Descending like a meteor in a hell of his own flame, Endeavor landed with a deafening boom.
His sharp gaze scanned the area, noticing a blonde man standing in a large crater, his back facing him, obscuring his face.
"You there!"
"... Shit."
A tinge of annoyance flared in Izuku's mind as the past elders reeled in his suffering, pointing at him and laughing hysterically.
"Area's not secure," he barked without looking back, eyes sweeping the chaos with the detached authority of a man too used to chaos.
His blue sidekicks, clad in lighter flame-resistant suits, circled behind him—Burnin', her neon hair sparking, and Kido, already reaching for radar readouts from his forearm gauntlet.
"Identify yourself!" Endeavor spoke in a stern voice.
Izuku raised both hands slowly, his stance calm.
"Just a civilian, sir. Name's Uzui."
For half a beat, Endeavor's flames wavered.
A civilian? In that crater? Still breathing after being at the epicenter?
He almost laughed.
Almost.
"Turn towards me," Endeavor ordered. "Slowly."
"…Understood, sir."
The stranger—Uzui, as he called himself—turned.
His voice was soft, yet resonant. Unshaken.
Too calm. Too clean.
Shouldn't belong to someone normal put in such a situation.
Tall. Blonde. Pale. Sharp-featured. Not on any Pro registry.
The blonde man's cloak was tattered, streaked with scorch marks. His hair glinted like haloed ash, though not a single strand was out of place. His back was scorched, face facing the distant rooftops where the last winged beast had fallen in a writhing mass of smoke.
Burnin' whispered, "Who the hell is he? He's just standing there. That crater... was he attacked?"
"He's not even scared," Kido muttered. "And based on beam trajectories, every blast converged right here. Mathematically, he should be ash."
Their eyes narrowed. Instinct kicking in.
Strong. Insanely strong.
Endeavor watched with suspicion, heat building subtly around his frame.
A villain?A mastermind?A performer, perhaps—one of those theatrical types that wanted to be chased?
"Are you a villain?"
The man tilted his head.
"Just a… volunteer," Uzui replied. His voice, silken and taut, felt like a string one twist away from snapping. "Helping evacuate civilians when the sky started falling."
Kido's voice buzzed into Endeavor's earpiece.
"He's lying."
Burnin's knuckles tightened.
"Look at the scorch radius. He stood dead center. He should've been vaporized."
Endeavor didn't answer. His flames stilled, flickering around his shoulders like a cloak of judgment.
Rule No. 1, keep the sidekicks as sidekicks, keep the attention away from them.
"…Kido. Check the shadows behind that northern wall. Burnin', perimeter sweep."
"On it."
"Moving."
Rule No. 2, try peace first.
As his sidekicks dispersed, Endeavor lowered his voice.
"I'll need to escort you to the precinct. Don't resist."
The smile on Uzui's face withered like paper in flame.
"We don't need to do this. I just failed to make it out with the rest of the crowd."
"I insist. I have probable cause."
Endeavor began closing the distance, slow and methodical.
Uzui exhaled.
"…Fuck."
Smoke erupted from his body in a violent burst, drowning the area in a dense, suffocating cloud.
Rule No. 3, War.
"You are under arrest, villain!" flames screamed from Endeavor's fists, searing the smoke and pushing it away.
But the man was gone.
A silhouette shimmered for a split-second—an afterimage hanging in the dying smoke.
Endeavor lunged. It vanished through his hands.
Izuku had moved so fast it left an after image, confusing Endeavor.
"He's an illusionist, Kido!"
"Deploying heat drone—now!"
Far across the battlefield, Izuku landed in silence near the bare young body of Toga.
She was unconscious. Barely breathing. Blood at the corners of her nose.
Quirk overuse.
He knelt and wrapped her in a long black cloth, gentle hands moving with urgency.
Black tendrils rose from his spine, weaving around her like a living cocoon, fusing her weight to his back and dressing her up like a doll.
He bent slightly.
'40%.'
The ground shattered.
He launched skyward, a sonic boom breaking like thunder across the ruined skyline.
"I won't let you!" Endeavor shouted, rocketing into the air after him.
High above, the wind ripping through his cloak, Izuku glanced back.
"Maybe on another occasion, Number 1."
He adjusted himself and kicked forward, shooting away like a fighter jet at Mach 3, leaving behind a powerful sonic boom.
Endeavor kept his gaze on him, his jaw clenched in fury as he descended down helplessly.
Dark tendrils slashed repeatedly at the air, removing the drag resistance to not harm Toga, in less than 3 minutes, Izuku returned to his hideout, stepping on a hidden plate and descending down the elevator, reaching for the watch room.
A room that was also used for casual activities between the Hollow Order yakuza group.
His eyes met the lazy gaze of Tenko. "Done?"
