My body went flying full force when Toshinori attacked me with all his might.
I was acutely aware of the fact that the bones in my chest physically shifted from the blow and that 'Super Regeneration' wasn't kicking in to instantly heal me like it should. That can only mean-
"Smaaaash!" The pesky holder of One For All appeared from above me nearly instantly, using 100% of his Quirk to punch the air in front of him to send me crashing into the concrete ground below with just the sheer air pressure from the attack.
As I crashed into the ground my bones vibrated from the impact and I couldn't help but panic at my body's lack of response and allow myself to assess what was currently happening to me.
I should have dodged that air blast with ease. I have so many sensory Quirks that even if I can't dodge All Might, given his sheer speed, I can, at the very least, see his attacks coming. Somethings wrong with my body.
Or more specifically my Quirks.
In the vestige world I gazed at All For One, who now had a face and instead of speaking his hand began to glow red, the sign that a holder of our Quirk is activating their power. So that's what your doing.
Gazing around I could see several people that I recognised. Pyroball, that illusion villain-
And Dabi. Well he looked more like Touya now.
With fair skin and a malicious grin the previous user of 'Cremation' glared up defiantly at me as he cringed extra hard on my leg which stuck to the ground.
Finally I saw an extremely familiar face. Daigoro Banjo. The fifth holder of One For All. This one actually surprised me, it's interesting to know that two vestiges can appear in one place at a time.
Sweat dripped down my face as I set my enraged expression on All For One.
Is this it?! This is your big plan to take over my body?!
Toshinori saw that Ryoto was down on the ground with his eyes rolled back into his head, usually this would be enough to convince him that he was passed out, however the constant spasming and twitching was a dead give away that he remained conscious.
Toshinori grimaced as he prepared for another Smash downwards to finish the job and ensure that the white haired villain wouldn't be getting back up.
Those parasites latched onto me hard as I grew enraged at the sheer audacity that these little bugs possessed.
All For Ones expressionless face looked frustrated that nothing was happening and lashed out at me in ager but I retaliated.
First I ripped the tiny pests that thoughts they could restrain me off before everything in my surroundings was engulfed in blood red flames and I grabbed All For One... and slashed my arm like a sword through his torso.
"You really thought that you had a claim to my body?!" I screamed before ripping my hand out and taking his head off and turned my gaze to the little pests that thoughts they had the right to hurt me.
"You think you have a say in my life! I'm the one in charge, your nothing but bacteria, lingering ghosts that cling to my body!" I spoke before tearing and ripping them all apart in anger with their final expressions being ones of fear and horror.
My body twitched and burst with renewed power which gave birth in the form of 'Black Thorn' exploding from my skin and shooting everywhere above me, All Might was shocked at the wide scale attacks had to call his punch off in favour of evasion as buildings all around the surrounding were pierced and torn apart by the wild, unprovoked move.
Stone and bricks flew everywhere as my healing finally kicking in and I rose to my two feet and glared at All Might who was emitting steam.
"I'm the one in control." I spoke to nobody in particular before wind built up in my palm and I lashed out at All Might with one of my favourite Quirk combinations.
"Tornado Fist!"
My punch once again had All Might on the defensive as I carelessly tore apart the infrastructure around me. This is where I have the advantage over Yagi, I'm not a hero, I couldn't care less about collateral damage yet the Symbol of Peace needs to hold back as to not destroy the city around him and in doing so has used up much of his already limited time.
I could see, using a sight enhancing Quirk, that All Might had shed a solid few centimeters of muscle. He'd go down soon enough.
I let a frown grace my features and didn't try to hide the headache that was coming forming.
What was that earlier? Why was All For One in my vestige realm, the only explanation is-
I cursed myself for my lack of forethought and felt great anger for myself at the fact I didn't consider this situation a possibility. Did I accidentally steal his version of All For One? Did his former Quirks hold a piece of him as well as the other wielder? Either way he needs to be purged from my mindscape.
Now that I've taken on Toshinori and pushed him to this point staying any longer would be pointless.
"Shouko bring me back, I'm done here." I reached up and felt my earpiece before speaking to my warper.
