My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

49. Hideout Raid Arc Part 3 - All For One

Hello again, everyone. Well, this is definitely one of the biggest moments to come yet in my time trying to put this story together. I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had working on this chapter and figuring out ways to put my own elements in. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. And as an aside, this will be the last chapter I upload before my birthday comes around next week. That doesn't mean I'm gonna go a week without uploading, though.

I know I've often asked you all to please review to let me know what you think, and more often than not, I barely get anything. If there was ever a point thus far for this story where I really want to hear your opinions overall, this would be it. so please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts here. I'd love to know what my readers think.

Also, another huge shout-out to my two beta readers, Mizu and Jonny. You've both been so awesome to keep supporting me whichever ways you could for this long.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, the original events surrounding them, and the alterations of established events that occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 49

All For One

(Все За Одного)

It had barely been more than a couple of seconds, but the air was still loud with the echoes of All Might having come bolting from out of the sky to attack the apparent true leader of the League of Villains, All For One; only for him to catch the Symbol of Peace's hands in his own, stopping him dead in his tracks, and creating another sonic boom to tear through the air with the meeting of the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

"You took your sweet time getting here, didn't you?" The moment All For One said this, he and All Might immediately pushed away from each other, creating another shockwave of gale force winds between them, sending the stunned frozen Bakugo and the rest of the League members flying away from the scene of the battle, and once again forcing the seven-student Bakugo Rescue Team to duck for cover behind the wall again.

The moment the winds had finally died down, the students had half a mind to poke their heads back up to keep watching, but the fact the two figures before them were so insanely evenly matched made them keep their heads down for dear life. It seemed impossible that anyone could be able to match the power of someone like All Might like this.

As the dust settled once more, and All Might continued to stare his old nemesis down, All For One still stood tall and unfazed. "The bar isn't more than five kilometers away from here. It took well over thirty seconds after I sent the Nomus for you to arrive. You've gone soft over these last several years, huh, All Might?"

"You're one to talk. What's the deal with that industrial mask you've got on? Don't you think you're trying a little too hard?" All Might's words could've easily been mistaken for simple taunting under any other circumstance, but here, there was a very distinct air of pure hate behind the normal bravado of his booming voice.

At the same time, halfway across the remains of the warehouse, Bakugo was likewise watching the standoff with silent disbelief that he was actually witnessing someone capable of holding their own one-on-one with All Might of all Heroes. If he ever needed proof that he was looking at Tomura Shigaraki's previously mentioned teacher, this was it.

"I'm not going to repeat my mistake from five years ago, All For One." The moment he was back on both feet, All Might swiftly squatted down and bolted through the air for the pinstripe-suited Villain faster than the human eye could follow. "I'M GOING TO TAKE BACK BAKUGO-SHONEN! AND THIS TIME AROUND, YOU'RE GETTING LOCKED AWAY FOR GOOD! YOUR LEAGUE OF VILLAINS PUPPETS, TOO!"

However, reflecting not nearly as much physical tension as the Symbol of Peace barreling towards him, All For One calmly lifted but a single arm in his direction. "That won't do. There's still so much for us to do. So difficult…FOR BOTH OF US."

Before All Might's blazing blue eyes, All For One's extended arm suddenly began to coil in a corkscrew and expand from underneath his sleeve, and just before impact between them could finally be made, All Might saw that build-up instantly disperse from out his enemy's hand, and come plowing straight into his torso with a power even he had rarely encountered, sending his hulking frame flying at breakneck speed back across another several city blocks.

The cacophony of destruction as another several buildings were effortlessly demolished by the release of one single attack from All For One left his fellow Villains once again awestruck, and the still-eavesdropping students shaking with horrified overwhelm all over again. If the Symbol of Peace wasn't even able to hold his own against such a monster, then what chance did the lot of them together possibly have?

As the smoke cleared and he saw how easily he had swatted the worlds' Number One Hero away, All For One couldn't help but look upon his attacking hand with amusement. "Atmospheric Compression, Locomotive Corkscrew, Explosiveness x4, and Muscular Enhancement x3. This combo is actually pretty fun. Maybe I'll collect some more Augmentation Class Quirks soon."

"ALL MIGHT!" The bellowing of Bakugo from amid the rubble drew All For One and his lackey's attention, this being the first time something had actually elicited such an extreme reaction out of the otherwise defiant young boy.

"No need to worry. He won't die from something like that. In any case…" Drifting his gaze from Bakugo to the now standing Shigaraki, All For One's unsettlingly casual air quickly turned much more firm. "Get out of here, Tomura. And bring the kid with you."

Without hesitation, the fingers on his extended hand suddenly grew black and red, and began to extend from his hand in a number of jagged angles like tendrils, all aiming for the still-unconscious Kurogiri, and jabbing into his body like needles. "Kurogiri, get everyone out of here."

The sight of this sudden new power from this new face in their ranks had many of the Villains looking especially confused, to the point even Magne couldn't even hope to stay quiet: "W-what did you—is he—is he passed out?! I don't know what's going on, but if you can warp us out of here already, then help us out!"

As much as he found their babbling only slightly annoying, All For One couldn't rightfully be surprised such a sudden turn of events and display of numerous powers could leave one looking for an answer: "Magne, this Warping Quirk of mine is still quite fresh, so the distance that I can transfer you all is still pretty limited. It's also different from Kurogiri's coordinates-based Warping Quirk. I can only move things to and from my location. Moreover, it only works if I'm sending to someone whom I have a close relationship with."

In an instant, from the moment his tendrils had stabbed into Kurogiri's misty body, an especially large one of his Warp Gates opened before all the stunned Villains. "Now, all of you leave."

"Sensei…" Shigaraki's voice was surprisingly soft in saying this once he realized what All For One was doing for them, but before he could say anything further, a sudden boom from down the line of destruction All Might had just been sent down echoed. He was no doubt coming in for more, and they only had precious seconds before he would return.

FWOOSH!

Even more suddenly, and from the very opposite direction they knew All Might was coming from, the Villains now found themselves being hit with an unexpected barrage of blindingly bright orbs of light, each like a miniature sun, flying across the field of destruction right for their gathering. Pure survival instinct drove every one of the Villains to instinctively jump out of the trajectory of the sudden energy attack, and ultimately forced All For One to withdraw his tendrils from Kurogiri's body just in time to focus and telekinetically bring a large slab of concrete from the rubble up as a shield to take the barrage head-on. It was rendered a pile of useless gravel by the end, but he had still essentially rendered this out-of-nowhere attack completely ineffective.

The Villains all looked in the direction they had just been attacked from, just in time for many of them to be hit with total confusion at the sight of a practically glowing yet unfamiliar foreign-looking Hero with a similar physique to All Might, dashing at breakneck speed right for them. With the exception of an especially frustrated Shigaraki, and a bemused All For One, the rest couldn't even hazard a guess who the heck this new opponent of theirs was at first glance; only that he had been at the attack on their hideout just minutes ago, and that if he was coming to join this fight as well, then who was to say the rest of those Heroes from back then weren't as well?

But before they could even try to form up a defense, All Might had finally come flying in to rejoin the fight, with both Heroes likewise declaring in an echoing unison that still managed to strike an iron of relief and inspiration in the nearby group of hiding students: "WE'RE NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME!"

All For One could sense the apprehension in his fellows at the sight of this quickly approaching two-pronged assault, but he displayed no such feeling. He was still as serene and calm as a Villain like him could ever be. "I want you to remember, Tomura. You can still grow so much more."

With that, All For One suddenly began to levitate before just as swiftly shooting off of the ground to meet All Might head on in another shockwave-inducing clash in mid-air. Shigaraki almost resembled a star-stricken child, watching his sensei and sworn enemy going head-to-head in the flesh like this. However, it didn't take long after their own battle started before—

"SHIGARAKI, LOOK OUT!" Magne's voice suddenly interjected, and the white-haired Villain was snapped out of his momentary reverie just in time to see Tunguska was likewise flying across the ground right for him; his blue eyes glowing as gold as the disk behind his head.

It was with just as impressive speed, then, that Magne suddenly threw themselves firmly in between their comrade and the Russian Hero, using that opportunity to activate their Magnetism Quirk on both. The moment Shigaraki and Tunguska both began to glow blue, the Russian Hero's forward trajectory came to a screeching halt, just before he was suddenly shot backwards through the air with instantaneous force, away from the two Villains.

As he flew away from his target, Tunguska hurriedly aimed his left hand and fired his two prosthetic fingers like shots from a magnum. However, this time, Magne saw the two tiny metal projectiles coming, and with exceptional speed and precision, caught them in their grip just before impact could be made. "Not this time, my rugged-looking friend."

Tunguska's backwards flying momentum soon came to a stop, and he was able to land square on his feet. The moment he did, he quickly focused on having his prosthetic fingers come flying out of Magne's grip and back to his hand. For a moment, it actually worked, as the fake fingers suddenly slipped backwards out from Magne's hand. However, Shigaraki was quick on the reactive, as he came dashing right out from around Magne's side and quickly clutched onto the flying prosthetic fingers, immediately disintegrating the once high-end prosthetics to rust and dust in the grip of his hand in a matter of seconds, effectively removing Tunguska's one non-Quirk-related means of distanced attack.

Even from as good a distance as they were from each other now, Tunguska could still feel the bone-chilling piercing of Shigaraki's malice-filled red eye staring right at him. "Sensei is keeping All Might occupied… with the rest of us working together, we could finally remove Tunguska from the board permanently."

The moment Shigaraki began to take a step forward in order to finally eliminate Tunguska, Magne instead let out a dry chuckle of amusement. "As long as you stay near the rest of our comrades, that won't be necessary, Shigaraki-san. As long as my Magnetism Polarity Quirk is in effect, he won't be able to come any closer than 4.5 meters to you, with you both being male and all."

As much as he still wanted to watch the so-called Sun of Justice crumble to dust in his hands for his involvement at USJ, Shigaraki knew that All For One had told them to leave for good reason, and they still needed to do just that. It wasn't the permanent solution he wanted, but it would have to do for now.

"Shigaraki-san, let's get out of here while that pipe-face is keeping All Might busy and Magne's keeping that bearded lug away! And take the piece with you, too!" The sound of Mr. Compress' urgency snapped Shigaraki back to full attention, just in time to see the top hat-wearing Villain using his Quirk to turn the still-unconscious Dabi into a marble to keep safe in his pocket.

The Warp Gate was still open, and the remaining active Villains still essentially had Bakugo surrounded, and the blonde boy clearly understood this, too, as he was already getting back into his defensive stance, just waiting for one of them to make the first move; all while still wearing that abrasive grin on his otherwise uncertain face. "Assholes…"

"Bakugo-shonen/Malenkii Bakugo!" All Might and Tunguska respectively exclaimed in their own mutual distress, with the Symbol of Peace being unable to move in and grab the boy while facing off against All For One, and the Sun of Justice literally couldn't get a step closer to the young boy, while Shigaraki was remaining near him and his comrades.

All the while, the group of seven students once again found themselves torn between their fear-driven senses of self-preservation, and their screaming inner voices telling them to fight through the danger and grab their friend now. Their faces were all twisted with fear and frustration at their bodies' stubborn unwillingness to move.

Nikolay and his friends, for as grateful as they were that All Might and Tunguska were both finally here, all understood full well the severe disadvantage they were still in. All For One was keeping All Might fully occupied, and as long as he was here, there was no way they could expose themselves to try and rescue Bakugo. He could kill all of them in a heartbeat at most.

And without Tunguska being able to get close to help, it now fell to them alone to be able to grab Bakugo out of the fray; but they were still facing off against Villains that were ultimately more powerful than them, and they didn't have the luxury of making a multitude of elaborate strategies. Even Bakugo, for once, was at a severe disadvantage, not being in a position where he could actually feasibly run away. The students were all still ultimately racing against the clock, and if those Villains grabbed hold of him and got away again, this time there'd be no way for them to find the League of Villains again. How on earth were they supposed to do this?

While the team that was supposed to be rescuing him were racking their brains for a plan of action, Bakugo now had his own hands full, as Mr. Compress, Twice, Spinner and Himiko were all simultaneously coming in to try and grab him, and it was only through his reflexes, muscle memory and Explosions working in tandem that he was able to keep them at even a relative distance from ensnaring him.

Either way, he knew even he wouldn't be able to keep this up. 'These guys are panicking, too; their intense body language says it all! Unlike before, it looks like they're willing to take me by force! Six against one…! Either way, I'm not letting this masked shithead touch me again!'With that, the moment he saw Mr. Compress suddenly come swooping in to try and turn him into a marble again, Bakugo threw a charged fistful of Explosions right into his trajectory, forcing the magician Villain to back off.

All the while, watching the blonde young Hero fight tooth and nail to keep himself from getting grabbed, Tunguska was straining with every ounce of raw physical strength he had to try and push against the reverse magnetic polarity that was keeping him physically repelled from getting any close to Shigaraki and Magne, who were still taking care to stay in relatively close distance to the rest of their teammates so the Russian Hero couldn't get close.

Watching him try and resist so futilely, Magne once again couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Unless you're deaf, there's no reason you couldn't have heard me before. So long as my Quirk is active, you can just forget getting even a millimeter closer to us."

At this, Tunguska finally stopped visibly trying to push, looking almost as though he were resigning himself to this sheer disadvantage he was now in. Magne's smile seemed to grow, but Shigaraki didn't look nearly as reassured. "Don't let your guard down, Magne; for a foreign All Might knockoff, he's got more tricks up his sleeve than we think."

Tunguska didn't dare say a word, able to tell from Shigaraki's still-defensive posture that he was just waiting for some kind of sneak attack. The last thing he was going to do was risk giving himself away with a clever verbal build-up. Instead, the moment he could see Magne seemed to be letting their guard down, he suddenly flipped his hands up, palm forward, at the wrist like a gunslinger drawing his duel pistols, and fired two continuous beams of concentrated light energy from his hands, flying straight for the two Villains.

Shigaraki's natural sense of alertness allowed him to dive to the side, out of the way just in time, while Magne was caught completely off guard and took the full brunt of both beams straight to their midsection, knocking them right off their feet and flying back like they'd just taken a cannonball point-blank.

The polarity Villain went tumbling and rolling across the ground hard, ultimately blacking out from the incredible force of the blow they'd just taken, and as a result, inadvertently deactivated their Polarity Quirk; leaving Shigaraki and the rest of the Villains completely exposed.

However, Tunguska's attention wasn't on the Villains, but on Bakugo. This was what his and All Might's strategy on the way here had been all about. The Symbol of Peace was to keep All For One and potentially the rest of the Villains occupied, while Tunguska would focus on getting Bakugo to safety. And now that the Villains were actively gunning for the kid, he knew he needed to get in while he had the chance.

"I'M COMING!" Tunguska proclaimed to his student as he kicked himself off into a blinding sprint for the momentarily occupied Bakugo, ignoring the other Villains who had realized the Russian Hero was suddenly closing in on them again.

However, while he was making a beeline for Bakugo; at the same time in mid-air, All For One and All Might were still in the middle of their clash, having finally come back to the ground a ways away. The masked Villain was quick to hear the echo of Tunguska's cry, and realized the troublesome Slavic man was nearing Bakugo. With a twinge of irritation, he quickly brought his right arm up, aiming it at Tunguska, and already began to turn his fingers into the black tendrils, aiming to drive them right through the sprinting Tunguska like he had done to Best Jeanist. "Oh, no you don't."

However, the moment he shot his tendrils forward, All Might swiftly dashed in, driving his mass straight into the black protrusions mid-firing, knocking them right off their course, and sparing Tunguska from getting impaled mid-sprint. "IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT EASY, ALL FOR ONE!"

However, the Villain leader had envisioned his old enemy doing as much, as he'd already gotten his left hand at the ready for a similar attack, sending that hands' worth of black tendrils flying and hooking around All Might's head, yanking him down and plowing him face first into the ground.

"Making it easier for Shigaraki is exactly why I'm here, All Might." With that, he proceeded to rake his tendrils across the ground, with All Might still in tow, dragging his face across the ground before ultimately tossing him aside behind All For One's back.

At the same time as All Might had just saved him from getting impaled, Tunguska was steadily nearing Bakugo, knowing he could grab the boy and run in a matter of seconds. However, just as he was nearing arm's length of the boy, he didn't notice Spinner had realized where he was coming from, and was thus reacting in kind, kicking himself off a nearby wall and flying right for him.

Tunguska didn't realize it until it was too late, as the lizard Villain drove a heavy foot straight into the side of his bearded face, knocking Tunguska off his trajectory, and sending him spinning off his feet, only barely able to catch himself mid-fall in time.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, Twice had likewise decided to act, hurriedly creating and sending out just over a handful of clones of Dabi to converge on the Russian Hero's position. Tunguska couldn't even fathom the new threat he was now facing, before the clones were already altogether creating a whirlwind of blue fire in his direction, forcing him to throw himself back and out of range. It didn't help that the clones were already proving quite persistent in their pursuit to keep him away from Bakugo, and possibly also burning him alive and taking him out of the equation.

---

As the battle was continuing to unfold; Nikolay, Izuku, Eijirou, Tenya, Shoto, Momo and Mina could hear every last moment of it loud and clear. With each second that All Might and Tunguska were being kept from grabbing Bakugo out of the battlefield, his chances of getting grabbed and warped elsewhere were skyrocketing. Their only Hero backup was being sufficiently sidelined, and their classmate was being increasingly pushed further and further out of all their areas in which they could actually be able to reach him.

And to make it all so much worse, there was the continuous reminder that, even if they could come up with an idea to actually intervene, get the Villains far enough away and grab Bakugo themselves, the rules were still there to continuously remind every last one of them that, legally, they weren't allowed to do anything. All they could really do was just sit here, listen, and pray they didn't somehow get caught in the fight.

Nikolay was, by this point, repeatedly pounding a furious fist against the asphalt he was sitting on, trying so hard to decide if he should've just gone for it and faced whatever the consequences were. He hated the idea of just sitting here and doing nothing while so much was happening just more than a dozen feet away; whether it was saving Bakugo or trying to somehow buy All Might and his father an opening to do so themselves. He could just feel the same frustration radiating off of all his friends, too. If they could only have gotten Bakugo somehow, then the two Heroes would no longer have to hold themselves back. He knew All Might and Tunguska were absolute powerhouses on their own, but perhaps working together with nothing to hold them back, they could've been able to even handle someone like this All For One.

