3,552This story has been beta by Ezylrb.
Almost to the end!
At first, silence reigned between them all, the tension rising. On one side was All for One, and on the other side, most of the users of One for All, along with a fading Shigaraki, aka Shimura Tenko.
"Danger incoming," stated Hikage, his Danger Sense ringing.
Right on cue, dozens of chains and rock streams rose up from the ground, trying to capture them all.
They immediately dodged before charging towards All for One, running on the chains or rocks to approach him.
"DIE!" shouted All for One as even more chains came from the skies, trying to capture them.
"You first asshole!" barked Kudo as he fired bullets that were accelerated via his Quirk.
"Why won't you die!" roared All for One
"You've lived way too long to say that," cracked Bruce as he punched a boulder out of the way.
All for One didn't get the chance to say anything as Hikage threw Izuku right towards his face with his legs, utilizing Danger Sense to dodge all his attacks.
Izuku roared as he punched All for One in the face, his fist already covered in Armament Haki. Several cracks appeared on All for One's face, but he retaliated by slapping Izuku away.
"Insolent!" shouted All for One as he tried to follow up on attacking Izuku, only to be forced to cover himself as Kudo began to spray and pray with hundreds of shattered boulders that Bruce helped destroy.
It was not simple to fight a giant who had lived for so long, dominating anyone in his path, whether by persuasion or force. Every hit merely enraged All for One even more as he summoned more obstacles to try to capture them, if not kill them. Despite their best efforts, Izuku was the only one who could really hurt All for One, which made him a bigger target to focus on. However, he was not the only sole focus of All for One.
"Gotcha!" shouted All for One as he managed to capture Kudo in chains, "This won't be the same as last time when you caught me off guard at our last meeting. I will crush you just like I did before almost 200 years ago, and I will enjoy it!"
Kudo grunted in pain as he felt All for One pulling him over before tightening his grip on him. He wasn't taking his time, like he did before when he was flesh and blood. No, Kudo knew that All for One knew he didn't have the time to relish the moment, and was trying to kill him as fast as possible. Kudo could see the others rushing towards them, but the amount of blockage All for One had created delayed them.
Kudo managed to get his hand free, raising it up in defiance towards All for One and raised his middle finger.
"Fuck you!" croaked Kudo as he spat out blood in one last act of his defiance.
All for One ruthlessly squeezed Kudo, causing Kudo to cough out more blood, even though he was just a shadow of his real self.
California Smash
Suddenly, raining down from above was Toshinori himself, in his All Might form, as he slammed a fist right onto All for One's head.
All for One involuntarily released his hold on Kudo from the surprise attack, allowing Kudo to escape.
"How!?" roared All for One.
"Even though I'm not dead, I still wielded One for All in the past," said All Might with a grin, "Whatever Izuku did, I was pulled into it. I got the info dump from En before I dove in. Now then All for One, we are here to stop you!"
All for One could feel his anger reaching to new heights at the inclusion of the newest intruder, but took it as a hidden blessing. All Might stood right next to Kudo as his most hated target. If he could crush him here, then the backlash would most likely leave the real Toshinori in a vegetative state, easy to have one of his remaining agents to assassinate.
"Whether you have come or not makes no difference!" roared All for One, "This is my mindscape, where I am the ruler! I am the law and order here, and you will fall! I won't hold back like before!"
What seemed to be countless chains suddenly appeared all around them, clearly intending on either capturing or skewering through them. Izuku closed his eyes for a second before blasting the area with Conqueror's Haki, causing the chains to quiver for a bit.
"That blasted technique!" growled All for One as the rest of the users of One for All smashed their way free, "It won't save you all the time. I've waited two centuries to kill you all, I can wait longer than you can resist!"
The fight that ensued lasted for what seemed to be hours. Despite getting some good hits in, they were invading All for One's mindscape, where he held most of the power. Unlike last time, where he invaded Izuku's mindscape to kidnap Izuku's quirk, only to be repelled because of Izuku's willpower as well as the devil within him.
Suddenly, the chains that All for One had been controlling slowed down, and some even turned around to attack All for One.
"What!?" exclaimed All for One in surprise before getting pummeled from all sides.
