Well, I bring you a prototype scene I wrote with Asura-Oh in the good old days. We had tons of fun writing this scene, though he had to take a break due to him being a father and all. Know that this is before I wrote all the chapters on the Fanfiction.net site, so expect a lot of changes. Also would like your critical reviews as well. Here you go.
Within the ruined wasteland, a newly born concrete graveyard of buildings recently torn down, that was once the hideout of the League of Villains, two titanic powers fought for the dominance of their ideals. Two of them on the side of the same coin, All for One as tails, and One for All as heads, clashed in a earth-shattering duel, exchanging fists with fists, desperate to make one kneel before the other.
At least, that was what was happening so far, until another power came into play in a grand entrance, starting with the shattering of All For One’s arm and kneecap in a split second, moving far faster than any speed Quirk user can accomplish.
All Might recognized this one. How couldn't he recognize the man who took down such high level pro heroes, with just his physical ability alone. The Hero Hunter… Garou. The same man he knew defeated Eraserhead, his fellow heroes, and some villains.
“You…” All Might could utter… in complete dumbfoundment. The boy was encased in some… kind of black shell, two ends of his scarf billowing in opposite sides illustrating as small wings of a devil, and his entire appearance demonic as if he was reborn from the nightmares of man. It was as if Garou had turned into a monster in the time he hadn't seen him.
“Quiet, Old Man.” Garou silenced the hero, as he held All For One’s balled fist in his hand in an iron clawed grip, and… squeezed, squeezed so hard that All For One’s bones in his hand shattered.
“Agh!? You!?” All For One eyed the man in shock.
“How are you still ali-” Before All For One could react, his entire body was met with a hundred blows slammed into his body, all the attacks aimed at his vitals with inhuman precision. All For One could feel his respirators damaged, his ribs cracked, and his internal organs screaming all at once through his nerves in a chorus of pain as if they were all struck at the same time. He didn’t even have any time to activate any of his many stored Quirks. Right before he was sent flying into a destroyed building from a well-honed one inch punch right into his gut.
The building lost its foundation to support it's corpse-like state, crumbling down upon the greatest evil this world had even known as he was buried by the dust and rubble. A moment of aghast silence now hummed in the air, All Might the most shocked of them all, his eyes locked onto the toppled skyscraper unable to take his eyes off it.
*BOOM*
All For One emerged from the rubble, his breaths heavy and inconsistent, depicting his exhaustion and pain as he gritted his teeth underneath his black pipe-addled mask.
“I see. I realized that I have underestimated you, little wolf. Now that I see your new power, I will take delight in dissecting your corpse until I discover the secret to your power.” All For One claimed, with a surprisingly calm, yet dangerously murderous tone.
The flesh of the masked monster’s arms rippled and expanded, contorting with rapid shifts of skin and muscle as they metamorphosed with a conglomeration of stolen mutations he gathered over his years until it swelled with muscles, stone, and metal all mixed together in a warped collage of an Quirk enhanced arm in freakishly large proportions.
Not only that, his legs followed suit as well, as they expanded by the same wild mutations that morphed his arms, becoming as equally grotesque and menacing, until he as fully transformed into a disproportionate monster with massive limbs.
“Allow me to show you the power of every Quirk I have in store with your soon-to-be broken body, you little frog.” All For One condescendingly declared, looking down on the now small Garou with murderous intent.
All Might did not miss All For One’s heavy long breaths rasping with rage. This was the first time All Might saw All For One this pissed at someone else not other than himself.
All For One then blurred as he used whatever speed and leg muscle enhancing Quirk in his arsenal and flew towards Garou with his all, right before a large dust cloud exploded the moment he threw his fist towards Garou.
All Might couldn't barely see Garou's movements when it happened. His smile wavered for one first time. In his mind, many questions rang out desperately wanting answers. But the loudest question of all was…
‘What happened to him?’
A rush of air greeted him in a wild, raging stream the next second, blowing back his yellow hair and crashing dust and debris into his front. All Might immediately raised his hand over his face, blocking any unwanted dust that might get into his eyes as peeked out the with glances at the event happening in front of him. The sight was not what he was expecting.
The man known as All For One… was down on the ground, defeated and broken. His arms bent at uneven, painful angels, his legs just as broken as his arms, and the so-called industrial pipes sticking out of his throat warped and misshaped into a chaotic lump of damaged metal. Even All For One’s face bore the mark of round craters clustered in overlaps, evidence of Garou punching the man sixteen to seventeen times in that swift second.
“That was for almost killing me, you masked freak.” All Might heard Garou mutter before the shelled boy raised his foot high into the air, and delivered an axe kick to the downed villain’s gut with more than enough force to squelch the organs under his heel and force more blood out of All For One’s mouth with a painful cough.
“You say you are the grand ‘evil’ against this society’s ‘justice’. Ranting that you and your little cabal are the chosen ones destined to change this flawed world. But your biggest mistake is your reliance on those useless ‘Quirks’. It made you just as useless as them.” The monsterized Garou condescendingly snided before he raised his leg again, and bend it back before he kicked All For One’s body into the horizon, without a shred of care for his life.
“Garou!” All Might shouted in disbelief of his actions. While he did hate All For One, he still cannot condone such brutality of the defenseless. He was about to rush to All For One to check his condition, until he heard Garou call out to him.
“As for you…” Garou then turned his neck to All Might behind him, freezing him into place with his pitch black glare. All Might froze upon seeing this. For the first time in his life… he felt fear. Not fear for the safety of others, or another’s well being, but pure primal fear for his life. The man known as Garou stared at him with the pitch-black eyes of an inhuman monster.
“It's been a while, hasn’t it, All Might?” Garou snarled as he turned the rest of his body to face the tired All Might, his fingers visibly clenching into a fist.
“And I've been waiting for this for quite a while. Though I got to say…”
All might could tell, but he was sure Garou narrowed his eyelids despite his unmoving pitch black eyes.
“You look more pathetic than I thought.” Garou chided as he let out a condescending chuckle.
“To think that the great ‘Symbol of Peace’ is… this. I am very disappointed.” Garou said as he pointed his finger at him, before he wagged his finger as if saying ‘come get me if you have the guts’.
All Might clenched his fists. This man was dangerous, he can tell. His very instincts screamed at him to run away, but he can’t, not when there were civilians in need of rescue.
“Garou…” All Might called out to him.
“My boy, what are you doing?” He asked, trying to at least strike a conversation. While the man did attack and defeat pro heroes, he never killed any one of them… though he did damage the reputation of Heroes in general as a result. However, deep down he knew there were some good still inside the young man, the same good he was trying to reach.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Garou said as his featureless demonic poker face gazed at the strongest hero.
“To bring down this world’s so-called ‘justice’. What better way than to crush the ‘Symbol of Peace’ himself?” Garou said as he entered a fighting stance.
His declaration made All Might tense his being. The Symbol of Peace grit his teeth and clenched his fists, sharpening his focus to its peak in preparation for combat.
“I know that you’re a good man. But if you do not deviate from your current path, I shall face you!”
All Might declared, confronting this monstrous opponent. Mirroring Garou, he took up a combat stance of his own, as helicopters and news crews looked centralizing their focus on the two.
