MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Yokohama.
*Boom~~~~~~~~~!*
Standing at the site of the destroyed warehouse, Tatsuo and All for One both turned towards the direction where Alfonzo was confronting Gigantomachia upon hearing the sound Alfonzo's [Railgun] created. And had they been looking in that direction from the very beginning, they would have seen the flash of violet light that lit up the skyline, as well.
"Oh, looks like your big minion just got put down." Tatsuo said casually while spinning his trench knives between his fingers. "I guess Alfonzo had no intention of trading blows with that big bastard."
"I must admit, that was faster than I expected." All for One replied in the tone of a gentleman while turning back towards Tatsuo. "I would assume that means he will be on his way here after that."
"Probably." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "But why don't we see if we can finish this before he gets back?"
"Arrogant child, are you looking to lose both your [Quirk] and your life so quickly, Boy?" All for One asked.
"Nah…" Tatsuo replied before he vanished from where he stood. A moment later, he reappeared with his arms swinging at the hoses connecting All for One's helmet to his back. "But I'm curious to see who I'm talking to. So, let's get rid of these."
Yet, All for One did not move to block or evade in the slightest. Though, that was not to say that he intended to simply take Tatsuo's attack.
"[Spear-like Bones]." All for One said while standing completely still with his hands in his pockets.
*Clang!* *Clang!*
In the next instant, just before Tatsuo's blades could sever the hoses on All for One's back, several sharp drill-like bone structures shot out from his back, two of which intercepted Tatsuo's trench knives while the rest stabbed towards Tatsuo's body.
However, just before Tatsuo could be struck, he vanished, using [Blink] to avoid taking damage. An instant later, Tatsuo reappeared with his knives primed to cut through the hoses on All for One's chest. This time, however, his blades were coated in his midnight purple [Spatial Energy].
Still, as if All for One was certain that his [Spear-like Bones] would be able to handle Tatsuo's [Spatial Slash], he repeated the same defense.
*Shing!* *Shing!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Hiss!*
Unfortunately for All for One, Tatsuo's blades carved through both the bones and the hoses with no resistance. Then, before he could be skewered by the other bones spears, he [Blinked] back to his starting position.
"I see..." All for One said, his tone just as calm as ever, as he rubbed the fingers of his right hand against the severed hoses. "Instead of trying to cut them directly, you cut the space. Meaning, not even my [Bone-like Spears would be able to defend against your [Spatial Manipulation]."
"Please stop trying to make it seem as if you were just trying to see if you could stop it." Tatsuo said disdainfully. "I might have believed that if I had been attacking from behind again. But you should have been able to see that something was wrong. Are you blind, or something?"
"What would you know, Boy?" All for One asked nonchalantly. "You are but a child."
"I know enough to tell when someone is trying to flex." Tatsuo replied with a shrug.
Deciding that Tatsuo's reply did not warrant a response. All for One simply shook his head before raising his right arm and pointing his palm in Tatsuo's direction.
"[Spring-like Limbs], [Hypertrophy], [Air Cannon]." All for One said, calling out the names of a few of his stolen [Quirks].
As he spoke, several things happened in short succession. First, when All for One called out, [Spring-like Limbs], the muscles hidden under his suit's sleeve began to coil grotesquely, adding power to his arm. Next, when he called out [Hypertrophy], those same muscles ballooned, causing his right arm to grow in size. And finally, [Air Cannon] caused all those enlarged muscles to contract. When they did, they caused a powerful shockwave to shoot towards Tatsuo.
"So, you wanna play at long-range, huh?" Tatsuo asked without moving.
As he spoke, the space behind Tatsuo began to ripple. A moment later, the head of a crimson red spear poked out of the rippling space, its tip aimed at the incoming shockwave.
"Gate of Babylon Lite, Bitch." Tatsuo said.
With that, the spear, a replica of Gáe Bolg Tastuo forged with materials he could get his hands on since he came to this world, shot forward at subsonic speed.
