Ten minutes earlier, outside the factory.
The red and blue lights of police cars were tearing through the darkness of the night, surrounding the entire Nomu factory perimeter. The air was charged with suffocating tension and the sound of radio devices echoed endlessly throughout the area.
The pro hero Endeavor stood with his arms crossed, tongues of flame dancing around his face with penetrating fury, while Detective Tsukauchi monitored the situation with sternness and focus.
In the meantime, Gang Orca emerged from between the rubble and smoke breathing with difficulty, carrying the unconscious body of Ragdoll in his arms after miraculously managing to drag her away from the danger zone.
Tsukauchi rushed toward him with worry clearly visible on his face. "What's happening inside? What caused that terrifying explosion? And Zoro, did you find him?"
Gang Orca gently set Ragdoll down to receive first aid, then wiped the blood from his face. "Zoro is still inside. His physical condition is very bad but he's still on his feet." He paused for a moment and his voice trembled slightly. "That man, All For One. He appeared suddenly and struck before we could pull the swordsman out."
The moment that name was heard, Endeavor's flames ignited with greater force and he stepped forward toward Tsukauchi with furious strides. "Get out of my way. I'm going in to burn that wretch myself."
Tsukauchi blocked his path firmly and extended his arm to stop him. "Your orders are to remain here and secure the perimeter to protect civilians." He looked at him directly. "The inside is now left to one person only."
In the present, inside the shattered factory.
The dust hanging in the air was heavy and suffocating. All Might stood with his broad back, his eyes burning with a blazing resolve as he stared at the masked tyrant before him.
"I won't make the same mistake I made six years ago." He tightened his fist until his veins nearly burst. "I'll take Zoro back and stop you from achieving your plans. This time I will throw you in prison along with everyone you control."
All For One smiled slowly and took one quiet step back across the rubble. "The symbol of peace looks considerably weaker than he once was."
"Even so, I'll defeat you." All Might said it through clenched teeth.
All For One raised his right hand.
In a single second, multiple abilities activated inside his body simultaneously. Air cannon, spring limbs, strength amplifier, and kinetic booster. The air around his arm began twisting and distorting in a terrifying way. The atmospheric pressure dropped suddenly and the concrete walls began cracking and crumbling from the mere recoil of the energy before he even launched the attack.
But All Might didn't move a single inch. He didn't take any evasive position.
Because Zoro was behind him.
The swordsman was struggling with immense difficulty to lift his shattered body from the ground. He still wanted to fight even after all this hell. All Might understood the situation immediately. If he moved a single step to dodge this disaster, the attack would kill Zoro directly.
All For One's cold smile widened behind his mask. "You read the situation. That is your old weakness, symbol of peace. You always carry others on your back."
BOOM!
A massive black air cannon exploded toward them, swallowing everything in its path. All Might crossed his arms in front of his face and absorbed the full lethal strike. The floor erupted and flew apart like shrapnel, and the metal structures of the building tore like paper. From the force of the shockwave, the students hiding behind the distant wall were thrown violently to the ground.
Midoriya raised his head with difficulty through the storm and screamed in terror. "All Might!"
When the dust cleared slightly, the symbol of peace appeared. He was on one knee, his right arm trembling intensely, blood flowing from his forehead to cover half his face. But he was still standing like an uncrossable wall. And directly behind him, Zoro was still alive.
All For One released a quiet, amused laugh. "You're still standing even when your body is already dead. And yet you've now taken on an additional burden."
Behind the wall, Kirishima slammed the ground with his fist and gritted his teeth in fury at the word burden. But Bakugo cut him off suddenly with a sharp, cold tone stripped of his usual shouting. "Shut up."
Bakugo was watching the scene with narrowed eyes like a predator analyzing the situation. "That idiot over there, even half dead, is still trying to stand and stop him. And that's exactly why All Might can't ignore him."
Midoriya looked toward the arena again and noticed something that made him hold his breath. Zoro really was trying to stand. His hands shook violently, blood pouring heavily from his left shoulder and chest, his breathing broken and painful. But his eyes were fixed with killing sharpness on All For One.
All Might felt the movement behind him. Without turning, he spoke in a low, strained voice as he absorbed another blow with his body. "Zoro. Use this opening. I'm covering you now. Withdraw and get out of the factory." He paused. "You've done enough. Your energy is completely depleted and your physical condition has become critically dangerous."
Zoro spat a mass of blood onto the shattered floor and drove his sword hard into the ground to force himself to stand fully upright. His right leg collapsed under him and he fell back to one knee, but his raspy voice remained steady. "I won't retreat in this state in front of that tyrant." A brief silence, then he continued with a tone that left no room for argument. "Retreating means everything I swore breaks. Death here is better than that."
All Might's eyes widened in shock for a moment. Despite the pain consuming his body, he couldn't help but be stunned by this terrifying pride. This boy wasn't fighting just to survive. He was fighting with the creed of a warrior who preferred death over having his dignity touched.
