The two fists launched toward each other in an inevitable collision that carried within it the fate of this world.
All Might's fist, blazing with the last drops of that sacred flame passed down through generations. One For All.
And opposite it, the fist of the tyrant of darkness, All For One. A massive, terrifying arm that had swelled to a monstrous size beyond any human logic. It was a living nightmare of exposed red muscles coiled over each other like hungry serpents, sharp bones protruding from it like spears, and massive black spikes driving deep into the swollen tissue to hold it together, while metal and organic parts resembling springs pulsed with immense force inside that disfigured mass.
Then they collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
It was not merely the sound of an explosion. It was a tear in the fabric of reality itself. The pressurized air between them erupted in a fierce wave, and the gloomy clouds that had been blanketing the sky over Kamino were ripped apart as if an invisible hand had split them in two.
The ground shattered and crumbled beneath both men's feet, and seismic shockwaves launched across the entire city, shattering whatever windows remained and making distant streets and buildings tremble with terror.
Amid this hurricane, All For One pressed harder, marshaling more Quirks to amplify the weight of his arm. And with lethal slowness, the scales began tipping in his favor. Centimeter by centimeter, All Might's wall of force began yielding.
All Might's arm began shaking violently under the unbearable pressure. Bones cracked inside his exhausted body, and a muffled sound came from his joints.
"Ggghe."
All Might gritted his teeth until they nearly broke, blood flowing from his wounds.
All For One smiled coldly, his crimson eyes gleaming with sadistic triumph. "Look at yourself." He mocked in his rough voice. "You're finished."
Blood began seeping from the pores of All Might's arm, followed by a clear and terrifying cracking sound.
Crack.
The tyrant's smile widened to reveal his teeth. "There it is."
Crack!
The arm split further and the muscles seemed on the verge of tearing entirely. "Your end."
But suddenly, in the midst of this certain victory, All For One raised his eyes toward the sky. His gaze paused for a moment, as if he had remembered something very old. He released a short, quiet laugh that carried the mockery of fate.
"It's amusing..."
A heavy silence settled between the whistling of blows and the friction of energy.
"After all these years... Yoichi's shadow still follows me."
In that harsh moment, an image flashed in All Might's mind. Zoro, standing in the arena, blood covering his body, gripping his swords, refusing to fall before the most powerful of villains.
The tyrant's voice returned to cut the thread of his thoughts. "Truly, Toshinori. You are very fortunate to have them. But unfortunately, you won't see what happens to them."
"I don't fear my absence." All Might's smile widened, radiating a brightness the tyrant hadn't seen in years. "Because their flame has already been lit, and your darkness will never be able to extinguish it."
And in that moment, in that fraction of a second that separates life from death, All Might remembered.
He remembered Midoriya Izuku, the reckless boy who shatters his own bones in every battle to protect others' smiles, who always finds a way to move even when victory seems impossible.
Then he remembered Roronoa Zoro, who stands in a pool of his own blood with a smile, refusing to acknowledge defeat with a force of will that transcends any Quirk.
All For One's smile disappeared entirely.
All Might continued, his voice coming out quietly but carrying the weight of mountains. "And for that reason, you will lose."
The tyrant frowned with blind fury. And with a bestial roar, he detonated his power all at once.
BOOOOM!!
All Might's right arm shattered almost entirely. The fractures spread through his bones like a lethal spider's web and his arm turned the color of dark red and purple.
In the heart of the destruction, All For One laughed the laugh of a victor. "It's over!" He shouted with exhilaration as his monstrous fist began pulling back to prepare for the finishing blow. "You've lost! One For All ends here!"
But All Might smiled. A quiet, deep smile loaded with the experience of countless battles. A smile that All For One didn't understand until it was too late.
The tyrant felt something strange. An imbalance. The power he had been pushing against had disappeared from the shattered right arm.
Then he sensed it gathering and exploding on the other side.
His crimson eyes widened with a terror he was experiencing for the first time. "No."
The last remaining spark of One For All's power transferred to his undamaged left arm.
The last spark. The last hope. The last strike.
All Might dropped beneath the level of the tyrant's arm and surged forward past his defenses, then raised his left arm blazing with a light that blinded all eyes, and screamed with a voice that split the sky.
"ALL FOR ONE!!"
"UNITED STATES OF SMAAAAAASH!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Everything disappeared. The light, the air, and the sound. The blinding white radiance swallowed everything in Japan, turning Kamino into a memory.
Then silence descended.
Complete silence. In Kamino. In the hospital. In the academy. And in every corner of Japan.
The thick dust began settling very slowly. Little by little, until the scene became visible.
All Might was standing. His right arm hung limp, but his left arm was raised high toward the sky in absolute defiance. And for one moment only, amid the smoke and ash, his massive muscular form returned, complete and majestic. The symbol of peace that never falls.
And below, a massive deep crater had formed. And at the bottom of that abyss, All For One's body lay motionless, shattered, and completely defeated.
Silence held for one more second.
Then the world exploded.
"All Might!!"
"All Might!!"
"All Might!!"
Hysterical screams rose and genuine tears fell and thunderous applause launched from everywhere. In the streets, in the homes, in the hospitals.
And Midoriya's tears finally collapsed as he smiled. "He did it."
In the hospital, Zoro let out a long, relieved exhale and smiled for the first time since the battle began. "Hah." He looked at the screen. "That is the number one hero."
Aizawa closed his eyes for a moment, and for the first time in a long while the tension had left his face entirely.
As for Kenji, he remained watching the screen in silence. Then he said quietly. "No."
Both of them looked at him, and he continued. "This is not one man's victory. It is the victory of a will that refused to fall."
Silence settled once more in the room, while a single name continued echoing across all of Japan.
"All Might."
"All Might."
"All Might."
While the crowds were screaming and drowning in tears of joy, the scene at the back was entirely different.
Near the rubble, Gran Torino stood with features covered in a mixture of sorrow and pride, watching All Might in silence. He saw in that dignified stance and that raised arm the final moment of the symbol of peace as a hero.
Gran Torino understood more than anyone else that the flame All Might had been carrying had finally gone out. He swallowed bitterly, for while the world was celebrating the end of All For One's nightmare, he knew with certainty that this was not the end but merely the spark of beginning for a new era.
He looked at his old student's back with eyes weary from carrying what they knew, and whispered in a voice no one heard.
"Your mission is complete, Toshinori."
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For Advanced Chapters:
Is Available Now
Chapter 102: Stopping the Flood and the Swordsman's Black Kimono
Chapter 103: Before The License
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