"Yeah," Izuku nodded. "She awakened it."
"Finally!" Tenko threw his hands over his head, exasperated.
For three whole weeks Izuku has been rambling about awakening Toga's Quirk and now she finally did.
"Now what?"
"Now..." Izuku's expression turned sour. "Now I erase her memory of this morning.
"Seriously? All of it?" Tenko raised an eyebrow.
"It's 11 am... Still early enough to make an excuse," his eyes dulled slightly as he laid his hands on her forehead, using his ability to erase the entire morning and modify her memories.
"Another year down the drain..." Tenko chuckled.
Izuku bit his lips in frustration, tightening his fists in silent rage. "It's not the years that angers me... It's the nature of this ability itself, it's evil."
Tenko thought for a couple of seconds. "I can think of few ways this ability can be used to do good, victims of you-know-what will love to forget some stuff."
"... Mhmm."
He wiped her nose and a small light passed between his finger and her skin, Izuku winced in pain.
Twice arrived at the hall, his active steps carrying him through the space with speed. "You guys! Did you do it? Did she do the thing?" His head snapped. "Not that I'd care, screw the thing!"
Izuku nodded.
"She awakened it and now I'll awaken her," he began to gently tap her face repeatedly until the girl woke up.
"Ughh... What?"
"It's almost 12 pm, stop sleeping until the evening."
"But I slept really late last night..." Toga muttered, remembering last night.
She spent the night gaming using the big screen from the hall, waking up to several faces looking at her.
"Stop gaming at night, learn to read a novel or something," he suggested one of his hobbies.
"... Nah, novels are for lame old people.."
"..."
Tenko and Jin giggled together behind them, like little girls snickering and pointing at Izuku.
"..."
Izuku sighed.
"Come on, today I've something I want you to do."
Toga fully woke up.
Her eyes blinked multiple times.
"Like... What?" her voice was confused.
Izuku... Has never asked her to do anything for him... Ever.
It was a new thing, kinda felt nice.
"I want you to copy a Quirk and steal it."
The laugher ceased, replaced by a heavy silence.
"Steal...? You mean...?"
"All for One, I need his Quirk."
Toga frowned. "But..."
"I'll return it, obviously. I'm not some heartless person," Izuku lied as easily as he breathed.
Return that accursed power to that monser? Over his dead body.
The world has had enough Hitlers.
Some people... Simply didn't deserve to have nice things.
Still, if he stole his Quirk he'd have to steal all the other stored Quirks in his body.
Nothing will be left for him, not even the Quirk that extends his age, keeping him alive.
Izuku wasn't stealing them out of greed, he simply wanted to steal them out of malice.
That's how much he hated the man.
'Kendrick would be proud,' Banjo smiled and spoke with admiration, making the others nod in agreement.
Toga sighed in relief after hearing his words.
She couldn't let herself harm AFO after all the times he took care of her in her childhood.
She knew that he was a bad person but he was her bad person.
Those who can love others... They can't be bad! Only selfish people are bad! Those were her thoughts regarding morals.
Child.
"... Can I shower? I feel super gross for some reason..."
Izuku nodded, leaving the girl be.
"Tenko, follow me," he spoke casually, walking towards a room alone.
Tenko silently followed him, his expression unreadable.
"I know, you want to kill him yourself."
"... We had a deal. This was my revenge, MINE!"
"Calm down, I want you to relax and listen, okay?"
"... Okay."
Izuku turned serious. "You can't kill AFO."
"Why? I joined this whole yakuzu thing to get my hands on him, as you promised me!"
"I know what I said but we'll have to get him out and bring him here to get your revenge, in Tartarous you can imagine how hard this can be."
Tenko clenched his fist.
Izuku quickly added. "How about this? I take revenge for you and bring you your original Quirk back?"
"... He has my quirk?"
"Yeah, he stole it and replaced it with Decay, that's why your body is itching all the time, it's refusing Decay."
"... Now I want to kill him even more."
"Damn it Tenko, be reasonable! It's impossible!" he shouted, losing his cool.
Something rare.
"We have that thing, we can use it to open a portal, I can wake it up."
"Leave Kurogiri out of this, I have a plan for him," Izuku lowered his voice, a slip of emotion passing through his tone.
He wanted to save Kurogiri but had to lock him up until he had THAT quirk that can fix his body.
The only thing he needed, All for One, was nearing his reach.
"Izuku... Please, I need this," Tenko muttered in a quite voice, his tone pleading.
"..."
Izuku rubbed his temples.
He can't believe that he is thinking this but he actually felt like he needed sleep.
For the first time in a month, he felt like he needed to sleep for a couple of hours.
Ever since Stamina III received the insane boost of 100% One for All, his body didn't need sleep anymore, perhaps sleeping only once every couple of months.
