"Hello," All For One said pleasantly, crouching to the officer's level.
The officer whimpered.
"I have a question for you," All For One continued. "And if you answer honestly, I'll let you live. Does that sound fair?"
The officer nodded frantically.
"Good." All For One tilted his head. "Where is All Might?"
"I ...I don't know!" The words tumbled out desperately. "I ... We weren't told. None of us were. Just that he was out of the country for some reason."
All For One went still for a heartbeat. Then, he began to laugh, suddenly realising that the universe had a sense of humor.
"Overseas?" He looked up at the circling news chopper, knowing that there was every chance Toshinori was watching from somewhere behind that dark horizon. "How very poetic. The protector was away while the house was burned."
It intrigued him really. 'Now what could have led to you leaving at a time like this, Toshinori.'
He turned back to the officer. "When does All Might return?"
"Hours! Maybe ..... maybe four or five!"
"Hours." All For One nodded. "So he'll arrive to find this already over. How... appropriate."
He released the officer, who scrambled away immediately as one might release an insect and walked towards the rubble where Tomura Shigaraki stood, still shaking with a mixture of awe and adrenaline.
"Master..." Shigaraki rasped, his eyes fixed on the broken bodies of the heroes. "You... you came."
"Of course, Tomura," All For One said, his voice warm and filled with a paternal tone. "You look troubled. Is it because your plan didn't go as perfectly as you imagined?"
Shigaraki looked down, his fingers twitching toward his neck. "I... I should have seen the trackers. I was reckless."
"Nonsense," All For One interrupted. "Failure is merely the most effective teacher, so do not be discouraged."
He said without pausing his steps. "Just try again. If one path is blocked or complications erupt, you simply find another way. Do not dwell on the 'how' of their arrival."
He stopped right before him. "Just make sure to learn and not repeat the same mistake. And even if you do, even if you fail, just try. Try all over again."
He stretched out his hand. "Do it as many times as you need to. That is why I am here."
Shigaraki stood still, his gaze fixed on his master's hand that finally fell on his shoulder reassuringly. "My efforts are all for you. That is all that matters."
"Yes ... Master."
"Good. Did you watch closely?"
"Every second," Shigaraki breathed.
"Tell me, what did you learn?"
"That heroes are weak," Shigaraki said immediately. "That without All Might, they're nothing. That power ... real power .... is unstoppable."
"Close. What you witnessed was not just power. It was preparation. Strategy. Understanding your enemy's weaknesses and exploiting them ruthlessly." He gestured to the fallen heroes.
"Your current failure," All For One continued, "is that you were tracked down. Discovered. Your base of operations compromised."
Shigaraki's expression darkened. "I—"
"It's no great failure," All For One said gently. "Setbacks happen. An important lesson to learn is to make sure there are no loose ends when you don't want there to be."
His mask turned upwards as he looked at the dark sky. The flying helicopter, the dust clouds, the destruction left in the wake. "That is what it means to be a true villain. Every setback becomes a lesson and every failure becomes fuel. Every opportunity is seized. Ultimately, in the end..." His lips curled to reveal a sinister smile. "...you reshape the world itself."
In the distance, Endeavor remained motionless, unable to do anything but listen.
"However, enough about that." All for one lowered his hands, smile still etched on his face.
"Speaking of seizing opportunities, it would be best if we got to work."
Shigaraki looked at his master confused. "Master?"
"Confused? Well, Tomura, the universe has offered us a gift. A window of time that Toshinori himself carved out for us with his absence across the sea. We would be remiss not to use every second of it."
Shigaraki looked up, his eyes widening. "You mean... we're not finished?"
"We have barely begun," All For One chuckled as his hands turned into red and black rivets, curving backwards before embedding into Endeavor. SQUELCH!
"Kurogiri, we have several 'guests' scattered across the country in high-security holdings. Men of talent and ambition who have been rotting in silence."
His rivet fingers retracted from Endeavors now unconscious body. "You know the coordinates. Take Tomura and as many Nomu as you require to invite them over to join our cause "
"Master ... You don't mean .."
"Yes." All For One uttered. "Even if it hasn't been thoroughly planned out, it doesn't matter. With All Might gone and the top pros defeated, there are far and few remaining who can stop you. It is time to implement your plan." He tood tall, the wind whipping his suit jacket as he gestured toward the horizon.
"Break them out, Tomura. Free as many as you can. Those who wish to follow may join you; those who do not, let them loose to tear at the edges of this society. Let the police and the 'lesser' heroes drown in the chaos of a thousand fires. Feel free to do as you wish." Shigaraki's breathing hitched.
