Chapter 79: It Burns

Evil comes in many forms, but for All for One, he's the deliberate, gleeful sort. The heroes may have him cornerned, and unknown to him, the students are making ready to act, but he'll ensure that none of them will be smiling by the time the sun rises, and neither will Japan.

(Previously)

'He…took them all out, in an instant.' Kirishima shivered; his legs felt made from water and sticks, and he could barely keep himself propped up.

‘We…we don’t stand a chance; he’ll slaughter us like flies.’ Monoma had always felt an urge to copy quirks, to see what they could do in his hands. Still, now his body was screaming that whoever that was, wasn't someone he wanted to copy their abilities, for that meant getting close, that meant certain death.

'We need to run, I know, but…' Komori was openly crying in terror. Yet, she didn't dare let out a single sound, every survival instinct she had, refined over millions of years through countless species of mammal before her, banging at her brain that if she was noticed, she would die.

'I…I came along to keep them safe, so I should grab them all and run as fast as I can, but dammit…' Kendo was shivering, she was scared, no, petrified, so much so she had to fight just to keep breathing.

‘My body won’t move.' Pony's horns itched harder. It was like they were driving a spike into her mind, the rotten feeling she felt moments prior only growing in intensity until she was standing next to a landfill of decay set ablaze. He…that was the source, and her newly awakened quirk told her that that beast would tear her apart.

Line Break

Her horns started hurting, as if they wished to launch off her head and flee into the furthest, deepest hole possible. Pony had never felt something like this. She barely understood it was a fear response, her newly awoken quirk pleading with her to run, but she couldn't, not after all they'd done, all they risked. How could she look herself in the mirror come morning when Midoriya was right there, his pod untouched?

But how? How were they supposed to do anything? Whoever that villain was, he was far stronger than any she had ever seen. With just a single move, he took out the warehouse, the next 3 surrounding it, and all the pros gathered, and he didn't seem like he would take his eye off their captive just yet. They needed something to distract, draw attention away from Midoriya long enough for them to rush it, grab him, and rush out.

Todoroki could distract him. Something big, like another iceberg, might work, but for how long? None of them was that fast. She and maybe Monoma, with her quirk, could manage to get there, but then they'll need to smash through the pod. That would take time—time they didn't have!

Yaoyorozu may be able to make something, but what? A giant bomb? It'll hurt the pros and probably kill Midoriya. They couldn't be sure he would regenerate when he was asleep; who knew if the villains had been feeding him, hurting him while he was starved could do more harm than good. Komori's mushrooms? No, that would probably annoy the monster, but maybe it would be a good distraction, then Todoroki and Momo could start hitting him from a range with ice, flames, and tea gas-Monoma and her could keep them on the move with 2 horns each, it'll free them for the mad dash-

'No, that wouldn't work either!' Pony screamed in her head as her horns continued twitching, her feet unable to move, much like the rest of them.

In the silence, it was easy for them to hear a splashing sound, and then another, and more had a pipe burst?

“That was so gross!” Kendo and Todoroki instantly recognised that voice, and when they peeked over the wall, they saw her. The blonde knife girl, and she wasn't alone.

"This black stuff stinks; I love it!" The other, who used a measuring tape as a weapon, added to that, but their gaze went towards the feathered one, and Kendo felt the urge to rush over and beat him black and blue for capturing Midoriya in the first place.

"Damn, I really don't want to make a habit out of that," Bucky grunted as he got up, dusting himself off as he looked around, seeing they were all here.

“Master...” Shigaraki knelt before their revealed benefactor, though none could tell what he looked like with that helmet-face mask combo. But they could tell he was powerful; just being near him made the hairs on their necks stand on end.

“Wait, how did-?” Tetsutetsu started.

"Kurogiri had to be the one," Todoroki stated.

"But, he looks like he was knocked out already," Yaoyorozu pointed out, as not all the villains were standing. Two of them, including Kurogiri, were down on their stomachs, clearly unconscious, so unless this warp was his last act, it couldn't have been him. Besides, what were those splashing sounds? She couldn't see any puddles or signs of water, yet they had all heard it. Was it the sound of the secondary warp quirk?

"Wasn't the other spot also hit, and All Might was there? So did the villains slip through the net to regroup here?" Monoma frowned, biting his thumb as he looked around at their number. He only recognised Shigaraki and Kurogiri; the rest were new to him.