Quickly recovering, he looked towards one direction that he could feel the interference coming from. Shigaraki Tomura, or rather Shimura Tenko, was glaring at All for One with his body only half constructed, with Yoichi helping him up.
"It's not your body. It's MINE!" growled Tenko, "It's my mindscape as well! Meaning I have more control over this place than you!"
Tenko lifted his only constructed hand up, "You cultured my hate for heroes and everything else. Then it's only fair that you feel what you've made. MY HATE FOR YOU!"
Instantly, the chains that All for One had been controlling turned around to attack him. Some pierced through his avatar himself while others chained his body to restrict him.
"I will not be bitten by the dog that I raised!" raged All for One as he fought for control once more.
"Now's our chance!" shouted Kudo as he saw All for One wavering, "If we can get a clear shot, we might be able to knock him out of control forever!"
The users of One for All all rushed forward as one unit, intending to end this conflict. All for One roared as he managed to regain control and began to manipulate the surrounding area to attack them.
"Kid, you'll have to deliver the final blow!" shouted Kudo as he and Bruce tackled two giant fists with their own body to buy them time, "You're the only one who can truly damage his soul somehow!"
The others rushed forward, dodging a multitude of chains. Suddenly, chains sprouted from underneath Izuku, threatening to engulf him completely. Izuku had sensed it and was about to dodge backwards when Hikage, who also sensed it, pushed Izuku forward.
"No time, just go!" rasped Hikage as the chains pierced through his body, "You can't delay it!"
"All these chains are annoying the hell out of me! I'll take care of this!" shouted Lariat as he used his quirk to its fullest, letting his anger go to summon Black Whip. Black whip came out and spread itself into many whips, each one grabbing several chains to hold them still. Though he stopped a lot of them, he was left motionless and defenseless as several chains aimed for him.
"Go!" shouted Lariat, facing death in the face, as he had done before, "Take him out!"
The three left could only face forward as they rushed towards All for One before jumping into the air, the ground having given out on them.
Nana grabbed All Might and Izuku, using her quirk to fly into the air. Dodging several of the remaining chains, Nana threw All Might and Izuku up into the air with all her power.
The two soared into the air, hovering for a moment.
"Together?" asked Izuku, only for All Might to shake his head.
"This is your moment," said All Might as he held his fist up, "You're the only one who can really hurt him here is you. I can at least help you get there faster and hurt him more."
Izuku nodded as he quickly landed onto All Might's fist, quickly accelerating the blood in his body, turning his skin pink.
"Let's go! United States Smash Force!" roared All Might as he fired Izuku towards All for One with everything he had.
Izuku felt his eyes blur while his skin began to peel back, but he didn't hesitate. Instead, he used all his quirks to force him to go even faster towards a struggling All for One. Reeling his right hand back, Izuku used everything he had for this attack. All the quirks he had received from the other users, along with Armament and Conqueror's Haki. Not only that, but Izuku also enlarged his right fist to the same size as Gigantomachia's torso….., no, rather Izuku pushed it even further. The usual obsidian black armament began to give off a hint of red within the skin.
All for One felt fear when he saw Izuku's attack, and focused everything he had on Izuku. His body began to bloat as he called upon all remaining quirks that still obeyed him. Not caring about the combinations anymore, All for One used every offensive quirk he could think of and aimed them at Izuku, along with any chains or land mass.
"DIE!" roared All for One as he fired his ultimate attack.
Omni-Factor Unleash
Izuku held firm upon the mass of attack, no fear lingering in his eyes, only determination. He was going to end this feud once and for all.
United Nations SMASHHH!
Izuku's ultimate punch, composed of all the quirks from the previous users as well as the Haki he had learned, along with his enhanced strength and speed, launched right towards All for One.
The two attacks crashed into each other, emitting a lightning storm that shot bolts everywhere, and the clash looked even.
"This is my world! I control everything!" roared All for One as he managed to push forward a bit when he felt something suddenly hurt him.
He glanced down to not only see Tomura now touching him with his hand, but alongside dozens if not hundreds of shadows trying to drag him down. He recognized them as the past users of quirks he had stolen, now all trying to desperately distract him.
