IIII

Chapter 3: Tartarus

IIII

Shigaraki stumbled through the narrow hallways alone. His right hand across his chest, and the other pressed against the metallic wall for support. He didn't need escorting, he didn't need guidance, he knew exactly where he was heading.

The others had already spread out to cover ground. Compress was sweeping the area for recruits, cell doors were of no use to stop them once the security was offline. While Toga was busy distracting the guard patrols scattered throughout the prison complex, infiltrating formations with her quirk to cause chaos in the maze-like corridors.

But, Shigaraki had greater ambitions. And even greater needs. He could sense him, All For One.

A sign above the center of the corridor read, Maximum Confinement.

The pain in his chest flared again. A tightness gripped his beating heart. He halted his movement down the hall, pausing to take a few quick breaths.

Shigaraki tilted his mask. His breathing was cut short. Shifting into a yet another violent coughing fit, which he failed to catch in time with his elbow.

As he regained himself he noticed the patch of blood. He turned his head to look back across the hall. And saw yet more patches.

Shigaraki grimaced, "So close...just a few more steps and it will all be over."

"Freeze!"

Shigaraki shifted his gaze to the right, towards the dizzying length of the neighboring corridor. A squad of armed guards had approached, weapons trained on his figure.

Shigaraki blinked, as his vision blurred. Have I lost too much blood?

The lead security officer drew a few steps forward, handcuffs outstretched in one hand, and a loaded pistol in the other. "You're under arrest!"

Shigaraki coughed again. The pain in his chest flared more intensely than it had ever seemed to burn before. His vision shifted, and swayed.

The security officer's figure faded. His uniform was replaced by a dark suit. His boots with dress shoes. His face shifted into a faceless mass of tissue and flesh. And his voice, his once grating tone was morphed into the calming familiar sound of his master. All For One

"Oh Tomura, you've grown so much."

"Master?" Shigaraki blinked again. But the smile of his master reverted to the scowl of the guard.

The guard quickly grappled him, jabbing his fist into Shigaraki's abdomen. The others moved forward in confidence, their weapons still trained on the dazed intruder.

Shigaraki winced as he doubled over from the blow. But as the air returned to his lungs, he found he couldn't stop laughing.

The security officers stopped in their tracks.

"What's so funny?" the guard plunged his fist into his abdomen again.

He raised his head to look at them, his body still grappled tightly by the first guard. His arms tethered behind his back by a firm grip.

Shigaraki spoke with a wide smile etched upon his face. "Is this a joke?" Shigaraki could hardly contain himself after that, another outburst of laughter overtaking his voice.

He continued to laugh, even as the guard behind him simply vaporized. His body reduced to crumbling matter, then to dust, then to atoms drifting aimlessly into nothing.

Horrified the others began to fire. They began to fill the corridor with the discharge of their handguns and rifles. To fill the air with their horrified wails, and cries for backup. Their bullets never found their mark. Halted in place by the emergence of a large stone barrier.

"Ten years!" he shifted his footing forward. "Ten years of gathering quirks just for this moment. You think you can stop me?"

A wave of decay emerged from his hands pressed against the cold floor. Passing through the barrier. Through the complex floor. As it all dissipated, the only thing left in the shattered corridor was the cackle and cough of a stumbling masked intruder. Inching forward towards the cell block.

"Master…" his hands were dragging against the wall as he walked.

"You've seen better days," the voice sounded off in his head. "But I'm so glad to see you've finally come."

The pain in his chest grew as he neared the door. The only door he cared for.

"It looks like the Doctor's work has panned out well," All For One sighed. "Aww, but it looks like he left the transfer incomplete."

"Heroes...Jakku—," Shigaraki's words were broken by a surge of pain.

"That must be why you came here so soon, so prematurely. Without all of my quirk you'll perish. Just like those before you." There was no face, no lips or tongue to produce the words he was hearing. And yet Shigaraki could hear them, feel them. As if the words of his Master were a part of his consciousness.

He pressed his hand to the cell door as he reached it. It disintegrated to the touch. Allowing him to limp forward towards his destiny.

"No matter young Tomura, let me help you." Ahead of him, trapped in a small chamber on a bed of machinery, was him. All For One, the primordial evil. Behind the mask of monitors, life support systems, and metal tubes was a large smile. A welcoming expression sitting atop a faceless mass of sculpted ancient flesh.