"This is bad. The pros here are already down, and now the entire League is present." Kirishima called out, as they still had a goal here, but one that would be a hell of a lot harder now.

"How are we supposed to grab Midoriya now? We can't fight all of them," Komori whispered. They kept to their hiding spot, as they couldn't afford to be spotted now; if that happened, they would be dead meat.

"I'm thinking, just give me a second, please," Kendo replied, though she was more weighing their options on a retreat. The big one was bad enough, but with the rest of the League present, even a distraction, rush in, and rapid retreat wouldn't pan out well. There were too many factors, most of which worked against them.

She didn’t like it, but this might be their clue to get out while they could.

Line Break

“So, you failed once more, Tomura?” All for One asked, not angry or disappointed. He was just stating a fact as he approached his student and successor. But you must not be discouraged. You'll try again. That's why I brought along your associates."

For the gathered villains, they could almost hear the smile in his words: "Start over as many times as it takes. I am here to provide you with help. All of this is for you." Shigaraki, on the other hand, ate it up like a starved man would a feast, gazing on his master like he was his savior.

"Well, allow me to express my gratitude for your assistance, sir. We would have been in quite the bind if not for you." Compress stated, though he wasn't sure how the man had saved them to begin with. Those Nomu he had sent should be keeping those pesky pros busy.

Spinner looked around the place and couldn't recognise where they were, not when it seemed like the area had been wrecked before they arrived, and not even a street sign remained standing. "What happened here? It looks like you set off a bomb."

"Or he handled the pros; look over there," Bucky pointed out, the feathered man looking stunned by the casualties around them. They all seemed alive…well, most of them—but the fact none seemed to have the strength to get up wasn't just impressive; it was a near miracle.

“Damn, that’s like 3 top pros, and he’s already handled them without getting a scratch on him? No wonder Shigaraki calls him master, maybe I should ask for a couple lessons.” Magne muttered as Toga seemed to be looking around like a child in a candy shop, and when her eyes landed on the downed Jeanist, she squealed.

"Is that Jeanist? Oh, he always looks amazing, but he looks so much cuter all covered in blood. I just have to get a closer look!" The girl rushed over to Jeanist, the rest wondering why but deciding they could ask her later.

Tetsutetsu was sweating bullets, but he refused to run. ‘No freaking out, we came for a reason. We can’t just run!’

‘No way he knows we’re here, he would have hit us like he did the rest, or taken us as hostages.’ Monoma was running through the scenarios where they popped into focus and made their move. 'Yaoyorozu and Todoroki can run, distract, she can probably knock them out with sleeping gas, and Icy Boy will keep them back.'

‘I can get Kendo to Midoriya. She can grab that entire thing and get back here, but it'll look really heavy and slow, and my horns won't be able to help much. Komori would need to stay hidden and create a whole bunch; the rest of us would need to buy time so Kendo can get in the clear. Pony wanted to hiss but didn't dare make a sound that could expose them to the gathered villains, who had formed a wall between them and Midoriya's pod.

'No, that might work, but the big one would just send us packing; he needs to be distracting, else we can't move.' Monoma shook his head; his plan of attack was too risky, far too slow. If the pros were still up, then maybe, but he wasn't even sure Jeanist was still alive after those 2 hits.

Tetsutetsu and Tsunotori seemed close to throwing all that to the wind and making an attempt, and whether or not they would wasn't important; what was important was that Kendo and Yaoyorozu grabbed onto them and ensured they couldn’t move.

They didn't care that Tetsutetsu and Pony were looking at them, begging for release; they would sooner die than let them run to their deaths. They needed to fall back; that was their condition: if things got too hairy, too dangerous, they would force them to retreat. ‘But with so much of the area already destroyed, it would be risky to sneak away as well.’ Kendo guessed that the fact some buildings were still standing was more luck than the direction of the blast.

‘We can’t stay here, we need to do something, but what?’ Yaoyorozu asked herself, as if the villain so much as suspected which direction they were in, it would take no effort for that direction to end up levelled. It wasn't even just them, but the civilians as well. They couldn't be sure that the pros had managed to get everyone out, or had even evacuated those outside the immediate area, as they couldn't have expected this.