Izuku took this chance as he pushed forward with all his strength, his voice carrying through the realm as he roared. Then, somewhere in Izuku's own mindscape, the devil chuckled for a second.
'I should help out a little, even if it's not really my fight. My current host has been a rather amusing experience, especially with others that accompany me here,' chuckled the devil within Izuku before he let out the true power of his fruit inside Izuku for just a moment.
Izuku didn't notice, nor did anybody else, but for just a moment, Izuku's hair suddenly turned curly and white. Izuku noticed a massive increase in his strength, but didn't ponder about it as he pushed forward with his attack.
Soon, All for One's attack began to give way to Izuku's attack, pushing him back.
"No! I cannot lose. I will not lose in my own world where I am king!" shouted All for One as he managed to disperse the shadows trying to drag him down to focus on his attack once more.
"It's not your world. It's not even your own mindscape!" roared Izuku, "You're just a parasite whose time has come! This time, this fight between us will be over!"
Izuku's punch pushed through All for One's attack, slamming into his body and soul, breaking through everything. All for One could only watch helplessly as his attack shattered before feeling the full impact of Izuku's attack, sending him hurtling away towards darkness.
"Don't worry, this won't last long," whispered Tomura as he suddenly appeared in front of All for One, "I'll use the curse you gave me to end this."
With All for One already weakened from Izuku's attack, Tomura's quirk Decay quickly spread along his body and to his face. With one final scream, All for One shattered into pieces.
"Is it…. Finally over?" rasped Hikage as the other users of One for All came together.
"Looks like it," nodded Yoichi.
A floating orb hovered over where All for One used to be, making them all realize just what it was exactly. The quirk that All for One had named it after himself, All for One.
Tomura gently took the floating orb into his hands before staring at it, making the other users of One for All nervous. Kudo took a step forward, only to be stopped by Yoichi, who shook his head.
"All this time, I've been led to believe that everything I've done was my choice," said Tomura, "Only to find out some massive prick was manipulating everything. Well this time, I finally get to make my own choice!"
Tomura gripped the floating orb and activated Decay once more, destroying the essence of what made All for One.
Back at Tartarus, the real body of All for One seized up, coughing out blood.
"No. That brat actually did it!?" coughed All for One, "Impossible!"
All for One didn't say anything else as his body was wracked in pain from the sudden loss and connection from his original quirk. Though the prison wards watched the man writhing, they didn't do anything to help as they were worried that any interaction could lead to the man escaping.
The orb was reduced into dust before an explosion came forth, sending Tomura flying back into Izuku, who caught him.
Tomura coughed, wheezing in pain, but had a bloody smile on his face as he looked back forward.
"Not what I expected, but at least that bastard is out of my body now," wheezed Tomura.
Suddenly, the realm began to shake, causing them to stumble.
"This place is crumbling!" warned Yoichi as he noticed the edges for the mindscape beginning to shatter, "You all need to leave now!"
Everyone nodded and began flying or running towards a familiar bond, where En was waiting for them. Izuku and Nana were carrying Tomura with them.
Before All for One died, he activated one last quirk combination that he had been saving. It included a variety of mind quirks, but in short, it was mind destruction. He intended to take everyone else out with him.
Kudo was the first to notice as they were running away that Yoichi hadn't moved.
"What are you doing, let's get moving!" shouted Kudo, reaching his hand back to Yoichi.
Yoichi shook his head as he stared at the incoming void, "One for All's purpose has been fulfilled. Now it's time for this to truly end. I'll be here to watch my brother off before disappearing. Now go!"
The others slightly hesitated before leaving Yoichi, knowing he had made his choice. Yoichi stared into the void, his eyes never looking back as he welcomed the end. It had been 200 years since everything had started, and now, he would know rest. He closed his eyes as the void took over his body.
"We're not going to make it," grunted Kudo as he noticed the shattering pieces catching up to them.
He and Bruce glanced at each other before making a decision. A glance that Lariat and Hikage caught before nodding in agreement. Lariat suddenly bound Izuku, Nana, All Might, and Tmoura with his Black Whip, with Hikage jumping onto his back. Lariat jumped a little, landing on top of Bruce's hand while Kudo touched him.
