On Angels Wings
“ALL FOR ONE!” Mr. Aurdel shouted at the top of his lungs as they dropped out of the ship, he was fuming with rage. But for any onlookers it wasn’t hard to tell why. From so high up in the air they were able to get a perfect view of the UA campus. Or rather, what was left of it. As nearly nothing was left standing. The large main building was completely destroyed due to the damage it had sustained since the beginning of the war, the USJ had collapsed inward after the supports for the large dome were destroyed by the earthquakes, the training grounds had turned into seas of warped concrete and metal and the many dorm buildings were practically wiped from existence. But that wasn’t what made him angry. Also strewn across the campus were a number of people. Heroes, staff and students who’d all shown up in a desperate attempt to try and stop All For One. So many had been blown away, done so casually by All For One. That too filled Midoriya with rage. “YOU’LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE!”
All For One was off in the distance, standing over a beaten and battered All Might in a suit of armor. He floated into the air. “Izuku Midoriya and Spartan, the two people that I have been eagerly awaiting the return of. It fills me with happiness to know that you two have managed to survive everything else so far, as it makes my plans much easier going forward.” The two of them split directions in the air as All For One raised his hand, blasting the air with one of his quirks… But he knew which quirk he was using. It was Nejire’s. “The last two things that I need for ultimate victory are within my grasp. Both One For All, and my new body.”
Midoriya used his gauntlets, firing off a total of ten Delaware Smashes. “One For All will never be yours!”
All For One simply floated there, absorbing the hits. “One For All has always been mine, ever since I gave that power stocking quirk to my little brother. I won’t have a child that doesn’t have any understanding of power or plan for the future tell me what I do and do not own!” He then fired the Air Cannon quirk, Midoriya easily avoiding the blast.
“Midoriya, we’ll do this like we planned!”
“Right!” Mr. Aurdel then broke away, diving towards the ground where all the injured were.
“A Hero has a lot to-”
“Of course we have a lot to protect, that’s because we need to save the world from monsters like you!” Midoriya went in with one hundred percent, “Detroit Smash!” Upon dealing his blow to All For One, he thought that the Villain would have been blown backwards. But in reality… “What?!” He’d barely budged.
“Even when at a hundred percent, you fail to understand the true potential of what you have!” All For One backhanded himself, sending him flying backwards. As he managed to regain his foothold in the air he found his nose bloodied, and his body still reeling slightly after being struck so hard. It seemed like beating All For One was almost impossible… But he had to try!
He charged in to try for another swing, “I know that having power gives you the responsibility of using it properly, and that means defending the weak and innocent who can’t defend themselves!”
“What you’re saying is a lie made by the weak to protect the weak, all it does is keep the people who truly deserve to rule the world down! Impact Nullification!” The moment Midoriya was about to strike, All For One used a quirk to completely negate the blow. Then he slammed Midoirya with another blow. The feeling of pain he had throughout his body was worse than before, possibly due to constantly being at one hundred percent. “I will take back One For All, I will take that body which I deserve and then I will take that girl which you fought so hard to protect!”
“Eri?!” Midoriya was caught off guard by the threat against her being suddenly brought up, reminders of all the terrible things that Overhaul had done to her flashing through his head. And when combined with the possibilities of what All For One was capable of… “After we worked so diligently to make her smile again… I WON'T LET YOU LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON HER!” Filled with righteous anger, Midoriya launched forwards and began to strike All For One repeatedly at full force. With his emotions running so high he couldn’t tell if he was actually hitting harder than before, but it sure felt and looked like he was. Each time he struck All For One was pushed back a little further. Then he kicked, “VIRGINIA SMASH!” Midoriya spun and dealt the powerful roundhouse kick at one hundred percent, finally getting a decisive blow as he watched All For One get thrown out of the air and slam into the ground. A small cloud of dust and debris kicked up in his wake. “How’s the recovery going?” He turned his head, looking for Mr. Aurdel. Eventually he found him carrying the injured and unconscious, with All Might, Nejire, Jiro, Kaminari, Tokoyami and Present Mic among them. The sheer number of people he was trying to carry practically overloaded him, but it was reasonable to not want to leave anyone behind.
“What a pathetic show of sentimentality.” The dust cloud cleared as All For One raised his hand, about to fire.
“Not on my watch, Texas Smash!” The pressure wave from the attack was enough to unsteady All For One, making the barrage he tried to attack go wildly off course. He then used Blackwhip, grabbing All For One’s arm and dragging him into the air. “Detroit Smash!” He then struck All For One, throwing him again to the ground. This time he was able to see the injury that he dealt, with it healing only moments later. “How dare you take their quirks!”