A burst of wind was the only thing that alerted the onlookers that two combatants had even moved. The speed that was on display was far beyond the capabilities of any regular human.
“New Hampshire! SMASH!” All Might shouted as he proceeded to tackle Garou with all of his weight and charged internal energy. The Symbol of Peace fired himself at Garou like a human missile of nuclear proportions, flying towards Garou at faster than hypersonic velocity, about to blow Garou up into fine paste. But Garou is no longer an ordinary man.
“Simple.” Garou mocked before his hands vanished in blurs the moment All Might was about to crash into him.
*POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW*
“!?” All Might was violently greeted with over one hundred blows to his body at that instant, sending the Symbol Of Peace careering back like a ping pong ball, with many more contuses as a token from Garou as he bounced painfully away.
The sudden knockback of the greatest hero not only shocked the eyewitnesses and reporters, but also distraught them when they saw the state of the Symbol. The man was riddled with what could be described as bowl-like contuses, marked from head to toe, especially his face looked as if his skull had caved in and… There were so many that they could not process the sight of his injuries. Since when was All Might struck back?
“Not Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, not Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist…”
The spectators heard the various names of what seemed to be martial arts, ones that they have never heard of before, one by one, up to a total of twelve.
“My own technique! Monster Calamity God Fist! NO! Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist! Even someone inept as God shall die by my hands!” Garou roared with prideful revel as All Might slowly picked himself up on the ruined battlefield, heaving for stamina and energy to stand up against this monstrous foe.
Even as he pitched himself to his feet, All Might’s thoughts were overwhelmed with panic. His assault was so easily rebuffed. He could still see it, as if the image was burned into his mind. His arms had been a flurry of strikes towards Garou. Yet Garou had barely moved. Minus his arms… it was very deceptive for anyone without apex dynamic vision.
For a split second, All Might had truly seen his opponent’s power. Even at his level of strength and speed, All Might had been repelled with even greater speed, surpassing his own.
“All raw power. No technique. Your experience is quite evident to make up for your shortcomings, but it’s not even close enough to defeat me.” Garou lectured as he remained still, his arms relaxed at his sides, passively taunting All Might to attack again.
“Your only good point is your useless Quirk. You are not worthy of the title of Greatest Hero.” Garou snarled at All Might with harsh criticism.
Steeling himself, All Might gritted his teeth to face Garou. It seemed like an impossible task to continue fighting this monster amongst monsters.
‘Even so!’
“I already get it *cough cough* hah… the moment you deflected my punch.” All Might replied as he stood on his knuckle and knee. The image of Garou’s arms multiplying into hundreds in that split second still burned brightly in his mind. He will have to find some way to compensate, but One For All was at its dying breath, it's embers at its fading moments. Meaning, he would have to make these last punches count.
“Hnn!” Applying force to his legs, he launched himself towards Garou like a bullet fired from an rifle, rearing back his left fist with power and his vision keeping track of Garou’s movements. He must not pause for even a second, his senses painfully sharped to their limit.
“Texas Smash!” With a powerful straight punch, All Might began his second assault against the Symbol of Fear.
But. His punch was casually cast aside, Garou raising his knee to casually deflect his punch with crisp movement. All Might flinched from his fist sliding past his kneecap, misaligned to the empty left. This level of counter was on a different level, calm and steady instead of forceful and assertive. This wasn’t pure brute force deflecting his fist. It was technique, in its purest form.
“Crude.”
A blast of wind pressure barreled past his right, leveling stone and dust of the ruined city behind him.
“Don’t tell me you can’t do better?”
All Might leapt back at his statement. His opponent didn’t even budge from his punch. He was on a whole different level compared to All For One, even in his prime.
But even so.
“Ohhh!!” He roared with heroic spirit, refusing to falter before Garou’s newfound Might.
He charged towards the unmoving monster again, and unleashed his own barraging assault, high speed rapid punches flying far greater than the speed of sound. Blasts of dust and wind exploded the moment his fists made contact with the human monster, obscuring the two in dust and cutting themselves away from the world.
‘My attacks are being parried.’
All Might thought grimly with anxiety. He could barely see it. Garou was using just one hand to deflect his punches, blocking them with his palm. He could only catch a small abstract glimpse of a demonic palm blocking his fist without fail. And the man was unaffected, immune to his current power.
“Slow.”
*BAM*
Without warning, All Might’s face received a powerful blow as he flipped back midair.
“This is a test, All Might. And believe me, when I say it.” Garou said as All Might crashed into the hard ground.
“Fight as if your life's on the line.”
Taking in large, heavy breaths, the muscular hero gritted his teeth as his face throbbed with pain. His face felt as if a hole was punched through it, though in truth it was caved in from the sheer force.
Planting his knuckle on the ground and pushing himself up, All Might lifted himself to his feet, pain burning in his muscles and screaming for rest. But that was a privilege he could not afford.
“Ohhhhhh!!!” With a heroic cry, he shot forth towards the human monster, pouring every last one of his power into his last stand.
“Detroit Smash!”
Garou kicked his fist away and tore his wrist muscle.
“Missouri Smash!”
Garou grabbed his hand chop and squeezed threatening to break his bones. All Might faltered from the pain as he continued.
“Oklahoma Smash!” A raging uppercut greeted All Might’s chin before he could execute his next move, launching him upwards to the night sky.
“Ugh! New Hampshire Smash!” All Might shouted as he punched the air behind him and launched himself back down via wind pressure towards Garou.
“God Slayer Ascension Fist.”
Even so, Garou still countered with another powerful uppercut, jumping up towards All Might for additional striking force. His fist plunged into the hero’s chest, breaking his ribs while using the force and weight of All Might’s attack against him for maximum damage. Blood spilled from the Number One Hero’s lips along with the air knocked out from his lungs.
“S-Still not… enough…” All Might’s time was running out. He could not counter Garou’s moves, or use his own force against him. He is lighter, stronger, and much faster than him. Not only that, the human monster could read his every move.
In summary, he is strong. On a whole other level far above him, even in his prime. The power Garou wields defies all logic.
“You are pitiful. How about this? I will give you one free attack.” Garou raised one finger, to emphasize his point.
Not only All Might, but the rest of the spectators were caught off guard by the sudden taunt. Arrogance seeped from his words, but arrogance backed up by his unimaginable might.
“...”
“You heard me. Or are you chicken?” Garou dared, not bothering to explain anymore.
If Garou’s features could smile, All Might knew he was doing so now, mocking his efforts and pitiful state. The Symbol of Peace gritted his teeth, picking himself up with already thin threads threatening to break. His opponent just left himself open for him. An act that All Might will make Garou regret as he channeled the vestiges of his borrowed power into one. Last. Punch.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The world watched as their Symbol of Peace was rendered broken, battered and defeated in a form that radiated weakness and decay. All Might reduced to his true form, a thin, skeletal man no longer possessing the powers of One For All. On his hands and knees, All Might… no, Toshinori Yagi, could no longer go on, coughing out a glob of blood mixed with spittle to the dusty crater he made with his United States of Smash.
“…so this is what you really look like.” Garou said as he looked down on the hero.