Ignorant of their presence and the students' crisis, All for One glanced towards the sky, picking up something. “Oh, there you are.” The villains around him wondered what he was talking about, but a second later, All Might appeared, and he was coming in towards them like a rocket.

His fist was already pulled back, his famous smashes ready, but All for One was just as ready and caught the hero's blow. The force of which sent out a blast wave sent the villains flying back with shocked yells and curses, the wind seeming to pick up as the 2 titans clashed.

“I’ll have you return my student, All for One!” All Might declared as he added even more force into his attack, trying to crush All for One and be done with this face. Still, even as the ground beneath the masked villain cracked and buckled, he remained standing.

“Have you come to kill me a second time, All Might?” All for One challenged as he kept his most hated rival back.

“Get down!” Kendo yelled, just to be heard over the intense winds, her hold reaching out to latch onto the ground along with Monoma and Komori.

“Will the wall hold?” Monoma yelled back, as if the wall went, then whether they liked it or not, they'd be spotted.

Mercifully, it would hold as All for One managed to push All Might back, but only slightly. "Well, that took me back. You're looking to be in good health, All Might. Though" All for One swung his wrist around, his old bones feeling strained from that simple block along.

He had known it coming into this, but he was far from his prime if that could hurt him. "The bar's only 5 kilometres from here to the bar, yet you needed at least 30 seconds since I sent the Nomu to arrive. Once upon a time, you would have been here in 10." But, the same could be said for All Might, no?

The villain couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. "It's quite relieving to see your health is the only thing that has improved."

All Might didn’t take the bait, keeping his attention on his nemesis, but also an ear out for the rest of the League who could easily try and strike him from the rear. "Throwing stones from glass houses, are we? It's hard to ignore you're walking around with that flashy life support. Closer to death's door than you'll like, All for One?"

‘He held back All Might with his bare hands?’ Pony gasped at the sight, just like the others.

'His strength is comparable to the number one hero?' Kendo gulped, as that wasn't good. If just those two clashes could kick up a wing storm like that, then what the hell would happen if they got into a fight? How much of Kamino would be left standing? And how the hell would Midoriya's pod survive all that? Yes, it was still in place, but that couldn't last.

All for One conceded to All Might’s jab. “You’re quite right, you imbecile of a number one. Our last encounter left me in this sorry state. And it’s all the more vexing to see you standing before me, while I require machines just to function.” He hardly sounded upset, but All Might had long since stopped trying to analyse the emotions of this monster.

“Then I won’t waste this chance, this won’t be like 5 years ago. I will rescue young Midoriya and Ragdoll. And I will ensure you spend the rest of your pathetic life locked up." All Might jumped in place, bouncing on a leg and then another, getting ready before he pounced, his fist pulled back and ready to ensure that when he crushed All for One's skull, there'll be nothing left. “Right along with your despicable League of Villains!”

“A tall order, wouldn’t you say?” All for One raised an arm, the limb bulging like an overfilled balloon, before he fired off another air blast, far stronger than the first two. “This will be hard for us both!” All Might was caught in the blast, but where Jeanist had a hole nearly blown through him, All Might didn't take any damage. It looked like it wouldn't even slow him down. Still, right before he could touch All for One, the attack finally managed to send All Might flying, smashing through several buildings in the distance.

“Air cannon plus spring-like limbs, kinetic booster times 6, strength enhancer times 5. Even with all that, it was still a struggle to push you even that far back. You truly are in exceptional health, All Might…I can’t fight you like this.” All for One was grateful his helmet kept people from seeing how hard he had to grit his teeth. Using multiple quirks hurt, and with his body in its state, it was worse.

Despite that, he knew that such an attack wouldn't have done more than give All Might minor cuts. He probably took more damage from slamming through those buildings. This battle, more than anything, would be a battle of endurance, and he knew his limits; he couldn't hope to match that. Even with All Might holding back on account of their hostage, it was the same for him.

“T-that wasn’t enough?” Magne raised a shaking hand and pointed in the direction All Might had been sent. She was sure if that had been heard, she would have been dead five times over. Even a monster like Muscular probably would need a doctor after that.

“Tomura, this would be your time to escape,” All for One ignored her, sprouting black, red, criss-crossed tentacles from his fingers, which shot out, stabbing into Kurogiri's chest. "Kurogiri, warp them away."

