He didn't want to believe it, but he had to in face of the facts. And the facts were that he was actively being pushed back.

And through the gap in his arms blocking the kick, he could see Kyomu's face. Due to the light shining off his leg his face was completely shadowed with the exception of his eyes. His red and blue irises were shining brightly, and they were narrowed in such a way that it was impossible to miss the raw hatred he was exuding.

But that look of paralyzing hatred was the least of All For One's concern, because at that moment light exploded off of his leg and, like a jet engine, pushed the leg down and caused the pressure being forced on All For One's arm to increase tenfold. And he screamed. It was a scream full of so much hatred and anguish that All For One was certain that it surpassed All Might's own scream when he'd taken his master away from him all those years ago.

"ALL FOR OOONNE!"


His Light-enhanced kick finally broke through the villain's defenses, and he felt his leg push past the arms and directly hit the sternum underneath. He felt immense satisfaction when he heard the soft grunt come out of that mask, and even more when All For One was shot through the air. He snapped to a complete halt ten meters out midair, likely due to the Quirk that allowed him to float, and he settled back onto the ground while dusting himself off. Kyomu just stood his ground as he faced the villain.

"You think that just because you're stronger than everybody else that you can do whatever you want?" Light violently tore past his left side while Void continued to open and close tears in space along his right side. Through it all, his eyes never lost their glow. "I dunno. Maybe you're right. You managed to run free for decades. Maybe centuries. You only stopped when somebody stronger came around and beat you."

"You have no room to make such judgement," All For One countered. "I genuinely am curious as to how many villains you killed with your Quirk for the sake of your own indulgence. You're just as guilty as I am of using your Quirk to make your own right."

Kyomu blinked, and a bitter chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed. "After all, the only reason we're doing this is because we both hate each other. So you can't be too upset when I say I'm going to kill you just because I feel like it."

"That's the way, Shinka Kyomu." Both of All For One's arms rose up to Kyomu. "Now you finally understand. You would have made a sublime villain. It's unfortunate you chose this path."

"What's unfortunate is that you decided to be born."

That last remark signaled the end of words between the two, and as the last syllable left Kyomu's mouth, they both sprang into action.

Air burst after air burst fired out from All For One's arms in an attempt to blast away Kyomu. The attacks left huge trenches in the ground and even managed to reach the streets far behind him, but none of them ever actually reached Kyomu. He was moving at such speeds that gray afterimages were left in his wake, dozens so, and all the while Kyomu was zipping all around All For One as the villain tried to lead a shot on him.

"Dark Drift, and Speed of Light... I have both now. I can combine them both." More afterimages were left in his wake as Kyomu jumped in the air, and used the Light on his left side to jet-propel himself in the air all around All For One. This created even more afterimages around the villain, whose head remained staring forwards even as his arms still tracked him. "It's amazing I can even see going at these speeds. I feel stronger, too. Too strong. Why?" He hit the ground right behind All For One in a burst of light. "Doesn't matter. End it."

He punched All For One's side. He felt muscle and bone give out under his fist, and as the flesh distended under his assault All For One spun to his side and hammered his fist at him. All his fist managed to do was pass through an after image, and at the same time Kyomu appeared at the opposite side and kicked him. This went on again and again, where Kyomu would appear somewhere at his front, sides, or back, hit him, and then zip around to another point on his body as All For One busied himself with an after image.

This proved to be a strategy that only worked temporarily. All For One seemed to adapt, as his arm swiveled on its joint and successfully pointed to the spot that Kyomu was about to stop at. But, instead of coming to a halt, he pressed forwards right into a Void portal that deposited him through a second one a few meters away just as he fired a blast of air on the ground near him. After landing, Kyomu's blue eye flashed as he attempted to cut All For One down with Void, but the masked villain's head snapped up and his body flew backwards at unnatural speeds as the space he occupied was filled with dozens of black slashes that appeared briefly before fading.

"It can anticipate and react to me using Void. Must be a Quirk," Kyomu surmised. "I won't be able to just kill it instantly with Void. But it must be dividing a lot of its focus into avoiding Void. That's fine. It just makes more openings for Light."

He snapped his fingers, and four white swords made of light appeared around him. He snapped again, and the edges of the swords' blades became wreathed in black as Void wrapped around them. The blades shot forwards towards All For One, whose entire body slid left and right to avoid each of the blades. It was after the fourth blade was dodged did all four halt in midair and swivel around in the air to face him again. They moved again, but instead of shooting in a straight line, the four swords began swinging in different directions at the villain. He still managed to pull away with his unnatural dodging, though he was nicked in the sides a few times by the swings. He was disrupted by a dim flash of light followed by Kyomu appeared at his side, his right hand gripping one of the sword and pointing it right at All For One.

He thrust forwards, and All For One's counter was to swipe his left hand in the way. From each of the fingers on that hand sprouted black and red tentacles that rushed towards Kyomu. Before the tips of the tentacles managed to reach him, a black line appeared and cut through the five lines. All For One soundlessly retracted the bleeding tentacles back into his hand and leapt backwards.