“You represent the truth of every Quirk user in this world. Weak, unworthy, upholders of society’s so-called ‘justice’. This is what justice really is, a glorified lie for the masses. An excuse for them to sin.”
The words stabbed through his soul like a cold, uncaring knife. All Might could not let that one go.
“You’re… wrong!” He gathered what leftovers fumes of his energy to stand on his feet, but his legs gave out as fell back on all fours, struggling to even hold himself up.
“Isn’t that what justice is? Just what is justice? Is justice nothing but an excuse to condemn others without remorse? To ignore even the smallest cry for help and revel in their own hypocrisy?”
“You’re wrong!” Toshinori roared to his feet, now disregarding the consequences his body will suffer afterwards.
“Justice is what protects us against evils and leaves no wrong unpunished! It’s what holds us together as heroes! It is what we stand for as the protectors of the innocent and enemies of evil!”
“I doubt it.” Like a grown man kicking down a carefully made sand castle, Garou casually swept All Might’s legs from under him with a low kick, forcing him to fall back down to the dirt.
“Your Justice is what made the villains that haunt you today. All you showed to the people is that only those with the best Quirks have the best chances to become heroes. And those without Quirks will never be heroes.” Garou’s words rang harshly in Toshinori’s ears. A cameraman did not miss their conversation, recording every second of their battle of ideals.
“Silence, huh? Don’t tell me that you didn’t notice. I mean, I was there among the crowd. Do you want a glimpse of the heartbreaking cruelty your ‘Justice’ brought?”
A tense silence paused the air, an unnatural stillness afflicting the downed hero as he clenched his teeth. He was well aware of this.
“‘I want to be like All Might.’ This one is from a Quirkless boy I saw in a playground. Only for him to be bullied into giving up his dreams, by those with decent Quirks. The bullies even had the gall to tell him to give up his dreams. Why? Because he’s quirkless.”
Toshinori froze upon hearing that, as if reality was slapping his face with a vengeance after so many years of spreading his ideals. He felt as if he betrayed a kindred spirit, someone he saw himself in.
“The boy was left crying all alone in the playground for hours in emotional pain. And it’s because he said he wanted to become an outstanding hero. Does he deserve that? No, I don't think so.” Garou paused as his twin black holes of his sockets drank Toshinori’s reaction. His reaction did not go unnoticed.
“Should I continue with a story about some Pro Hero that left children to die when a building came down? I was there when it happened, you know? How Captain Celebrity ignored the few survivors under the building he alone destroyed. They could’ve died if it wasn’t for me.” He continued his rant, starting to debase the heroes in the eyes of the public.
From the eyes of the world, Deku being among them, could only stare at the monstrous man verbally breaking down the idea of justice and heroes. Most of the masses just watched, unable to argue or just let his words sink into their minds. Others, however, did not take his words to heart. Deku being one of them.
The successor of One For All clenched his fists in frustration. Garou, the human monster, made all excellent points about how the world worked and the darkness living beside the light. He now understood why someone like Garou was fighting against heroes despite having a heart of one.
But…
He could not excuse Garou’s bias against Quirk users. Yes, they have an edge over ordinary people, but the way he said it depicted them as arrogant menaces to society. Should Deku remain Quirkless like before… he cannot imagine it though. Himself accepting Garou’s ideals without a hint of salt. He does not want to imagine it. Yes, people with Quirks could be considered above the Quirkless at birth, an unfair truth in all it’s glory, but… in the end, they are people too. They struggle, they want to succeed their dreams, and more, they work hard to achieve that. Deku knows this, he endured the trials that came with his powers. Being a hero meant more than just having a good quirk. And yet…
“Your entire hero band is a joke. I mean, superpowers? Really? I find that much more lame than any bad hero I knew back home. At least they fight for their power there.”
Back to the battleground, Toshinori glared at the demonized man through his eyes, eyes so black they could be mistaken for black holes devouring the light of courage from the hearts of men.
“Tell me. What makes your ‘justice’ so much different if I'm wrong, oh Great Symbol?” Garou asked, mocking his title with sarcasm, as he started circling around the now helpless hero like a predator pondering on how to kill its prey.
Toshinori remained silent as he thought about his situation. This was not good. The man here was strong, scary strong. He was strong enough to defeat All For One, and him next… he did not think he could even defeat this Garou at his prime.
All Might also had to consider the other heroes. He was sure that Garou would decimate them in an instant should they jump in. Thus…
‘...I can only hope to defeat him in a war of words.’ He decided. Garou was no villain, no. He was more of a misguided soul… a…. Very, very scary strong soul. It was his only option, as he had to appeal with the boy’s sense of justice.
“Justice… Justice isn't about who's right and wrong. To me, it's about preserving the smiles of every soul out there. It's about preserving my ideals of peace.” he replied, deciding to wing it. He was never much of a smooth talker, but he still decided to gamble it anyways.
“Your ideals?” Garou then stopped, standing at Toshinori’s left side.
All Might tensed his body, as he felt a rush of air blowing to his neck. He was afraid to look down, but he did, and saw Garou’s hand in a chopping motion, stopping right before All Might’s neck.
“You think justice is all about you? Are you serious?” Garou asked as he closed in his hand near his throat, as if he could slice All Might’s head off with a simple flick of his hand if he so wished.
“Isn't that what justice is?” All Might took a deep breath as he turned his head around and moved closer, his neck touching the hand that could end his life in an instant, and stared right at Garou eye to eye.
“Justice is about the light our hearts taking shape. Justice… has no clear definition, but one thing’s for sure. Justice does not tolerate any evil that brings harm to the innocent. So tell me, Garou.” All Might continued staring into the pitch-black abysmal eyes of the monster in human form.
“What is your Justice?” All Might countered as he fought back. His words gave Garou pause for just a slight moment. He had a reaction.
“.........are you joking? I do not fight for justice, you-”
“I know when a person has his own kind of justice, boy. Don’t deny it.” All Might placed all his chips, gambling his life before the others.
“And I know you don't want to become the villain here.” He said as he continued his counter.
The tension in the air was palpable as the two men stood still, staring at each other in a silent duel.
“......you are delusional.”
“You’re bluffing, my boy.” All Might replied without fear. He was weak, he was vulnerable. And he knew, that from his string of victims, that Garou will never take a life. Especially his as he is now.
“Why did you save those kids you mentioned then? All you’ve been doing is trying to prove yourself a better hero than me.” All Might then froze as he felt massive killing intent radiating off of Garou. Cold sweat dripped from his skin in rivers as he realized he stepped on a landmine.
“You dare mock me? Are you trying to die?” All Might could feel Garou’s nails touching his jugular, feeling his pulse of his heart strongly pounding.
“Then kill me.” All Might praised himself for not breaking his voice.
The tension then rose to whole new levels when the world heard his words. All Might just offered his life in the middle of his verbal duel, gambling it to make a point.
“....wow. You are crazier than I thought.” Garou said as he raised his hand up, as if ready to end his life. However, before he can drop the hand that can reap human lives like a scythe to weed, an unexpected interference arrived in the form of an angry muscular hothead.
“Release All Might and surrender yourself!” Endeavour's stern voice cut through the air. Behind Endeavour stood several other top ranked heroes, including Edgeshot, Crimson Riot and Best Jeanist.