However, while Nikolay was clawing away at his mind for some kind of solution, he and the others didn't realize Izuku had suddenly perked up; having been driving himself mad with similar desperate frustration, before the beginnings of an idea had at long last reached him. He practically gave himself whiplash, he'd turned to address the rest of his friends so quickly: "Iida-san! Everyone!"

The instant he spoke up, though, Tenya was already stepping in, firm and unflinching in his own decision, having pretty much already guessed what the green-haired boy was feeling desperate enough to do, rules be damned: "Don't even think about it, Midoriya-san!"

However, Izuku was just as steadfast in his not backing down; a fire suddenly burning in his green eyes that just shone with an instinctual confidence that silenced all doubt and contrary opinion among his companions. "No! There's a way! A way for us to avoid combat! A way for us to rescue Kacchan, and for us all to get out of here, too!"

If Izuku truly felt as sure about this plan as he sounded, then Nikolay and the others were all clearly aching to hear it. The sooner they could grab Bakugo and get out of this warzone, the better. Shoto was ultimately the one to speak for the rest of them: "Tell us what you're thinking, Midoriya."

However, despite being given the go-ahead, Izuku's eyes still fell with an air of deep uncertainty: "But whether this plan succeeds or not depends on Kacchan himself." Saying this, he couldn't help but think back, not only to Bakugo's final words for him to stay away before being abducted, but also Ochako's words of his no doubt feeling shame at having to be rescued by everyone else. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that latter statement did sadly carry an unfortunate weight of truth. Bakugo's confidence was one of his strengths as well as one of his greatest weaknesses, after all.

"This plan… if it's me doing it… it will probably fail. That's why it has to be you, Kirishima-san. You're the key to making this whole plan work." With that being said, Izuku's determined gaze suddenly turned to Eijirou specifically, catching the red-haired boy by complete surprise, especially when everyone else's eyes fell upon him as well. All at once, he'd been turned into their sole linchpin for success, and he could feel that weight come crashing down onto his shoulders like an anchor.

"He's right, Kiri. Out of everyone in our class, you're the only one Bakugo hasn't shown nearly as much anger or violence towards; the worst he's ever done is call you names. Regardless, you've both been building each other up as pretty much the closest thing to equals in his eyes. You're literally the one guy here he could come close to calling a friend. It pretty much can't be anyone but you." Mina's sudden vote of confidence in his new role was reflected in everyone's eyes, as Eijirou seemed to be visibly accepting his responsibility more and more. It was true, all this time he had been going out of his way to try and build a friendly foundation with Bakugo, and this was the time to finally see if his efforts up to now were finally going to pay off in the most important way possible.

Listening in on the continuing battle, now Tenya was the one who couldn't help but poke his head out to observe with that piercing gaze, with Izuku and Nikolay quick to follow suit, soon joined by the rest. "Kacchan has been staying on guard with these opponents. He's been creating distance from them while fighting. The time to act is the moment he's more than two steps away from the Villains."

Observing the continuously evolving chaos across the battlefield, Nikolay's own discerning gaze soon drifted away from the battle itself, and to the grappling hook rope that Momo had created for him before. All at once, looking from that to the black-haired girl herself, the young Russian suddenly had his own light bulb moment, hurriedly motioning for his classmates to duck back down, which they all did once they saw the similar light of realization in his own eyes.

"We'll want to make sure the rest of the Villains don't chase after us once we snatch Bakugo, so we're going to need to do something that gives us some kind of control over the battlefield, maybe even to the extent that All Might and Dad can take care of the rest of the League themselves. We're going to have to make it so the Villains can't pinpoint any of our locations once we get Midoriya-san's plan into action."

Everyone's eyes similarly brightened with anticipation to see now two of their own were starting to formulate a seemingly cohesive plan. So with that, as Nikolay hurriedly uncoiled the grappling hook rope and began preparing to throw it up to catch onto the roof of the building that was still intact behind them in this alleyway, he proceeded to explain his plan as concisely as possible:

"Yaoyorozu-san, if you can create a number of smoke bombs for four of us, we can use them to blanket the battlefield and cut off the Villains' line of sight. Depending how many Midoriya-san needs to go out into the field to grab Bakugo, the rest of us can split into two teams to throw the bombs in order to cover a wider area." Understanding this, Momo was already hard at work creating one smoke bomb after another from her shoulders, soon creating a dozen in total.

Following from this, Izuku quickly took over: "For the actual part of saving Kacchan, there'll have to be three of us; essentially me, Iida-san, and Kirishima-san in the lead. From the moment the first of the smoke bombs are laid out, we'll start by propelling ourselves forward through this wall with my Full Cowl and Iida-san's Recipro Burst. We'll break through the wall using Kirishima-san's Hardening. The instant we go through, Todoroki-san can use his Ice to build us a ramp going as high up as he can, so that we can be at a good enough height that we're not in immediate range of any of the Villains' attacks, on the off-chance they're in a part of the battlefield where the smoke isn't thick enough to hide us. Up until now, we've always had to wait to react to the Villains' movements… but this is our chance to finally make the first move!"

Like the two boys were a well-oiled strategic machine, Nikolay was just as quick to chime in, by this point having thrown his grappling hook rope up to the roof of the intact building and getting a solid grip, while Mina was already grabbing six of Momo's smoke bombs. "If it's you three going out into the battlefield, then it's down to me, Mina, Todoroki-san and Yaoyorozu-san to lay down the smoke cover. If we split into two two-person teams, then they can cover the more immediate area past this wall into the warehouse ruins, and from up on this rooftop, Mina and I can throw our bombs to cover the farther area so even the more distant Villains can't spot you guys. With these infrared goggles, I can keep an eye out to see what happens when you guys get out there. The moment you grab Bakugo, I can signal to the ground cover team, and then we can divert our teams across both sides of the battlefield so as to avoid the Villains catching us all together, on the likely chance they do try to chase after us. If we can split their ranks apart, it'll ultimately be easier for us to lose them in smaller numbers."

Izuku and Nikolay both looked to be in complete agreement to this plan, and even Eijirou, Shoto and Mina looked more than willing to go for it, it sounded thorough enough. The only real holdouts were Tenya and Momo, and at least the latter looked like she thought it was a plan worth considering, hence why she'd bothered to make the smoke bombs in the first place. Tenya still looked very nervous about it, though.

"It may be a gamble, but considering the circumstances of All Might and Tunguska-sensei keeping the Villains busy, the risk to us is relatively low. Above all, if we succeed, then it'll all be worth it." This choice of words had everyone's hearts leaping into their throats, as Tenya's nervousness finally, finally gave way to a whole new rigid determination. "Let's do it."

There was no time for even the briefest celebrations of finally finding their spark again, as all the students had to immediately get into position, with Izuku and Tenya bringing their arms around Eijirou's sides within the thin space of the alley, readying themselves for the first smoke bombs to get thrown.

As Nikolay and Mina were already beginning to ascend the rope to the rooftop, the pink young Hero momentarily glanced back down to see the admitted nervousness on Eijirou's face. With her own determination restored, there was no way she couldn't wish him and the rest of her friends here the best of luck: "It's okay to be nervous, Kiri. We all are, but I know you all can do it. We all can do it together. If anyone can have gotten through to someone like Bakugo for something like this, it's you."

Her own admittance of nervousness in this tense moment, in its own way, helped ease Eijirou's nerves, as he crossed his arms over himself and began to harden them as much as he could in preparation, since Izuku and Tenya were essentially going to be doing the driving once things kicked off. "Good luck, everyone. I know you all can do it, too."

The moment Nikolay and Mina were finally on the rooftop corner overlooking the battle below, Mina began handing one smoke grenade after another to Nikolay who, upon observing just where Bakugo, the League members and All Might and Tunguska were at this very moment, began channeling his Quirk into his fingertips at the moment of releasing every throw, propelling them with an extra boost further out into the field; each one producing a quickly expanding and encompassing cloud of thick white smoke that consumed everyone and everything in an especially wider radius, with Shoto and Momo quickly doing the same, and encompassing the ruins of the warehouse in just as thick a smoky blanket.

The moment they heard the first of the smoke bombs go off, Izuku and Tenya instantly fired up Full Cowl and Recipro Burst respectively, and came blasting right through the wall with Eijirou as their battering ram and shield, and with just as much precise timing, Shoto instantly swung his right arm up and created a near vertical ramp of ice for the trio to go dashing straight up and over in a green, white and red blur, soaring high over the battlefield, thick with smoke and confused Villains alike.

Down below, the sudden intrusion of numerous smoke bombs had managed to distract the Villains, and with the inclusion of Twice, his numerous Dabi clones as well. This had managed to give Tunguska the chance he needed to plow his way through the whole mob, destroying them in nearly the blink of an eye. The moment afterwards, his ears had caught the unmistakable roaring engine sound of Tenya's Recipro Burst echoing through the air directly overheard, drawing all eyes to the smoke-obscured sky.

At the same time as Nikolay, Mina, Shoto and Momo were continuing to throw the last of their smoke grenades to keep providing the airborne trio visual cover, Nikolay had his infrared goggles affixed over his eyes to make sure he could see once they had Bakugo in hand.

However, even as the smoke encompassed everything around them, All For One, in his momentary distraction from his own fight, had managed to catch sight of the three flying boys encroaching on his battlefield, and it didn't take a genius to know exactly what they had come here for. As such, he already had his right hand aiming for them, readying his finger tendrils to skewer them right out of the sky.

At least, until All Might came barreling in and driving a backhanded punch into the side of his masked face, offsetting his attack and buying Izuku, Eijirou and Tenya more time.

As they flew, Eijirou, having been focusing on Bakugo's exact position before the smoke coverage had come in, was instinctively reaching his hand down towards the smoke once he knew they were near enough his last position, and cried out with all his fervor: "BAKUGO! COME!"

However, just as Eijirou had, Shigaraki had likewise been focusing on Bakugo's position just before the smoke had come, and by pinpointing exactly where in the sky the sudden intrusive voice was coming from, he immediately began rushing for Bakugo's position as well, looking for the first sign of the boy through the haze to intercept and keep from escaping. The moment he could see that familiar shorter outline through the smoke ahead of him, he nearly lunged for him, but just at the moment his feet had left the ground, he was met with the sound of another deafening explosion going off nearly in his face, and the portion of the smoke around him blew away in all directions.

At that same exact moment in the sky, the three intercepting young boys felt their hearts soar with excitement and relief in bounds, as the smoke below parted so they could see the surprised, yet smiling face of Katsuki Bakugo come soaring up from the ground below, with one hand readily extended to meet Eijirou's, clasping on with confidence and acceptance like they had never seen from him before. "You idiots."

The instant he had seen that Bakugo had gone for Eijirou's hand, Tenya was immediately taking command: "BAKUGO, ON MY SIGNAL, USE YOUR EXPLOSIONS…"

"NO, YOU FOLLOW ME, ASSHOLE!"

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE DIFFICULT!"

While the two students were beginning to argue while flying for their very lives, Nikolay was still observing the scene through his goggles, and the moment he saw Bakugo grab Eijirou's hand, he was practically tearing them off and calling down to Shoto and Momo down below: "THEY GOT HIM! THROW THE LAST OF THE SMOKE BOMBS AND LET'S SCATTER! WE'LL TAKE THE RIGHT, YOU TAKE THE LEFT!"

The moment Shoto tossed the last two of his team's smoke bombs into the fray, he grabbed onto Momo's wrist and was instantly racing the rest of the way down the alley on a trail of ice. Meanwhile,up on the roof, Mina was already clinging onto Nikolay's back just before he proceeded to launch them forward from this roof to the next, and so on. Now the rest of the mission's success was down to Izuku and his team getting Bakugo out of here.

At just the right spot near the edge of the overall battle, where the smoke was still just thin enough to make anything out, not only had Himiko Toga been able to hear the distant echo of Nikolay's accented voice calling from one of the rooftops, but upon instinctively looking to confirm she wasn't hearing things, she immediately was able to spot the swiftly moving head of unmistakable pink hair clinging onto someone she initially didn't recognize, flying from one rooftop to the next.

An excited fanged smile suddenly filled her face as she immediately began to rush after them, knowing they would soon have to get down to street level with as many of the surrounding buildings having been leveled as there were, and she'd be ready to blindside them both.

In the middle of the battlefield, with the smoke having been cleared even a little thanks to Bakugo firing himself up into the air, Shigaraki and the other Villains had now been given a clear line of sight of their quarry fleeing with the other students, many of them stricken with surprise and newfound urgency all at once. "Where… are these guy coming from?!"

However, Mr. Compress was already quick to get into action the moment he noticed Magne was starting to recover from the blow they had taken; getting back to their feet. "DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! WHO'VE WE GOT THAT'S LONG RANGED?!"

"KUROGIRI AND DABI ARE BOTH STILL DOWN!" Spinner answered, and it was with even that brief explanation and taking in their surroundings and what was going on, that Magne was immediately back in the game, rushing to their two comrades.

"YOU GUYS, GRAB ONTO EACH OTHER!" With no time to waste, Mr. Compress and Spinner quickly did as they were told, and Magne swiftly brought their hands flush to Spinners' side. "BREAKUP REPULSION – NIGHT FLIGHT!"

In an instant, Mr. Compress was sent flying away from Spinner as if he'd just gotten fired out of a cannon, flying right for the fleeing students in the air, with the children themselves only just now realizing they were already being pursued.

"TITAN CLIFF!"

From almost literally out of nowhere, just before Mr. Compress was about to collide into the fleeing student quartet, the gigantic form of a bloodied and bruised Mt. Lady came sprouting up from the ground below, effectively driving the magician Villain face first into her like a bullet into a brick wall, sending him toppling down listlessly, and most importantly allowing Izuku and his team to continue their escape undaunted.

Even seeing the shrinking yet shocked looks on the kids' faces, the colossal Hero, even through her injuries, couldn't help but try to give them a reassuring smile. "The rescue… is top priority. Get out of here… you dumb brats!" And it was with that, and knowing that she had managed to allow Bakugo's rescue to carry on, that Mt. Lady finally let the last of her consciousness fade, and she collapsed back to the ground, right in front of Magne, Spinner and Twice, who were all still focusing on the increasingly distant airborne teens.

"I've only got a few more clones to keep that Russian lummox away from us, but we still got one more shot! Throw me up after 'em, Magne!" Twice exclaimed, with the long-haired Villain already way ahead of him as he and Spinner once again grabbed onto each other.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

A sudden white and yellow blur came zipping right through the air and ricocheting hard off the three gathered Villains' heads like a pinball, knocking the three of them out cold with insane precision.

At the very same moment, mere feet away, Tunguska had finished bull-rushing his way through a collected wall of blue fire the last three of Twice's Dabi clones had tried forming together, and drove a devastating pair of fists and a high kick straight into each of their heads, leaving them all the same disintegrating puddles of goo, and leaving the large Russian Hero victorious, just in time to be reunited with the equally determined Gran Torino; the elderly Hero bringing himself to a complete stop just in front of him the moment he knew he'd taken the other three Villains out for the count.

Mere feet away, both All Might and All For One realized the sudden arrival of the diminutive little bullet of an old man that had now joined the battle. "You're late, Sensei!" All Might proclaimed with an air of true relief that he now had two allies to work with.

"You're just too fast to keep up with at my age, that's all!" Gran Torino snapped right back. All the while, All For One now found himself having to take into stock that, with as many of Shigaraki's allies knocked out as there now were, this battle was looking increasingly difficult in the state he was in.

However, Gran Torino's focus wasn't on the Villain his former student was facing off against; but rather, having taken into account exactly which Villains he had managed to neutralize; just who exactly was still left, and he and Tunguska were already instinctively preparing themselves for that. However, that still didn't stop him from giving the nearby Symbol of Peace a much needed teacher's scolding: "You know, that Midoriya kid… he's become more and more like you every day… and in the worst possible way, too!"

"Yes, what those kids are doing is reckless, but to think that so many of them still came all this way, even after what happened at the camp…" All Might said in full agreement, yet still with an air of contemplation.

"WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE KIDS ACTING RECKLESS AND BRAVE ONCE WE TAKE THE REST OF THESE VILLAINS DOWN!" Tunguska exclaimed in grim reminder, forcing his two comrades to mentally get back into the immediate fight.

All Might suddenly let out a sharp, pained cough, but he knew that Tunguska was absolutely right. If anything, the trio of Heroes should've been silently thanking those children for doing what they had done. "That's right… All For One… I'm sorry to inform you that now… without holding anything back… I CAN DEFEAT YOU!"

All For One was still sitting against the pile of rubble he had been thrown into by All Might's backhanded punch mere moments ago, and seeing this filled Tunguska with a similar air of assuredness, as he began to turn his body to potentially assist All Might in his battle, having heard that same painful cough, and knowing what it ultimately meant.

However, All Might could just feel the intention in the air from his foreign comrade and raised an opposing hand. "NO! Remember what I told you before, Tunguska-san! All he needs to do is get a hold of you, and he can take your Quirk away and use it for his own! Mine is the only one he hasn't been able to do this with thus far! Please, lend your assistance to Gran Torino however you can!"

Tunguska gritted his teeth, wanting to help his friend, but knowing all the same just how right he was. Turning his attention back to Gran Torino, the two Heroes now found themselves standing opposite a visibly defiant and ready Tomura Shigaraki, as the smoke around them finally began to completely clear.

However, even with their own incredible physical power to work with, neither of the Heroes were going to allow themselves to become careless. "We need to try and get on his blind side in order to take him down. He was a lot faster and dangerous than I suspected back at USJ; there's no way he hasn't become even more so since then." Tunguska warned, while Gran Torino was already visibly gearing himself up for another blindingly fast kick to the white-haired Villains' hand-covered face.

"Well then, since people have been comparing you and All Might against each other for so long, I guess it's time for you to finally show me what you're really made of. If you think you can take him out, I can keep him moving and distracted no problem." Tunguska was mentally smiling at how willing the old Hero beside him was to work together, and he was already beginning to channel more of his built up energy into his fists.