All For One used his intact arm to slash the edge of the other, cutting off the charred stump and allowing the limb to fully regrow. “Can you blame me?” He said, now raising both arms. “When I see a quirk that I think would be useful for myself or a Nomu, I take it. It’s as simple as that. Of course, I don’t think that will be the only quirk you’ll recognize.”
“Manchester Smash!” As came down with a kick All For One’s arm hardened like a rock, taking the blow with minimal damage. This was…!
“Kirishima’s Hardening!”
“Yes, I took quirks from some of the pathetic members of your class. I even took one from someone you’re particularly close to!” As the ground began floating up Midoriya felt a sense of weightlessness, slowly moving with it. There was only one person he knew with a quirk like this.
“Uraraka…”
“You should have seen the look on her face when I killed that mutant friend of hers and took her quirk, I’ve seen very few people so devastated in all my time.”
Midoriya grit his teeth and ball up his fist, using One For All to overcome the effects of Zero Gravity. “What you’ve done… IS ABSOLUTELY UNFORGIVABLE!” Midoriya flew into a blind rage and began striking All For One over and over. Each time the blow would deal some damage, only for it to heal almost immediately. But that didn’t even concern him. The only thing he cared about was-
All For One grabbed him out of the air, putting his hand to his face. “It pains me to see you misuse the gifts you were given, so allow me to take them back!”
“Get your hands off of him!” Mr. Aurdel suddenly dove in, plowing into All For One’s left arm and shattering it. Midoriya was then thrown clear of the ensuing blast from All For One, one created by him absorbing all the blows that Midoriya had dealt and then releasing it in equal. Mr. Aurdel wasn’t so lucky though.
“Mr. Aurdel!”
“You should be careful with that body, Spartan. I wouldn’t want it to break before I had a chance to use it.”
Mr. Aurdel’s armor was full of stress fractures from the blow, and the undersuit seemed to now be torn in a number of places. But the most prominent damage was done to his helmet. It was split open, the gold visor shattering and scattering towards the ground as a glistening dust. Midoriya could see his face, it was filled with determination. “Midoriya, you aren’t doing any lasting damage. Not to mention, you don’t know how to take back your friend's quirks. There’s only one path for us to take.”
Midoriya was hesitant at first, but upon giving it a moment of thought he knew that he was right. If him using One For All at one hundred percent alone wasn’t enough to take down All For One, then… Midoriya plucked one of the hairs from the top of his head.
“Don’t you dare do that!”’ All For One shouted, sounding somewhat different from the usual threatening aura he put up. “I will give you one chance to surrender now and submit to me, otherwise I will take more of what you hold dear.”
Midoriya looked as All For One pointed towards the ground, “Uraraka!” One of the Villains from the League of Villains, Himiko Toga, was holding a knife to her throat.
“Deku, don’t worry about me! Just do whatever you need to do!”
“Think about it, do you really have the fortitude necessary to decide what to do with One For All? You were given it by All Might on a whim, surely you don’t think that’s the proper way to decide a successor.”
Midoriya looked back towards Mr. Aurdel, then at All For One. “One For All was created and passed on through whims, and I don’t see any reason for that to change!”
Uraraka suddenly managed to flip Toga over her shoulder, then used the remaining wire from her costume’s grapple to grab her neck and yank on it. “Do it Deku!”
“Insolent brat!” Midoriya shoved the hair into Mr. Aurdel’s hands, then dove towards where Uraraka was. “Get off of me!” All For One shouted as Mr. Aurdel charged him and restrained his arms, giving him the opening that he needed.
“Smash!” Midoriya kicked Toga away, the wire snapping off of Uraraka’s costume. He then grabbed her, kicking back off the ground and towards where all the injured had been taken. “Uraraka, are you alright?” He could see a number of stab wounds across her body, blood having soaked her costume.
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“I’m fine… But what about you and Mr. Aurdel?”
“We’ll manage.”
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Eri turned her head, hearing what sounded like a loud explosion off in the distance. Something had changed. “What was that?!” Someone nearby shouted, startled. Everyone was suddenly looking in the same direction, towards UA.
“It must be those Heroes trying to fight All For One…”
“Can they really do it? That guy seems so powerful.”
“You saw that giant metal thing flying through the air towards there, right? That means Spartan is back! And if there’s anyone who can beat that Villain, it’s him.”
He was back…? “I don’t know. The last time that guy showed up, a bunch of top Heroes all got wiped out at the same time. It took All Might to put him in prison.”
“Don’t forget that Spartan was there too, I’m sure he’ll be able to find a way.” Eri slipped out of the arms of the teacher carrying her, starting to run back in the direction of school. Her eyes were arrayed to water. She knew something bad was going to happen, she could just feel it.
“Eri? Where are you going?!” Thirteen quickly started running after her.