Despite this lineup of prestigious heroes. Garou was anything but impressed.
“And here comes the peanut gallery. Watch, as I prove how worthless heroes are with their quirks.” Garou said as he turned his head to the heroes.
‘You fools!’ All Might thought. He was sure that the boy can take all of them down without breaking a sweat. The kid took down All For One like he was nothing, without All For One’s Quirks being hindered.
Garou turned his eye to Endeavor, and narrowed his eyes. Endeavor flinched from the pitch-black eyes zeroing in on his being.
“You. Endeavor, Ranked two. How’s your wife? Does she still hate you? Or is she still insane from the fires of your stupidity?” Garou threw the most combustible verbal fuel he had against Endeavor, with a condescending smile to add salt to his wounds.
The frown on Endeavour’s face only deepened to a furious scowl.
“Your insults only worsen your punishment.” Edgeshot called out from the group.
“Hahaha! Says the one whose only power is to fold himself like paper!”
Before Edgeshot could retort, he heard a cry followed by an shockwave of turbulent air coming right behind him. The heroes turned their heads behind them to see Garou in place of Best Jeanist.
‘What?’ Since when did he get there? Was the thought of all the heroes as they sweated, as Garou held the hero by the head in one hand, his back turned against the other heroes as if telling them, they were too weak for his attention.
“Best Jeanist. Number Four. Tell me, how is it you’re so proud of controlling clothes? Seriously, and they call you a hero? And ‘appearances makes the hero’? How could you stand your own voice?” Garou continued as he grasped the bloodied head of the fourth strongest hero by the claws.
Sweat trickled down the heads of the remaining heroes. Such speed. Such power. They hadn’t even been able to react.
“Anyways…” Garou then dropped the hero like a useless sack of potatoes, letting his body collapse to the dusty rubble, as he turned to the others.
“Come on. Entertain me. Let me show you the power of a Quirkless human, ‘heroes’.” Garou taunted as he spread his arms wide as if daring them to strike, leaving himself seemingly open for the heroes.
Tension filled the heroes as their bodies trembled. This was bad. The boy was playing with them, mocking them. They need to formulate a suitable plan to take down this monster.
However, Crimson Riot took the bait and rushed in to assault this threat. He allowed his emotions to act more than his mind, disregarding the danger this man posed as he hardened his right arm to the point of being three times harder than titanium.
He ran towards the villain, fists raised in a striking position. However, the moment he reached Garou, he heard the cracking of bones the moment he threw his fist, soon followed by searing pain as he turned to his right arm, seeing already broken at such a dangerous right angle.
“Crimson Riot. The fearless hero. More like reckless retard. Is it the Quirk replacing your brain cells? No one in their right mind would just jump in like that.” Garou lectured as he remained still, as if he never moved a muscle, listening in the scream that followed as Crimson Riot clutched his broken right arm.
Endeavour remained still as the group was being taken out without effort. The top ranked heroes stood no chance against such a foe. Only All Might could have stood a chance, yet even he stood powerless in the presence of Garou.
“Anyone else? If not, I will go back to the skeleton waiting for me. He seemed he has a Death wish and I intend to grant it.” Garou said jovially, like a kid in a candy store, as if he enjoyed using All Might as a hostage. All Might of all people.
“Not that you all can stop me anyways.” Garou added even more salt to their wounds, before he vanished out of their sight in a phantasmic blur and reappearing before the skeleton of a hero while the heroes scrambled their eyes for him.
All Might defiantly stared at the demonic figure of Garou. There was still life in his thin frame and he was determined to fight it out, be it through words or fists. Despite the thrashing the heroes before him had just received, All Might stood before Garou. He had to put on a brave face for those watching. So many lives were relying on him as their Symbol of Peace.
“You really want to die?” Garou asked again as he slowly pulled back his right arm, his hand ready to impale him through his heart.
“I expected you to beg for your life at least. I mean, if you die, the world will definitely panic at the loss of their symbol.” He continued on as he verbally poked his ego.
“Your friends are also more useless than I thought. And you call them your ‘comrades’? Really? You should’ve left them a long time ago.”
All Might’s brow furrowed in anger. Even in his state of weakness, he would not allow any insults to those who put their lives on the line to protect the innocent.
“You may have battered our bodies and tested our spirits, but you are not allowed to insult those who selflessly put themselves in the firing line of your wrath! I know your compassion is still alive, yet even you must acknowledge that it requires some level of heroism to choose that life.” In his shout, the heroes turned their attention to All Might, finding him in another verbal duel with Garou.
“Define ‘choose’. Explain why children with Quirks are trained to be heroes? Is it really a choice? Or is it because you people are afraid of them?” Garou countered his logic using the kids. Another thing Garou despises, how they allow even kids to endanger their lives.
“Don’t you dare bring the children into this! Their ideals and hopes are what is needed to change the world! Heroe schools are what gives them that chance to realize their dreams!”
“Adults shouldn’t risk children like this!” Garou snarled as he kneed All Might in the stomach, making him cough up blood through his teeth.
“No one in their right minds should even risk children like this! Children changing the world? Don’t screw with me! This is why I hate Quirks! You treat it as a badge of privilege more than an opportunity!” Garou roared back with furious rebuttal, as All Might fell to his knees clutching his gut.
Even through bouts of coughing up blood, All Might still tried to rise to his feet, only to fall back down to his knees. Covering his mouth, blood splattered out, covering his hand.
“Idealists or not, I just can’t believe anyone would allow this. Is the world in so much need for heroes that you are willing to risk children for its selfishness? Are you all that desperate for heroes? This isn’t a children’s television show, you asshole. It’s real life!” Garou followed up in his rant, now infuriated by All Might’s reply.
Whilst Garou ranted at All Might, Endeavour stood at a distance, staring on. He watched the violent assault on All Might and how the Symbol of Peace fell to his knees. At that moment, he made a snap decision. He formed his flames into a sword and gripped the ‘handle’ with both of his hands.
As he squeezed on the handle of the sword, he looked over at Edgeshot in a silent message. They both acknowledged that this opponent was too much for them. But they had to save All Might. Without him, there was no one capable of taking up his mantle of the Symbol of Peace.
Edgeshot folded himself into a string and roared towards Garou. A deafening boom shook the entire area as a sonic boom followed Edgeshot. Garou absentmindedly turned to follow his movements.
No matter where Edgeshot moved, regardless of speed, Garou’s eyes would still follow his exact movement. Panic began to build inside of Edgeshot. Even the speed of sound was not enough to deter this man. Gathering up his courage, he charged at Garou.
“Ahh, so I see.” In his charge, Edgeshot heard Garou’s voice so close to his ear, it was frightening. Garou’s voice was a ghost, a phantom haunting him from his shadow. He was too afraid to even turn his head left to the source of the voice.
“So your Quirk made you light? Or is it you somehow made it into a makeshift speed power?
“How creative. I might have to take back some of my insults. Even I didn’t expect something like this is possible.” The monstrous human praised Edgeshot, which was surprising.
“But, in the end, you failed one crucial part.”