All For One in turn released a deep, amused laugh and looked as if he were observing a rare work of art. He approached with slow steps. "This is why you are completely different from all the others. This will of yours makes me want to possess it even more."
Behind the shattered wall, the students were listening to this exchange with held breaths. Kirishima was biting his lower lip until it nearly bled, his eyes gleaming with intense emotion. Midoriya was trembling not only from fear but from the weight of the will he was witnessing. As for Bakugo, he remained silent watching Zoro with bloodshot eyes, fully aware that this swordsman possessed the same destructive stubbornness he himself had, perhaps even worse.
"Pitiable." All For One smiled with amusement and in the blink of an eye, vanished from his position.
Boom!
All For One materialized directly in the air above Zoro, his black hand filled with power driving at lethal speed toward the swordsman's head.
All Might intercepted the blow with his fist at the last moment. The force of their collision exploded the ground beneath their feet into a deep crater. All For One's smile widened further. "Exactly as I anticipated."
From that moment, the rhythm of the battle changed. All For One began attacking Zoro deliberately and continuously. Not because he saw Zoro as a threat now, but because he knew with certainty that All Might would throw himself forward to protect him every time. A strike toward Zoro absorbed by All Might. A sweeping air assault stopped by All Might with his body. A shockwave eaten by All Might in its entirety. With every blow, the condition of the symbol of peace deteriorated further.
Yaoyorozu was trembling as she whispered with tears gathering in her eyes. "The enemy is using Zoro to force All Might to defend continuously without stopping."
Iida tightened his fist. "All Might will be exhausted faster this way."
As for Zoro, he had finally begun to grasp the truth of what was happening. His eyes widened slightly. He looked at All Might's broad back and saw blood flowing from his arms and body because of every attack he was absorbing in Zoro's place. For the first time, genuine and deep fury appeared in Zoro's eyes. Not fury at his own weakness, but fury that tore his pride apart because he had become the reason another person was being weakened.
All For One noticed that look immediately. He moved closer. "Do you understand now? You're no longer a fighter here." He paused. "You're a weakness."
A heavy, terrifying silence settled over the arena for a moment.
Suddenly amid the rubble, large patches of that black viscous mud-like substance began erupting. Multiple transfer gates opened at once behind All For One. From inside them emerged Shigaraki, Dabi, Magne, and Kurogiri. Toga fell to the ground coughing violently and wiping her mouth, complaining bitterly about the nauseating smell of the substance.
The villains stopped in their places immediately the moment they emerged.
Because the first thing their eyes landed on was Zoro. On his knees in a pool of blood with his body completely shattered, but still conscious and still staring at All For One with eyes full of defiance.
Shigaraki's eyes widened with genuine shock. His gaze jumped directly between All Might and Zoro. He was stunned by All Might's presence here, and realized the old man back at the bar had only been mocking him.
But his greater shock was from seeing the swordsman. Zoro was free. Alive. After all that blood, all those injuries, all those tightly secured steel chains.
Slowly, an unsteady smile formed on Shigaraki's face. Not mockery this time, but something closer to genuine astonishment. "This boy." He whispered audibly. "How did he break the restraints? How is he still alive?" He turned toward his teacher. "What happened here?"
All For One didn't answer.
Outside, Gang Orca had just confirmed Ragdoll's condition after treating her and moving her away from the danger, and turned intending to quickly return inside to support the heroes.
But suddenly, the ground surrounding the factory exploded. The black viscous substance appeared in swirling formations everywhere and expanded in several directions. And from inside those dark gates, Nomu creatures began emerging to attack the police forces and anyone who stood in their path.
The situation outside had been turned completely upside down. The screaming of civilians and police officers mixed with the sound of random gunfire. Gang Orca found himself surrounded alongside Endeavor who launched his flames in fury, while the police struggled desperately to contain this sudden attack that had turned the factory's perimeter into a bloody battlefield.
The echoes of that overwhelming chaos reached the inside. The continuous noise, the successive gunfire, and the fire explosions made the students hiding behind the wall jump in place, realizing the danger was no longer contained to this location alone.
All Might heard those sounds too and turned slightly with an expression of clenched worry.
Here, All For One began laughing loudly and provocatively. "The party has only just begun." He raised his hand and used his ability to produce strange red connectors, driving them forcefully into Kurogiri's unconscious body to forcibly activate his ability.
"Kurogiri. Get them out of here immediately."
Kurogiri's body expanded and a massive transfer gate began forming and opening behind them.
All For One turned toward his student. "Shigaraki Tomura. I will not allow anything to hurt you." His tone was quiet and decisive. "Take that swordsman with you and withdraw from here."
Shigaraki extended his trembling hand toward his teacher, his eyes widening with terror and full awareness of what those words meant. He screamed in a desperate voice that tore through the silence of the battle.
"Sensei. No. Don't do this!"
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