Unfortunately for him, he'd dodged backwards into an awaiting Kyomu holding a black and white sword.

"Too slow!" he shouted as he dug the sword through All For One's lower left side. The blade pierced all the way through to the other side, and this time All For One let out a louder grunt of pain before he backhanded Kyomu. The hit successfully connected, but a layer of hardlight situated over the area in his chest where he was hit. Unharmed, Kyomu slid backwards all the way to the other side of the field while the sword in his hand shattered and the Void on it faded away.

"This has gone on for long enough." Black and red lightning arced over All For One's right arm as he rose it up to Kyomu. It began to twist and inflate once again- though, this time it was to a much larger degree, and that dark lightning was arcing wildly around the whole limb.

"Electricity? No, that's... that's power," Kyomu realized as he looked at the arm. "Those are the same kinda sparks Midoriya and Sen let out whenever they power up. Pure, raw power. That thing's charging up something big." He frowned, and then hid his left arm behind his back. "I haven't got the invisibility trick down, and even if I did it'd probably be able to see me with whatever it's usin' to see. If I can't fool it, then I'll overwhelm it. So I need some help right now, bro."

"Springlike Limbs. Muscle Enhancement times three. Kinetic Booster times four. Air Cannon." The villain rattled off the names of the Quirks he was using with the same flair one would use to read off a shopping list. Utter boredom mixed with contentment for the individual he saw before him. "My Quirk affords me the ability to use my stolen powers simultaneously, and even combine them, Shinka Kyomu. I'll pulverize you senseless using a combination of Quirks that would even bring the hardiest of heroes to their knees."

"Doesn't matter how big a blast you make, geezer," Kyomu claimed. To make his points, a few black lines appeared and disappeared at random intervals in the space between them. "Try all you want, but you can't break Void like the hardlight shields."

All For One said nothing in return, simply letting his arm continue to gain more and more power. It was when the arm appeared to be at the apex of its charge did Kyomu decide to erect a black wall of Void between them to attempt to absorb any sort of attack the older man attempted to throw at him. But, to Kyomu's surprise, an attack never came. Or rather, he never heard one go off as his vision was blocked by the solid black wall. What he did hear was something that sounded like rushing air right behind him. It only took a moment of thought for him to realize what it was.

"Back on the train, Hikari mentioned it had a kind of warping Quirk. I expected it to use it by now, but so far it's just been maneuvering with raw speed. Is it saving it? Or is that specific power so limited that All For One can't use it in this situation?" He'd turned his head just enough so that his red eye could spot All For One standing right behind him with his arm aimed at his back. The arm behind Kyomu's back lit up with an immense white glow. "Thought you'd catch me off guard 'cause I took my eyes off you? Not happening."

To his credit, there was no hesitation between All For One appearing behind Kyomu and firing off his attack. It was so quick that he probably couldn't have done it any faster if he tried. But the attack never hit him. A completely white, glowing leg appeared and kicked up at the arm with enough force to redirect it upwards so the attack was sent up to the sky.

And what an attack it was. Though brief, Kyomu was forced to marvel at the fact that, even though the attack was shot upwards, it radiated so much force that he found himself being pushed into the ground. The air all around distorted as wind ripped past the area, and though he could hardly believe it, the heavy overcast of clouds above were cleared away completely from the blast.

He couldn't help but idly note that an attack like that would have wiped away entire city blocks regardless if it hit or not. Tens of them, possibly. He wasn't even sure he could have caught it all with Void. He wasn't going to let him try an attack like that again.

"You were so focused on dodging my Void and exploiting the opening I left you that you didn't notice the doppelganger I made using Light," Kyomu explained in a quiet mutter.

There was, indeed, a third figure between the two of them. A pure-white figure the with the exact same height and build as Kyomu, down to the white, glowing hair atop its glowing head. And like the rest of its body, its head was a featureless and completely white, save for two brightly-glowing red orbs where the eyes would be.

An indignant grunt came from All For One as he brought his arm down. In a flash of white, the doppelganger zipped to the other side of his arm, conjured a white sword with a black edge, and stabbed it into the bicep of the arm. Not a sound left All For One as the doppelganger hopped backwards to Kyomu's side.

"Numbers will not make a difference in this fight," All For One stated as he grabbed at the hilt of the sword sticking out of his arm. "Using a power you barely understand to conjure that shade is a futile effort."

"Doesn't look like that from where I'm standin'."

"Hmph." He put the sword in a crushing grip, and the entirety of the blade shattered and dissipated. All that was left was a large gash in All For One's arm that, while it remained open, wouldn't bleed. "I'll admit that you've done better than most. Though the damage you've inflicted onto me thus far is negligible, only one of the latest users of One For All can claim a similar feat."

"One For All?" Kyomu echoed. "The hell are you talkin' about? I rattle your brain so hard that you mixed your own name up?"

