"How-" Izuku stood, staring at his other self. He wore a costume similar to the one he used to wear before it had gotten all messed up, except this one had gold outlines. It was also frayed and bloodied, but not in the way where it was overused for an extended period of time. No, this one looked like it had survived the toughest battle it ever experienced and was holding on by the barest of threads.

"I think I have the gist of who you are and where you came from," His other self told him. "He, All For One that is, is still conscious despite being comatose. He can hear everything going on around him and he, well, he knows who you are and where you came from. So that's how I know... Yeah." He looked at Izuku awkwardly. "Sorry, this is, well, pretty new for me, and I've seen some crazy stuff."

"No kidding," Izuku experimentally touched his other self's shoulder, pushing him lightly. Yep, real. Or as real as real could be in a mental setting.

"Also, could you perhaps p-put some clothes on," the ragged green haired boy glanced away awkwardly. "It's unsettling to see yourself covered in shadows but also knowing you're, uh... naked underneath."

"Uh, how?" Izuku looked down at himself.

"Oh, uh... j-just imagine yourself w-wearing your clothes. O-or hero costume. Whatever really you want, honestly."

Izuku took a second to imagine the upgraded hero costume Hatsume had designed for him and the next thing he knew it had replaced the shadows covering his body. Wisps of the substance still seeped off of him, but not as much as before.

"Oh, that's really cool!" Other Izuku's gaze roamed across his body. "Didn't think blue would look good on me, er, us, but it fits. Mei created this? Your Mei, or my Mei, I mean. Oh, she finally got around to streamlining the gloves, the way she-"

Izuku coughed uncomfortably. "I'm starting to realize what people mean about how we come off creepy when we start rambling."

"Oh." Other Izuku blinked, cheeks turning crimson. "M-my bad."

"Young Midoriya!"

Izuku's eyes widened at that familiar voice. He barely so much as turned before something heavy crashed into the ground near them. Standing there as if he was back in his glory days in his Silver Age costume, was All Might.

"HRRK!" He reverted back to his skinny self, blood splattering across the black void they stood upon. "Two Young Midoriyas!?" He collected himself, wiping away the blood from his mouth. "I guess what we've been hearing is true. You're the young man from another dimension?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku uttered, staring at him. All Might was alive and well in his world, but knowing he had died in this world had greatly affected him. Because if he could die when he was still All Might, then he feared for the life of the man known as Toshinori Yagi.

"What's happening?" Other Izuku asked. His tone shifted, becoming more serious. Authoritative even.

"All For One is growing in strength," Toshinori told him. "We seem to be deteriorating faster than we thought."

"What's going on?" Izuku asked. Both All Might and Other Izuku looked to the left and Izuku followed their gaze. He had heard distant fighting when he awoke and now he saw the source of it. Far off in the distance, in what looked to be the sunken ruins of a city, were several twinkling lights. The most notable of them was a malicious red star that razed one of the buildings to dust before Izuku's very eyes. Flying at it and breaking off were three other stars, one a dull red, another sky blue, and the last being an emerald green.

Izuku sucked in a breath. "Are those-?"

"The previous wielders of One For All," Other Izuku confirmed. "All that's left of us at any rate. We've been here, holding back All For One for the last two months. When I died, I joined the vestiges within One For All, and once we were stolen by him, we refused to let him gain our power. So we fought. But we're slowly losing. He's already absorbed First, Third, Fourth, and Sixth."

"Banjo is weakening," Toshinori told him. "It won't be long before he falls as well."

"What about Seitai?" Other Izuku asked.

"She refuses to back down even now. She has the most anger towards him, perhaps that's keeping her going."

"Seitai?" Izuku blinked at them. "Who's Seitai?"

"The Second," Other Izuku informed him. "Don't you... I mean, isn't she one of your previous holders as well?"

When Izuku shook his head, his other self furrowed his brow. "So in your alternate dimension, Seitai never came into possession of One For All..." He looked up at Izuku. "What Quirk did you get instead?"

"Gearshift," Izuku told him. "It's sort of a last resort type of Quirk. Powerful, but it has a five minute limit before I'm put out of commission. I've only been able to test it a few times."

"All Might, get back to the fight," Other Izuku told him, staring at Izuku with a curious expression. "We didn't have much hope before, but now... Now we might have something here."

"Of course," Toshinori bulked up and rocketed away, turning into a golden star as he rejoined the fight against All For One.

"Izuku," his other self looked weary all of a sudden. As if the last two months of fighting were finally catching up to him. "How's Setsuna doing?"

Izuku considered what he would say. "She's... she's still not entirely over your death. I-I don't think she's had much time to really grieve. But... she's still fighting. With everything she has."

The smile he received was nearly blinding. "That's good then. I'm glad." It then faded into a determined grimace. "Now, let's talk Quirks."

...

