A towering figure stepped into Lock's frozen field of view.
He wore a perfectly tailored suit, but from the nose upward… his head was a grotesque mass of scar tissue—an uneven sarcoma with only shallow eye sockets remaining. His scalp was completely bald, his facial structure warped beyond anything human.
Even without eyes, without vision, without the ability to live unaided…
This man was the very one who once plunged Japan into darkness.
All For One.
Only when standing before him could one truly feel the suffocating, overwhelming power radiating off his body.
Lock's face tightened.
As expected… All For One was strong.
He'd known AFO would appear eventually.
There was no way he'd simply watch Kurogiri and Shigaraki be frozen to pieces.
But even with mental preparation, facing him directly was another matter entirely.
"You don't look very surprised to see me," AFO said calmly.
Black sludge pooled around his feet, rising like a tide.
Two grotesque masses of pitch-black mud pulled free—each enveloped a frozen statue.
Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri vanished into the ooze.
AFO had used one of his countless Quirks—Teleportation.
Unlike Kurogiri's portal, which connected two points in space, AFO's teleportation worked only one way, forcibly transferring a target.
He could not teleport himself away from this bar.
Lock didn't interfere.
Not because he lacked the desire—but because he knew he had no chance of stopping it.
Instead, he severed the Silver World's mana supply, bottling every last bit of magic he could for AFO… and quietly sent a telepathic signal to Baruch.
Even so, the Silver World remained.
It simply no longer expanded.
Of course, Lock never believed environmental magic alone could hinder All For One.
"It's impressive you can perceive anything in a place like this," Lock said, sidestepping AFO's previous question with a dry remark.
Although AFO had no eyes, Lock knew the truth behind his "vision":
Cloth-rub vibrations, faint air tremors, and multiple sensory Quirks—infrared, sound detection, vibration mapping, spatial perception.
Anyone assuming AFO looked "blind and helpless" would die before realising their mistake.
And yet—
"It's not quite 'seeing,' but it works similarly," AFO replied without hesitation.
"Infrared, sound, vibration, perception—these Quirks all give me a complete image of the world."
He didn't hide any of it.
He wasn't worried Lock could use that information against him.
That was absolute confidence—
the confidence of someone who saw Lock as no threat at all.
Only All Might could force another expression out of him.
But Lock sensed something else beneath AFO's casual tone.
He was probing him.
AFO's Perception Quirk allowed him to read emotional shifts, micro-reactions, and even changes in circulation or breathing.
Lock had been shocked at AFO's sudden appearance—
But quickly, he'd calmed into resignation, as if he'd expected it.
He wasn't surprised by Teleportation.
He wasn't fazed by AFO listing his sensory Quirks.
He wasn't confused by AFO being the one behind the League of Villains.
Those reactions weren't normal.
AFO began to suspect:
Lock seemed to already know everything about him.
"Really?" Lock shrugged, then deflected again.
"Anyway, between the two you rescued, the one covered in black mist looked close to collapsing."
He kept his focus on AFO.
He needed to plan an escape route with Baruch, but first—he had to keep AFO busy enough not to react instantly.
"As long as they reach the doctor, they'll live," AFO replied dismissively.
"Even if the body is necrotic, I can restore it."
Then he pointed toward Lock.
"But that's irrelevant.
What matters, Mage Lock… is you."
"Me?"
Lock frowned.
He genuinely didn't understand why AFO had suddenly taken an interest in him.
"Let me introduce myself properly," AFO said smoothly.
"You may call me All For One—the sovereign of the old dark age."
Then he gestured toward Lock.
"And I target you because I suspect… You are similar to me."
Similar?
Lock's eyes narrowed.
He had been Quirkless.
Yet within a single year, he had demonstrated:
• fire magic
• water-flow techniques
• dragon transformation
• wind manipulation
• lightning
• ice creation
• high-speed movement
• and more
There were no limits on Quirks being unique.
Some mutations mirrored each other.
Some abilities are repeated across multiple generations.
All For One's Quirk allowed him to steal and bestow Quirks.
So he reasoned:
A young boy who seemingly "developed" multiple distinct abilities must be—
someone like him.
Someone whose Quirk allowed him to obtain multiple powers.
That was why he invited Lock to the League of Villains.
"But now that I'm speaking with you," AFO admitted, tapping quietly at the armrest, "you don't feel quite as I expected."
He paused.
"But that no longer matters.
Mage Lock—let me extend my invitation again."
He raised a hand.
"Join me.
Become my disciple.
Lead the League of Villains after me.
Inherit everything I have built."
Lock froze.
He hadn't expected that.
It was so similar to All Might passing One For All to Midoriya…
But this was the villain version.
He couldn't help but wonder—
What about your current 'disciple,' Tomura Shigaraki?
Does he not matter?
Either way, Lock wasn't joining the League.
He opened his mouth to reject—
But AFO lifted a hand.
"Wait.
Before you answer, listen to a story."
His voice lowered.
"A long time ago, there were two brothers…"
And Lock silently braced himself for the monologue.
The real negotiation
was only beginning.
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