"What are you doing!?" asked Izuku in shock.
"You all have to make it back," barked Kudo, "Our time is long overdue. Now GO!"
Bruce activated his quirk, using everything he had to hurl them towards the exit. Kudo used his quirk to accelerate Izuku's group faster to the exit.
As the two men watched the group shrink into the distance, they smiled as oblivion overtook them.
"We're not going fast enough," muttered Tenko as he glanced back, noticing the shattering pieces catching up to them.
"No worries, this isn't all that we got!" grinned Lariat as Hikage flipped backwards, "This is a multistage rocket!"
Hikage kicked Lariat's feet, adding to their momentum while Lariat began to spin, as if preparing a hammer throw.
"Get out of here!" roared Lariat as he flung the group towards the exit.
Izuku and the others could only watch as the two others fell towards the void. However, before it took them, the two merely smiled and saluted to them before disappearing. The Black Whip disappeared, but Izuku managed to stretch his arms around ALl Might and Tenko while Nana held onto his back.
The group were closing towards the exit, where they could see the light shining their way. But the shattering void was catching up to them even faster.
Nana gritted her teeth, ready to do her part and sacrifice when En suddenly came diving from the entranceway, his hand reaching towards them. Nana immediately stretched her hand out towards her mentor and predecessor.
"Don't look back and go!" shouted En as he grabbed Nana's arm and flung the group towards the exit, "It's time for the old generation to settle this and rest while the new one leads the path!"
Nana looked back to her mentor before shutting her eyes to look forward, ignoring her tears as they neared the exit.
The hole that En had been keeping open from their bond from One for All was starting to shrink, unable to sustain itself.
Nana knew it was her turn, and so with a spin, she hurled the remaining trio towards the exit.
The trio broke free back into the original barren landscape area, the vestige world of One for All and All for One, with the hole that Izuku had created by his punch was shrinking. Izuku let go of All Might and Teko onto the ground before quickly stretching his arm towards Nana, who was still inside the hole.
"Grab on!" shouted Izuku in desperation.
Nana took hold of Izuku's hand as Izuku began reeling her in as fast as he could. All Might quickly grabbed Izuku's arm and began pulling back to help. Izuku saw Tenko's hand reach out towards his outstretched arm, but strangely felt confident that he wouldn't do anything to sabotage him. That trust came true as Tenko carefully grabbed his outstretched arm and began to help pull as well.
"No…, not again!" growled All Might as he desperately tried to pull faster, "I won't be helpless this time!"
The hole was shrinking faster and faster and Izuku was trying to retract his arm as fast as possible.
"It's going to be close," judged Tenko as he pulled as hard as he could. Not only did he want to deny All for One his vengeance, he also had a few more choice words to say to his grandmother.
Everything seemed to slow for them all as the hole shrank even smaller just as Izuku's hand came out, followed by Nana herself, with the hole sealing shut. Everyone began to breathe heavily as they collapsed onto the floor.
"Master, your legs!" exclaimed All Might as he noticed something off.
Nana hadn't made it completely out when the portal closed. Her foot had been caught still in the void, cutting it off. What made it worse was that they could see parts of her starting to flake off.
"We didn't make it in time," said Izuku glumly.
Nana shook her head, "It's alright. It was my time to go anyway. Just being able to see all your faces one last time is enough."
"... no. NO!" raged Tenko as he stood up to face his grandmother, "I still haven't!... I still haven't told you…. how much I hate you."
"I know," said Nana softly as she gently patted Tenko's head, "But this moment will just have to be enough. Come. Let all your anger out on me. It's well deserved."
"I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" screamed Tenko as he pounded his fist onto Nana's shoulder, who merely leaned in to give him a hug, "I….. I don't want you to go yet. There's just too much to say!"
Nana glanced over to Izuku and All Might, gesturing with her head to go. The duo nodded and walked away towards the vestige world of One for All, turning back once to say their goodbyes before disappearing. Nana had chosen to live her last moments with her grandson.
The two were left alone, with Tenko crying into the last remnants of his grandmother as she slowly began to fade away, the bottom of her waist already disappearing.