"You don't even know. It figures that he wouldn't tell you." All For One's masked head shook from side-to-side in disapproval. "It matters not. I can see I've underestimated-"

White swords with black edges erupted from the ground beneath All For One's feet mid-sentence, and he was forced to leap into the air. Some of the blades had slipped by All For One and left gashes all along his torso, but they only reached a few meters off the ground and All For One had stopped safely in the air right above them.

"Whatever, whatever, whatever..." Kyomu's red and blue eyes flared brightly, and the red eyes of the white shade besides him flared equally as bright. "Just die already, damn it."

Even more black and white swords phased into existence above All For One, with the blades pointed down at him. His body flew to the side just as the twenty swords above him dropped down and embedded themselves in the ground above where he'd been hovering. Unfortunately for All For One, he'd flown right into Kyomu, who'd jumped out of a Void portal to deliver a Light-infused kick to his side. Unfortunately for Kyomu, not only did his leg spewing a jet of light slam into the villain's side with no effect, but he felt the force he delivered eject from the spot he hit and cause him to go spinning through the air.

"It's got a Quirk like Sen's that redirects physical damage. Blunt shots are off the table." Light poured out of his left arm and leg like great spouts of fire, and the force stabilized him and allowed him to drop safely to his feet. "Shouldn't matter as long as I can still cut its body with Void. But none of its wounds are bleeding... that body is more freakish than mine. Shallow wounds aren't gonna cut it here."

As he thought this, All For One aimed his arm at Kyomu in an attempt to blast him once more with Air Cannon. There was a white flicker at the edge of his senses, and All For One just barely managed to dodge the white shade flew to his side and began swinging another black and white sword at him. All For One's upper torso unnaturally contorted and twisted in various directions to avoid the sword while his lower torso remained stationary in its floating position. The white shade went into a spin with the sword and spun right past All For One in an attempt to cut him, though the villain just quickly floated behind it. The shade stopped mid-spin and, with its side to All For One, pointed its free hand under the arm holding the sword and fired a beam of light at All For One.

For a fraction of a second, the villain's body tensed in a wait to suggest he was going to dodge the beam. However, it never reached him. Rather, it shot right into a Void portal that opened right in its path. Afterwards, another Void portal opened near All For One- followed by another, and another, and another. So quickly that it was almost simultaneous, a hundred small circular portals opened all around him. From one of those portals, the white beam from earlier exited it only to fly into another portal. The beam continued this pattern of randomly firing in an out of portals, though All For One ignored it entirely in favor of looking at the white shade who was facing him. The shade merely stared at him with its blank face as it glowed brightly. He didn't even flinch when hundreds more beams of light shot out of its body and into the portals all around him, only to continue to be redirected countless times among the portals scattered around him.

He did flinch when, in a burst of speed that trailed light behind it, the white shade flew into a portal and joined the hundreds of beams of light firing all around the villain in a dazzling display of light. Like the beams, the shade would zip out of one portal and disappear rapidly into another at a speed that it was nearly indistinguishable to the other beams. Periodically, he would become so distracted from trying to keep up with the beams of light that the beam of light that was the white shade would fly past him, and in a flash of black and white would administer a cut along the villain's body before retreating into the portal.

To Kyomu's frustration, however, as he ran in a circle around All For One and continued to try and throw his own swords of Void and Light at him, the villain would successfully dodge. Additionally, he would dodge any black lines that would rapidly form in an attempt to cut him. But he couldn't avoid the white shade using the other beams of light as camouflage. And when All For One tried to float away from the portals, they and all the beams of light that were facilitating their travel would follow.

"It can keep track of me. It can't keep track of the doppelganger," Kyomu realized. "Is it possible that the Quirks All For One is using to compensate for his sight can't lock onto the doppelganger because it's not a human being like I am? Because it's an extension of Hikari's Light Quirk and not a person? It managed to land that attack before when it redirected that big attack of its. And its losing the doppelganger easily in that field of lasers. But it's also possible its attention is spread so thin between me and dodging Void and the lasers that it can't pay enough attention to the doppelganger." Kyomu frowned, and his red eye flashed. "Let's test it. If I'm right... then I can pull off a gamble that'll let me win at the risk of killing me. I'd like something more surefire-" He stopped with enough force for his feet to drag trenches through the ground, "- but I honestly don't think it's gonna give me an opening any bigger than that. It's too good, and I'm running out of tricks."


The portals hovering around All For One had constricted, and the beams continuously firing out of them only sped up that much due to the closer proximity. Despite the fact they'd been fired so long ago, none of those beams ever once lost an ounce of power and speed behind them. They never hurt him, of course- they never even touched him since he was able to dodge the beams. What he couldn't dodge was the damnable doppelganger hiding amongst the beams that was periodically slashing at him with that blade made from Light and Void.

"I cannot track the doppelganger," All For One thought as he continued to dodge Kyomu's attacks. "The laser fire is radiating the area with so much heat that it's rendering my Infrared Ray Quirk useless in seeing it. All the movement around me is making too much 'white noise' for Scan to be able to discern visible shapes. And the Search Quirk can only lock onto living targets, which that shade is not. I can't even hear it due to everything going on around me. But it seems that Shinka hasn't noticed yet. He wouldn't be utilizing the doppelganger in this manner if he had."