But while the body was well, the mind wasn't. Lack of release has caused him to slow down a bit and lose some of his emotions.
Or rather, reign over them quite easily.
Really, it is as if he suddenly became an old man, controlling his emotions with ease like a veteran.
It sucked. He couldn't feel happy no matter what.
Having a small chat with his classmates would be so nice right now.
Teasing Uraraka would probably bring a genuine smile to his face.
Izuku missed his mom. He wanted a hug so badly right now.
His phone was within reach, just a simple phone call and a quick apolog—
He took a deep breath.
"Very well, I'll bring you to him," he spoke in a resolved voice.
Tenko beamed. "Really?!"
"Yeah, do whatever you want with the old fuck, I just want his Quirk."
"Ohhhhohoho, you bet I will, still... About that offer..."
Izuku smiled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get your original Quirk back."
"You're the best, bro. Say, aren't you still a virgin? I've got this fine lookin—"
Izuku flicked his forehead, making him dizzy.
"My first will go to my love, I ain't some cheap Manwhore."
"Aw... Fine, whatever, your loss!"
Suddenly, Tenko's phone buzzed.
He curiously clicked the screen.
"Oh..."
"What? Another Quirk drug situation?"
"No... This one is worse, remember that Overhaul guy?"
"Yeah, I fucked his hands up."
"Well... His hands are back, likely stolen from someone. With his Quirk, he's tearing up our allies..."
"..."
Izuku regretted not killing that monster.
The phone buzzed again.
"What now?" his voice was tinged with annoyance and frustration.
"Spy report, Meta Libiration Army, they are meeting up, nothing new."
"... Hmm," Izuku's expression turned serious as he began to think.
Will he kill the entire Meta Liberation Front or leave them be since he is planning to eradicate the concept of Quirks in general.
Such a heavy decision that concerns so many people's lives, cannot be decided by a single person, regardless of their strength.
'Thoughts?'
'I think fuck' em, they're criminals.' Banjo replied coldly.
'If Quirk itself is gone, won't they simply disband themselves harmlessly?' Nana glared at Banjo and spoke softly.
'C'mon now, we all know that they'll still try to do some crazy shit...' Bruce shook his head, sighing.
'Hmm... Bruce is correct, they have funding and they might try to create an artificial quirk virus or some shit, restarting this whole thing,' Izuku added.
'You're really planning to kill all those people over a What if situation?!' Yoichi, the first, roared angrily.
'Well then, suggest something!' Izuku roared back.
Heavy silence fell between the users of One for All.
Heavy decisions with heavy consequences.
'I say we leave them be and if they became an issue then just deal with them.' Hikage voiced his thoughts calmly, using his wisdom to come out with a solution.
'They will scatter and increase their numbers again, if I don't deal with them now I can't deal with them then, they already have members within the parliament!' Izuku pulled his hair in frustration.
Hikage's answer was the best but if he let them grow more and develop some biological weapon, he's doomed. It is a wise answer but not a smart one.
'So... A bet.' En raised a finger.
'Huh?' x7
'You'll have to bet that they won't do some crazy shit after losing their Quirks. If they did then you'll have to deal with the consequences for the rest of your life.'
'Or I can kill them and get it over with.' Izuku spoke coldly.
'And deal with the guilt of killing that many people for the rest of your life? Hah! As if you can take it.' Banjo rolled his eyes.
'...' Izuku stared down at the ground for a long time.
He still feels guilty for killing those villains that attacked him at U. S. J.
Killing tens of thousands of people...
His hands began shaking at the thought, his heart beating in fear.
A good person will never intentionally kill another person, especially when they have total reign over their rage.
'I won't do a thing, they'll just disband after their Quirks are gone, I'm sure of it...'
The users looked at him then at each other.
Such a heavy responsibility... They all felt it was the best to avoid it.
To leave them... Is to test fate. To kill them is to bear that weight, the weight of killing tens of thousands of people.
Such a thing, for seasoned heros who held a heart of gold... Was simply impossible.
'Bah. Y'all are soft,' Banjo, a vigilante from a time full of chaos and death, simply couldn't care about morals.
You either kill the fire or watch it burn down your house.
One has to go for the other to remain, as simple as that.
Unfortunately, he was surrounded by idiots and this wasn't his story, it was HIS story.
Izuku nodded, resolved. 'I won't kill anyone...'
'What? Now playing a hero?' Banjo snickered.
'I WANT TO BE A HERO!' Izuku screamed back, enraged voice full of frustration.
The users paused, staring at the ever calm guy in shock.
'E-easy there, kiddo, I'm just playing with ya... Haha...' Banjo somehow felt bad.
"You think I don't want to be a hero?" Izuku got up, losing control over his suppressed emotions.
"Pardon?" Tenko stared, confused.
Where did that come from? Why is Izuku talking to the wall?