"There's so much I wish I could've done, so much that I should've done," sighed Nana, "All of this. It's my fault that you suffered. I underestimated everything, from All for One's network to how my own son would feel when I sent him away, hoping he would be safe. A fool's errand, and one that caused him to spread his hate to his own kids. All for One may have had a hand in manipulating how you were raised, but Kotara's hatred stemmed from my own action. Grandma deserves all the hate you have for us heroes, and especially to me. Let grandma take all of your hate, but in return, please don't hurt yourself anymore with this hatred."
No more words were exchanged between the two as Tenko slowly raised his arm to hug his fading grandmother, savoring this one last exchange.
"Tenko," said Nana as she was just an arm and face left, "Tell me. Do you still have that quirk that bastard forced on you?"
Tenko shook his head, "When I used Decay on All for One, I didn't just use it on that quirk. I also used it on myself and destroyed all the upgrades the doctor gave me. The upgrades and the quirk were intrinsically linked, so destroying one destroyed the other. The backlash that was fostered on me was also destroyed. Guess I'm starting back from level one again."
"Then, if you're willing to accept it, let grandma give you one last gift before you go off," whispered Nana as she put her forehead against Tenko, "It's the least and only thing I can do now."
There was a small flash as Nana faded away, leaving Tenko alone, though her last face was a smile.
Izuku blinked as he felt himself pulling back to reality. Though it had seemed like hours had only happened in mere seconds. A quick glance to Toshinori in his Armored Might form revealed he was also back. Finally, Izuku looked over to where Shigaraki, or rather Tenko, was. Izuku's punch had launched him right into a building, the impact creating a crater in the building structure. To everybody else, all they witnessed was a punch that upon impact, created a bright flash of light as well as dark red lightning that seemed to come forth, hitting into mostly concrete. Then Tenko's body flew into a building at impossible speed, slamming into it.
"Is… is it over?" asked a hero cautiously.
It was a valid question, seeing how Tenko had tanked through all the top hero's attacks, barely even flinching, and yet this teenager's punch, who had only had a provisional license for a few months, somehow punched Tenko into a building.
Izuku jumped over towards Tenko, standing in front of the man, who was slowly stirring back up. The two looked at each other in silence as the other heroes tensed up at another possible confrontation. Then Tenko did something unbelievable to all of them.
"I surrender," said Tenko as he raised his arms up into the air.
"WHAT!?" screamed almost all the heroes who witnessed this.
To them, it felt rather anticlimactic, given the circumstances. However, only Toshinori, Izuku, and Tenko knew what had truly happened.
With the battle truly done, the surviving heroes took down the remaining Nomus as well as arresting all the villains. There had been some concerns in regards to holding Tenko captive with all his enhancements that he had been given. Not even Tartarus could guarantee his captivity with all the enhancement Dr. Garaki had given him.
"Yesss! You can't do anything to my masterpiece!" laughed Garaki out of madness, "Tomura! You haven't fully used your powers yet! The power that our master gave you! You-"
"Destroyed it," said Tenko, almost whimsically, causing Garaki to pause, "Thanks to some rather…. vivid flashbacks and truth reveals, this quirk I thought was originally mine was just one that the demon lord wannabe took from one of your facilities and put into me while stealing my original quirk. So it was only fitting that I used it to kill him and all that fancy enhancement you put in me. I'm back to being level one, but at least I'm not being manipulated by you two anymore. I won't be your puppet. And my name isn't Shigaraki Tomura. Not anymore. For now… I'm just Tenko."
Tenko refused to acknowledge the name All for One gave him, but he didn't want to take the Shimura name, nor his maternal family's name. But he would take the name his birth mother gave him. The one who truly showed love and care to him.
Garaki stared at Tenko, unable to process or grasp the fact that Tenko had thrown away everything that he and All for One had invested. His heart began to beat rapidly, so much that he was feeling light headed, his legs weak. In fact, one side of his face was starting to droop.
"Oh shit, I think he's having a stroke!" shouted one of the heroes, "Get him to the hospital asap! We can't lose him, at least not yet!"
