"Y... YOU!!!"
The echo of Zen's voice cracked through the cold silence of Tartarus.
"Well, well, well..." Izuku's lips curled into a chilling grin, eyes gleaming under the dim fluorescent lights. Like a predator stalking wounded prey, he circled Zen slowly. "I've missed you," he whispered, voice venomous with an unsettling calm. "For months, you've haunted my mind, Shigaraki Zen."
Zen — no, All For One — exhaled deeply, steadying himself against the restraints binding him. The metal rods inside his wrists dug into his marrow، making him agitated.
"Where's Tomura?" he asked flatly, masking his tension.
"You mean Tenko?" Izuku's grin widened, like a serpent slithering closer.
Zen's pupils dilated.
!!!
"H—how?!"
"Irrelevant,"Izuku took out a pebble and applied some force into it, the pebble shined brightly before a figure emerged from it like a Pokémon.
Toga gasped, her legs wobbling before she leaned into Izuku for balance.
Slowly, she regained balance and the dizziness disappeared.
She looked around her curiously. "This...?"
"The sixth floor of Tartarus," Izuku answered, voice calm yet grave. "Where the worst of humanity rot away from history — monsters too dangerous for the world above. A graveyard that breathes."
Zen chuckled dryly, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"You wound me," he said. "I merely… redistributed gifts. Those who had no use for their Quirks entrusted them to someone who would."
Izuku's face darkened.
"In doing so, you slaughtered thousands," he said coldly. "Over a hundred years of death and stolen futures."
Zen's smile disappeared. "They stood in my way, I didn't go out of my way to chase them."
Izuku narrowed his eyes.
"And the Quirks you stole... were all of them your enemies?"
Zen's tone sharpened.
"Anyone who opposes my dream is my enemy, including you. But that can change, Midoriya. Together, we ca—"
"Why?"
Zen blinked. "... Pardon?"
"Why did you do it?" he stepped closer, voice trembling, but not from fear — from the weight of fury.
"You could've lived quietly. Had a family. Children laughing at your feet. A wife to share your days with. You could've been a good man."
The question hung heavy in the sterile air, like a blade suspended above them both.
Toga had the illusion that Izuku was not asking AFO but rather himself.
Zen stared for a long, empty second.
"God, you're such a boring person."
"ANSWER ME!!" Izuku roared, his fist crashing into Zen's face with bone-shattering force. The air cracked, releasing a violent shockwave that shook the prison walls.
Toga yelped away.
Zen's head snapped sideways, blood dripping from his lip.
"Because I wanted more!" he howled, his composure fracturing entirely. "Don't you see it? CAN'T you see it?! This world — it's nothing but an egg! An egg incubating a god!"
"... What?"
His voice grew louder, manic, as though speaking not to Izuku— but to someone far older, far more personal.
"I was born to take all power, free of drawbacks. And when I possess it all — when every Quirk is mine — what will I become?"
It was almost like he wanted to justify himself to him, to try and redeem himself to him.
'... Then what?' Yoichi asked.
"Then, as this world's God, I will fix EVERYTHING. I will create a paradise! The kingdom of God will be my own creation!" he spoke passionately, gasping for air as he overexcited himself.
"..."
Toga stared at the two, her face showing her conflicting feelings.
One of them wanted to bring balance to the world, the other one wanted to rule the world as a benevolent god.
'Lier,' Bruce spat in disgust.
'He's not lying,' Yoichi's voice whispered heavily from the depths of One For All. 'My brother... I know when he lies.'
'Are you serious?!' Banjo bellowed, incredulous. 'This lunatic's a demon!'
Izuku's voice cut like a knife.
"I don't believe you. Power corrupts. You'd become a monster far worse than you already are."
He turned away, his tone dismissive, revolted.
"Toga, don't listen to him. He would sacrifice you without a moment's hesitation."
Toga shifted uneasily.
"Is that true?" she asked Zen, voice trembling.
Zen chuckled, unashamed. "Naturally. Sacrifice is the cost of salvation. Even heroes do it every day, don't they?"
"Heroes...?" Toga scowled. "Uncle, do you want to be a hero?"
"Of course!" Zen declared, as though it were obvious. "I want the adoration, the praise, the gratitude of all! I want everything they offer!"
Toga clenched her teeth, her eyes enraged.
The type of heroes he described... She hated them the most.
"That's not what a hero is supposed to want," Izuku whispered, voice filled with contempt.
Zen sneered. "And you're one to judge? I've seen you, Midoriya. Chasing media attention, playing the new symbol of peace — just another hungry performer in front of flashing cameras!"
"... I'm not a hero."
But he wanted to be.
He pulled out a small surgical blade and a plastic tube.
"What are you doing?" Toga asked, bewildered.
He turned to Zen and stabbed his forearm, leaking blood from his body into the plastic tube.
"... What is this? Trying to intimidate me? Was that poison?" Zen stared at him, astonished.
Izuku gave the blood to Toga, kissing her forehead like a loving brother. "For a better world where we both can be happy, do this for big brother."
Zen's eyes widened. His body shook. A chill crept into his nerves.
He knew. Somehow, he knew what was coming.
"Only a perfect being can be god," Izuku said, placing his hand on Toga's shoulder.
Without hesitation, Toga downed the blood.
"Just because you want to do good things doesn't mean you're a good person, God is neutral, God is just."
Her skin gleamed as a white substance coiled around her, encasing her body like a cocoon. The very fabric of her cells twisted and reformed.
Within seconds, she stood transformed — a flawless replica of All For One.
