Chapter 112 - Our Paths Diverge

Not long after the Jaku City calamity, the Paranormal Liberation Front, or rather, what remained of them, scattered before they too could be detained. Sympathizers were cut off before they could flee. But this was a small hill to a mountain of mistakes. The various cities across Japan struck by the Devil Splicers had fallen into chaos, the sectors controlled by the Splicers led to more casualties, those that tried to fight back to gain a foothold fell like dominos to the emotionless horde of cybernetic Fallen.

With the loss of various heroes, and the Hero Public Safety Commission suffering from the assassination of their CEO and serious assaults on other members of staff under Drevis' claws, they were too short-staffed or were too injured to conduct their work furrowly, as a result, the information network eroded. Worst of all, the villains took their chances to sow destruction, thinning the already worn heroes to their limits.

During the villain's victory, several high-risk villains were sprung from Tartarus under Kovik's command, NARA was beyond their security measures, and thus, a few dangerous villains escaped, free to add to the already crushing weight of stress and panic that had crawled its way into society.

Heroes who broke under the street resigned, any and all hope for the heroes that remained was squashed out by most, they couldn't rely on them, those that had made them numb to the cruelty of the world they lived in through rose-tinted glasses. In three days, Kovik had undone the Hero Society with his bare hands, the ugliness pouring out for all to see.


When Izuku's eyes opened, he found himself in a familiar realm he had quickly become accustomed to. The mindscape took the form of a round floor with several high back chairs seating several key figures, the previous holders of One For All. Say for two, their heads against the far wall, not bothering to look at Izuku.

"We need to have a talk before you wake up," Banjo began for them.

Izuku didn't even look up, his mind was foggy for a time. The vestiges looked to one another, then Yoichi spoke up. "I'm sorry for putting this on you while times are tough... it's only been three days since they were banished," The mere mention of what happened made Izuku flinch, his hollow eyes staring at the materialized mask in his hands.

"This is fate," Hikage breathed, arms crossed.

"Shimura was the last to talk to you, right?" The man with dark hair who wore a high collared jacket, En, asked. But again, Izuku didn't respond, but they could hear his thoughts loudly.

It's my fault. I let them down. I wasn't strong enough. I failed them. I failed her. You couldn't even save her again! You're pathetic. You're a failure-

"Hey," Shimura tapped his shoulder, startling Izuku from his thoughts. She shared a brief look of sympathy. "It's okay,"

"Sorry..." Izuku blinked, quickly reaching up to his lips, the black haze was gone! "I... I can speak here!?"

"Your most recent battle put your body through a lot of tremendous strain, as a result, my power, One For All, has grown stronger within you," Yoichi replied. "Since we don't know how long this moment may last, I'll continue now that you seem to be with us again - in the last four months, OFA has grown exponentially, so much so we've been able to communicate with each other, our consciousnesses imprinted onto One For All along with our powers,"

He tapped his fingers together, "Since Kovik forced himself into our domain with my brother's power, it's become easier for us to communicate with you,"

"Well, yer privacy is safe! So you don't need to worry about being watched all the time!" Banjo exclaimed, then grinning mischievously at the young successor. "Especially when yer alone with yer girl - ah, I crap..."

En punched his bicep. "Real subtle..."

"N-no, it's... fine," Izuku was a little embarrassed, but he smiled faintly, clutching the mask caringly. "I... haven't had much to do besides reliving that memory, over and over..." His eyes fell. "If I was just a step further I..." Izuku bit his cheek. "Sorry, you can continue."

The one to stand before Izuku was a man he was familiar with, the two cracks down his left eye, crossing to his lower lip. He put a hand to his chest. "It's a pleasure to speak with you again, Midoriya, I am Shinomori Hikage."

"O-oh, likewise," Izuku shook his hand briefly.

Then his face deadpanned, "You had me worried back then with what you did..." He referred to when Izuku lost control, upping his Danger Sense into overwhelming his body with dark energy.

"S-sorry..." Izuku sweatdropped.