The battle aboveground had finally lost much of its uncontrolled chaos as the villain regrouped and began fighting back against the heroes, who remained vastly outnumbered. But they didn't fight like they used to. Once they may have fought with dignity and that of a hero, but this was no longer an age of heroes. This was a war of survival, and those fighting for justice would do what it took to ensure a peaceful future.

In the center of the destruction, creating a large circle of fire and ice where no villain or hero dared step foot into, there fought a battle between a mother and her son. The villain once known as Rei Todoroki, now feared as Cryoheart, and the hero Shouto Todoroki who shouldered the name Revenger to avenge the death of his entire family.

"SWEEPING HELLFLAME!" Revenger roared, the arc of blue flames incinerating the wall of ice spikes Cryoheart had erected towards him. He let out an involuntary gasp, gripping his left hand with his right, cooling down the burn as he ran.

"Careful now, Shouto!"

Revenger shot himself forward along a strip of ice to avoid the pillar of ice that struck where he'd just been. Cryoheart slid off it and pressed both hands to the ground, spikes erupting from the ground in an arc on either side of Revenger.

"You don't want to scar yourself any further!" She yelled as Revenger spun himself in a circle, strands of red hot fire shooting themselves from his fingertips that sliced their way through the ice.

"It would be a small price to pay!" Revenger's face was twisted with rage. "Do you feel any remorse for what you did to Touya!? Fuyumi!? Natsuo!?"

"None at all!" A glacier shot towards him, encompassing the very sky. "Actually-!" She stood atop the structure as it beared down upon her son. "It pains me that I only have one more bastard child of his that I can kill!"

Fueled by his hatred for the one who brought him into this world, Revenger's left fist ignited as he launched himself into the air towards the glacier. "ATOMIZING FLAME!!" The blue flames instantly carved into the ice as his fist approached it, causing the ice to be instantly vaporized and explode. Revenger was thrown backwards, crashing to the ground and silently screaming as he held his left arm, which was now charred black. Clenching his jaw, he fought through the mountainous pain as he pulled himself to his feet, searching for Cryoheart.

He didn't have to look for long.

Cryoheart stumbled toward him from across the battlefield, burns covering her exposed skin and singed hair swaying gently in the wind. Her dull gray eyes were fixed upon him, teeth bared in a manic grin. Encasing his left arm entirely in ice, Revenger hobbled forward to meet, right hand clenching itself into a fist.

For the pain Endeavor has wrought me! Rei internally snarled. For the agony of seeing his face too many times over!

I cannot forgive you, not now or ever, mother. Shouto thought bitterly. For Dad, Natsuo, Fuyumi, Touya, I will put you down for good.

"SHOUTOOOOOO!" Cryoheart screamed as the ground cracked and broke apart as ice ruptured through the concrete. With silent fury, Revenger ran, countering the ice with his own. Still screaming, Cryoheart raised her hands, several ice pillars firing towards him.

Revenger punched with his right fist, his own ice pillars rising from the ground to meet them and they collided and smashed each other apart. As ice rained down and blocked their vision, Revenger clenched his jaw tightly as he aimed both hands behind him. Unable to block the yell of pain that came with firing off a blast of heat, he shot forwards through the ice. He brought up his wounded left arm to block his face, shards of falling ice tearing at his skin as he froze his right arm into a sharpened point.

It was over in a second. As the last of the ice shattered upon hitting the ground, Cryoheart fell to her knees. She stared up at her son, blood slowly leaking from her mouth. "Oh, Shouto," Rei whispered, a shaky hand reaching up towards his scarred face before dropping down to her side as the light faded from her eyes. She slid backwards off the spear of ice and lay limp upon the ground.

Revenger fell to his knees, unable to stop the tears he hadn't expected to fall. "I'm sorry, mom," Shouto sobbed as he knelt next to who moments ago had been the last living member of his family. Now he remained the last of the Todorokis.

...

Setsuna bit back a cry of pain. That was her left foot gone now. The rest of her pieces flew around Tartarus' towers. Somewhere behind her Crimson Bride was scaling the tall structures, ensnaring any pieces she could find of her.

Keep your attention on me, she thought as her head shot up high, surveying the battlefield below. "Squads, report."

"Big Fist here reporting for Detroit. We're holding strong. The front gates have been destroyed and we've pushed the villains back. A few might have escaped, but no one we won't be able to mop up afterwards. Only a few of us have been injured, and nothing serious."

"This is Tiger, reporting for Seattle. We've pushed into the west buildings. One seriously injured and getting medical attention. The rest are just bruises."

"Hawks for Honolulu. If you can't tell from your bird's eye view up there Todoroki is engaged with Cryoheart at the moment. Hard to tell who's winning, they both seem ragged. Oh, our squad's doing fine by the way."

"We're not fine! I repeat, Miami is not fine! SHIT! We're getting our asses handed to us over eastside!"

"Priority backup needed for Miami!" Setsuna spun her head around, searching the battlefield for the last squad. "Any squad available!?"

