The battle had not even lasted a full minute before several heroes were already injured. The nomus fought with terrifying brutality, each displaying combinations of Quirks that felt deliberately selected. It was as though they had been engineered to counter specific top heroes, designed for durability and resistance.
No clearer example existed than the two nomus facing Endeavor.
Both possessed flame-resistance Quirks. Both carried physical enhancement abilities that allowed them to withstand his Hellflame and retaliate with monstrous force. Every strike Endeavor landed was mitigated. Every counter from them shook the surroundings.
Then matters worsened.
Several nearby buildings collapsed in succession, dragging the heroes' attention toward the source. From the rising dust and scattered debris, All Might emerged.
Injured and breathing heavily. The Symbol of Peace was already exhausted.
The sound of AFO loud, arrogant laughter followed. He was still completely untouched and didn't take a single step from his initial position.
Worry began to spread among the gathered heroes.
They had come prepared for a hard battle and they had anticipated nomus. They understood the kind of monster they were facing. But they had not expected it would be at this level. These nomus were not like the ones faced months ago. They were superior in both strength and durability. And AFO had overwhelmed All Might with ease.
The original plan was to defeat the nomus as swiftly as possible and join All Might in confronting their greatest enemy, now they were not sure if they could defeat the nomus with the forces they had, they should have waited for more forces to gather from other cities.
"All Might," AFO spoke, "I have long desired this confrontation. There is no one I have wished to kill more than you. Now seeing…"
His words stopped.
A figure dropped from above, landing between him and All Might.
Junsei stood before AFO and in his grasp hung Shigaraki Tomura, arms broken and face bloodied.
AFO's smile vanished the instant he saw his student's condition.
Junsei's gaze shifted briefly to Momo. She looked in a bad state. Then he saw the abominations of life called nomus surrounding the battlefield. Anger began to boil inside him as his hatred for this human standing there deepened.
Yet his expression remained blank.
"I have your student," Junsei said evenly. "If you want him alive, release Momo."
AFO regarded him calmly. "So you delayed your arrival to search for someone you believed important to me? To use as leverage?"
Junsei did not respond.
"You truly act like a villain," AFO continued. "You even broke Tomura's arms. How cruel." His tone carried faint amusement. "But tell me, why should I accept this trade?"
"I will kill him," Junsei replied. "Then I will kill you."
AFO studied him for a moment.
"How troublesome," he said lightly. "My dear student had an assignment tonight. His presence here suggests part of my design has failed. That irritates me."
Then he smiled again.
"Very well. Release Tomura and let him walk toward me. I will release the girl. A fair exchange."
Meanwhile, Momo's eyes widened as she watched Junsei. Tears gathered despite her attempt to remain composed.
AFO loosened his grip on her and shoved her forward. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Go on," he said. "Run, before I change my mind."
Momo forced herself up and began moving.
At the same time, Junsei released Shigaraki, pushing him forward in mirrored fashion. Shigaraki fell hard, struggling to rise with broken arms. He staggered ahead.
The hostages moved at the same time and when they passed each other and Shigaraki neared AFO. "Sensei…"
At the same time, Momo's voice trembled. "Junsei…"
At that moment, AFO lifted his arm. A small red jewel manifested in his palm. He fired a concentrated golden beam directly at Momo.
Junsei moved instantly toward Momo. The attack was too fast to evade, so he seized Momo and pulled her into a protective hold, turning his back toward the incoming beam.
The moment the beam touched his back, an explosion thundered across the battlefield. Flames and smoke engulfed both of them.
AFO watched the rising smoke with a faint smile.
Seconds later, the smoke cleared, showing Junsei standing upright.
Momo remained completely unharmed in his arms.
Junsei's back, however, was severely burned, skin blackened and torn by the force of the blast.
"Junsei…" Momo whispered fearfully. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine," he answered.
As he spoke, his burned flesh began to mend.
AFO observed with interest.
"Fascinating," he said. "I was curious about the nature of your regeneration and the limits of your defense. It does not render you invincible, nor does it elevate you to the level All Might possessed in his prime. But it is impressive nonetheless. Especially for someone your age."