However, as the smoke around Shigaraki finally finished clearing, revealing the still open Warp Gate behind his back, a momentary wayward glance to the other knocked out Villains made Tunguska suddenly realize something: that Toga girl that had been at the bar hideout wasn't here anymore.

---

Barely a minute ago…

Just as Nikolay had feared, the widespread destruction the battle had wrought thus far had made it so he and Mina couldn't stick to the rooftops as long as he'd intended; especially if they were to be able to follow through with their plan and meet back up with the others at the same train station they had arrived here at.

"Don't worry, Kolya-kun. Once you get us on the ground, I'll take the lead from there. Just stay close and we'll get there in no time!" As soon as Mina assured him of this, they had just departed from the last standing rooftop, and Nikolay eased the speed of his descent mid-fall so that they could land safely on their feet.

From there, Mina was already taking initiative, getting in front and starting to break into a run with Nikolay closely following behind, just as she began to secrete her acid slick from her feet. However, the Russian boy behind her was actually managing to maintain the same increasing speed with her, alongside his balance. If they were going to be navigating through the ruins in order to get to the train station, it would ultimately be better if he wasn't forcing Mina to keep a hold of his hand and risk getting them both tripped up along the way.

THWIP!

With a sudden surprised yelp, Mina went tumbling forward ass over tea kettle; her feet having suddenly gotten tripped up by a line, right under her nose, even though she knew nothing had been there just a moment before.

The very instant he heard her yelp and saw her go falling, Nikolay instinctively launched himself into his equivalent of a tiny hop, flying right over his falling pink friend, and immediately firing from both his hands the moment he was past her in order to stabilize himself and get back to the ground.

He was already reaching to grab Mina's hand and help her back up so they could get running again. "You okay, Mina?"

Before she could answer, the sound of a line suddenly being reeled in pierced the silence, and before either of the teens could react, the line that had tripped the pink girl up suddenly broke free from the wall it had been planted into, and a glint of light drew Nikolay's eye to an actual knife tied to the other end, flying right toward him at insane speed.

Nikolay's instinctive reaction to turn his head away from it ended up saving him an immense amount of pain, as instead the blade only managed to slice the finest line across his fair cheek; leaving a sharp and intense pain flaring across the left half of his face, and rendering the fake facial hair he'd been wearing useless, as it fell limply from his grimacing face.

He and Mina instantly turned to the direction the knife had just gotten pulled towards, just in time to see the (to Mina) dreaded familiar image of the ecstatically smiling Himiko Toga emerging from behind some of the rubble lining the battlefield mere meters away. Her piercing yellow eyes were staring the two students down with that naturally twisted sense of glee at the sight of them.

"Oh, MiMi, I'm so happy you're here! We really are friends after all, aren't we?! We got interrupted last time, but now we can finally finish getting to know each other for real!" Nikolay immediately didn't like the implication of this clearly unstable girl and her words; and as such, immediately began to get up and into a defensive stance, ready to break the rules and fight her off if need be.

He paid no mind to the warm and wet sensation of blood already beginning to trickle down his face from the cut on his left cheek, but Himiko was the exact opposite, as she couldn't take her eyes off the sight of it. "Oooh… such a pretty red… against such a fair skin tone… the contrast of it all… so beautiful!"

Himiko was rendered a furiously blushing and grinning mess as she looked at the intensity on Nikolay's naturally fair and delicate-looking face. Without the fake facial hair obscuring it, and especially when looking into his burning green eyes, Himiko felt her heart immediately start racing, both with the same stricken sensation she'd felt when seeing Izuku at the camp… as well as remembrance.

"Ooh my… so you're the Russian boy who helped beat Vukodlak, from the TV! I've wanted to meet you face-to-face for soo long! That adorable face with such a pretty shade of blood… it's got my heart all aflutter, you know? Oh, is it really okay for me to like two boys this much all at once?"

Nikolay wasn't even about to humor Himiko by asking what on earth she was talking about; while beside him, Mina had an automatically threatened and protective intensity in her black-gold eyes. This sudden change wasn't lost on Himiko, either, as she turned to address Mina with the same dreamy, near absentminded smile on her face, stretching from ear to ear. "Say, MiMi… you don't mind the thought of sharing him with me, do you?"

Nikolay was already starting to ball his hands into fists, and Mina knew just as well as he did that with them being cornered like this, their chances of avoiding combat were getting that much slimmer. The moment Himiko began reaching for the syringe at her other side; Mina's alertness fired right back up. "Be careful, Kolya-kun; she's a lot tougher than she looks. Whatever her Quirk is, it's got something to do with sucking blood after making a wound… and she's done that much with you already."

Nikolay didn't want to risk getting distracted from a potential fight by answering Mina out loud, but the sensation of a slimy liquid against the edge of his left hand made him silently realize that she was already starting to build up a large collective of her acid slick from her hands and feet; preparation for a hasty getaway.

Himiko either genuinely didn't hear Mina, or she was simply too laser-focused on Nikolay to care about anything else. The sight of his blood was only making her heart race more and more, as she finally began to twirl her rope-knife in preparation to strike, she was giggling with an almost adorable air of giddiness. "'Kolya-kun'… ooh, I like that! I like that a lot! A cute nickname for such a cute face! Hey, would you mind doing something for me… and maybe just… bleed a little bit more, Kolya-kun?!"

Still not wanting to break focus, Nikolay slowly began to step over Mina's still prone body, getting back onto her left side so that once she was ready to move, she needed only to grab his hand, and she could have them sliding off to freedom at top speed again.

Fortunately, Himiko didn't realize this was what the two young Heroes were planning, and so when she saw Nikolay actually starting to move to Mina's other side, she just started giggling and wiggling with delight all over again. "What's this? Is this you trying to put distance from MiMi so you can take my focus off of her and keep it on you? Ooh, boys that actually try hard to get a girl's attention… so forceful, and yet so alluring as well! That's the same kind of selflessness I admire that MiMi, TsuTsu and Ocha showed as well! MiMi, I can totally see where you got your inspiration from now! You all really are true Heroes in the making!"

However, Himiko's wiggling soon came to a stop, and she got her knife and syringe at the ready, getting into the stance Mina now knew was her sign that she was ready for a fight. "However, I want us all to be best friends forever, and we can't do that if you two are separated."

For Nikolay, everything thankfully seemed to slow down as Himiko suddenly threw her rope-knife right for him. The instant he saw her flick her wrist, he planted his all-this-time charging hands flat to the ground and fired a large build-up of his kinetic energy point blank into it. This produced a large, and more specifically aimed, shockwave that kicked up the multitude of tiny pieces of rubble straight up into the air, producing enough of an obstruction to knock Himiko's knife throwing off course, away from himself and Mina.

This likewise bought them the time they needed, as Mina instantly grabbed onto Nikolay's right wrist the moment he fired off his Quirk, and kicked off into a slick-boosted sprint, which Nikolay immediately added onto by aiming his left hand and foot directly behind him and firing through both at once, sending them sliding at immense speed down the thankfully empty street, and away from the momentarily surprised Himiko.

Before the fanged blonde girl could even try to give chase, though, she realized her body was suddenly starting to glow pink all over, and before she could even ask herself what was happening, she felt her whole body getting lifted off the ground and yanked back, as though by an invisible fishing line, all the way back the way she had come towards the battlefield at the start.

---

Real time…

"Well now… you got us good, didn't you? In one fell swoop… the tables have turned." All For One muttered this in pained realization the moment he had finally seen the situation as it stood, with only Shigaraki and that Toga girl, wherever she was, potentially still standing while his other soldiers were completely out cold, and he still had All Might, Gran Torino and Tunguska standing essentially none the worse for wear.

Unfortunately, All For One was not the kind of Villain to just call it quits. No, he was the kind who always had a backup plan, and he immediately put that into action, as he suddenly shot a lightning fast set of tendrils from his right fingers, shooting right past a momentarily surprised All Might, and turning a sharp corner away from Tunguska and Gran Torino, and straight into the unconscious body of Magne. 'FORCED ACTIVATION: MAGNETISM!' "Too bad you fools didn't think to knock them out in a much more spread out manner across the field."

At that very same moment, Gran Torino and Tunguska had likewise kicked themselves off side-by side towards Shigaraki, who was also getting his hands up in order to attack them both at once, even proclaiming "TURN TO DUST" as they approached!

Just before either of the three could make contact, however, Shigaraki's body suddenly began to glow blue again, and his body was instantly reeled backwards through the air just out of the trajectory of either Hero's strikes. In fact, all the other Villains were likewise glowing blue, with a distant yet rapidly approaching glowing streak of pink flying across the field towards their collective point as well, childishly protesting the entire way.

With the unconscious male Villains laying out in an arc near the still open Warp Gate, with Shigaraki standing on the other side of it, and with the rapidly approaching Himiko Toga being the one Villain with a different polarity while still in range of Magne's Quirk, the whole bunch was unwittingly being pulled towards each other into one singular point: the Warp Gate itself.

While Himiko and the other unconscious Villains were effortlessly sucked into the vortex of the Warp Gate, and the tendrils still stabbing into Magne's back raked them into the void as well to secure their escape, before just as quickly turning to swat the pursuing Gran Torino and Tunguska back, Shigaraki was still trying to dig his feet in to try and stop himself, as fruitless as it ultimately was, as he began to get enveloped into the black mist. "WAIT, NO! SENSEI! WITH THAT BODY, YOU'RE—NO! I STILL HAVEN'T-!"

As the hand clasping Shigaraki's face was suddenly pried off by the force of the Warp Gate, Tunguska, Gran Torino and All Might were all mutually surprised to see, instead of that typical bloodlust and hatred on his dried out and scarred face, there was instead…actual concern. In fact, listening to the desperation in his voice, it almost sounded, in a sick and twisted way, similar to how Izuku always sounded when All Might had found himself in a bind.

That desperate cry, and that genuinely worried look in his red eyes were the last things of Shigaraki that any of the three Heroes saw before he finally disappeared into the black, and the Warp Gate, at last, closed entirely, rendering the League of Villain's escape a success.

All the while, with his tendrils returning to his fingers, All For One stood alone, yet quiet and resolute in his actions. "Tomura… continue the fight."

With all but one Villain having now still managed to escape justice, and with the virtue of still being the closest to him, All Might immediately fired off into a blurring charge, ready to drive another devastating fist straight into that skull-like respirator mask All For One was wearing.

However, the supreme Villain was far from caught off guard, already pulling another tactic out of thin air: 'TRANSMISSION!'

Before Tunguska could even react, Gran Torino was suddenly getting enveloped in the same pitch black teleporting liquid from the bar, with another glob of it just as quickly forming before All For One, with the tiny elderly Hero emerging from it, right in the path of All Might's incoming strike.

'IMPACT REVERSAL!'

"Even though I originally came here just to save Tomura… if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" As All For One made this declaration of all-out war, All Might was too late to stop the full arc of his punch, driving the full force of it straight into the momentarily defenseless Gran Torino, knocking him completely out cold. At the same time, All Might's striking arm was instantly hit right back with the same kind of force he had just delivered, sending him reeling back before he could even finish automatically apologizing to his old mentor for his recklessness.

As the black liquid dissipated between them, and Gran Torino fell limp to the floor, All For One could feel his chest puffing out with determination all his own, staring down his old foe. "After all… I despise you, All Might. In the past, that fist of yours brought down my comrades, one by one… and yet you were celebrated as the Symbol of Peace. Standing atop society, on the bodies of those sacrificed to get there… THE VIEW MUST BE NICE FROM UP THERE, HUH?!"

The Villain's once eerie calm was suddenly giving way to an especially righteous-sounding anger, as he was reeling his left arm for another devastating Air Cannon attack, while All Might was instinctively grabbing Gran Torino off the floor to get him out of the way.

"YOU DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT HEROES AND THEIR SACRIFICES!" The sudden interruption of Tunguska's voice came roaring from All For One's right; and turning to address (or preferably kill) this other bothersome mite in his wake left the Villain open, even just for a moment, to a twin set of blinding beams shooting right for him from the Russian Hero's charged fists.

'MUSCLE AUGMENTATION x2!'

Bringing his right arm up in defense, All For One suddenly channeled as much focus into it as he could, causing his arm to suddenly grow nearly ten times its size in a protective muscle fiber armor, taking the full brunt of the energy attack, and barely nudging him from where he stood by a centimetre.

Before he could send his tendrils out to skewer Tunguska in retaliation, All For One suddenly caught a glimpse of white and red rushing him from his left and around All Might's right. It quickly became clear to All For One that he had foolishly let himself fall for such an obvious attack as a distraction, and thereby left himself completely open for the real thing.

Even if the Villain had realized his ruse sooner than he had expected, it didn't matter to Tunguska. He was already as close as he needed to be, as he quickly brought his already re-charged right fist up, and upon opening his hand, fired a concentrated scattershot of pure energy from his fingertips like a human shotgun, every single one driving at full force into All For One's left side.

Once the light and smoke from the numerous impacts cleared, however, Tunguska and All Might both felt a chill of apprehension come over them, as All For One looked to not even be fazed by the attack, even if the left waist portion of his fine suit had now been burned away, revealing a skin of pure mineral to absorb the blow and save himself from harm.

Tunguska, having now gotten to see even this much of the assortment of All For One's power, was beginning to get an inkling of an idea of just how prepared and multi-faceted this Villain was. He had a Hardening Quirk downright identical to that of Eijirou, only no doubt even stronger, depending how much time and practice he invested into it.

"All of you Heroes… PERISH."

All For One continued with his next Air Cannon attack from his left hand, but Tunguska's intervention had provided All Might all the time he'd needed to finish getting Gran Torino out of the line of fire, as he immediately drove a resounding "DETROIT SMASH!" into his enemies' firing hand, producing another devastating shockwave that went in a ring around where the Symbol of Peace stood, but inadvertently sent Tunguska at his side flying back helplessly, as well as sending untold amounts of kicked up debris flying through yet more standing buildings behind All Might, rendering even further destruction in the wake of All For One's power.

The use of so many of his energy shots in such close conjunction with each other had left Tunguska needing but a handful of seconds to try and recollect himself. However, he knew that if All Might was on his own against such a foe, he couldn't afford to wait that long, no matter what he'd say otherwise. He needed to get back into the fight and help his friend somehow, someway.

At the same time, All For One was similarly shocked with what All Might had managed to do in the wake of one of his favorite combos with but a handful of his Quirks. 'He actually managed to cancel it out with brute force!' As impressive as that was, though, it was hardly worth thinking about for even a moment, let alone more. "Sorry, you lot, but I'm not going to let you fight me at any of your full capacities."

While taking in the untold damage of the surrounding city thus far into their fight, and especially the distant sight of numerous civilians being directed and rescued by numerous other smaller time Heroes; a thought, and a devious smile, came to All For One under that black mask/respirator: "Heroes… you all have gathered quite a lot of them for tonight, haven't you? That means… a lot of things for you all to still try and protect."

"SHUT UP!" All Might's roar was furious and thundering as he swiftly grabbed All For One's arm the instant the Villain began to lift it to attack the distant civilians. The Symbol of Peace subsequently tossed the still-unconscious Gran Torino back and out of harm's way as he kept his focus entirely on stopping his nemesis from dragging anymore people into their battle than there already were. "That's exactly how you play with people, like they're toys, you scum!"

At the same time, the moment he saw Gran Torino get thrown out of the fray, Tunguska instantly bolted and leaped, catching the free-falling Hero before he could hit the ground, and just as swiftly dashing for a nearby intact alley, setting the stirring old man down and out of the open.

Realizing he still wasn't entirely in good enough shape at the moment to get back into the fight proper, Tunguska's gaze fell on the still enlarged but slowly shrinking and immobile body of Mt. Lady nearby. Throwing himself back onto the battlefield and channeling as much of his strength into his arms and legs as he possibly could, Tunguska proceeded to slowly but surely roll the unconscious giant Hero's body out of the battlefield and flush to the nearby buildings next to the alley, effectively getting her and Gran Torino both as far out of the immediate fighting area as he was going to without their conscious participation.

With his heart hammering at his chest and his brow drenched in a cold sweat, the Sun of Justice finally returned his attention to the now vicious standoff between All Might and All For One, with the former having just grabbed the latter's arm to keep him from attacking again.

For as long as their being in action this night had gone on, Tunguska knew very well by now just how much All Might was pushing his limit. He wasn't going to be able to maintain his muscled form for much longer. As much as he wanted to respect his comrade's advice to simply keep himself out of the worst kind of danger he could in this fight, Tunguska ultimately didn't care. It didn't matter how powerful either of the two men before him were; the fact was that All Might ultimately needed help, and Tunguska was the only Hero around who could provide it right now. With that, he was already beginning to sprint back into the fight, just as Gran Torino was starting to regain consciousness from within the alley.

"DESTRUCTION! THEFT! EXPLOITATION! MANIPULATION! THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD JUST TRYING TO LIVE DAY TO DAY! YOU LAUGH AT THEM, SCORN THEIR HARDSHIP!" As All Might went into this furious tangent, tightening his grip on All For One's arm the entirety of the way, the Villain himself couldn't help but be surprised: 'This is bad! My 'Transmission' isn't-!'

At the very same moment as he lifted his masked gaze to meet All Might's, and Tunguska and the newly awakened Gran Torino were both calling out to All Might from across the battlefield, All Might had his free fist reeled back and charging in, fueled by nothing but anger and righteous fury: "THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I CANNOT… FORGIVE!"

SMAAAASH!

With inhuman speed and godlike resonating power rippling through the ground, All Might drove that all-powerful fist straight into All For One's mask, driving his body straight down into the solid ground; buckling it into a crater beneath the force of a single punch, and shattering that black visage from around All For One's face like it was practically nothing.

"ALL MIGHT/TOSHINORI!"

The voices of his two comrades, one he could tell was rapidly approaching again, didn't register to All Might. His body was still burning, not just with righteous anger at his oldest foe, but at the billowing steam emanating from within his body. He didn't see it, but he didn't need to, either. However, his allies could, and that was the cause for such distressed shouting to him.

All Might's once inspiring form had now halfway reverted back to that of Toshinori Yagi, split evenly down his face. He was finally standing at the threshold of his time limit.

"Aren't you getting a little carried away with your emotions, All Might?"