The observation room was empty and dark. It's only lights were flickering violently, just one of the numerous results of the security shutdown. A pane of glass was the only thing between him and salvation. A one way mirror with a clear view of the chamber from this side.

Shigaraki pushed through. "Master!" The glass around him turned to dust.

Rushing forward with what strength he had left, Shigaraki placed his hands on the restraints binding All For One in place. He carefully erased them, not wanting to injure his helpless master.

"Even now, as you come to my rescue," he broke free of the cage of machinery with an outstretched hand. "You still need me to help you."

Shigaraki collapsed from exhaustion, and knelt before the towering stature of All For One.

He was clad in a white straight jacket, torn at the sleeves from the breaking of his restraints. And he had the smile of a man that couldn't be happier. "You need the rest of my quirk young Tomura. Otherwise what trace elements of my power dwell within you will destroy your body."

Shigaraki stared silently. Gasping for air. As if each passing breath wasn't enough to satiate the need of his exhausted figure, and aching lungs.

All For One placed his hand on his shoulder. "Ah, like fine wine you have only improved with age. I will grant you the complete version of my quirk, one untainted by an interrupted transfer."

"But without your copy, won't you—"

"Of course. But I knew this moment was inevitable, my only regret is that I couldn't watch you grow myself."

"No! There must be another way Master. The Doctor is here! We can copy your quirk and transfer it like before."

"There's no time. Asides Tomura, everything I've done has been for your sake. To help you, my successor."

He nodded. A part of him had hoped that things could return to normal. That his old Master could still show him the path ahead. But circumstance demanded otherwise. Shigaraki swore under his breath, knowing that the heroes were to blame.

"You're more than deserving of this gift. How you survived on your own for this long is proof of that."

Shigaraki looked away, he couldn't stand to face him. Not like this.

"I know you wish I could be there to guide you. But the truth is, you already know where you're going. All I can say is this."

Shigaraki returned his gaze, his eyes glowing with hope.

"You must outlast your greatest threat. No matter how much you hate him, you must never allow yourself to make the same mistake I made."

"Then how can I destroy the heroes? How can I crush Midoriya without—"

"Shhh, relax Tomura" he said calmly, stopping his pupils' words. "It's quite simple really." All For One's smile grew. "Eliminate his successors. The next generation of heroes must perish."

All For One removed Shigaraki's mask with his large hands, and took one last look at his finest creation. He could still remember how they first met. How society and cruel circumstance had thrown such a perfect candidate for his succession into his arms.

For Nomus, recruits, and for quirks he always had to steal and gather. There was always some degree of struggle needed to make ends meet. It was never easy. And yet with Tomura everything had fallen neatly into place. As if Nana Shimura herself had wanted her grandson to become the next Symbol of Evil.

He placed his hand over Shigaraki's face. Matching the mold and grip of the mask.

"Defeating Midoriya isn't the problem, it's destroying what he stands for. You can kill the Symbol of Peace, and the next one and the next forever. But breaking the chain, that's where the true victory lies. Understand?"

Shigaraki nodded. "Yes, completely Master."

"Good. Let's begin then shall we?" All For One chuckled. "Under normal circumstances we would have months to carefully complete this transfer, but we don't have time. Hold still Tomura, this may hurt a bit."

His vision began to fade. Shigaraki blacked out as every nerve ending in his body was lit up with pain. A paralyzing sensation that erased all consciousness he had left in him. The last thing he saw was the reassuring smile of his Master drifting off into memory.

…...

A world where heroes could take it easy. Beating wings carried him into sight of the distant carnage. To think we almost made it happen.

There was a subtle vibration in his pocket. "Hawks here," he answered the phone. Eyes still trained on the billowing smoke in the distance.

"Is it too late to ask you to turn around?" It was a call he had half expected given the circumstances. A dispatch directly from the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

"You're kidding right?" he halted his momentum. "There's a burning building with people in trouble, and you want me to move in the other direction?"

"If what we suspect is true regarding the Villain's intentions, then the National Diet is the least of your concern." Her tone was sharp, but Hawks could sense an air of worry in her voice. "Besides, almost every pro hero in the Tokyo region is already on the case."