*Boom!*
Then, when the shockwave and the spear met, the compressed air exploded, causing a small explosion that tore apart the spear.
"Tch!" Tatsuo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And that's why its Gate of Babylon Lite. The weapons don't just return to their original state if I recall the pieces back into my [Inventory]."
"Stop your babbling, Boy." All for One said calmly. "It would be better if you stop wasting both of our time. And I'll show you why. [Multiplier], [Spring-like Limbs], [Hypertrophy], [Kinetic Booster], [Air Cannon]."
All for One repeated his last attack sequence. This time, however, he raised both hands. On top of that, thanks to the [Multiplier Quirk], eight copies of each arm appeared to sprout from his shoulders. And thanks to the [Kinetic Booster Quirk], the shockwaves he fired at Tatsuo flew even faster than the first time.
"Not enough." Tatsuo replied while opening twice as many rippling portals, each with the tip of a bladed weapon sticking out of them. "You're gonna need more arms than that."
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
The collision between the weapons and the shockwaves set off a series of explosions, kicking up large clouds of dust. However, the number of weapons Tatsuo fired out numbered All for One's shockwaves two to one. And despite the fact that several of the weapons were sent flying off course due to the explosions, several still punched through the dust cloud, flying towards All for One.
"You are more powerful than I imagined." All for One said, still speaking in his casual, gentlemanly tone. "But that still isn't enough. [Hard Flame Fan]."
With that, a wall of, seemingly, solidified fire burst from the ground in front of All for One, not only stopping the incoming weapons, but melting them into molten slag, as well.
"Tch!" Tatsuo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "The materials for those weren't cheap, you know?"
"My apologies." All for One replied in a gentlemanly tone with a condescending undertone. "But it was necessary to break your little toys so that you would see that attempting to resist me is futile."
"You talk too much." Tatsuo's simple reply came from directly above All for One.
A moment prior, while All for One was talking, Tatsuo [Blinked] to a spot above All for One with both of his trench knives raised over his head.
"[Spatial Rend]." Tatsuo called out as he slashed down with his trench knives.
*Swish!*
As Tatsuo slashed down, two crescent-shaped [Spatial Energy] blades were fired along the path of Tatsuo's swings. At the same time, All for One, reacting quickly, leapt away quickly, realzingthat Tatsuo's attack was not a normal slash based on how faraway Tatsuo was when he attacked.
*Splatter!*
Then, just as All for Landed, blood splattered from both All for One's chest and back, as Tatsuo [Blinked] in front of him before jamming his arm through the taller man's chest with his hand coated in [Spatial Energy]. AT the same time, he used his other hand to rip the helmet off, leaving it dangling from the hoses on All for One's back.
"Wow... Wasn't expecting to see a face like that." Tatsuo muttered while looking up at All for One's newly revealed face, whose facial features were mostly burned away, leaving only his mouth visible while his scalp, eyes, nose, and ears were covered in burn scarred tissue. He then looked down at his arm. "And it looks like you have some kind of [Super Regeneration], too. I mean, the feeling of your muscles and bones trying to regenerate around my arm is kinda... No, really gross."
"Your pathetic attempts to anger me are laughable." All for One said while shaking his head lightly as he raised his right arm to throw a punch. "Either way, now that you can't get away, what will you do about this? [Rivet], [Sprin-like Limbs], [Hypertrophy], Kinetic Booster x 4]."
*Boom!*
As he spoke, several rivet-like growths grew from All for One's arm. Then, like before, his arm began to grow and twist grotesquely. And finally, with even more force than when he launched the [Air Cannons], he threw his fist forward, aiming at Tatsuo's chest.
Seeing that, Tatsuo briefly tried to pull his arm out of All for One's chest. Yet, just as he expected, it was futile. Due to the combination of All for One's body regenerating and the tightening of the muscles surrounding the area of his torso, Tatsuo's arm was stuck.