"Houston's sending a few heavy hitters your way! Not to worry my UA friend, Gale Force has you covered!"

Setsuna let out a small sigh of relief before spotting a movement out of the corner of her eye. Pulling back her tongue behind her teeth, she put her head into a dive, her body parts following suit. She turned sharply around a tower and had to break formation to avoid a web trap.

"Manchester, what do you see?" Setsuna asked as she got back into formation.

"Nagant here for Manchester. Everyone seems to be holding up okay. I'm taking down whoever I can, but I have to change positions constantly. You need any assistance, Monitor? You have quite the admirer after you."

"No thanks," Setsuna said, eyes popping out and scanning the area around her. There, Crimson Bride was closing in again. "If she stays on me, she stays away from everyone else."

"...Roger that. Manchester out."

"Shit!" Setsuna let out as she felt her right arm snag a web. She turned back, her left arm zooming in to cut her other arm loose.

A flash of crimson eyes from above was all the warning Setsuna had to jerk her arm away from the broken strand before Crimson Bride's legs cleaved through empty air.

"Aw, almost got you." The sadistic villain tutted before pouncing towards her head. Setsuna flew away, but her upper right arm and left leg got snagged by several strands of web she'd swung at her. Detaching what she could from what were now sacrifices, she flew lower where the structures became denser and more narrow. She could feel her left foot reforming, but the rest would take time if they continued to stay stuck.

Preparing herself for the incoming pain, she switched on a voice activated function in her suit. "Terminal Action Code 772981. Code Word Mumbles. Regions: Upper left thigh and section 1 of upper right arm. Begin Termination." She hissed as the scales in her suit in the selected regions became inverted and shredded the body parts. She let out several heaving gasps before pushing onwards, already feeling the beginning of their regeneration.

A shadow fell over her as her body flew out from an alley, the top of tower having been severed and was now falling towards her. She separated herself again in different directions, moving in a pattern from which she had memorized on the way to Tartarus.

Sagiyome Makka, AKA Crimson Bride. Quirk: Jorogumo. Heteromorph. Abilities include being able to disguise herself as a beautiful normal woman. When in her natural form her upper body is connected to that of a spider's body, which bears a strong resemblance to that of the Joro Spider. She can produce webs from within her body, and the longer she keeps them inside the stronger their tensile strength becomes. Her legs are also very sharp! She takes great pleasure in seducing men and luring them out of the open to kill them and consume their flesh.

Side Note: Making her use her webs constantly will decrease their overall tensile strength since she's being forced to produce them.

Additional Side Note: She feels very strongly about trying to gut me and Setsuna. Can be used against her, but it's a dangerous game to play.

Sorry Izu, but it's a game I'm going to have to play. Setsuna narrowed her eyes as she shot her head around a corner. Somewhere off to her left her arms finished its task in that area and moved on.

She let out an anguished cry as a sudden stabbing pain erupted in her side. She whipped her head around to see Crimson Bride standing over her main body, one of her legs embedded in her stomach. That was going to be a pain to regrow even if nothing vital was hit.

The villainess flashed a poisonous smile in the green haired heroine's direction before pulling her hand upwards. Her head caught on the web and no matter how hard she tried to pull, she couldn't break free. She called out to her arms and they came rushing to her position, but she didn't know if it would be fast enough.

"You've given me quite the chase, my dear." Her words dripped with poison as she moved slowly over to her head, her body being lifted with each step and moving along Crimson Bride's leg. Setsuna winced at each fresh shock of pain. Her arms were almost here, maybe they would-

A soft hand stroked Setsuna's cheek opposite of where her bangs had fallen over the left side of her face, her sharp nails drawing thin lines of blood. "You've got that light back in your eyes. This other Izuku has given you new strength. But you must know that even if you won here, that he would choose to return home and abandon you here. There's no point in loving him. Yet, I saw it in your eyes when you descended onto the battlefield. You cannot help but want him to stay. Give in to that desire." Her frontmost leg holding her body lifted and she brought her hand to her stomach, nails waiting to dig into her skin. "That urge to make him stay no matter what, let it consume you-AHHH!"

Blood splattered the ground as Crimson Bride's leg exploded off. She stumbled, off balance as Setsuna didn't waste time and fought through the pain as she willed her body to slide off the leg and back to her. Just in time too as a pink and purple bullet shot through the web strand holding her head in place and she popped her head back onto her neck. She grit her teeth as the pain doubled in her side, but her regeneration was already taking effect, albeit slower than before. If she had to keep using it, she'd get to the point where she wouldn't be able to regenerate for some time, and that could prove to be fatal.

"Sorry, but I can't just sit back and let you die trying to handle this all by yourself. That'd be hypocritical of you, wouldn't it?"

"Thank you for the assist," Setsuna said stiffly as her arms flew around the bend and she zoomed away as a scream of fury erupted from behind. "But you're not going to get another lucky shot."

