Kaminari looked out the school window in thought.

Japan was looking bleak nowadays. Before Garou came along, going to a Hero school was the peak of social status, UA especially.

Now, parents are doing their best to dissuade their children from risking their lives after Garou turned Japan upside down.

It happened without warning, Heroes falling, failing, a sea of bodies expanding with each defeat. No deaths, but… the fear was there.

And it was intense.

Kaminari wondered if the UA Test Exams would be more lenient since they would probably do their best to get students to enroll now. The same goes for other schools.

In another school, Shoji could see everyone looking at him with suspicion.

Since Garou became Lord of Hosu and his video went viral, many heteromorph-type Quirk users flocked to Hosu.

One of Garou's new laws allowed local law enforcement to punish mutant discrimination at a certain level with conditions. The condition is 'mob mentality' level persecution, a group of two or more verbally or physically assaulting another mutant unprovoked. The first offense was thousands of yen, the second offense would lead to prison and a restraining order.

Mezo Shoji's family considered moving to Hosu out of consideration for the benefits, but Shoji refused to.

Garou provided a haven for mutants, which was a good thing, Shoji admitted, but he did nothing to uplift the overall image of mutants out of the negative light. Shoji did not want to run away… he wanted to show the world that appearance did not dictate one's destiny in this judgmental world his way.

Jiro played the electric guitar, the tune humming a somber yet revolutionary mood.

Her parents were worried. She was worried. Her dream of being a hero was cast in a shadow of fear and mistrust.

She did not know what to do; her parents were worried sick.

To follow through in being a hero… or abandon it for safety.

Toru Hagakure was unsure since her parents were scared that she might suffer injuries. They do not know when Garou would resume his Hero Hunts at the drop of a hat.

Eijiro Kirishima made up his mind. For too many times he had been disheartened that Garou hunted Crimson Riot and pretzeled him, yet Crimson Riot remained strong and spirited, refusing to break down. He should not break down as well.

He must become a Hero to rise and challenge Garou for the honor of all of the Heroes he defeated.

Mina Ashido, the cute pink-skinned girl with black-sclera eyes, remained strong in her choice to attend UA. Hero Society looked bleak, but that didn't mean she shouldn't give up her dreams.

Mineta… gave up on the Hero Exam. He surrendered, absolutely. There was no way he would join the body pile. The women… What was the point of trying to become cool if he ended up dead or worse?

Fumikaga Tokiyami remained undeterred by Garou's overwhelming presence in Japan. His choice remained set despite the obstacle, such was the stubbornness of those that dwell within the darkness.

Hanta Sero did not like this. His only power was to shoot tape out of his elbows, he didn't know how that could help him survive the incoming tsunami that was Garou and his Silver Fang.

Yaoyorozu Momo's family was in a bind as her father was under investigation for tax evasion. Momo couldn't believe that her family would resort to such underhanded methods to gain wealth and power, and her father was staving off the investigators with all of his power. It inflamed her desire to enter UA so that she may be able to salvage her family name and help support her family from troublesome times.

Tsuyu Asui talked with her friend. They discussed whether or not they should join a Hero School, but considering the dangers and current mood of Japan, it might be too dangerous. Even so, her friend was adamant in joining one as she was afraid that if she didn't, she wouldn't molt out of her skin, as she said, wanting to change herself.

Tsuyu understood that feeling. She spent so much of her time trying to enroll in UA that she might as well test her luck.

Yuga Aoyama was now preparing to move to Hosu with his parents. His parents could not ask for help from the government as All For One had his eyes on them. They had made a deal with a Devil, so they should see if they could find protection under a Demon as strong as the Devil.

Mashirao Ojiro just couldn't do it.

He tried copying the techniques of the Hero Hunter, mimicking his movements to see if he could obtain the same results, but he just couldn't. In secret, he was one of the rare few who admired the Hero Hunter and wanted to become a Hero.

The idea that one did not need a Quirk to make waves in the world appealed to an average person like him, a guy whose only Quirk was a strong tail.

Koji Koda was scared, but he hoped that Garou and his guild wouldn't go for people like him. Koji's Quirk was not that strong offensively, though it was versatile. He just couldn't imagine the animals hurting Garou without Garou turning his rage toward him.

He still had to go to UA, not only to make his parents proud but also to become someone he could be proud of.

Rikido Sato was undeterred. He would go to UA no matter the current climate.

Ochako Uraraka was still adamant about her choice to join. Demand was high and supply was low, so she might be able to support her parents better.

The world was in doubt, the next generation threatened to be stunted by the wall of fear Garou erected from his shadow.

The future looked bleak… darkness looming over the horizon.

However…

They did not know the man that started it all and what he gave in return for the trouble he caused.

---

It was a strange thing… His eyes were open yet he felt adrift in sleep, the darkness that always comes when he closed his eyes becoming a sky he could gaze upon, no source of light seen yet he could see the land around him brightly as if daylight graced upon it.

Toshinori Yagi couldn't help but look around and then down on himself. He was in his emaciated form, but it was healthier, blood circulating through his system without impediment, energy and vitality coursing through with each beat of his heart.

He wondered where he was. Toshinori looked down on his hands, clenching his fists. He could feel every flex of his finger in this lucid dream, a question whether he was in one or if another reality absconded him.

He looked up.

A woman was standing before him, someone he couldn't believe was there after all this time.

"...Impossible…" Toshinori couldn't believe it.

His mentor, the previous wielder of One For All before him, he never thought he would ever see her face again in person. Tears started to swell in his eyes as his legs nearly gave out.

"It's been a while, Toshinori." She smiled at him.

The beautiful face, the small mole below her bottom lip, sharp eyes brimming with hope and strength.

She was still wearing her bodysuit hero costume. He couldn't forget that long cape fluttering behind her.

"...Is this a dream?" He asked her.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn't muster the words or strength to say them all.

"In a way, yes and no. You are dreaming, but this is not a simple dream. I believe that whatever you did to yourself is responsible for One For All's rapid change. You seem to be in great trouble, aren't you?" She smiled coyly as she placed her knuckles at her hips.

"Erk…" Toshinori blushed and sheepishly rubbed his hair. "...Were you watching me?"

Assuming that this was the infamous afterlife.

"It is the first time I saw someone scare you more than Gran Torino." Nana Shimura smiled with a warm giggle.

"Hahaha… Honestly, he scares me more than All For One." Toshinori admitted to his shame with an awkward smile. "It's different with him. He has the power to truly end society whenever he could… and I am not in a position to stop him. And…"

Nana's smile fell.

"...You're in a difficult position."

"Yes." He nodded. "It is… beyond my expertise. Yet, I am still willing to try. Nothing I learned throughout my time as a hero will work. Everything I stand for is being put to the test right here, I… cannot save the day like before."

"Because you lost to him the first time."

"Yes." He nodded. "I honestly didn't think that he would change like this. He has come so far compared to the wild man I confronted on the street."

A small silence descended between them. Nana still smiled at him, it was a motherly smile that brought security whenever he recalled it during dark times.

"I wish I could've helped you sooner."

"Hahaha. Are you saying that you can come back from the dead now? Can One For All do that?" Toshinori joked.

"In a way, I am still dead yet present. There isn't much time, Toshinori. I am not the only one here. The others are still trying to adapt to the changes in your body. For the first time, One For All is in a body with different samples of DNA. One For All grows stronger whenever the Quirk is transferred from host to host. But what if the definition of host is determined by their genetics, not their sense of identity?"

Toshinori stared at her as he slowly understood.

"...Are you saying that because of the transplants, the Quirk evolved more than it should've when it returned to me?"

It was not something Toshinori had considered. The possibility was very ghoulish, and there was tremendous risk of such transplants, especially when it came from an organ with a foreign Quirk inside its genetics.

Shimura nodded.

"Yes. We could feel the changes. Before, we couldn't hope to manifest ourselves. But in due time… Ah. Toshninori, it seems our time is up." She smiled as Toshinori's eyes slowly grew heavy.

"I hope we can talk again. I want to hear more from you about this Garou next time. Remember, you're not alone in your struggles anymore."

Toshinori opened his eyes.

He was staring at the ceiling of Izuku's living room from the sofa.

He still couldn't believe that he was here, living inside Izuku's house.

His mother, Inko Midoriya, did look much like Nana Shimura, though easily overwhelmed.

He got up and looked down on himself.

He was still in his muscle form through it all. Toshinori did feel as if his Quirk was stronger than when he gave it away, but to think that the transplants would help him. Toshinori deflated back to his skeletal… no, his normal form as he changed his clothes, wearing his tracksuit.

He exited the apartment and started jogging around the area, exercising now that he had his health restored.

Toshinori was still preparing for his comeback as was Garou. Garou wanted to wait until his new arena was finished, something that Toshinori agreed to at least.

He still wanted to talk about how the fight should go… and discuss his price.

Toshinori hoped Garou wouldn't force him deeper into debt.

Or force the Public Safety Bureau into a financial crisis.

Toshinori paled in his jog as he imagined Garou actually doing it, laughing tyrannically over countless bankrupted servants of the country.

Or drove the entire country into bankruptcy and truly ruled Japan as Supreme overlord.

Honestly, it scared him that Garou could do that. He could've done anything at this point to Japan, the wounded animal that it was.

Toshinori hoped that wasn't the case as he ran towards Dagoba Beach. It shouldn't be that far…

Toshinori wondered why he kept thinking of that place. It was where he lost, his first loss against someone other than All For One.

Now it was also the place where Garou used to frequent…

Toshinori realized that he hoped to see him there by chance to talk. There was much on his mind currently.

The streets illuminated by the yellow rising dawn, shadows of buildings and street poles and wires elongating and rotating under the angular whim of the slow moving sun under the gentle blue.

He ran by the side of Dagoba Beach, across the sidewalk beside the beige sands.

Sitting on the edge, at the dividing line between sand and concrete, Garou was, to his surprise, there.

He was not alone.

Sitting a few meters beside him, there was another man in a demon mask, a man with a top hat looking at the horizon.

Garou was looking at his phone, having earphones on for once.

They look like they were there to relax… or one of them was, the other accompanying him.

"...Is he your new bodyguard?" Toshinori asked as he jogged towards Garou.

Garou turned towards Toshinori as he pulled one earphone out.

"Hm? Who is he?" The stranger asked.

"Someone I know. Don't mind him; he's harmless," Garou assuaged his companion.

"Really? I didn't think you knew someone so… Hmmm, I would say skeletal, but he looks like he needs some fat in his diet."

Toshinori could only smile at the default description of him as he sat down in between them.

"Honestly, I am surprised that he's even exercising at this hour. Can't sleep? Or are you enjoying your newfound health?" Garou asked.

"A bit of both. Toshinori Yagi," Toshinori introduced himself to the stranger.

"Call me Mr. Compress. I am surprised that you're not scared or running away at the sight of me with my mask on," Mr. Compress responded amicably.

"Hahaha. Once you know the man behind the mask, you don't see him the same way," Toshinori explained.

"A true statement." Garou said as he looked at his phone.

Toshinori peeked at the phone.

"May I ask to know what you are watching?" Toshinori noticed Garou playing a video on his phone.

"Ever heard of the 'merciful criminal' Gentle?" Garou asked.

"...I think. Is he the Villain posting his crimes on the internet?"

Garou showed the phone screen to Toshinori as he unplugged the earphones from the phone and increased the volume.

[Now watch as I, Gentle, infiltrate the den of corporate evil and raid its secrets! Behold, the undeniable archive of all of their deeds in digital format!]

On the screen, Toshinori watched the mustached man with gray hair, Gentle, enter through the door of what looked like an office. The man wore an eye-mask, his hair combed, bearing the theme of a classy combat butler in a superhero's theme.

[Le Brava! I am in need of your skills!]

Toshinori didn't understand what was happening since he didn't watch it from the beginning. He saw a petite woman with red twintails and an eye-mask hopping onto the computer and started typing on the keyboard.

"Um, what am I looking at?"

"Gentle breaking into the office of a man rumored to support anti-mutant movements." Garou answered as Toshinori broke his eyes from his screen and looked at the man in question.

"I am working on something fun. Also, take a look at this."

Garou smiled as he switched the video.

"This is a recording from my first personal training with my followers. I am already reaching the fifty thousand mark."

"Eh? EHGH?! Fifty thousand?!"

Fifty thousand was a number that greatly surpassed the number of heroes, could threaten Japan even before half of the heroes resigned due to Garou's Hero Hunting.

However, with the combined forces of the heroes of Japan, they could suppress even hundreds of thousands of villains with enough planning and resources. It was not without casualties and risk, however.

Toshinori stared at Garou as the number started to crush his mind before his eyes returned to the phone.