"Mister Shinomori here is a weirdo hermit-" Banjo swung at the whitette, missing him as Hikage put his hands up, dodging effortlessly. "-who lived in the woods cuz he was so irritable when it came to society,"

"It was a turbulent time, I wasn't a weirdo, everyone else was," That looked to hit a mark when his face darkened. So instead, Banjo swung at him with his Blackwhip, all of them missing regardless as he focused on Izuku. "Are you aware of my age and cause of death?"

"You were 40, cause of death was..." Izuku tried to answer but found a blank in his mind. "...All Might scribbled that out, I'm not sure what it said...?"

"It was old age," Hikage revealed, surprising Izuku. Old age at 40? For the average person, especially a wielder of OFA, that shouldn't be possible. Then he frowned, pursing his lips, unless there was another angle he was missing, one All Might himself couldn't bring himself to share...

"I don't understand why either, Banjo and I were discussing it amongst each other, but it was through Yagi we were able to understand," Hikage then stood at the center, staring down at Izuku with a grim expression. "In Layman's terms, One For All is no longer able to be held by a regular person,"

"Huh...?" It was like a massive weight shifted itself around in his mind, a chill running down his back like a bucket of ice.

"I held OFA the longest out of everyone aside from Yagi," Hikage tapped his forehead, pulling back his bangs to reveal his scars. "For 18 years I trained this power, hidden from AFO. With his phenomenal strength, I realized I could never beat him in that state, so I had to nurture this power so that someone else might do it," He tapped his deep black scars. "In my final year, this power broke my body,"

"At first, I thought it was me having a weak constitution - at worst, a chronic disease, but with Yagi's existence, it would confirm all my theories and suspicions for me," He held out his hands, staring at them in wonder. "Me dying of old age... it meant that One For All will slowly but surely burn away the life force of any one of its holders,"

"Your life force... that's awful!" Izuku gasped, to think the power he now used to save others... had eaten away at them all. "Wait a moment... All Might held this quirk longer than even Mr. Shinomori!"

"That's the thing we're trying to say," Yoichi glanced off to the side, finally wrapping the topic around to where it started. "I only held OFA for a short period of time before dying in battle, so there's not much to compare... Yagi believed the incongruency in lifespan had to do with some invisible limit to the load each of us could take on,"

That led to them wondering did All Might have something they didn't... Then it struck Izuku on the head, his eyes shot wide when he looked at himself. "All Might... was quirkless..."

The topic spanned to All Might's unique case of manifesting within One For All despite his quirklessness, and to theories on the causal relationship between OFA, current quirks, and the users of both. Izuku took it all in, digesting this until he had a concrete answer compiled by the information that spanned his beginnings with this power.

"In summary, we cannot risk passing this quirk onto 'normal' people already blessed with quirks of their own... that One For All needs to be given out cautiously, that's what you're saying," Izuku surmised, staring at his scarred hands with lingering mist attached to his skin. To think, that day, had All Might never returned to apologize for his shameful words to Izuku, if he never decided to pass on his quirk to a fanboy middle-schooler... what would've happened then?

"This is something neither you, Yagi, nor us could've predicted, the fact OFA was passed onto you was nothing short of a miracle," Yoichi pinched the bridge of his nose in shame. "If only we were able to communicate with our successors faster... perhaps we could've prevented the tragic deaths of many people..." He was bitter about it, but the past was the past, wallowing about it wouldn't solve their issues.

"In other words kiddo..." As Banjo spoke, the various colored stars of One For All burned across the void beyond the physical land they stood upon, the words thundered in Izuku's chest. "...you may be the last successor of One For All."

He stared at his hand solemnly, "Me... the last..."

"Anyways, that's the main topic, Izuku," He snapped his head toward Shimura, her eyes glazed with apathy. "Are you able to... kill Tomura Shigaraki for me?"

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...

...

"Excuse me?" Izuku had to be sure he heard that right. He did, he just didn't wish to think it was asked of him.

"...this isn't a request, it's a question of your will and intent," Shimura stood up, approaching him. "You saw him during our last encounter, and saw the face of a child who was crying, you felt that he was in pain, our hearts and minds are one, so we could sense that feeling within you,"

"The problem is, we don't see it the same way!" Banjo huffed, slapping the armrest with an irked glare. "We can also sense the boy bein' hurt by All For One's teachin's and that Kovik guy's manipulation, but that doesn't mean he wants any of our help though,"

"Even in that tense situation, in his eyes was nothing but contempt," He reinforced.