"Not unless you provide it for me. Look, I get it. You have a bone to pick with her and you're upset over Izuku. But don't kill her. This may be a war where killing is unavoidable, but at least leave it to someone like me whose hands are already bloodied. Continue with your plan, but let me deal the final blow."

Setsuna didn't bother to answer her as she reconnected herself upon arriving at her primary destination; Tartarus' substation. Bigger than most in order to provide all the necessary energy that the supermax prison needed, it provided the perfect place for Setsuna's objective.

Crimson Bride landed a good dozen feet away from her, blood dripping from her dismembered leg. "And I thought this dance was just between you and me."

"It is," Setsuna took a few steps back. "No more interference."

"Good." Her eyes were narrowed to slits. "I don't want any interruptions when having my feast."

"You want me?" Setsuna began to walk backwards. "Come and get me." She broke apart and flew straight up. Crimson Bride lunged for her, scrambling up the electrical towers. Resisting the urge to smirk, she changed directions at a sharp angle. She flew down and around the towers, just barely faster than the villainess giving chase.

Setsuna slowed as she made a turn, just a fraction less than what she'd been going at, but it was enough for a web to snag at her good ankle. Yelping, Setsuna disconnected from it and her pieces tumbled to the ground in the center of the substation, reconnecting as she coughed violently, blood leaking from her mouth. She pressed a hand to her wounded side and her hand came back wet. It hadn't even healed halfway yet and it was seriously sapping at her strength.

"Too bad little hero." Crimson Bride stalked towards her, delight gleaming in her eyes. "But it seems your time is running out."

Setsuna didn't say anything as she breathed heavily, her right eye trained only on the villainess' legs as she crouched on the ground. Just a little bit closer.

"I've always wondered if you'd taste different than the others I've consumed," she said, her tongue wetting her lips in anticipation. "I've only ever eaten men, you know. But you'll be the sole exception. Oh, don't worry, I've never so much as bit into any of the body parts I've happened to catch from you. No, I wanted to savor this moment."

"Well," Setsuna rose slowly, holding out her arms. "That sucks." She yanked her arms, super thin and near invisible threads connected to her wrist gauntlets going taught all around the substation. Several snapped around Crimson Bride's legs, locking her into place. A surprise look crossed her features before Setsuna manipulated her arms and forcibly spread her spider legs apart and slammed her to the ground.

"Listen and listen well," Setsuna's tone was cold. "You threatened Izuku's life. Not just mine, but this other one's as well. I will not accept that. But that's not enough of an excuse to kill you. No, that comes from all the people you've murdered and cannibalized. That is the reason why you're not leaving here alive. I cannot risk you hurting anyone else if I let you live."

With a yell of fury, the wires began to snap around Crimson Bride, anger morphing her face into something more primal. Fangs grew from her mouth as additional blood red eyes began opening along her head. Then Setsuna shot the wires from her gauntlets into a generator. Crimson Bride let out an agonizing screech as she was electrified, her limbs jerking.

Setsuna wanted to watch. She'd seen the remains of those who were killed and eaten by her. It would have been a slow and painful death. She deserved every second of this torturous death. Yet she found herself looking away, shutting her eyes to sight. She raised an arm, about to cut off the electricity before she heard something explode followed by the splatter of something wet. The screaming stopped.

Footsteps approached from behind and a comforting hand found its way to Setsuna's shoulder. "I told you, leave the killing to someone who's already crossed that line. You saw how badly it hurt Izuku when he killed Shigaraki, despite it being the only option." Lady Nagant spun Setsuna around and she reopened her tear filled eyes to stare at the older heroine. "You're the leader here. A leader commands. She doesn't need to get her hands dirty. That's what people like me are for."

"I..."

"Come on," Nagant kicked off the ground, air walking into the sky. "We have a battle to win. And you need to lead us to victory."

"...yes. Thank... Thank you." Setsuna forced the words out, her throat feeling constricted. She may not have crossed the line today, but she had teetered along the edge. And it felt just as damning.

...

Izuku awoke and barely registered that One For All was surging through his body. He faintly heard the alarmed cries from those present before Blackwhip surged from him, wrapping around his friends as he upped the percentage of his power output. He burst through the doorway, clearing the softened ground created by Mudman. He couldn't waste time explaining, nor could he anyway with the speeds he was going at. Luckily the flickering lights and the cracks spreading across the facility from All For One's room was enough of an explanation.

Eyes blazing with turquoise energy, he swung his left arm, the winds tearing through the walls and ceiling. Manipulating Blackwhip in a way that shielded his friends from falling debris, he leapt upwards, forcing his way through Tartarus vertically. He heard the groaning of metal and the telltale sounds of explosions somewhere behind him, and he felt his connection to All For One as the villain awoke violently.

With a final push, Izuku blasted his way through the last ceiling and emerged onto the roof of the prison. He launched himself and his friends towards the battle below, landing and lowering his passengers to the ground gently.