Even with his own quirk extending his life, the man was over 120 years old, and getting up to his years. Afterall, it was only slower aging, not peak health coverage.
The aftermath of the battle had been exhausting for the heroes, but they weren't done yet. They were working with the police to track down any remaining PLF members, working with the hospital to help the wounded, assisting with search teams for any survivors, or aiding construction companies with demolition and rebuilding.
They were lucky the only real damage was primarily in Jaku city and the Gunga mountains. If Gigantomachia hadn't been stopped, the giant villain would have rampaged through several cities to reach Jaku, skyrocketing collateral damage.
Toshinori was sitting down, his armored suit having long run out of juice. He offered to still help out of his suit, even thinking about asking one of the heroes with electrical quirks to recharge his suit, but was gently and firmly told to rest by almost every hero in the area. Everyone respected Toshinori, but they were deeply regretful that a retired hero had to come out in the field once more to help them.
Toshinori understood their feelings, and decided to follow along. However, he still helped by directing rescue teams and coordinating with the police. His experience wasn't something that could be ignored, so the heroes dutifully followed his orders so long as he wasn't physically straining himself.
Some heroes who were severely injured tried to play it off to help out, but were firmly told to rest. An example would be…
"Fuck off! I can still help!" shouted Katsuki as he was somehow hogtied onto a stretcher thanks to Best Jeanist.
"You've strained all your muscles if not torn most of them, and you have severe fractures in almost all your bones. You're running on pure adrenaline right now," lectured Best Jeanist, "You've done more than enough. Your job now is to rest."
Katsuki growled as he struggled a little more before glancing over at Himiko, who had finished being stabilized. Several heroes were on guard against her, most of them having a tracking or perception quirk to make sure they weren't caught off guard. She would be sent to the hospital to have surgery before being sentenced and most likely put in jail.
"What about her? She saved me," croaked Katsuki as the adrenaline rush was wearing off on him, "I can't let her go to Tarturus without doing something."
Best Jeanist hesitated before his comms began to ring. Picking it up, he listened to what was being said before blinking in surprise. After that, he gave Katsuki a small smirk.
"Her case is apparently much more complicated than was thought. Apparently Hawks has promised to look into her case with the HSPC powers, but Madam President is currently in a coma. So he's 'making a deal' with the devil. I'm pretty sure we know who that is," said Best Jeanist softly.
Katsuki took a moment to process that before realizing just who was on the case now. He remembered his little confession to Hawks when he figured out he was a double agent, knowing he had some sort of pull as the number two hero of Japan. He also remembered Hawks promising he would do something about it.
"Guess that feathery bastard came through," said Katsuki as he kept his eyes trained on Himiko, who was being loaded into an ambulance.
Best Jeanist merely sighed before pulling Katsuki towards the ambulance that was loading Himiko.
As Katsuki was being dragged, his eyes met with Izuku, who was also being forced to rest for a bit. The two nodded, resolving to talk later after the whole thing.
"Take this one with you too," ordered Best Jeanist as he managed to force Katsuki to sit on the chair, "He needs medical attention as well. Plus, he's one of the few that can control her."
The other heroes blinked in confusion, but dumbly nodded, not wanting to disobey the current number three hero.
Katsuki sighed, his body groaning in pain, but he managed to slip his hand into Himiko's, who responded by grabbing it tightly.
"We'll figure this out. I promise," spat Katsuki before he leaned his head back, closing his eyes to rest.
Shoto was with Endeavor, watching as Dabi, aka real name Toya, was being put into a maiden after being defrosted. Without his destructive quirk, Dabi was unable to burn anybody else anymore. Though he didn't make it easy, struggling as much as he could as he tried to bite someone to pin the blame on Endeavor.
"I may be quirkless now, but I won't ever stop making sure that you suffer for your sins, Endeavor! I made sure your past would be exposed to the entire world while we fought! Everyone knows that everyone that I've killed is all because of you! I-"
"Your video was intercepted," interrupted a policeman, causing Dabi to freeze. "According to our expert, the video that you had Skeptic try to spread was stopped. She apparently claims it was easy, considering that she hacked into his system before and never changed his logarithms or whatever. So she intercepted everything before putting it into her private server. Endeavor will have to answer for what's on the video, but on our terms."
