Some things in this world simply could not be changed by human will.
What was destined to happen would eventually happen.
For example—
Bakugo Katsuki's defeat.
Even though Bakugo had thoroughly prepared himself for this second battle against Shigaraki Tomura…
In the end, he was still just a middle school student chasing after his dreams.
He had never experienced a true life-and-death battle.
Nor had he truly faced the cruelty of reality.
And because of that—
facing someone like Shigaraki, who had long since matured into a monster capable of troubling even top Pro Heroes, and who also possessed abilities far beyond ordinary understanding…
Bakugo lost.
Completely.
Utterly.
And honestly—
that outcome was only natural.
The gap between them was simply too massive.
Combat experience.
Quirk mastery.
Mentality.
Every single aspect was overwhelmingly different.
If Bakugo had somehow won despite all that…
that would have been the truly unrealistic outcome.
…
Lying weakly in the grass, Bakugo's face twisted in pain, cold sweat soaking his body.
The agony from his shattered limbs mixed together with dizziness from blood loss, making him feel as though he might black out at any moment.
But compared to the physical pain—
the blow to his spirit hurt far more.
He had lost again.
And this time, he had been crushed beyond recognition.
Even after developing a new move…
Even after changing his tactics…
Nothing had mattered.
The outcome never changed.
And the price of defeat—
was that Shigaraki had broken all four of his limbs.
Thinking of that, Bakugo forced himself to raise his head despite the dizziness and looked toward the nearby figure.
Over there, the man who had completely overwhelmed him moments earlier was calmly assigning tasks to the remaining grunts.
Looking at Shigaraki, Bakugo instinctively tried to clench his fists—
but the excruciating pain and complete loss of strength in his body made even such a simple action impossible.
Realizing that only made the despair even worse.
His teeth ground together so hard they creaked audibly, blood filling his mouth with the metallic taste of rust.
Unwilling.
He truly was unwilling.
Unwilling to accept another defeat.
Unwilling to accept that he had accomplished absolutely nothing.
But more than unwillingness—
what filled Bakugo's heart now was confusion.
And despair.
The overwhelming difference in strength between himself and Shigaraki had left him completely lost.
He genuinely did not know what he was supposed to do anymore.
He could not win.
He could not escape.
So what exactly was he supposed to do now?
Noticing Bakugo's unwilling stare, Shigaraki stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him.
"What?"
"You still expecting some hero to come save you?"
Bakugo did not answer.
But sometimes—
silence itself was the answer.
Clearly, just as Shigaraki said, he still had not completely abandoned hope.
Seeing through his thoughts, Shigaraki chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Give it up already."
"If those heroes were coming, they would've shown up long ago."
"They wouldn't wait until you were practically dead before appearing."
Then, after a slight pause, he continued:
"You know… people shouldn't place their hopes in others."
"Because when true suffering arrives, the only one who can save you in the end is yourself."
"Other people are unreliable."
After saying that, Shigaraki paused briefly again before speaking once more.
"Still… considering your potential, I'll give you one last chance."
"Join us."
"And I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
"I'll even heal your injuries."
"How about it?"
One last chance.
Bakugo immediately understood the meaning hidden beneath those words.
This was the final ultimatum.
If he refused again—
then death would undoubtedly follow.
At that realization, his heart tightened violently.
Because he truly did not want to die.
But he also did not want to become a villain.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Bakugo's mind.
If someone else were placed in his situation…
what would they choose?
Most people, he thought, would probably surrender.
After all—
refusing meant death.
And once they surrendered…
they would eventually be forced to kill someone as proof of loyalty.
Step by step, they would sink deeper into darkness until there was no returning.
As for smarter people—
they would probably pretend to surrender first, then wait for a chance to escape.
Unfortunately…
that path was useless too.
Because no one could avoid the "proof of loyalty" stage.
If you refused to kill—
you died immediately.
But if you did kill—
then you became a villain regardless.
The law would not care about excuses.
At that point, even if you never wanted to become a villain, you would still be forced onto that path.
In other words—
no matter which option you chose, the result remained the same.
There was never truly a choice to begin with.
Then…
if that person were him…
what would he choose?
Refuse?
Or refuse?
Thinking that far, Bakugo suddenly laughed softly.
Seriously…
hadn't he known the answer from the very beginning?
Slowly lifting his head, he opened his mouth and gave his final reply.
"Go to hell… bastard."
Hearing that answer, Shigaraki showed no anger whatsoever.
His expression did not change in the slightest.
Instead, he calmly pulled the handgun from his waist and sighed faintly.
"Is that your answer…"
"You know, I actually thought pretty highly of you."
"But unfortunately…"
"Different paths can never truly walk together."
"So all I can say is…"
"What a shame."
As he spoke, Shigaraki casually pulled back the slide of the pistol.
Then—
he aimed the muzzle directly at Bakugo's forehead.
Looking at the gun that was about to take his life…
Bakugo suddenly realized something strange.
He was not afraid.
Not even a little.
What filled his heart instead—
was only regret.
Regret that he had never become a hero.
And even more regret that he never got the chance to say those words to his idol, All Might—
"It's okay now… because I'm here."
Perhaps…
he would only be able to say them in another life.
Because now—
he was going to die.
Thinking that, Bakugo slowly closed his eyes.
And in the very next instant—
the gunshot rang out across the sky.
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