All Might's voice echoing inside the ruined bar was like an earthquake to us hiding across the street. It was the voice of hope, the voice of inevitable victory. I saw Kirishima clench his fist, tears of relief almost falling from his eyes. Midoriya, at his side, was trembling violently, not from fear, but from the overwhelming awe of seeing his idol in action. Even Todoroki, with his icy composure, couldn't hide the flicker of relief in his eyes. For a moment, we all thought it was over. We thought that with the arrival of the Symbol of Peace, the game was up.
We were all very wrong.
From our limited vantage point, all we could see were flashes of light and the deafening sound of impacts. Dust and smoke billowed from the gaping hole in the bar's wall, making it difficult to see what was actually happening inside. I pressed the communicator to my ear, trying to listen to the pro heroes' reports, but all I got was static and broken, frantic shouts.
"What's happening?" Uraraka whispered, having rejoined us after ensuring the back area was clear.
"All Might is fighting," Todoroki replied. "But... this is strange. The fight should have been over by now."
He was right. Against ordinary villains, even the entire Vanguard Action Squad, All Might should have been able to wrap things up in seconds. The fact that the fight was still going on meant something was wrong. The dragon's heartbeat in my chest, which had calmed when All Might arrived, now began to pound again with an erratic rhythm, a sign of a danger I didn't recognize. The Yozakura token in my pocket felt as cold as ice.
In a different location, several blocks from us, another battle was unfolding with deadly silence. The Intel Team led by Edgeshot had successfully infiltrated the warehouse we believed to be the Nomu factory. The scene inside was a nightmare from science fiction. Rows of giant glass tubes lined up like pillars in a twisted temple. Inside, floating in a murky green liquid, were humanoid figures in various stages of development—some just clumps of muscle, others already having the horrific shape of the Nomu we fought at the USJ and in the forest. The air was filled with the pungent smell of chemicals and the faint odor of death.
"Kamui, secure the researchers," Edgeshot hissed through the communicator, his body having thinned into a thread and slithered through a vent in the ceiling. "I'll handle these tubes."
Below, Kamui Woods sprang into action. "Lacquered Chain Prison!" he yelled. Countless wooden branches exploded from his arms, quickly ensnaring the panicking lab-coated researchers and a few low-level guards. He worked quickly, trying to incapacitate everyone before they could activate a defense system or release more monsters.
Edgeshot, who had now returned to his normal form on a catwalk above, observed the main control panel. He was a hero who relied on speed and precision. He shot down, and with a lightning-fast movement, he used his razor-sharp fingertips to cut essential cables, shutting down the life support system for the incubation tubes. Alarms began to wail. His mission was almost a success. But as he was about to destroy the main console, a large shadow emerged from the darkness behind a stack of tubes. It was a different Nomu. Bigger. Smarter. Its eyes weren't empty; they shone with a cunning intelligence. The battle in the Nomu factory had just begun.
Back in front of the bar, the fight was reaching its critical point. All Might moved like a golden-blue storm. Gran Torino shot around like a green bullet, his kicks keeping Dabi and Spinner busy. Kamui Woods, with part of his power at the factory, was still able to grow wooden branches through the hole in the wall to try and capture Mr. Compress and Toga.
"This isn't going to work, Tomura Shigaraki!" Kurogiri yelled, his misty body swirling to try and engulf his comrades and escape. "We're outnumbered!"
Shigaraki scratched his neck frantically, flakes of dry skin falling away. "No... no! This isn't over! This isn't... going according to my plan!"
Suddenly, just as Kamui Woods was about to successfully capture Shigaraki, the villains' bodies were abruptly jerked. A strange, thick black liquid erupted from their mouths and pulled them backward forcefully, as if they were puppets being pulled by invisible strings. They were all being pulled toward a new, much larger and darker Warp Gate that had opened behind the bar.
"What is that?!" Gran Torino exclaimed.
All Might realized what was happening. This was a forced teleportation Quirk. And it didn't belong to Kurogiri. With one final priority in his mind, he ignored the retreating villains and charged toward the only thing that mattered. "YOUNG BAKUGO!"
He managed to grab Bakugo, pulling him away from the reach of the black liquid, and leaped out of the building just as a calm, polite, and anciently powerful voice was heard from within the Warp Gate.
"You have failed again, Tomura. But that is alright. A teacher must be prepared to teach his student again and again."
As All Might landed on the ruined street, holding the still-furious Bakugo, the ground in the center of the block exploded upward. Debris of asphalt and concrete was thrown into the air. From the newly formed crater, a figure rose slowly. He didn't look threatening at first glance. He wore a neat, dark business suit. But he had no face. The top of his head was a horrific network of scar tissue, and the lower half of his face was covered by a complex black respiratory mask with tubes extending to his neck.
As he rose, I felt a reaction I had never experienced before. The dragon's heartbeat in my chest no longer pounded or pulsed. It screamed. A silent scream filled with pure, primal terror. It was the fear of a powerful beast suddenly confronting the apex predator of the food chain, the devourer of all devourers. The Yozakura token in my pocket became so cold it felt like it was burning, as if all the warmth had been sucked out of it. I fell to my knees in the dark alley, clutching my chest, my breath catching in my throat.
"Tatsumi-kun! What's wrong?!" Midoriya asked frantically at my side.
I couldn't answer. I could only stare at that figure. I knew who he was. The whole world knew who he was, though they thought he had died years ago. The Symbol of Evil.
"It has been a long time since we have met like this, hasn't it, All Might," All For One said, his calm, polite voice coming through a small speaker in his mask, a voice completely at odds with his terrifying presence.
All Might placed Bakugo behind him. His face was no longer smiling. It was an expression of the deepest seriousness. "All For One," he growled.
"I came to retrieve my failed student," All For One said, raising a hand. "But seeing you here... this is a delightful bonus."
I, still kneeling in the alley, was trembling uncontrollably. This was different. Knowing something from a story was one thing. Feeling a presence so overwhelming and malevolent firsthand was another. This was a power that could destroy the world.
In the midst of the destruction, under the night sky of Kamino illuminated by fire and ice, the demon of all stories had risen. And the Symbol of Peace, my hero, now stood on the brink of his final battle.