Kyouka swore violently while Juzo kissed the ground. Hitoshi, while his legs trembled, stumbled over to Izuku. "You okay!? What happened in there!? We couldn't free you and-!"

"I'll be fine," Izuku said, ignoring the pain from the stab wounds. He turned, feeling his presence closing in. Then the main prison facility seemed to cave in on itself, making everyone across the entire battlefield stop what they were doing and just stare. Izuku never did find out if it was a Quirk of his that made people feel immense fear, but it radiated off All For One like a malevolent being as he rose from the smoke in a tattered suit and white hair blowing in the wind. His young features morphed into a wide grin, blinding white teeth making everyone who saw them shiver.

He lowered himself to the ground and strode towards the battle grounds. He tutted upon seeing the dead littering the ground. "Heroes killing villains? Why, and here I thought you all would never willingly cross that line so readily. Have you all finally realized that the only way to make a peaceful world is atop the bodies of others?"

"Enough of your twisted words, All For One." Izuku went to stand between him and everyone else. As he walked, he saw what this battle had devolved into. Indeed, many villains lay slain upon the ground. Even Shouto stood over the corpse of his own mother. It was painful to see. Yet they couldn't just capture the villains. Not at this point. While All For One's words were poison, meant to incite, the truth of the matter was that letting villains live wasn't a luxury this war provided. It was kill or be killed in order to bring the world back to its rightful state.

"It ends between us today," Izuku went on as he came to a stop, meeting All For One's gaze. "No tricks, no sacrifices. A final fight between the heroes and the Demon King. Surely it's what you wanted since the beginning."

All For One laughed heartily. "You aren't wrong. But you are still just an Izuku from another world, not as experienced as the one I already killed." Red energy crackled around his body. "The One For All of this world has finally become mine. I have already achieved my goal. There's simply nothing more you can do."

"Izuku!" He heard Setsuna shout from somewhere behind him. "You can't fight him alone!"

"It's okay, Setsuna." He turned his head, offering her a smile. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. "Trust me, as I trust you." He winked and understanding dawned in her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. He turned back to All For One, his smile fading a little. "You're wrong, All For One."

"Hm?" He regarded him. "And what am I wrong about? Do tell me, Ninth of another world."

"Two things." He held up two fingers. "One, you haven't achieved your goal. You see, you would've realized by now if you weren't still freshly awoken, but..." He smirked. "You only won a small percentage of One For All. You absorbed only four of the vestiges before the rest of us jumped ship into this version of One For All. This Quirk chooses its user, and it empowers them with the power that's built up over generations. Right now this Izuku possesses his world's version, and what remains of what you tried so hard to obtain."

"Why are you...Ah, I see." All For One let out a dark chuckle. "This really is to be the fateful battle between the Chosen Hero and I, the Demon King."

"That's right." Izuku's body crackled with green energy as he raised his output to levels he hadn't had to go up to since he took down Muscular at the Training Camp. "The second thing you were wrong about. This is indeed the other world's Izuku, but right now, it's me in control. The hero Deku back from the dead." His gaze sharpened as he raised his fists, Blackwhip running up the length of his arms. "So let's finish this, once and for all."

...

Earlier

"I normally wouldn't ask something like this," Other Izuku look flustered. "But under the circumstances..."

"You're better equipped than I to handle All For One," Izuku nodded. "I understand. You know me better than anyone, how hard it would be for me to accept someone else to take my place. But..."

"It'll still be your body," Other Izuku confirmed. "So you're still going to be in the thick of it, but you'll be in the passenger seat, so to speak. You'll be able to provide support for me through advice and even limited access to some of our extra Quirks."

"Seitai's Quirk..." Izuku mused. He picked at his costume. "Is that what these are for? I thought it felt different."

"Yeah, I'd assume so," Other Izuku pinched the blue stripes. "Mei's been meaning to incorporate it into the suit, but never found the right materials to do it. I guess she must've now. It explains why you might not have been able to fully unlock the suit's full potential. She must've figured you had the same Quirk. So long as Seitai doesn't..." He trailed off. Izuku looked down to see the dark void starting to creep up his feet and towards his legs. "We don't have much time. All For One is busy with us, but he wants you as well."

"We can't let that happen, no matter what," Izuku said, matching his other self's gaze. "Let's do it." He held out his hand.

Other Izuku grasped it tightly and he felt a tug in his mind. "Oh, one last thing. If we win, and I don't have time, could you..."

"No," Izuku told him firmly. "You need to tell her whatever you want to say yourself."

Other Izuku smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Uh... best of luck, Izuku?"

"Best of luck, Izuku."

...

"CHICAGO SMAAASH!!"

The sharp burst of wind tore up the ground as it cascaded towards All For One, who had simply held up a hand, the wind splitting in half before making contact. Izuku wasted no time as he lowered his leg, rocketing forwards as Blackwhip spread across his body. He jumped, the shadows condensing around his right arm before erupting outwards like some sort of demonic hand.