Rows of heteromorphs and humans stood equidistant from each other as Garou gave the speech on the concept of his main martial art.

It was similar to how Garou and Ghin lectured Izuku and Iida on the practice of the martial art as Garou ordered them to wear their training weights.

Polymer vambraces and greaves armored their wrists and shins, each follower turned on their training weights as the equipment inflated.

It looked like their arms and legs became anvils.

Men and women of all shapes devolved into cavemen, down on all fours, many faces warped by their external and internal struggles.

[My hands!]

[Why is… Oh my God, it's heavy!]

[Nnnnnnngh!]

[I am the DESTROYERRRRRRRRRRR!] One heteromorph shouted, mostly to motivate himself despite how silly it sounded.

Toshinori could hear many voices crying out of frustration.

[Now that you got that out of your system, your first order. Walk up the stairs with those things.]

[...Stairs?]

"...Eh?" Toshinori couldn't believe the words coming out of his lips.

[From the first floor of this building to the roof.]

[[[[[[EEEEEEEEHHHHH?!]]]]]]

The rest clamored.

[Wait, wait, wait, how many floors are there in this building?!]

[That's impossible! Our arms will fall off!]

[This is too much!]

The protest was inevitable, though Garou in the video scoffed.

[Didn't I say you'll cry and sweat blood?]

[[[THIS IS DIFFERENT!]]]

They retorted in unison, which Toshinori agreed.

[Hah, pansies. How about this? We'll make a checkpoint rule. Anyone that reaches the twenty-fifth floor will get to skip this hell the next day. Anyone that gets to reach the fiftieth floor will receive special training. The first one that reaches the roof… shall be my personal apprentice here.]

The protests were silenced. Garou lit a flame into their hearts as their protests turned into furious mutters amongst themselves, their desire to become a true disciple overcoming their resistance against the torturous training to come.

[Oh, and no sabotage or anything else like that. And no Quirks. You'll be exiled, no exceptions. Any questions?]

A sea of hands raised into the air from the trainees, albeit their limbs struggled to maintain their lift against the ridiculously heavy weights on their arms.

Toshinori couldn't help but smile at the young fiery spirits as Garou picked one of the trainees to ask.

---

She had been here before when All Might returned from abroad from his stay in America.

She inhaled the air and drank the current setting of the City of the Demon Lord in Japan.

She was so absorbed in her little world that she didn't notice how many people looked at her strangely, a shady, muscular character in a heavy black trench coat, a balaclava and sunglasses, heavy black jeans and boots covering her lower half, not a single inch of skin shown.

Hosu was now the city of mostly Heteromorphs, a paradise of outcasts and those that wish to start anew away from the problems of Japan… or so she heard.

"Hey, you there."

She turned to the voice.

A gaggle of masked goons approached her. Two of them were big, one as big as her.

They were all wearing masks, five total, three around the average size, four heteromorphs, one human.

"Why are you wearing something so suspicious in the open? I know it's the winter season, but you're drawing too much attention."

She smiled. She couldn't contain the laughter and excitement inside her gut anymore.

"Ku. Ku hu hu hu hu hu."

She placed both her knuckles on her hips, emulating the iconic pose of her role model.

"Wait… that pose… that body shape…" The giant heteromorph wearing the mask of the Silver Fang leaned forward a little, the one as tall as her.

He took off his mask, showing his singular cyclops eye.

"All Might?" He guessed.

"All Might?" The others looked at her closely.

She continued to laugh.

"Wait, wait wait wait wait wait. There's no way that's All Might."

"It sounds like a 'she'."

"A woman with that build?"

"I… Amazon muscle-women do exist. Look at Magne."

"But honestly, the width and height are the same as his. And why are you laughing like that? Are you alright in the head? The nearest mental hospital is that way, though the construction isn't finished."

It was time to reveal herself.

She took off her coat, her mask, and glasses.

"I do not need your advice, villains! For I! AM! Star and Stripe! Disciple of All Might! And I am here to end your tyranny!"

Star and Stripe announced herself to the world in such a grandiose fashion that everyone couldn't process the sight of her.

"...Did All Might undergo gender-swapping surgery or something?" The cyclops pointed at her.

"My god, her musculature…"

"Is that really a Female All Might?"

"Does he have a daughter?"

"And that jawline, how does it match All Might's jaw so well?"

Her debut was ruined by the insulting comments on her appearance.

"I'll have you know that I grew up this way naturally! And you should prepare yourselves for prison!"

The five stared at her before exchanging glances. Their reaction to her presence was not of panic or the usual standard villain behavior… They were too dismissive.

"...If you're here to challenge Garou, please know that the arena is under construction. Please wait until it is finished, Miss… Star and Stripe."

"...Wait, do you not know who I am?" Star and Stripe asked.

"Should we?" The only human asked.

"I am the Number One Hero in America! I am only second to All Might in terms of strength and track record! And I am here to put an end to-"

"Whoa, I remember her now! The female All Might!" The other giant heteromorph pointed at her. His only defining feature was that his skin was grey, his head was bald, and he had metal bolts in his joints.

Star and Stripe had never had this happen to her before, being treated with such… casual disregard.

"Yeah, I think I remember. The All Might look-alike in America, uh, some girl he saved way back when grew up into a Hero. She is famous on the internet for being so similar to All Might that they weren't sure whether she resorted to surgery to look like this or something."

"Which website was that?"

"Dunkinheroes dot com."

"Hah! Like that Dunkin Doughnuts franchise?"

"Alright, enough!" She would not take any more lip from them. "Listen here! I am here on behalf of justice! For every Hero your 'Hero Hunter' had caught, for every dream he shattered with his hands, I will-"

One of them whipped out a phone and started dialing a number.

"What are you doing? Calling your leader?" She asked.

"Nope. Calling the police to arrest you."

"What?" Star and Stripe blinked rapidly. "There is no way that the law will arrest another hero."

"They will."

"On what account?" She dared.

"Uhhhh, disturbing the peace?"

"What? Disturbing the-It's obvious that your band of vagabonds disturbed the peace!"

"Hey, what is going on here?!"

Arriving much, much earlier than expected, Japan's law enforcement walked up to them from behind the female All Might.

"Ah, officer! I, Star and Stripe, am here to assist you all in ending Garou's tyranny! Call upon the other heroes, and we shall vanquish these-"

Click!

Star and Stripe stopped when she felt cold metal on one of her wrists.

"...What are you doing?" Stars asked as the officer clicked the handcuffs to her other wrist.

"Arresting you."

"...For what?"

"You are disturbing the peace of the private property of the Silver Fang. Please cooperate as we bring you in."

Star wasn't sure if her understanding of Japanese was skewed when her brain processed his response.

She threw her head back towards the grunts, seeing them… recording her with their phones.

"No! No no no! You shouldn't be doing this! Shouldn't the law back up the Heroes?!"

"I assume you're from overseas. Do you even have permission to operate on foreign soil?" The officer asked.

His question ran her over like a truck. It was a question she knew the answer to all too well.

"But this is an emergency! Your country is in a national crisis, the worst it has ever seen since-"

"He is also the Lord of Hosu and Japan has acknowledged his authority and right as ruler, unfortunately for you. And… Well, surprisingly, out of everyone here, you're the one causing trouble unprovoked."

"E-E-E-EHHHH!?" Star and Stripe couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth as he pulled her away from the group recording her with their phones.

"Stop! This isn't right! National laws should be put aside when taking down evil! Like traffic laws!"

"Do we look evil to you?" One of the Silver Fang asked.

"Hell, yeah!" She shouted.

"Then you're as discriminatory as I thought." The heteromorph called out.

"D-Discrimatory?!" She shouted.

"Some of us didn't choose to look like this, you know? So much for Hero philanthropy and advocating for equality, heh."

"American racism at its finest."

"The land of discrimination showing their true colors."

She couldn't believe that she was losing in a battle of words with common thugs.

"That's not the point! Stop! Let me go!" Stars shouted as a crowd slowly gathered and watched the police slowly bring her into the police car parked beside the sidewalk.

This wasn't supposed to happen! She was to save the day and bring peace to the land of his idol and role model!

She could escape with her superior Quirk and physical prowess, but that would make her a criminal…

Resisting arrest.

And the fact that she arrived here unsanctioned didn't help her case.

The amazon could see many people murmuring and taking out their phones to record the scene.

Her foot stomped the car door frame as she resisted 'arrest.'

"Come on, miss 'hero'. Don't make this too hard on me. We all have to follow some rules here."

"You're making a mistake! Cops only arrest heroes when something's terribly wrong like in the movies, you know?!" She shouted.

"This ain't a movie, Miss Star," another one of the heteromorphs pointed out.

"You get the point, and I'm not asking you! It is a bad omen!"

In the commotion, the spectators didn't notice a dark portal yawning into existence.

Catherine Kate was the first to see the darkness finally rising in the wake of Garou's world-changing stunts.

As if finally answering the challenge of the Hero Hunter after a long period of silence, the darkness of Japan finally arrived like a massive wave. There were more than enough signs to indicate retaliation of the villains, but even then, none of the civilians and heroes expected to see an organized resistance this massive.

As if the darkness gave birth to a horde of men and women, a costumed army made to answer the wishes of the evil that wish to depose the supreme predator.

The civilians living in Hosu were stunned at the sight of the invading army entering through void-like portals summoned from parts unknown.

One of them called out and broke the silence.

"V-Villains! I-I… villains are invading Hosu!" He couldn't properly voice what he wanted to say.

Star And Stripe and the cop couldn't take their eyes from the army that arrived.

"Shit, they warned us that this day would come, but damn that's a lot." The human grunt started dialing on his phone.

"At least we're finally getting action. What's the protocol for this again? The 'let the heroes clean this up for us' one or the…"

"Alert the leaders and have Garou arrive asap to minimize property damage and stuff."

"What about us?"

"We're supposed to hold the line until reinforcements arrive! Get into positions!"

A prominent villain walked to the vanguard with a megaphone in his hand, pressing it near his lips. A beastial heteromorph, possessing a head that resembled a unique mix of horse or a shark and a large muscular body. Dark brown dreadlocks dangled from his light-orange scalp while reddish-brown beard bristled around his jaw.

He wore a tattered black shirt, the sleeves ripped off and the front ripped open, and a random pair of blue jeans, rips mottled the blue fabric from overuse.

"Attention to the ruling 'Silver Fang' and the Heroes listening to my voice!"

The bearded heteromorph shouted, his voice magnified a hundredfold.

Another villain in a clown mask hurried to the beastman and aimed his phone recorder at him.

"For too long, the Hero Hunter has terrorized our country! For too long, we have been under his oppression of this vile demon, cast aside and trampled like bugs under his boots! Heroes, if you're listening to this! Join us to overthrow this Demon! Let us put aside our differences and crush this tyrant plaguing our nation and become the true heroes of the people! Together, with our powers combined, we can crush the Demon and the dogs that sold the soul of our nation to this monster!"

The recording, for some reason, went viral on the internet and all news outlets.

From the phones, computer screens, televisions, even the giant TV screens at the plaza of Tokyo, the recording was sent to all corners of Japan.

Even Garou watched it from his phone, and Mr. Compress was surprised by the sheer audacity of the declaration of war.

"It's finally happening." Garou expected it though, but the audacity was something.

He wasn't so dumb as to not prepare for an extreme retaliation of this scale, familiar with the concept of vengeance and consequences.

Toshinori's eyes were bloodshot at the incident unfolding.

This wasn't good.

[We cannot defeat this Demon alone! Let us unite as one to defeat this wretched Demon Lord! And bring him to JUSTICE!]

This was much worse than Toshinori expected. There was definitely more than enough resentment against Garou that the possibility was there.

Toshinori's eyes turned to Garou.

"Well… didn't think they would go that far." Mr. Compress muttered, his finger tapping against his demon mask.

"Well? Do you think the Heroes would go for it?" Mr. Compress asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they would. The idea of two sides uniting together to defeat a greater evil was what I was going for, before I decided that it was a bad, short-sighted idea."

"Short-sighted as in?"

"Getting rid of the lines won't solve the reasons why they were drawn in the first place. Values cannot be destroyed with overwhelming power in most cases. They can only change. Skeleton, you have All Might's number on you?"

Toshinori flinched, not expecting Garou to ask him that.

"I-I'm not sure how that's relevant."

"Tell him he better not botch his first test. A lot of people are going to get hurt, and I do not mean us. Let's move out. I want to see what they prepared for me."

Garou and Mr. Compress ran, the latter tipping his hat to Toshinori.

Toshinori stared at Garou's brisk sprint, letting his subordinate match his pace as they took off to end the invading army that dared to challenge him unofficially.

Toshinori immediately ran in the other direction, nearly hyperventilating in panic.