But there was a silver lining to it. The beams had a pattern: each portal was connected to another, and a beam coming in one portal would consistently leave another portal. Not only that, but the hundreds of laser beams were following set paths and would enter and exit the same portals in the same paths. The exception was the white shade- try as he might, he couldn't avoid the shade due to the fact it didn't follow a set pattern like the laser beams were. But it mattered little in the end.

"He's realized that his attacks aren't doing nearly enough damage, so he's hoping to whittle me down to the bone," he continued. "A mediocre strategy at best, Shinka Kyomu. I've discerned the pattern of your attack. Your seemingly chaotic light show is flawed in that it lacks chaos, and thus can be exploited for the openings it provides. I've already memorized all of the openings within the pattern. It will no longer be able to hit me.

"But he no doubt has more tricks up his sleeve." Though he was successfully dodging almost every single attack, from beams of lights to swords to black lines, he couldn't help but note the look on the teen's face. Despite everything, his face was still set in a determined frown. And there was still the matter of the white shade landing a hit here and there on him."He's yet to give up. And there is no telling how long he can last with that body of his. The portable life support provided by this mask, the few Quirks I have that improve my own stamina, and the doctor's modifications will carry me far. Further than a normal human, at the very least, or even the above-average hero. But he's not a normal human, and I'm far past my prime thanks to the injuries inflicted upon me by All Might. It may benefit me to finish this fight in an expedient manner.

"Very well, Shinka Kyomu. I was saving this for when I once again faced All Might in his withering form, but you've become such a thorn in mys side that I feel you've earned this. So rejoice, young Shinka. You've pushed me as far as the number one hero. You've earned the right... to bear witness to my Ultimate Combination."


"He took the bait. It's time for my Final Gamble."

The portals all around All Foe One dropped in an instant, and with them closing the lasers were lost to Void. The doppelganger twisted in the air and blurred right to Kyomu's side in a white blur. The teen with the bi-colored eyes frowned deeply at the hovering villain before raising his right hand and snapping his fingers.

"Only Void can really damage it, so I'll have to bet it all on black." Eight rectangular portals with jagged, fluctuating edges appeared in a circle around All For One, with each rectangle's face being parallel to the ground, "Hope I'm right. I'm dead otherwise."

"Another paltry attack, Shinka Kyomu?" All For One asked, his voice nearly mocking in its tone. "Surely you've realized by now that it's useless. You can't defeat me no matter how many Quirks you possess."

"You wanna bet?" Kyomu thought, but otherwise remained as silent as the white shade next to him.

"Unfortunately, Shinka Kyomu, every show must end regardless of its entertainment value. You can at least die knowing that I truly believe I'll never find a source of entertainment as thrilling as the story of your existence. As thanks for providing me with this wonderful story..." His right arm began to ripple and contort as more black and red lightning arced around it. "... I've decided to end your using the Ultimate Combination of Quirks I currently have at my disposal."

The arm began growing. It wasn't a swell like the Air Cannon Quirk. The arm was rapidly becoming deformed as it increased in size and muscle mass, and soon enough it ripped through the whole sleeve of his suit. Even then, it only continued to grow.

"Springlike Limbs. Kinetic Booster times four. Strength Enhancer times three. Multiplier. Hypertrophy. Rivets. Spearlike Bones." Every Quirk rattled off by All For One only made the arm more and more grotesque. Arms grew from the main arm only to coil back around the root arm and fuse back into it to create a larger, malformed arm. Its muscles became so much that it was practically engorged, and there were even some spots where cords of muscle tore out from the skin and wrapped around the mutated limb. Bone-like rivets dotted its surface at random spots, as well as large spikes made from bone. The black and red electricity continued to angrily spark around the arm as it grew to a size that was larger than All For One's body. It was only when it reached that size did it finally stop growing.

It was monstrous. So monstrous that Kyomu's jaw had dropped open in shock when he saw the thing attached to All For One's right side. A large, vile thing that could was less an arm and more a living horror.

"You call that unsightly thing the Ultimate Combination of Quirks?" Kyomu asked, though he was so stunned at the sight of the limb that it came out as a whisper. "Something must be wrong with the Quirk that gave you immortality. You'd have to be senile to think that abomination is anything ultimate."

"This limb has enough raw strength to kill even All Might," All For One stated. With how big the arm was, it was a wonder that the Quirk he was using to float in the air was even able to keep both him and the arm aloft, though the way he talked implied he wasn't struggling at all to handle the limb. "Imagine what will happen once I strike you with the Ultimate Combination. They won't even be able to find a stain to mop up and bury."

"I don't even wanna think about how many people you made suffer just to gather the Quirks to make that thing." The teen glanced at the white shade, and they both nodded to each other. "That said," continued Kyomu as he turned back to All For One, "how exactly do you plan on hitting me with that? You know the second you charge me with that monstrosity I'll just suck the whole arm up in Void."