All For One sidestepped, his left arm bristling with power as the muscles expanded and grew. He lunged, grabbing the Blackwhip construct and tearing through it with ease as the individual tendrils snapped. They then shot around his arm and latched on as Izuku pulled himself towards him, his body like a streak of turquoise energy. The punch he delivered to All For One's raised right arm sounded like a jet breaking the sound barrier.

"Haven't we already established that I've become stronger than you?" All For One made to grab him only for Izuku to launch himself backwards, flipping himself back into a standing position. "With just a fraction of One For All within me, I have surpassed you-!"

He was cut off as a titanic sized piece of ice slammed into him. Shouto had moved from where his mother lay dead to now stalking towards All For One. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, encased in ice as waves of cold air leaked from his right side.

"Who cares if you're stronger," he rasped, and before his eyes had brimmed with rage, but now they shone with hope. "You killed Izuku, yet here he stands fighting you once again. And this time, he has us to help him."

"Shouto, you need to stay back," Izuku told him. "Your arm-"

The ice cracked before shattering as black and red tendrils broke through before zipping back to All For One, who looked completely fine. He brushed a few particles of ice from his suit as he wore an amused smile. "Young Shouto. You've killed your mother. How did it feel?"

"Cathartic," Shouto responded dryly as ice began forming around his foot in preparation for another attack.

"Izuku!"

The green haired teen looked to see Setsuna flying above the battlefield, a dazzling shark toothed grin meeting him. "We'll handle his minions. I've reorganized our teams and backup is on its way."

As she spoke those words, Gale Force flew down just behind Izuku, setting down Tenya and Mezo. A fortress of vines soon followed, their thorny roots tearing up the concrete as it opened up and deposited Ibara along with Manga and Reiko.

Screams of terror rang out as a mass of shadows broke through a blockage of villains, Dark Shadow towering over the battlefield like the incarnation of Ragnarök itself as Kuroiro rose atop the shadows.

Kyouka plugged her Earphone Jacks into her speakers as she primed them while Juzo crouched down and pressed his hands to the earth. Shinso looked around before flashing them all a thumbs up before running in the opposite direction towards where Setsuna was.

"Really now?" All For One spread his arms as he let out a bellow of laughter. "The power of friendship will prevail against the darkness? Is that what this has come to? You are all ants before me."

"And so what if it has?" Izuku shifted his stance. "We've only come this far because we've stuck together through thick and thin, and we're not about to stop now!" Remember, five minutes. Izuku locked his hands together, his energy blazing off him as he disappeared. All For One didn't even have time to blink as Izuku shot into him, a burst of wind pressure knocking him off his feet.

"MISSISSIPPI-!" Izuku's fists moved in a blur. "SMA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-ASH!!" A torrent of punches assaulted All For One from below before he was launched high into the air. Dark Shadow was there to meet him, a massive fist of shadows bearing down on him. It crashed into him and drove him far into the ground. Light seeped through the darkness, causing Dark Shadow to cry out as All For One tore through the darkness, flying out as brilliant light cascaded off him.

Vines erupted from beneath him, wrapping around him, cocooning him. With a yell, Shouto launched a huge ice spear towards it as All For One blasted his way out and the spear slammed into his chest just before several chunks of concrete flew towards him from behind. He whipped around, black tendrils shooting from his fingertips. They didn't crack the concrete, instead sinking into it. Huge globs of softened material slammed into him before hardening and dropping him like a stone. Before he could break free, Izuku rocketed around him, Blackwhip swinging around and lassoing him. He spun with enough force to generate hurricane force winds before catapulting All For One into the ground.

Izuku shot out his arms to balance himself as he landed, skidding across the surface. He planted hand on the ground to steady himself, his breathing coming out fast. He'd be lucky to get to the full five minutes. In his original body he could've maybe handled ten minutes at most.

You're stronger than you think, Izuku projected his thoughts to the Izuku of another world. It's fine to be modest, but not with yourself.

Y-yeah, sure. Gosh it's weird to hear that from myself. It's like I have a split personality.

I know what you mean.

Both of their concentration snapped back to attention as All For One rose from the crater, smoke rising from his torn suit. "Speed enhancement x10. Strength augmentation x10. Endurance x10. Air Shield maximum output. Blazing Aura maximum output." The quirks all activated in succession, the pressure being emitted from the supervillain multiplying threefold. He saw Ibara yelp as the vines nearest All For One caught fire and sizzled away.

Dark Shadow brought himself down upon All For One, only to meet a resistance as the very air pushed back against him. All For One looked up in amusement. "I've been meaning to take that Quirk for myself." He raised his hand, Rivet Stab activating from his fingertips and shooting up towards Tokoyami, who lay within the darkness.