A hand reached out and grabbed hold of the speedy hero with almost contemptible ease. The heroes eyes widened for a moment before a fist crashed into his face. The unconscious body of the pro hero collapsed into a heap before Garou, blood leaking from his lips and nose and his body sprawled in a unsightly form.
“You rely on the Quirk too much. Your own body is weak.” Garou lectured as he stood over the unconscious hero.
Before turning his sight towards Endeavor.
“Endeavor. The hero who failed as a father. Failed as a husband. And, today, will fail as a Hero. Did you know I met your son once? I overheard him ranting about you from time to time. The stories are quite something. To think a hero would drive his wife to insanity, and beat on his own kid. My, my, I might have to make an exception for you and take my time breaking you down.” Garou chuckled as if he found the biggest, most delicious candy of all in the candy store.
Endeavour’s faced twisted into a vision of fury as he glared back at the dark figure before him. His flames seemed to only grow stronger as his rage fueled them.
“How dare you lecture me? After all you’ve done! How dare you act as though I’m the villain here!”
“Then how are you a hero then if not one? A real hero never fails as hard as you do in life. That much I know.” Garou retorted with a effective counter.
Surrounded by the unconscious bodies of his fellow heroes, Endeavour continued to stare down Garou. His face was a mask of anger he intended on taking it out on the one before him.
“Ohhhhh~ shiny! Is this the infamous temper that you vented on your own family? It’s even better than I expected!” Garou praised in the most insulting of ways.
Screaming a wrathful cry, Endeavour charged towards his opponent, firing his flames from his hands as he ran. The ground grew blackened and scorched under his feet.
The news crew recording this did not expect this to occur. Something quite shocking about Endeavor that was kept secret from the public was revealed to the populace, one of the most iconic Pro Heroes was practicing child abuse and home violence.
Watching the screen on the other side, Todoroki grit his teeth as the ugly truth about his family was so callously revealed to the world, and the fact that his father reacted to Garou’s words with pure primal rage did not help him. He hated his father, he really do, but… right now… a part of him does not want him to lose. Deep down he wanted to see his father become a better man and defeat this Villain before him.
However… in the next two seconds, the screaming Endeavor was suddenly bloodied all over his body as Garou stood where he once did, switching places with Endeavor in their exchange without any hint of movement. It was an instant, absolute defeat. The camera can’t even record Garou’s method of victory. And thus, Endeavor fell. In the most painful way possible.
“I thought you would last longer. Congratulations, you’ve now failed as a hero. You are now a true failure.”
Todoroki heard Garou debase his father after breaking him. On the screen, he can see how Endeavor was spitting blood from his mouth, his arms and legs broken in dangerous angles like All For One… he really showed no mercy to the Number Two Pro Hero.
“Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist…” All Might heard Garou say the name of his ‘new martial art’, one he still could not believe that he actually made a new martial art on the fly.
“It has no weak spots. I did say it, yet you ran to me like a dumb animal.” Garou spoke to the unconscious Endeavor behind his back, not even bothering to look at his broken form.
“Now, then… where were we?” Garou said as he turned to All Might, before vanishing and reappearing before the skeletal form of All Might.
“So, how did it feel? To see your so-called friend break down like an immature brat? And put down like the animal he is?” Garou asked almost gloatingly.
All Might looked at the broken form of the No.2 hero and then back to Garou.
“…do not call my friend an animal.” He warned critically.
“He is. Don’t deny it. I don’t care how much good he did, that’s no excuse to allow someone like him to become a hero. There’s a limit to how far one can fall.” Garou further insulted the fallen Endeavor.
“...then what do you think a hero should aspire to be, Garou? You always seem to claim how bad we are as heroes. Tell me, what are you accomplishing?”
“Absolute evil.”
All Might drew his breath, his heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. From his answer, the first image that came to All Might’s mind was another All For One. No, an even scarier and more unstoppable version of him, something even worse than the Symbol of Evil.
“The world is too saturated with absolute justice. It can no longer be relied upon, it is intolerable for such justice to run free unchecked. Thus, absolute evil must exist, but the hypocrisy of heroes won't let it.”
‘What?’ All Might stared at Garou confused with his blue eyes within the darkness of his sclera. He could not understand a lick of sense coming out of Garou’s mouth. What the hell was he saying? His only conclusion was that there was something Garou disliked about the heroes that made him choose ‘evil’.
“...excuse me, my boy?” All Might started to counter.
“Absolute Evil… I do not understand what you mean by this. Absolute Evil means evil that cannot be reasoned with and must be destroyed. What are you…” All Might slowly picked the pieces together. Whenever he mentioned the hypocrisy of heroes… then he remembered Captain Celebrity, how much his voice dripped with hate when he mentioned him.
“Ah…” All Might gets it.
“...you follow evil because you saw what passes for ‘good’...” All Might understands it now. It is not the absolute evil that wanted to end all that is good and just in life that Garou was fighting for.
“You wanted others to see what they think is ‘good’ is ‘bad’.” All Might’s words, made Garou pause in his tracks. He found an opening he can exploit.
“But, Garou, your method won't save anyone in the end. All you will do is incite the people to rise against you. Becoming the enemy of the world won't bring true peace by making yourself the target of hate.” It all clicked in at that moment. The thing that always make rival heroes conspire together was… a common enemy they could not defeat. Garou wanted to exploit this concept by using it against the world, but it won't work. It can't work on so many people. Cooperation through necessity won't last as long as the problem was solved, and being that problem won't save lives. It will torment them.
All Might’s rebuttal caused a twitch from Garou’s unmoving figure, followed by an angry snarl from the monsterized man himself.
“I can. You cannot save everyone. Who will save the kid being abducted by random Quirk monsters? Who will listen to the cries of the oppressed? I can. And through absolute evil, I can change the world.”
“Your vision is flawed, my boy. You said it to me, didn’t you? My message to the world is only good Quirk users can become heroes. What about you? How will your message bring peace? All you will say is that through oppression and fear will there be peace. That is not peace. That’s a nightmare.”
“Oh?” Garou stopped his steps as he looked at the weak defenseless hero.
“So what makes you think you can do better?” Garou asked, confident of his resolve.
“Because… I have comrades, and a legacy I can entrust.” Garou raised an eyebrow at his answer.
“Garou… I know that my Justice isn’t perfect.”
“World peace cannot be achieve by a single person. That is the biggest flaw of your vision… you think only one person alone can save the world. World peace will never be achieved. What if you’re gone? Who will take after you in your absence? You won’t change a thing in the end.”
Garou froze as he looked at the hero surprised, caught off guard by his logic.
“My boy, I don’t know what happened in your past life to make you hate heroes, but… I know that deep down you want to become one. I am sure of it. I am even more sure of what you’re really trying to do.”
“And what’s that oh great hero? Enlighten me.” Garou taunted as he resumed his stride, ready to finish all the heroes still standing but barely.
“You have no confidence in being a hero, so instead you compromised and decided to play a villain. How else would someone like you save innocents while posing as the bad guy?”
Garou ceases his stride, as he looked at All Might with a face that can be taken as agast behind that stoic face of terror.
“You can’t defeat me without killing me, Garou. And I won’t let you silence me as you wish.” All Might continued his verbal assault, gaining great sway over the war.