"What do you need me to do then?" he hardened his tone.

"It's Tartarus. The security suddenly went off, we fear a break in has occurred."

"On it."

"Also, Midoriya was last seen heading there." She paused. "We fear he's wandering into a trap."

Hawks bolted off. He didn't need to hear any more to understand what was at stake.

Why didn't I realize it sooner! he swore under his breath. As someone who prided himself on being observant, on being quick to reach answers and solve cases, he couldn't help but feel responsible for what risk the country was in.

The most dangerous collection of criminals gathered all in one place. If they were let out…

He tried to rationalize his own negligence. Perhaps the last few years of almost constant peace had made him less vigilant. Less sharp. With the newest batch of professional heroes patrolling the streets, powerful heroes like Deku, Ground Zero, and Shoto, Hawks had finally found the time to relax a little. No twenty-four hour patrols, no constant ordering of sidekicks, not even petty local crimes seemed to be in need of him. In need of his speed. Time had moved on without him .

Or maybe it was age. As much as he hated to admit it, he had started to slow down as the years went by. Or at the very least, he was no longer the fastest hero. Midoriya held that title now. And with greater and greater feats of heroism being performed by the upstart generation, Hawks had found himself on the sidelines. Acting more as the eyes and ears of larger hero agencies.

To think I even considered retiring early. Like Endeavor did.

"Enough!" he shook the thoughts away. There was still time, if he was fast enough.

…...

There was a flash of emerald light as Izuku arrived. The first thing he saw was a group of guards. Huddled by a pillar supporting the bridge to the entrance of Tartarus.

A makeshift defensive line had been erected outside the fold of the prison complex. A gathering of whatever was left of the spent garrison. Vainly regrouping for an effort to retake the structure once help arrived. Many of them were confused or demoralized. And many more were injured.

"What happened?" he asked. His descent towards the gathered officers was as graceful as his approach to the complex. Made possible only by the gentle motion of his third inherited quirk, Float.

A wounded man with a bloodied uniform coughed and spoke. "Villains, it happened so fast."

From what Izuku could tell in the moonlight, his wounds were deep. An incision likely made by a knife, or some other sharp surface.

"How many?"

"We've only confirmed reports of two Villains so far inside the complex, but we've lost contact with everyone still inside. Complete radio silence, we think someone's jamming our communications with a quirk of some kind." Another guard answered, his arm slashed in three places.

Without further need for explanation, Izuku leapt into action. Sprinting away from the barricade and into the prison. Following the road that extended from the bridge and deep into the prison's superstructure.

He passed the reception building and the parking garage. Flanked by idle cameras, and dark street lamps.

The power was off. And that meant that dozens of service elevators were motionless, potentially full of people in need of saving. And there were still so many injured workers to take care of, to guide and support in the darkness that was descending.

Had he not been a pro hero for over eight years, Izuku easily would've felt overwhelmed. He had to fight any potential threats, stop any prisoners from escaping, and get multiple guards immediate medical attention.

First things first, find who did this.

The first thing he noticed about the interior of Tartarus was the darkness, with all the lights turned off finding his way about the prison was difficult to say the least. Izuku peered through the windows of the office buildings as he passed the administration hub of Tartarus.

Given the computer monitors were shut off and the staff was nowhere to be seen. Izuku assumed that they had been the first ones to leave while the guards tried to do their best to secure the prison.

And somehow, whoever infiltrated the prison was able to block communication with the mainland. It was bad enough that on site power was gone, but complete radio and phone silence was a whole other problem.

Izuku's head whipped around when he heard someone walking towards him, or to be correct, two different people. A guard was helping his wounded friend limp towards the exit of the building.

"Who did this?" Izuku asked. He tried to hold back the tone of anger in his voice. Izuku had seen the aftermath of villain attacks before, and no matter how many times he had witnessed them, the feeling of frustration and indignation had never vanished.

He turned his head towards the area behind him. "Crazy girl with knives and some guy in a mask, with some sort of quirk that lets him turn people into marbles."

Izuku returned his attention to the surroundings before entering the transit hub. Toga and Compress wouldn't pull something off like this on their own. They're here with someone else for sure, and that can only mean...