He wondered if he would have a heart attack at this point, considering the amount of panic-inducing stress ever since Garou entered his life.

What should he do first?

Oh, yes, call Sir Nighteye. Toshinori should be able to quell the damage and the army of villains that sprung in Hosu.

He looked left and right, being extremely wary of any onlookers.

Seeing none paying attention to his skeleton form, Toshinori entered an alley and discarded his clothes, immediately wearing his emergency costume as he bulked into his superhero persona.

Transformed into his former glory, All Might swiftly took out his phone and dialed Sir Nighteye's number.

[All Might!]

"What's the situation?!"

[We're still analyzing it! The police and the remaining Hero Agencies are on high alert!]

All Might jumped to the roof and launched through the air.

Actually, he really hoped that Garou didn't hear or see him.

He was still a little traumatized from their last encounter.

"And what about the declaration?! How is the situation with the Heroes?!"

Of all the potential problems, this was the most critical.

He could not imagine so many heroes, victimized by Garou's hunting months, abandoning their heroic code to join the side of evil for the sake of vengeance.

No, he was terrified to see any hero answering the villains' rallying call for action.

[Not yet confirmed! No response yet from the active hero agencies! All Might, we must be prepared for the worst case scenario! What is Garou's stance on fighting the heroes he hunted?!]

"He won't be afraid to make an example of them to prove a point…"

[Then you must end it before the conflict escalates. You are no longer the man fighting against his enemy's curse anymore.]

"Yes… thank you, Sir Nighteye."

All Might immediately hurried to Hosu.

With his current speed, he might be able to make it to the site before Garou could, assuming Garou would break into top speed.

Jetting through the air via bursts of wind pressure with his fists, All Might soared through the skies and reached Hosu instantly.

He wanted to debut his return to his prime with Garou's help, but this would have to do, shame of past defeats be damned.

He could see the open plaza of Hosu.

Multiple police cars and light armored vehicles were driving to the scene, siren lights blaring in the distance while the demon-masked forces of Garou took a stand against the vast army of evil emerging from the mouth of darkness.

The forces of the Silver Fang were many, many more still arriving on foot, some flying with their unique Quirks, others running faster than the others due to their Quirks.

Many of them were mutants, some of them were bigger than the others, all of their weapons were well-crafted ranging from metallic melee to firearms to unique crafted tools no different than the support tools made for the heroes.

The only ones able to craft villain support items All Might knew was the Union.

"Halt!"

All Might roared as he landed between the two opposing armies.

The Silver Fang and the invading forces stopped upon seeing the most iconic hero of this era, this time iconic for different reasons.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Number One Loser!" The same man with the megaphone spoke out as all phone cameras turned towards All Might.

The large, muscular man, physique a well-defined picture of an apex superhuman, clad in fullbody skintight blue, Y red, and a diamond center, white lines traced from chest to back shoulders, trimmed to outline the red.

Gold-colored forearm sleeves, blue-accented white lines over his wrist, spiked fins on the sides of his arms, standing on shin-length gold boots trimmed with white and red accents.

Blonde hair with two iconic tufts sticking above his head, bright blue eyes shining within the shadows of his eye sockets, a defining chiseled jawline that represented the icon of masculinity.

However, this time, All Might wasn't smiling.

His mouth was a seething frown.

"The fact that you're here means two things. One, you've finally seen the light of us Villains and decided to come to your senses! Or two…"

"There will never be a day where I will fall to your level, Villain."

The villains sneered and jeered at All Might while the Silver Fang were on guard, wary of All Might even more than the villains, weapons pointed at the Number One Hero while occasionally stealing cautious glances at the invaders.

"All Might, All Might, are you really going to do this to yourself and the Heroes? Don't you care about your fellow heroes in the hospital?"

The many faces of this horde of evil cast an elevating chorus of mocking laughter.

Many of the civilians that were far away but close enough to record could feel the rising tension between the three forces. Everyone knew that conflict was inevitable, but in what form, they did not know.

All Might was at a pivotal moment where he had to decide, side with the Villains, to take down a greater threat that was Garou and his growing Silver Fang, or defeat the villains and stand with the Silver Fang… or stand with the Civilians.

"It seems that you have honed the poison of your words in the darkness." All Might couldn't help but comment.

"All Might, you wound us."

One man with reddish-brown hair and eyes stepped forward.

A gray tank top and pants with two gold chains on each of his wrists, his eyes peering through the metallic helmet that covered most of his head except his mouth.

"Aren't we all friends at rock bottom? You finally know what it's like to be us."

"I know what it is like to lose." All Might answered with a clenched fist. "I know what it means to face an impending disaster I cannot stop… I know what it is like to struggle in your darkest hour, the thought that life would only grow worse haunts me daily. But I will never be like you. The day I join the villains is the day America faces the ice age."

"And what future would that be, All Might? A future where we're pressed under the heels of that monster that calls himself the Hero Hunter?" The same villain snarled. "He sent many people I know to the hospital! He sent your Heroes there, broken, and destroyed their careers!"

"Oi, oi, all he did was send them to the hospital, you fodder."

Speaking from the Silver Fang, one man stepped forward.

Themed in dark blue, the jacketed man wearing a blue hanya mask approached them.

He took off his mask, showing his snow white short hair as his eyes gazed at the speaking villain.

"Sending heroes to the hospital is a valid offense. But inflating it to the point of trying to convince the Number One Hero to join the dark side? Yes, he defeated the Heroes more than any of the Villains in this country. No, in this world. But their retirement is pure choice. They weren't fired, they left. Heroes that fight not because of principle but popular support can never be heroes. The light of hardships reveals anyone who they are."

"Oi, I'm not talking to you, traitor!"

"I represent Garou, meaning if you disrespect him, you disrespect me. Touya Todoroki. Dabi is the name of my demon persona, one of the Demonic Disasters."

All Might turned to Touya upon hearing his last name, the same family name as that of Enji's.

If All Might recollected his memories, he recalled a tragedy regarding one of Enji's sons. Something… involving a disappearance?

"Eh? Demonic Disasters? What's that supposed to be?"

"Garou's ranking system. Demonic Disasters, or Disaster, is what we call our commanders. Someone that can wipe out many of you without a second thought."

He raised a hand and conjured a sphere of blue flame, the shimmering blue dancing around the azure core.

"There is a fine line between ruining lives and ruining a perfect track record. It isn't our fault that society is this way. The heroes spoil everyone for too long, they turn rotten. One momentous failure is all it takes for them to spit and trample their goodwill to the ground, for what? Not living up to their image? Any hero, former hero included, that is stupid enough to take your side will face the consequences. You might be able to take us down if you somehow joined forces, but for what? You'll only spit on your own ideals for the sake of revenge. Not justice. Ignoring the evils of many for the sake of one man is not justice."

Stars and Stripe was among the spectators, among the blue-red siren cars and light dark-colored armored vehicles of the law. She was about to jump in when the conflict was about to erupt, but stopped when All Might intervened.

It was her first time seeing All Might not smiling in person. The screen was another matter.

"Heh! You think you're big enough to preach about the greater good?!" The same man snarked.

"Oh, definitely more than you, much bigger than all of you combined. Assuming that you can fuse into a giant, ugly mess."

"Enough talk!"

From the back, one villain was pushing through to the front, shoving the villains aside with a savage, pearly grin.

Spiked sandy blonde hair, a large discolored scar drawn across his left side, a smaller scar drawn on the right of his forehead.

A red tank top and dark green pants, he pushed aside the speaker at the front as he stood face to face with the Number One Hero.

Steel muscle fibers slithered out of his skin, his size bulked as he activated his Quirks, his height and width growing in stature until he literally looked down at All Might.

His muscles glowed with more power, steam rising from his power armor of steel muscle, from the neck down nothing but pure steel, hulking muscle fiber.

There was something wrong with this one.

The man's presence and Quirk aroused unwanted memories from the Number One Hero.

"The number one hero is here, and we're all wasting our time talking! No more foreplay! After I'm done with you, Garou is next!"

The villain doesn't want to talk.

He wanted to get high on his new powers, steel muscle fibers coiling around his right fist, stretching, tightening to maximum hardness before he swung.

Once he's done with this washout, he shall display the body like Garou did.

Properly as a corpse.

The strike resounded as a sonic boom.

But it was not Muscular's fist that made contact.

All Might glared at the villain with his right fist beneath Muscular's unprotected chin, his other hand blocking the offending arm.

Everyone stared at the scene, All Might stealing first strike in his counter, the Villain's head knocked up until his eyes were above ninety degrees.

His blue eyes crackled bright with power.

"Nnngh!"

His left hook followed and struck Muscular's chin.

His punch was like an explosion, blasting Muscular and sending him flying like a high-speed bullet, barreling through the villains behind him like bowling pins flying aside as their ragdoll screams filled the air.

And the shock waves swatted them all away in every direction with awe-inspiring power that he had failed to demonstrate for a long, long time.

Those from the Silver Fang present dropped their jaws.

None of them expected All Might to decimate their opposition with two mighty swings. Why didn't All Might resort to this power when Garou confronted him? Or was All Might that weak between his legs to do anything about it?

Muscular, despite his boasting, groaned, his head and ears ringing, the colors blurring in and out.

He lay in the crater of the wall within a building, dust and pebbles falling onto the villain.

"Hey, hey! What is this shit?!"

On the streets, the beastial heteromorph with the reddish-brown beard shouted. He lost his megaphone and was picking himself up amongst the sea of knocked-down, groaning ?

"You lost big time on the screen hard and you think you can be a hero now?! You're trying too hard for a guy that kicked you between the legs!"

All Might laughed.

"Ah ha ha ha! Of course! I have much to make up for if I am going to show the world why I became Number One!"

"You think you're funny? Then how about this?! We know your secret, All Might! You ain't so hot these days!"

All Might flinched when the villain pointed at him as he walked.

The beastial man with a horse-like face and sandy-beige skin activated his Quirk.

His size grew more and more, gigantifying, more than enough to look down at All Might as he huffed hot steam from his lips.

Then his skin started to redden as his bulk expanded, each and every strand of his dark-brown hair, including his dreadlocks, erected, all pointing at the sky.

"You. Don't tell me!" All Might grit his teeth.

"Hahahaha! So you finally noticed! Our benefactor has a funny history with you! And he has a message for you in case you're crazy enough to come here!"

All Might tensed his muscles as he entered his stance, the giant grinning from cheek to cheek.

"He no longer needs to keep your little secret anymore. That All Might! Is now a shadow of his former self! How does it feel to be missing half of your organs?!"

All Might stared at the giant heteromorph.

"...Heh." All Might broke down into a laugh.

Hearing that this was what his archnemesis had to say after all this time, it was laughable.

"What's so funny? I'm exposing your secret to the world here!"

"Ah hah hah hah hah!"

The timing couldn't be more terribly executed. This was probably what Garou expected… or was it all coincidence? This was worth the bankruptcy compared to those tortuous days.

Though if All For One had decided to reveal his current financial state, he would be in jeopardy. He could not let anyone know this.

There was no way he could live with the shame as the only famous hero that lost everything.

"Do you think justice can be stopped with a flesh wound!"

"False bravado of a has-been!" The giant stampeded towards All Might, but the Number One Hero blurred, jumping from his position to smash the giant's chin.

His fist hitting the lower jaw reached everyone's ears as they watched the giant flip in the air before landing on the same jaw before the rest of him flopped onto the concrete.

Knocked out with the white of his eyes showing.

"...Alright, everyone, get back! It seems the Number One Hero is determined to reclaim his spotlight!" Dabi shouted his orders, every single masked member of the Silver Fang understanding and backed away from the danger zone.

"Don't falter! He's nothing but a wounded animal on its last legs! The man standing is no longer the Number One Hero!" Volcano, leader of the Volcano Thieves roared, the massive bulky man ordering the disoriented army to move forth, the villains charging forth.

"Dusty Ash! Gust Boy! It's time to show the Number One Hero our Volcano Thieves specialties!"

The muscular man with orange, flame-shaped hair, in a navy blue bodysuit with bulky, fiery orange gauntlets and boots aimed his massive palms at All Might while his two subordinates moved.

Dusty Ash was a woman with a thin face mask and wavy white hair mostly tied into a ponytail, her right eye obscured by her bangs, most of her skin shown due to her skimpy uniform, a black low cut sports bra, arm pads, her light purple panties showing under her utility belt and above her garters.

Her Quirk allows her to produce dust-like ash from her body, her weapon being a tanto-themed baton.

Gust Boy was a light brown heteromorph with his face elongated into a duck-bill shaped mouth. He wore a pair of goggles, a sleeveless black unitard with a purple belt, and wore teal sneakers.

