Large swaths of dark clouds obscured the moonlight over Kamino City. The night wind, accompanied by rain, howled continuously, while streaks of brightly shining lightning slithered through the sky in an orderly pattern.
Everyone's attention was fixed on the Heroes and Villains preparing for the final showdown below. Nothing else mattered to them now.
No one noticed the terror brewing above their heads. No one, except for three boys and girls who were watching the sky.
Although they couldn't see clearly, the gradually brightening light in the clouds told them exactly what Kaminari was planning.
"In the process of fighting you just now, I finally became certain, All Might."
"One For All is no longer in your body. What you're using now is just its lingering afterglow, the last sparks left behind after the Quirk was passed on."
"Moreover, every time this flame is used, it weakens. It's just a flicker, already on the verge of going out."
Boom—!
All For One revealed what he had already confirmed in his heart. As he held up his terrifying, monstrous right arm, he charged downward. The air in front of him exploded with a deafening blast.
"It must be that boy, Midoriya Izuku!"
"I don't know what you see in him, but in my opinion, Kaminari is far superior."
"Still, it was your decision. It's normal that I can't understand it, but it won't change the fact that you'll die here!"
All Might's eyes remained sharp, staring down his opponent without fear. He raised his swollen, muscular right arm, ready for a head-on clash.
Crack!!
But just as everyone was focused on the clash below, the being hidden in the night sky could no longer stay concealed. It roared with a deafening thunder, announcing its presence, and unleashed a blinding flash of light that drew everyone's attention.
All eyes, including those of All For One and All Might, instinctively turned to the sky.
They were stunned to see a massive and savage thunder beast clawing through the dark clouds, glaring down with beastly eyes that radiated pure lightning.
Among them, the cameramen and reporters in the media helicopter were especially shaken. The monstrous form made of pure thunder and lightning struck fear into their hearts.
In that moment, they forgot to report, forgot to take pictures. They could only stare at the sky with their mouths agape, letting the rain and wind batter their stunned faces.
"That's… that's Kaminari!" All For One, still floating mid-air, was the first to spot the golden figure standing beneath the thunder beast.
In that instant, the two locked eyes across an immeasurable distance.
Though All For One's eyes were destroyed, with the help of multiple sensory Quirks, he could still clearly feel the chilling killing intent radiating from above.
"This really is beyond my expectations. I didn't think you'd strike now. And that move..."
Unfortunately, Kaminari Denki didn't give him the chance to finish. His right hand, wrapped in golden current, was already sweeping downward just a second after raising it.
"Qilin!!!"
Roar—!!
With the motion of his hand, the thunder beast within the dark clouds could no longer be restrained. It transformed into a colossal, unmatched pillar of lightning.
It pierced through the sky in an instant, swallowing All For One—the evil tyrant who had brought countless horrors to Japan—into its blazing core.
It wasn't that All For One hadn't thought of countering or evading with Quirks. His mind certainly tried.
But when faced with the real speed of lightning, all those thoughts couldn't keep up. In the end, the thunderbolt connecting heaven and earth crashed down, smashing into the shattered ground.
Even All Might, not far away, had to raise his arms and brace with what strength he had left, trying desperately to retreat.
Even in his prime, he might not have been able to withstand such a terrifying strike, let alone in his current condition!
"Kaminari… boy… have you really reached this level?!"
The enormous pillar of lightning didn't disappear immediately upon landing. Its energy was so immense that it radiated outward. Though it only lasted a second, the impact was devastating.
At that moment, the lightning was so intense that every screen went white, and the footage only gradually returned.
But in the very next moment, the world fell silent once again. Because what filled the screens—both large and small—was a burning red light.
It looked like lava from an erupting volcano, a scorched battlefield. The devastated zone was covered in molten rock and smoking crystals.
The central plaza of Kamino had become a vision of hell.
At the edge of that hellscape, the emaciated All Might lay unconscious. Then, a radiant golden figure descended slowly from the clouds, like a god.
That figure was instantly picked up by satellite, broadcast to every screen. It was Kaminari Denki!
His eyes remained tightly shut, his raised right arm still suspended. The white virtual cloak behind him fluttered in the rain and wind. The high-voltage electric light radiating from his body evaporated the falling rain, casting him in a perpetual mist.
"Dead or not… doesn't matter."
When he opened his golden eyes and lowered his right arm, those were the first words he spoke.
He had just carefully used his 'radar' to sense the area. Once he confirmed that All For One was completely dead, the murderous intent in his heart was finally released.
Then, Kaminari turned his eyes toward All Might lying on the ground. Now that All For One was dead, All Might's era had officially come to an end.
It could be said that, at least in all of Japan, there was no one left who could stand in his way. As for the suspected next successor of One For All, Midoriya Izuku?
They could wait until he grew stronger. And they weren't necessarily enemies. After all, Kaminari didn't seek control or fear—just freedom.
And the reason he had revealed himself before the world today was to declare to all:
He, Kaminari Denki, had arrived!
Kaminari slowly raised his head, looked directly at the camera on the helicopter, lifted his chin slightly, and calmly declared:
"From now on, I will bear the name... Thunder God!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a violent current exploded from his body, and behind him, the ferocious thunder beast that caused it all reappeared.
"Roar!!!!"
(To be continued.)