"They aren't recording the data," Nasutto reported, flicking several charts over to Hisashi's tablet.
The Emperor of the Underworld frowned as he looked at the information. "Remind them of the terms of their agreement with me, and if they do not record the information, go to someone else," he instructed.
The information broker nodded. He'd expected that answer but still had to report the failure. Those distributing Trigger were given it at a discount so long as they recorded information for All For One. The current distribution group was simply distributing and not recording and that wasn't suitable. How was it meant to be refined without data?
"What is the Kansha Shinai group doing?" All For One asked.
"They're trying to convince the Russians that they have enough manpower to take them on."
Hisashi snorted at that statement.
Nasutto was equally amused. The Kansha Shinai group was powerful within their region but they lacked the manpower, or the quirk strength to truly expand.
"And Chikara's descendant?"
"He's finally beginning to move but-" Nasutto grimaced. He knew Chikara Yotsubashi by his book, and what he saw of the new Meta Liberation Army showed how much they had been corrupted in the intervening years.
"But?" All For One prompted.
"Instead of quirk freedom, they are more about quirk hierarchy," Nasutto summarised. He was very much aware of quirk hierarchy. His heavily dappled skin tone was not enough to be considered a quirk, though it did mean he didn't bear quite the same burden as those who looked normal and had no quirk. He had gotten enough of the treatment to know how bad it was though.
Hisashi chuckled. "So in due course, I simply send Izuku to be their new Emperor," he said, shaking his head.
Nasutto laughed at that. He hadn't thought about it like that. Given their beliefs, that the stronger the quirk, the greater the worth of the person, that did make Izuku, and All For One into two of the most worthwhile people on the planet. "They may make appropriate pawns in the future," he agreed.
"Chikara would be hor-" All For One's head jerked up at the same time as the doors to his office exploded inwards.
Nasutto saw a flash of blue and yellow before there was another crash and a burst of frigid air. He was left staring at the shattered windows and the remains of Hisashi's desk. The information broker knew what that meant and he immediately pulled out his phone, hitting a sequence on it to burn out the chips. He trusted that All For One's tech would do the same automatically.
He put his phone back into his pocket and pulled back. If All Might was here, then it was time for him to blend into the regular employees of JBQC and walk out.
-ted-
The split second of warning All For One received from All Might bursting through the doors to his office was enough for him to ready a punch. The Number One Hero's face was twisted into a rictus of hatred and he was actually growling.
He thought to match the Hero but All Might's momentum drove him back and the window collapsed under the weight of them both.
His office was on the fifteenth floor. Not that high, compared to an office in Tokyo but high enough that he had to activate a flight quirk. Even as he did that, he knew the fall would not be enough to kill All Might.
Pity.
The man threw a punch downwards and All For One could see that the street was empty. This was a full on raid. In the back of his mind a whirlwind of information flashed. Would they be going after Izuku as well? How had they found him?
He snarled, meeting All Might again in the air. The Number One hero's expression hadn't changed. He was still showing off his hatred. Really, the holders of his brother's quirk were so uptight. All For One toyed with the idea of simply flying away but… No, that would not solve anything.
Instead, he lowered himself to the ground. He ignored the spectators watching from the other buildings. That was just like the heroes. They performed a raid without seeing to the safety of civilians. Well, their deaths would not be on his conscience. The instant he touched down, All Might attacked.
The brief pause had let him gather several quirks. Three basic strength enhancement quirks, reinforcement, steel rivets and a few others so that when the Number One Hero swung at him, he was ready to counter it.
The shockwave ricocheted out. Windows shattered. All For One paid them no mind as he swung again. Another shockwave emanated from them. The road cracked but neither relented. Neither could relent. Hisashi brought his other arm around. All Might caught it and they tested each other's strength.
All For One smiled. It appeared the buffoon was even more straight forward than his predecessor. Strength wise, they seemed about equal. He shook his head as the Number One Hero pulled back. He sniffed, and unbuttoned his jacket. "You are a typical example of a hero today," Hisashi said conversationally. "You care so much about your job and reputation that you fail to care."
All Might threw another punch. All For One dodged, raising one eyebrow at the force of the punch. The air was compressed and the shockwave pressed against his side. It didn't damage him but it was a warning.
Hisashi chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, if you wanted to see me, you could have made an appointment with my executive assistant. I'm sure Suke would have found a time for you."