Staying was simply not worth it, whilst I may very well beat All Might that on its own wouldn't be enough to achieve my goals. If I took out the Symbol of Peace right here then the heroes would come at me twice as hard as I came at them, something I'm not confident that I can take yet, plus if I beat All Might and didn't kill him he'd just come at me again.
And even if I did kill him, it wouldn't be enough.
If All Might was dead then Endeavour would simply take his place, and even if I killed Endeavour there would be Hawks, then the guy after that. It would take far too much work and no country would be willing to follow a man known for killing heroes.
However what I'd they weren't real heroes anymore.
Because of my metaknowledge I know quite a few interesting facts about the top three heroes which would, well, let's say slander the perfect image that they've built up. If I'm going to defeat them then it absolutely cannot be whilst the country loves them. It'll be best if I flee to fight another day.
Toshinori saw that a portal opened up behind me and lunged with his steaming arm stretched out." Wait!"
I remained uninterested in him and merely gave him a brief wave and a taunting grin which was more than enough to send the message I want. That he failed. That he couldn't catch me.
That he wasn't invincible.
The last thing that Toshinori saw before the portal surrounded and closed behind me was a red eye full of glee at getting exactly what he wanted.
Tsukauchi allowed himself to visibly show panic and horror when he turned on the news to find the Quirkless boy he failed so many years talking with a number of adults behind him.
He was taller, broader and instead of shaking and crying he was speaking passionately to what was likely a decent chunk of the country but it was definitely the same boy.
This was not good, very not good. Listening on his anxiety only increased at how damn... convincing he sounded. He was essentially framing the hero society as the bad guys and him and his groups as the underdogs who would remove an oppressive system.
Tsukauchi doesn't need to be a politics expert to tell that this would do just a little bit more than shake the system. Hell after a speech like this more than just a few people will side with him, and even the ones who don't are gonna find themselves questioning the society they live in.
Tsukauchi clutched his head in distress at the bold move that he was making. A little too bold in all honesty. This wouldn't just make him a target in Japan's eyes but the entire world's eyes. It's true that All Might isn't as popular internationally as he is nationally in Japan but he still holds a lot of influence on the world stage as the unbeatable Symbol of Peace, why would he- oh. Ohhhh no. He's not really gonna try and-
Right as he thinks that his hero friend comes crashing down from the sky in a blitz of speed and the television camera goes out.
Tsukauchi allowed his surrounding inside the Comms room to be drowned out along with the worried cries of his colleagues as his mind is swarmed and overwhelmed with the situation at hand and he couldn't help but worry for his friend. Will Toshinori be able to beat the boy Tsukauchi had failed years before? Whilst he did beat All For One he was uninjured and unrestrained. Would that make this an uneven fight?
Whilst the idea of a second All For One appearing was scary then the idea of Toshinori losing a fight against a villain was downright terrifying!
Tsukauchi felt absolutely helpless as his friend fought on the side of goods behalf and could only pray that he succeeded.
Later he would find his prayers unanswered.
All around the country people were watching their Tvs and their phones as All Might fought a mysterious villain that seemed to have more than one Quirk.
Why is All Might not ending the fight?
How is the villain winning?
How could the heroes let this happen?
Those were the most pressing questions asked in the minds of everyone watching, be them heroes, villains, civilians, it didn't matter. Everyone was petrified at the raw power that this villain possessed.
Whilst more than a few people dismissed the villains previous words as the ravings of a madman, many were actually thinking over his point of view and even sympathising with what he was saying. Afterall if your parents were so cruel as to abandon you can you really say that you wouldn't be more than a little hateful towards them?
Asides from that everyone was thinking about how All Might could have possibly lost. He was the Symbol of Peace, the unbeatable man, a pillar that held up society. He was like a force of nature to them, something beyond human.
How could he fail them like this?
Toshinori sat inside of his hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his body with the painkillers inside his blood doing their job and numbing him to the pain his body was in from having his stomach wound reopened. He cursed his weak body and cursed himself more than anything for failing like he did, he failed his people for letting a villain get away, he failed his fallen master for failing to eradicate every trace of All For One from the world-
He failed as the Symbol of Peace.