Izuku moved without hesitation, Gearshift allowing him to cross the distance in half a second. "PORTLAND SMASH!!" He swung his hand through the air, chopping through the tendrils. He switched directions, slamming both fists down onto All For One's Air Shield. "WYOMING SMASH!!" The impact forced Tokoyami and Dark Shadow to back up as unparalleled wind pressures blasted outwards.

"You still insist on copying All Might," All For One goaded. "Isn't it about time you moved on from that worthless hero?"

"I have." Izuku kicked off the Air Shield and activated Float. "All Might saved everyone with a smile. Do you see me smiling, All For One?" Where a smile may have once sat now was an expression of set determination. "Generations of heroes tried their hardest to stop you. I'm going to achieve that, today."

"You can try, Ninth." Teeth shown from his wide grin. "Or would you be the Tenth?"

"Hey, All For One," Izuku said suddenly.

"Wha-!?"

All For One was cut off as his shadow suddenly stretched and shot away, pulling him along with it. Izuku flew after him, spinning through the air while Blackwhip formed a bullet around him.

Nagant Style: Manchester Smash!!

He pierced through the Air Shield, planting his feet hard on All For One's chest as Blackwhip shot around All For One's arms and pinned them to his side. Fists blazing with power, he whaled on him in the face numerous times before kicking off and driving him into the ground as Kuroiro leaped out of the shadow and back into Dark Shadow who swooped by to pick him up.

The temperature had dropped dramatically in the area as the red aura that had been surrounding All For One flickered as if about to die out. Shouto shivered, but continued cooling the air as Ibara's vines shot around All For One before they froze over once Shouto touched her vines. All For One's body because half frozen before razor blades sprouted all around his body, slicing through the vines and ice, but not before Shouto managed to set the vibes ablaze. That coupled with the Blazing Aura set him aflame.

"CRACKLE POP FWOOM RAGING BLAZE WHOOSH!!"

Manga's words produced Kanji that swarmed All For One, intensifying the flames into a roaring inferno that caused a massive explosion at the sudden rise in temperature. Then Tenya was there, already pushing his engines to their limits, as his Maximum Speed quite literally flew by All For One in an instant, his head getting knocked forward by the hero's powerful kick. He zoomed around, coming in for another attack, this time joined by Izuku as he ran beside him. The green haired boy struck first, knocking aside the bone-like structures that sprouted from his front, leaping then twirling around to lash out with Blackwhip. He pried the bones apart just in time for Tenya to drive his knees into All For One's chest and kick off backwards.

A mass of inky black matter erupted from All For One's arm and collided with Tenya, smoke pouring out from where it made contact with his armor, heating it up. A massive wave of sound blasted against the substance, vibrating it and breaking it apart. Shoji came up from behind, sacrificing a few of his limbs to All For One's other arm as it formed a vortex of spears before counterattacking with a massive multi-limb combined fist. The punch managed to knock All For One back a step as Izuku threw his fist, a rush of pressurized air slicing apart the substance holding up Tenya before he flew towards him and rushed him away from the battlefield.

"You okay, Tenya?" Izuku asked, worriedly looking over his singed and half melted armor.

"I'm fine!" He tugged his helmet off, tossing it aside as he leaned back and sighed in relief at the cool night air that greeted him. "Just... need a moment."

Izuku nodded. "I'll be right back then." He turned around sharply and shot himself back into the battle. He didn't have long until Gearshift reached its limits. He needed to finish this up fast.

As he swept around All For One, destroying the chunks of earth that he had sprung up around the area, he felt the electricity coming off his body reaching its crescendo as the blue stripes on his costume began to glow an even brighter neon than before. He needed more juice.

As All For One rocked the area with a shock wave that sent everyone else flying, Izuku flew straight for him. He twisted midair and grabbed onto his head, gripping tightly. He yelled as he tugged on the energy he could feel bubbling within All For One. There was plenty of it, but he was only able to absorb so much before he was thrown. He landed on his feet, already dashing back in to meet All For One's punch with his own. The supervillain was no longer smiling and it finally looked like he was straining. A two month coma constantly fighting the vestiges within his mind, and then being forced into a battle straight after he awoke couldn't be good for him, much less the constant use of his various quirks.

It's time to finally end this. Izuku locked eyes with the figure hiding in the shadow just beyond where All For One stood. He then slammed himself into All For One, mentally shouting, SEATTLE SMASH!! while unleashing an explosion of his bioelectricity that blasted the both of them apart and razed the ground below. All For One fell back against the earth while Izuku used his momentum to climb higher into the sky. He needed distance for this attack, his signature move. It was one he only used a few times before due to the backlash, but where this Izuku's body was currently, he could survive one attempt at it without too much damage.

He bent his legs as he shot up higher, slowing down as he activated Float. One For All x2, Full Cowling!