Even so, When All for One's arm was fully extended, Tatsuo was no longer standing there. Instead, he reappeared to All for One's right with his fingers straightened and pressed together. Then, before All for One could pull his arm back, he thrust his spear hand at All for One's armpit with another [Spatial Slash].
"Useless." All for One growled. "[Rivet Stab]."
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Before Tatsuo's blow could land, four red tendrils with prominent black crack lines grew from All for One's spine, bent towards Tatsuo and stabbed towards the young man's arms and legs, aiming to incapacitate him, forcing Tatsuo to once again [Blink] away from the danger.
"This is getting annoying." Tatsuo said with his brows furrowed. "With so many [Quirks], he's got something for every situation."
"That's correct." All for One replied while running a hand over his newly regrown flesh. "But I must commend you. You've done better than I expected. Even so, how much longer can you keep this up? There will come a time when your concentration wanes. Instead of letting that happen and taking damage that cannot be healed, wouldn't it be better to simply give up?"
"Hmph!" Tatsuo only snorted disdainfully as a response. "And let me guess what you'll say next. *Cough*"
With that fake cough, Tatsuo's posture changed. Now, instead of looking as if he was ready to continue the fight, he stood in a posture that was quite similar to All for One's.
"I'm sure you could run away, as well." Tatsuo said, his tone mimicking All for One's fake, gentlemanly persona. "But that would only lead to me finding and killing all of your friends. But if you stop struggling and let me take your [Quirk], I promise to let them live."
Amusement began to dance in Tatsuo's eyes when he saw the left corner of All for One's lips begin to twitch at his blatant mockery. At the same time, Tatsuo felt his anger begin to spike when All for One's reaction proved that what he saw was correct.
And because of his spike in anger, Tatsuo's purple irises began to expand, overtaking the whites of his eyes, while his pupils began to elongate, turning into a pair of reptilian pupils.
*Bang!*
Then, just as All for One started to open his mouth, Tatsuo once again [Blinked]. In the next instant, he reappeared in front of All for One, his right foot shooting up towards the Symbol of Fear's chin.
Tatsuo's kick was powerful enough to snap All for One's head back and shatter several of his teeth. Even so, All for One did not let out a single pained grunt. Instead, he swung his arm at Tatsuo, his [Quirks] bolstering his attack power, causing the young man to [Blink] away again.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Tatsuo then continued to [Blink] from place to place, each new appearance marked by the sound of impact as he landed blow after blow on All for One's body while avoiding all of the Villain's attacks. Even so, he did not seem to be doing much damage. Especially since all the strikes were made with pure blunt force.
"Enough!" All for One growled. "[Multiplier], Kinetic Booster x 4], [Spring-like Limbs], [Hypertrophy], [Air Cannon]."
*Boom~~~~~~~~~~!*
In the next instant, All for One grew sixteen additional arms. He then fired [Air Cannons] from eighteen of his arms, the force amplified by the combination of [Quirks] he employed. As a result, the area surrounding the destroyed warehouse was further ravaged, toppling the surrounding buildings and creating a gigantic crater.
A moment later, several more [Air Cannons] were fired. However, their purpose was not to inflict more damage. Rather, they were only used to disperse the gigantic cloud of dust, smoke, and debris. And just as All for One expected, when the smoke was cleared, there was no sign of Tatsuo's beaten and battered body.
"*Sigh* You know, Soramoto-Kun, I really wanted to do this the easy way." All for One said as he raised his head. At the end of his line of sight, standing on a platform of solidified space, Tatsuo stood looking down at him. "But you're making this much more troublesome than it's worth. Therefore, I think I'll have to go through with the plan you anticipated."
Though All for One could not see it, he could feel Tatsuo's trembling through his [Vibration Sensing Quirk]. And when he felt that, his lips curled into a malevolent smile.
Unfortunately for All for One, he was not aware of Tatsuo's personality. At least, not aware of the personality that Tatsuo hid beneath the surface. Because to All for One, Tatsuo was nothing more than a slightly overconfident child with a powerful [Quirk].