“You want to become a hero, but deep down you are afraid you might not be able to become the hero you wished to be, which is why you chose to play the villain.”
Garou froze in his steps again, his body shaking from the turbulent emotions swelling inside him.
“Strike me down if you want. But I will not let you silence me!”
“Being a hero is not about fame, glory, or ensured happy endings like you see! It’s about risking their life to protect lives, to fight for what they believe in! Garou! What do you believe?! Why are you afraid of becoming a hero?!”
“.....…” the demon paused at his words.
“.........you don’t have to criticize our justice. It’s not perfect. I know this. The heroes know this. We know this, but we still fight for it.”
“...…and why is that?” After period of silence, Garou finally responded with intrigue.
A pang of relief echoed in All Might’s heart. He was moving him.
“Because we know that one day, justice will change for the better as time pass us by.”
“What? You think you can improve your justice like that? By doing nothing?” Garou criticized harshly.
“No. We won't. We will not stop working hard to accomplish that ideal Justice. Be it through us, or the next generation who will succeed us should we fail. It is why we train children into the next generation of heroes.”
“..….isn't that just pure laziness? An excuse to dump your problems on the kids?”
“Garou, is it no different than a student inheriting a legacy from his master? It is never about running away, my boy. But to build a better future for the people in this world the best you can. And teach them to do the same.”
“..…” Garou’s hostility dimmed upon hearing his answer. All Might could feel the oppressive air around Garou diminishing, wavering in resolve.
“Forsake your path, my boy. It won’t lead you to the peace you want… you will walk the same path as All For One. You will make the same mistakes as him if you continue.”
Garou flinched upon hearing the name.
“..........I see.” And the last embers of his hostility vanished, like a candle finally dying out.
“I thought you are nothing but a liar and a hypocrite, All Might. But… it seems I was wrong about you.” Garou said as he relaxed his hands, letting his arms hang by his sides.
“...but be warned. One day… I will test this legacy of yours. If it fails to reach my expectations…” Garou then slowly turned his head around, and then vanished without any prior warning. But not without his voice echoing through the wind.
“I will come back for you. And crush everything you stood for.” The demon swore as he disappeared from the battlefield like a mirage, a phantom playing tricks on the mind, as if his existence was never there in the first place.
The air paused with tension after Garou’s disappearance. The news reporter and cameraman never took their eyes off the spot where Garou vanished, as if they expected him to reappear and finish off All Might in cold blood. But… after a few tense minutes, which turned into around ten minutes, the reporter stuttered as she tried to give the world an explanation as to what had occurred.
“...T-This just in… A-All Might seemed to have driven off the monstrous human known as Garou, with just his words alone. I'm not sure whether it was a ploy or… All Might has faced Garou in a war of ideals… and won… but could this really be called a victory? As our Symbol of Peace is still critically injured in the process, with the downfall of other pro heroes. Garou has left his mark on the world regardless… what change will grace our world after his shocking entrance and display of might and ideals? Only time will tell…”
“........Good grief.” Toshinori sighed as he then collapsed to his hands and knees, then fell to the floor, lying on the ground sprawled as his four limbs failed to support him. His heart still pounded in his chest despite Garou no longer here. Within the ruined wasteland, a newly born concrete graveyard of buildings recently torn down, that was once the hideout of the League of Villains, two titanic powers fought for the dominance of their ideals. Two of them on the side of the same coin, All for One as tails, and One for All as heads, clashed in a earth-shattering duel, exchanging fists with fists, desperate to make one kneel before the other.
At least, that was what was happening so far, until another power came into play in a grand entrance, starting with the shattering of All For One’s arm and kneecap in a split second, moving far faster than any speed Quirk user can accomplish.
All Might recognized this one. How couldn't he recognize the man who took down such high level pro heroes, with just his physical ability alone. The Hero Hunter… Garou. The same man he knew defeated Eraserhead, his fellow heroes, and some villains.
“You…” All Might could utter… in complete dumbfoundment. The boy was encased in some… kind of black shell, two ends of his scarf billowing in opposite sides illustrating as small wings of a devil, and his entire appearance demonic as if he was reborn from the nightmares of man. It was as if Garou had turned into a monster in the time he hadn't seen him.
“Quiet, Old Man.” Garou silenced the hero, as he held All For One’s balled fist in his hand in an iron clawed grip, and… squeezed, squeezed so hard that All For One’s bones in his hand shattered.
“Agh!? You!?” All For One eyed the man in shock.
“How are you still ali-” Before All For One could react, his entire body was met with a hundred blows slammed into his body, all the attacks aimed at his vitals with inhuman precision. All For One could feel his respirators damaged, his ribs cracked, and his internal organs screaming all at once through his nerves in a chorus of pain as if they were all struck at the same time. He didn’t even have any time to activate any of his many stored Quirks. Right before he was sent flying into a destroyed building from a well-honed one inch punch right into his gut.
The building lost its foundation to support it's corpse-like state, crumbling down upon the greatest evil this world had even known as he was buried by the dust and rubble. A moment of aghast silence now hummed in the air, All Might the most shocked of them all, his eyes locked onto the toppled skyscraper unable to take his eyes off it.
*BOOM*
All For One emerged from the rubble, his breaths heavy and inconsistent, depicting his exhaustion and pain as he gritted his teeth underneath his black pipe-addled mask.
“I see. I realized that I have underestimated you, little wolf. Now that I see your new power, I will take delight in dissecting your corpse until I discover the secret to your power.” All For One claimed, with a surprisingly calm, yet dangerously murderous tone.
The flesh of the masked monster’s arms rippled and expanded, contorting with rapid shifts of skin and muscle as they metamorphosed with a conglomeration of stolen mutations he gathered over his years until it swelled with muscles, stone, and metal all mixed together in a warped collage of an Quirk enhanced arm in freakishly large proportions.
Not only that, his legs followed suit as well, as they expanded by the same wild mutations that morphed his arms, becoming as equally grotesque and menacing, until he as fully transformed into a disproportionate monster with massive limbs.
“Allow me to show you the power of every Quirk I have in store with your soon-to-be broken body, you little frog.” All For One condescendingly declared, looking down on the now small Garou with murderous intent.
All Might did not miss All For One’s heavy long breaths rasping with rage. This was the first time All Might saw All For One this pissed at someone else not other than himself.
All For One then blurred as he used whatever speed and leg muscle enhancing Quirk in his arsenal and flew towards Garou with his all, right before a large dust cloud exploded the moment he threw his fist towards Garou.
All Might couldn't barely see Garou's movements when it happened. His smile wavered for one first time. In his mind, many questions rang out desperately wanting answers. But the loudest question of all was…
‘What happened to him?’
A rush of air greeted him in a wild, raging stream the next second, blowing back his yellow hair and crashing dust and debris into his front. All Might immediately raised his hand over his face, blocking any unwanted dust that might get into his eyes as peeked out the with glances at the event happening in front of him. The sight was not what he was expecting.
The man known as All For One… was down on the ground, defeated and broken. His arms bent at uneven, painful angels, his legs just as broken as his arms, and the so-called industrial pipes sticking out of his throat warped and misshaped into a chaotic lump of damaged metal. Even All For One’s face bore the mark of round craters clustered in overlaps, evidence of Garou punching the man sixteen to seventeen times in that swift second.