Did he lose it?
"Constant planning, constant stress, constant crime management, this isn't me! I DON'T WANT THIS LIFE, I DON'T ENJOY IT!"
???
"Look... Uhh... I'll just... See myself out..." Tenko quickly ran off.
'Look man, I'm sorry, alright?'
"Do you have ANY idea how lonely I am? I REGRET taking One for All, I should've remained a normal guy, worked a normal job and lived a normal easy life but noooo I had to be a greedy little bitch!"
'Uhhh... Guys? A little help?'
'You're on your own, buddy boy.' Bruce raised his hands, hiding behind En.
'Sorry...' Yoichi apologized sheepishly, hiding after him.
Enn hid his face with his hands.
Soon, only Nana, Banjo and Hikage faced him.
"I could've had my first part time job by now, bought a console and spent my days off playing games as I pleased! Why should I save the world? I'm a nobody, a nobody. I can't do this! I'm haunted by dead people, alone in a place I don't belong, talking to people I dont like and the whole world calls me a criminal mastermind!"
'...' x7
["..."]
"Look at me, I'm not even strong enough to save people with a smile, I wear a mask to hide my frown! I'm so tired of it all, I simply don't want to do this anymore..." he collapsed on the sofa, losing all his energy.
The phantom of the users watched him quietly.
"... Mock me all you want, I'm pathetic, aren't I? I'm not even strong enough to ask for help... " he hid his face with his forearm.
A couple of minutes passed without anyone making any sound.
'Psst, Nana, flash him your boobs or something, that'll ought to cheer him up!' Banjo whispered seriously.
Nana kicked him in the nuts, making him fall. After he fell, she kept kicking him until she felt better.
'...' x5
'Anyone got anything smart to say?!'
'Nope, not at all ma'am, in fact, I'm 30% crazy and 60% a retard so I can't be smart enough for that,' Enn shook his hands repeatedly.
'What about the last 10%?' Hikage asked.
'A dumbass.'
Nana huffed, a small smile on her lips. 'That's what I thought.'
Another couple of minutes passed.
The users exchanged glances and nodded together.
'I— We think you're the best of us,' Nana spoke sincerely.
'We know how heavy it can be...' Kudo scratched his head.
'The weight and expectations of being a good person...' Hikage's gaze softened.
'This struggle, this responsibility, this effort. This... Is what makes a hero,' The first spoke calmly.
"... What do you mean?" Izuku wiped his eyes, a confused expression on his face.
'You are a hero, 9th!' the users raised their voiced, full of conviction and confidence.
"Are you serious? I'm running a yakuza over here, I killed people in my first week of TRYING to be a hero, let alone a hero, I'm not even a good person."
'It is not who you were but who you are! I believe in you, hero. You hold the heaviest weight amongst us, the greatest power for the greatest responsibility. Regardless of what you will choose, you have our support.'
Izuku stared at the users.
The users stared back, nodding seriously.
Banjo walked to the front. 'What's the plan, leader!' he grinned, face missing a few teeth.
"We... Use Toga to steal AFO, use AFO to steal Overhaul, use Overhaul to fix Kurogiri's body and mind, after that, borrow Erasure from my Sensei, use it to steal StarandStripes from America's number. 1 then issue an order to negate the birth of all Quirks, saving the world from countless future disasters."
["This pleases me, Grime soul."]
'LET'S DO THIS BABY!'
'Seems like a solid plan.'
'I'm with you, 9th.'
'You have my support, Izuku-kun.'
Soon, all the users began cheering him up, praising and trying their best to get him back on his feet.
Izuku realized what they were doing and smiled fondly.
He opened the door, his gaze focused and determined.
"H-hey bro..." Tenko awkwardly greeted, hands holding a bottle of juice. "Want a drink? This one is super sweet, just the way you like it..."
Izuku paused for a couple of seconds, blinking a few times before chuckling. "Sorry, had a mental breakdown, you know how it is."
"... Ouch, those hurt. Want a hug or something?"
"Are you a latina with massive tits?"
Tenko raised an eyebrow. "... No?"
"Then no. But thanks for asking."
With a chuckle, Izuku grabbed the sleepy Toga and headed out.
——————
In a dark lab, Izuku arrived with Toga.
His steps were at ease, familiar with the place.
"Doctor," he stopped walking, making Toga bump into him and rub her nose with a small glare.
"Oh..." An old voice greeted, his voice gentle. "Welcome, Uzui. Want another Nomu?"
"No."
"Then... Came to check up on this old bag of bones?" he chuckled.
"It's time to free him."
Garaki paused and smiled devilishly, his previous kind smile replaced with a crazed expression.
"At last... The Demon King's awakening has come... Follow me, loyal follower."
The mad doctor led them deeper into the lab.
"I've got just the right set of tools for you..."