Zen's jaw clenched, teeth grinding audibly.
"You… bastard."
"This," Izuku whispered coldly, "is retribution."
Toga extended her hand and gently rested it upon Zen's skull. The room shined with red light.
————
Meanwhile, above Tartarus—
Aizawa lashed his scarf toward a Nomu gliding through the blackened sky, pulling it down like a harpooned beast. His short blade flashed, slicing clean through its thick neck. The headless corpse fell like a puppet with its strings severed, turning into mud.
"Fragile," he muttered under his breath.
Behind him, a wave of heroes descended from helicopters and aerial transports. Their arrival shook the battlefield.
Twice trembled beneath the rubble, watching the cavalry arrive.
Aizawa touched his ear piece. "Reinforcement are here."
"HellSpider!!!" Endeavor roared, waving both his hands forward, creating a net of fire that sliced all the enemies in its range.
"Oh shit, oh no!" Twice ran aimlessly, hiding behind the rubble.
He was left alone with no help after the strongest Nomus left with Tenko.
He took off his mask, staring at his shaking hands as explosions rang in the distance.
It was shaking. His hands are shaking from fear.
Not because of the current situation, no. It was because of the fact that he has to use his Quirk.
He clenched his fist, swallowing his fear.
"For my friends..."
He got out of the rubble, walking towards the center of the battle.
Best Jeanist spotted him first. Threads flew like lightning, binding his limbs.
"Identify yourself!"
Multiple heroes stared in his direction, their body language charged.
Twice's gaze wandered out to see the unconscious figure of Mr. Compress, blood leaking from his head in a small pool, above him stood Mirko, her grin wide like a villain.
They were trying to help yet this is how heroes treat them... He no longer cared.
His eyes burned with visible hatred, a deep scowl that promised retribution.
A pulse of energy exploded from his body. Countless clones erupted like an endless tide — a sea of despair was unleashed.
"... Sad Man's Parade."
—————
Toga found herself in a new world.
Everything was black. Streaks of stars floated like shattered glass across the void, it looked like space.
Beneath her, countless figures reached out from the earth — pale, twisted arms clawing upward, as if begging for salvation they would never receive.
In the distance stood All For One.
"I see what this is," he said, his voice cold and heavy. "That boy… he's using you to steal my Quirk, isn't he?"
Toga stepped forward, eyes locked on him.
All For One's voice sharpened, slicing through the emptiness.
"Can't you see it? You're a tool to him. A knife he'll toss aside once it dulls. That's all you've ever been to anyone — broken, twisted, unwanted. And now, he's just the latest to pull your strings."
She clenched her fists, picking up her pace.
"After this is done — what will you be? Another discarded toy. Another monster no one needs."
Her steps quickened, boots slamming into the cracked ground.
"You think he cares?" he sneered. "He pities you. That's not love. That's charity. He looks at you like everyone else does — like something broken he can fix for now."
Toga broke into a run.
"You're nothing but a stray he picked up off the street," he hissed, voice echoing louder, harsher. "A pet that thinks the hand feeding it loves it!"
"Shut up..." she growled, breath quickening.
"You think he'll stay? He won't. Sooner or later, he'll outgrow you, like they all do. But I won't, I'll save yo—"
"SHUT UP!"
She leapt, fist pulling back with all her weight behind it.
"Keep his name—"
Her fist crashed into his chin, snapping his head back with a sickening crack.
"—out of your fucking mouth!"
—————
Tenko burst through the reinforced door of the 6th floor, his breath sharp and uneven, eyes wild as they darted across the dim chamber — until they landed on him.
No words were exchanged. His instincts overtook thought. With a guttural growl, he lunged forward, hands outstretched, the desperate need to touch, to decay, to end burning brighter than reason itself.
A black hand caught him and slapped his face, Tenko's momentum was broken instantly; his body spun, staggering, as stars exploded in his vision.
The Nomus behind him stood still at the figure of higher authority.
"We have a deal," Izuku spoke, his voice calm but resonant. "Wake up."
Tenko gritted his teeth and tried to lunge again, but Izuku's knee drove into his stomach before he could regain balance. A savage thud echoed through the chamber as his breath was violently expelled. His legs buckled, arms going numb from the sheer force of the strike.
"Ghh— M-Moss... Head..." Tenko wheezed, collapsing to one knee, hands over his heart.
A faint smile tugged at Izuku's lips, somewhere between familiarity and amusement. "Glad to see you back," he said softly, almost like greeting an old friend. His head tilted toward the others in the room. "This is Toga. The one in the chair — your Palpatine."
Tenko's eyes narrowed, even through the daze. "Again with your ancient references," he rasped, pushing himself upright with effort. "So what is this? Why aren't you done yet?"
"They're fighting," Izuku answered simply. "Inside his head. Toga is stealing his Quirk as we speak."
Tenko frowned. "Shouldn't you be in there with her? He might be fighting back, you know."
Izuku's gaze shifted, a flicker of calculation crossing his eyes. He paused. Silent. Thinking.
How can he be with her inside the realm of Quirks?
A flash of insight passed through his eyes.
'Don't you fucking dare...' x7
'Too late!' Izuku chuckled.
"Protect us, Zen ia yours when we are done," Izuku grabbed Toga's other arm and rested it on his head, getting his Quirk stolen as well.
His pupils vanished beneath rolling white eyes as his mind was dragged inward, joining Toga inside the warzone that was AFO's inner world.
Tenko stood there, blinking.
"...Who the fuck is Zen?"