Magne was a little annoyed that he had ignored her, but the situation was one where she could forgive; besides, they had bigger concerns. "Be careful. One of the heroes did something to him, and he's knocked out. Can't you get us out of here like you did the bar?"

All for One shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not so simple, Magne. My warp power is still new and, compared to Kurogiri's, is far more limited. Where he can take himself and others to specific coordinates, I can only transport people to and from my location within a much more limited range, or to and from someone I am very familiar with."

As he explained himself, the rest grew less guarded and annoyed. They couldn’t understand the whole picture, but they knew enough to understand that All for One probably made the right call as he forced Kurogiri to create a portal for them to leave.

Spinner pointed towards the frost-covered pod where he could make out the kid they captured during their summer camp raid. “How’d we supposed to get the kid out of here? That pod looks like it weighs half a ton?”

“Did you forget I am here?” Compress asked, to which Spinner looked away, a little embarrassed as he had forgotten that.

“I would advise against that, Mr. Compress.” All for One spoke up before Compress could approach Midoriya's pod and turn him into a marble. "It is unfortunate that preparing him for your use was incomplete. If you take him now, you'll gain no use out of him, and he may very well lash out." There was an explosion in the distance, the villains gazing up to see All Might leaping into the air, appearing to have no damage.

While they looked on in fear, All for One was more amused, as if nothing else, he could make his rival regret that he had come here. “But we can still get some use out of him. One which I know you’ll appreciate.”

 Floating up, he turned to face All Might again, “You’re mine!” With All Might's cry, the two clashed again, kicking up wind and dust, but not as much. Both were aware they weren't the only ones on the battlefield.

“Master, you can’t…your body!” Shigaraki tried to reach out to his master, but he couldn't fly or jump high enough. Even if he could, he would get in the way.

“We should go, Shigaraki. While our masked lead keeps All Might entertained.” Compress advised as he used his quirk to scoop up Kurogiri. They could perhaps attempt to lend aid, but with how fast All Might was, it was lucky he hadn't taken them all out in the time it took most to blink.

“You don’t need to tell me twice, no way, I’m gonna stay and rough him up real bad!” Twice yelled as he went over and grabbed Dabi, hoping she didn't wake up and try torching him for getting too close, like in the movies.

Toga just returned from where she had been, her knife covered in blood, which they could assume to have been Jeanist's. "I would have wanted to see more of the heroes, but I'm not in the mood to die today."

All Might saw them all heading towards the portal and moved to intercept. “I won’t let you escape!”

“You’ll have no choice, why? Because I am here.” All for One mocked him with his famous catchphrase, his tendrils shooting out and grabbing onto All Might, forcing him back from All for One’s successor and his allies as he tossed the hero into another building, aiming an air cannon at it, demolishing it atop the symbol of peace.

“Are they…really falling back?” Monoma asked, as this seemed too good to be true.

"Looks like it," Kirishima replied.

"That's good, right? If they leave, we can go after Midoriya.” Komori reminded them that the big one was still there, but so was All Might. A 1 v 1 would keep him busy long enough for them to rescue their friend.

“But…but why aren’t they taking him?” Kendo asked, the group looking towards her, seeing the redhead confused and worried.

“You heard them, whatever mind control or whatever they wanted to use wasn’t done yet, he’ll kick their butts if he woke up now.” Tetsutetsu shrugged. Sure, he wouldn't get to deck one or 2 of those scummy villains, but he'll happily not look this gift horse in the mouth.

Kendo wished she could see it like that, but she, along with Todoroki and Monoma, was highly suspicious of this. "That isn't a reason not to take him as a hostage still. You say what the one in a trench coat does you; a single touch, and you're a marble."

"He said they can still get some use out of him. He's using him as a human shield. All Might can't fight all out with Midoriya's pod right there." Yaoyorozu proposed

“We’ll get him out,” Pony said, cutting the conversation short. "They don't know we're here. We wait for all of them to leave, and then we move. All Might's keeping the other one busy. We can throw chaos into the mix, grab Midoriya, and get out."

“What’s the plan?” Kendo asked her, but Pony faltered a little.

“I was actually hoping you’ll have one.”

