"Did he come out early?!"
The moment Shina Etsuha saw All For One, his pupils shrank sharply.
This man was no ordinary opponent. Someone capable of effortlessly defeating a top-ranked hero like Best Jeanist was far beyond anything they could handle lightly. And now—appearing when everyone was already exhausted—his arrival carried devastating consequences.
All For One's presence alone was overwhelming.
The instant he stepped onto the battlefield, a suffocating darkness seemed to spread around him. It wasn't something visible—it was pure malice, so dense it could be felt. Even Shoto Todoroki felt his legs weaken under that pressure.
"What… is this…?"
All For One had no visible face—just a bald head covered in grotesque, tumor-like growths. No eyes, no expression.
And yet—
Everyone present felt as if they were being watched.
Constantly.
Relentlessly.
Etsuha's heart tightened further when he realized something even worse—
All For One's attention was locked onto him.
Almost instantly, Etsuha activated his Sharingan.
"First time meeting you, Shina Etsuha."
Floating in midair, All For One gave a courteous bow, his tone calm and refined.
"I hadn't intended to appear this early. However, due to your interference, the original Nomu—the most powerful one—can no longer fight. The remaining ones are insufficient to deal with All Might."
He paused slightly.
"So I decided to step in… and end this rather boring game myself."
"All For One!!"
All Might burst out from the ruins, his muscles swelling to their peak. His knees bent—and in the next instant, he launched forward like an arrow released from a bow.
BOOM!
The shattered debris behind him exploded outward as he closed the distance in an instant, delivering a full-power punch straight at All For One.
"You really never learn, do you? Still as reckless as ever."
All For One casually raised a hand.
The air compressed—forming an invisible wall.
All Might's charge was stopped cold.
Then—
The compressed air condensed further, forming an invisible projectile that blasted forward!
BANG!
The shockwave struck All Might's shoulder directly.
A burst of blood erupted midair.
Even All Might's powerful body couldn't withstand it—he was sent flying back with ease.
Yet All For One didn't pursue.
Instead—
His focus remained on Etsuha.
"You're the real problem here."
With that, he stepped through the air itself, closing the distance instantly.
"…Are you serious? I'm more troublesome than All Might?!" Etsuha muttered, his scalp tingling.
"Get back!" he shouted to the others behind him.
"Worry about yourself first!"
All For One's attack was already upon him.
His arm, enhanced by countless quirks, had twisted into a grotesquely exaggerated form as he swung a devastating punch.
"Honestly… for someone with so many quirks, your taste is awful. That form is just ugly."
Etsuha smirked mockingly—
—and was torn apart.
"Etsuha!!"
Everyone behind him cried out in shock.
But All For One's voice carried a hint of doubt.
"…This texture… wood?"
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst outward.
The shredded body transformed into a log.
A substitution.
All For One paused for a moment, a rare flicker of confusion crossing his thoughts.
Just how many abilities did this boy have?
Even after years of collecting quirks, none of his combinations were as versatile as Etsuha's.
"…Could it be… his power isn't like mine? Not theft… but creation?"
The thought ignited something in him.
Desire.
"I must have it… Shina Etsuha's quirk."
"Amaterasu!!"
At that instant—
Black flames descended from above.
They struck All For One directly.
In a heartbeat, the equipment attached to his body melted away.
"What is this?!"
For the first time, his voice carried alarm.
The heat was unimaginable.
His skin vaporized instantly under the flames, the pain so intense it bordered on madness. No matter how he struggled—
The fire wouldn't go out.
"AAARGH!!"
The flames burned relentlessly.
Desperate, All For One leapt into the nearby water—
—but even submerged, the black fire continued to burn.
"Shina Etsuha!!!"
He burst back out, his infrared senses scanning wildly.
He knew.
This attack had to be Etsuha's doing.
If he could find him—maybe, just maybe—the flames would cease.
"Hah… this is a fire that never goes out. Unless you can shed your skin like a lizard, you might as well accept your fate."
Hidden in the shadows, Etsuha watched calmly.
Amaterasu was once described as the "strongest physical attack," yet in practice, it had often seemed underwhelming. Many opponents had found ways to evade or counter it.
But that was in a world filled with countless specialized techniques.
Here—
In a world ruled by quirks—
Once it landed, there was almost no escape.
If All For One had no countermeasure, he would burn to death.
But then—
A chill ran down Etsuha's spine.
His eyes widened.
All For One had found him.
"Kurogiri—stop him!!"
With a furious roar, All For One charged straight toward Etsuha.
At this point, only killing him could quell his rage.
"Damn it… even now, his instincts are that sharp?!"
Etsuha turned and ran.
But at that very moment—
A familiar vortex appeared directly in front of him.
Kurogiri's portal.
..
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