“I need to go back, Spartan is going to get killed!”
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“Insolent Brat!” Immediately after Midoriya shoved the hair into his hand he quickly shoved it into his mouth, swallowing it as he charged forward and grabbed All For One’s right arm. He dragged the limb upwards. “Get off of me!”
“I have a responsibility to protect that kid, and I won’t let you get in my way!” With one hand Aurdel pulled an M7 SMG off of his side, aiming it and unloading essentially point blank into All For One’s face in an attempt to destroy the device on his head. But All For One swiped the gun with his other hand, throwing off his aim before eventually knocking the gun out of his hands.
“No one has the responsibility to protect the weak, the only responsibility that anyone in life ever has is the pursuit of power and control!” All For One used his free arm to begin hammering him repeatedly, striking over and over. Aurdel could feel his armor buckling underneath the hits, his body too reeling from the powerful impacts.
“Someone with such a small perspective of the world will never see anything except themselves!” Aurdel reached into one of the bags at his side, pulling out one of the muffle charges that he’d designed and made for Jiro. Then he slammed it onto All For One’s chest and flipped the switch. As the sound around them went completely mute All For One began thrashing about violently, Aurdel taking the opportunity to get a few of his own blows in. He swung as hard as his body allowed, striking All For One again and again across the head. Slowly but surely it felt like his power was increasing. Then, suddenly, his strength spiked. Aurdel felt a rush of pain go through his body as he struck All For One one last time, sending the Villain flying backwards. The sheer force and sound was enough to overcome the muffle charge, his hearing returning as the charge shattered. His ears were bleeding, and it felt like his right arm was burning. He grit his teeth, “Lord above… This is what using One For All is like?”
“Mr. Aurdel!” Midoriya rushed over, “I handed Uraraka off to Ida, so she’s safe. We won’t have to worry about anyone else getting caught up in this fight.” He paused, “Speaking of, I heard a loud explosion. Did it work?”
He looked down at his hand. A lot of the undersuit’s glove surrounding his right hand was completely shredded, and blood was leaking out. “Yeah, it worked.”
All For One floated back into the air. “Two users of One For All… I admit, this will be a challenge. But unlike you two I have the vision to see this battle through.”
“We’ll see about that. Midoriya, I’ll go for his head!”
“Got it!” He tried to remember the notes that Midoriya had shown him so long ago, explaining to him how he’d been able to control One For All. A tingling sensation ran through his body as he focused on the power, launching upwards towards All For One as Midoriya went to attack from down below. “Smash!”
Aurdel mimicked the motions, “Smash!” But as he went in to punch All For One the effects of Zero Gravity stopped, causing him to cleanly miss All For One’s head as he suddenly dropped.
“I have waited years for this day, and I will not have it taken from me!” Black tendrils stretched from his fingertips, chasing after Aurdel.
“You should know more than anymore that the world is cruel!” He used his left leg with One For All, kicking away from the ground and smashing straight through the tendrils. And though he thoroughly didn’t like the idea of naming attacks or moves… “Harvest Smash!” He slammed All For One with his right elbow, more pain shooting through his body.
All For One groaned, “You certainly have a very good understanding of how to fight with such power!”
“Double Detroit Smash!” They struck All For One simultaneously, the damage they did sticking for only mere moments. “Now!”
Midoriya unleashed Blackwhip, using it to completely surround All For One. Aurdel quickly charged in, latching onto his back and shoving his hand onto his face. “Give it all back!”
The scenery suddenly shifted, and he was back in the void. But this time it was filled with cages. “It’s an odd feeling to truly be inside of someone’s head, isn’t it?”
“All For One!” There was a large gap between them. He tried to move forward, but something was holding him back.
“And how funny is it! That One For All, the power supposedly meant to destroy mine, is what is holding you back. Those morons who wielded it, they wouldn’t know worthiness even if the entire weight of the world was dropped on them.”
The holders before All Might and Midoriya... They were holding him back? Aurdel dragged himself forward, pushing on despite the force grasping onto him. Every step felt like he was wading through wet concrete, just about to set in and trap him inside. “I won’t allow myself to be stopped, not again. Not ever again!”
“It’s time to recognize that your dreams have no place in this world.” The void collapsed and the real world returned. Aurdel was thrown off of All For One’s back, coughing up blood. “But if you’re so insistent on seeing them through, then let me send you to the next life so you can keep dreaming there!”
“Mr. Aurdel!”
“Why don’t I send you packing with some company too?!” Blackwhip shattered as All For One used the same stored up energy, this time directly hitting-
“MIDORIYA!” He screamed, flying his way towards Midoriya and catching him midair. He… HE WOULD NOT-!