The spark of horror that hit Toshinori straight in the heart was like a knife of pure malice. It shouldn't have been possible, even for the likes of All For One. That was one of the strongest punches he had at the ready so immediately, it should've been enough to at least leave the Villain beneath him dazed for a good handful of seconds.

But alas, this was not the case. Instead, looking down at where his fist was still planted into the shattered basin of All For One's mask, he was instead looking at a blank, scar tissue-covered dome of a head, devoid of any semblance of eyes or even eye sockets, peering from just over the black respirator clasped over the Villain's mouth, with his fist still firmly planted against his forehead.

"I've heard those lines before, you know. From the previous One For All successor… Shimura Nana."

---

Yokohama City Train Station…

Shortly after Nikolay and Mina had made their escape from Himiko Toga, they had managed to find themselves getting swept up into one of the many crowds of fleeing civilians, in the wake of the sudden destruction that had been wrought on Kamino Ward. There were a near handful of local Heroes helping to assist in the evacuation efforts, but thankfully the two teens still had a good enough idea of the route they had taken before to be able to get to the originally agreed rendezvous point.

After a minute or so of running with the crowds, the human traffic flow seemed to have finally slowed down, and in the best place possible. Nikolay and Mina were both quick to recognize that the entire collection of people that had been evacuated had come to the same city square outside the ward, that they had originally stepped out from the train station into. This was the agreed meeting place, so now it was a matter of trying to find or reach out to—

"KOLYA-SAN! ASHIDO-SAN! OVER HERE!" They both immediately heard the call of Izuku's voice from just a few feet away amid the throng, and hurried over to reunite with him. To their mutual relief, he was still with Eijirou, Tenya, and a still very intense-looking Bakugo. Whether that was simply his reaction to having to be rescued, or if he was still riding out his feelings from having been held prisoner, didn't matter. What mattered was that none of the four of them looked any worse for wear. In fact, they all looked downright ecstatic that two more of their own had made it back safe and sound.

At least, as safe and sound as could be said once they finally took heed of the bloody cut on Nikolay's left cheek. Now that they were no longer running for their lives, Mina was finally able to act on it and start coating two of her fingers in her healing salve to start swabbing the cut in it and stop the bleeding.

While she worked her magic; Tenya, having been the one to swear to end the mission if things got too dangerous to begin with, immediately spoke up: "Did either of you have to fight the Villain that did this to you, Bezpalov-san?"

To his and everyone else's relief, Nikolay just let out an exhausted sigh and shook his head. "No… but I'm surprised, to be honest. I don't get why she or none of the other Villains tried to chase after us."

None of the others could even try to come up with an answer, but as he simply decided that the answer ultimately didn't matter anymore, he suddenly noticed something else was missing: "Wait, where're Todoroki-san and Yaoyorozu-san?"

BRRRNG!

The instant he asked, Izuku's cellphone suddenly began to ring, and he snatched it up in an instant; his green eyes reflecting equal parts relief and worry once he saw who it was and answered for the rest of his friends to hear, even putting the call on speaker: "Todoroki-san?"

"Midoriya, is everything okay over there?" The sound of Shoto's voice on the other end over a background of numerous panicked voices immediately informed the others that he and Momo had to be somewhere else with crowds fleeing the scene of battle. But since their two teams had been forced to separate for the sake of avoiding being chased by the whole League, there was simply no telling where in the city they were right now.

"Yeah! What about you guys?! Did you make it out okay?!" Of course, with the knowledge that the battle between All Might, Tunguska and Gran Torino against All For One was still ongoing, as far as they could tell, there was no way Izuku could speak without an edge of considerable panic.

"Yeah, probably. We're running in the opposite direction from the League and the scene of the battle. The Pros are guiding everyone."

"Thank goodness! We just reunited with Kolya-san and Ashido-san! We're right in front of the train station like we had planned! Seems like it's outside of the area of that shockwave from before; successful rescue!" Just to hear Izuku declare their long-worrisome mission to have finally succeeded left Nikolay and Mina simultaneously breathing a sigh of immense relief. It was finally over. They could all finally get Bakugo and themselves back home.

However, Bakugo, of course, wasn't reflecting nearly as much relief as the rest of his classmates were. "LISTEN, ALL RIGHT?! I WASN'T 'RESCUED' BY ANYBODY! I JUST FIGURED ESCAPING WITH YOU IDIOTS WAS MY BEST CHANCE!"

At this point, however, even Nikolay was too tired, physically and mentally, to get irritated that Bakugo was already acting so stubborn and self-aggrandizing again. He was simply glad he was out of the grasp of those Villains now. And besides, Eijirou was reflecting enough positivity for the whole lot of them, as he simply had the brightest sharp-toothed grin on his face, and instead gave Bakugo a supportive thumb up as an answer: "Whatever you say, man!"

Realizing it was pointless to keep arguing on the matter, Bakugo just let out a frustrated grumble to the red-haired boy's perceived patronizing: "The reason I came along was because I didn't want to get in their way."

However, the blonde hothead swiftly slapped his hand to his mouth once he realized he'd actually been referring to more than just All Might in that battle. He was about ready to start threatening death to every single one of his classmates around him once he saw the mutually knowing looks in their eyes; proof positive they'd all heard him loud and clear. After all the months of non-stop shit-talking about their Quirk History teacher and his supposed power and history, Bakugo had just ultimately let slip that he was finally starting to think of Tunguska in a similar vein to All Might, and there was no way for him to take it back.

While Eijirou was still trying to chat up Bakugo now that they were safe, Nikolay and Izuku both couldn't help but actually take the heart of what Bakugo had said into consideration. No matter what their intentions were for being there, the fact was that they were essentially in the way of all those Heroes. If things had gone even slightly differently, they could've all been killed, or gotten the Pros themselves killed. Looking back on it now, it really was a miracle that things had turned out even remotely like they did.

Before Nikolay could think on it much further, especially hoping his father would turn out okay; his reverie, as well as those of the rest of his present friends, was broken by the rapidly approaching thunder of helicopters overhead. Looking to the sky, they were indeed met with the sight of nearly a handful of different news choppers soaring through the air, towards the scene of the battle.

Instinctively following their trajectory, Nikolay, Izuku, Mina and the rest were soon met with a live news feed projected on the numerous TV screens on the faces of the buildings, peering down at the wide expanse of destruction that had leveled half of the Kamino Ward. And even through all the rubble, they could still distinctively make out the sight of All Might kneeling over the black-clad figure of All For One.

While nobody was about to guess exactly what was happening on the screen right now in relation to the sudden destruction, all any of the students could think to themselves, especially Nikolay once he spotted the glow of Tunguska and his floating disk rapidly approaching All Might from behind, was one single question: 'Everything's going to be okay… right?'

---

All Might was still frozen solid with the shock of hearing the name of his master and predecessor in inheriting One For All after all these years… but at the same time, he was also quickly being filled with a blinding rage that made his earlier righteous fury with his last punch pale in comparison, simply to have heard that name come from the respirator-covered mouth of the absolute fiend lying beneath him.

"YOU FILTHY SCUM… YOU DARE SAY MY MASTER'S NAME?!" Already he was beginning to see that face from so long ago, the face that had led him down his path towards becoming the Symbol of Peace as the world knew him, the face that still drove him forward even when at his lowest.

Hell, even now he could already hear that assuring and confident voice that just overflowed with a hope like no other, as if it were being spoken to him in the flesh, right here and now: "Be proud, Toshinori! You're different from all those people that had it to begin with. Unlike them, YOU HAVE WON YOUR POWER!"

Even as All Might's vision was beginning to blur with furious and saddened tears at this unwelcome run down Memory Lane, All For One was already starting to laugh, even when knowing all it could take was a few extra ounces of pressure behind the power in All Might's fist, and he would be done for good, again.

"She was only ever about her ideals… it was as if that woman had no power at all! As one of the persons that fathered One For All, her hopelessness was embarrassing! She died in an especially shameful manner! How do I even begin to tell you…?"

"ENOUGH!"

BWOOOM!

The very instant All Might raised his fist to hit him again, All For One had gotten his left hand aimed, and met the Symbol of Peace with a long-awaited Air Cannon blast that sent him skyrocketing away, nearly colliding with one of the several news choppers hovering overhead now. Even at the distance he was from the scene itself, Tunguska could instantly spot All Might being sent flying; his bearded face white with shock.

Up in the air, taking such a colossal hit at point blank range had left All Might momentarily blacked out and wrought with pain.

"TOSHINORI!" But as he began to free fall and regain consciousness, he was suddenly intercepted in mid-air by the once again conscious, but still badly injured, Gran Torino, redirecting him to elsewhere on the battlefield to land.

"Well, well… getting in the way again." All For One said in clear bemusement at the sight as he started to get back to his feet, readying himself for another attack to blast the two meddlesome Heroes right out of the sky.

"THEY'RE NOT THE ONES YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT, YOU BASTARD!" The accented roar of Tunguska suddenly echoed through the air, drawing All For One's gaze downward to find the Sun of Justice flying right for him with another glowing fist at the ready.

'IMPACT REVERSAL!'

Remembering what had happened to All Might after Gran Torino had been made into a human shield, as well as All Might's warning of getting grabbed; at the very moment before impact, Tunguska dug his feet in and kicked himself right back through the air, firing another concentrated beam from that charged fist, too close for All For One to deflect like the last time.

'BLACKOUT!'

With a single arm extended towards Tunguska, All For One suddenly erected a shield of pure blackness from his hand, absorbing the entire beam into it like a black hole.

'REFLECTION!'

The moment the last of Tunguska's solar beam was absorbed into the pitch blackness over his left hand, All For One immediately aimed his right hand and instantly fired that very same beam out his palm, slamming dead center into Tunguska's chest and sending him rolling a dozen meters across the rubble, before the Russian Hero dug his feet and fists into the ground to stop himself and get back into the battle.

Seeing this foreign Hero's resilience (or perhaps stubbornness), All For One let out a single wry chuckle under his respirator. "I may have gotten a chance to see you and your boy in action through the eyes of that fool, Wolfram, back at I-Island; but that can't compare to witnessing it personally. Time to see how the Sun of Justice stacks up compared to the Symbol of Peace. Your Quirk might even be worth picking up when this is over. Go ahead and show me just what All Might saw in you that was worth dragging you and your brat out of that mud you dug yourselves into."

At the same time as this, All Might and Gran Torino had finally come crashing back to the ground, but still managing to stay on their feet regardless, with the elderly Hero scowling angrily at his towering former student. "THIS IS JUST LIKE SIX YEARS AGO! CALM YOURSELF, TOSHINORI! YOU'RE LETTING HIM PROVOKE YOU! LAST TIME, YOU MISSED YOUR CHANCE TO CAPTURE HIM, AND INSTEAD HE TORE A HOLE RIGHT THROUGH YOUR STOMACH! YOU SCREW UP LIKE THAT AGAIN, HE JUST MIGHT FINISH THE JOB! YOU ALWAYS GET CAUGHT BY THIS SORT OF CRAP! DON'T EXCHANGE ANYMORE WORDS WITH HIM!"

As All Might rose back up tall, he looked straight down the path they had just left with their landing, just in time to catch sight of Tunguska trying to maintain a distanced fight with All For One by himself, and the Villain was continuously deflecting or reflecting every single one right back at him, keeping the Russian Hero on the move. "No… the more Tunguska-san stays in the fight, the more opportunity he's giving him to take his Quirk!"

The minute Gran Torino likewise saw the ongoing battle ahead; he went into full observation mode again. "Both his strategy and the Quirks he's using are completely different from last time. Any attempt to take him head-on will be useless, and that fool out there either doesn't know it, or doesn't care! Toshinori, you have no choice but to attack him when his guard is down!"

Taking into account the ever-worsening condition of the Symbol of Peace beside him, and knowing just what the stakes now were, Gran Torino's focus was giving way to an especially intense air of raw emotion. "CAN YOU STILL MOVE?! IF SO, THEN PUSH PAST YOUR LIMIT! THIS IS DO-OR-DIE TIME, TOSHI!"

---

Up in the air and watching over the entire unfolding of events, one of the reporters inside one of the helicopters was actively commentating, with the footage and their words echoing from every television across Japan, including those in the square where the Yuuei students were still watching, just as much in shock and awe as everyone else around them.

"It's like a bad dream! In a flash, half the Kamino Ward has been brought to a half-destroyed state! Presently, All Might and an unidentified foreign Hero are in the middle of battling the Villain thought to be the ringleader behind the group known as the League of Villains! It's unbelievable! A single Villain! First destroying half the ward, and now he seems to be fighting on more than equal terms with both Heroes!"

---

At the same time as All Might was already preparing to come charging in to lend his aid, Tunguska was being kept to move as fast as possible, both to avoid the reflections of his attacks that All For One was continuously shooting back at him, or in the hopes of being able to find a blind spot to hit him from. It couldn't possibly be much longer before All Might would finally be ready to come back in, and if he could buy his friend even a moments' time to finish All For One off, then it would be worth it.

But All For One was making it increasingly difficult to do so. Every time Tunguska thought he was recognizing a pattern or combination of Quirks the Villain was using, he would just pull out another from his endless internal store of powers. It really was like All Might had warned him of before: if All For One had truly been alive since the earliest days since the onset of Quirks, then God-only-knew how many he had collected over that time, or how much practice he'd had with every single one of them.

'TELEKINESIS!'

The moment he had Tunguska going airborne to dodge yet another reflecting attack, All For One suddenly lifted a multitude of large pieces of rebar and debris from all around and sent them all hurtling towards the Russian Hero at once. Seeing them coming, he already prepared both his fists to drive through every single one on his way to try and land a lucky shot on the Villain. The first piece was just about to meet his swinging fist—

'REMOTE EXPLOSIVE!'

The minute fist met concrete, the entirety of the hurled debris simultaneously erupted into a multitude of fiery explosions, engulfing Tunguska in an instant, with the devastating power and noise reverberating for multiple blocks all around. As the black smoke hung in the air, All For One chuckled to himself once more. "Too easy."

BOOOM!

The boom of the sound barrier being ruptured snapped the Villain out of his calm in time to see Tunguska bolting from out of the smoke; his costume frayed and singed all around, but his eyes still glowing that brilliant gold, and focused only on him.

'MUSCLE AUGMENTATION x3! IMPACT REVERSAL!'

Tunguska was too enraged by such a cheap trick to think about All Might's warning, instead proceeding to drive his fists straight into All For One, even when he saw both the Villain's arms grow with their muscle fiber armor and cross over his torso. And the instant both his fists met the Villain's arms, he was instantly sent flying right back with the very same physical force he had just tried to dispense himself; now sent flying and crashing hard to the ground again.

As the muscle fiber armor retracted from around All For One's arms, he was chuckling to himself once more. "I must admit, you almost had me completely off guard for a second, Tunguska. I thought for sure that little deceptive combo would've taken you out for the count. You're more resilient than I expected; faster, too; especially being as old as you are already… but those things can only get you so far. You're hardly worth all the All Might comparisons, really."

The instant Tunguska kicked himself forward in another blurry dash for All For One, the Villain quickly brought his left hand up again and fired the tendrils from his fingers, only for Tunguska to suddenly dip down and pry a buried slab of concrete out from the rubble beneath his feet and flip it up like a shield for the tendrils to stab into. However, with his moves being so easily telegraphed, the tendrils instantly bent and turned right around both sides of it and wrapped back around to skewer Tunguska hiding behind the other side.

However, the Russian Hero, after having seen how All For One could manipulate those things in order to activate Magne's Quirk, had counted on this, and the moment he saw them start to twist around the other side, he suddenly launched himself straight up into the air and over the slab, a hand already charged and aimed.

BWOOOM!

The instant Tunguska showed himself, All For One just as quickly fired another blast of his Air Cannon Quirk from his free right hand, albeit not at the same strength he had before, not having had the extra second necessary to prepare that much, but still swatting Tunguska out of the sky and sending him crashing like a meteor, bouncing a few times across the ground.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though. To come from a country so notorious for being cheap in what it produces, of course they'd prop you up on some meaningless pedestal the moment you even seemed to be similar to All Might. And years of that kind of shallow praise gave you just as much of an ego. You saw what that could lead to firsthand."

Tunguska could feel his already burning anger reaching a level akin to a supernova, to hear the mocking edge in All For One's filtered voice. Worse still, the Villain was far from finished in that regard: "It's so typical of Heroes like you to not learn from your own mistakes; being raised to think you can't make any. Sure, you seemed to at first; why else would you go crawl under a rock to die in obscurity and drag your little boy with you to do it? However, the instant All Might decides to prop you back on your feet, it's right back to your same old ways, and teaching a bunch of starry-eyed, idiotic children to be the exact same way, for idiotic concepts like justice that this society so mindlessly eats up.

"You're only fooling yourself just as much as them. You're not really fighting for justice or peace or anything like that. You're just a sad, broken old fossil, clawing his way towards regaining a fame and praise that was never rightfully his to have in the first place. Where will that kind of delusional example land those kids and your son, I wonder?"

What All For One didn't realize through his vicious taunting, though, was that his words were actually falling on deaf ears. Instead of letting himself get provoked, like he had seen him do to All Might, Tunguska was instead trying to gauge the best way to approach the Villain so that he'd be able to get a hit where he couldn't react in time, starting with taking in what he could actually make out of the Villain's face.

'With those scars completely overtaking his very eye sockets, it would be pointless to try using my Flash Bang technique on him. He doesn't look to have any visible ears left, either. He has so many different Quirks as it is, he must have something to make up for his lack of regular sight and hearing. It might be infrared vision and some kind of sensitive hearing Quirks he's using; that must be why he's able to sense my attacks and therefore react so quickly and efficiently. I can't just keep relying on a direct distraction. I need to do something that'll keep him distracted for a good several seconds so I can get behind him. All Might will at least surely be back in the fight by then.'

With his hands buried in the rubble to keep All For One from noticing too soon, Tunguska threw his body into a spin as he pried his hands up and fired a massive collection of energy built into both from his fingertips, sending a multitude of medium-sized orbs of light flying at dizzying speed in a circular arc that quickly completely encircled All For One, and closing in on him just as fast: "SOLNECHNOYE KOLESO (SUN WHEEL)!"

