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Seeing the uncertainty on Muscular's face, Shigaraki knew his little exaggeration had worked.
Good.
Since the man was already shaken, this was the perfect moment to pull him in completely.
"Actually," Shigaraki said, "it's not impossible for you to become as strong as me."
Muscular's eye narrowed.
"What method?"
Then, almost immediately, he added, "And what's the price?"
He wasn't stupid enough to believe power came for free.
Nor did he believe Shigaraki would kindly help him grow stronger out of pure goodwill.
Even so, Muscular couldn't ignore the temptation.
Power was power.
No villain could truly resist it.
Shigaraki's lips curved faintly.
As expected.
No one could refuse the chance to become stronger.
Especially not someone like Muscular.
"Join us," Shigaraki said simply.
"You want to fight All Might, don't you?"
"You want to become stronger, don't you?"
"Then join us."
"As long as you prove your value, I won't be stingy."
"I'll give you more chances to fight powerful opponents."
"I'll also give you methods to develop your Quirk and push your body further."
He paused deliberately.
Then his smile deepened.
"And perhaps…"
"…even the possibility of obtaining multiple Quirks."
The bait had been thrown.
Shigaraki refused to believe Muscular wouldn't bite.
That final line was intentional.
He wanted Muscular to understand that Destiny was not some childish gang thrown together on impulse.
There was a truly terrifying figure standing behind it.
And once Muscular learned that much, he would have only two choices.
Submit.
Or die.
Even if he somehow escaped, both heroes and villains would start hunting him from that moment onward.
But Shigaraki believed Muscular was smart enough to make the correct choice.
As for whether Muscular submitted because of him or because of All For One?
That didn't matter.
The result was what mattered.
Besides, there was no need to draw such a clear line between him and his teacher.
What belonged to his teacher would eventually belong to him too.
Even if it did not belong to him now, once his teacher died, everything would be his anyway.
So there was no point separating things too carefully.
"The possibility of obtaining multiple Quirks?"
Muscular's pupil shrank.
For the first time, disbelief showed clearly on his face.
Multiple Quirks?
A person could gain Quirks after birth?
Could something that absurd really be possible?
Wait.
Maybe it was.
A certain name suddenly surfaced in Muscular's mind.
A man who could steal Quirks from others and grant them to someone else.
But that terrifying figure should have died years ago.
Logically speaking, his Quirk should have disappeared with him.
So why was someone now claiming they could offer the same thing?
Had that man never died?
Or had this boy inherited something from him?
Muscular stared at Shigaraki for a moment before speaking.
"Are you connected to that big shot?"
"Big shot?"
Shigaraki tilted his head slightly.
"Who?"
He deliberately pretended not to understand.
Right now, he held the initiative.
There was no need to hurry.
Seeing him play dumb, Muscular gritted his teeth.
"Don't act stupid."
"You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Then, as if afraid Shigaraki would keep pretending, he said the name directly.
"All For One."
"Oh."
Shigaraki's expression barely changed.
"You mean him."
For a moment, he considered continuing the act.
But in the end, he decided against it.
Playing with Muscular was amusing, but treating him like an idiot forever would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Besides, from Muscular's expression, he had clearly already decided that Shigaraki was connected to All For One.
There was no real point denying it.
Not that Shigaraki had ever planned to hide it forever.
So he admitted it calmly.
"Yes."
"I'm his disciple."
"And his successor."
"I see…"
Muscular muttered under his breath.
"No wonder."
"When you said you could help me obtain multiple Quirks, I thought you were just borrowing that legendary bastard's name to scare me."
"I didn't expect you to actually be connected to him."
"And in such a special way."
"His disciple, huh?"
"To be accepted by someone like that…"
"Your Quirk really must be something else."
As he spoke, Muscular let out a strange sigh.
There was envy in it.
And acceptance.
He envied Shigaraki for possessing such a terrifying Quirk.
He envied him for having a monster like All For One as his teacher.
And at the same time, he accepted his own defeat.
After all, losing to the disciple chosen by that kind of figure wasn't shameful.
Even if Shigaraki had caught him off guard, Muscular knew very well that his chances in a proper fight would still be slim.
Decay was simply too dangerous.
With his current abilities, he truly wasn't Shigaraki's match.
At least he had that much self-awareness.
"I won't deny that my Quirk is excellent," Shigaraki said.
"But you can become just as outstanding."
"As long as you join us."
He looked at Muscular with a calm smile.
"So…"
"What's your choice?"
Although he asked the question, Shigaraki had already predicted the answer.
After hearing this much, Muscular should have no reason to refuse.
The offer was generous.
And after learning so many secrets, he no longer had many ways out.
However, Muscular's answer was completely unexpected.
"The conditions are tempting."
He grinned.
"But I refuse."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ Shigaraki has offered Muscular power, multiple Quirks, and a place in Destiny—but Muscular's answer may change everything.
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