What made him stand out were the desk fans attached to each of his sneakers and one on his back.

The strength of his Quirk lies in his fingers, increasing the size and durability of his wrists and fan-blade-shape bright orange fingers

Dusty Ash summoned a dust storm while Gusty Boy rotated his fingers, turning his hands into gust-inducing fans, blowing a tornado filled with Ash's dust towards All Might.

It was to keep him occupied while Volcano built pressure into his magma cannons from his bulky stone-themed hands.

But their combo was decimated by a punch.

The knockback of All Might's shockwave blew away the tornado along with the three villains, summoning a stronger tornado filled with dust back at the horde of villains.

The villains cried as many of them were without protective eyewear, letting the dust get into their eyes as the force of the wind pushed them back.

While many of them were disoriented from the dust storm, All Might quickly moved in and stole Gust Boy's goggles.

"I'm borrowing this, sorry!" All Might grinned as he strapped the goggles on before the confused duck-faced man and vanished deeper into the dust storm.

"Yes! Yessss! He is back! All Might is finally back!" Within a certain hero office filled to the brim with all manners of All Might merchandise, Sir Nighteye stood from his seat with energy never before seen in an office worker.

His apprentices were equally amazed as their smiles widened, Mirio Togata equally cheering for All Might as the Number One Hero knocked out most of the villains with a chop to the back of their necks.

Once the dust tornado settled, many of the United villains were down for the count, knocked out without further harm to their bodies while All Might stood in the center of it all, with stolen protective goggles on his eyes as a bonus as he posed with both knuckles on his hips.

"Ah hah hah hah! I am afraid there is a bit of misinformation! The Number One Hero will always save the day!"

There was a sliver of light penetrating through the clouds, bathing All Might in its rays.

For all of those watching, whether it be through the camera recordings or in person, it was like rediscovering the light during All Might's golden age, awe overflowing as they experienced their childhood days once more learning about All Might for the first time.

The fear and crippling uncertainty that arrived with Garou… gone in an instant.

Star and Stripe had her jaw dropped, the scene reminding her of the time All Might saved her when she was a child from that rampaging villain when he was in America.

And here she thought she could aid All Might in an iconic team-up, but there seems to be no room for her.

However, evil is a tenacious force.

One creature stood out, walking towards All Might.

It was a strange heteromorph with an eerie presence that made it out of place amongst the other villains.

It was a lithe creature of dark blue-black muscles. Its brain was exposed, a ring of eyes staring in every direction.

It wore standard black jeans.

Four grisled arms, three bulky fingers on each hand.

There was a certain presence to this creature that stood out from all of the villains around it.

All Might wasn't sure if it was a male or female.

From afar, Tomura Shigaraki grinned.

"Is the connection set up?"

He was with two people with special Quirks.

One would let others see through the eyes of other people, the Quirk See Shoes.

And one that would let someone control anything under the right conditions, Player One.

The first had the eyes of a camera lens and the other had a radio antenna with a game controller sticking out from the back of his head for Shiguraki to play with.

"Yep. Whenever you're ready!"

The Nomus were at an early undeveloped stage. Many of them were unsuitable, they could not be viable as true supersoldiers of evil, weapons to eradicate the pillars of current society.

Only a few were at a stage where they could be deployed to battle, albeit their cognitive functions were nearly nonexistent, animalistic soldiers that could not think for themselves or even speak.

However, Tomura met some interesting fellows with Quirks that he could use to bypass the intelligence barrier during his visit in Quirk Liberation Army headquarters when he was mingling, representing All For One, to converse, make contact, and trade Quirks with his sensei.

Getting some of them involved with the Garou Slayer project as well.

Player One would allow Tomura to remote control almost anything that receives electronic signals.

See Shoes could let the user or others to see through the eyes of others, like through the eyes of the Nomu Player One hooked into. Usually through custom eyewear like a monocle.

This Nomu was a much more upgraded version of the one Muscular fought in the test site.

The plan was for Tomura to engage Garou with the puppet since his time had not arrived yet, and as someone who played video games all his life, this was perfect for him.

But he would gladly take on All Might instead.

Tomura spent many days and nights practicing with the controller and the Nomu. Player One also had additional features, a controller that evolved and adapted to the 'hardware' connected.

Including a sound systems that reflected the Nomu's sense of danger and partitioned vibration that thrum in response to impact.

The ultimate game controller money couldn't buy.

Now with the perfect gamer's tool, Tomura curled his cracked lips into a childish smile as he grabbed the controller from the back of the guy's head.

Thumbs grasped the handles while fingers drummed around the controls piecemeal, careful of the ability to Decay the matter in its caress once all five fingers touched it.

The Quirk user of See Through walked to Tomura and placed a monocle and placed it on Tomura's left eye. The left half of his sight was dominated by Nomu's vision of All Might.

"Hehehehe. All Might, All Miiii~ight." Tomura almost sang with a serial tune. "I wonder how long you can keep up your bluff~ It is a shame that I can't face you and decay you in person buut~ I'll take the next best thing."

His companions placed the headphones on Tomura so he could also listen in from the scene through the devices on the Nomu.

All Might perked when the Nomu suddenly convulsed, four arms twitching at erratic angles while the rest of it underwent an abnormal seizure; its head jerked sporadically at an absurd speed, looking like it was undergoing a haunting possession, before it suddenly collapsed like a ragdoll without its strings.

All Might wasn't sure how to respond to this thing, if it could even be called a human.

He assumed his stance, one fist forward, the other pulled back by the elbow.

Cathleen Kate and the other spectators watched the corpse-like thing spring back to life, almost literally springing to its feet as it regarded All Might with an alien focus that did not seem like it belonged to the creature prior.

It assumed a basic fighting stance, a boxing stance with arms raised vertically.

All Might warily faced this opponent as he circled around the creature.

He moved in first and threw a straight punch, almost teleporting in the eyes of the bystanders.

But something flashed in the creature's eyes before it ducked under his punch, retaliating with two right fists plunged into All Might's abdomen right where his ancient wound used to be.

The strike that landed resulted in a strange green explosion of force penetrating through All Might's being.

All Might stumbled back three heavy steps much to the shock of the audience as he held that place.

All Might gave this creature his full attention.

What was that just now? It suddenly gained an abnormal burst of speed in that moment.

Its strength was formidable at first impact in his abdomen, but the extra kinetic impact that rippled through him as if he was water was dangerous.

It hurt… not a lot, but the strikes fazed him.

Rattled through him and his insides.

"Yeah, you felt that, didn't you?" Tomura giggled with excitement.

This Nomu was meant for high DPS, dealing great damage, although it was a pain to control this thing's movements when in speed-burst mode.

The Quirk was from a Hero All For One who personally retired by stealing his Quirk, moving at heightened speeds at extremely fast rates in a short moment.

However, there was a downside.

The controller's perception and movement did not correlate with the puppet, meaning Tomura had to insert prepared inputs prior to using the ability. There was also the option where Tomura could allow the Nomu to go berserk on All Might but Tomura wanted to do this himself.

To kill All Might with his hands.

He continued pressing the buttons, his puppet avoiding All Might while waiting for the right moment to strike, but All Might was catching onto his robotic movements.

This Nomu was equipped with Quirks that required intelligence to fully utilize, but being a meat robot piloted by another intelligence was another matter.

"Texas!" All Might found his chance as he moved in and punched the Nomu.

"Smash!"

His arm reach was longer than that of the creature's.

He could tell that this thing was meant to fight Garou. If this thing fought All Might in his weakened state, he would have a much worse chance, but now was different.

However, the thing jumped back and threw a midair aerial series of punches at All Might despite being out of range.

What surprised All Might was that he felt several penetrating blows into his person.

"Hnnngh?!" Shockwaves of green energy rippled through All Might, exiting behind him and trenching the pavement behind him in dust clouds of concrete and dirt.

The creature landed and started to walk on the air, running around above him while throwing more punches as All Might blocked. Whatever this Quirk was, All Might knew that he could block this thing's attacks.

It was long ranged and it was not projectile based.

"I can see why you are all so confident that you can take down Garou!" All Might admitted as the creature hopped back, air-walking away.

However, he saw something in the back.

It was growing in width and height, chromium muscles gaining mass as the man All Might knocked out returned to the battle as a giant.

"I'm not done yet, All Might! Once I'm done with you, Garou is next on the menu!" Muscular cackled as he stomped towards All Might.

There were still many villains littered around the area, unconscious, but Muscular didn't care.

Usually, there would be capture teams ready to intercept and ferry the villains away, but this was Silver Fang territory.

No sane Hero that valued their physical and social health would dare trespass here.

All Might grimaced when he saw Muscular squish one villain under his soles, bones crunching and organs audibly crushed under that massive weight.

"Tsk! Have you no camaraderie, Villain!?" All Might shouted.

"Why should I care about the bugs I step?!" Muscular retorted, his voice booming with his current size.

Steel muscle fiber expanded and undulated around each arm.

"Let's see how strong you really are, All Might!"

Like a gorilla, Muscular sprinted forward like one, knuckles dragging his frame across with wide leaps.

"Hnnngh!"

All Might decide to pull off a classic.

This might antagonize Garou who placed murderous emphasis on control of power, but lives were at stake.

He pumped his fist in the air and expelled torrents of force.

It was like an atomic bomb of wind, galing zephyrs pushed all of the unconscious bodies close to them away from the battle zone, the blowback even forcing Steel-muscle Muscular to cover his face.

"You think a small breeze can stop me?!"

Steel fiber muscle strands multiplied, wriggling thrashing worms of muscle coiling atop muscle, the mass of his arms expanded into massive gourd-shaped bludgeons.

All Might tensed his muscles, One For All crackling with power, to the very limits as he clenched his fists.

However, the same long-range attacks struck his knees, forcing him down.

Tomura grinned as he watched a flustered All Might embrace Muscular's double-hammer fists.

"All Might!"

Everyone shouted.

The concrete battered, the crater spreading outward, showcasing Muscular's newfound might.

The creature watched Muscular repeatedly raise his arms and hammered down, spreading the large crater that was All Might, the giant mass of metal muscle cackling maniacally with a face of deranged bloodlust.

"Oi."

Tomura called to Muscular via earpiece.

"Let me remind you who gave you that power in the first place. I have first dibs on killing All Might." Tomura warned Muscular.

"Don't ruin my fun, Shigaraki!" The giant shouted while hammering All Might. "You can do with what's left once I'm finished with him!"

Tomura's neck itched, the skin starting to feel dry as his lips feel less moist, tempted to chew on it.

"Hey, hey, boss, I'm connected to the controller!" The user of Player One reminded Tomura not to disintegrate the controller and the one that made it on impulse.

Tomura stopped his hands from gripping the controller, with all ten five fingers.

"Ah, ahhhhh… sorry, sorry." Tomura apologized as he pondered on how he should punish that villain.

Stain seemed to be content with watching for now, his adoration for All Might the only thing Tomura could remember about him.

Either way, Tomura should do something about Muscular. Maybe a nice hit to his temple would do.

However, just when Tomura was about to press the buttons, Muscular stopped to wait for the gray dust to settle.

The Nomu approached the crater and looked down.

From the eyes of the Nomu he piloted, Tomura could see All Might kissing the pavement, deep within the All-Might shaped crater.

"Heh! Like I said! The Number One Loser! Now-"

"I!"

Tomura nearly jumped when All Might sprang to his feet like a zombie.

"AM OKAY!"

"...Eh?" Tomura was confused. All Might was alright despite the beatings?

"I thank you for the massage!" All Might took off the goggles he 'borrowed' from that orange duck-like villain. It unfortunately didn't survive the smackdown as he put it in his pocket.

Then he started posing with muscular flexes of his body, smiling that ridiculous smile, showing his front, his back, arms flexing in various positions up or down or both.

Quarter Turns

Front Double Biceps

Front Lat Spread

Side Chest

Back Double Biceps

Rear Lat Spread

Side Triceps

Abdominals and Thighs

Most Muscular

Vacuum Pose

Moon Pose

The sequential combination of it all made All Might look both absolutely ridiculous and nostalgically awe-inspiring simultaneously.

It was on purpose to bring a smile on everyone's faces, the civilians, the other heroes that were watching.

"What… But…" Muscular was expecting a near-dead All Might, not whatever this was.

"But the service was terrible! I hope you don't mind me asking for a refund!"

"Refund? You think you're being funny, you-"

Muscular suddenly lost his footing. His left leg was pushed back, knocked back, forcing Muscular to fall to his knee.

When he looked down, he saw All Might standing below him. Since when did he move?

"You should've done it when I asked nicely." All Might's blue eyes gleamed as he rocketed towards Muscular's face.

[NEW! YORK! SMASH!]