All For One didn't have any words to counter Kyomu's argument. Instead, he wordlessly flexed his left hand as the fingers turned into the black and red, jagged tentacles. They shot down from his floating position right into the ground, and Kyomu didn't even need to feel the ground underneath him begin to vibrate to know what the play was.

He jumped up in the air just as the five spikes exploded from the ground. Alas, they came from completely different directions and angles, and while he managed to dodge two and open a portal to swallow the third, two had approached his blindside. He managed to react quick enough and make a hardlight shield to block the fourth one, but the fifth bypassed his defenses and sunk into his back. Kyomu, faltering from the sudden stabbing sensation in his back, lost his concentration and grunted outwards when the other four tentacles stabbed into his torso and kept him aloft.

The trouble didn't end there, though. The red, grid-like veins on the tentacles flashed, and Kyomu instantly felt his muscles contract. Worse, he saw the rectangles spinning around All For One begin to wildly fluctuate, the Light Quirk on his left side began bleeding light out like a white flood pouring from his body, and even the doppelganger on the ground began to flicker in an out of existence.

"Oh, man. This ain't good. These things are making my Quirks go wild. I can barely control them!" To make matters worst, he could see All For One begin to cock back that gargantuan fist. And, try as he might, he couldn't wriggle his way out from the tentacles digging into him and keeping him stationary in the air. "They're pinning me in place," he thought, "and I'm dead if that hand gets to me. Gotta... get rid of them...!"

Though it was little, he did have a little control over the Quirks. Light was practically drained at this point, but he could still feel Void- the control was there, just spread out due to the tentacles in his torso forcing him to overexert it. So, gritting his teeth, he forced the rectangles around All For One and the doppelganger to disappear entirely. The villain took this as his cue and punched towards Kyomu, and the momentum alone from the punch caused him to fly towards Kyomu at a worrying speed.

Panicked, Kyomu willed his out-of-control Quirk to form around his right arm. It was by no means a perfect covering- there were gaps all around his arm and it was spiking wildly in every direction-, but it was good enough for what he intended. He swiped his arm in front of him and let out the breath he'd been holding when his arm cut through three of the tentacles. He felt his control begin to come back, and he whirled around to cut the last two tentacles. With all five gone, Kyomu began to fall down, and it was just as his elevation lowered did All For One's giant fist sail right over him, close enough that he could of sworn a layer of skin was shaved off from the tip of his nose. A Void portal opened right under Kyomu, and the teen fell right into it and had it close right behind him.

All For One reeled his arm back to cancel out his momentum and stop himself midair. At the same time, the eight black rectangles appeared and began to spin around him once more, though this time they were facing upwards with their faces to All For One.

Humming in interest, All For One's head turned to one of the spinning panes of Void and followed it as it spun around him. And, using his Quirks, he could see it clear as day: Kyomu within the world of Void slowly walking in the opposite direction that the rectangles were spinning in. His footsteps were slow and his head pointed in the villain's direction, and when he reached the edge of the black pane, he transitioned to the back edge of the one behind it.

And then, rapidly, he held up his right hand, and from a pane to All For One's right a solid spike of black Void shot out. He just barely managed to dodge it and felt Void graze at his shoulder, but was otherwise unharmed. When Kyomu transitioned to another panel, he stuck his hand out again and another spike shot from a pane in front of All For One. Again, a narrow dodge, and it was here he realized that the spikes were remaining in place and trapping him within a spoke of Void. Two more time this was repeated, with four spike surrounding All For One with four more panes spinning around him.

A fifth spike never came. Instead, Kyomu stopped in the middle of the pane he was standing in and rushed forwards. All For One, for his part remained motionless and didn't even glance at which of the three remaining portals he would come out of. Right before he emerged, All For One did turn to one of the panes, and it was just as Kyomu flew out with Void covering his right arm did All For One's arm shoot out and grab around his throat.

"You surrounded me with Void portals and attempted to skewer me with those spikes," the villain surmised. "Though each portal was connected to a second, there was no pattern among them, and you attempted to confuse me. And when four were left, you jumped right through a portal thinking random chance would smile at you and give you an opening. Perhaps you even left the spikes there to try and inhibit my movement to improve your odds." His grip on the teen's throat tightened, and color began to drain from Kyomu's already pale face as the black panes around him began to fade. "But you forgot that I could track you with my extrasensory Quirks. I knew exactly which-"

Had a white sword with a black edge not plunged into his back and emerge from his chest, he would have continued. As it was, this was exactly what happened, and all All For One could do was tilt his head down wordlessly at the Quirk-made weapon pierce him.

"Yeah, that's what the doppelganger was for, dumbass," Kyomu grunted as he pried All For One's fingers from his throat, returning the color to his face and making the Void shapes around them solid once more. "You can't sense it like you can me, and you were too focused on seeing through my feint and stealing my Quirks to pay attention." He looked to the left at All For One's right arm. "And now you're pinned. So you can't dodge Void."