"He raised him that way," Yoichi interjected, waving his hands. "In Shigaraki's state, Kovik probably took over his body, that Splicer's will atop of the lingering consciousness of my brother within All For One has dominated his mind already, this would be one of my brother's attempts to take One For All, only now, Kovik is after this power,"

"As for En o'er here, and myself, AFO tried to steal OFA from us twice and failed!" Banjo replied slash mocked the attempts of the villain. "In order for One For All to stay safe from evildoers, we require our successors to have an iron-will, a nigh-infinite determination," He pointed to Izuku's eyes. "Ours' is a power all to valuable to be risked for one lowly person, Shigaraki and Kovik's probably going to use your lack of an iron will against you,"

"We've cultivated One For All for the sole purpose of eradicating All For One," Yoichi explained, "Yagi is a prime example of that, but my brother's power keeps coming back, and I can assure you Kovik will use Shigaraki in his strategy to make you lower your guard,"

"Izuku," He slowly trailed his eyes back to Shimura who stood a foot away from him. "I come to you not to tell you there's 'no backing down now', I feel it is cowardly for me to consider thrusting my will onto you like this, but Tomura is my grandson," Her eyes were shrouded in grief and uncountable years of pain. "My grandson who became this way because I abandoned his father at a young age to fight All For One. This is the result of my actions,"

She closed her eyes to bury her hurt, "And as this failure I brought upon myself, it seems so harsh to just pass it onto a 16-year-old child, I understand this...! But..."

In the void, a dark effigy emerged, a horrid mutation of NARA and All For One infused into Shigaraki's body, his figure warped and bones melded into a grotesque abomination with no equal. "If my grandson... if That Thing reaches its potential, no one will be able to stop what comes next,"

She grabbed Izuku's biceps, shaking him to his core. "You would be fighting against a manifestation of pure evil," Death himself was what Shigaraki became. "There are people that cannot be reasoned with, comprehended, or redeemed. What if he's one of them?" Izuku looked into Shimura's eyes and saw a resolve bury her emotions with a slate face. "When a person who looks like they want to be saved, when he simply cannot be saved... can you tell me you have the will required to stop him at all costs?"

Izuku teetered on the edge of the mindscape, between choices he wished to never have to make, it would be easier not to. For three days he had nothing left to fight for, his heart drowned in sorrow he couldn't pull himself away from. An ocean that sucked in down deeper into his mind to escape his horrible reality. A world without Yuki.

The successors stared at him, awaiting an answer patiently.

Izuku closed his fists, his eyes regained a hint of color. "To me..." He began soft and gentle. "...It may be awkward to say this, but I saw... no, I felt... when Shigaraki's consciousness manifested in the vestige world I could feel what Shigaraki was feeling, in the deepest parts of his mind, I could feel... a child crying..."

He gently pushed Shimura's hands off, "I've fought many people thus far," Stain, Ravage, Muscular, and Overhaul briefly manifested behind him. "They had their ways set inside them, I had no choice but to stop them by fighting," He shook his head with a frown. "But I never had the chance to analyze their motivations, to pinpoint why exactly they became villains,"

"If I understood them, maybe some things could've gone differently," La Brava crying into Gentle Criminal's arms, Dren saving Eri from her own quirk flashed as well. He clenched his fist. "Our fights could've resolved differently... perhaps. Countless people died," The ruins of Jaku City, "And many of those I hold dear got hurt," His friends. "Promises I couldn't keep even with all my might," Yuki smiled with her hand in his.

The emerald pigment to his eyes returned, his resolve resounding in the void. "However...!" A young Izuku moved toward a sobbing young Tomura who clutched his dog in comfort. "One For All is a power to save people. Not to kill. All Might taught me that lesson, not just me either!" All Might's statue of his fist raised high manifested while Izuku gestured to all of them. "All Might, and all of you guys who helped grow and cultivate One For All,"

"You were responsible for saving a countless amount of people then and now!" Izuku's resolve was unwavering, the last of the darkness beginning to pull away from his body, the eyes of the mask glowing bright blue. "Its origins may have been rooted in the purpose to destroy All For One, but because you all risked your lives and maintained this power, its purpose has morphed and changed over all this time!"