Fear flooded his body. Izuku ran as fast as he could through the prison to try and stop the inevitable. Through the narrow corridors scattered with blood stains and bullet holes.

Izuku barely had enough vision to navigate his way towards the cell block. The deeper he went into the prison, the more frequent the corpses of guards became. He averted his eyes as he passed over them. He refused to glance at the remains. To glance at his failure.

Don't just grieve for them, you have to fight for them. Their deaths can't be in vain. Izuku took a few deep breaths in. He tried to calm himself down, but the anger began to spill over. He could never stand the sight of human suffering. Even before he was a hero he had no tolerance for injustice.

Bakugou always had a way of shrugging off the darker side of hero work. Todoroki had, since before Izuku even knew him, a way of hiding his thoughts and emotions. But, Izuku had none of that. He never could filter his emotions as well as them.

When he rounded the corridor wall he froze. The surprise of the sudden appearance held Izuku back from striking them on sight.

Compress and Toga stood on either side of Shigaraki at the center of the cell block. Although Shigaraki was standing, Izuku could notice something was off about him. His posture was broken, and trembling. And his stance was doubled over, as if someone had struck the air out of his abdomen.

Regardless he could sense an aura around him, despite the frail state he appeared to exhibit. As if some foul power was overtaking his body and soul.

"A bit late aren't you?" Shigaraki mocked, his voice coarse and grating.

Izuku kept calm, ignoring the infuriating comment. He was well aware of Shigaraki's speed and strength and kept his guard up despite the distance between him and his opponent. Although he was on the other end of a long hallway, Shigaraki could easily strike at a moment's notice.

Izuku bit his lip. Frozen still by the dilemma presented to him. His eyes frantically scanning back and forth for signs of movement. His heart threatened to burst through his chest. Even if I use one hundred percent of One For All on Shigaraki, a well timed counter from him would end me in an instant.

And then of course there were the prisoners to worry about. Who knows how many he was able to free before I got here.

Izuku never would've guessed All Might's last words would ring true on the very day he died. Even with all your strength, you can only do so much. There's a limit, even to One for All...

He could not die, but he had to beat Shigaraki. Failure was absolutely no option. If he allowed them to get away there would be no telling what kind of damage they could cause. A League of Villains reborn with the return of its former members.

And if he allowed the villains to retreat into the shadows there would be nothing to bring a smile to the faces of civilians fearing the worst. No victory to give the people a reason to believe in heroes.

Sounding the words of All Might in his head, Izuku pushed aside his worries and hardened his resolve. Finding a sense of inner strength as he took his fighting stance, prepared to engage his enemy.

"After all these years you finally decided to crawl out into the open again," Izuku's voice held an edge of anger he could no longer hold back.

"After all these years you finally caught up with me Midoriya." Shigaraki raised his left hand forward. "And you're still too late."

From his distant left hand Shigaraki beckoned something forward. Forward from the mass of shadows that had flanked his entourage. And what drew forth was the worst of Izuku's fears.

The former inmates gathered around behind their liberator. Eyes and expressions locked in a death stare Izuku could feel from across the corridor. The gaze of so many he had helped imprison in years past. Wrought with a mixture of joy and hatred he found hard to glance back into.

Muscular. Moonfish. Kurogiri. Dr. Garakai. Even villains he only recognized from old police briefings. The members of the Paranormal Liberation Front: Re-Destro, Trumpet, Skeptic, Geten. All inmates since the infamous Jakku Incident.

Jakku. The day where the hero world had clashed with Shigaraki's villain alliance with disastrous consequences. A whole city ward had been destroyed, at the epicenter of the Jakku General Hospital. Almost every pro hero in Japan was sent to eliminate the threat, and by the end of the day so very few were left.

As much as the Hero Public Safety Commission had claimed the incident as a costly success, Izuku knew the truth. Although the vast majority of the villains involved were either arrested or killed, the primary target had eluded them. Tomura Shigaraki. And since then, he had been in hiding until today.

I'm outnumbered. And help won't be arriving for a while. Izuku broke into a cold sweat. Think. What would All Might do?

"We have to leave. Now." Shigaraki ordered everyone behind him, his voice faintly audible to Izuku from across the corridor.