He swiped his right arm at the villain's right arm, and a black line briefly appeared going over the arm. Soundlessly, the limb detached completely from the villain's shoulder. All For One didn't even make a sound as the massive limb thumped onto the ground below him. It was when the sound of the arm hitting the ground reached their ears did Kyomu lunge forwards and grab him by the throat with his right hand. The sword in his chest disappeared, and in the same instant a white figure materialized next to Kyomu. The completely white being that was the same shape as Kyomu looked down at the villain with burning red eyes. And then its white body glowed an intense white as a dozen spectral arms materialized from the doppelganger's back, with each arm tipped with a tightly-clenched fist made entirely from light.

The villain would swear that the featureless, Light-made construct was almost leering down at him the same way Kyomu was as the fists rained down on him.

It was impossible for the human eye to follow the path the fists were taking, as all of the spectral arms were moving back and forth at a speed faster than a human eye and brain could process images. Again and again the fists of light would punch down on All For One's body, retract, and punch forwards again into what could only be described as a constant pillar of blurry light slamming into him over and over. And though his body was shaking violently from the colossal blows, he was held in place by the grip Kyomu kept on him as he and the white shadow standing next to him both glared down at the villain being pummeled with utmost contempt and hatred. This went on for seemingly minutes before, in less than a millisecond, the fists disappeared into the doppelganger's back. All For One, dazed and confused, missing an arm, and with most of his bones broken, could barely perceive using his Quirks the light gathering around Kyomu's left fist as he cocked it backwards.

And then the teen's fist, aided by a body enhanced through his mother's Quirk, the physical enhancement Quirks that had accidentally been placed in him, and the light propelling it forwards like a jet, smashed right into All For One's mask. It shattered like glass, and the face beneath wasn't even seen before the flesh around it deformed around the fist making an indent into the owner's skull.

But momentum soon caught up, and like a bullet, All For One's body shot right to the ground with such force there was the sound of a small explosion followed by a cloud of dirt being picked up. The black panes and spikes faded, and Kyomu and the doppelganger fell to the ground on their feet as they looked towards the dust cloud.

Panting heavily, Kyomu tore his eyes from the cloud to the white doppelganger. "Well, that was gratifying," Kyomu weakly mumbled as the shade met his gaze. "I can take care of the rest."

There was no confirmatory nod or gesture of any kind from the doppelganger. It merely faded away into particles of light that slowly swirled towards Kyomu before absorbing into his left side. Soon the only thing left were the two red orbs that hovered in the air and stared at Kyomu before they, too, faded to particles and were absorbed into Kyomu.

Kyomu stared at the spot the white shade disappeared in before sniffing and turning to the impact crater made by All For One's body.

The dust and dirt kicked up by his landing had just settled, and as Kyomu approached the edge of the crater, he saw first hand the fruits of his labor. He was still alive; his wounds, most noticeably the stump that was his right arm, still weren't bleeding, but he saw enough odd contortions in his body to know that most, if not all, his bones were broken. He was breathing heavily, and it was when Kyomu looked at his head did he finally behold the face behind the mask. Or whatever was left, seeing as the only face behind it was completely smoothed over in scar tissue from the mouth up and was as broken as the rest of his body.

He was, without a doubt, out of commission. Which served Kyomu's purposes well enough.

"So, I guess All Might did that to you after you tore his stomach out," Kyomu said as he stared at the wounded, panting face. "Can't say I blame you wearing that mask. You look hideous."

He actually laughed at that. It was a choked, pathetic laugh, but the fact he managed it despite the overwhelming pain he must have been in bit into Kyomu's ego. "I was never one to pay much mind to my outward appearance, even after the injury," he admitted, and he even smiled. "How did you know I couldn't track the doppelganger?"

"I figured it out back in that laser trap I made. When the portals shrunk in on you, I deliberately made it so that the lasers were firing at a pattern," Kyomu explained. "It was to test if you really couldn't track the doppelganger, or if your focus was so divided you couldn't pay attention. When I turned it into a pattern, you pretty much immediately figured it out and managed to dodge them. But you couldn't dodge the doppelganger, which continued slashing at you randomly. You proved you were intelligent enough to successfully keep track of everything, from dodging me and my attack to Void and all the lasers. But at the same time you inadvertently revealed that you couldn't track the doppelganger. You would have dodged it if you could otherwise.

"So," he continued, "I set up Final Gamble. I hid myself in Void inside of those interconnected panels under the pretense that I was trying to skewer you with Void. I was counting on you grabbing me when I jumped out of Void. I was really just using those spikes of Void to conceal the doppelganger as it snuck up from behind you. By that, I mean it was physically hiding inside of one of the hollow spikes. You were too focused on me to notice."

"I could have been feigning ignorance, though," All For One argued. "You couldn't have known for sure I couldn't track the doppelganger just from me recognizing a pattern."