“That was for almost killing me, you masked freak.” All Might heard Garou mutter before the shelled boy raised his foot high into the air, and delivered an axe kick to the downed villain’s gut with more than enough force to squelch the organs under his heel and force more blood out of All For One’s mouth with a painful cough.
“You say you are the grand ‘evil’ against this society’s ‘justice’. Ranting that you and your little cabal are the chosen ones destined to change this flawed world. But your biggest mistake is your reliance on those useless ‘Quirks’. It made you just as useless as them.” The monsterized Garou condescendingly snided before he raised his leg again, and bend it back before he kicked All For One’s body into the horizon, without a shred of care for his life.
“Garou!” All Might shouted in disbelief of his actions. While he did hate All For One, he still cannot condone such brutality of the defenseless. He was about to rush to All For One to check his condition, until he heard Garou call out to him.
“As for you…” Garou then turned his neck to All Might behind him, freezing him into place with his pitch black glare. All Might froze upon seeing this. For the first time in his life… he felt fear. Not fear for the safety of others, or another’s well being, but pure primal fear for his life. The man known as Garou stared at him with the pitch-black eyes of an inhuman monster.
“It's been a while, hasn’t it, All Might?” Garou snarled as he turned the rest of his body to face the tired All Might, his fingers visibly clenching into a fist.
“And I've been waiting for this for quite a while. Though I got to say…”
All might could tell, but he was sure Garou narrowed his eyelids despite his unmoving pitch black eyes.
“You look more pathetic than I thought.” Garou chided as he let out a condescending chuckle.
“To think that the great ‘Symbol of Peace’ is… this. I am very disappointed.” Garou said as he pointed his finger at him, before he wagged his finger as if saying ‘come get me if you have the guts’.
All Might clenched his fists. This man was dangerous, he can tell. His very instincts screamed at him to run away, but he can’t, not when there were civilians in need of rescue.
“Garou…” All Might called out to him.
“My boy, what are you doing?” He asked, trying to at least strike a conversation. While the man did attack and defeat pro heroes, he never killed any one of them… though he did damage the reputation of Heroes in general as a result. However, deep down he knew there were some good still inside the young man, the same good he was trying to reach.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Garou said as his featureless demonic poker face gazed at the strongest hero.
“To bring down this world’s so-called ‘justice’. What better way than to crush the ‘Symbol of Peace’ himself?” Garou said as he entered a fighting stance.
His declaration made All Might tense his being. The Symbol of Peace grit his teeth and clenched his fists, sharpening his focus to its peak in preparation for combat.
“I know that you’re a good man. But if you do not deviate from your current path, I shall face you!”
All Might declared, confronting this monstrous opponent. Mirroring Garou, he took up a combat stance of his own, as helicopters and news crews looked centralizing their focus on the two.
A burst of wind was the only thing that alerted the onlookers that two combatants had even moved. The speed that was on display was far beyond the capabilities of any regular human.
“New Hampshire! SMASH!” All Might shouted as he proceeded to tackle Garou with all of his weight and charged internal energy. The Symbol of Peace fired himself at Garou like a human missile of nuclear proportions, flying towards Garou at faster than hypersonic velocity, about to blow Garou up into fine paste. But Garou is no longer an ordinary man.
“Simple.” Garou mocked before his hands vanished in blurs the moment All Might was about to crash into him.
*POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW*
“!?” All Might was violently greeted with over one hundred blows to his body at that instant, sending the Symbol Of Peace careering back like a ping pong ball, with many more contuses as a token from Garou as he bounced painfully away.
The sudden knockback of the greatest hero not only shocked the eyewitnesses and reporters, but also distraught them when they saw the state of the Symbol. The man was riddled with what could be described as bowl-like contuses, marked from head to toe, especially his face looked as if his skull had caved in and… There were so many that they could not process the sight of his injuries. Since when was All Might struck back?
“Not Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, not Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist…”
The spectators heard the various names of what seemed to be martial arts, ones that they have never heard of before, one by one, up to a total of twelve.
“My own technique! Monster Calamity God Fist! NO! Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist! Even someone inept as God shall die by my hands!” Garou roared with prideful revel as All Might slowly picked himself up on the ruined battlefield, heaving for stamina and energy to stand up against this monstrous foe.
Even as he pitched himself to his feet, All Might’s thoughts were overwhelmed with panic. His assault was so easily rebuffed. He could still see it, as if the image was burned into his mind. His arms had been a flurry of strikes towards Garou. Yet Garou had barely moved. Minus his arms… it was very deceptive for anyone without apex dynamic vision.
For a split second, All Might had truly seen his opponent’s power. Even at his level of strength and speed, All Might had been repelled with even greater speed, surpassing his own.
“All raw power. No technique. Your experience is quite evident to make up for your shortcomings, but it’s not even close enough to defeat me.” Garou lectured as he remained still, his arms relaxed at his sides, passively taunting All Might to attack again.
“Your only good point is your useless Quirk. You are not worthy of the title of Greatest Hero.” Garou snarled at All Might with harsh criticism.
Steeling himself, All Might gritted his teeth to face Garou. It seemed like an impossible task to continue fighting this monster amongst monsters.
‘Even so!’
“I already get it *cough cough* hah… the moment you deflected my punch.” All Might replied as he stood on his knuckle and knee. The image of Garou’s arms multiplying into hundreds in that split second still burned brightly in his mind. He will have to find some way to compensate, but One For All was at its dying breath, it's embers at its fading moments. Meaning, he would have to make these last punches count.
“Hnn!” Applying force to his legs, he launched himself towards Garou like a bullet fired from an rifle, rearing back his left fist with power and his vision keeping track of Garou’s movements. He must not pause for even a second, his senses painfully sharped to their limit.
“Texas Smash!” With a powerful straight punch, All Might began his second assault against the Symbol of Fear.
But. His punch was casually cast aside, Garou raising his knee to casually deflect his punch with crisp movement. All Might flinched from his fist sliding past his kneecap, misaligned to the empty left. This level of counter was on a different level, calm and steady instead of forceful and assertive. This wasn’t pure brute force deflecting his fist. It was technique, in its purest form.
“Crude.”
A blast of wind pressure barreled past his right, leveling stone and dust of the ruined city behind him.
“Don’t tell me you can’t do better?”
All Might leapt back at his statement. His opponent didn’t even budge from his punch. He was on a whole different level compared to All For One, even in his prime.
But even so.
“Ohhh!!” He roared with heroic spirit, refusing to falter before Garou’s newfound Might.
He charged towards the unmoving monster again, and unleashed his own barraging assault, high speed rapid punches flying far greater than the speed of sound. Blasts of dust and wind exploded the moment his fists made contact with the human monster, obscuring the two in dust and cutting themselves away from the world.
‘My attacks are being parried.’
All Might thought grimly with anxiety. He could barely see it. Garou was using just one hand to deflect his punches, blocking them with his palm. He could only catch a small abstract glimpse of a demonic palm blocking his fist without fail. And the man was unaffected, immune to his current power.
