"You lunatic!"
On the other side, after hearing Shigaraki reveal that he had orchestrated so many events solely to target him, All Might froze for a moment.
Then, in the next instant, his expression changed completely.
Because he finally understood why Shigaraki had trapped him alone inside this empty grassland.
"Ah... looks like you figured it out."
Seeing the change in All Might's face, Shigaraki's expression immediately brightened with delight.
"Well, you should've guessed it eventually. Plenty of people have dreamed about doing this."
"Far too many, actually."
"It's just that none of them ever succeeded."
As he spoke, Shigaraki slowly spread his arms.
His tone gradually became fanatical.
"But today..."
"I'll become the first."
"The first person to accomplish it."
"To kill the comrades of the Symbol of Peace."
"To slaughter the civilians he protects."
"To show the entire world how fragile and powerless their guardian god truly is."
"This simple yet nearly impossible achievement..."
"I'll claim it today."
Originally, Shigaraki's first plan had been even more extreme.
He had wanted the Sludge Villain to seize control of All Might directly and force him to slaughter people in front of countless witnesses.
That would undoubtedly have been the fastest way to drag All Might down from his pedestal.
Unfortunately, the Sludge Villain simply wasn't capable enough.
Even after taking over Tsuki Sengen's body, and even after All For One strengthened Tsuki Sengen's Quirk further, controlling All Might remained impossible.
Let alone accomplishing what Shigaraki originally imagined—
forcing All Might to remain conscious while watching himself kill civilians and Pro Heroes with his own hands.
Because of that limitation, Shigaraki had no choice but to abandon the idea.
And honestly—
even if the Sludge Villain had been capable of doing it, Shigaraki still wouldn't have allowed it in the end.
After all, even villains had their own principles.
Mindlessly slaughtering defenseless civilians crossed a line.
It violated the basic morality Shigaraki still retained.
He wanted to destroy All Might's image.
But he wasn't so deranged that he needed to rely on methods like that.
Besides...
who knew what kind of monster All Might would become if he truly fell into darkness?
If All Might ever broke completely, perhaps even All For One himself wouldn't be able to control the consequences.
After all—
the phrase "ten times stronger when corrupted, three times weaker when redeemed" wasn't a joke.
Heroes were easier to handle precisely because they had ethics, ideals, and things they wanted to protect.
But if Shigaraki forced All Might, fully conscious, to massacre civilians with his own hands...
Then who knew what kind of existence the Symbol of Peace would transform into afterward?
Heh.
One thing was certain.
That version of All Might would never forgive the mastermind who destroyed his ideals and shattered his faith.
At that point, even bringing up Shimura Nana probably wouldn't save Shigaraki anymore.
Hearing Shigaraki's words, All Might's face darkened to an alarming degree.
The enemy's target was him—
yet innocent civilians were the ones being dragged into danger.
It was madness.
Absolute madness.
Thinking of that, All Might clenched his teeth hard.
"I won't let you succeed."
Yes.
He absolutely would not allow it.
He could not allow it.
Because if Shigaraki succeeded today, then without question, it would be his failure as the Symbol of Peace.
And his sin.
Because the enemy had targeted him specifically.
That was why innocent civilians had become involved.
"Oh?"
"Is that so?"
"But somehow..."
"I don't think you can stop me."
A strange glint flashed through Shigaraki's eyes.
Then, without hesitation, he dealt All Might another psychological blow.
"Oh, right."
"Since you've entertained me so much, I'll kindly give you another piece of information."
"Guess how many people I recruited after disappearing following the Sludge Villain incident."
"And guess how many of them I brought here today."
"While you're busy keeping me here..."
"Where do you think they are?"
"And what do you think they're doing?"
"Guess correctly, and maybe I'll give you a surprise."
"Shit!"
All Might's already grim expression became even darker.
He wasn't stupid.
How could he fail to understand what Shigaraki was implying?
Shigaraki had already seen through his attempt to stall for time.
Worse—
he was willingly cooperating because delaying things was also part of his own plan.
He had already sent other subordinates to attack the remaining Pro Heroes and civilians inside the mall.
Thinking of that, fury surged through All Might.
Because the situation he feared most—
the absolute worst-case scenario—
had become reality.
The enemy was not limited to the few standing before him.
They were an organization.
And while he had been trying to gather information from Shigaraki, the rest of that organization had already begun moving.
Perhaps civilians inside the mall had already been hurt.
The mere thought caused rage to explode within him.
All Might clenched his fists and roared:
"If your target is me, then face me directly!"
"I, All Might, will never hide!"
"I will never run!"
"I'll face you head-on!"
"What kind of coward targets unrelated people?!"
"What kind of strength is there in bullying the weak?!"
"Come!"
"If you want to deal with me, then I'm standing right here!"
"The No. 1 Hero, All Might, is right here!"
"The Symbol of Peace is right here!"
"I won't hide!"
"I won't run!"
"So come at me!"
In truth, All Might had already considered ending the conversation entirely and launching a direct attack.
A single supersonic punch straight into Shigaraki's face.
Unfortunately—
he couldn't.
Or more accurately, he couldn't guarantee success.
The first reason was simple.
Shigaraki's side controlled access to this strange dimension.
Without them, escaping this place would be incredibly difficult.
Let alone returning outside quickly enough to rescue civilians and Pro Heroes who might already be under attack.
The second reason was caution.
If he failed to eliminate Shigaraki immediately and allowed him to escape—
then what a furious Shigaraki might do afterward was easy to imagine.
And the most important reason of all—
Shigaraki was too cautious.
Too cunning.
Not only was he standing far away, but Muscular guarded the front like a shield.
At the same time, Kurogiri remained beside him, ready to activate Warp Gate at any moment.
Shigaraki himself was even leaning against the edge of Kurogiri's portal, prepared to escape instantly if necessary.
Under those conditions, All Might genuinely could not guarantee he could finish everything in a single strike.
And if he failed...
the result would undoubtedly become something he never wanted to see.
So after weighing everything carefully, All Might could only force himself to suppress the urge to attack—for now.
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