Izuku's eyes widened. An explosion of air began to unfurl in Shigaraki's palm, thundering forward down the hall, tearing off sheets of steel from the walls. Acting to blunt the attack, Izuku tethered himself to the ground, rooting his body with Black Whip. The dark tendrils tore through the floor, holding his balance in preparation for his next move:

'One For All: Full Cowling 45%, St. Louis Smash Air Force.'

Defiance seized his heart. Izuku raised his leg as One for All channeled through him with a flash of green energy. Releasing a blast of air from his roundhouse kick to meet the coming gale.

As the two blasts met, the hallway was torn apart from its impact. Panels, ducts, and electrical cables were forced into the open by the rending force. And then there was the rebound. The gusts both flew backwards down the hall upon striking one another, cutting through everything in their path.

Adrenaline shot through his veins as Izuku used all of his strength to brace the push. His arms crossed ahead of his face to shield his eyes from debris.

Were it not for Black Whip's tethers Izuku would've been blown backwards like his opponents. Their whole party was thrown off their feet. Forced deeper into the cell block from which they had only just emerged.

If even one of them leaves innocent lives would be in danger. Izuku bolted down the corridor as the dust cleared. A few sparkling wires and cables providing the only light in the ruined hall.

At the edge of his sight the outline of a portal was visible. Kurogiri had used his quirk.

Izuku's heart sank. He lurched forward, Black Whip poised and ready. I've got to get them!

He could see them quickly standing up again, easing themselves after the impact as they stepped towards the portal.

One For All: Full Cowling 50% He tensed his muscles, "Arizona smash!"

Black Whip's tendrils surged forward in a flash. Grabbing those who'd stepped through the portal, before pulling them straight into another one of Izuku's roundhouse kicks.

Compress. Toga. Moonfish. Kurogiri. All knocked unconscious, and thrown aside by the force of the blow. The portal closed. Izuku exhaled a sigh of relief. Eyes locked on Shigaraki.

"No!" Shigaraki twisted his frame around.

Muscular wasted no time in rushing into a counter attack. "Die!" Leaping forward to throw a heavy punch towards Izuku's face.

Izuku moved instinctively. Weaving under the punch, he grappled Muscular's arm and hurled him into the ground.

The force of the throw shattered the cement under Muscular's weight. And many more after it, as his body was sent through multiple levels of the prison's super structure.

His heart rate had reached a fever pitch. Only a few more, don't lose your calm,Izuku thought, trying to control his rapid breaths.

Shigaraki surged forward, arms clawing at the air as he reached for Izuku. Each hand laced with the disintegrating touch of his decay quirk. "Midoriya!"

Beads of sweat fell from his brow. Izuku narrowly avoided the passing strikes as he backed away from Shigaraki's frantic assault. "You're not leaving!"

….

The others had distanced themselves from the portal following Deku's close assault. Re-Destro's wheelchair provided by the prison in his confinement had broken on impact with the air blast moments before. Leaving Skeptic to drag him to safety.

Re-Destro winced. "Aargh! Just when it looked like the Liberation Army would rise from the ashes we've been cornered again."

Skeptic tried to steady his breathing as they neared the end of the corridor. "There's still a chance we can escape while the heroes are preoccupied."

"You're just planning on leaving?" Geten protested, tossing a glare at them. "We'd probably have better chances if we helped Shigaraki."

"And what do we owe him?" Re-Destro's nervous tone grew into a bitter anger.

"He did rescue us," Skeptic added.

"Shigaraki can consider this payback for Jakku," Re-Destro turned his anger against his assistant. "Besides it's not like he'll actually win. Did you see what that hero was capable of back there?"

Geten went silent. Accepting the verdict. As much as he hated running from a fight, he couldn't argue against the will of Re-Destro.

….

The wild blows grew nearer, and nearer with each passing bout. His muscles tensed with fear and exhaustion. Using Float, Izuku flew backwards to try and make distance between him and Shigaraki. Scanning the environment ahead to keep track of all the inmates leaving the cell block. Wait, there's someone missing. "Where is All For One?"

"I already told you Midoriya." Shigaraki followed him down the corridor. Surging upwards using Air Walk, his hand extended outward to grab Izuku with its lethal embrace. "You're too late!"