"Yeah, but it was a good enough hint," Kyomu reasoned. "There were a lot of risks with my last move. I wasn't a hundred percent certain you couldn't track it, just reasonably certain. I knew from the first time you tried to steal my Quirk I would have a single moment, and I was hoping that having multiple Quirks would give me more time once you grabbed me. Time enough to think that single command for the doppelganger to act out. But you're right. I could have been wrong about having just enough time to have the doppelganger stab you or about you not being able to track it. That's what made Final Gamble a gamble." He walked to All For One's feet and crouched down. "But hey, it paid off in the end, so I'm not really complainin'."

"Indeed." Once again All For One laughed, but after a fit of coughs it tapered off into a defeated sigh. "To think it was not a user of One For All that finally defeated me once and for all. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it was the collateral damage of my Quirk-collection operation that did me in. So what happens now, Shinka Kyomu?"

Kyomu scoffed. "The hell do you think, genius?" A black and white sword appeared in his right hand, and silently, he raised it above his head.

He didn't even wait for All For One to get another word in edgewise before he thrust the sword downwards. Unfortunately, he didn't get the sound of the Void-edged sword plunging through the villain's heart. What he did hear was flesh smacking against flesh as a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him mid-stab.

Letting out a deep exhale through his nose, the exhausted teen turned his head around. He couldn't say he was terribly surprised to see the red, white, and blue outfit of the number one hero standing right behind him. Nor was he that surprised to see said hero was the one grabbing his wrist at the moment.

The face was another matter. He was, of course, in his fake, muscled form, but even through the chiseled features and the sunken eyes he could see the emotions going through the hero's face. The absolute disbelief and bafflement at the display going on in front of him. In that moment, Kyomu could think of a number of reasons why the older man had that pained expression on his face. Seeing his archenemy defeated, and his student ready to kill him. Said student seemingly having undergone a strange transformation. A whole orphanage destroyed. Dead police and heroes all around from Hikari's Nomu.

Really, it was a wonder he was even keeping his composure. Now that the teen thought on it, it must have been the most confusing sight in the whole world to the hero. But despite all that confusion, he was still maintaining the visage of a hero and stopping him from killing a villain.

"Hey," Kyomu uttered in a blank greeting. "Let go of me. I have to kill it."

"Shinka... young Kyomu." It was amazing how much confusion could be conveyed in a simple tone of voice. All Might's voice was almost shaking as he spoke, and his blue, sunk-in eyes were rapidly darting from him to All For One. "What... what have you done? What happened to you?"

"All Might. I have to kill that thing. Let me go."

"You're..." The hero blinked, almost as if he was trying to dispel the image in front of him. He opened his eyes, and shook his head when he saw what he was seeing was reality. "I won't pretend to know what exactly is going on," he admitted. "I... I don't know how in the world the two of you met. I don't know how you managed to hold your own against him, let alone defeat him..." He swallowed heavily. "But no, young Kyomu. I cannot let you kill him."

At hearing those words, frustration began to shoot through the teen. "Why not?" Kyomu hissed. "He's right there. Right there, All Might, and-"

"He's defeated, young Kyomu," All Might said. "There is... there's no further need for violence. The authorities can take over-"

"Authorities are for administering justice to criminals." Kyomu began pulling his wrist. All Might's face twisted into even further confusion when he felt the teen successfully begin to pull away from him. "You have to be human to be a criminal. This thing isn't human. It's a monster. It doesn't have human rights. It doesn't deserve to live."

"That's not for you to decide."

"Yes it is." Kyomu's eyes grew wide and manic. His face tightened from anger so much that veins began to bulge from his face. "He took everything from me. I beat him. It's nobody's choice but mine."

"The law-"

He couldn't finished, as at that moment a white fist made of light extended out from Kyomu's left shoulder and flew towards All Might. Though the hero was able to perceive the incoming attack, he was so bewildered by it that he could do nothing but allow it to punch him straight in the jaw. This, combined with Kyomu's resistance, proved enough from All Might to lose his grip and tumble a few meters away.

Kyomu, not missing a beat, whirled around and brought the sword down. He almost screeched in rage when, right as the tip neared All For One, the entire sword faded away. As a result, all that hit All For One was Kyomu's open palm. The teen picked his hand up and stared into his empty palm, but when he saw movement to his left and looked over to it he knew exactly what had happened.

There was a second hero there. His homeroom teacher, Aizawa. Though he couldn't see his eyes due to the yellow goggles he had over his eyes, the red glow seeping out from the vertical slits acting as visors was said enough. He was nullifying his Quirks just by looking at him.

"Aizawa...!" The name that was nearly snarled out of Kyomu was dripping with so much contempt that the teacher actually flinched when he heard it. However, he quickly shook himself back into focus and threw his hand forwards. Three bands of his capture scarf followed this and wrapped around Kyomu's body. Before he could even try and snap through the bonds, a strong hand fell on his shoulder. He didn't need to turn around to know it was All Might.