“Seriously?” Kendo asked, only to sigh as she looked out towards the battle, the League already making its exit. "Well, I want to run a few ideas by Monoma, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki…"

Line Break

All for One and All Might continued their clash, the might of One for All against All for One's dozens, hundreds of quirks. The hero kept trying to get past him, reaching the League and Shigaraki. Still, his hated enemy stood against him, a wall to protect the criminal enterprise. They walked through the wrap gate one by one until Shigaraki had left.

The villain turned towards the fight, seeing his master unleash a tsunami of water and steel shards onto All Might. He countered with one of his Texas Smashes, parting the water and soaking up a part of the battlefield. Shigaraki noticed that All Might had ensured the attack wouldn't land on the defeated heroes.

"Master….this is it, isn't it?" He yelled out. Part of him knew this day would come, but he had hoped he would still have more time with him, more time to learn from his master.

All for One was getting to the end of his rope, his body was rapidly trying, and swapping between even a few dozen quirks was waning on him. "I'm afraid it is, Shigaraki, but have no fear. I know you'll succeed in your goals; I believe in your potential to become something great.”

Shigaraki didn't move, and for a moment, All Might saw an opening and took it, booking right towards Shigaraki, who stood before the portal. The hand-covered villain glanced towards All Might, nothing but hatred in his red eyes, hate for the man who symbolised all that he despised in this world, all he sought to destroy.

And he would destroy it; he would make his master proud.

“Goodbye, master.” With that, he stepped back into the portal, the warp gate closing, leaving All Might to crash into the spot.

"Dammit, they're away once again." All Might cursed, before he turned to the one problem left on the field.

“You’ll just have to settle for me, All Might. Wondering if you can’t defeat me by yourself?” All for One mocked, but his statement was undercut when Gran Torino flew in faster than most could see and landed a hard kick to the back of All for One's head, knocking him down to a knee.

Using his head as a springboard, Gran Torino jumped out of danger from All for One's counterattack, the old man glaring at the old, wounded villain with contempt. “Sorry, but we’re not interested in some pointless 1v1s, especially against an old sack of bones like you.”

All for One barely had time to think what Gran Torino meant by 'we' when he was grabbed by a dragon's hand, squeezing him tight as Ryukyu forced herself back into the fight.

"You're not getting away, villain." She didn't hold him long, knowing he would try to break out, so she tossed him high like a baseball. “Nejire-Chan!”

Waiting for this, Hado floated, her quirk already charged up. "Full Charge, output level 40." Waves formed between her two hands, fusing into one, and right as All for One was about to try to attack her, she let loose. “Nejire Wave!” She blasted All for One with a strong spiral of her quirk, sending him crashing back into the battlefield like a wrecking ball dropped from a skyscraper.

Seeing the impact of the attack, All Might kept his guard up. “You’re too slow.”

"You're just too fast, hotshot!" Gran Torino counted, as it wasn't like the rest of the heroes for the bar team could just rush over. They had to clean up those Nomu; even then, none were as fast as All Might.

“Focus on the threat, All Might. He’s not down yet.” Ryukyu stood ready, watching the spot where All for One had slammed into the remains of the warehouse.

"If only it were that easy to handle this bastard." Gran Torino muttered, as he had a bad feeling in his gut that their combo hadn’t been as effective as it should have been.

All for One was winded as the dust cleared, but not especially wounded. It was more his mask that had taken a beating than his body. Slowly, he rose, while the heroes watched him, wary of whatever quirk he could have in store for them, a logical response as they couldn't prove he didn't have such a quirk or 3 lined up. “Nana’s friend…and the number 9 heroine, Ryukyu.”

Ryukyu didn't acknowledge him or his mind games. She focused on sending this villain to prison and rescuing the still capsule-bonded Midoriya. The boy had slept through all that had happened around them, as the machine kept on beeping as oxygen was pumped into him.

“Where’s the rest of you?” Gran Torino asked, looking around, he was surprised he didn’t see Gang Orca or Jeanist among them.

Nejire-Chan flinched at the question, leaving it up to Ryukyu to respond.

"Gang Orca and Tiger are getting them out, Jeanist was badly hurt, and the police we came with all went down." Lady was helping carry the bulk of them. Still, Jeanist's condition, along with Ragdoll's, meant both had to be carried by a single person. She just hoped that Jean-loving pro hadn't given his life, as he had been so still, so pale when she had managed to stand and found Gang Orca hurrying through field medical care.