His stomach turned with dread. That aura I felt. Izuku released a blast of compressed air using his Air Force Glove, a support item he had kept over the years in various forms through the help of his generous support contractor: Hastume Support Inc. Did he really?

A boiling rage consumed Shigaraki as he fell back in the wake of the blast. His shock absorption, and strength boosting quirks serving to root him in place after the initial shift. He glanced at the others in the hall. All unconscious.

Sets of black tendrils drew forth from his arms, piercing Kurogiri through his prison garbs. "Forced quirk activation!"

His heartbeat quickened. He could see the portal open again. Izuku swore. His shoulder jerked as a series of timed air blasts were released from his glove. I have to keep my distance.

The concentrated force of the air blasts knocked Shigaraki off his feet. In the rush to reopen the portal he had left his guard down. Leaving him to tumble down the hallway of the cell block yet again. His connection to Kurogiri severed, and his stance broken.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what happened, Shigaraki could not be allowed to warp out of Tartarus. I'm going to end this here. Izuku resumed his offensive stance, engaging full cowling for a final calculated assault.

…..

There was a jolt of pain as his back collided with the cell door. He could scarcely move in the following moments. Lurching forward only to cough up blood, and buckle under the weight of the concrete that had now collapsed inward on his body.

"Master…" Shigaraki muttered. "I'm sorry."

He felt the pain vanish, and strength return to him. Every nerve, and muscle flaring with newfound vitality as his super regeneration quirk kicked in.

"I have to fight him, there's no other way."

He's too quick for me to warp away. Shigaraki brushed the rubble aside that was blocking his view of the corridor. Down the dark hall was a flash of green light thundering towards him at tremendous speeds.

His muscles flared again. Bolstered by a mix of strength enhancing quirks. Shock Absorption. Rivet. 3 Strength boosters. 4 Kinetic boosters. Hypertrophy with Multiplier and Springlike Limbs.

From his back emerged three new pairs of arms, enlarged and distorted by their sheer bulk and mass. Outstretched with open palms facing the approaching light.

Shigaraki could feel the strain on his body. Veins burning, nerves locked with an electric pain he could scarcely quantify. The combination of so many quirks this soon after the hasty transfer of power took his body to the limit.

A defiant rage took hold. He had barely enough time to let the sweat fall from his brow before the flash of green thunder struck his guard. Shigaraki's original arms took the brunt of the roundhouse kick. He could feel them break.

Despite the shock absorption, his forward arms snapped and gave way. But it bought him the time he needed.

"Multiple Enhanced Air Cannons!" From the other limbs emerged a concentrated volley of air blasts. Whose proximity and power leveled the cell block in a torrent of swirling dust and shattered concrete.

….

The air was knocked out of his lungs. His hero costume withered away. He could feel his skin blister under the wake of the rising hot air. Izuku felt the ground slip away. Until feeling returned

as he collided with the ceiling and beyond. Layers of panels, pipes, and steel passed by him in a dark instant. Soon replaced by the weightless air of the night sky.

Izuku winced as air rushed back into his lungs. His mind raced, what happened?

Gathering his senses, he halted his wild freefall above Tartarus. Bracing his body, and its wounds, against a cushion of air held up by his float quirk.

He gritted his teeth as he held back the pain. Frustration eroded his focus. An opportunity to take out Shigaraki stopped by a surprise counter. "If only I was faster."

Izuku glanced at his wounds. Areas of his hero outfit were pierced by stray debris. Noticeable by the large tears they had cut into his clothing, and even larger pain that surrounded them.

The sight of his own blood unnerved him. It reminded Izuku too much of All Might. Of the Kamino incident. Where All For One had almost killed...no, don't think about that. He dressed the wounds as best as he could, applying modest pressure to stop the bleeding. Just focus on what has to be done.

"If I get any closer to him things will just get worse," Izuku muttered to himself. "I have to find a way to defeat him at a distance."

There was a loud sound. The distinct clamour of snapping steel. From his vantage point far above the prison Izuku could pinpoint where he violently emerged just moments before. A small window of twisted metal and broken glass falling apart at its seams. It's structure warped and wounded beyond its capacity to sustain itself.

Not long afterwards another figure emerged from the collapsing opening. Bursting through the trembling threshold like a cannonball, gaze locked onto his target above.

