The air crackled with leftover energy, the battlefield a chaotic mess of crumbled concrete and scattered debris. My ears still rang from the sheer force of the battle, the clash of quirks echoing in my skull. It hadn't lasted long, not really. All Might had been a force of nature, a furious storm against the grotesque Nomu. But then, that voice.
It was like a blade of ice, scraping against every nerve. Coming from a swirling, black portal, it was rough, distorted, full of a kind of ancient cruelty that made the hair on my arms stand on end. "All for One," All Might had muttered, his voice a choked whisper, eyes wide with a dread that mirrored my own. I'd heard stories, chilling whispers of the legendary villain, but to actually hear him… it was like a shadow had fallen across the world.
The room, which had been a symphony of battle, went completely still. The League, they all froze, like puppets waiting for their strings to be pulled. And then, a command, sharp and vile, ripped through the silent tension. A retreat. They retreated back through the swirling portal with a speed that was unnerving. We tried to stop them, the heroes and I tried to stop them, but it was for naught, they fought back with an almost crazed ferocity and then were gone. I don't understand, why they suddenly stopped.
My immediate concern was Izuku. I scanned the chaos, my heart hammering against my ribs. He was huddled near the edge of the rubble, a mess of green hair and broken limbs, but alive. My fists clenched, I ran to him, ignoring the ringing of my ears. "Izuku!" I crouched down, checking him over. "Are you alright?"
"A-Anos…" He winced, his pain evident, but he managed a weak smile. "I'm okay. Just… my arms." His arms were at unnatural angles. Damn it, he always pushed himself too hard. I sighed but internally I was relieved. At least it was nothing recovery girl couldn't fix. A lump formed in my throat.
Aizawa sensei, though, was in a bad way. He was a mess of broken bones and blood, and with the state he was in he was unable to move. Nari was still tending to Thirteen, the black hole hero, so I knew we had to wait for her. Nari was a hero in my class. She was the only one who could use her healing quirk.
Class 1-A and my class, 2-A, were trying to help clean up, picking through the debris, trying to find anyone who needed help. I was scanning the chaos when a flicker of smoke caught my attention. It was coming from All Might and I knew what that meant. His time was coming to an end. He could only maintain his hero form for a few hours before returning to his smaller form. This couldn't happen. Not here, not now. Nobody can know.
My instincts kicked in. "Izuku, hop on, quick," I said, sweeping him up in my arm. Ignoring his protests, I carried him behind a massive slab of concrete that had been blown loose, shielding us from view. All Might was there slumped against the wall, his shoulder bleeding again where the Nomu had hit him.
"Thank you, Anos," he said breathlessly, his voice strained. "I… I needed a moment."
He sat down heavly, trying to catch his breath. I told the two to sit tight and I looked around for Nari hoping she was finished with thirteen. Instead recovery girl entered the building and I immediately called her over to help the two since Nara was still not here. She immediately went to the two and began her work. It wasn't long before she was finished and she went on to help the others.
I asked the two if they were alright and I got a nod from the two, however izuku suddenly blacked out from exhaustion and i sighed. All Might just gave me a small smile which did not reach his eyes, I had a feeling it was a sigh of relief.
All Might, handed me a book that surprisingly appeared in his hands. It was old and battered with the title "One for All" on the front. "This… this is for Izuku. It contains…" he paused for a second breathing heavily. "Information on the previous users of One For All. When the time is right, share it, it'll guide him."
I looked at the book in my hands, then back to All Might. "I understand," I promised, my voice firm. The weight of that promise settled heavily in my chest.
For now though I just held izuku in my arms, silently thanking that he was alright. That All Might was alright. And I realised how much worse things could have been.