“So that remains is to handle All for One, and secure young Midoriya. With all of us, that shouldn’t be an issue,” All Might concluded, speaking louder so their foe could hear them. “You hear that, All for One, save yourself the embarrassment and surrender!”

Maybe it sounded foolish, but he couldn't fight All for One at full strength with all of them on the field. They didn't know him like he did. The villain might be wounded, but he was still perhaps the most dangerous villain in the world. He needed them to give him the chance to keep him busy. At the same time, they got young Midoriya out of here, as he didn't know why the League hadn't taken him with, but he knew it didn't bode well for them if he wasn't rescued as soon as possible.

All for One chuckled, though it came out as choked wheezes as his breathing system faulted, battle damage catching up with it. "A fair assessment, All Might. Just fighting you was taxing enough; you're in far better shape than you should have been."

‘Why is he bringing that up?’ Gran Torino asked, as now that he had thought about it, he had wished to talk to Toshinori about how he had gone from a slow decline in hero work due to his injuries to this surprise resurgence a couple of weeks back, all of it coming after he returned from I-island.

All for One wasn't close to Midoriya's pod anymore, but they could all feel his gaze shifting to it. "And it's all thanks to Midoriya, isn't it? His quirk's healing capabilities are something to be envied and coveted.” Ryukyu stepped in front of it, her draconic glare finding a way to grow all the more intense with rage and disgust.

“You didn’t…” All Might and Gran Torino had very different reactions. Horror fuelled by fury, the villain only laughed. Despite coming out wheezing and pained, he didn't buckle.

"You can rest easily; he still has it. It wouldn't have done much for Tomura if I gave him a broken tool," Hado didn’t know what All for One was talking about, but she didn’t like it. Same as Ryukyu and the listening students, who revised their plans now that the heroes were on the field. Now they just had to-

A remote slipped into All for One's hand from his sleeve. “But since you all came here, why not show you what you seek?” Holding it up, he pressed the one button, rapidly draining the capsule, blasting out cold liquid.

As it drained, Midoriya lowered himself into the capsule, but he came to his knees on it, pressed against the glass. The mask was disengaged and fell away, but notably, the tubes remained, including those connected to needles along his spine.

“Why is he?” Ryukyu asked, but Midoriya started to stir within the empty pod.

“Stay focused, he always has a trick up his sleeve!” Gran Torino had seen much from All for One, many horrible, vile, borderline atrocious acts from him over the decades. And if there was one thing he knew about him-

It was that All for One never moved without purpose.

“Wha…where…am I…” For the first time since he was frozen solid, Midoriya woke up, feeling strange. He couldn't recall much of where he was, or why, for some reason, he felt…full. That couldn't be right; he hadn't eaten that much at dinner before the test of courage…. Wait, he wasn't at camp, and he wasn't wearing his clothes.

“Good evening, Midoriya Izuku,” All for One greeted, his voice loud and clear towards Midoriya, who immediately felt a shiver. He couldn't see who said that. Ryukyu was still blocking the line of sight, but for some reason, he felt like he should be scared of that voice. "Apologies for disturbing your slumber, but I need your help."

“No…no!” Midoriya shook his head as he tried to stand, jostling the needles in his neck, and causing him to hiss in pain, falling back to his knees. “I…I won’t do it; I won’t help you!” he declared as loud and confidently as he could, even as he wondered why there were needles in his neck, or why he had a feeding tube slotted into his belly. Why would they-

All for One’s chuckle could only come from the devil. He wouldn’t have his second perfect Nomu. "Oh, you won't have a choice in the matter, but you should be grateful, because I'm giving you the chance to do what you always wished to do," But he would have his monster.

“To see it all in flames.” With that, he pressed the second button

“Is that-?”

“No!”

“Young Midoriya!”

Like lightning unleashed, and yet happening in slow motion for the viewing pros, they turned to see a purple liquid shooting up through the tubes from the capsule's base. Even as All Might turned, aiming to launch a blast of air to shatter the capsule’s glass and take out the tubes before it could reach the needles, he realised in terror that he and everyone else would be too late.

The liquid reached the needles and was forced into Midoriya’s spinal column, penetrating into his bloodstream. Midoriya felt its effects immediately as he suffered a jolt, and then another as he fell over onto the side of the glass, clutching at it as if he was having a seizure, his breath came in half gasps, half screams of pain and confusion before it started to heat up. His heart, his body, and everything else were rapidly heating up.