"It's a probability he can only be saved by killing him, I'm not here to deny that, I honestly expect that will be the outcome, I'm not an idiot!" Izuku shot back, fist to his heart. "I've seen what evil does to a person's heart, but I've seen the goodness that can be found in evil too, SIVA changed, so there's no complete certainty!"

Izuku stood his ground, the darkness remained but he could move freely now. "I want to try saving this crying child!"

In the back, Yoichi smiled, "That's right, and we'll be here to guide you on that journey," He stood up, approaching Shimura who bowed her head, trembling as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm incredibly glad that you of all people inherited One For All."

"I apologize for testing you... like this... Gran Torino is alive... when you wake up, please tell him I said 'Hi'," Shimura cried, trying to dry her tears. She would admit they made the wrong choice... but, their successor here was truly determined.

With a soft sigh, Yoichi turned with a smile to the two brooding by the wall. "How about you two chime in and help us out now? So that Deku knows what to expect of the rest of you guys' quirks?"


After intensive care at the Central Hospital, a week had passed and it was barely morning, the sun had yet to rise above the horizon.

"Do you really have to go?" Nana played with her blue cloak, the same gifted to her by Tekres, covering parts of her new school uniform. "I mean, you can just ask everyone to help you, I know they'd say yes! Heck, we'll help too,"

Izuku smiled, kneeling down to her level. "I appreciate that, but this is something we have to do, to keep everyone out of Kovik's sight to get stronger," He reminded her. "I'm only telling you two because you deserve to know what we're doing, and I trust you not to say a word to them."

"I promise... regrettably," Nana muttered, she acted so much like Yuki that it brought immense comfort to Izuku, it was like he could see her again in Nana's eyes. Then she jabbed her tail at his nose. "You better be safe, otherwise I'll kick your butt for my sister!"

"Hehehe, I give you my word," He put his hand up jokingly. All Might was still by the entrance to UA, waiting for him. They had to make this quick before anyone spotted them. "You can help her, right?"

"Of course, you have my word too, Sir," Kairi promised, holding Nana's shaky hand tightly. "But please be careful, though that's a pretty dumb statement for a hero."

"It's the thought that counts," Izuku replied.

With misty eyes, Nana immediately swept forward to wrap her arms around Izuku's neck, hugging him so tightly she might actually break his neck. Shuttering a breath, he returned her hug just as tightly. "Why do you have to leave too...? Like Yuki... Tekres... everyone..." For Nana, this all felt like the day she woke up and had come to realize her parents were ripped away from her.

"I have to go... to bring them back," He had to see this through, he had to keep moving forward. "I'll bring her back when we meet again, you won't lose anyone else important to you," He swore it on his life, on One For All.

Kairi dried her own eyes, tugging Nana's hand to wrench her away from Izuku, she mouthed, 'good luck', he nodded kindly and pulled away from Nana's embrace. The young bluette resting her face against Kairi's chest for comfort.


"Hey, guys, big news!" Rushing down the halls of the dorm, Kirishima waved a note in his hand. "Midoriya's left a note at my door - huh?" He blinked as everyone wore similar expressions of worry and confusion.

"You too, huh?" Sero perked up.

"Same here," Shoji concurred, eyes narrowed at the page.

Kaminari waved. "What the hell is this!?"

Dear [Insert Name]

Sorry if there's not much verity aside from the last bit, but thank you for everything. I don't feel like I should be keeping it a secret from everyone in Class 1-A, not when a few already know, so I'm leaving a letter.

My Quirk is a power All Might passed onto me. One For All. It's a special power, one I can't divulge the secrets of in order to keep others from being targetted, unless those that already know wish to tell you, but don't blame them for hiding this. Shigaraki, with All For One's quirk, and Kovik are after me to seize it or destroy me with it. Before that happens, I have to leave.

Uraraka, thank you for befriending me and Yuki when we first met, you're a very kind person who isn't afraid to push herself to her limits.

Iida, you always have the best interests of your classmates at heart, wanting them to perform at their best while being well mannered.