Before, it was a warning tap when All Might knocked the villain out.

This time, All Might's fist crashed into the giant's chin once more as his muscles bulged with One For All.

Knuckles cracked bone, bypassed steel fiber muscles, and when All Might pushed his attack through…

Everyone saw the giant fly.

The giant villain took off into the air like a bird, no, a plane.

Gravity failed to pull him back down as the giant villain kept shrinking further and further from their sight…

Ah, the clouds in the sky parted in his flight.

Izuku and his mother dropped their jaws.

Tomura couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"...Hook me up to Sensei." Tomura immediately demanded as his fellows scrambled to take out the phone.

All For One noticed it.

"Impossible…" All For One was sure that All Might was doomed.

The wound he inflicted was impossible to heal even by current generation medical practices.

[Oi! Sensei! What is going on?!]

"His physical performance exceeds his current safety limits too long past the time limit!" The Doctor straightened his glasses with panic written on his mien. "Sensei, I… I can only think of one answer, but… it should be impossible! How did he heal from his injuries!? That should not be possible with current medical technologies!"

[What? Is that true?!]

All For One couldn't believe it, but from the look of All Might's current state, he was blatantly healthy, unusually spry for a man that should belong in the hospital.

There were only a few ways All Might could recover, but he was sure that that man wouldn't dare do so. He should hate All Might…

Tomura grit his teeth.

All Might looked at the Nomu. He pointed at him with his damnable smile and wagged his fingers at the Nomu to come at him.

Tomura snapped and furiously drove it to destroy All Might with everything the Nomu had.

"AH! HAH! HAH!"

All Might posed with his hands on his hips as the Nomu threw everything it had into All Might.

Barraging series of rapid fists and energy blasts hammered into All Might, the Number One Hero standing tall and strong despite, his iconic smile remaining stalwart and immovable.

Tomura couldn't believe it as he growled like a desiccated gremlin about to tear its hair off and mashed the buttons, putting Overclock into overdrive as the Nomu's attack accelerated into overdrive, the sound of fists almost overlapping into a continuous, violent din.

"All Miiiiiiight!"

In the Midoriya family's apartment, Izuku shouted at the screen with energy, burning with the hype of a million All Might fans as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Tomura did not understand.

How was All Might standing?! The Quirks within the Nomu should be more than enough to crush even Garou!

Eventually, the Nomu slowed down before it dropped to its knees. It wheezed as it burned all of the oxygen within its brain, something not even the Nomu could avoid.

Tomura kept mashing the buttons but the puppet was unresponsive.

"Hey! What's happening?!"

"The Nomu ran out of gas! Oxygen gas!" Player One shouted. "You overused its Quirks and burned it all up, man! This ain't good!"

"How long until it's recovered?!" Tomura shrieked.

"Thank you for the front massage! Here's your receipt!"

All Might spread his arms.

This wasn't something that All Might was known for.

He didn't punch the Nomu this time, he bear-hugged it.

All Might was using grappling.

"What is this?!" Tomura mashed the buttons, trying to get out.

"I'm sorry about what I'm about to do, but bear with me! American! Bearrrr! SPINEBREAKER!"

The sound of bones shattering filled the air. Bones crushed within the arms vice of the Number one Hero as it shrieked.

"SHIT!"

"Its skeleton is fucked, man! The regen won't work on a body that messed up internally!" Player One grabbed his head in panic and sweat.

"GREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tomura shrieked.

All Might didn't stop. He clenched his gut and suplexed the Nomu headfirst into the pavement.

Blocks of concrete were ruined, blood spurting from the Nomu, all connection lost with Tomura to his growing ire.

Atop the building, standing over the ledge, the Hero Killer watched his idol fight against the monsters wrought into existence by his nemesis.

He flicked his tongue, the organ long and bladed as his insectoid wings buzzed, his chitinous fingers gripping hard on the katana.

"All Might. Even with the world turning its back, you still stand up for them… just as a true hero should," Stain commented.

It was a joy to see his hero returning to the world stronger than ever, albeit there were some inconsistencies. He was informed that All Might was crippled, hiding behind walls of media and hero lies.

The Hero did not look crippled nor did he believe All For One was lying to him.

The most logical answer was that All Might found a way to heal himself, but the question was how.

When the dust settled, All Might stood victoriously over the defeated villain, hands on his hips.

It was quite refreshing, no longer having that blasted time limit on him, having to worry about 'deflating' from time to time.

He could see everyone's faces staring at him, awe, mouths open, eyes starting to glitter with rekindled hope as everyone started to cheer for him as always.

As for the strong villain he defeated, it was not easy tanking all of those hits, but he managed after clenching his abdominal muscles as much as he could so he could get a good shot.

All Might didn't expect it to drop upon overusing the speed Quirk, but it was refreshing to see considering the limits of Quirks so far.

These days, all he could think about was how to handle Garou's unreasonable might and skill that did not have such limits.

He sighed, cleaning up the mess.

Now, to make sure that the heroes would… wait, there was something he forgot.

"All Miiiight!"

One of the spectators shouted his name.

"That… was so cool!" It was a child.

Not Ghin, but a random heteromorphic child.

Dabi and the others couldn't believe the spectacle.

"...Boss, was All Might always that strong?" One of his subordinates that was in closest proximity asked.

The crowd, both rare visitors and those that stayed within Hosu, started to call out to All Might.

"...They're cheering for him." Another said.

All Might! All Might! All Might! All Might!

Everyone started chanting All Might's name.

"It's astonishing to see their attitude undergoing a one-eighty. Considering that most of them were about to abandon All Might," Another commented.

"Who wouldn't? I mean, what the hell? He punched that giant to heaven! Right through the clouds! Who does that?! That was awesome!" A giant mutant pointed out, mimicking All Might's New York smash with emphasis.

"Shhhh. Don't say that around Garou." A human with one eye whispered.

Stain looked up, already seeing the news helicopter hovering above the scene.

The media would soon swarm this place like vultures picking the corpse the incident left behind. Stain clicked his tongue.

The only disappointment in this was that Garou didn't show up to defend his territory, leaving it all to All Might.

Besides, the alliance between him and the League of Villains was only a means to an end, owing them nothing more than his participation against Garou which didn't arrive.

He turned around, about to leave.

Stain froze in his tracks when he saw the one mask he was looking out for standing before him.

The mask of the Demon Lord was gazing back into him, so silently, so unnoticeably as if the demon was his haunting shadow.

There was another one, a masked man with a magician's top hat.

"Yo. About time you noticed us." The magician casually waved at Stain.

Stain drew his blade, all of his Quirks activated as he spread his insectoid wings, his lashing scorpion tongue whipping out as he dashed towards the monster with greater speeds and reflexes incomparable.

No words were necessary.

The current him was more than strong enough to kill the old him nine times over.

One prick with his bladed tongue should-

---

"AH HAH HAH HAH HAH!"

Disaster scenario: cleared.

Signs of Heroes appearing out of the woodwork: Negative.

Need to make an excuse and run for cover in case he deflates back to Small Might? Nonexistent.

All Might could see the news crew hurried to the scene.

They must've been camping around Hosu for the latest scoop as it was the hive attraction of incidents waiting to be recorded.

"All Might! All Might!" A young reporter with brown hair tied in a ponytail approached All Might with the cameraman behind her.

The media moved much faster than he remembered back in the day.

"Reporter from Yomiurti TV! Do you have time for an interview, All Might?!"

Police cars were moving into the scene already, prison trucks parked and ready to apprehend the villains littering the floor.

All Might hoped that the giant muscular villain didn't land on someone.

"Go ahead! I have some time!" All Might smiled.

"Could you explain your most recent performance to the viewers?! What you have done is a shocking defiance of expectations compared to your previous track record against Garou! Is there an explanation for your explosive growth?!"

"All in good time! I will say that I must apologize to all of my fans and fellow heroes! Both retired and still in action!" All Might nodded at the camera. "But for now, trust me when I say this! I have returned! And this time, I will not let evil stand unopposed for as long as I-"

SPLAT!

Something wet landed behind All Might. The brown-haired news reporter jumped with her hairs raised at the sound.

All Might tensed… starting to sweat as he turned around.

It was the body of a villain.

"G-G-Garou…!"

The bandaged villain of red, The Hero Killer, Stain.

His body was broken, joints dislocated, yet the man was somehow still alive and snarling, leaking an aura of immense enmity despite his current state.

Not a word was spoken. Only shocked silence was their unanimous response to the sudden horror, the sign of the Demon's coming.

The cameraman saw someone walking into the camera from behind him.

He couldn't vocalize his growing fear when he saw the back of Garou approaching All Might.

All Might looked back at the camera just in time to see Garou dangerously close to him.

All Might instantly raised his arms in time as a furious storm of blows blew.

The beatings he endured from the four-armed one couldn't compare.

It was like All Might returned to the beach of Dagoba when he first faced Garou, reliving that fateful day, a storm of fists that he could not repel, this time it was like facing around three to four times the man he faced before.

All Might struggled with his fists, swinging left and right against the Hero Slayer, the man that held society's destiny in his hands, but his fists were redirected, instantly 'guided' elsewhere than the target before he was drowned in the flood of the river.

No, it was no longer a River, it grew into a tsunami after meeting the ocean.

Stain coughed when Garou stepped on him upon pushing All Might back.

The spectators gasped, those that cheered for All Might fearing a repeat of his humiliation.

But All Might was still standing.

And this time, there was nothing holding him back.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Garou retreated when All Might unleashed his might.

All Might could hear Garou humming in amusement as electrical bolts generated from the excessive power.

"Despite my lessons, you are still a hopeless wastrel. Is wasting your power a genetic disorder at this point?"

All Might blinked at the sudden dialogue.

He looked around, seeing that the civilians were watching them with rapt attention to their next move.

"AH HAH HAH HAH!" All Might laughed. "You weren't famous for being gentle! And is it necessary to greet me with such intensity?! Do you always thank acts of charity with sudden violence?"

"Is it not proper given our history?" Garou spoke back.

"So you were testing me?" All Might played along.

He understood what Garou was doing.

"Seems like you finally healed your flesh wound. So, which devil did you sell your soul to this time to return to full strength? I doubt the useless government peons have the backbone to give up their obscene pool of wealth to fix you."

All Might laughed while a sweat leaked down his brow. Oh, Garou's sense of humor was definitely evolving with him.

"I believe that is classified… So… what now, Garou?"

The reporter that interviewed All Might was brimming with questions, but interrupting this was like walking into a minefield.

A legendary moment between the Hero Hunter and the Number One hero was unfolding before her cameraman!

"Yes, what now…?" Garou hummed. "I believe that these invaders fall under my jurisdiction. Some of them have more than one Quirk… I am going to bring them to my experts to dissect them."

The reporter gasped, All Might's smile nearly bent downwards.

"You…" All Might was speechless.

"You think you're doing something with all of your heroism, All Might?" Garou pointed at him.

All Might grimaced. The test was coming. A test of strength in his belief, or how strong his belief was.

"Saving people, left and right, inspiring them to do something with those vague actions of yours. Yet you don't want me to do terrible things to terrible people? You believe you can rehabilitate them? A bunch of violent thugs that spit on the path to redemption willingly?" Garou remarked.

"A hero must always believe in the good of others. Even if it is you." All Might grimaced, his smile falling.

"Then explain the obscene amount of prisoners you people waste your money on. How many of them are on the path of redemption, anyways?"

There was silence, a silence so heavy that no one watching could bring their strength to speak against that truth.

"That is not within my jurisdiction." All Might's glower grew.

"Yet you give yourself to the false justice system. You know, there are gun laws where I'm from."

Garou walked around All Might with a casual flair.

"When someone abuses the power given to them, especially power unearned such as Quirks, they would usually try their best to take the gun away… so, since you are so useless and wasteful in your security, I have decided to take matters in my own hands and go for it."

"...What are you planning, Garou?!" All Might grit his teeth.

"The removal of Quirks. The power to take away the Quirks of others. And show the world how to do the same."

Garou spread his arms wide.

The words were soft, quiet, yet washed over the hearts and souls of many like a tidal wave.

Rendering everyone listening speechless.

Even Tomura Shigaraki.

Even All For One.

"...You don't mean what you're saying, do you?"

"I mean it. Why are you looking at me like I am about to commit a sin? It is something that should've been done long ago."

Everyone exchanged glances.

His logic was sound, yet… their hearts screamed against the proposition.

"That is absurd!"

One woman shouted, blonde with an uncanny resemblance to All Might.

"Finding a way to remove Quirks?! Don't screw with me on such nonsense! What you're doing is no different than taking their hopes and dreams! You're taking a special part of them, their… their…"

"And what if their 'special part' causes a disaster?" Garou shot back at the Number One Hero of America.

