“There you are, little brother.” All For One pointed straight at the young hero. Izuku raised his fists hostilely, but the villain was not inclined to fight for some reason.

“I find myself having the most peculiar dreams every once in a while. In them, the original owners of Quirks I’ve stolen rage at me.” He paced around languidly. “Just as memories and personality can reside inside transplanted viscera, Quirk factors contain a piece of the person who wields them, even after they’ve passed on to new users.”

The villain stopped abruptly and turned to Izuku again. “What a delightful fact that is. You may be hiding in this boy’s body, but you will never escape me. Your power will be mine to wield, Yoichi.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” the boy hissed. “You’re a menace, and we will stop you. Villains will never win.”

“Wait!”

Everyone turned to the source of the voice, and Izuku’s mouth hung open in shock. His body trembled, unsure of whether he should simply attack or wait and see what happens.

“Tomura… have you come to your senses?” All For One chuckled lightly at the approaching figure. Izuku watched carefully. Shigaraki was acting unusually timid, and there was no trace of his usual manic swagger.

“Yes, master.” The villain’s voice was uncharacteristically meek, as though he was a cowering puppy. “The League Of Villains pledge our unwavering loyalty to your rule.”

“Very good. I suppose they are all running late, then? No matter, I shall give you a chance to do what you’ve always wanted to do.”

All For One gestured to the green haired hero. “Kill that boy.”

“With pleasure.” There was a strange glint in Shigaraki’s eyes that looked more psychotic than villainous. Izuku kept his guard up, anticipating his next move.

Shigaraki swung around without warning, plunging a dagger towards All For One’s throat-

“Guh, no…”

The dagger was inches away from his skin, stopped by an invisible barrier. Shigaraki kicked the air as he struggled in vain against his master’s iron chokehold.

“If there’s one thing I know best, it is the things I own.” All For One tightened his fist, and Shigaraki’s face began melting off. “Foolish girl, Tomura knows I would never kill that boy without first taking his quirk.”

“Himiko Toga?” Izuku breathed, watching the last of the murky liquid drop off, revealing the blond haired villain’s true form.

Toga’s shaky hands pulled out another knife from her coat pocket, but she no longer had any strength left to hold it. All For One mercifully dropped her to the ground. The girl crawled painfully on the ground, reaching for her weapon.

“We’ll never submit to you…” Vile hate warped her voice into a growling rasp. “And I won’t let you hurt the people I love.”

“Decay!”

All For One took to the air before the crumbling ground could reach him. The real Shigaraki leapt off a piece of rubble, accompanied by the League Of Villains.

“Silly girl, why didn’t you tell us that you were going to fight him on your own?” Compress helped Toga up.

Shigaraki’s gaze darted between Izuku and All Might, before returning to the hovering man in the air once again. He leapt towards the man, and his allies took the cue to engage in an all out brawl against All For One.

“Young Midoriya, we need to retreat while he’s distracted!” All Might called out to him, gesturing to the unconscious people on the ground. “We’re not a match for him, but we need to get these people to safety before this whole area collapses.”

“R-right…” Izuku mumbled, still staring at the unnatural patch of dark clouds in the distance. He rubbed his eyes, squinting at what looked like a crackling thunderstorm.

He could’ve sworn he saw a tiny humanoid figure in the clouds.

All Might walked up beside him, staring at the sky as well. The disturbance was obvious now, as though something was entering the atmosphere at an incredible speed.

“Is that…?” Izuku pointed at the unidentified object cutting through the air and leaving behind a contrail.

It came into view within a few seconds, crashing into All For One with a powerful shockwave. The villain’s body tumbled for several kilometres, before crashing into an energy plant. A deafening explosion followed shortly.

“Felix, you’re back!” Izuku cried out happily as his friend landed on the ground. Felix’s light purple cape fluttered in the wind, and he wasn’t wearing his mask this time. Hope seeped from within Izuku.

“I am, indeed.” The psychic nodded solemnly at him. “For all its worth, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused your world. It is my fault that All For One has gotten this powerful, and I’m only here to fix my mistakes.”

“So what’s the play?” Shigaraki approached him as well, along with the League Of Villains. “Are you here to join us?”

“No. I’m not of your world, and your squabbles are not something that I should be a part of.” Felix’s eyes flitted towards the devastated power plant. “Nevertheless, I’m grateful that I met you in this world.”

He turned to All Might as well.

“All of you.” He smiled at them. “Farewell, my friends.”

Izuku watched as the psychic burst towards the power plant.

~ ~ ~

Some say that a prisoner is given a blindfold before his execution to preserve his dignity before his death. Others say that the blindfold makes it easier for the executioner to carry out his task. Well, no one had offered him one, so he might as well enjoy the most of it now.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Felix Pagonis zipped around the air, avoiding the numerous blasts of energy that punched straight through the nearby buildings. He had no idea how powerful the villain was before, but it was clear that All For One’s power was at least on par with his own now.

Magenta hands wrestled with the steel snakes while the psychic hurtled towards his foe. They collided into a building. Broken concrete rained around the struggling men. A few cars might have dropped on them as well, but they were too preoccupied to care.

Felix shattered a few dozen jagged tendrils, before taking to the sky. He took a moment to look at the aftermath of the brief fight. The devastation was spreading quickly. He had to take this battle to somewhere empty before the whole of Japan was destroyed as well.

The psychic leaned back as wind rippled his cape. More power flared in his body, and Felix exploded forward with a burst of speed, pushing All For One away from the city.

