Best Jeanist's experiences and instincts took over as he instantly used his Quirk on the figure that had emerged from the darkness.
The figure belonged to a man wearing a black suit, with a strange helmet covering his head and face, tubes protruding from it.
As Best Jeanist used Fiber Master, all the fibers on the man's body tightened unnaturally.
The Villain's legs stiffened, and his hands were pulled back before strings lashed out of his suit and coiled around his wrists and ankles.
"What are you doing, Senior?!" Mt. Lady asked. "He could be an ordinary citizen…"
"Look at the situation, newcomer!" Best Jeanist hissed back, tightening the strings. "Can we really afford the chance of confirming his identity first?"
There was another reason, of course.
All Might had shared with Best Jeanist and Endeavor that the Claws of Conformity might also have a hidden boss, directing everything from the shadows. And no, he hadn't meant Stain, but someone else entirely.
If things went south, then this hidden boss could very well come out, All Might had warned.
Is this the hidden boss? Best Jeanist thought. I should let others know… "Listen…"
Then, it happened.
Red-colored bolts of lightning thundered around the restrained man.
Instantly, his right hand enlarged, exploding out of Best Jeanist's restraints.
From that huge arm, a blast of air left, a boom resounding in the surroundings.
Time seemed to stagnate in Best Jeanist's eyes.
Letting go of the man, he used his Quirk to pull Mt. Lady, Gang Orca, and Tiger away from the incoming blast.
Even then, the attack engulfed them all, the majority of it landing on Best Jeanist's body.
Another BOOM, louder than before, rang out as all the nearby structures were decimated. A shockwave ran through the earth, windows shattered, parked cars upended, and the police personnel, who were acting as reinforcement, were thrown flying away like twigs amid a storm.
By the time the dust settled, everything lay in ruins, the black-suited man hovering a few inches above the earth.
Not far from him, Mt. Lady, Gang Orca, and Tiger lay, all covered in bloody bruises.
Worst was Best Jeanist, whose arms were bent at odd angles, blood pooling under him from numerous wounds.
"I see…" the man wondered aloud, looking at the Pro. "… your Quirk is a result of experience and training… Doesn't really suit my style. Hmm?"
Best Jeanist saw the Villain tilt his head as if he was listening to something.
"Is that so?" the levitating man said, his voice carrying humor. "It will be enough when I deem it so… All Might. It's time. Let's bring them all."
No! Best Jeanist's eyes widened. He didn't know what this Villain was planning to do, but he couldn't let him act as he pleased. Because… he was a Hero!
"Haa!" Letting out a shout, Best Jeanist shot thousands of razor-sharp fibers toward the Villain, their speed surpassing bullets.
Squelch!
Another blast of air hit Best Jeanist, chunks of earth flying in all directions behind him.
However, the attack seemed to have missed the Hero, barely brushing his sides.
Just before the blast could have mutilated Best Jeanist's insides, something had pushed him away.
Best Jeanist coughed up blood and noticed a figure appearing from the other side, his palm facing him.
"Oh…" the Villain in the sky wondered aloud. "I remember you… It doesn't matter. It's already done."
Koichi, the Skycrawler, faced both his palms toward the Villain, preparing for a fight to the death.
Suddenly, Tsukauchi's voice rang in his earpiece, telling him about the appearance of Nomus on the other side.
In the next moment, blobs of blackness materialized between Koichi and the Villain.
From the black liquid, figures began coming out, dropping on the ground one by one.
However, Koichi's eyes couldn't move away from the Villain. Or, better to say, he couldn't look away from the Villain's hand, where another figure had appeared.
This figure belonged to a girl.
And the moment she appeared, the Villain grabbed her throat, making her gasp, her legs kicking wildly as they hung midair.
"Mr. Tsukauchi!" Koichi screamed his lungs out, shooting himself like a bullet toward the Villain. "They have Ms Yaoyorozu!"
…
Booms and bangs rang out as a legion of Nomus stormed the bar hideout.
Outside the bar, police were raining bullets. But even before they could handle one of the Nomus, more came pouring out from the black goo. It had become so chaotic that even Endeavor was having a hard time controlling the situation.
Inside the bar, All Might, with all the speed he could muster, lunged at Shigaraki, as the black fluid engulfed him instantly.
However, before his huge arms could wrap around the Villain, the black fluid ate him alive.
For a moment, as Gran Torino, Edgeshot, and Kamui Woods fought Nomus next to him, All Might kept staring at the place where Shigaraki had been — at his arms' reach.
This was his doing… All Might thought, even as Gran Torino asked him for help. He has shown himself again. Haven't you…
"All Might!" Tsukauchi came running through the bar's door, flanked by police officers who kept Nomus away from him.
The Detective hadn't even said more, but a chill ran down all the Heroes' spines.
It was especially so for All Might, who saw the Detective's face, like a sick man at the death's door.
"It's…" Tsukauchi roared over the bangs of bullets. "It's All For One! He—He has Momo Yaoyorozu!"
All Might's mouth remained open for a while.
Then, like the growl of a beast, a scream of anger came exploding out.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" All Might shouted, his fist silently passing right through a Nomu's chest, who was unfortunate enough to attack him at this time.
Then, he boomed out of the bar and landed outside.
"Endeavor!" All Might shouted, his voice momentarily petrifying everyone, including Nomus. "I leave the rest… to you."
As Endeavor looked at his greatest rival, stunned, All Might turned around, facing the direction that led to the Nomu factory.
His toes dug into the concrete, creating cracks.
Then, with a BOOOM, All Might fired himself, becoming a raging, wrathful missile.
********************
Note: Up to 60 more chapters are available in advance across three Tiers. [Use the link in my webnovel profile to access all options]
You can even subscribe Trial Tier for just 1 dollar to have an experience of exclusive chapters for an entire month. I hope a few of you will consider supporting the work.
100 Power Stones/day: +1 Bonus Chapter next day