The piercing whistle of these projectiles flying through the air, and the intense heat each one radiated, were both managing to disrupt his sight and hearing together, for once leaving All For One with but a fleeting sensation of surprise. 'Damn you for giving me these injuries before, All Might! Paralysis would've been perfect to use on this oaf if I still had my eyes! MUSCLE AUGMENTATION x4!'

The instant the orbs began to finally close their distance and hit him from all directions at once, All For One's entire body, save for his head, was completely encased in a full suit of massive muscle fiber armor, taking each significantly heavy hit one after the other; ultimately leaving the Villain unharmed.

However, this wasn't the distraction Tunguska was aiming to capitalize on. It was simply the appetizer for the distraction he was really going for. With All For One's sight and hearing completely overwhelmed, Tunguska took that few precious seconds to pry up another massive piece of concrete debris from the ground and, spinning on his heels with a vice-like grip on it, the moment All For One activated his muscle armor, Tunguska flung the massive slab of steel right for him and broke into another sprint and leap through the air.

All For One could already hear the sound of something massive flying at the speed of a bullet right for him as soon as the last of the light orbs had impacted with his armor, and from the moment the armor unfurled around him, he already had a hand raised with a full charge of his Air Cannon at the ready to blow it to smithereens with another deafening shockwave that destroyed the incoming debris, and further destroyed the half-wrecked buildings right behind it in that straight direction.

With his latest Air Cannon attack still echoing through the air, Tunguska came flying in from above and behind All For One, who for all intents and purposes, didn't seem to notice his presence while deflecting his distraction attempt. His left fist was already glowing as bright as the sun and reeled back; the older Russian Hero was all but ready to drive it straight across the back of All For One's head and take him down.

At that very same moment, another burst of the sound barrier drew All For One's attention, just in time for All Might to have finally finished recuperating his energy through that ultimately only mere handful of seconds, and come barreling at the speed of light through the dust; his own empowered fist at the ready after having seen what Tunguska was ultimately trying to do for both of their sakes.

With both Heroes closing in from in front and behind all at once, they both felt confident that if they could each land their punches into All For One together, this fight would be over at last, and he would finally be behind bars where he belonged. Just another second unimpeded, and that would be it, they both felt it; their fists closing in on the solitary Villain in black.

'TRANSMISSION!'

What happened next all occurred in the blink of an eye. Anyone watching from the outside would've even wondered to themselves what the hell had just happened. However, nobody would be asking themselves that in this fight, with it all being caught uncut on camera from up above.

From out of nowhere, two of the levitating globs of black liquid suddenly opened up both behind and in front of All For One. With Tunguska having been the Hero who was just that fraction of an inch closer at that moment, he wasn't able to react in time before his attacking left fist went straight into the liquid, and just as quickly emerged out the one in front of the Villain, causing Tunguska's empowered fist to go plowing straight against All Might's chest and delivering that full dose of power right into him. This sent the equally surprised Symbol of Peace flying back and dragging his feet and fists into the ground to stop himself, while coughing up another worrisome amount of blood from the insane force of impact.

The very moment All For One and Tunguska both saw what had just happened to All Might, the black globs instantly closed up around Tunguska's still-captured left arm before he could pull it free.

SHHHK!

With a sickening sound of something slicing effortlessly through meat and bone, the instant the black globs completely vanished, Tunguska was reeling back from behind All For One, collapsing to his knees with his eyes as wide as ever; his face pale and beaded with icy sweat as he looked upon his own left arm lying limply on its own in a pool of blood in front of All For One's feet, completely severed at the elbow.

'What fun! I honestly wasn't sure this Warping Quirk could work like that! In all seriousness, though, how disappointing, Tunguska; especially for one with such a promising Quirk. I'm sure I could find ways to use it that you never even dreamed of, even with the Siberian Flash under your belt!'

---

As if watching All For One turn Tunguska's attack against All Might wasn't bad enough, the entire square was filled with horrified gasps and screams the moment the cameras saw the Russian Hero's left arm get severed like it was nothing. It could only have been because the reporter and cameraman filming were likewise too horrified to do anything, that the feed didn't automatically get cut.

Among the crowds, however, all five of the gathered Yuuei students that had been watching had been the ones to scream in horror the loudest, with Mina hyperventilating and crying uncontrollably, Eijirou looking like he was about to have a heart attack, Tenya going white as a sheet, Izuku shaking from head to toe like a leaf before a hurricane, and Bakugo's eyes reflecting sheer disbelief at this Villain's array of powers.

Of course, even their reactions of horror paled in comparison to Nikolay, who had instantly fallen to his hands and knees; his green irises contracted with shock and overflowing with terrified tears, and his entire body heaving and jerking like he was about to puke from the sheer stress his entire body and mind was reeling from right now. He couldn't find the wherewithal to speak, none of them could.

This was like a living nightmare, it almost didn't feel real. How the hell was anyone, even All Might, supposed to beat a monster like this? No matter how much he wanted to believe it, how much they all wanted to believe that it could be done, they simply couldn't picture how. It felt like they were watching the beginning of the end of the world as they knew it, to see such Heroes like All Might and Tunguska be beaten away so thoroughly and effortlessly on All For One's part.

---

Even if Tunguska was still too much in shock to scream from the pain of having his arm so suddenly cut off, that didn't stop All Might from just as quickly realizing what All For One had just done to him… nor did it stop the Symbol of Peace from launching himself for his adversary, seeing nothing but red. "YOU WRETCHED SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU?!"

Of course, All For One immediately threw his own fist right back at the oncoming All Might, and the instant their fists clashed, All Might was once again sent flying back at the return of his own physical force, while still managing to stick his landing. The important thing he had silently been counting on, knowing he never would have caught All For One off guard that easily, was that the impact had created a powerful enough shockwave to send Tunguska flying a good dozen or so meters back, away from their own fight, and ultimately to the closest thing there was to safety, quickly rejoined by a visibly worried and still-intense Gran Torino.

As Symbol of Peace and Villain stood a good few dozen feet apart from one another, staring each other down as the dust around them settled once more, All For One suddenly threw his arms out wide, as if to visually showcase the horrible extent of the devastation that had already been wrought on the surrounding city. "The trust in Heroes that Tomura has been diligently working to destroy… I suppose I should put the final nail in its coffin here. But you know what, All Might? Did you know that I hate you… just as much as you hate me?"

All Might said nothing, keeping Gran Torino's advice at heart, but that still didn't stop All For One, as he began gesturing to the intense respirator still clinging to his face. "While I did kill your teacher, you took something away from me, too. That's why I want you to die as gruesome and unsightly a death as possible!"

In that instant, his left arm once began to swell and coil, the telltale sign of another Air Cannon attack. The instant he saw this, Gran Torino instantly called out to his old student: "HERE HE GOES! DODGE IT AND THEN COUNTER—"

"Should you be dodging it, though, I wonder?"

In that moment, All Might suddenly heard the slightest rattling from within the wreckage behind him. He didn't dare take his full gaze off of All For One, but he did drift his right eye to the very edge of his peripherals, just enough to make out the faintest sign of a person trying to crawl out from the debris of another totaled building.

All at once did it finally become clear just what All For One was doing. This was his ultimatum. Either All Might threw himself in the line of fire to save this exposed civilian, and ultimately use up the last of his power and ultimately expose the truth of his condition to the entire country… or he dodged it, and left that civilian to die, and thus shatter society's already fragile faith in Heroes beyond any hope of repair. 'All For One… you sadistic SCUM!'

"I WILL TAKE AWAY THAT WHICH YOU'VE WORKED SO HARD TO PROTECT!"

BWOOOM!

With another deafening blast, All For One fired his Air Cannon at full force, annihilating everything in the path of his aim in the blink of an eye, before the column of compressed air suddenly split in two, leaving twin trails of destruction in a V-shape. The force of the entire attack even left Gran Torino and Tunguska rolling helplessly before the current. It was even leaving the helicopters overhead struggling to maintain stability.

Even as the dust began to clear, that split in his attack told All For One everything he needed to know, and he couldn't have been happier for what it meant in the bigger picture. "Let's start with something you've risked life and limb to protect: THAT PRIDE OF YOURS. Let's expose that miserable true form of yours to the world, my dear Symbol of Peace."

As the dust finally finished clearing, standing defiant yet wobbling in the path of All For One was the now fully shrunken and decrepit form of Toshinori Yagi, with but a single fist raised to counter that lethal last attack, and having to expend all he had left then of One For All in order to do it. Even from so far away, Gran Torino and the finally lucid again Tunguska could see Toshinori in full view, and they both knew full well what had just happened, for better and for worse.

All Might had saved someone yet again, but now his secret was in the open for the entire nation of Japan, for the entire world to bear witness to. There was no more hiding it.

The world was now finally seeing the true state of their Symbol of Peace, of their beloved All Might.

---

"Um… what has just happened? Everybody is able to see this, right? All Might seems to be withering away!"

Even though the reporter on the TV was speaking the plain and awful truth, the entire square was unsettlingly silent, only growing not with screams, but with increasingly frightened and confused murmurings from the crowd, seeing such a beaten down and almost inhuman mockery of the visage of All Might. "Who is that guy standing there? He's like a walking skeleton almost!"

And even then, what everyone else was saying wasn't even registering to the five completely stunned silent Yuuei students watching their teacher and Symbol of Peace be reduced to something so pitiful.

"W… w-what's going on? I-I don't… I don't understand! That… that's not… that's not A-All Might, for real… is it?" Mina could barely even put the words together to voice her horror and confusion through her choking sobs, while Tenya and Eijirou both looked like they were in the most desperate state of denial to themselves.

"No… it… it c-can't be… surely… surely this must be another… another of that Villain's tricks! It must be!"

"How is this happening?! All Might's supposed to be the greatest Hero of all! How is he able to look like that?! What did that Villain DO TO HIM?!"

Between them, Nikolay was still on his knees, but reeling back as though he'd lost all tension in his body, but his green eyes still reflected nothing but horror. He looked as though he were staring into the abyss of some forbidden ancient terror that was threatening to break his mind and spirit altogether. "I can't… I can't believe it… I shouldn't! That's not really All Might… it can't be! Why is this… WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

And Bakugo…well, for once, all of Bakugo's once visible anger was at last gone. Now, all there was, was a confused and deeply unsettled, frightened young boy who was being forced to look upon some twisted visage of the Hero he had admired most for his entire life, and finding himself both unwilling and incapable of understanding the gravity of what this skeleton of a man on screen truly represented to everyone and everything.

And even among confused and horrified reactions like those of his friends, Izuku looked like he was having his heart torn out and stomped on, not for the sight of All Might, but for the fact that now everyone around him was seeing it clear as day. After more than a handful of years of painstakingly keeping the truth of his own condition a secret, All Might's true state had been revealed so easily through the actions of All For One.

The world's beloved Symbol of Peace had sufficiently been shattered in the eyes of said world, and there was no taking it back. The idea of All Might was now and forever broken, and Izuku Midoriya and his friends all felt their hearts stop, and their blood turn to ice in their veins at the very idea of that.

---

Even as the indescribable anguish of pain and the near torrential blood loss of his severed arm was leaving Tunguska feeling especially dizzy and lightheaded, knowing he barely had more than a minute, two at the most, of consciousness left in him, he was still able to see clearly what had just happened to All Might in front of all those news cameras. There wasn't a doubt in his swimming head that All For One was probably laughing giddily to himself in his own head. 'The hell with it… that just might be all the opening I need… to give All Might one more shot.'

Gritting his teeth with insane pressure in order to fight his way through the pain, Tunguska began to reach and grab onto the glowing disk behind his head. This was his last ace in the hole, the one attack he knew he still had just enough collected energy for. This was his one chance, and regardless how things would pan out afterward, he knew he still had a Hero's duty to take that chance.

Just as Gran Torino realized what the Russian Hero was doing and tried to rush in and stop him, Tunguska focused his blurring eyesight on the black-clad Villain, and threw the disk in his one remaining hand with all the strength he could muster, sending it flying like a streaking comet right for All For One's head…

…only for the golden glowing projectile to fly in a veering arc harmlessly in front of his scarred and respirator-clad head, continuing to fly on aimlessly higher and higher into the distant night sky.

Following the trajectory it had just come from, All For One began to smile from beneath his respirator at the sight of Tunguska barely managing to stay standing on one knee; his once white, red and gold suit now a healthy bloody red along his left side and pant leg. 'Well, well, and here I was thinking he would've bled out by now. He certainly is tougher than I originally thought. He just might provide me a tiny bit more entertainment after all. All Might clearly had a great deal of trust in you to bring you all the way out here from the shadows, Tunguska. Why not show him what happens to those he trusts so much? RIVET STAB!'

With Tunguska now being too weak to move nearly as fast, All For One suddenly shot the jagged black tendrils from his left fingers, easily impaling the Russian Hero through both his shoulders, his right side, and through both his legs, turning the ends upon exiting out the other side to make them more like hooks, and leaving Tunguska unable to free himself. Before Gran Torino could even try to stop him, still considerably injured himself, All For One quickly retracted the rivets that extended from his fingers, pulling the helpless Tunguska right along with them, holding his bloodied and barely conscious form up like a sick trophy to mock the visibly shaking Toshinori with.

"Do you see what happens to those foolish enough to stand by you, All Might? To those you're foolish enough to place any degree of friendship or trust in? Tunguska's not dead just yet; you could still try and save him! But you're hardly in the shape to do that anymore, are you?! Look at you! Those hollow cheeks! Those sunken eyes! A pitiful excuse for a Top Hero if I've ever seen one! So pitiful, that you even went crawling to some barren Hero-less wasteland to find someone even a fraction close to your old power, and somehow even more pathetic, in a laughable show of desperation!

"But don't be ashamed! Such a pitiful show of action, and such a miserable form, is only a reflection of your true self, is it not, All Might?!"

As All For One's mockery echoed through the air, Toshinori didn't dare take his eyes off either him, or the awful sight of his Russian friend, still visibly but barely clinging to consciousness. If he didn't do something fast, Tunguska could very well die. But what he could possibly do now that he'd run out of his daily store of One For All, he couldn't figure out.

"I see." These were the first words to come out of his mouth as he continued to stand as tall and triumphantly as he could in his state. It was a lesson that had been with him for countless years, and in his desperation to try and hide the truth of his condition from the world, he had ultimately allowed himself to forget, but now it was clear as day again: "Though my body may rot away and decline… and the world see me in this condition…"

In that instant, Toshinori closed a defiant fist, his sunken blue eyes burning with all the passion and dedication as though he were still the hulking Symbol of Peace even now; his ultimate declaration of resistance and strength to his lifelong foe: "MY SPIRIT REMAINS! I AM STILL THE SYMBOL OF PEACE! AND THERE IS NOT A THING YOU CAN DO TO TAKE EVEN A FRAGMENT OF THAT AWAY FROM ME! AS HEROES, OUR SPIRITS WILL FOREVER BURN AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN ITSELF! NO MATTER HOW MANY QUIRKS YOU ACCUMULATE, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH OUR SPIRITS!"

What would have normally been a cry of defiance that would have left many an ordinary Villain shaking in their shoes, amounted to little more than an amusing little nuisance to All For One, but when he suddenly heard a strained but heartfelt chuckle of approval from the still-skewered Tunguska on his rivet fingers, the Villain couldn't help but start genuinely laughing in true amusement to himself.

"Oh, magnificent, All Might! You got me. I had forgotten how much of a stubborn little child you were. I now have to add 'a troublingly influential one' to that list now, too. No wonder such a disgrace like Tunguska was able to pick himself up by his bootstraps so thoroughly in just a few months.

"In that case, I hope this does not hinder that 'burning' spirit of yours… but I've got something to tell you. You see, All Might… Shigaraki Tomura is Shimura Nana's grandchild."

The entire battlefield, even after All Might's powerful declaration of resistance, had just as suddenly turned as quiet as the grave, as the light in Toshinori's eyes immediately faded, as though he had mentally shut down in the wake of what All For One had just said. And unfortunately, this was exactly the kind of reaction the Villain had been counting on, still chuckling amusedly to himself, even as Tunguska was somehow able to catch the sight of Toshinori's smile dropping in his semi-lucid state.

"All this time, I've been dreaming about how much that fact would disturb you. I created the opportunity for you and Tomura to meet, and you beat him into submission, didn't you? Both of you? You did it without ever knowing a thing, and all while still wearing that shining smile of yours, didn't you?!"

Even in the state he was in, Tunguska was still able to make out what All For One was saying in an attempt to torture All Might, and was even still somehow able to piece it together as well as he did. All Might had referred to this 'Shimura Nana' person as his old master, the former wielder of One For All before him… and if this Villain was to be understood… then the same Shigaraki Tomura they had been fighting all this time was a direct descendant of someone who was a paragon of justice, of what Heroes were supposed to stand for!

"You're lying…" these words came out almost like a defeated whimper out of the still standing Toshinori, but it sounded less like he was declaring a fact, and more like he was desperately trying to convince himself as such.

That muttering only seemed to leave All For One shaking with even greater joy than before. "It's the truth. You understand, don't you? You already know me so well, All Might. You know this is exactly the kind of thing I would do."

All of a sudden, the rivet stabbing through Tunguska's leg finished retracting back into all For One's left thumb, before he suddenly lifted both his hands, angling the rivets steeper, and causing Tunguska's body to slide down them even further, exacerbating his injuries and agony; nothing but an added bonus where All For One was concerned, as he suddenly pushed his thumbs into his scarred cheeks, pushing them up into what could only have been a smile under his respirator. "Oh? That's weird, All Might! What happened to that ever-present smile of yours, huh?!"

Even as the Villain continued to mock him, Toshinori was stone still; still struggling to comprehend exactly what he and All For One altogether had done. At the very mentioning of his smile, he could already see his old master, hear her imparting words of wisdom clear as day: "When there's someone you need to save, it's a given that that person has had to face some terrifying feelings. Saving not only a persons' life, but also their heart… that's what I think it means to be a real Hero. No matter how scary it gets, you must always wear a smile that says 'I'm fine'! For in this world, the ones that smile are the strongest of all."