He squinted his eyes and reinforced his psychic aura against the overwhelming friction as the world transformed into a narrow blur around him. The first pangs of exhaustion hit him; he must have been travelling at at least two hundred times the speed of sound.

A patch of brownish yellow came into view soon, and he took the chance to toss the villain down into the never-ending stretch of sand. Felix did not let up, projecting his telekinetic grip a hundred kilometres into the air. He swung his hand down with an aggressive growl.

Nothing happened.

All For One flipped his hand, transforming the sea of sand into a storm of broken glass intent on perforating the boy. Felix encased himself in a force field, his eyes trembling with effort to keep out the shards as well.

Any moment now… There!

White hot psionic energy burst out from his body, shattering the glass easily. After all, his mind no longer needed to focus on the celestial projectiles. He grinned in satisfaction as the first shadow loomed over them.

All For One took to the air, frantically avoiding the meteor shower raining onto the desert. Most of the asteroids were already broken into smaller chunks, but the villain was obviously keeping his guard up.

Felix released a yelp of surprise as a huge shockwave disintegrated what remained of the swarm of celestial rocks. All For One’s palm reformed itself, and he turned his attention back to the boy. Psionic energy pooled in Felix’s hand in response.

The two beams of lights clashed.

Sand hardened into glass from the sheer heat of the collision. The psychic roared with effort, increasing his psychic output far beyond anything that he was used to. All For One’s face was strained with effort as well, but he was clearly winning this battle of attrition.

The opposing red energy finally pushed through and struck Felix, knocking him through a sand dune just a few kilometres away. He coughed slightly as he rolled along the gentle slope, silently thanking his lucky stars that at least something was there to stop him from flying further. He shook his head groggily-

Felix gasped in pain as another enormous beam of light crashed into him.

The ground collapsed around the boy. His arms flailed helplessly as the impossibly powerful blast pushed him further into the ground. Panic encroached Felix. Unlike most people in this world, he could actually feel All For One’s every blow.

Am I actually… losing?

Memories flashed in his mind as he continued to endure the continuous stream of energy. Felix almost laughed out loud in surprise. Was his life actually flashing before his eyes? Is this truly the end?

Those in power have a duty to keep others safe. You’re wrong to squander your gifts like that.

What the hell? Why was All Might’s voice speaking to him, of all people?

No one deserves to lose the chance to be a hero because of his past. I won’t give up… on you…

It was Izuku’s turn now.

You can change that, Felix. Don’t let them win anymore. If we’re strong, it is our responsibility to take action.

Pink exploded from Felix’s eyes as a small shield formed defiantly against the crushing pressure. If it was his fate to die in this foreign world, then so be it. If it was his destiny to die fixing his mistakes, then he would gladly accept the honour.

The boy got up to his feet slowly, all the while strengthening his force field. It was about as large as an umbrella now, but it was quickly growing in strength. Arcani flooded his entire body.

“My… Turn!” Felix flew upwards, cutting straight through the energy beam. It was strong, no doubt about that. But his will was stronger.

He crashed into the man, pushing both of them into the twilight stratosphere in an instant. All For One roared in indignation, slapping him away with a staggering amount of force.

Felix halted his tumbling body as soon as he regained his bearings, and glass shattered behind him. He turned around, only then noticing the huge hole in the building gouged out by the shockwave he created when he stopped his body so abruptly.

He was back in Japan.

All For One hurtled in his direction. The two psionic beams clashed again, but Felix pushed it cleanly back this time.

“What’s this?” The villain winced in pain, allowing his body to drift back slightly. “Where did this power come from?”

“You want to be a demon lord, don’t you?” Felix roared, negating another bolt of energy easily. “Then it’s time you find out what it means to go against a god! Can you really handle me at one hundred percent of my power?!”

The psychic punched upwards, knocking All For One into the sky repeatedly.

“No… NO!” All For One dodged an incoming attack, taking the opportunity to counterattack. “Insolent child! I am the Demon Lord, not so easily felled!”

Psionic bindings wrapped around the man, stopping his every movement immediately. Red energy flared as he screamed in anger, but the telekinetic hold on him was absolute this time.

Felix swung around, clasping both hands together as he began to crush the villain’s body. All For One was smart enough to embed the warp gate receiver in his near indestructible body, but that was only going to spell his demise.

“Damn… you! I won't go out like that!” Dark red energy flared from the man’s body as his body began to contort, as though he was shape shifting. More Arcani exploded from Felix’s body, rapidly increasing the power and range of the telekinetic force.

Darkness was beginning to cloud Felix’s eyes. His energy reserves were dangerously depleted now, and he could sense even the Earth’s magnetic field beginning to buckle under the pressure of his power.

He held on anyway, even though he barely had enough power left. He held on, even though his body screamed for relief. He held on, even though the threat of death was now certain.

“You may have heard these words before, villain. And it will be the last thing you hear.” Felix screamed in a final burst of effort, pouring the last of his energy into his power. “Go beyond, Plus-”

The entire Earth’s rotation slowed, bogged down by the enormous telekinetic force. Cracks spread rapidly along All For One’s body.

“-ULTRA!”

The villain screamed in defeat as his body burst into a spectacular explosion. Skies all around the world lit up as though there was a second sun for a few seconds, before the energy dispersed into space.

Wind rushed past Felix’s body as he admired the triple mushroom cloud in the atmosphere. He no longer had any power left to fly, nor did he desired so anyway. After all, his work was done. His life was over. He closed his eyes serenely, a single thought remaining in his mind.

Would I have been a hero if I had chosen differently?

And then there was peaceful, quiet darkness.