Aoyama, at first I wasn't sure of what you were trying to do when you befriended me, but I understand, you felt a kinship because we both struggle with our quirks, I respect that about you. Thanks for sharing your cheese with me, by the way.

Ashido, thank you for teaching me how to dance, because of that, I got to make Eri smile, and dance with Yuki without stepping on her feet constantly.

Asui, sorry for being formal again. Your direct way of speaking helped me say what's on my mind a lot better, thank you for that.

Hagakure, You always sell yourself short because of your quirk, but your bubbly personality really reflects the person you are, it's endearing.

Kyoka, what is there to say? Thank you for always being there to help me, and for the nicknames, they're fun to listen to. I promise I'll bring him back.

Kaminari, you're a good friend, someone people can rely on, I'm glad to be your friend.

Kirishima, thank you for always keeping my spirits up, you never leave anyone when they're at their lowest. I'm certain Rayla would be proud of you.

Koda, you're quiet but friendly and sympathetic, that alone makes you a strong person.

Ojiro, your teachings in hand-to-hand combat really helped me improve my combat abilities, you have a simple but direct way of instructing others, thanks for that.

Sato, I'm grateful you helped me make Eri smile with a candy apple, I hope you can make her some while I'm gone.

Sero, your training to help me understand Float really helped in the battle at Jaku City, we prevented a lot of deaths thanks to your aid. Thank you for everything.

Shoji, we haven't spoken a lot but I respect you both as a teammate and as a friend.

Todoroki, I'm sorry for what you must be going through with what happened. But you're not one to be tied down by the past, you learn from it, so I know you'll be ready for when you confront it again.

Tokoyami, you put your trust in me a few times when the timing was crucial, and for that, I'm forever grateful to you and Dark Shadow.

Yaoyorozu, you're a fantastic leader, and a dependable friend to rely on. You never let your failures weigh you down for long, that's admirable.

Kacchan, there's a lot I want to say, have to say, I'm not sure this is the right time to say it though. I don't know if I will ever come to terms with all of it myself. If not for Yuki I might be in a worse place than now, I might not even still be here at all. But if not for her, I never would've finally found a way to talk to you again, it seems stupid, and to you, maybe even pointless. But it's a start.

Sincerely,

Izuku Midoriya


It had already been a month since that day… April had arrived before Deku knew it.

Standing atop a statue prodding from the corner of a skyscraper overlooking the city below, the sunlight pouring down on the vacant streets, Izuku tugged at his deep blue cape billowing in the high winds alongside his mask's 'ears' resting against the blue folds. His Gamma suit was repaired though it was rough in some places overtime. The gauntlets replaced with red wrappings, two 'Mid-Gauntlets' sent overseas by Melissa after she heard what happened to Izuku's arms last time. His Air Force gloves and Iron Soles were repaired also.

With a yellow school bag underneath the cape, he adjusted the strap, brushing his hand over Yuki's mask fixed to his red belt on the right hip. Wrapped around as a sash to his left was a yellow fabric with two green buttons along the hem, a piece of Gran Torino's cape.

Several blocks away, dust and the distinct rumbling of destroyed buildings caught his attention, eyes steady and lax. He knew where to look but this much commotion made it far too obvious.

"A big villain's attacking... maybe it's..." Pulling his mask over his eyes, adjusting his mouthguard, Izuku disappeared beneath it all, emerald pupils piercing the black irises around the eye holes. Deku quickly spurred into action, flying high over the cityscape.

Surrounding him, the successors of One For All followed Deku through the sky.


[Location: Unknown | Coordinates: Unknown | World: Unknown]

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|Yuki!|

Startled from her lucid dream, Yuki doubled over in agony, blood already starting to pool from her stomach wound as she gasped and hacked up blood. Her whole body was on fire, and just taking breaths made her bruises flare-up.

"We gotcha!" To her right, his voice distant and reverberating in her ears, Akio tried to help her sit upright while a relaxing breeze struck her chest, Hana applying her ice to relieve her injuries while Rayla stood guard with her handcannon drawn toward an opening up ahead. Tekres hiding under his invisible cloak.