Those were the very same words he had imparted unto Izuku so long ago, words that he had carried in his heart for so long, the words that drove him to carry on even when he was at his darkest. And now… now to learn that his oldest enemy had turned his master, his icon's own flesh and blood into such a twisted and vile purveyor of evil in its rawest form… it had Toshinori visibly trembling with untold emotion, verging on burning tears of agony. "You… you… scum!"

To see and hear such devastation in the heart of the Symbol of Peace might as well have had All For One riding on Cloud Nine. "Just as I thought… how fun! I'd say I got a bit more than a fragment of your spirit there! And if your spirit, of all Heroes, can be broken… then what hope does a washed up old fool and an entire WORLD full of even greater fools have?! I could obtain an even greater position of power than I did all those ages ago if I could kill two so-called Number One Heroes so easily! Forget the evil ruler of Japan; the evil ruler of the entire known world sounds even better!"

All the while, the rage and despair building inside of Toshinori was coming to a point where he very well felt like it would physically tear him apart, as his anguish began to roar from his throat. 'The master's own family… what… WHAT HAVE I-?!'

"Don't lose…"

The faintest voice suddenly pierced through the cacophony in Toshinori's head, as the single sobbing woman he had saved from within the ruins was suddenly calling out to him with all the desperation and sincerity in the world for the man that had just saved her life at the cost of his own power. "All Might… please… HELP!"

---

Nobody in that square could have possibly heard that woman's cry for help. But it was as though the heart she had put into it had somehow reached out to every single person watching in that square, and to every person in every home across Japan that was watching this unfolding battle.

Because one by one, those voices that had once displayed nothing but confusion, worry and fear… were all starting to pick up with a whole new kind of air, a whole new kind of energy, a whole new kind of unifying heart.

"All Might… you have to win! Even if he looks different, he's still All Might, right?! Time and again, he's been able to do something, one way or another! You can do it, All Might! DON'T LOSE, ALL MIGHT! YOU CAN DO IT!"

All around the visibly stunned Yuuei students, the crowd that had once been filled with despair, was now alive and vibrant with a heartfelt cry of support the likes of which none of them had ever imagined to be possible.

Even when faced with the dismantling of their Hero, the people were banding together to voice their support and faith in him, as though nothing had ever happened. For Nikolay, this was akin to what people called a religious experience. This was like the complete polar opposite of what had happened to Tunguska in his own home country all those years ago. To experience the voicing of such faith and confidence and heartfelt support was something words could never do justice.

In fact, it was as though it were having an actual physical effect on the five teens, as they could feel their hearts, once filled with fear and despair, rise up with a fire of hope and faith that was utterly inextinguishable!

Nikolay was finally rising back to his feet beside his friends as they never took their eyes off the screen before them, staring beseechingly to the image of the broken down All Might, believing with everything they had that their words, their faith, would come through to him and give him the strength to win once more against such a terrible visage of evil!

"WIN! WIN, ALL MIGHT!"

The deafening cries of support from the mutually teary-eyed Izuku and Bakugo seemed to ring that final bell of devotion within their classmates, as soon Tenya, Eijirou, Mina and Nikolay were likewise crying out and chanting the very same thing with everything their hearts and souls had! "WIN, ALL MIGHT! YOU CAN DO IT! FIGHT, AND WIN!"

Even as he screamed his heart out for the Symbol of Peace to fight, and the square became an outright echo chamber of cheers for All Might's strength to return, Nikolay could swear he could even hear other voices from within the deafening crowd: "What about that other Hero, that foreign-looking one that's been fighting with him? He can't be dead, right? It doesn't matter who they are, they've been fighting just as hard as All Might! The Heroes gotta fight alongside each other, don't they?! COME ON, YOU GUYS! BOTH OF YOU, GET UP! YOU CAN STILL WIN! GET UP AND FIGHT, AND WIN!"

It didn't matter worth a damn to Nikolay or his friends if anyone here knew his father's name. What mattered was that his efforts were being recognized at last, and faith not just in the Symbol of Peace, but in Heroes as a whole, was visibly and audibly skyrocketing in the face of adversity.

Within moments, mutual cries of support for All Might and the unknown foreign Hero that only the most scattered few in the nation recognized from years and years ago as Tunguska, were echoing all across the air, straight into the hearts of the two Heroes in question, with no voices echoing louder and more passionately (nearly to the point of throwing out all their voices) than their five crying yet faithful students, shared disciple, and son.

---

The distant cacophony of cheering echoes could be felt rippling through the air to All Might, Tunguska and All For One alike, and especially to the latter's silent shock.

Unlike the Villain, though, the sound of such a thing reignited the mutual fire within the nearly defeated hearts of his two opponents; especially reflected in All Might, as to the surprise of everyone present able to see, his right arm was suddenly beginning to glow and spark with increasing brilliance, a strength pried out from within the deepest depths of his being.

It was as though he could even feel the beseeching faith of his students adding their very own power to his, as All Might could feel his power peaking to a point that shouldn't have been possible in his state. And for starting this fortunate chain reaction of inspiring the people's faith, he could only now address the stunned onlooking woman within the rubble. "Of course, young lady."

He could just feel the shock and disbelief emanating from the, for once, silent All For One; and unlike before, the words All Might spoke with carried not a trace of anger nor malice… but true, unmistakable faith, in everything the ancient Villain stood against.

"You're right… All For One! There's so much… so much that we Heroes have to protect!"

In that moment, All Might could once again hear his old master's voice, ringing with faith, comfort and wisdom all in one. This time, however, the sound of Nana Shimura's voice filled him not with guilt, but conviction.

"If you feel yourself hitting up against your limit, remember… remember for what cause you clench your fists. Remember why you started down this path, and let that memory carry you beyond your limit!"

And hearing those words echo within his heart so crystal clearly, All Might instinctively muttered the answer he had given all the way back then; the answer that to this day defined everything he ever said or did: "I want to create a world where people can live their lives smiling. For that reason, a 'symbol' is necessary."

With the blazing light of pure energy that could only have come from One For All, All For One found himself staring in stunned silence at the sight of a once more brilliantly smiling All Might, still bearing the sunken form of Toshinori Yagi, but with the right half of his body now bearing the rippling muscles of the very Symbol of Peace he had thought was finally destroyed. "AND THAT'S WHY… WE DON'T LOSE!"

All For One was in too much of a state of bewilderment then to realize that, even now, the Hero that had been skewered to his rivet fingers was not yet dead. No, if anything, Tunguska was feeling just as reinvigorated as All Might himself, for even as his wounds continued to bleed, the older Russian Hero suddenly lifted his head, turned to look All For One in his shocked, yet cauterized, eyes, and suddenly grabbed onto the very rivets he was still impaled upon, his hand rapidly beginning to glow with just as fierce a fiery light.

Tunguska's grip upon the Villain's trusty rivets was even beginning to grow so unbelievably strong in the wake of such grievous wounds, that they were even beginning to actually crack within the grip of his glowing, gloved hand.

The once pitiful foreign Hero that All For One had called a glorified and pitiful imitation of the Symbol of Peace, was now leaning in, looking him right where his eyes were supposed to be, with Tunguska's own blue eyes already beginning to glow with a blazing golden hue. "You see it now… don't you, All For One? As long as people cheer on and have faith in Heroes… as long as they still have that ember of hope… then Villains like you will never truly win!"

In that instant, the Sun of Justice suddenly threw his blazing right hand straight at All For One's face; the Villain just barely managing to activate his Hardening Quirk in time to absorb the brunt of the hit, but the impact still resonated hard within his now ringing head, and the blazing heat of his fist was obscuring his sight a great deal.

SHHNG!

At the moment of impact, another acute and burning pain suddenly erupted out of nowhere, as the glowing disk from behind Tunguska's head that he had thrown and missed with before, had suddenly come flying right back to the scene of battle and, with perfect precision and speed, managed to slice all the way through All For One's left wrist, severing his left hand from his arm with ease, and thus causing him to finally drop Tunguska back to the ground. The rivets from his fingers instantly retracted at that moment, freeing Tunguska from their hold, and the bloodied but grinning Russian Hero instantly kicked himself off the ground to his left, putting a great deal of distance between himself and the still stunned All For One.

Truth be told, he had been planning for such a quick plan of attack for the past minute, but experience had now proven to him that All For One would have no doubt heard the disk coming if he'd just let it come back around from behind the Villain like it usually did. Thus he knew he needed to obscure All For One's vision and hearing for just a moment, all while precisely mentally steering the disk to come back at just the right angle. And by God, it had actually paid off!

'I hate having to use the disk for attacks like that… but he's just too tough to take on any other way. Now we're even! I just needed to get away long enough to do something about these wounds…then I can help All Might end this once and for all!'

Elsewhere amid the rubble, while still struggling with his own injuries, Gran Torino had managed to witness the entire unfolding of events from both his fellow Heroes. Even with all his decades of experience, he couldn't rightfully deny that both their insane resiliency, even despite their respective injuries, was nothing short of genuinely impressive. 'To think that Russkie lummox would still be able to pull such a fast one after losing so much blood… he's gotta be on the verge of losing consciousness, surely. But still, he's actually managed to limit the means All For One can use his Quirks by half! And Toshinori looks like he's actually still able to push himself past his limit!'

However, looking upon the sheer contrast between All Might's bristling right arm and the rest of his body, Gran Torino was hit by an immense feeling of unease and painful realization. 'But how many times has he negated a large scale attack like that one already? He's approaching his limit! With only his right arm in muscle form; that warped appearance says it all…'

All this while, All For One somehow wasn't screaming, despite the pain of having just had his left hand sliced off, but his voice was still brimming with an unmistakable anger. "Dammit… I can't believe it! That washed up old imitator got me! He got me pretty good, actually! This is what I get for letting myself become too lax and confident! I could've blocked that cheap shot of an attack easily otherwise! Well, now you've convinced me, Tunguska… convinced me to take that Quirk of yours, and use your fancy little disk to pluck your head right off your shoulders!"

However, even despite the severity of his declaration of murderous intent, in his head, All For One was still as calculating and observant as ever. 'Well, he's not the primary focus right now, regardless what he did to me. Super Regeneration is already in effect… in an hour or two; it'll be like nothing ever even happened to my hand. Besides, with his wounds all together, he's pretty much out of this fight as it is. Now… it's finally just down to me… and All Might, just as it always should've been.'

Observing the intensity and the blazing glow of his archenemy before him, All For One once again maintained that calm and imposing posture, staring All Might down as though he truly were an insignificant speck in his path. "With all your strength… will that be your final swing, All Might?"

All Might didn't dare say a word, only meeting the Villain's invisible gaze in kind. Knowing the true kind of power that he was now standing off against, and once again glancing to the stump of his left hand, All For One couldn't maintain the casual, apathetic façade any longer. "It really doesn't matter who it is when you get down to it: wounded Heroes are the most terrifying of all."

All of a sudden, the Villain quickly began to rise up into the air as though he were completely weightless, with his right arm once more beginning to expand and coil in preparation for another Air Cannon attack. "Your face, as you came after me even with your guts spilling out… even now; I still see it in my sleep. It doesn't even look like you have two or three swings left in you, All Might. That must surely mean you're going to give what you've got left with everything you have. So I'll just have to stop you from even doing that much!"

FWOOOOSH!

All of a sudden, a furious plume of fire was tearing through the sky right for the levitating All For One, forcing the Villain to divert his aim and fire the entirety of his Air Cannon right into it, dispersing the flames and saving himself, only to be met by the most unexpected sight now of all times.

"What are you… WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT APPEARANCE, ALL MIGHT?!" The enraged bellowing voice of Endeavor suddenly echoed across the battlefield, as the Flame Hero stood atop the wreckage, joined at both sides by Edgeshot and Kamui Woods, just above where Tunguska was now kneeling, pressing his glowing fist to the stump of his left arm, effectively cauterizing the wound and stopping it from bleeding nearly as much. Much like Endeavor, they too looked downright shocked at both Tunguska's grievous injuries, and All Might's otherworldly appearance.

As for All For One, to see the Heroes he had been aiming to keep from interfering now standing below him could have only meant one thing. "Although they were all pretty mediocre, to have taken care of all the Nomus already… it's to be expected from the man who ascended to the rank of Number Two Hero."

Down on the ground, Endeavor was practically deaf to All For One's words for two reasons:

First was the fact that, despite having lost an entire arm and being impaled in several different areas, Tunguska was still managing to keep himself in the fight. This thereby negated, by definition, every preconceived notion of his inferiority as a fellow Hero that Endeavor had about the man. This was especially apparent when he could see the severed hand of All For One lying lifelessly in the rubble ahead. The twisted poetic justice in the fact the Russian Hero and the Villain above were now both missing left hands was far from lost on the Flame Hero. However, that didn't make the notion of having so completely misjudged another person again infuriate Endeavor any less.

However, what had his blood boiling even more was the pitiful state that his career-long rival and goal post, All Might, now stood before him in. It struck Endeavor with equal shares of shock and disgust… and, perhaps even a trace of what he could only describe as betrayal; betrayal of the image he had pursued for so long.

'All Might… in order to surpass you, I've devoted myself to my studies, to my training. So much so, that I've come to fully realize… that the gap between you and me… the sight of your back! It makes me feel… DESPAIR!' "WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT PATHETIC FORM OF YOURS?!" To his silent anguish, though, All Might simply couldn't find the words to express his regret at his fellow Hero seeing him like this.

While this exchange was happening, though, All For One could only feel annoyance at the sudden intrusion, and already had his right hand prepping another shot, aiming right down at the trio of bothersome Heroes, and one especially stubborn one. "If the lot of you has only come here to show your support, then act like a real audience and quietly behave yourselves."

THWIPP!

Edgeshot had suddenly come flying in from a single nearly invisible red thread from the ground, but All For One had still managed to see him coming soon enough to duck his head to his right, causing the red ninja-like Hero to miss. However, this didn't deter him for a moment. "Don't kid yourself, you savage… WE CAME HERE TO HELP!"

At that very moment, once All For One realized there was still a thread running from Edgeshot's foot and down to the ground, he turned to realize that the bothersome Hero had just bought Tunguska time to launch himself back up into the air, with that very same thread gripped in hand. With a single powerful pull, he yanked Edgeshot right back, closing the distance in the blink of an eye and allowing his fellow Hero to land a single precise and powerful kick to the back of All For One's head; the Villain having only managed to activate his Hardening Quirk enough to halfway mitigate the regular damage.

At the same time down below, Kamui Woods was already using the time Tunguska and Edgeshot were buying him, to reach his growing tree branch-like arms across the battlefield, and scooping up Best Jeanist and Gang Orca from the warehouse wreckage, before just as quickly carrying them to the same safe spot where Mt. Lady was now laying, by now in her unconsciousness having finally reverted back to her regular size.

Seeing his long-time fellow Hero in such a battered and bruised state, the wood-clad Hero couldn't possibly not express his assurances to her as he wrapped his vines around her form as well as the others, already on the move to get them as far from danger as possible. "You gave it your all, Mt. Lady. No one will deny you that."

As All Might couldn't help but watch in genuine amazement that so many of his fellow Heroes were still powering through injuries and exhaustion alike to try and buy him a single chance, he could suddenly hear the sound of concrete rubble being moved from behind him. Glancing back, he was met with the sight of a likewise frayed and battered Tiger, using his Pliabody Quirk to remove some of the wreckage so that the woman who had been trapped inside could finally get all the way out; all while still carrying the limp form of Ragdoll in one of his arms.

He could simply feel the Symbol of Peace's eyes upon him, hence why the male Pussycat already began to speak to him, while still keeping his focus on getting even this one civilian out of harm's way: "This is about as much as we can do… but if it lightens your burden, even by a little bit…"

All Might could swear he could feel his heartstrings being pulled with the kind of emotion only such selflessness on his behalf could inspire. To know that, even despite having nearly been killed, they were all still fighting with everything they had, even against such an all-powerful opponent… and despite even seeing him in the state he feared would have broken the hope of the entire world. Even despite that, they were all still fighting, for the people they all swore to protect…and for him, and everything he tried so hard to represent for others.

"Please, All Might, stop that wicked fellow! Everyone is wishing for your victory… no matter what your appearance may be, you're still everyone's Number One Hero!"

Amid the wreckage, being the only one unable to actively rejoin the fight, Gran Torino heard Tiger's sentiments loud and clear, and as he looked upon the image of All Might and all the other Heroes still fighting tooth and nail to buy him a shot, he couldn't help but recall one of the earliest conversations from Toshinori's earliest days… the very day the choice had been made for him to become Nana Shimura's inheritor, in fact:

"Yagi Toshinori?"

"He's an interesting one. A bit of a maniac, he is. According to him… the reason why crime hasn't fallen is because the citizens are lacking a foundation in their hearts. Right now, this country does not have a 'pillar.' And so, he says that he will become that 'pillar.'"

The crotchety diminutive old Hero, for the first time this night, was able to lift the corner of his mouth in a knowing smirk as his eyes once again fell upon All Might. 'You understand, Toshinori, I know you do. This is what all of your work; the work of every inheritor of One For All was always about. You wanted to be a Symbol of Peace, a pillar to help lift society out of the darkness of the tyranny of Villains. Don't you see now, you fool: you're finally seeing all those years of effort and sacrifice paying off.

'It wasn't just ordinary civilians you were always inspiring; you're just as much of an inspiration and a symbol for the very Heroes you work with. How else could you get someone who had lost everything he believed in and wallowed in misery for so long to pick up his mantle again and get right back up to fight with you, even after losing an arm? You reignited that fire for him, and you've kept that very fire lit in the hearts of Heroes all around for all this time.

'Everybody is wishing for your victory, Toshinori! Now get in there and show everyone that their hopes, that your comrades' own sacrifices aren't for nothing! Be their symbol, even if it's for this one last time… All Might!'

BWOOOM!

Suddenly, another deafening explosion of air erupted through the sky, sending the persistent Endeavor, Edgeshot and Tunguska colliding with the ground once more, while All For One was slowly descending back to the ground, with an aura of quiet yet incomparable bloodlust radiating around him. "How troublesome. Enough with the sentimental talk and the childish stubbornness of you Heroes. Let's talk reality."

Before the eyes of all the gathered Heroes, the news choppers overhead, and before the eyes of the countless citizens watching the battle unfold on their TV screens, All For One's remaining right arm suddenly began to twitch and distort, growing and mutating in indescribably horrific ways.