Izuku concentrated on his opponent. Shigaraki's rapid ascent was made more lurid by the pallid nature of his exposed flesh. His trenchcoat reduced to nothing, along with the rest of his wardrobe, in face of the gale force he had survived.

Within moments the air blasts continued. Volley after volley of energized air particles crashed into one another as both Izuku and Shigaraki unleashed them against each other. The powerful gales flew past Izuku in a wild rhythm, as Shigaraki inched closer to wounding him or finding an opening where he could close distance.

Matching the beating pace of the blows he tapped into One For All's power, increasing it by another ten percent. Unleashing an undercutting sweep below the wake of Shigaraki's blasts, Izuku countered with all he could muster.

The attack struck home with lethal results. It's force severed half of Shigaraki's body from itself under the pressure.

For a normal opponent it would've been the killing blow. The brutal end to a prolonged fight. But the only reply from Shigaraki was a coarse laugh. Followed by the ceaseless barrage of air cannons.

A continuous wailing hiss of a thousand gusts of wind, and scorn. Produced from an ever increasing number of arms twisting and writhing in their unnatural anatomy. And as they grew in size and number, so too did the number of blasts.

The majority of these blows missed or collided with each other violently. Any that missed struck the water or the prison, as huge plumes of water and smoke rose high into the sky.

Not even the prison below was spared. It's structure peeled away by the titanic forces, until cement was reduced to shattered stone; steel to warped scrap metal; glass to fragmented thorns.

…

"We're not going to make it!" Skeptic's nervous breathing had reached a fever pitch. They had been running through the building for the past hour trying to escape the halls of the prison.

Or what was left of it anyways.

It had proved a nightmare. The corridors were pitch black, with no power to fuel the lifeless lights that lined the ceiling. To make matters worse, Redestro's condition had slowed their pace to a crawl. Without his wheelchair Geten was forced to carry him.

The entire structure was crumbling around them. Quaking under the weight of an unseen force that was violently shaking the building. Most hallways were blocked by debris, and it seemed the roof could collapse at any moment.

Rubble flew about the dark corridor as they blindly wandered further down.

"This way!" Geten shouted. His quirk had proved invaluable to navigate their way out. Sensing what little water vapor he could freeze to chart a path to the nearest body of water on the outside of Tartarus.

True enough as they rounded the corner a trace of light could be seen emerging from the end of the hall. Produced from the gaping hole at the weakened structure's center, seemingly ready to collapse in on itself at any moment.

"We're busting out of here boys!" cheered Redestro as Geten carried him further.

Running out of breath as they went, Geten, Skeptic, and Redestro hauled out of the prison before it could collapse in on itself under the power of the battle above.

"Jump!" Geten barked. His body flared with the sudden activation of a quirk that hadn't been used in years. The sheer rush of adrenaline coursing through his body put the hairs on the back of his neck on end. Below them on the outside were layers of waves, violently stirred by the raging battle above. It took all of Geten's strength to fight the massive shifting plumes of water, and freeze a path to safety.

The crew made their escape onto a highway of ice that led out and away from the prison. The crashing waves around the prison rushing together into a collective frozen mass as Geten spirited the company away.

….

"One For All 60%: St. Louis Smash, Air Force!"

The gust traveled with tremendous force. Overpowering force matched only by its speed. And just like all the other attempts, it failed to make a difference. The blow vanished as it collided with more of Shigaraki's counters. What little scratches it made on his body were healed as quickly as they were made.

"All Might taught you better than that!" roared Shigaraki as he fired off a series of blows that barely missed Izuku.

Izuku could feel his blood boil with the mention of his late mentor. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to strike Shigaraki down with a single blow, and just end it here. But, he knew he couldn't.

Izuku understood he could only win if he kept his cool, as frustrating as it was that Shigaraki had limitless stamina while he didn't. A fact that became ever more apparent the longer the grueling ordeal dragged on with each passing blow.

Shigaraki continued his relentless volleys as Izuku struggled to find an opening. It was clearer as time went on that the Symbol of Peace was struggling to maintain any control of the fight.

