Hearing this, Shigaraki looked thoughtfully at Kūgai.
He hadn't expected the man to grasp the problem so sharply.
In truth, Shigaraki understood these principles as well. He simply hadn't immediately considered approaching things from that angle.
After all, he had expected Kūgai to come up with some clever strategy he himself hadn't thought of before.
But in the end, it was still the same approach he had already been using—
targeting All Might's identity as a hero and the Symbol of Peace.
How disappointing.
Still, he had to admit it.
Kūgai's method really was an effective way to deal with All Might.
Thinking this, Shigaraki turned his gaze toward the screens displayed around the room, especially the central monitor showing the alternate dimension imprisoning All Might.
"Tch. He's started attacking again."
"At this speed and power, your alternate dimension won't withstand that kind of abuse much longer."
"It'll collapse soon."
"And if he gets out, it'll interfere with my plan."
"So…"
"What are you going to do?"
This was both a question and a test.
Shigaraki wanted to see what else Kūgai was capable of.
After Shigaraki had explained the operation to All For One, his teacher had specifically recommended Kūgai as an outstanding Quirk user.
So aside from his excellent alternate-dimension ability, what exactly made him special?
How had he managed to stand out among so many experimental subjects?
After all, when Shigaraki visited his teacher's laboratory, he had seen plenty of people with space-type Quirks.
Some of those abilities had even made him jealous.
Yet despite all that, All For One had still specifically chosen Kūgai.
That alone was worth thinking about.
His teacher's standards were anything but ordinary.
If Kūgai lacked real ability, All For One would never have recommended him.
Which meant Shigaraki genuinely wanted to know—
what exactly had allowed this man to become the only one among those test subjects to gain freedom?
Of course, even if Kūgai truly had no solution, Shigaraki still wouldn't simply allow All Might to escape the cage and ruin everything.
He already had a backup plan prepared.
In fact, one of the reasons he had brought Kurogiri here, aside from using his Warp Gate for convenient transportation, was specifically to deal with the possibility of All Might escaping the alternate dimension.
As Shigaraki spoke, the screen displaying All Might's dimension shook violently once more.
Clearly, All Might had resumed attacking the space.
Once he confirmed that the place he was trapped in was an alternate dimension rather than the real world, he had immediately started attacking without restraint.
After all, the collapse of a Quirk-created alternate dimension wouldn't affect reality.
Hearing Shigaraki's words, Kūgai instantly understood that this was a test.
He knew just how much Shigaraki valued this plan.
Even that lord had personally paid attention to it.
If the operation failed because of his incompetence, his fate would be obvious.
At best, Shigaraki would kill him in anger.
At worst…
he would be sent back to that place and forced to continue his "deep development."
Thinking of that nightmare-like laboratory, Kūgai shivered involuntarily.
Then he respectfully bowed his head toward Shigaraki.
"Please rest assured, Shigaraki-sama. I've already prepared a backup plan."
Hearing this, a strange glint flashed through Shigaraki's eyes.
So this man really did have a solution.
What a pleasant surprise.
It seemed All For One truly hadn't recommended him for nothing.
Now Shigaraki genuinely wanted to know whether Kūgai's plan was better or worse than the backup strategy he had prepared himself.
Thinking that, Shigaraki rubbed his chin.
"Oh?"
"Tell me."
"As you know, Shigaraki-sama…"
"…he is a hero."
"And as long as he is a hero, he cannot ignore people in danger."
"He has to save them."
"That is his weakness."
"Especially when the person in question is the Symbol of Peace."
"So all we need to do…"
"…is use that weakness to keep him occupied."
"We force him to run himself ragged, leaving him with no time to break the alternate dimension or interfere with our operation."
"For example…"
"We can throw all the ordinary civilians currently trapped in my other alternate dimensions into his space."
"Or…"
"I can go elsewhere and capture even more people."
As he spoke, a vicious glint flashed through Kūgai's eyes.
He had finally escaped that terrifying laboratory.
He absolutely did not want to be dragged back there because of incompetence.
"Then…"
"…we drop them all into his alternate dimension from several thousand meters in the air."
"I'd like to see whether the Symbol of Peace catches them or not."
"Shigaraki-sama…"
"What do you think of this method?"
Before Shigaraki could answer, both Muscular and the Mud Monster shivered involuntarily.
For the first time, they felt wary of someone who was supposedly on their side.
This guy was too vicious.
Too poisonous.
The ordinary civilians inside the mall were not merely a few dozen people.
There were hundreds.
And this man had just casually placed hundreds of lives onto the chopping block.
If those people were dropped from several thousand meters in the air with no one to save them, they would unquestionably die.
Kūgai was clearly trying to work All Might to death.
And with All Might's personality, he would absolutely try to save every single one of them.
He could never stand by and watch innocent people fall to their deaths.
Especially since, at the root of it all, those civilians had been dragged into danger because the enemy wanted to target him.
But All Might was ultimately still human.
He was not a god.
There were limits to what he could save.
Not to mention—
he still had a transformation time limit.
Once his time ran out, he would have no choice but to helplessly watch the citizens he wanted to protect, the people who admired and trusted him, plunge to their deaths before his eyes.
Forcing All Might to watch innocent civilians fall into danger while being unable to save them because his power had run dry…
Such malice.
Such cruelty.
Even Muscular and the Mud Monster, two genuine villains, felt completely outmatched.
Now the question was—
would their boss approve of such a sinister and vicious plan?
Thinking this, both of them looked toward Shigaraki.
Noticing their gazes, as well as Kūgai's expectant expression as he waited for judgment, Shigaraki's eyes flickered slightly.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
"Not bad."
"Then next…"
"…carry it out according to your idea."
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