Down below, All For One stood. He sensed the danger. Everyone else was secondary right now as he began shoring up his defenses with every Quirk he could think of, while also calling on every offensive one he could muster. Even then, in the back of his mind, he tapped upon one of the few rare teleportation Quirks he managed to steal. He wouldn't consciously activate it, too proud to turn tail and run against the likes of Izuku Midoriya, but the part of him that recognized what the current holder of One For All was about to do triggered a primal instinct within that told him to run the hell away. Fear wasn't a foreign concept, but it had been so long since he had felt it, so long since he had felt this weakened. Not since All Might had-

A deeply familiar voice came from behind him. "All For One!"

"All Might-!?" All For One's head turned sharply, eyes widening in shock before his body stopped responding to his commands and his many, many Quirks ceased to function. Shinso waved before being yanked back by Reiko's Poltergeist.

From up high, Izuku canceled Float and shot forwards by unleashing all the stored up energy in his legs. Output 120, no, 150%!! He moved his hands, prepping his fingers before firing them off one-by-one, putting himself into a spiraling spin as a massive boom rang out as the sound barrier broke behind him. Blackwhip streamed around him, adding to his velocity as an emerald blue aura enveloped him. He pulled back his right fist, concentrating everything into his limb as heat began building up around its central point before molding Bioelectricity and Blackwhip around his entire arm.

"HOUSTON TEXAS-!!" He came down upon All For One like a meteor about to obliterate the very planet, a bright star in the darkness of night. "SMAAAAAAASH!!" His fist collided with the utterly defenseless All For One as the energy that had built up within Izuku exploded outwards in a tidal wave of turquoise electricity that traveled through his body and straight into All For One. A scream of agony ruptured the supervillain's lungs as the energy shot through his eyes before his body was slammed to the ground with enough force to shake the entirety of Tartarus and blast the sea apart in all directions.

The moments that followed the aftermath of the devastating final blow was one of complete silence, broken only by loose chunks of concrete breaking and falling into the newly formed crater. Izuku rose from within, his costume torn and frayed, his right arm hanging at his side as he stood over the smoking remains of the monster who had tormented so many over the course of his unnaturally long life. He backed away from the mangled corpse, stumbling over himself and falling down. He lay there, staring up at the night sky as the moon shone overhead.

This is it, Izuku thought, closing his eyes as his remaining vestiges stood around him followed by the Izuku from another world and his vestiges. My final act. He could feel himself slipping away. It was inevitable really. He was fine with it though. He'd done everything in his power and then some to get this far, even when he had no right to hope. But, if there was one thing he wanted before the end, it was-

"Izuku."

He opened his eyes, the moon having been replaced by the smiling and tear-stained face of the girl he loved more than anyone else.

"Setsuna," he croaked happily, trying to lift himself up. She helped him, smothering him in a hug. She sobbed into his shoulder and he couldn't help but smile because it felt so damn good to be with her again. Even if it wouldn't last long, he would enjoy every precious moment for what it was worth.

"I can't believe you're back," she pulled back, not bothering to wipe away her fresh tears.

"I am," he cupped her cheek gently. "But I... I'll be going again. I'm sorry."

She stared at him, her expression falling. "What?"

"This is the other Izuku's body, remember?" He told her, taking her hands in his. "Even if it wasn't, One For All, my One For All, it's... broken. The Quirk was brutalized for those two months inside All For One, and when I transferred what I could over to this body, it tore what remained of its core. What's in here is just a few stray embers that are almost out. I'm sorry, Setsuna, but it's going to disappear. I'm just barely holding it together at this point."

"You can't," she clawed at his chest, bunching up the fabric in her hands as she stared pleadingly into his eyes. "I just... I just got you back."

"I know." He pulled himself closer to her, touching his forehead to hers gently. "But this is the way it has to be. One For All triumphed over All For One in the end, and now the rest of the world can pull itself back together. With you helping oversee that, I've no doubt it'll come to pass."

She gave a choked sound mixed between a sob and a laugh. "You never change, you smooth talker."

"I learned that from you." He gave her his best smile, the one she always seemed to adore. "I learned a lot from you. Thank you, for everything. And Setsuna?"

"Yes?" She uttered.

He combed his fingers through her hair. "I love you."

She let out another sob, but this time a smile fought its way through as she pulled him closer. "I love you too, Mumbles." Then she kissed him and he relished the contact as he felt One For All fading, and his spirit along with it. Soon he could no longer feel as his vision drank in Setsuna's beautiful features before that too left him. And before his hearing could abandon him, he heard one last, "I love you, Izuku Midoriya."

Then all became silent.

Yes, the Izuku of this world has Bioelectricity in place of Gearshift. I had fun coming up with the various kinds of State/City Smashes presented here, and my favorite is Houston Texas Smash. It's homage to both Texas being one of All Might's most powerful smashes and Space City (Houston) as Izuku quite literally falls from the sky like a meteor.

There's just one more chapter left to wrap everything up, so look forward to that in the near future. Until then and thank you all for coming this far. Toodles~