The quiet inside the room actually served to calm Toshinori, his mind was clear, his body was numb and all he had to focus on was the white ceiling and the rapid footsteps that were approaching his hospital room. Oh it appears he has a visit-
The door suddenly burst open with a harsh thud against the wellbeing it, visibly leaving a dent in the wall behind the short old man that used to be his teacher.
"Gr-grgran To-torino, how nice to see-" He was cut off as the short grey haired old man immediately smacked him on the head with his cane repeatedly with an angry expression on his face.
"You dolt! Not only didn't you tell me there was a second All For One hanging around, you failed to fight him right in front of the world! Could you be anymore of an idiot?!"
Toshinori shielded himself from the cane with his arms before speaking to defend himself." Look he's hardly even eighteen, I just assumed that I could take him alo-" He was cut off by a bonk on the head courtesy of his old teachers wooden cane.
Gran Torino sighed and sat down on a chair that rested besides the blondes bed, finally ceasing the relentless assault of smacks, before talking once again." It hasn't even been three years since you finally beat the first one, then once we finally think we're safe from that cursed Quirk someone else just pops up. It's like this world just wants All For One to stay around."
He turned to looked directly into Toshinoris eyes." I'm coming out of retirement until we get this guy, tell me everything you know about him."
Toshinori feels a pang of pain at the knowledge that his old teacher has to come out of retirement, however merely nods and begins to recall everything that he knows about the boy and what he's been through, what he's done and how be did it.
After hearing the entire story Gran Torino gains a contemplative look on his face, scratches his chin slightly and speaks in his usual gruff grandfather voice." Well he's certainly not the king of subtly that's for sure, plus there are gonna be a lot of people who sympathise with his words and actions, of course not all of them, but some, your gonna need to talk to them, use that damn fancy title you flaunt around and the people will be worshipping ya. Damn moron."
Toshinori wasn't so sure about that, before he was the unstoppable Symbol of Peace, a man that could solve any problem in the world, what will happen when people start to think that's not that case- that that isn't the case? Will they lose faith in him?
All Might looked outside the window of his hospital room and couldn't help but feel frustrated at how someone got away on his watch, that there was someone out there that might have killed him if he stayed.
What she you planning Ryoto?
Inside of the vestige realm of One For All there lingered seven wandering spirits that lingered inside of One For All via their original Quirk factors, all they could do was gaze through the world through the eighth users eyes and inside of the Quirk many of the vestiges were troubled by what they saw. None more than the First.
Silence reigned supreme in the vestige realm that consisted of nothing but a blank of concrete inside a void of nothingness until the fifth user decided to break the ice.
"So, are we gonna talk about the fact that there's a second All For One running around?" Daigoro spoke in a serious tone which contrasted his usual carefree one.
The sixth user En had his eyes narrowed." I find it hard to believe that any woman would actually have a child with All For One, considering what he's done."
The Second and Third users, who were mostly silent inside the vestige realm, had a deep scowl written on both of their faces that showed their clear displeasure at the predicament of a new person who possesses All For One. This didn't go unnoticed by the other vestiges however they didn't comment on it given the fact that they aren't much better.
The First however was deep in his own thoughts at the sight of a young man who looked the spitting image of his older brother only... they seemed to lack that cold indifference that All For One always had.
Yoichi thought back to his brother and then to the boy who defeated Toshinori. Whilst his brother was evil and insane... he was also more or less completely emotionless, it was as though something inside of him was broken, for a lack of a better word, it was like he couldn't truly feel any extreme emotions for anything, negative or positive, whilst that boy-
Yoichi thought back to how whilst he might try to look emotionless on the outside those eyes didn't lie, they looked as though they held... sadness? No he wasn't sad it was more like regret about what he's doing-
Yoichi shook his head lightly and cleared his head of thoughts like that. He's thinking too deeply on it.
Yoichi allowed his mind to wander elsewhere about what exactly this boy, Ryoto, was planning to do with his brothers power.
What is he gonna do now that he's beaten the Symbol of Peace?
If you want to read more then go to my P atreon, The Magician 565, where you can read 9 chapters in advanced to this one at the time of release, more will be available later.