"What about you? Master?" Kurogiri walked over. "Me?" All For One raised his hand, flames erupting from them. "Just like you, I will be preparing myself for the coming future."
"While you gather your forces and throw the country into disarray, I shall remain here to get accustomed to the new quirks at my disposal. And then... I shall make good use of the time All Might has given us until he returns."
His smile widened behind the mask. "Just as I said, opportunities are fleeting."
"I .. I see."
"Good." All For One waved a dismissive hand. "Go then, Tomura. Take your comrades with you and make the most you can from this experience. I will handle the cleanup here."
Kurogiri's warp gate opened ... a swirling portal of darkness. Shigaraki didn't hesitate, stepping right though with eyes gleaming excitedly like a child being handed keys to a new kingdom.
Rappa carried the drunk Deidoro and followed.
"One more thing, Kurogiri." All For One called out just as Kurogiri prepared to follow.
The warp villain paused. "Yes, Master?"
"Steer him away from Tartarus for now," All For One said. "The security there remains a variable we are not yet equipped to override on such short notice. After seeing what I've accomplished tonight, he'll think himself invincible." All For One's voice carried a note of dry amusement.
Tartarus ... Named after a greek god. It was a stronghold difficult to capture even for him. The last thing he wanted was Shigaraki overestimating himself and having yet again another setback so soon.
"Ambition is useful but we can't let it grow into overconfidence. Do you understand?"
"Yes master. What about the other locations?"
"The others? Let him do as he sees fit." He waved his hand.
"For the location we discussed, once the board is sufficiently cluttered and the local forces are stretched to their breaking point, let him loose there. It is the one place that will truly hurt Toshinori to see in ruins. But only when the time is right. Not too early—let them think the worst has passed. Not too late—we need All Might properly... distracted."
"I will coordinate the strike myself."
"See that you do." All For One finally looked directly at Kurogiri. "Tonight, Tomura learns to command chaos. But he still lacks the patience for precision. You will provide that precision in his stead."
"I understand."
"Then go. You have much work ahead." With a soft hiss, the portal collapsed, leaving All For One alone in the center of the devastation.
The only sounds left were the distant, rhythmic thrum of the news helicopters and the crackle of dying fires. All For One turned back to the scattered bodies.
He walked over to Endeavor, whose breathing was shallow and ragged, the once-mighty Flame Hero now reduced to a bruised, powerless shell. Without a word, All For One reached down and gripped the collar of the hero's charred suit.
With effortless, terrifying strength, he began to drag the unconscious Number Two across the ash-stained gravel, the sound of the body scraping against the ruins echoing through the empty street. He didn't look back at the cameras or the rubble. He simply walked, a silhouette of absolute victory, heading toward the shadows of the secondary warehouse where his night had begun.
On the battlefield, the only sound was the hiss of ruptured gas lines and the crackle of distant fires.
Then eventually, the sirens came. Previously, emergency vehicles had been held at the perimeter, waiting for the all-clear that would never come. Now with the fight over, they flooded in, a tsunami of flashing lights and desperate voices.
"MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC HERE!"
"This one's still breathing! Get a stretcher!"
"DAMN! THAT'S EDGESHOT ..."
".... This one isn't breathing."
"My god. Someone help Mount Lady out of the rubble .."
Paramedics in yellow vests scrambled through the rubble, stepping over debris and broken concrete, finding heroes scattered around broken toys.
"Hey ... Who's this guy?" A medic asked finding the man before him quite familiar.
"Is that a question to ask now? He's obviously a hero in critical condition. Get him to the ambulance." The human looking Gang Orca was loaded onto a stretcher.
Mt. Lady, back to normal size, costume shredded—was wrapped in a thermal blanket by a female paramedic.
More heroes were hauled from their positions. Ryukyu, Crust, ... And in the center of it all, Best Jeanist lay motionless.
"We've got critical here! CRITICAL!" A medic pressed both hands against the hole in Best Jeanist's torso, blood seeping between his fingers. "I need pressure bandages, NOW!"
Another medic dropped beside him with a medical kit, hands shaking. "There's .... there's a hole straight through .... "
"I can see that! Just stop the bleeding!"
"He's lost too much blood ..."
"Then get a transfusion going! MOVE!"
"Someone call Bloodwork." A pro hero with a quirk capable of turning water into blood was on standby. They worked frantically. "Stay with us," the first medic said through gritted teeth. "Stay with us, dammit."
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