"You think you know everything, do you? The Number One Hero of America, Star and Stripe?"

Star flinched at Garou's recognition of her identity.

"...So you know of me?"

"You're the definition of weakness." Garou scoffed.

Cathleen Kate blinked at the sudden accusation.

"...Excuse me?"

"You devoted yourself so much to one person. You even dyed your hair blonde and look like All Might, so much so that I question the how." Garou sounded as if he was looking at a piece of garbage.

"You are weak because you are nothing without your Quirk. Just like All Might."

Cathleen grit her teeth.

"And what about you? You think not having a Quirk makes you tough, huh?! What gives you the right to talk to us like this?!"

"That is the question I would like to ask of you." Garou shot back. "Your weakness comes from the coddling of the current system. The number of true heroes are rare, you knockoffs rely on the praise of others to keep yourself going. Quirks may give you an advantage, but it also held you all back and make you subscribe to the system that only those with the best Quirks have a chance, a small, small chance of rising to success while trampling upon others. You represent a system where you mooch off your destiny ignorant of the problems it brings, the suffering it entails to those you cannot see."

Cathleen blinked at Garou's argument. It was so… offensive. Yet, she couldn't find the words to defend herself without ignoring the critical flaws of the world she represents.

"Garou." All Might clenched his fist. "While I understand your point of view, what you're doing has gone too far."

He stepped forward.

"You have a strong argument that paints the Hero world in a negative light. But you are also spitting on the hard work and dedication of the Heroes that strive to be where they are. Being blessed with good quirks… I understand the problems this brings to our society, the inequalities this makes." All Might understood now.

"But that doesn't mean you can ridicule the effort needed to cultivate their talents, their abilities! It is like a muscle, like the arms and legs you have!" All Might pointed at Garou. "What you are doing is no more than finding a way to take away that special part of them, Garou! I understand the reasons! But this is not the way!"

"That is because you cowards are too afraid to let it go." Garou remarked. "All of what you said spoke much of your reluctance and weakness to move on. Quirks…"

Garou stopped.

"It gives you all an edge in certain areas. It can make anyone better than the Quirkless. But that is not the reason why I am against it. Having it for too long makes you believe that you are NOTHING without it. As I said before to others, I sincerely doubt you understand what it's like to live at the cruel end of Destiny's whims."

All Might grit his teeth.

He understood… he understood that better than anyone else…

Yeah… How much he could voice it aloud at this point.

"You speak of effort, but all of that effort comes from the security of the value of your Quirk. These days, Quirk is a currency that buys the motivation to do something great in the world." Garou remarked.

"Real effort is to face the world and oneself, to rise above the world even when it comes bearing down on them. The effort of your heroes is cheap, bought for with sponsored promises of hope and glory, to be in the spotlight, to share the limelight, to be part of something 'greater,' a label of a profession strained by capitalism and ruined by attention seekers. Without that…" Garou chuckled. "Well, look at the number of heroes that are quitting each day. All of that effort, wasted. With more showing their weakness every day."

All Might understood Garou's value now.

He valued the purer definition of rising above oneself than that of the modern depiction.

"Yes… But that does not apply to everyone." All Might remained steadfast. "There are those willing to face the backlash of the public for the greater good. Even if what you said is true, there are heroes who will risk their lives regardless of what the public has to say. Even if their courage is 'sponsored,' they cultured the true essence of heroism through their actions, their struggles. Not even you can deny this, Garou!"

Stain could listen to the conversation even on the emergency bed. He listened with awe at the dialogue between the two due to the medics also stopping to see the verbal war between two titans.

The same for Garou's followers who were still present.

"What effort and struggle? What true heroism? All I see is fools trying their best to pretend that they're more than human. Too many are living in a fantasy where they're the hero, and once that is challenged with criticism and hardship, they crumble. All of that training into becoming a hero is nothing more than a byproduct from cheap praises from those blinded by Quirks. All of that effort… only to realize that they only wanted to play the hero. Never prepared to face the struggles of being one. How can you call that effort when they show such weakness? You trained them to play the hero, not be them. All of that time and effort your schools put into training them, all of that investment, wasted. Outdone."

His words forced a deeper grimace. Garou was impressed that All Might could glower more than that with that face.

"This is what you get for focusing more on Quirks than the substance of the man holding them. This world has strayed from justice to unfairness of hierarchy for those with better Quirks. If you truly cared about the support of justice, you wouldn't have allowed the police force to fall like this, reduced to nobodies that only exist to clean up after you heroes and give you all the spotlight. A shameless hierarchy that sucks the hopes and dreams of others not on the side of your fabricated reality in plain sight, you suppress the symptoms of the growing darkness by locking them up in jail, instead of absolving the sins of current society."

All Might could not argue against that. That one was true… All Might looked down on himself.

"Favoritism has corrupted your legacy. Equality is a lie, everything isn't equal or we would all share the same face, color, shape, size, and identity. But fairness is not. Fairness is the key, what allows us to share the same sky, what binds different faces and sizes together. You have allowed unfairness to fester in this society, All Might. This is what everyone that follows me is against. To fight off against this system that you allow, that gives rise to villains that you throw behind bars, those that did not CHOOSE to be the scapegoats of their wrongs!"

Garou's followers straightened their backs and stood at attention, empowered by his words.

'...You have grown more than I thought.' All Might couldn't help but respect Garou.

"And you are allowing that same unfairness to corrupt your judgment. Am I not making the world a safer place by doing this? Your corrupted justice you champion will not allow even this most fairness of compromises. This pursuit of Quirk elimination is necessary in this world where evil lurks in all corners of this world. Where justice is severely understaffed and underperforming."

"That is not a path that anyone should walk. It will only breed dissent. Giving others the power to take away Quirks will only bring chaos."

"Do they even need the Quirks? How many citizens use their Quirks daily anyways?" Garou sniped. "I've never seen non-heroes using their Quirks daily. What's the point if you're not allowed to use it freely by law?"

"That's…"

"Your society is still a stagnant reflection from the times where Quirks aren't a thing. That's sad. You're only showing that your world isn't ready for Quirks in every way."

"That's enough!" Star and Stripe stepped up. "Quirks this, Quirks that! So what if you're touting your bullshit?! You've committed grave crimes against the heroes of Japan! And you need to pay for it!"

Garou turned to Star and Stripe.

"Do you really believe relying on a bullhead mindset means you're in the right?"

"If that's what it takes to get this over with! I am here to succeed what every hero here failed to do! Bring you to justice!"

All Might dropped his jaw.

'Please! Stop! You don't know what you're getting into!'

While he was touched that she was willing to travel here from America to avenge the heroes, this wasn't something that the usual hero formula would work.

And Garou had grown strong enough to handle him in his prime.

"Your flawed Justice cannot defeat me. And you have proven yourself nothing but a worthless tool that cannot think or see. I don't need to waste my energy testing the blind and foolish."

"That's the way I like it!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Tomura stared at his phone, looking at the live feed with growing impatience.

"...Status." Tomura asked as he leered at the iPhone.

"Almost… there…" Player One hummed. "Alright, he's fully regenerated! Now's your chance!"

"Finally!"

The police force responsible for cleaning, trying to carry the four-armed mutant that gave All Might a hard time, were startled when it suddenly jolted back to its feet like a corpse struck by lightning.

It broke free from the police holding its arms, before it entered the restraints as everyone was too distracted by the legendary interaction, and immediately activated all of its Quirks.

Hyperaccelerated, it moved in fast like lightning, the world slowed to a crawl around it with all four arms pummeling wildly per its controller's instructions.

All Might and Star and Stripe barely saw it as blood splattered across the ground.

All Might couldn't believe it. Star and Stripe refused to believe it.

The creature that could move in blinding bursts of speed was crumbled like crumpled paper, bones jutting from thick muscle and dark blue skin, more 'joints' added, adding more angles to the thing's arms and legs than it needed, bent in the wrong angles.

All Might couldn't see it, it was too fast.

"...What just happened?" Tomura asked.

For Tomura, he could only press on the controls, confused as to why his puppet suddenly fell to the floor and not responding.

"Holy shit… he broke the Nomu twelve ways to Sunday. We're fucked." Player One could only cuss.

"...Explain."

"How the fuck am I supposed to explain that Garou beat the literal shit out of the Nomu faster than an instant?! It happened! I don't know how, but he did! You told me the Nomu can beat Garou! Did you guys even do your math right?! We're fucked!"

All Might stared at the creature.

It looked human, heteromorphic, but of all the Villains he fought, this one was the most inhuman of them all.

Behaving more like a puppet than a proper living being… a zombie.

Tomura furiously mashed the regeneration combo, refusing to believe that his supersoldier would… fall so easily!

He will kill him!

The nomu rose back to his feet, snapped bones reattached crack by crack, limbs straightened to proper angles, 'new joints' gone, it stood on heavy feet as the eyes on its exposed brain as it opened its drooling teeth and roared.

It charged at Garou again, Quirks activated as it threw its fist.

Three fingers clawed on each hand, flexed like dragon claws, Garou drew a circle.

Everyone watched the creature…

Fall apart.

As if it ran into a concentric ring of blades and fell into pieces, the center gouged and slid out from the main body as a cylinder of flesh followed by rings of meat, then pieces when there wasn't enough meat to cover the areas of the concentric rings.

All Might watched in horror as the creature fell apart into pieces.

It was the first time All Might saw such a lethal, macabre display of his power.

The head rolled away.

Tomura couldn't believe it as the other showed him the phone screen displaying the eviscerated Nomu.

"This… GRAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Immediately, the eyes of the severed head rolled as muscles, bones, flesh sprouted from the stump of its neck.

"...You are more of a thing than a human." Garou kicked up a sword Stain dropped into his hand.

And threw it at the creature's head.

It impaled the exposed brain. The Nomu twitched as blood flowed, each eye now unfocused, looking in a different direction.

"Rest in peace…"

The sight of Garou ending a heteromorph's life stunned the viewers.

They could tell that something was wrong with the creature, especially from the way it behaved and fought less like a villain and more like a rabid monster, but…

"Garou… I… I thought you don't kill." All Might uttered, completely shocked by his act.

"I kill monsters, not humans." Garou answered as he turned to All Might, his demonic mask gazing at the Number One Hero. "Even you can see that there is something wrong with it."

"...I will not deny that… but…"

"It is no longer human. I am not talking about appearances at this point. But no matter… Since you are so adamant in trying to rescue the dregs of society, let me throw you a bone. We duel for them. If you win, I'll let you drag them to Tartarus or whatever prison, where they would be locked like animals. Rabid, angry. Waiting to be broken out by someone with the right plan and Quirk. Ready to be unleashed upon the world like starved beasts because you don't have the mind and courage to change them for the better."

Garou offered, though the 'bone' sounded more like slander than generosity.

"And as for encouragement, I'll do whatever you say if you win. Go to prison, get locked up in Tartarus, lynching… compensate for all of the damages I've wrought in whatever manner and form. How does this make you feel, All Might?"

All Might tensed. Garou was putting on a show, and he was throwing a bait that All Might couldn't refuse. Glancing at the Silver Fang army behind him, they were muttering to each other in shock, adrenaline, fear, excitement, all forms of emotions were going through them at the sound of what Garou brought to the poker table.

"...And if I lose?" All Might asked, hesitantly.

"I'll keep them as prisoners where they will be judged accordingly to my justice. And I'll come up with something that you cannot refuse. Oh, and I want your blood."

His what?

He said something absurd. They did not know if he was serious or if their ears caught something wrong.

"...My what?" All Might paled as he remembered Hawk's testimony.

"You heard me. Turns out, I have fans. And recently, I found out that drawing autographs with the blood of heroes is popular."

Everyone sans Garou's followers froze.

[Ohhhhhhhhhh!]

Garou's followers chorus with cheers.

[Sign my shirt with All Might's blood!]

[No, carve it into my skin!]

They were already raucous with extreme demands for Garou's signature, the first violent fan base, overwhelming the spectators not in the know.

"Yesss~! Sign names with the blood of your enemies~!" Ghin cheered from the living room sofa, the silver-haired boy pumping his arms high in the air.

"Ghin!" Tsukihana chastised while fearing for All Might.

"That… bastard…" Tomura was gawping.

Signing names with the blood of heroes was the most awesome thing a Villain could do. Tomura felt defeated in not coming up with something so… metal.

"That… he has mastered the abyss beneath the abyss." In his room where only the light of the TV was allowed, Tokugami could not help but grit his teeth in acknowledgment in Garou's mastery over the Forbidden darkness that no one could dare cross.

"Nooooooo~! You should noooo~t!"

"Tenya! You can't go out there!" Tensei shouted as he held his brother from under his shoulders, pulling him back into the living room.