Skeptic began to froth at the fact that he, the self-proclaimed best hacker in the world, had been easily routed by a shut-in.
Dabi's mind broke as he couldn't handle the fact his masterful plan had been ruined. He was easily subjugated into the Maiden to be transported away.
"He's right, though," sighed Endeavor, "I am responsible for everything Dabi has done. In the end, I need to see this through. Once everything is settled… I plan to retire and spend the rest of my life making up not only to Toya, but also to the rest of my family. I am thankful the video did not spread, but I don't know if I can hide the truth from Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Rei. Especially with Rei just making a recovery. I don't want her to relapse so soon."
"We can't hide it from them forever," said Shoto, "They have to know."
"Just not now," reasoned Endeavor, "We'll let them know once we're done with this case."
Shoto closed his eyes before nodding in agreement.
Izuku sighed as he meditated for a bit, having been told to rest. He had been so used to having the past users of One for All within him, but now… only silence remained. All past users of One for All were gone besides Toshinori.
"They really are gone," muttered Izuku, feeling slightly alone. He had been used to the past users chiming in advice about their respective quirks, but he even talked to them about various subjects and their life stories.
Sinking deeper into his meditation, he tried to find the mindscape that was One for All to no avail.
"Did I lose One for All?" questioned Izuku when he found himself being pulled in deeper.
Blinking, Izuku stood in an unfamiliar room before realizing where he was. Taking a look around, he saw what seemed to be a wooden cabin that didn't seem out of place in a ship. He even saw a hammock, gently swaying about.
"Is this where the devil inside that fruit lives?" asked Izuku out loud.
"Yep," chuckled a voice.
Izuku turned around to see the devil walking into the room.
"It's a lot more quiet with them gone," said the devil as he hopped onto the hammock to lay back, "Honestly, it was an interesting experience compared to my previous hosts. I mostly just watched through my host's eyes and slept. Having some company was rather different. If anybody ate two Devil Fruits, we would end up arguing and fighting against each other to the point the host's body would explode."
"You almost did the first time," Izuku pointed out.
"Yes, well, that's beside the point. Plus, you survived, did you not?" coughed the devil, "I'm mostly here to let you know I'll probably be going to take a long nap. This will probably be the last time you hear from me. You'll still keep your powers, so don't worry about that. It's only gone when you're dead. But I was never meant to communicate with my host in the first place. It was only thanks to Yoichi and the others that it was possible. I'm also sure you've also noticed that with them gone, those quirks you used to use are gone. All you're left with is the embers."
Izuku nodded, still missing the previous hosts. He had noticed shortly after coming back from his battle that he couldn't use any of the previous quirks that had been in One for All, as the primary hosts for them had passed on. Though he still had the strength amplification part of it, he was sure they would soon fade as well.
"Well, that's mostly what I wanted to say," yawned the devil as he swung in his hammock, "Going to take a nice long nap. But before you go, something for you."
The devil tossed a shining orb towards Izuku, who managed to catch it in time. Before he could say anything though, Izuku felt himself being tossed out the door. Izuku's last glimpse into the room was the devil waving goodbye before shutting the door in front of him and disappearing.
Izuku was left in the inky void that used to be One for All, holding the shimmering orb in confusion.
"What do I do with this?" asked Izuku out loud, but getting no response from the void.
Curious, Izuku decided to gently poke the orb with his other hand to see if there would be any sort of reaction. As soon as he made contact, the orb began to shine brightly, causing Izuku to shield his eyes.
The light soon died down, allowing Izuku to see once again. Izuku was shocked to see Yoichi and the others standing in front of him.
"You guys lived!?" smiled Izuku, only to stop as he felt something was off. He couldn't sense their presence like he did before.
"Hello there Midoriya," greeted Yoichi, "This is just a recording that I made with the help of others. I gave this to your other source of power in case we don't make it through this final fight. Hopefully you won't need to see this, but I have a feeling that this may be the last chance to do so."