"Young Kyomu. Please stop resisting." He pulled the teen up to his feet, and then nodded towards Aizawa to approach them. "The police will be here soon to collect that man," he said. "Eraser Head will... escort you back to be restrained at the UA infirmary to treat your wounds. We will have to question you and turn you over to the police afterwards. Do you understand?"

For his part, Kyomu didn't say anything. He eyes never once left All For One. He only did look away when Aizawa shoved his shoulder and make him look up at his teacher's face.

He couldn't say he'd ever seen so much disappointment and sorrow on someone's face after he looked at the expression Aizawa was making. He was actually thankful that the goggles were hiding whatever look his eyes were making at him.

"What were you thinking, kid?" he mumbled as he turned Kyomu around and began marching him away from All For One and All Might, his shoulder slumped in defeat and breaths completely ragged as he walked forwards with his arms bound to his side and Quirks locked away from the red gaze at his back.

But then he heard it. The airy chuckles of the battered and beaten villain right behind him. All For One was still conscious and fully aware of the situation, and he was laughing at him. Kyomu actually felt his head throb from the anger and saw black spots dance through his vision, and had to take a deep breath before stopping in place.

"All For One." He didn't turn around to face the villain, but he raised his voice loud enough that the villain would surely hear him. "After I escape UA, I'm coming to kill you. You're not living to see tomorrow."

Even after he shut his mouth and continued walking forwards, even after he made the very real threat to the villain's life, he continued to laugh. It's the only sound that he could hear going through his head as he was escorted away.


It was only after the pair were out of sight did All Might finally turn to address All For One, who still lied broken on the ground. Even once they were gone, those wheezing chuckles still continued to pour out of his throat, and All Might couldn't help but grimace at the sight.

"I must be a sight for sore eyes, eh, All Might?" All For One asked. "How does it feel knowing that it wasn't you, your disciple, or any One For All holder who defeated me? That a young upstart like Shinka Kyomu managed to succeed where so many others failed? On his first try, too, no less."

"What have you done to him?" All Might asked, voice strained. "You... you destroyed his orphanage, didn't you?" He gestured to the remains, which, due to the fight between the villain and teenager, had been reduced to absolutely nothing. "After all this time, you come back just to... just to terrorize one of my students? Just... why?"

"It's not as if I planned to be defeated at this juncture. As loathe as I am to admit it, I underestimated that young man's capabilities. A fatal err on my part, really."

"But why Kyomu?" All Might pressed. "Out of all of my students, why him? Did you just pick him at random? Did you... did you assume I gave One For All to him? Did you attack him just to get to me?"

Once again, All For One laughed. "Oh, no. I already know you gave it to Midoriya Izuku. The relationship of hate Shinka Kyomu and I share is completely unrelated to the sordid history I share with you and that damnable Quirk."

"Then why!?" the hero demanded. "Aside from his brother, young Kyomu doesn't have anything to do with any of this!"

With a bloody smile full of crooked, broken teeth, All For One smiled. "Oh, you poor old fool. You know absolutely nothing." The smile widened. "The depths of secrecy Shinka Kyomu crafted for himself would put the web of lies you weaved around One For All to shame. You don't know a single thing about his true nature. About who he really is."

All Might opened his mouth to retort, and then stopped himself. He glared down at All For One's broken body, and then to the utterly destroyed landscape around them. "Perhaps not," he conceded through grit teeth as he looked towards where Aizawa and Kyomu had left his sight. "But I know that Kyomu is a true hero at heart. I don't know what tortures you put his soul through to twist him into that hateful visage I saw, All For One, but I swear I'm going to pull him from the darkness you've dragged him into."

"You've already lost him, All Might. That boy has already immersed himself in a world of darkness your light can never reach, let alone anyone else's. He's seen the faults in your society, and he knows those faults cost him everything. He's undergone a metamorphosis into a path separate from heroes and villains. His own path with his own justice." A withering sigh slipped past his bleeding lips. "I can still hardly believe he underwent the same transformation I did so long ago before Tomura managed it, under the tutelage of heroes no less. In another life, he would have been the perfect successor to All For One."

"I don't believe you. I don't believe a single word you say."

"Believe what you want, All Might. It won't make the truth disappear." At this, the hero scoffed, sent the pitying glare, and turned his back to him. "If you truly don't believe me," he continued, "then ask Shinka Kyomu. He has no reason to hide the truth from any of you any longer. I only regret that I won't be there to see the look on your face when he reveals everything."

Though he didn't turn to address the villain, All Might did wave his hand in a dismissive manner. "You're never going to see anything outside of a cell again, All For One," he claimed, his features set in a stony scowl as he stared ahead. "I'll personally make sure of that."

"I'm afraid I might not even make it to that cell, my old nemesis," All For One said. "But we will see. We will see."

No matter how hard he tried, All Might couldn't push the fact that the villain behind him sounded so sure of himself. It caused him no end to the unease that was plaguing him, and he couldn't help but wonder when the police would arrive so he could get back to UA as soon as possible. Back to UA so he could question his student and get to the bottom of all of this.

The fact he could still feel All For One smiling behind him only made him more uneasy.