"No, nii-san! We cannot let Garou commit this atrocity!" Tenya snapped.

"I know! But this is All Might's battle! Have faith in All Might and Garou!"

"But…!"

"He healed All Might, remember?!" Tensei reminded Tenya of that one crucial fact.

Tenya stopped struggling when his brother reminded him of the truth.

Yes, Garou did say that… he healed All Might with the abilities he gained from his newfound army.

True to Garou's words, All Might was acting in top shape, more so than he had seen than ever before.

All Might dropped his jaw at his macabre explanation… there was a level of horror and ingenuity that All Might couldn't describe, equal in praise and revulsion.

He could understand the appeal of taking trophies from defeated enemies as he played RPG games before.

It wasn't appealing when he was in the position of the NPCs before the protagonist, about to be 'farmed'.

"And what better blood is there than that of the Number One Hero's? I bet even your fans would want something like that. The crazy ones, at least."

Oh god, he was serious.

"...How much blood do you plan to take from me?" All Might asked.

"As much as I need. Maybe a bone or two if I'm feeling greedy." Garou was playing with his fears.

"You are more twisted than what they say." Star and Stripe glared at Garou.

"And you're trespassing in foreign affairs. Honestly, I can let the police ferry you out. Imagine the headlines, 'Number One Hero of America Shipped To The US while the Hero Hunter watches' or something like that. Quite funny, actually."

"..."

Star and Stripe glanced at the law enforcement.

They were nervous, looking away from her when their eyes met. If they get involved, she could not stop them without harming them, breaking one of the ironclad laws of the world.

And they were innocent. No corrupt cop pulling the strings whatsoever… she could tell from their faces alone.

"But I'll make an exception on one condition if you're willing to take the risk. Two Number One Heroes versus the Demon of Hosu. A fight that will go down in history, the Greatest Heroes of our time in the books, forever immortalized on the screen."

His words stirred an outrage of fanfare and chaotic responses from the viewers.

"WHAAAT?!" Kaminari leaned on his seat.

Ojiro gawped at the declaration.

Momo and her parents nearly suffocated from the declaration, such brazen, yet historic bravado that could not be ignored.

"All Might! All Might! All Might!" Ochaco and her parents chanted All Might's eye with steam out of their nostrils, never before this excited.

"Shit! FUCK, ALL MIGHT! You better not fuck this up!" Bakugo was holding the television screen, cursing from the anticipation of seeing All Might's comeback.

"YOU BETTER NOT FUCK IT UP!" Even Bakugo's mother was in high spirits.

Everyone reacted, even All For One as he leaned forward at the screen.

"My, my, he knows how to entertain!" Even All For One was invested in this matchup. "Ahhh, it feels like I am a kid again, waiting in line at the comic book store for the climax…"

It brought memories of the time when the concept of Heroes was still a work of fiction, something to be enjoyed, not simultaneously practiced and refined for public order.

"One Number One hero isn't enough, he's challenging two?!"

"He's getting cocky, taking on two Number One Heroes!"

"It's obvious that he's going to win. If All Might couldn't beat him before, why now?"

"But maybe… What if he loses? This could be the comeback of history… The villains always lose in these moments…"

Mutters exchanged between the spectators.

They were witnessing the first challenge to two of the world's greatest Heroes in a duel.

"...What's the condition?" Star and Stripe glared at Garou.

"If you lose consciousness, can no longer fight in any way, well, I will ship you back to America with style."

Star and Stripe narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, you'll live. Not sure about your dignity, though."

Meanwhile, Mirko arrived at the scene, the chocolate rabbit landing atop of a building, with enough vantage to see the battlefield to come.

Every nation around the world was in an uproar about this bet, something that could change the dynamic of the world for the better or worse, the heroes potentially becoming victimized, objectified into nothing more than hunting trophies by the next generation of villains.

Meaning Garou was ahead of this time.

Way ahead.

All Might cleared his throat in a way that failed to hide his anxiety.

"...Could you give us a moment to talk?" All Might asked like a schoolgirl begging for some time along with her friend.

Garou waved his hand, letting All Might lead Star and Stripe away to themselves, enough distance to avoid being heard by normal ears.

"...You don't have to do this." All Might told Star and Stripe.

Technically, he wanted to call Sir Nighteye but…

"What do you mean? He's overestimating himself! If we work together, we can apprehend this villain once and for all!"

Star and Stripe was too in over her head, unable to comprehend the complex role Garou now plays in Japan.

All Might had no idea how he could explain all of this to her in this short of a time why Garou was no longer the villain she saw him as. Especially without exposing himself.

"I understand. But this is a matter which I must resolve by myself. I don't want to drag another hero from overseas into my mistakes."

His words fazed Star and Stripe, but it didn't last long.

"...But I am here. You are here. We… are here. To save the day."

What the hell? Why did she have to use his iconic catchphrase against him like this?

"And… well… I always wanted to fight alongside you for once…"

And then her true reason surfaced, the muscular woman's face blushing a slight, almost fidgeting.

All Might inhaled and exhaled.

Thinking about it, with her Quirk… they might have a chance to beat this monster but…

Garou had a massive following.

He injured many heroes, but he never killed, nor did he harm a civilian.

There was a growing fan base behind him, and Garou was the sole linchpin keeping the army he gathered from spiraling back into their villainous ways.

And that did not take into account the civilian fans, those with unfortunate Quirks, the Quirkless…

And the Shinjitsu family… the boy would be too devastated to forgive the world.

But he had no choice.

However, there was a silver lining. Garou prepared something too big to take back, All Might could use this chance to change the current status quo and check all of the marks he needed to meet his ideal ending - converting Garou to the light.

The other answer was to force Garou into a stalemate, a draw between them, which was infinitely more difficult.

Give the world a show, no weaknesses revealed, only their strengths and reasons why they should not be underestimated.

But honestly, it would be better if Star and Stripe wasn't here… if they lose, it would mean that Garou could no longer be stopped by one Number One Hero.

More would flock to Garou's side as a result, a precarious balance reaching its tipping point.

All Might inhaled and braced himself for his greatest test.

"Garou!"

All Might turned to Garou.

"We accept!"

Garou grinned behind his mask.

Two Number One Heroes ripe for the taking.

He wondered if a Third Number One Hero would make it here.

"One more thing… since it is two against one, I hope you don't mind me bending the rules a little."

"What bending are we talking about?" Star and Stripe clicked her tongue.

"You'll find out. Trust me when I say this, it'll be fun for all of us. Well, not you two. It'll hurt. Inside and out. It will be fair, I promise you."

---

On his 'throne,' which was a high-quality wooden chair Mr. Compress stored in a marble ball, Garou sat with one leg over the other.

He was surrounded by his commanders, Dabi and Goliath standing behind him while Mr. Compress and Marco Levaron stood by his side.

His loyal followers surrounded them, many were on guard while the rest cleaned the battlefield.

Marco Leveron arrived to store the villains that he could store within his Inventory Quirk with Mr. Compress, all of the marbles safely stored in that one's extremely convenient Quirk.

No one knew what would happen to the matter in his Quirk if he died. And no one could force the prisoners out of him so far.

With a cellphone in hand, Garou was calling his right hand man, Chisaki, listening on the other side.

"What do you think? Trying out new things on them?"

He had a fun demonstration planned for the viewers.

He would resort to tactics and fighting styles never before seen, not only to entertain and gain much revenue and fame, but also inspire his followers to do better.

[It is an ingenious plan that kills two birds with one stone.]

Chisaki agreed.

He was in the grand open room, all of the original members of the Eight Precepts of Death present to see the show, even the old Boss watching.

The civilians were evacuated from the arena, heroes and police force rushing in to cordon the soon-to-be danger zone.

Many costumes of different colors eye the man in the center of the arena, some with fear, others with ire that someone like him played with the laws of Japan for so many months, others slightly vengeful for he sent them and others to the hospital.

"Tell Giran to send me the list. This is an emergency bulk order. Say that this also counts as an advertisement to get a major discount."

[I've already informed my men to do as you instructed. Giran is now answering my call.]

"Good." Garou closed his phone as he waited for the Heroes to finish their preparations.

His eyes wandered around behind, inspecting the hostile intent around him. Garou wondered if any of these heroes would try something.

But as time proved, they did not have the right to interfere with All Might's battle. There were no civilians under threat, any villain roaming about causing unnecessary destruction.

Only a duel between the strongest.

The villains seem to be quiet, wanting to see this battle unfold in televised history.

"Garou!"

A voice none expected to hear called out to the Hero Hunter, Garou looking up to see the shadow of a falling dark-skinned rabbit drawing closer.

Landing before him with brazen, the dark-skinned rabbit hero made her entrance, standing before him without prior permission.

Mirror grinned with hot-blooded fervor, albeit her blood cooled at the sight of a revolver barrel staring right into her eyes, Marco Levaron already close to her face and ready to pull the trigger.

"Wait."

Garou raised his hand to stop him from firing.

Marco Levaron stared at Mirko from behind the red lens of his gas mask before he pulled away the gun, backing away from Mirko.

"Heh! Looks like you found yourselves some good henchmen!" Mirko grinned despite being held at gunpoint a few seconds ago.

"They're not henchmen. Henchmen are made to kiss my feet. They are warriors." Garou answered, voice warped through the Mask.

"Whoa… do you mean it?" Mirko asked from experience.

"They did not come here to serve a tyrant. As for you, are you here to volunteer as my warmup?"

Garou rose from his seat, looking straight into her eyes from his mask.

Her instincts felt the biting intent, danger and pain of her fate if she dared to fight.

She could barely maintain that fearless smile under her screaming instincts to flee.

The other heroes tensed.

Some were ready to jump in, others hesitant to take action knowing Garou's track record.

Her fighting spirit was tempting Mirko to take the shot and challenge Garou…

"...I'm not the kind of girl that likes to steal the spotlight. Even though I do want to see you in action personally."

The Masked demon lord bedecked in black returned to his seat.

"Then why are you here? Don't tell me you think this might be the last time we get to see face to face like this?" Garou asked.

His forces were curious about the conversation.

"...You know… you might not call yourself a villain but usually this is where the heroes make a comeback and save the day."

"You think I don't want to see if they can pull it off? Are you worried about me?" Garou pinpointed.

Mirko's smile fell.

His subordinates were muttering behind his back.

"Is this what I'm seeing? Is this happening?!"

"Forbidden romance! Shit, it's happening!"

"Mirko is famous for being a 'Might make right' mentality', oh my goooo~d!"

The grunts were bustling at the drama, breaking their professional posture of instilling fear.

"...I better not see your ass fall after all of that talk of challenging two number one heroes. They're not the only ones waiting for a rematch."

Mirko left with a mighty leap, Garou watching her hopping away from the town.

"Hmmm…"

Garou's thoughts wandered to his upcoming duel. He had no experience dealing with Star and Stripe, but there was enough information on her to make a conjecture on her limitations. He could easily catch her off guard and decimate her.

He had an idea of her flaws, forced to concentrate on a power per hand, and she had two hands.

As for All Might, Garou had many ideas on how to play with him. The challenge would be to incorporate all of them in such a limited time frame.

"Grandmaster." Dabi called out as he had a cellphone on his ear. "I received a call from Chisaki. He said that the Americans wish to negotiate with you."

Garou perked with interest as he turned to his subordinate.

"Really? Negotiate? Which 'Americans' are we talking about?"

Garou had never been to America, but he and his subordinates painted it as a superpower nation with an addiction to guns, meat, and heroes, other than that they founded the first Hero Association.

"...The White House… I didn't think I would live to hear the world's most famous government bend the knee this soon."

"Explain."

Dabi handed the phone.

Garou took it and placed it on his ear.

"Explain."

He listened to Chisaki explaining the situation to him.

---

Star And Stripe inhaled deeply as she waited for her idol within an apprehended building the two challengers were using to ready themselves for the iconic duel with the Hero Hunter.

The building was a small apartment guarded by police and heroes. The paparazzi surrounded the building, hungry for interviews, cameras flashing and microphones in hands as reporters narrated the events and informed the viewers where the number one heroes reside to prepare for their showdown.

Many civilians were already evacuated from the warzone that was Hosu. The fears of property damage was covered by Silver Fang's connections with the insurance companies and negotiations with the Prime Minister regarding the aftermath.

Her idol was behind that brown wooden door. She cleared her throat, gathered her courage, and knocked on the door.

There was a small thump behind the door.

"All… All Might. I-It's… me…"

Star and Stripe felt so ashamed. She stood before many villains and perils yet her courage failed when it came to facing the man that saved her and her family all of those years ago.

She needed to quickly rectify herself.

