"…How did you kill him?"
It was hard to imagine that a man over two meters tall could look so cautious—but at this moment, All Might did exactly that.
Shina Etsuha, interrupted mid-thought, blinked at him—then the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he casually made a gesture.
"Just—boom!—and he died."
"'Boom'? Just like that?!" All Might's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yeah. It was basically a super bomb made with my Quirk…" Etsuha went on to explain, giving a full account of his battle with All For One, including the crucial details.
After listening, All Might stood there, stunned.
"What kind of bomb could blow his legs off like that…? That's terrifying."
Etsuha didn't elaborate further. He simply described it vaguely as a product of his Quirk. All Might didn't press the issue—Etsuha's strange and unpredictable abilities were already well-known.
"The real turning point came after that…"
Etsuha continued, recounting everything that followed—including the encounter with Death Arm. By the time he finished, All Might understood the entire situation.
"…So that's how it happened…" All Might said quietly, his expression filled with regret. "If I had gotten you a Hero license sooner… maybe none of this would've happened. I'm sorry, Etsuha."
He hadn't expected something so serious to stem from bureaucratic failure. For the first time, he began to seriously question whether the system itself needed to change.
"It's not your fault," Etsuha replied, shaking his head. He understood why All Might blamed himself—but Etsuha had never seen it that way. The chain of events had been triggered by his own choices, especially when it came to All For One.
All Might let out a soft sigh. "No matter what… I'm just glad you haven't changed. Now—let's talk about what we do next…"
Before he could finish, both of their expressions changed.
Etsuha's gaze snapped toward the distance.
A dark, swirling portal had opened atop a nearby building—and from within it, a grotesque figure stepped out.
A Nomu.
"…Nomu?!" Etsuha frowned. "But All For One is dead… so why are these things still appearing?"
Was it leftover stock from the League of Villains?
Or—
"Wait… could he still be alive?!" Etsuha's thoughts sharpened instantly. He remembered that final moment—when All For One had briefly broken free and activated a transmission ability. At the time, it seemed insignificant.
Now… it might have been an escape.
He couldn't be sure—but the appearance of Nomu snapped him fully alert.
"Let's go check it out!"
All Might nodded immediately.
Nomu didn't act independently. Without All For One, someone else had to be controlling them. And whoever that was—needed to be stopped.
Both of them leapt into action.
With the first Gate open, Etsuha felt a dull ache in his muscles, but it didn't slow him down. Moving like a streak of green lightning, he crossed multiple rooftops in seconds, arriving near the portal.
By then—
Five Nomu had already emerged.
"…That portal… Kurogiri?"
As Etsuha approached, the portal abruptly vanished. His expression darkened.
"So he's not nearby. That was just a remote opening…"
At the other end, Kurogiri nearly panicked.
"Just opening a portal and running into someone like him… that's too dangerous! If I'd been even a second slower, I might've been killed!"
He shuddered at the thought. If Etsuha had reacted first and unleashed his freezing ability, escape would have been impossible.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted across Hosu City.
In mere moments, multiple portals opened throughout the city—and countless Nomu poured out.
Many possessed combat-oriented Quirks. The destruction began immediately.
"AAAHHH!!"
"What are those things?! Run!!"
"Where are the Heroes?! Someone help!"
"My child—!!"
Screams echoed through the streets.
Watching the destruction, Etsuha frowned deeply.
"The deployment is too fast… this was planned."
This wasn't random. It was coordinated.
He had only reached the first portal, yet Nomu were already rampaging across the entire city. There had to be dozens—no, hundreds—prepared in advance.
If the League of Villains had a target…
Etsuha's eyes narrowed.
"All Might."
It made sense.
"They wouldn't release this many Nomu just for chaos… This is targeted. And if they know All Might is here… then I'm probably part of their plan too."
As he analyzed the situation, All Might had already thrown himself into rescue efforts.
Like a living force of nature, the Symbol of Peace tore through the streets, smashing three Nomu in rapid succession while protecting civilians.
Then—
A group of figures stepped into Etsuha's path.
Each of them wore plague-like bird masks.
Etsuha's lips curled into a faint smile.
"…Of course. The Hassaikai."
"Just as expected."
..
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