But it wasn't him, his quirk, his blessing. A fundamental part of him was rebelling. Hado had seen Midoriya fighting villains, fighting classmates, and losing limbs left, right, and centre. She had seen him blow off his limbs because he mishandled the pressure generated from his steam, and he hardly reacted to that. At a certain point, she stopped believing he could feel pain if it wasn't cold-related.

But the scream he left out now would haunt her for years to come, as that was a shriek of confusion, of fright and pain the likes of which could not be described in words. He started banging on the glass, trying to break it, before he turned on himself. His hands, having already turned to magma and stone, hands which he drove into his own chest to rip and tear it apart to let it out, to let this overwhelming pressure and power out of him before it destroyed him from the inside out.

“What…no…it…make it stop, make it stop, please!” He started crying lava, his eyeballs sizzling away as more of his body burned away, charring to black.

"Midoriya, hold on, we're getting you out of here!" Hado completely forgot about the villain, leaving him to an enraged All Might, who charged him with what looked like murderous intent. She just needed to focus on her junior, her friend who seemed scared, lost, and in so much pain it was tearing him up.

She didn't know why he was reacting like this; he constantly burned himself. This shouldn't be any different, but whatever that drug was had to be messing with him.

The response that she got didn't help anyone feel calmer; what she and the rest heard was something they would have never thought they would hear from Midoriya.

“It burns…” He sobbed, trying to rub his tears away, but his hands and arms were already stone. His face followed, but it didn't stop. Even as he shifted into stone, his body grew hotter, more heat built up, and it hurt. It hurt in ways fire shouldn't, why was it hurting him?! “It burns, it burns, it burns!” As his snake hair burst out, they writhed and hissed in agony like their host; their forms started to bloat and shift, cracks forming across his body as the pressure only increased.

He couldn't stop it or understand it, and within moments, he didn't know anything as his mind fell away, deep into the recesses of his psyche. Midoriya's body convulses violently, as though his molten core is tearing itself free. His stone-scaled arms were seized, fractured, and violently shattered. The pieces liquefied into rivers of glowing green magma that surged downward, burning through the capsule, sending Midoriya's convulsing body crashing into the dirt, which immediately started to heat up and catch fire from contact with him.

His legs splintered, collapsing into molten slag that lashed about across the ground like an exposed power line before fusing into a single, writhing mass. His chest split open with a thunderous crack, and vents ruptured along his sides and back, spewing flame, ash, and boiling vapor.

The cobra hood reformed—only to erupt, sending pieces of superheated rock flying all over, forcing Hado and Ryukyu to take cover as fire and green magna poured off his contorting and twisting body, before gaining shape and twisting back around him, as if the earth’s iron core was embracing in a storm of flaming tendrils, each one snapping, braiding, and calcifying into serpentine whips crowned by skeletal stone snake-heads with blazing emerald eyes.

His face-mask fissures, segments grinding apart to reveal an unhinged, abyssal maw rimmed with obsidian fangs as his face increasingly pierces forward, losing its shape and becoming closer to that of a dragon's snout. All the while, his body was growing. Growing faster than his newly formed scales could keep up, leading to entire sections of his ever-growing, long, limbless body to be exposed to molten magma.

By the time it all came to a stop, what they saw wasn't their friend, student, or hostage but something that should have never crawled out of the hall. A giant whose body seemed as long as three freight cars, the head, paws, and back of it encased with jagged, ill-formed stone scales. The rest of it was hardly covered and was exposed magma that stuck to the frame for no reason.

“Midoriya?” Hado whispered, hoping the response she would get was a positive one.

Instead, what she got was fire.

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I fell into such a rabbit hole recently, not even with a game, just with a random idea that spawned into a WIP. And by God, did I use Chat GPT so much while annoying my friends by bouncing ideas off the two sides, the people and the machine?

Back to the chapter: This one was a long time coming, as I've wanted to do it for months now, and now it's here at last. And that chapter name—oh, it wasn't for show, and you're going to hate what it means when you realise it.

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Like I said, you all might hate me for that chapter. Before you ask, no, they didn't know. No, they couldn't get him out sooner. AFO was very much stopping that just for this moment. And yes, things will get so much worse.