Junsei did not respond to AFO's words. He merely glanced over his shoulder at him before shifting his gaze to Shigaraki.
The next moment, Shigaraki screamed. His veins began to bulge violently beneath his skin as though something inside him was alive and struggling. The flesh along his arms and neck convulsed unnaturally.
AFO turned toward his student, confusion replacing his composed confident expression.
Then Shigaraki's veins ruptured. They tore outward through skin and muscle. Blood sprayed in every direction, splattering across the ground and the surrounding. AFO, standing only a step away, was drenched from head to toe.
Shigaraki collapsed.
For a single second, AFO stood motionless, staring down at his student's mangled body.
Junsei watched him. He wanted him to see it and to feel it. To experience what it was like to have someone explode in front of you, just as he had done to Sai.
Earlier, Junsei had fed Shigaraki his blood.
In nature, countless parasitic organisms implant themselves or their offspring, inside host bodies. They grow living silently inside the host. And when the time comes to emerge, the most violent of them tear their way out from within, destroying the host in the process.
Junsei had drawn upon that aspect.
He fused that principle with his blood, shaping it into something that would mimic what AFO had done to Sai.
Understanding dawned on AFO and he turned toward Junsei.
"You are imitating me," he said slowly. "You are recreating what I did to that man. Taking revenge in the same manner I killed him."
His tone had no anger, just fascination.
"Now," he continued, "I truly desire your Quirk for myself."
He stepped forward slightly.
"I originally intended to offer you a choice. Work for me, and I would return the girl's Quirk. Refuse, and she would remain Quirkless for the rest of her life."
Junsei's eyes moved to Momo.
Her voice trembled. "He… he took my Quirk."
AFO continued calmly, "However, I changed my mind the moment you appeared here with my student."
Suddenly, Momo screamed.
A glow ignited beneath her skin, light burning through her body from the inside. For an instant, Junsei believed she would explode as well.
She collapsed in his arms.
Burn-like marks spread across her face and body while her consciousness slipped away.
Junsei tightened his hold on her.
"I injected enough energy," AFO said casually, "to push her to the brink of death without causing an eruption."
His smile returned.
"I will give you a new choice. Kill every hero in this city, and I will heal her. Refuse, and at best she will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of her life."
A strained voice cut in.
"Young Mori… don't believe him!"
All Might stood several meters away, no longer in his muscular form. He had reverted completely to his skeletal state, steam faintly rising from his frail body.
"He cannot save her," All Might said. "He is manipulating you."
AFO laughed.
"How pitiful you have become, All Might. weak and powerless beyond even my expectation." His voice grew. "Unlike you, I possess the power to support my claims. Observe me, boy."
Junsei's eyes narrowed.
AFO raised a hand. His palms began to glow faintly. From them extended a golden tentacle of light that slithered across the ground toward Shigaraki's ruined body.
It touched him.
The light flared brightly, then withdrew back into AFO's palm.
Shigaraki's body twitched.
Slowly, he began to move. He looked completely fine as if nothing had harmed him.
He rose unsteadily, looking around in confusion.
"Sensei…?"
"Kurogiri," AFO ordered calmly, "take him away."
A swirl of purple mist manifested beside Shigaraki and swallowed him whole.
AFO's laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Years ago," he said, "I acquired this Quirk right before my battle with you. It is thanks to it that I remain alive and stronger than ever."
His gaze settled on Junsei.
"So tell me, boy. Will you save the girl?"
Junsei's voice came out low.
"That is Sally's Quirk. You have a connection to the men who attacked the orphanage."
AFO tilted his head slightly.
"The Nagi Noshiro Orphanage," he said. "Yes. They attacked it under my orders."
Junsei stared at AFO with a shocked face. He was responsible for attacking the orphanage and killing the caretakers. He had created the abominations. He had killed Sai. And now he intended to do the same to Momo.
Junsei attempted to sense the life coming from AFO and what he found made his stomach twist. The life taken by AFO was unbelievable, dozens of times greater than what All Might had possessed at the beginning of the year.
For the first time, Junsei felt the urge to vomit just from perceiving it.
"You went even after helpless children?" All Might's voice trembled with fury. "You truly are a demon."