But to Tatsuo, All for One had just uttered something unforgivable.
Because of his time in captivity, Tatsuo held his connections with others quite dear. Though, not even he realized it at this point. Instead of valuing the bonds he had created since the [Dimensional Chat] connected to others, he saw everyone in the [Chat] as part of his hoard. And the fact that All for One was casually talking about destroying his hoard was sending him over the deep end.
As evidence of this fact, Tatsuo's muscles were trembling. Though, it was not out of fear. Instead, it was from rage. And as a result of that rage, his [Humanoid Dragon Transformation] and [Dragon Fear] abilities were activating on their own.
*Rip!*
A moment later, Tatsuo's costume exploded around his arms, legs, and lower back, revealing his arms, legs, hands, and feet covered in midnight purple dragon scales with pitch-black claws at the ends of his extremities. On top of that, a long, thick dragon tail sprouted from his back.
"What is this?" All for One asked with a frown.
"You just made a mistake you can't take back, All for One." Tatsuo said with a bestial quality to his voice. "Harboring thoughts about a dragon's hoard is a crime punishable by death."
"A dragon?" All for One asked.
"Oh, that's right." Tatsuo replied as he began walking down from the air on a staircase made of solidified space. "You see, my [Quirk] was not documented properly. But that's irrelevant. I don't really think it's necessary to explain too much to someone who is about to die."
"That's not very heroic, is it?" All for One asked in an amused tone. "Just what would your cousin, Static, think if he heard you speaking like that? Or what about those two girls you're so close to? Do you think they would accept this side of you?"
"Actually, neither of us cares all that much." Alfonzo, lowering himself from even higher than Tatsuo, said casually. "You see, this is why we're here in the first place. Taking down the Nomus and your little butt boy, Shigaraki, were only bonuses. And after we're done with you, we plan to disappear for a while."
In response to Alfonzo's declaration, All for One looked up at the newcomer. Then, he lowered his head in contemplation.
"I see…" All for One muttered. "So, this is the boy he mentioned. I don't understand why he would want him eliminated so badly. But he said if I met him and succeeded, he would make it possible for me to obtain One for All from Yoichi's successors. Unfortunately, that means I won't be able to retrieve such a powerful [Quirk] for myself. But I think the trade-off is worth it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tatsuo growled.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo looked at All for One warily. To him, it sounded like there was a lot more going on than anyone realized, and airing on the side of caution would be a better idea than just charging in.
Unfortunately, when he looked at Tatsuo, he immediately realized that idea was completely off the table.
At the same time, All for One ignored Tatsuo's question. He then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small vial of a black liquid. Then, after looking at it for a moment, he uncorked it and raised it to his lips.
"Yeah, I'm not letting him drink that shit." Alfonzo muttered as he flicked a finger in All for One's direction.
*Shatter!*
*Splatter!*
In the next instant, a small piece of metal debris shot past All for One's hand, tearing a hole in the massive man's palm and shattering the vial, splattering its contents all over All for One's face.
"That was definitely the correct response in this situation, Static." All for One said, his tone showing no signs of annoyance at losing the contents of the vial. "If I were you, I would not have let me drink the vial's contents, either. Unfortunately for you, drinking it was not the only way to gain its effects. Just coming in contact with it was enough to trigger it."
As he spoke, the spots on All for One's face and hands where he was splashed with the vial's contents began to smoke. At the same time, the suspicious liquid was absorbed into his skin.
"Argh~~~~~~~~~~!" All for One roared in pain.
However, when Tatsuo and Alfonzo saw the effect the liquid was having on All for One, both young men widened their eyes in surprise.
"The fuck?" Alfonzo muttered. "His face is actually healing?"
Just as Alfonzo said, All for One's burns were healing at a visible pace after being splashed with the liquid from the vial. And that was all of the burns, not just the spots that were splashed. And because of that, Alfonzo surmised that All for One's entire body was going through the same thing.