Clang!
A streak of crimson light flashed through the air—and a body was split cleanly in two.
It was Twice.
In a desperate move, All For One had used him as a shield.
"This is… the one with the 'Double' Quirk?"
Shina Etsuha's eyes widened in shock.
Twice's ability was extremely unusual—arguably one of the most dangerous Etsuha had ever encountered.
On the surface, a single Twice didn't seem particularly threatening. At most, he could duplicate himself once. But the true horror of his Quirk lay elsewhere. As long as he had detailed information about a person, he could create a perfect duplicate—one that possessed the same Quirk, the same abilities, and even an independent consciousness.
If All For One ever fully grasped and exploited this ability, the consequences would be catastrophic—a chain reaction of limitless replication.
Fortunately… it seemed he hadn't realized its full potential.
For now, he had only used Twice as a disposable shield.
The Totsuka Blade activated again, sealing Twice within it. Taking advantage of that brief opening, All For One moved.
His remaining arm swung violently, his body twisting through the air in a wide arc before slipping behind Etsuha.
"This must be your weakness," he sneered. "Without that strange shield, this skeleton of yours is nothing more than something I can crush with a single punch!"
Rip!
His arm began to transform.
Layer upon layer of enhancements activated in an instant—muscle hypertrophy, cellular proliferation, strength amplification, explosive force—
Then it split into two.
Each arm radiated terrifying power. The entire transformation occurred in a blink.
By the time Etsuha turned around—it was already too late.
"I've won!"
All For One's voice carried a surge of excitement. He had never relied on those criminals to win. They were nothing more than tools—disposable pieces to buy him a single opening.
And now, that opening would decide everything.
But what All For One didn't notice—
—was the clay bird behind him.
The white bird let out a sharp cry.
In the next instant, it slammed into his back.
Its body swelled rapidly—
And exploded.
Boom!
A burst of golden sparks filled the sky.
The explosion itself wasn't particularly powerful—nothing compared to the scale of their battle.
But at this exact moment…
…it changed everything.
All For One's movement froze for a fraction of a second.
That single moment—
—that was Etsuha's trap.
Having inherited Esdeath's terrifying combat instincts, Etsuha never overlooked details like this. The reason he had exposed his back so recklessly was simple—
The clay bird had been waiting there all along.
At the same time, Susanoo turned.
The Totsuka Blade swung in a blazing arc—
And severed All For One's arm completely.
"AAARGH!!"
A roar tore from his throat.
And in that instant, something changed.
There was no pain.
No sensation.
Instead, light appeared before him.
Though he had no eyes, he could "see."
A perfect world unfolded—a realm filled with everything he had ever desired. In that illusion, he was omnipotent. With a single thought, he defeated Etsuha. With a single will, he ruled everything.
But—
It was all false.
At the final moment, All For One's immense mental strength allowed him to tear himself free from the illusion—if only briefly.
His remaining arm reached into the void.
Silver energy surged forth once more—but this time, something different flowed within it.
"Come here!"
His voice was filled with desperation, as if making a final gamble.
"This isn't the time for stubbornness—listen to me—!"
"You can break out of it?!"
Etsuha's expression changed sharply.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone resist the sealing power of the Totsuka Blade.
To him, it looked as though All For One's body had been split in two—only to forcibly reassemble itself through sheer willpower.
But it didn't last.
The sealing power surged again.
All For One's consciousness quickly blurred, his voice becoming faint and incoherent. Even Etsuha couldn't make out his final words.
And yet—
his will remained terrifyingly strong.
It was as if he had grasped something beyond reach.
Through the silver liquid, he seized someone on the other side—and roared with the last of his strength:
"You… will inherit my will!"
In that moment, Etsuha saw it clearly.
Energy flowed out of All For One's body like a beam of light, traveling through the silver conduit and disappearing into the unknown.
Rip!
The Totsuka Blade pierced him once more.
This time—
All For One lost all resistance.
Darkness consumed him completely as he fell into the eternal illusion of the blade.
Etsuha stared intently.
Only when he confirmed that All For One had been completely sealed within the gourd did his body finally give out, collapsing to the ground.
"…Did I do it?"
He looked around.
The battlefield was unrecognizable—craters everywhere, as if it had been bombarded by missiles. Entire sections of the town had collapsed. The ground beneath him had sunk deeply, evidence of the sheer force unleashed.
It was hard to believe—
—all of this was the result of a battle between just two people.
"So this is… the peak of Quirk combat…"
Etsuha gasped for breath.
If not for destroying All For One's legs with the earlier explosion—
He would have been the one lying dead here.
But because of that single decisive move—
He had defeated the strongest villain in one strike.
And yet—
At that moment, something caught his eye.
The silver liquid.
It began to move again.
Etsuha's expression darkened instantly.
"…That's his teleportation Quirk."
..
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