"Locomotive Corkscrew, Explosiveness x4, Muscular Enhancement x3, Multiplication, Hypertrophy, Rivet, Airwalk, Bonespear. The shockwaves up until now have just been to wear down your strength, All Might. Nothing lethal. But now, to make sure I kill you and all your paltry little sidekicks, with this combination of the strongest, most suitable Quirks that I have put together…"

In front of the Heroes' eyes, to call the monstrosity erupting from All For One's right shoulder an arm didn't seem remotely accurate anymore. It more resembled a hideous malformation of multiple different arms fused together, with countless protrusions of the same black rivets, numerous indiscernible minerals fusing to the flesh, and numerous razor sharp coiled spines of bone, with the entire grotesque collection forming into what closely resembled a colossal hand at the end, with the entire monstrosity being just as tall as the Villain himself. "… I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN!"

---

In the square, watching the Villain put together so many different Quirks all at once to turn his arm into such a hideous all-around weapon, standing steadfast against so many Heroes at once; it was a miracle that the crowd refused to let their cheers of support for all the Heroes die down.

Among the five Yuuei students still cheering their hearts out in support, Nikolay could still feel a nervous lump in his throat, seeing his bloodied father still choosing to stand tall alongside the others before such a monster of an opponent.

Hell, for every one of these five kids, they could scarcely comprehend, even now, that a Villain who could wield so many different Quirks, let alone all at once, was real. It still seemed more like something out of their worst possible nightmares. Even for as much as they all wanted to go back and stand alongside these brave Heroes in order to maintain even the slightest hope they could help them win; deep in their hearts, they were all forced to finally accept that if they did, none of them would stand a chance against him, not even Izuku.

But damn if that was going to stop any one of them from continuing to voice their never-ending support and faith in All Might, Tunguska, Endeavor, and all Heroes across the nation as a whole, like an all-encompassing cry of defiance against Villainy incarnate like All For One. To encourage, protect and inspire this kind of support and faith in people when times were at their hardest; this was what the five wayward students all knew it meant to be a true Hero. It was a sensation to be a part of that words couldn't do justice, for any one of them, but especially for Nikolay.

What had once been tears of horror were now tears of faith and encouragement. To be swept up in an all-consuming air of support for the first time in his life was nothing short of intoxicating, and to be hearing even the slightest portion of it be directed to the once disgraced Sun of Justice was nothing more than simply the smallest dash to perfect this moment for him. This wasn't about playing favorites, this was about driving all the Heroes to victory with the strength of all their hearts and souls, and they would do so happily, no matter what happened, as long as it would inspire the Heroes to continue the fight and win.

---

The moment he felt all of his accumulated summoned Quirks amalgamate into the monstrous super-arm at his right side, All For One immediately launched into a mad dash for All Might, with the Symbol of Peace instantly following suit; the two insanely powered and driven representatives of Villainy and Heroism respectively charging each other head-on.

The moment Tunguska saw All Might finally move, he instinctively prepared to kick himself forward to lend his friend aid, but the moment he put any weight to his feet, he felt his entire body flare up with a monstrous pain from all over, covering him from head to toe and sending him toppling face down to the dirt. Of course, he didn't have to wonder for a moment what it was.

With the injuries he'd sustained, even he knew that determination and adrenaline could only carry him so far. To even stop for the handful of seconds that followed All For One blasting them all out of the sky with his Air Cannon was all it had taken for that long-ignored pain and wooziness from the blood loss to finally catch up with the Russian Hero.

He hated having to admit it, but there was no use to tell himself otherwise, he couldn't even stand up anymore. His wounds together were simply too much now. Tunguska was well and officially out of this fight, and now had no choice but to hope All Might was powered up enough to finally end this battle.

As All For One and All Might charged each other, the Villain's mind was racing with the greatest revelation of all as he gazed upon this final show of desperation on the Symbol of Peace's part: 'Just now, when our fists clashed, I finally was able to confirm it, All Might. One For All is no longer in you. What you're relying on right now is simply the trailing notes, the leftovers, the embers that remain after transferring it. And every time you use that flame, it weakens. Without me blowing at it, already the light is so dim that it's about to go out.

And upon reaching that mental peak of build-up, the supreme Villain could no longer keep his hypothesis to himself, wanting to see the fear it would instill plant into his most hated enemy's eyes: "MIDORIYA IZUKU. He's the one you transferred it to, right? Without any qualifications, he still came here… it's as if he's not able to control himself, just like you. I saw it all through the eyes of that hotheaded Wolfram on I-Island, after all. He and that brat of Tunguska's looked virtually indistinguishable from you back in your heyday.

"Speaking of which, I wonder, was it the despair you felt over ultimately losing One For All that drove you to so desperately seek such a pitifully fallen Hero like Tunguska to assist you in training that boy? I suppose it doesn't matter in the end. Let's make sure he, his whelp and Midoriya all die feeling every bit of regret that you do, All Might. I'll see to it then, that all your trusted allies, and the precious students you both fawn over so much, will all die just as viciously, with all their Quirks mine to play with to my heart's content. Even as dual sensei's, it's ALL YOUR LOSS."

With All For One's mocking words echoing through the air, and Nana's words alongside his own conviction echoing in his heart, All Might met the inhuman fist of his lifelong foe with his own with not a shred of hesitation, and with both their respective full power built up behind them, ready to at long, long last put this age old conflict between them to rest.

With both their hearts mutually reaching a driven and emotional crescendo, All Might and All For One at last closed the last of the distance between them, and a fist of malice and evil met a fist of justice and compassion with full force.

BOOOOOM!

The shockwave that resulted from this inhuman impact was akin to an atom bomb, as the next several city blocks all around the two were instantly wiped out with a deafening burst. It was, frankly, a miracle that the Heroes nearest the scene managed to avoid getting blasted halfway across the entire city, the wind current was so immensely powerful.

Even all the way in the square where Nikolay and his friends still watched with their eyes wide and mouths agape, they could feel that same wind current come rushing down the streets like a sudden gale force on the seaside. This was, by far, the single most incredible display of All Might's power any one of them had witnessed yet.

When the smoke from the shockwave finally cleared, all eyes were met with the sight of All Might and All For One still standing before each other; both their fists still having collided, but the fist that All Might had imbued with One For All's power had now looked to be clearly broken in countless places, while All For One's monstrosity of an arm looked not even the slightest bit bruised.

'IMPACT REVERSAL! All the power you just released into that punch, All Might; I'll turn it back to you!'

---

With the image of the two all-powerful figures still standing before each other at this awful stalemate crystal clear on the TV screen, Nikolay was somehow able to find the words, despite his mouth now being as dry as the desert sands. "I can't believe this… it's like that monster just took the force of All Might's punch and just sent it right back in full."

To hear him saying this, he was somehow able to get Mina, Tenya and Eijirou to actually take their eyes off the screen, wanting to know that they understood the Russian boy right. His eyes wide with a horrified realization confirmed it all, unfortunately. "It's like that Villain has a perfected version of my own refraction ability. How is anyone supposed to actually beat him if he can do that? It looks like All Might even used what power was left just to be able to make a punch that strong."

It pained him beyond words to have to say it out loud, but after what they had all just witnessed, he couldn't dare to stay silent about everything that was racing through his head. He still believed, just as much as everyone else did, that All Might would somehow be able to still win, he needed to believe it just as much as they did. But when trying to figure out or theorize what the Symbol of Peace could possibly do with his current limitation, the Russian boy's mind was a desperate blank.

---

"That's right."

The sound of confidence still evident in All Might's voice, in the moment that should've encapsulated his acceptance of ultimate defeat, caught All For One by notable surprise.

"As their sensei's… and as their Heroes…"

As the smoke at last finished clearing, what All For One saw made his body give only the slightest flinch of incredulous disbelief.

"… Neither he, nor I… we can't be… SCOLDED BY YOU!"

At the very moment before impact had been made, All Might had withdrawn the power he had put behind his punch, thereby reducing the force he exerted into it, and as a result, the force that All For One sent back. It still busted his arm into oblivion, but he hadn't wasted what was left in the process. And the moment the blow had run its course, All Might was already sending the last ember of One For All right through his body and into his left arm, shrinking his right arm back to normal, and restoring his muscular form to his left in exchange.

"I see… how unsightly." The sight of the Symbol of Peace before him pulling such a sneaky maneuver almost got another wry chuckle out of All For One, as he was already beginning to charge up another further powered Air Cannon shot right into the man, point blank. 'So dim that it's about to burn out; the feeble embers… YOU'RE FIGHTING AGAINST IT?! UNTIL YOU CARRY OUT YOUR DUTY, TO AVOID DYING OUT, YOU INTEND TO DESPERATELY FIGHT AGAINST IT?!'

As he could feel the ember of One For All ignited to its fullest extent into his still-uninjured left arm, All Might once again heard the words of Nana Shimura, speaking with soft but endless encouragement from within his heart, the words that even now were igniting his spirit as though he had never lost an ounce of his strength: "If you feel yourself hitting up against your limit, just remember…"

In his heart, All Might's declaration grew to a crescendo that erupted from the depths of his throat while his left arm ignited like a shooting star as he could just feel himself embodying everything his master had always embodied to him, what she always reminded him to remember himself as in the eyes of all those he wanted to protect:

"Not just as a 'symbol'… just like what my master did for me… I too, until I'm done bringing him up… and through all our examples, finish bringing all of those great young Heroes up… to become the kind of symbols of hope that can gladly stand together against evil like you… until that moment when they are all truly the greatest Heroes…"

To see that brilliant light he so desperately fought to preserve blazing so powerfully within his hand, even after everything he had put the stubborn Symbol of Peace through physically, mentally and emotionally; All For One felt his years of hatred, even if only for a moment, fade. All he could feel now, staring into those unequivocally driven eyes and that brilliant light… was a sense of calm realization.

"To go to such unsightly lengths to fight against it… I miscalculated."

'This is for more than just myself, All For One! It's not even just for my master! This is for all those countless souls that have suffered by your hand, by your cruelty! For the people the world over that look to us Heroes as symbols of peace and hope, and for Midoriya-shonen and all those brave and driven children that will take up the mantle of the truly greatest Heroes!'

And with that power finally erupting into a blazing single swing of his arm, All Might bellowed to the earth and heavens above with all the conviction, emotion, strength and faith a single human being could possibly convey at once:

"…I WILL NOT DIE!"

SMAAAAASH!

And with another deafening shockwave of pure strength beyond human comprehension, All Might at last drove his blinding fist, unperturbed, straight into the side of All For One's face, shattering his respirator from the rest of his face; a perfect connecting hit at long last!

"Any attempt to engage him head-on will be useless! You have no choice but to attack him when his guard is down!"

Gran Torino's words of advice rang true within All Might's head, hence why he had withdrawn the final ember of One For All within his fist at the very moment before impact. It was still a devastating hit to be able to destroy All For One's respirator and leave his body and head swinging from the impact, but it still wasn't the hit meant to end his reign of terror once and for all.

No, that was what the ember now erupting within his already busted right fist was for.

"Shallow." All For One stated this in surprise as his body twisted under the weight of the punch to his face he had just taken.

Still watching all of the unfolding moments of this climactic end to one of the fiercest battles he had ever taken part in, Tunguska could finally see clearly, even from this distance, the entirety of All For One's face: with the exception of his mouth and lower jaw, the entirety of the rest of his head was a grotesque display of built up scar tissue that had completely removed his nose, ears and eyes. Had it not been for the scars themselves, it almost would have looked as though the man were simply born without any of those features.

Remembering All Might's words from months ago, simply stating he had thought to have destroyed his old foe during the battle that had started the loss of his Quirk, Tunguska couldn't even think of simply thinking this to himself; he simply had to say it: "My God, All Might… just what on earth did you do to that monster?"

At the same time as this, though, at the sound of such a simple utterance from his old foe as to the weak extent of his recent punch, All Might was already reeling his charging right arm back, preparing for what he knew was the penultimate punctuation point on this battle… and more.

"That's because… I DIDN'T PUT MY BACK INTO IT!" With that declaration, with the very heart of a newborn star blazing through every fiber of his fist, the Symbol of Peace finally threw his fist with every last ounce of strength he could possibly muster and more; driving every ounce of that weight within every knuckle straight into the face of the Symbol of Evil that had tormented him and all those that had come before for so long.

'THIS IS FAREWELL… ALL FOR ONE!'

And as he prepared to send this final vestige, this final accumulation of that final dying ember, through this final punch, he could see that light he had fought so hard and long to protect from dying out, finally extinguish within the shadows of his spirit. He knew, far too well, just what he was now about to do, and what it would mean not just for him, but for Izuku, for all those children he was growing alongside, and all those people across the world that looked to him as the Symbol of Peace, for the years to still come. It was finally time, but where he had once felt fear… he now felt his own all-encompassing sense of peace… of acceptance… and of hope.

'THIS IS FAREWELL… ONE FOR ALL.'

"UNITED STATES OF SMASH!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion of raw kinetic power that erupted through the ground and up into the heavens was something that people watching all across the nation would struggle to put into words for months. It wasn't even as though an atom bomb had just exploded. It was as though the very fist of God had come descending from the heavens and drove straight down into the earth. The winds nearly blew the helicopters overhead from out of the sky, and nearly sent every one of the observing Heroes nearby flying.

Even when the wind currents blew through the surrounding city streets with incredible power, nobody in the square could say a word in the wake of what they had just witnessed. In their eyes, after witnessing the menace of All For One, they might as well have just seen a true blue miracle with their own eyes. The five deathly silent Yuuei students felt themselves awash in a cold sweat of silent disbelief and lingering hope as the smoke on the TV screens slowly but surely began to part.

What they all saw, with not a trace of doubt in any one of their hearts, was the silent but all-powerful image of All Might, still standing on his own two feet, over a colossal crater he had just created with that final punch, with the now motionless and battered form of All For One lying broken and defeated beneath him.

Within the chilling silence that such a display of power had left in its wake, and beneath the distant thrumming of the helicopters above, with all their searchlights shining down upon him, illuminating him like a veritable god among men, All Might slowly but assuredly lifted a single clenched fist to the sky; a declaration of victory that never needed a word to be said, in order to be understood. This one silent gesture spoke a thousand assuring words to the entire nation, as the streets and homes across Japan practically exploded with tearful cries of joy and relief that, even when facing such an incredible and nightmarish threat as what they had all just seen, their beloved Symbol of Peace, their All Might, still stood victorious.

In the square, Izuku, Bakugo, Eijirou, Tenya, Mina and Nikolay were all likewise screaming with the same cacophonous heartfelt joy that the countless people around them did, as the numerous newscaster voices began echoing all at once their commentary and words of relief at what had just happened, and as they saw their teacher and Hero stand victorious once more.

As Tunguska gazed upon the Hero that stood before him, one of the few men remaining he could call his friend and ally, the man that had effectively saved the life of him and his son; he could actually see Toshinori take on the imposing muscular form of All Might once more under the lights shining down from above. Even for as inspiring a sight as it was, he couldn't shake the feeling deep within his gut of what that final apocalyptic punch ultimately meant for the Symbol of Peace standing there right now.

He couldn't take his eyes off of him, even as he could finally feel his body getting lifted back up from the ground by Kamui Wood's branch arms. The pain from his exacerbated injuries didn't even register. He could only keep staring in admiration and respect at the valiance of this single man that had been carrying this burden, this title of the world's Number One Hero.

"All Might, you should be saving your strength—"

"Let him be. He's doing his job right now." Tunguska could suddenly hear Edgeshot and Gran Torino speaking up nearby, and even if he didn't dare take his eyes off of All Might, he couldn't help but listen in, knowing by the sudden softness with which the elderly Hero spoke, that there was just as much weight behind this image, this moment, as his gut had been telling him there was.

Remembering everything All Might had told him before of why he didn't want the public to know of his condition, and seeing him like this now in the wake of everything they had just witnessed, it all finally clicked for Tunguska: this was his ally and friend giving the nation, the people of the world, one final reassuring look at him in the form they all needed him to be for them; the last picture of their Symbol of Peace for them to hold onto until the time would come that the next Symbol of Peace would finally step out into the light; their shared student and All Might's chosen disciple.

This was him giving the last wisp of his power in order to give hope to the world once more.

To know that this was the last time he and everyone else would ever see All Might in this inspiring and enduring form ever again, couldn't help but bring the beginnings of a saddened tear to the old Russian Hero's eyes, though he dared not let them flow, lest anyone watching through the televisions were to see it. They needed to be inspired more than anything else right now.

However, after having fought alongside him and seeing just how strongly he continued to pull himself through it all, the image and idea of All Might as he now stood, filled Tunguska with a whole new fire of inspiration in the pit of his chest. Looking upon his friend standing triumphant, the Sun of Justice made a silent yet foundation-shaking vow to himself:

'The pain you've endured, the sacrifice you've made, I won't let any of it be in vain, All Might! It doesn't matter the kind of injuries I have now! I swear to you, from one Hero to another, I'll give my all to help shoulder the very weight you've been forced to carry alone for all these years, even if I have only one arm to carry it all with! I can just feel it in the air… it won't just be me, either! Thanks to your example here tonight, Heroes across this country, perhaps even across the world, are going to be giving everything they have to carry your weight in bringing peace and hope back to the world! We won't let the Symbol of Peace fade from everyone's hearts!

'If need be, I'll gladly ease your burdens and become a Sun of Justice and Peace in your stead, and do everything in my power to help you and the others raise those children into the best Heroes this world will have ever seen! That is my promise to you, All Might!'

In just a matter of minutes, countless other Pro Heroes from across the country had ended up flocking to the scene of the battle, organizing their abilities to help evacuate the countless civilians that had been caught within the rubble as a result. The news crews had arrived almost twice as fast once the battle had been declared officially won. As Tunguska was being loaded onto a stretcher, along with Mt. Lady, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist, Tiger and Ragdoll; he couldn't help but just look once more upon the extent of the damage that had been wrought. There was no way a good number of people hadn't gotten killed in the crossfire, not with devastation like this.

He didn't want to admit it to himself, but the sight of such mass destruction was already stirring up awful images of those earliest days following the Siberian Flash. It was with those memories pounding within his head that his body was instinctively moving on its own, to get free from his stretcher and go out and help those Heroes in their efforts, help save whichever people he could, no matter his condition. No matter how strong a punch he could throw, a Hero who couldn't still save people was hardly a Hero at all.