She wondered how she looked… she recalled the rude remarks from that one goon about her being a 'female All Might' and the accusations against her resorting to plastic surgery and whatnot to look like All Might. Honestly, all she did was train, dye her hair, and styled her hair.

The doorknob turned.

She could feel her heart skip a beat when the door pulled back. Though she didn't expect to see a sheepish All Might poking his head out of the door.

"A-Ah, please come in. Are you here to talk about our strategies against Garou, Miss Stripe?" All Might sounded formal in his question.

There was a strange sense of nervousness, almost as if his entire body was shaking on his heels.

"Y-Yes." Star didn't know how to react to that. All Might pulled the door open as she let herself in.

"Ahahaha, please don't mind the mess. I'm a bit nervous. I don't know how to prepare myself or whether he'll aim to kick me between the legs or tear it off!" All Might laughed with a jolly mirth, both of his knuckles on his waist, his smile flashing yet it looked tense and strained like the taut string of a bow.

"I… I see." Star and Stripe wanted to ask about his experience with the Hero Hunter.

All Might stepped aside, letting her step inside.

Star and Stripe saw his room as simple, not too much other than an open laptop at the desk.

This wasn't All Might's room, but the little girl inside her was still extremely excited to be in the presence with the Number One Hero. However, her current self needed to focus on the matter at hand. She could end Garou with but one touch, and this might be a chance for her to show how much she had grown in front of All Might.

"Ah hah hah! I feel a bit awkward! Even though this is the second time I've been on camera! And the first is when I'm fighting with a fellow hero by my side!"

Star and Stripe nodded.

"Alright, let's discuss our strategy. Do you know about my Quirk?"

"Of course! New Order is not a Quirk I would like to face against, even in my more active years!" All Might nodded.

"Then I only need to ask this. My Quirk can work on anyone if I touch my target and announce the name they associate themselves with. It doesn't have to be their birth name, just a name they identify with… so I must ask. Does the Hero Hunter associate himself with just the name 'Garou'?"

Star and Stripes clenched her fist as she mimicked All Might's iconic wide smile with confidence in her victory. All Might bit his lips as if sucking on a lemon, on the other hand.

"Yes… as far as I know."

"Is something wrong?" Star And Stripes asked.

"It is… I admire your confidence but I suggest we should prepare in case your Quirk… wouldn't work on him as intended."

"...Is it related to that rumor about him being immune to Quirks?" Star and Stripes did some research on the Hero Hunter.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hm?" All Might walked to the door and opened it.

Men stood behind the entrance, men in black and black sunglasses, bald shaven head.

"I am deeply sorry for intruding on ourselves. But we must speak with Cathleen Bate… regarding her sudden uninformed departure from America."

"Ah…" Star And Stripes knew them.

White House secret service agents sent from America - a special unit with useful selective Quirks that underwent specialized training rumored to be as effective as the finest Hero Schools.

"Unfortunately, this time your reputation as America's greatest hero will not save you from national repercussions, Ms. Bate. You have endangered not only yourself, but the faith of our country in your standing as the greatest hero."

Cathleen was astonished by their words, it was understandable if they reprimand her for going against procedure, but for them to attack her like this for pursuing the ideals of justice?

"I… I don't understand. This is the same Garou that brought devastation to the heroes of Japan! America will not bend the knee to this villain just to keep him from touching its soil!"

All Might coughed into his hand, loudly to remind her that he was here, understanding her point of view.

"I… appreciate your concern for my well-being, Ms. Bate. I am touched that you would come all this way from America… I understand that he did commit heinous crimes. He broke many laws, assaulted professional heroes, and forced many of them into retirement. He did many terrible things to good people… but I believe that he can also become a force for good."

"What?"

Star and Stripe turned to All Might. Her face screamed shock and a hint of betrayal when All Might sided with the Demon of Hosu.

"...Because he has honor. And can show mercy… even when the chance to kill the Number One Hero was at his feet."

His words left the American Heroine stunned.

"Ms. Bate."

One of the secret service took out a folder labeled 'classified' in red and handed it to the American heroine.

"You'll understand if you read it. You have as much a right to know after all you've done for our country."

Cathleen squinted at them before her eyes glazed over the contents of the folder.

Her hardened expression slowly melted when she flipped the pages to the next. Her sharp gaze raised, bewilderment her new default when she read the details of how close Garou came to causing chaos within the Hero world.

And then gave it up, walked away from the opportunity every villain dreamed - the opportunity to finish off All Might.

The folder was All Might's report on the Hero Hunter, from the day All Might lost to Garou to seeing how Garou rose to become the Demon of Hosu… and the reason why Garou chose Hosu as his territory, the pictures of two silver-haired people, a woman and child, the former walking beside and nagging the Hero Hunter while the Hero Hunter carried a cheerful child on his shoulders.

All Might allowed the heroine to digest the contents of the folder. Actually, he took a peek at the folder as Miss Stripes perused the pages of the contents.

Her expressions shifted from shock to disbelief and shock again at the pages of the contents, the recorded story of the Hero Hunter's evolution from rampant villain to something… more.

A story of a man that rose from the status of traditional villainy into something new, someone that would go so far as to heal All Might with the help of those against Heroes. All Might, needing healing, a curse that she never knew that her role model was suffering from for so many years, she kept rereading the section documenting All Might's terrible condition and its cause again and again, yet her mind still refused to process it immediately.

All this time, she never knew… She wanted to ask if that was true, the dire condition he suffered, but a glance in his direction, the serene, unwavering toothy smile… It was all she needed to know that everything was true.

But the fact that Garou decided to heal All Might from his supposedly unhealable condition?

That was a different matter.

"...I… T-This is… That villain, he… Why would he…" She was at a loss for words.

"Ah hah hah hah hah hah!" All Might placed a hand on his protege's shoulder.

"That… is what separates him from the villains we fought. He may be rough, but I am proof that he can change for the better! Though…"

"Ahem. I understand that this is too much for you to understand. It is better that we talk about this after we win… hopefully."

All Might wasn't sure about his victory.

Garou's unique parrying was much sharper than ever, the strange repelling, magnetic-like force he used was stronger and more esoteric, a beautifully crafted martial art designed against those with power.

It was time to test out his theories on how to counter that perfect defense, though did cheat a little by asking the little, cheerry apprentice that wanted to see Garou beat his hero persona up.

Now, it was time to discuss battle plans.

---

The time had come.

The plaza was cleared, the Silver Fang, the civilians, the Heroes, all of them cleared from the battleground.

Only three souls stood, two muscular figures facing against the masked demon standing, the demon cloaked in black staring at them.

There was no fanfare nor announcement, minus the reporters commenting on the moment behind the screens behind the silence.

All Might clenched his fist and entered a stance, a basic boxing stance, two arms raised up guard.

"Well, here we are. Round three… with an unwanted extra at that. The third wheel looks incompetent to be honest."

All Might and Star and Stripe did not respond to his quip. The unexpected silence was unusual.

"Looks like you have something up your sleeve. Alright, let me remind you. We have cameras set up all over the place. I got a special team back in headquarters monitoring the live transmissions, and we have flying cameras as support."

Garou pointed at the sky, showing the helicopter cameras hovering, gazing at them.

"All of my forces are at a safe distance. No civies are allowed, and if any of them are here, it'll be on your heads. Destroy as much as you want, I'll bill Cementoss for the damages. If any of us leaves Hosu, they are ringed out. As in, lose. Me included."

Still no response, yet their faces shared the same expression of surprise.

"...It's to stop the fight from spilling out of Hosu. Fair is fair if it applies to me. I have a surprise for you, All Might, but I'll show it to you later. I want to see the look on your face when it happens. Anything to say before we begin the show?"

The two heroes did not answer. Star and Stripe shuffled, prowling around Garou.

Now All Might and Garou pincered the Demon Lord of Hosu, surrounding the lone Demon.

"...I don't know what you're planning…" Garou hummed. It was the first time he felt like he was talking to himself.

"It looks like you're baiting me into something good. Alright."

It was faster than an instant.

Faster than the cameras could process, all the audience was Garou 'blipping' in front of All Might, teleporting without warning in a single frame.

"I'll bite."

Garou's fist already moved.

However, his fist slowed down considerably the closer it approached All Might to his confusion. It was less like facing air resistance and more like time was slowing down the closer the proximity.

He instantly stopped and stepped back, but Star and Stripes moved with impeccable timing with arms spread wide.

Garou couldn't react as she grabbed him.

"Now!"

What was strange was that Star And Stripe sounded… male… No, she sounded like All Might.

When he looked back at All Might… he saw Star and Stripe reaching out to him with one hand.

Glancing back, the one holding him from behind was All Might.

"Wha-"

"If Garou moves an inch, his brain will lose consciousness!"

Garou stared at Star and Stripes as her palm made contact with his head.

"...Oh, you clever bastards."

Garou understood now.

The two Heroes decided to switch their appearances to deceive him. They didn't speak because they were nervous, they would blow their cover if they did.

And Star used some kind of trick to slow his movements when he got close enough for All Might to catch him. It was a spectacular blunder which impressed Garou for the first since months.

Garou didn't think that New Order could do that.

"Don't move. It would be disappointing if the Hero Hunter were to fall so pitifully," Star and Stripes warned.

"...I'm sorry, Garou." All Might apologized as he released Garou, stepping back.

"Are you?" Garou didn't turn his head. "Is this how the Number One Heroes of this world repay my generosity? I gave all of the advantages you can dream of, and you wasted it with… this?"

It was a strange sensation, like he was caught in a nonexistent web on the palm of someone's hand, her hand, while also feeling like he stepped on a mine.

No, more like Star pressed a mine against his face in this instance.

"I know. You have set yourself up for us. I know you understand the trend of villains falling to their hubris… and you threw yourself willingly on that path for us. I cannot let the opportunity you presented go like this."

"Are you that desperate to set the world straight, All Might?" Garou asked the Number One Hero.

"...I'm doing this for all of our sake. This cannot continue."

"And what is it that you cannot let continue?" Garou asked. "Is it the downfall of the status quo? Are you that desperate to keep things the way they were?"

"No." All Might shook his head. "I have come to acknowledge that I might be… behind. You have addressed problems with the world I built in my active duty, and… that I am out of my depth when it comes to tackling them."

Star remained quiet as she listened, she and the world watching through the camera listening to All Might's confession.

"But that won't stop me from trying. I will start… with you. Please, surrender. I have no wish to continue this… dynamic we have. You have built something grand and… terrifying. Garou, you can stop this. I know this is a grand ask, but this world needs to heal, and… the direction you're taking is…."

"...And how do you suppose that I 'stop' this?" Garou asked. "Did you even consider what you'll do with me if you win?"

"I'll start with you making amends with the Heroes you hunted." All Might answered with resolution. "Then I will have you speak with the Public Safety Bureau, with the Hero Association… I haven't thought that far ahead, I admit. But I know that there is a better way! Together, we can-"

"Kuhahahahahahaha." Garou laughed, interrupting All Might.

"...All Might…"

Stars felt her hand twitch. The twitch became erratic, fingers and muscles violently moving by themselves as if something was trying to break out of it, causing her to grab her hand.

A crack resounded, the iconic star that appears in space whenever Star used New Order cracked.

A sudden pain exploded through her before she was sent flying into the wall, crashing through the windows, plaster and stone, the sound of multiple walls breached compounding reaching All Might as he saw Garou standing where Star and Stripe once stood.

"...Eh?" All Might turned to the human-shaped hole in the wall. Garou did not faint. He managed to resist even New Order, albeit the process of resistance was a bit different, like the star cracking.

"Since when is peace that cheap?" Garou questioned as he turned his mask towards him.

"You want me to lay down everything I've built so far just so we don't give you trouble? You say peace, but the only reason why we're at this point is because I've raised the issue. You think you have the right to be the ambassador? Someone who couldn't see shit unless it's made everyone's problem?"

All Might tensed, a lot of emotion was spilling, an emotional argument that All Might couldn't refute.

"I didn't force anyone to follow me. They came to me because they are sick of the evils of the many. You, who normalized biased unfairness, have NO right to negotiate. If you want peace that badly…"

Garou waved his hand at All Might to come at him.

"Show me if you got what it takes. Win. If you can."

All Might grimaced… but he couldn't stop his grimace from turning into a smile. Garou wanted him to prove that everything he said was genuine… and to see if he could take it from Garou, the right to make peace.

"...HAH HA HA HA!" All Might laughed heartily. "Well, it was worth a shot! Alright! It is time to remind the world why I am Number One! Brace yourself, Garou!"

BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEH. I have peeled too much of my brain meat for you pirahnas. Anyways, working on my condition. Gonna see if I can keep this up, but brain a bit fried at the moment. Not much to say at this point other than 'stay away from my brain meat'.