“I WON’T LOSE AGAIN!” Aurdel fixed Midoriya injuries and dropped him off on the ground. Then, he did the only thing could. Using Overhaul he instantly pumped himself full of trigger, vials of which he’d been confiscating from the many criminals he’d put down. On top of that he took one of the quirk amplification devices his AI copy has taken from a Chinese soldier, mounting it onto his skull so there was no chance of it coming loose.
All For One took the equivalent of a step back in the air. “You… Y-You’ve gone mad! One For All is amplified by almost ten times every time it’s passed on, using those kinds of tools will have almost the same effect for each. You’ll completely destroy your body!”
“IT DOESN’T MATTER!” As his wings grew he launched forward in a flash, almost instantaneously catching up with All For One and striking him. The moment he came into contact his entire body shuddered.
“Warning, armor integrity falling!”
“THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS-!” He struck again, the blood free flowing from his mouth, eyes and ears. Clouds parted, and fire filled the sky every time he landed a hit.
“Warning, overpressure!” All the ammunition he had stored at his side exploded, being unable to stand up against the immense force being exerted on the armor and his body.
“-THAT I WILL-!” Every punch that landed did immense damage to All For One. First taking off half a leg, then an arm. The regeneration quirk was barely keeping up.
"Warning, systems failing!"
“-KILL YOU!” He screamed, throwing his hand onto All For One’s head and starting to take back the quirks he’d most recently stolen.
“An Angel has no place living among Demons, take what you seek and leave!! Kinetic Bomb, Release!”
“Total armor failure, user death imminent!!” Just as he was about to continue taking all of the quirks, All For One used the quirk that stored up attacks, releasing everything blow that Aurdel had thrown against him. Nearly every bone in his body was pulverized, a number of his organs were instantly liquified. But even so-!
“You’re still alive?!”
“ALL FOR ONE!”
All For One had a look of horror as he charged towards him using the last strength he had, with his undersuit barely holding the now pulp of most of his body together. His wings. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Using Zero Gravity he physically dragged the Chariot of Fire further into the sky, pushing All For One forward at immense speed. The coils of the MAC gun charged up.
“PLUS-” He released All For One, throwing him directly into the line of fire for the massive gun. “ULTRA!” The gun fired and the sky shook, All For One being completely wiped from existence as the projectile struck and practically atomized him.
Aurdel’s eyes began to shut, but hiis body moved forward.
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Midoriya’s eyes slowly cracked open, staring up towards a completely clear sky. All the clouds had been completely blown away, revealing a hue of blue and orange as the sun moved at the horizon. What had happened…? The last thing he remembered was fighting All For One with Mr. Aurdel and-
His eyes shot open, realizing the weight of what felt like a hand on his chest. “Mr. Aurdel!” As he turned to see what it was, his worst fear was quickly realized. Laying on the ground in a bloody mess next to him was Mr. Aurdel.
“Iz.. Izu…” His entire body was motionless, dripping out from holes in his suit with so much of the plating stripped off.
“D-Don’t move! You need to-”
“No… p… point,” Midoriya stopped as he spoke, “I… took… and gave… you…”
Tears began to stream down his face. “You should have been the one to give their quirks back, not me! I…”
“You’re… strong… ” Midoriya could only watch as the life drained out of him. “I’m… proud…”
“Mr. Aurdell… MR. AURDEL!” He shouted as the words suddenly stopped, and his eyes glazed over. By now anyone else who was nearby began walking over, gathering around.
“I… I don’t believe it. You’re joking, right?” Mirko said, crouching down. “Get up already, this isn’t funny!” She grabbed Mr. Aurdel’s body, shaking it. “I said get up! How are you supposed to take me to see the moon again if you die here?!” No else said a word, because no one else could think of anything to say.
“Don’t go!” A younger voice shouted.
Midoriya turned his head, “Eri, don’t look!”
She ran past him, going straight for Mr. Aurdel’s body. “Don’t… Don’t go!” Her horn began to grow as she let loose with Rewind, touching her hand to his body. “Please… don’t go…” Within a matter of seconds, his body was completely reconstituted. Through the holes in the undersuit and the shattered helmet they could see that the damage was undone. They waited for him, hoping that he might spring back to life and surprise them. But the only thing he had was a cold and calm expression on his face, completely unchanging.
Eri fell to her knees, sobbing as she let go. Midoriya quietly picked her up, wrapping her in his arms. “It’s over, it’s over…”
The AI version walked over to the crowd, making his way through and staring at the body. Wordlessly he picked it up. “We have only about twenty minutes before the Tsunamis start hitting the coastline. Come on, let’s get you all to safety.” He then led the way, carrying himself toward the parked aircraft on the campus grounds. They could do nothing but follow him.