All Might growled at him.
At that, All For One actually laughed.
"You killed her." The Number One Hero snarled.
"I killed her?" All For One questioned. He knew who All Might was referring to. The holders of his Brother's quirk were terribly limited in their views. They focused on each other, forgetting everyone else. "You may need to be more specific," he told the Hero.
That earned him an enraged roar before All Might charged again. "Ground spear," All For One murmured as he activated the quirk. The cracked road twisted upwards forming spears that lanced their way towards the charging Hero. It broke his momentum, allowing All For One to throw his own punch.
Like All Might's there was a compression wave that followed in its wake. He managed to hit the Number One Hero, driving him backwards. Tapping his foot, Hisashi drove more spears after the Hero but the man punched through them. Over the noise of that, Hisashi could hear more glass breaking and hear some screams. Some of the spectators had been injured.
He'd be blamed for that, and everyone would ignore the fact he'd been at the office and hadn't instigated this. Not that it bothered him… not really. It was more annoying that his Hisashi alias was now defunct. It was probably time for a change anyway.
"You don't deserve to hear her name!" All Might yelled at him.
At that he chuckled again. "You mean the woman who died, gasping for breath and spitting blood?"
He remembered her. Nana Shimura. One For All's seventh holder. And like all the holders before her, she had refused to give him back the last part of his brother. He had not shown her mercy.
"You can avoid that fate," Hisashi continued. "All you need to do is give me back what is mine. Give me back the last connection I have to my brother. I will give you a compensatory quirk and years of peace if that's what you want. For my brother's quirk, I am prepared to negotiate."
"Never!" All Might screamed and charged.
All For One didn't often regret not taking a quirk but for a brief moment he lamented that Izuku's little friend still had his quirk. It would have been very convenient right now. But, it was not the time to think about that. He kept his strength quirks activated as he met All Might's charge and they exchanged several blows. All For One hardened his skin and then applied another quirk he quite liked. Electric skin.
The resulting shock to the Number One Hero was satisfying but was not enough to completely take him out. It was enough to stun him slightly, allowing Hisashi to get in a solid hit. He sent the Hero through several buildings, ignoring the noise and screams as dust rose from the hole, and they shook. All For One tapped the ground, activating a speed quirk to barrel after All Might. It would be best to follow up on his superior position.
The man proved he was a reasonable fighter because even as he flew through the air he had righted himself. His arm reached out and he slowed his trajectory by trying to grip several concrete pillars. They shattered as he flew by but it did have the desired effect.
All For One raised his fist as he came close, throwing another punch. All Might was ready for it and they exchanged several more blows, slowing down to the point where they were actually in a building. The people had the sense to run.
Hisashi saw All Might gather one of his 'smash' punches.
"Texas Smash!" The hero screamed.
All For One darted forward, and gave an uppercut to All Might's arm. It redirected the smash, straight into the building above them.
He then leapt backwards as the ceiling cracked and shattered and fell down. Hisashi knew exactly what damage All Might's punch would cause. The Hero did as well so it was slightly surprising when he chose to follow All For One, rather than trying to mitigate the damage. They exchanged more punches. The shock waves shattered more glass and destroyed cars and the fascia of buildings. The Hero was careful with his punches now, and was watching for the tell tale spark from All For One's electric skin quirk. As he backed up, Hisashi pulled another quirk to the fore. He made an open motion, as if he was throwing and released the quirk. Rivet stab was an odd quirk. It allowed him to stab others, but if he wanted he could stab them without causing damage.
He wanted damage this time. He wanted every bit of damage he could cause. His fingers didn't actually extend with the quirk, even if it looked that way and the sharp points focused on All Might. The Hero was predictable and simply punched them away but it cost him time which let All For One change quirks. He called two to him, Beast Claw and Poison Fang. The combination gave him poisonous claws as well as fangs, except he already knew he wasn't going to be able to bite the Hero.
He swung with an open hand again. All Might threw himself backwards, his blue eyes widening. It seemed he instinctively recognised the danger. All For One drove himself forward, as he kept slashing at the Number One Hero. He only needed a tiny cut. While he knew the Hero's costume would be made of the toughest fabric on the market, Hisashi knew his claws were strong enough to cut through it. It would not be an instantly fatal attack but the poison would weaken him.
Hisashi had to admit the man was strong. The stockpiling part of his brother's quirk was potent. Perhaps it was becoming far too potent. Still, all he needed was an opening.