Nervous, Izuku just barely managed to avoid being blown out of the sky under the fury of Shigaraki's counter air blasts. His focus wavered between finding a way to stay in the fight while formulating a plan to change the course of action.

There has to be some way to end it, some way to—

A dull blow struck his shoulder violently. Izuku lost his thoughts; his vision, and his balance in an instant. As what felt like a brick wall crashed into him at untold speeds. By the time he had registered what happened, Izuku could feel droplets of water on his back. His body sent dangerously close to the rolling waves below.

Not yet! Tapping into the power of One For All Izuku pulled himself upward with Float at the last second. Before his body could be broken against the crashing wall of water beneath.

There was a sharp pain as his senses returned, the right side of his hero costume was devastated. Blood oozed from the exposed wound on his shoulder.

Izuku averted his gaze, before dread could set it. I can't go on like this. His two options became overtly clear. Run, or force a decisive action. As it stood, Shigaraki would simply win by attrition. The weight of a thousand blows backed by endless stamina. But I can't just let him get away either. It's better than death sure, but I'm not going to turn my back either. I need to give them something to believe in!

There they stood, lined along the open air. Gazes locked in a death grip wrapped in sheets of howling violent gusts. Izuku could see it clearly, and knew what needed to be done. He took his final stance in the air, and prepared to release the strongest Shoot Style attack he could muster.

Dauntless he roared, "One For All 100%: Ultra Cowling, Planetary Smash!"

Like thunder he surged forward, too fast to be seen. The sound of the blow echoed for miles. The entire sky gleamed a bright emerald flash from the power released.

And when the world settled. The words 'plus ultra' passed through the last breaths of the Symbol of Peace. As he fell to ruined Tartarus, arms clutching the wound in his chest.

…..

In that moment, Shigaraki had instinctively used his absorption and release quirk, blocking the attack too quickly to properly use Decay at all. Rebounding Izuku's own attack against him with lethal force.

Shigaraki's eyes lit up, as the Symbol of Peace drifted away in a free fall towards the ruined earth. He could end the entire existence of the Hero's world right then and there.

Shigaraki followed Izuku's violent descent. Landing at the foot of the impact where the Symbol of Peace had fallen, surrounded by the ruins of the prison structure.

He smiled. He'd won. Ten years of biding his time. Of gathering strength just for this moment.

"Aren't you ashamed? All Might himself chose you, and you failed him when he needed you most." Shigaraki burst into rapid laughter.

The Symbol of Peace was unconscious. Lying still on the bed of his failure.

"Are you listening Midoriya?" Shigaraki asked. "Of course not, you fell apart just like All Might d—."

Before he could react a flurry of blows struck his side. Carrying him off into a brick wall with tremendous speed.

His wounds healed as quickly as they were created. And in an instant Shigaraki brought his guard to bear shifting his gaze to his would be attacker.

But as his eyes glanced over the area it became clear that the Symbol of Peace was gone. With only a few dozen feathers scattered about as a clue to what had happened.

"N-No." Shigaraki's rage was boundless. "Nooo!" he shrieked.

Glancing up at the sky he could see the distant figure of his victory escaping his grasp. Caught in the arms of a winged hero making a mad dash for the mainland.

He hesitated to pursue Hawks. Shigaraki found himself locked between two choices, pursue or stay.

"Relax Tomura," a familiar voice eked out from behind him.

Shigaraki turned to look. "Doctor, you aren't dead."

"We all would be if it wasn't for Muscular shielding us from the carnage," he stroked his mustache. "But that's beside the point. Tomura, we should hold back for now and regroup. Remember why you came to Tartarus in the first place, it was to rebuild the League. To get us all out."

Shigaraki nodded reluctantly. The words of his master sounded off in his head: You must outlast your greatest threat. No matter how much you hate him, you must never allow yourself to make the same mistake I made.

The Doctor was right, Midoriya had appeared out of virtually thin air despite the efforts of their diversion in Chiyoda. It was a miracle that things had turned out the way they had. For now they had accomplished their objectives, and it was time to lick their wounds.

…...

Hawks tried to keep his gaze locked forward. He refused to look at the face of who he was carrying. He wasn't easy to shock, but seeing the state All Might's successor shook him to his core. I need to get him to the nearest hospital. If we can even make it.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry kid. I wasn't fast enough."