For the past few days, All Might had barely stopped moving.
Ever since Shigaraki Tomura's speech had spread across the city and ignited waves of unrest, the Symbol of Peace had been racing from one crisis to the next.
Riots.
Looting.
Vigilantes taking matters into their own hands.
Citizens panicking.
Villains trying to take advantage of the chaos.
Everywhere he went, there was another fire to put out.
And today was no different.
Earlier that morning, All Might had received an emergency report: a murderer was roaming through the city, attacking civilians.
The culprit had already evaded capture for several days.
The moment the alert reached him, All Might had immediately rushed toward the location at full speed.
But even as he sprinted across rooftops and streets, he knew something unpleasant.
He was late.
By the time the message reached him, he had been dozens of blocks away from the scene.
Even moving at his fastest pace, there was simply no way he could reach the area before the first victim appeared.
That knowledge sat heavily in his chest.
Because every hero understood one painful truth—
Sometimes you arrived too late.
Sometimes you could only deal with the aftermath.
And when that happened…
The guilt never really went away.
So All Might ran.
Faster.
Harder.
Ignoring the wind tearing past his ears.
Ignoring the cracks forming beneath his feet with every step.
But when he finally arrived near the scene—
What he saw completely surprised him.
The criminal, Steel Boy, was already down.
Flat on the ground.
Completely immobilized.
And standing over him—
Was a blue-haired boy wearing a black uniform.
A teenager.
For a moment, All Might simply stared.
Then a wave of relief washed over him.
Someone had stopped the killer.
A civilian—no, perhaps a would-be hero—had stepped in and prevented another tragedy.
That meant no innocent lives had been lost here today.
The tension in his chest loosened instantly.
Good.
Thank goodness.
For a brief moment, All Might even began wondering how he should greet the boy.
Should he thank him?
Praise him?
Encourage him?
Young people with courage like that deserved recognition.
But before All Might could decide—
The blue-haired boy moved.
A crooked smile appeared on his face.
And he raised his foot.
Then brought it down toward Steel Boy's head.
Not to restrain him.
Not to knock him unconscious.
But to kill him.
The intent was obvious.
The force behind that stomp was more than enough to crush a human skull.
All Might's eyes widened.
"—!"
He didn't have time to think about gratitude anymore.
Without hesitation, he launched his attack—the burst of air that forced Shigaraki to dodge and stopped the execution at the last second.
Because no matter what—
He could not allow a killing to happen right in front of him.
Even if the person being killed was a murderer.
Because killing someone…
Was still killing.
And that was against the law.
Against the principles he had sworn to uphold.
Whether the victim was a saint or a monster—
Once a life was taken, the weight of that act existed forever.
As a Pro Hero…
And as the Symbol of Peace…
All Might could not allow that to happen.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
Not ever.
…
Across the broken street, Shigaraki stared at the man who had interrupted him.
Recognition flickered across his eyes.
Then irritation followed immediately after.
His lips curled slightly.
"Oh."
"So it's you."
He tilted his head, gaze sharp.
"Well, that explains the dramatic entrance."
His voice turned colder.
"Tell me something, All Might."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed.
"Why did you stop me?"
The question carried a clear edge of annoyance.
"Don't tell me…"
A mocking smile appeared again.
"…you're planning to protect a murderer."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, the street fell silent.
All Might scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
A wry smile appeared on his face.
He knew exactly how this looked.
A hero saving a criminal.
Even to him, it sounded absurd.
But it was something he had to do.
Because he was a Pro Hero.
He could not stand by and watch someone die in front of him.
Not even a villain.
Not even a killer.
Taking a slow breath, All Might organized his thoughts before speaking.
"Listen, young man."
His tone was calm.
Patient.
"I understand why you're angry."
He glanced briefly at Steel Boy lying on the ground.
"The things he's done… they're unforgivable."
Then his gaze returned to Shigaraki.
"And I can tell you wanted to kill him."
His voice softened slightly.
"That feeling isn't strange."
But he raised one hand gently.
"However, before you take a life…"
"I hope you'll stop and think about it carefully."
All Might knew something important from years of experience.
Simply lecturing people with grand ideals rarely worked.
Especially not with teenagers.
Teenagers believed in their own judgment above anything else.
They didn't like being told they were wrong.
And the blue-haired boy in front of him clearly possessed power.
Real power.
Young people with strength like that often carried sharp pride.
They believed their decisions were correct.
Trying to crush that belief with empty moral lectures would only make things worse.
So instead of saying something simple like "killing people is wrong"—
All Might chose a different approach.
He spoke slowly.
Carefully.
"There are ways to make criminals pay for their sins without killing them."
His gaze was steady.
"Ending a life might feel satisfying for a moment…"
"But in the end—"
"It only solves anger."
His voice carried a quiet weight.
"It doesn't solve the problem."
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