Yoichi took a deep breath, "I have a feeling our next fight against All for One would be our final fight. We've been fighting for so long without any real rest, always worrying about what my brother was going to do. When we finally put him down, it may take all of our strength and perhaps our own lives. Not that we can really call ourselves alive as we only exist within One for All. But the point remains that we're willing to sacrifice ourselves once more to end this threat. What worries me is the aftermath. With us gone, One for All will most likely cease to exist, as well as our quirks that you were able to use. But we're confident that even with us gone, you will be fine, especially with your training with Haki. Still, it would be rude of us to leave you without saying a proper goodbye."
Kudo scoffed from his place, leaning against the wall, but he grunted in agreement before looking over, "You'll do fine kid. Just keep your head up and straight."
"Keep it with your workouts and don't get lazy!" advised Bruce.
"Don't be like me and become a hermit," warned Hikage, "Bonds are important."
"What he said," grinned Banjo as he put his arm around Hikage, "And don't let your guard down even if All for One is gone."
"Another may try to take his place, but we believe you can handle it," nodded En.
"And don't forget to smile," said Nana softly but firmly, "Reach your hand to those in need. And tell Toshi that he's not allowed to come find us until he lives a full life."
Yoichi smiled before holding out his hand, as if to shake Izuku's hand. Izuku's hand automatically rose to meet his, only to find in shock it felt solid.
"I wouldn't be fair if we left without one final gift," said Yoichi, "Though it's not much, it's something we can still do."
Everybody else also got up, putting a hand on top of Izuku's before a bright light flashed once, causing Izuku to close his eyes. Izuku opened his eyes once more to see them all gone, which saddened him once more before noticing the orb still in his hand. Izuku looked at the orb in confusion, sensing familiarity to it before realizing just what it was.
It was One for All, specifically the stockpile portion of it. Izuku could still use the super strength portion of it, but it would never be transferred to another host again as Yoichi, the primary reason why it had been able to pass through the generations, was no longer there. Nor did it have any of the previous hosts' quirks. But this ensured that Izuku could use it as necessary.
"Everyone," said Izuku inside the void alone, "I won't let you all down. I'll keep going forward as a hero, never straying from my path. To be a hero that saves others."
Toshinori was helping direct the rescue effort when his comms began ringing. Curious, he answered in time to hear a heavily breathing Nighteye.
"Mirai, what's going on?" asked Toshinori, "Why do you seem so out of breath?"
"Besides the fact you went out to fight in the front line despite your recovering health?" asked Nighteye sarcastically before clearing his throat, "We got word from Tartarus. Something has happened to All for One. Apparently right after Deku punched Shigaraki, he began to spasm. The guards thought he was trying to escape, and activated the emergency protocols to neutralize him. But before they could do so, the villain suddenly stopped struggling before falling into some sort of coma. They're not sure if it's a trick or not, but his heart rate has been slowing down drastically so they think it might flatline soon."
Toshinori had to fight a smile that threatened to come out at the news that his nemesis was most likely never to recover, not after that fight.
"If it does, then let it," said Toshinori shamelessly, "He's lived far too long anyways. Especially not since his original quirk was just destroyed."
"What?" questioned Nighteye flatly.
"Long story, I'll explain it later. Just know that the kid finished off what the first started, what I couldn't do properly. All for One's quirk is no more," said Toshinori, "Just help organize the cleanup."
"Fine," sighed Nighteye, "But one last thing. Put your comms into all channels and let everyone know that this war is over."
"Why not you?" questioned Toshinori.
"You know why," said Nighteye sharply, "Even though you're a retired hero even if you don't act like one, everyone would feel much better if you were the one to announce it than me."
Toshinori nodded as he turned his comms to all channels for the public announcement.
"Everyone," said Toshinori calmly, causing all heroes to turn up their comms, eager to listen to what he had to say.
"We've successfully apprehended the main targets of the PLF members. Their leader has surrendered to us peacefully. This battle, we have won! And how did we win and stop the villains from their plan to bring ruin to Japan? Because WE ARE HERE!"
Everyone cheered as they had successfully routed the PLF's plan to conquer Japan.
Originally planned to end it on this chapter, but I decided to split it up. Next chapter will definetely be the last one! Hope you guys enjoyed the ride!
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get to read my chapters earlier!