The portal behind them sputtered and died, sparks spat from the brass halo as whatever exit shot them out closed forever. "We got com... pany..." The words died in Rayla's throat, and her weapon slowly fell to her hip.

"Uh... Titan Lady?" A new voice perked up in Yuki's disorientated hearing. She forced her remaining eye to peer up toward the sunlight peeking through the short tunnel to the surface. "I... think I found the frequency's source."

The person at the front with their own handcannon lowered from the group wore a black suit of armor akin to Rayla's, only with a distinct Fallen aesthetic with fur covering his shoulders, and a cape made of wires that glowed the occasional purple. His chestplate was a midnight blue, same for his bracers, his pants black with various knives and ammo packs strapped to his waist. His helmet is a smooth black visor with a silver helm under his leather hood.

"Oh, perfect, more problems," Behind him with a mean-looking black and red machine gun in his arms. The imposing figure was wrapped in a silvery overcoat with a multicolored breastplate beneath. A violet armband with a pyramid-like symbol in hardlight. His black gloves were thick, same for his black cargo pants and knee-high boots. "~WHY POSTPONE THE CULLING!?~ No one asked you..." He spoke in two tones, just like Twice.

The last to appear from the mouth of the cave was a woman in slim-fitted red, white, and black armor. Her torso was decorated with a silver chestplate with gold accents around the breastplate, her arms and legs fitted with red plate metal with a black bodysuit beneath. A golden sash with the symbol of a Hammer of Sol burning in white thread is attached to a white belt. Her helmet was an old-fashioned knight helmet, tinted deep red as well. Slung on her back the hilt of a sword poked above her left shoulder, and the butt of a rifle.

Her silent stare seemed to focus on Yuki the most due to her distinct injuries. With a small flash of white particles, her 'ghost' and the woman shared a quick look, then stared back again. "Who... are you?"

That was about all Yuki could hear before collapsing to the cavern floor, blacking out now that her adrenaline had run its course.

To Be Continued in Season 6...


What an arc, I chopped down the War Arc a lot, mainly for my sanity's sake for all the back and forth it does but I think my interpretation of events will be well received. Yuki and Izuku now travel down different paths, but how will they turn out at the end of the road? The villains have won this round but the fight is far from over.

As for the arc to come, it will be heavily extended, for those that don't know, One Month elapses in this next arc officially but given all that happens in Perfected, as well as just my observations of MHA, I felt that wasn't enough time to fully display the tension sown by Kovik and his Splicers, as well as rampant villains. Plus, politics would also take forever to accomplish anything like IRL so that's a thing.

Buuut, Beyond Infinity's back baby~! I've referenced Ceres and Fireteam Horizon a few times through SIVA and Rayla but they're officially part of Perfected for a future arc that I won't disclose. There's so much left before the final battle. I really hope you enjoyed this season as we twist the manga toward Perfected's ending. I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next season, Heroes!

Next Season Intermission

The face of a white-haired young adult with ocean blue eyes immediately shot in front of the camera. "We're not dead! The author didn't abandon us~!" He cried rivers of joy until a solid hand smacked the back of his head.

"Do you ever stop yelling?" Behind him, the silver-garbed male machine with a black-painted skull, glowing orange eyes, and a yellow glow at the back of his throat appeared. An orange '7' painted on his forehead. The silverette just stared blankly at the machine. Then he pointed. "Not a word."

"Sure-sure, whatever say, Chrome Dome," The human male rolled his eyes, then beamed when the final person came into view, inspecting the new world around her. "Ceres, we're back... well," He quickly scanned a checklist in his hand. "...sorta, not yet, we gotta get through - hurk!" The machine quickly clamped the boy's mouth shut.

"Not. A. Word." Each emphasis made his orange gaze glower.

"...you guys; Morbin, don't choke Zane to death," Ceres, a beautiful woman with dandelion hair and emerald eyes sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly. "People are watching."

"That's the best part," Morbin argued, but her firm look forced his servos to release Zane dropping him to the ground. "Fine," He crossed his arms.

Smiling again, Ceres turned to the camera, "Back to Izuku Midoriya's story, coming soon,"

Zane shakily sat up, "Thank you... ugh! Continue On-!"

Ceres perked up alongside the bemused Exo, "-Towards the Light."