"Haven't you made your injuries bad enough as it is?! For cripe's sakes, just sit yourself down, you big ox! I swear you and All Might seem to share some of the worst qualities!" The fiery scolding of Gran Torino from nearby made Tunguska instinctively flinch, as he realized the elderly Hero had just joined the paramedic's area from out of nowhere, having the extensive bruising on the left side of his face attended to, but still staring the Russian Hero square in the eye.

"Look, make no mistake, Tunguska; we all appreciate you helping All Might as much as you did… and what it cost for you to do so. Hell, I appreciate it. For as reckless and hardheaded as he always was, he was still my student. How could I not still be even a little protective of him? You helped prevent him from potentially getting hurt even worse… oh, who am I kidding, the next step from how he is now would've been death, and just like Endeavor, Edgeshot and Kamui Woods, you had just as much a part in making sure that didn't happen, and I'm grateful to you for that.

"But for crying out loud, you both need to learn how to just slow down when the dust settles and take a breath! You both still have all those kids to come home to, don't you? Maybe think about them, and just give yourselves a break." As Gran Torino reached the end of his scolding rant, Tunguska found himself lying back into his stretcher, not even minding the all-around pain that still resonated all over his body as he did so.

The old Hero was absolutely right. In the heat of the battle, he'd never even given it a second thought, but now that it was over, he not only had the medical procedures to look forward to, but also the inevitable devastation he was going to have to bring to the students… and especially Nikolay, when he showed his face again. The boy had taken him losing two fingers hard enough as it was; there was no telling how he was going to react once he saw that his father had lost half his left arm now.

It was going to be a very painful experience, but he knew they all needed to get through it sooner rather than later so they could all continue to move forward, and he could finally start truly honoring his self-made promise to All Might to help those kids become the best Heroes they could possibly be.

Speaking of whom, as he finally started to get wheeled towards the nearest ambulance, Tunguska spotted the image of Toshinori and Endeavor standing side by side, silently observing the now completely bound-up All For One being loaded into a colossal iron tank that more resembled an iron maiden. A very fitting cell for such a monstrosity of a Villain, if he'd ever seen one.

There were numerous reporters all over the scene, practically shouting into their microphones over the din of the helicopters and the Heroes and emergency workers shouting orders to each other. Tunguska could only hope none of them decided to actually approach him to try and figure out who he was, at least not yet. He was frankly too exhausted to be bothered with it.

All of a sudden, Toshinori pointed a single finger towards one of the news cameras, rendering all the present reporters, and even the other Heroes and emergency workers silent.

Without even looking to the camera, but with all the conviction in the world, Toshinori raised his head and spoke loud and clear:

---

In the square, now that it had been confirmed that the battle was well and truly over, the deafening cheers of the crowd had gradually quieted down, as emergency workers and police had started filing onto the scene, directing the countless people to numerous aid stations that had been set up all across Yokohama City for those that had now been displaced from their homes because of the destruction in Kamino Ward.

To none of the still-shaken students' surprise, all the train lines in the area had been closed down for the night, so they now found themselves looking at being stuck here longer than originally planned. Of course, none of that really meant anything, since they were all still thoroughly moved and relieved at the knowledge that All Might and the Heroes had ultimately still won.

"Oh my God, I was so, so damn scared, you guys! I honestly didn't know if All Might was gonna win or not! But wow, the way he, Tunguska-sensei and all those awesome Heroes just came in and beat the tar out of that Villain, that was just amazing!" Like the flipping of a switch, that sadness and fear that had dominated over Mina's demeanor since their escape had practically vanished, and even as her body was still trembling with pure emotional overflow, she was once again exuding pure excitement and admiration with every word and step she took.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Nikolay's green eyes were likewise shimmering with admiration and hope in bounds, but his body language was downright lethargic, and his heart still heavy. "When Dad was taking on that Villain by himself, I felt like I was right there in his shoes, I was so scared! And when he actually took off his arm… I… oh god, should we try going to the hospital, make sure he and the Heroes are going to be okay? I mean, even if All Might won, they all still took a hell of a beating to make it happen!"

Nikolay was barely keeping his composure as his eyes were welling up with tears once more. As much as Tenya wanted to say yes so they could put their minds at ease, he could only shake his head. "With the extent of the damage and the number of civilians that had gotten caught in the midst of the battle, the hospitals around the area are going to be swamped with patients. There's no way they would let any random people in at this moment. Even if that weren't the case, with these crowds being flocked by the authorities, our mobility is very limited. I had been hoping for us to reunite with Yaoyorozu-san and Todoroki-san as well."

However, between them, Eijirou was the one who was still somehow managing to maintain the same positive aura, taking the Heroes' victory completely at face value; even if Nikolay, Tenya and Mina could all see the deeply troubled look in his red eyes that had persisted since he saw Tunguska lose his arm. "Well, if there's nothing else that we can do, we should still try reaching out to the authorities and let the Heroes know that Bakugo is safe and sound now, right?"

Bakugo was already visibly gearing up to start shouting at Eijirou for talking about him like some kind of helpless child when—

"YOU'RE…"

The sudden crystal clear and powerful voice of All Might suddenly echoed through the night sky, rendering the entire square silent with wonder, as all eyes shifted back to the TV screens they had all been so thoroughly glued to.

Before all their eyes, the languid true form of All Might stood tall and resolute on camera, looking away, but with a single arm extended, and one finger pointing directly dead center into the camera. For but a moment, all was quiet, as everyone found themselves instinctively holding in a bated breath for what their Symbol of Peace could possibly be preparing to say.

"…NEXT."

As that final word echoed for miles around all across the nation, the crowds erupted into even further exuberant cheers of admiration and praise for all Might, with countless voices expressing hope in his continued presence as their Symbol of Peace, and even more exclaiming this simple message to be his warning to all remaining Villains across Japan.

However, that kind of blind festive mood was not what the five Yuuei students felt as those two declaring words repeatedly played in all their hearts.

No, for each one of them, what they felt was a sudden weight of responsibility bind itself to them, heart and soul. This wasn't a warning to Villains. This, for Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Nikolay Bezpalov, Tenya Iida, Eijirou Kirishima and Mina Ashido, was a verbally figurative, but spiritually literal, passing of the torch from the previous generation to the next.

Their Symbol of Peace was officially declaring unto his students, and all aspiring young Heroes across the land listening in at that moment, that it was now time for them to take that first official step they had all longed to take: that first step towards officially becoming the truly great Heroes they had all dreamt of becoming for their entire lives, all other personal circumstances be damned.

The sense of inspiration this knowledge filled their hearts with was incredible… but so, too, was the sudden wave of sadness that filled their spirits as well, knowing deep down that they were somehow witnessing the end of something incredible that had always been there before.

Silent tears of this natural acknowledgment began to run down the faces of the five brave teens as they stood among that cheering crowd… but none of them reflected such a devastating heartbreak of realization as Izuku did.

He knew deep down just what those words truly meant. It wasn't for Villains; it wasn't even for all of his classmates. In the end, those words were ultimately meant for him. 'You're next.' These words meant something far more final and devastating than anyone else could've known for him. What All Might was truly saying was that his time was finally at an end. The time of the Symbol of Peace as he had always known him… was over.

And now, it was Izuku's time to finally live up to that very same responsibility that had earned him One For All to begin with. It all felt far too soon, but nowhere near as much as it felt far too soon to have to say goodbye to the All Might he had idolized for so, so very long. It felt like a once irreplaceable part of his life was being torn away and leaving a terrible void in the pit of his heart.

That was why he was ultimately the first among his friends to start breaking into inconsolable sobs among that sea of joyous cheers. And his was ultimately the spark that triggered a very similar chain reaction in most of his friends, as one after another, they too began to finally let their tears out for each other to see and hear, as the countless emotions they had been thrown into over the course of this one night finally came out all at once:

The sadness of feeling as though they had to say goodbye to All Might as they had always known him.

The terror of witnessing the sheer power of All For One.

The devastation they felt when seeing All Might get waylaid, and Tunguska lose his arm.

The incomparable sense of hope they felt to see All Might stand once more.

The relief and hope at seeing him stand victorious one final time.

And the happiness that, in the end, for as little as they were able to do, they were still able to get Bakugo back safe and sound, the one thing they had all resolved to do from the very beginning.

With both sadness and relief joining hand in hand in each of their hearts and spirits, the Yuuei students couldn't even think of stopping this outpouring of their long withheld emotions within this sea of all-around happiness.

Among them, even Bakugo was trying with everything he had to try and stifle the tears beginning to brim in his own eyes at the very same knowledge that his classmates were now reeling from.

From this night onward, everything for them was going to change, and they all knew it, for better and for worse.

---

Saturday, July 13th

The events that followed for All For One went by exceptionally quickly from the moment he had finally regained consciousness, already long since in confinement by the authorities. Due to the severe extent of his evil actions and the widespread destruction he had caused, it was declared all but instantly that he was too dangerous to be kept out of imprisonment to await a proper trial.

As such, with the Japanese court system exercising the greatest haste in its history, he was ultimately sent to the inescapable confines of the single highest security Villain prison in the entire country, if not the entire world; a place where the worst Villains in Japan's borders were all ultimately sent.

In the hours since his battle against All Might and those other Heroes, All For One had still been drifting in and out of consciousness. When he had finally been able to actually maintain a state of consciousness for a prolonged period of time for the first time since, he had found himself completely bound up in a straitjacket, which itself was bound in numerous industrial-strength and reinforced straps within a wheelchair. He could tell he was being pushed along by someone, undoubtedly hospital or prison staff, depending where he had ended up by now.

He could also tell that there were a number of different tubes hooked up to his throat and numerous other parts of his body as well; on top of another, less heavy-duty respirator clasped to his bandage-covered face. However, he had been put in such a severe physical position before, immediately following his ill-fated previous battle with the Symbol of Peace all those years ago, in fact; so he already knew what it felt like, to know that he was once more on life support. It was simply through it being an all-too familiar experience that he didn't immediately react with panic at the thought.

As a matter of fact, he didn't display any outward reaction to where he was or what was going on at all. For a Villain that had proven to be as all-powerful and terrifying as All For One was, he was unsettlingly calm.

"What is this place…?" The sound of All For One suddenly speaking for the first time since his arrival should have surprised the single prison guard that was being forced to push him along. But instead, all it did was infuriate the man, who had already been fuming at having to provide even this much of a service to such a detestable figurehead of evil.

"SHUT UP! YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING, CAN'T YOU?! THIS IS A PLACE FOR CRIMINALS FOR WHOM THE DEATH PENALTY IS NOT ENOUGH!"

In the wake of such explosive shouting being the very first answer he received, the fact that All For One was still so outwardly and audibly calm should have seemed downright humorous in its contrast. "Ah… a prison… I didn't know. There are… too many sensors in here."

This out of nowhere comment on his part managed to catch the guard by surprise, although it still did nothing to lessen the hateful sneer on his face. "What are you saying… you bastard? YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY SEE ANYTHING?!"

"Besides the rustling of clothes and tiny vibrations in the air, I've spent the last six years using an Infrared Ray Quirk to faintly sense my surroundings. Using sounds and vibrations to sense movements… this way of sensing has kept me sane and assisted my spatial perception. But with the sensors all over the place here, I can't make sense of what's going on around me… sorry."

The way the Villain in this wheelchair described all this sounded as though he were having a pleasant Sunday morning conversation with a friend, and the fact that he even made the otherwise insignificant choice to apologize for his own confusion… all of it honestly unsettled the guard pushing him along that much more. 'No way… he actually fought against All Might and all those other Heroes…in a condition like that?!'

The thought that this completely lax and calm Villain was able to fight and display such horrific levels of power in such a sense-crippled state made the guard completely shudder from head to toe at the potential strength he could've had if he still had all of his senses to begin with. It might as well have been the stuff of nightmares.

For the next couple of minutes, he continued to wheel All For One forward, and the new inmate said nothing. The guard could only hope it would stay that way until he'd finally have him strapped away in the cell within which he would spend the rest of his god-forsaken life, away from the public.

As they rounded another corner to an extended hallway of cell doors, a single other guard soon stepped out of the one open door as they continued to approach; a much less aggressive expression on his face, and a single empty food tray in his hand.

"That inmate still hasn't said anything, has he?" As the guard pushing All For One asked out of sheer habit at the sight of his co-worker, the other guard let out a simple dry chuckle.

"He hasn't said a word since he was initially arrested and the reporters got his name cause of it. He can't keep up the silence forever, surely. At least he doesn't get all violent when we step in there, though. All he does is just eat, read, and sometimes write to us when he wants a new book brought to him. Real pain in the ass to try and find books in Russian brail, though, I'll say that much."

After that slightest of conversations, the guard and All For One continued on their way in blessed silence, and within minutes, the Villain had finally found himself sitting idly in his wheelchair within the sterilized steel chamber that was to be his cell from now on. With the electronic slamming and locking of the triple-reinforced titanium double doors, he knew he was at last all alone now.

'From here… two floors above… a right turn…and two left turns… third-to-last door on my right, heading out. Good to know.'

Even with this reassuring knowledge now securely locked away in his head, All For One remained silent within this overbearing solitude, knowing that, even through the disruption of all the sensors built into so many parts of this prison, he could tell there was at least one camera set up in here to watch and no doubt record every move and sound he could possibly make.

That didn't matter none to him, though. Right now, given the circumstances, he was more than okay with simply keeping to his own mental dialogue. 'I lost, All Might. It was a truly unsightly struggle. But, you made a mistake. I had hoped the battle would provide a chance to get close to my pupil. You misread our time to say farewell… and you lost your time to die.'

The very thought that was now playing out before him brought a deeply anticipatory smile to All For One's face under his respirator. He could already feel his excitement for the future beginning to build up once more. 'To be a teacher means to make your pupil be able to stand on his own. With the teacher he's relied on, vanishing to a place he cannot reach, this will fan the flames of hatred within him. He will step forward to take the lead. He has allies around him. And he is learning how to make more of them.

'All the while, you and the rest of those idiotic Heroes have already essentially crippled your precious students, leaving them to constantly look to you and your examples to guide them. When the time eventually comes, they'll all crumble without you and your kind.'

However, now that the subject of the other Heroes teaching alongside All Might had come up, All For One found himself instinctively moving his newly regenerated left hand within the sleeve of his straitjacket, clenching it into a fist and open again. Another hour at most, and it would be as though he'd never lost it in the first place.

All that aside, though, he couldn't forget just who it was that had forced him to use Super Regeneration like that in the first place. 'It seems I've been growing unacceptably lax in my age… or perhaps complacent is more appropriate. I miscalculated the depths you were going to go to protect your final ember, All Might… and I miscalculated exactly how clever and resilient Tunguska could be, as well.

'Of all the Heroes there are, to think he would now be one of the select few to have actually landed an exceptional hit on me like that… it seems my curiosity about you seeking him out wasn't unfounded after all. And if he was able to push himself to such an extent of his power and strength like that… then I wonder how much further that brat of his could push his power as well, given enough time and guidance. Their dynamic is all but identical to that of you and that Midoriya Izuku. And those kids together almost resembled you in the old days.'

Indeed, All For One had actually gotten to see with his own eyes just how powerful All Might and Tunguska's respective inheritors were when brought together, back during the incident on I-Island.

The truth was that, when he had bestowed one of his Muscle Augmentation Quirks unto Wolfram in preparation for that attack, he had also activated another of his more covert Quirks onto his unsuspecting lackey as well: Remote Observation. This had allowed him to observe everything that went on through his eyes, like an omniscient presence. Thusly, he had gotten to see the insane combined potential of the two boys' Quirks put together, even if one of them hadn't even inherited the power of All Might like Izuku had. They had essentially proven themselves both to be considerable entities in his grand plan to be wary of ever since they had stood out at USJ and against their respective Villain attackers afterward. But I-Island had now officially proven those suspicions to be very fruitful. 'It really is a good thing I had the doctor implant his new little toy in my neck when I did. It's going to make the more out-of-the-way part of my backup plan go so much smoother in the long run.

'Just who exactly is Tunguska to you, All Might, that you would have sought him out after he disappeared for all those years, and for the sake of actually helping you train Midoriya to take your place? Sure, he's proven to be no slouch, even in his age, and his kid has been proving to grow at a similar rate to Midoriya… but that can't possibly be all there is to it; there were still so many other active Heroes you could've gone to for the exact same reason.

'Well, I'll still need a fair bit of time to recollect the strength I need to exercise as many of my more subtle Quirks as is necessary, in order to get these particular plans in motion, but I look forward to the results all the same. It'll finally scratch this little itch of curiosity you've been leaving me with ever since you dragged him back into the light.

'It's not like this little resting period will only be beneficial for me, either. Tomura and his allies need the time to lick their wounds… and for him to build up his hatred to the zenith it needs, to be able to tear you and your precious Hero society down. When that time comes, he'll destroy everything you represent and protect, and you'll find yours and Midoriya's closest allies torn away from you underfoot before you all finally die.'

With this resolve further solidified in his heart and mind, All For One's smile couldn't have reflected more of a sick, childlike excitement if he had tried. Yes, this ultimate plan of his was always going to require a great deal of time and preparation on the parts of all those involved…but the end result would always be more than worth the wait and the effort…and when the time was right, even his precious disciple, Tomura Shigaraki, would finally understand fully, the vision his sensei had for the world he was leaving him to inherit.

'Everything will be okay, Shigaraki Tomura. Experience, hatred, regret. Let it all make you stronger. After all… YOU ARE… NEXT.'

Even if he had to remain confined within this miserable little cell, there wasn't a trace of anger or regret in All For One… for just as All Might did, he knew as well that starting today, the never-ending battle between good and evil had finally been passed down in full to the next generation:

Tomura Shigaraki and his League of Villains, against Izuku Midoriya and his precious class of starry-eyed and aspiring Heroes.

And there you have it, everyone, your new chapter of the week, and the last chapter released before my birthday. If you liked what you read here today, please be so kind as to review. This time, more than any other before, it would be immensely appreciated.

Have a nice rest of your week, stay safe, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 11/13!