-ted-
When all was said and done, All Might knew he was too emotional when he went to face All For One. But there was nothing he could do to calm himself down. Not when he had spent years hunting the villain. Not when he was so close to avenging his master. That's why he'd run ahead, though he had justified that by the simple knowledge that if All For One heard them coming, then he would vanish. It's why they couldn't evacuate the surrounding buildings. All For One would notice.
The man's reluctance to face him was frustrating and worrying but this time… This time he was not going to get away.
All Might barreled through the ornate doors to the office, fist raised and ready to fight. There was nothing that needed to be said.
The villain reacted fast. That wasn't surprising. He hadn't maintained his position as the Emperor of the Underworld without being able to react fast and he was tougher than All Might expected. Very few villains could stand against him. Very few could actually trade punches with him as equals. It was frustrating in its own way but Toshinori could hear Gran Torino's voice, telling him to be better than he was, telling him to cast aside his pride. He could feel Gran Torino's punches which further helped him to focus.
This was not going to be an easy battle. He knew that. He'd always known that. The villain who took out his master was not a regular criminal. He was strong and tough and cunning. He was All For One. There was no more dangerous foe in the world.
And the villain had no compunctions against endangering civilians. Every punch produced a shock wave and All Might knew that with every punch and every moment the fight continued, more and more civilians were being injured, or worse.
But he could not stop. If he stopped, or if he allowed All For One to disappear, then this would all be for naught. He could feel his breath burning in his throat as they continued and attack after attack was turned aside or turned against him or the civilians. He gritted his teeth, steeling his heart to continue.
There was only one way this was going to end. Only one of them would walk away. There could be no other outcome. And then maybe he could rest.
All Might controlled his breathing as he faced his foe. He didn't know how long they had been fighting, but he knew it was longer than any fight he'd had before. He was feeling light headed. It was all he could do to stop his limbs from trembling.
There was only rubble around them. The buildings were gone. He hoped the task force had gotten most of the civilians to safety but he knew that at least some had died.
He couldn't think about that now, not when his foe was still standing with that dammably smug smile adorning his features. It was no consolation that his suit was torn. All the damage done to All For One was cosmetic.
The villain spread his hands. "All this damage is on your head," he said.
Somehow, the villain always knew what to say to cause the most pain.
"It's on yours!" All Might declared.
"I did not start this fight, and honestly, if you'd simply sent a message, there is every chance I would have come to wherever you wanted."
There was no chance the villain would do that.
"You lie, you cheat, you steal! You have no feelings beyond that which serve you. You don't care about this!"
"This was not me!" All For One retorted. He sniffed. "It looks familiar though. Every time one of you holders of my Brother's Quirk tries to fight me, it always ends in other people's deaths."
All Might hated the words, and he hated the way the smile spread further over All For One's face. "And, their death of course, but the others have always fought me after they had passed on my Brother's Quirk. Or is that your security? Is that your gamble? That I will not kill you because I want the last piece of my brother back? Are you really that insecure? What would your master think?"
He knew he was being baited. It was impossible not to, but the words still hurt. All Might flexed his hands, forming fists as he gathered his strength. He knew he should have passed on One For All before he came here but that was tantamount to admitting he would fail. He wasn't going to fail.
He reached inside, grasping the flame that was One For All. It burned within him as if it knew its enemy was near. The power flowed through him and he gathered it all. They'd been fighting for too long. He had to end this.
All Might snarled, ignoring the way his vision wavered. He raised his fists as he jumped at All For One. The man's expression didn't change. Instead he pulled back one arm. It expanded as the villain activated quirks. The man roared as he drew his grotesquely deformed arm back before punching forwards, up into the air.
All Might screamed. He was hit. It hadn't been a regular punch. All For One had augmented it somehow because while he hadn't been physically hit, blood flooded into his mouth. Agony howled through his mind. He couldn't worry about that. He ignored the flash of surprise on All For One's face. "United States of SMASH!" The cry was torn from his throat as he threw his arm down, every ounce of power that he could draw from One For All focused into his fist.
He felt it hit the villain. He felt it go through the villain and then he landed. His legs gave out. He fell to his knees as he gasped for breath, ignoring the blood that dribbled down his chin.
Please, All Might mentally prayed to the former holders of One For All. Please be enough.
He couldn't raise his head to find out.