“Slow.”
*BAM*
Without warning, All Might’s face received a powerful blow as he flipped back midair.
“This is a test, All Might. And believe me, when I say it.” Garou said as All Might crashed into the hard ground.
“Fight as if your life's on the line.”
Taking in large, heavy breaths, the muscular hero gritted his teeth as his face throbbed with pain. His face felt as if a hole was punched through it, though in truth it was caved in from the sheer force.
Planting his knuckle on the ground and pushing himself up, All Might lifted himself to his feet, pain burning in his muscles and screaming for rest. But that was a privilege he could not afford.
“Ohhhhhh!!!” With a heroic cry, he shot forth towards the human monster, pouring every last one of his power into his last stand.
“Detroit Smash!”
Garou kicked his fist away and tore his wrist muscle.
“Missouri Smash!”
Garou grabbed his hand chop and squeezed threatening to break his bones. All Might faltered from the pain as he continued.
“Oklahoma Smash!” A raging uppercut greeted All Might’s chin before he could execute his next move, launching him upwards to the night sky.
“Ugh! New Hampshire Smash!” All Might shouted as he punched the air behind him and launched himself back down via wind pressure towards Garou.
“God Slayer Ascension Fist.”
Even so, Garou still countered with another powerful uppercut, jumping up towards All Might for additional striking force. His fist plunged into the hero’s chest, breaking his ribs while using the force and weight of All Might’s attack against him for maximum damage. Blood spilled from the Number One Hero’s lips along with the air knocked out from his lungs.
“S-Still not… enough…” All Might’s time was running out. He could not counter Garou’s moves, or use his own force against him. He is lighter, stronger, and much faster than him. Not only that, the human monster could read his every move.
In summary, he is strong. On a whole other level far above him, even in his prime. The power Garou wields defies all logic.
“You are pitiful. How about this? I will give you one free attack.” Garou raised one finger, to emphasize his point.
Not only All Might, but the rest of the spectators were caught off guard by the sudden taunt. Arrogance seeped from his words, but arrogance backed up by his unimaginable might.
“...”
“You heard me. Or are you chicken?” Garou dared, not bothering to explain anymore.
If Garou’s features could smile, All Might knew he was doing so now, mocking his efforts and pitiful state. The Symbol of Peace gritted his teeth, picking himself up with already thin threads threatening to break. His opponent just left himself open for him. An act that All Might will make Garou regret as he channeled the vestiges of his borrowed power into one. Last. Punch.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The world watched as their Symbol of Peace was rendered broken, battered and defeated in a form that radiated weakness and decay. All Might reduced to his true form, a thin, skeletal man no longer possessing the powers of One For All. On his hands and knees, All Might… no, Toshinori Yagi, could no longer go on, coughing out a glob of blood mixed with spittle to the dusty crater he made with his United States of Smash.
“…so this is what you really look like.” Garou said as he looked down on the hero.
“You represent the truth of every Quirk user in this world. Weak, unworthy, upholders of society’s so-called ‘justice’. This is what justice really is, a glorified lie for the masses. An excuse for them to sin.”
The words stabbed through his soul like a cold, uncaring knife. All Might could not let that one go.
“You’re… wrong!” He gathered what leftovers fumes of his energy to stand on his feet, but his legs gave out as fell back on all fours, struggling to even hold himself up.
“Isn’t that what justice is? Just what is justice? Is justice nothing but an excuse to condemn others without remorse? To ignore even the smallest cry for help and revel in their own hypocrisy?”
“You’re wrong!” Toshinori roared to his feet, now disregarding the consequences his body will suffer afterwards.
“Justice is what protects us against evils and leaves no wrong unpunished! It’s what holds us together as heroes! It is what we stand for as the protectors of the innocent and enemies of evil!”
“I doubt it.” Like a grown man kicking down a carefully made sand castle, Garou casually swept All Might’s legs from under him with a low kick, forcing him to fall back down to the dirt.
“Your Justice is what made the villains that haunt you today. All you showed to the people is that only those with the best Quirks have the best chances to become heroes. And those without Quirks will never be heroes.” Garou’s words rang harshly in Toshinori’s ears. A cameraman did not miss their conversation, recording every second of their battle of ideals.
“Silence, huh? Don’t tell me that you didn’t notice. I mean, I was there among the crowd. Do you want a glimpse of the heartbreaking cruelty your ‘Justice’ brought?”
A tense silence paused the air, an unnatural stillness afflicting the downed hero as he clenched his teeth. He was well aware of this.
“‘I want to be like All Might.’ This one is from a Quirkless boy I saw in a playground. Only for him to be bullied into giving up his dreams, by those with decent Quirks. The bullies even had the gall to tell him to give up his dreams. Why? Because he’s quirkless.”
Toshinori froze upon hearing that, as if reality was slapping his face with a vengeance after so many years of spreading his ideals. He felt as if he betrayed a kindred spirit, someone he saw himself in.
“The boy was left crying all alone in the playground for hours in emotional pain. And it’s because he said he wanted to become an outstanding hero. Does he deserve that? No, I don't think so.” Garou paused as his twin black holes of his sockets drank Toshinori’s reaction. His reaction did not go unnoticed.
“Should I continue with a story about some Pro Hero that left children to die when a building came down? I was there when it happened, you know? How Captain Celebrity ignored the few survivors under the building he alone destroyed. They could’ve died if it wasn’t for me.” He continued his rant, starting to debase the heroes in the eyes of the public.
From the eyes of the world, Deku being among them, could only stare at the monstrous man verbally breaking down the idea of justice and heroes. Most of the masses just watched, unable to argue or just let his words sink into their minds. Others, however, did not take his words to heart. Deku being one of them.
The successor of One For All clenched his fists in frustration. Garou, the human monster, made all excellent points about how the world worked and the darkness living beside the light. He now understood why someone like Garou was fighting against heroes despite having a heart of one.
But…
He could not excuse Garou’s bias against Quirk users. Yes, they have an edge over ordinary people, but the way he said it depicted them as arrogant menaces to society. Should Deku remain Quirkless like before… he cannot imagine it though. Himself accepting Garou’s ideals without a hint of salt. He does not want to imagine it. Yes, people with Quirks could be considered above the Quirkless at birth, an unfair truth in all it’s glory, but… in the end, they are people too. They struggle, they want to succeed their dreams, and more, they work hard to achieve that. Deku knows this, he endured the trials that came with his powers. Being a hero meant more than just having a good quirk. And yet…
“Your entire hero band is a joke. I mean, superpowers? Really? I find that much more lame than any bad hero I knew back home. At least they fight for their power there.”
Back to the battleground, Toshinori glared at the demonized man through his eyes, eyes so black they could be mistaken for black holes devouring the light of courage from the hearts of men.
“Tell me. What makes your ‘justice’ so much different if I'm wrong, oh Great Symbol?” Garou asked, mocking his title with sarcasm, as he started circling around the now helpless hero like a predator pondering on how to kill its prey.
Toshinori remained silent as he thought about his situation. This was not good. The man here was strong, scary strong. He was strong enough to defeat All For One, and him next… he did not think he could even defeat this Garou at his prime.
All Might also had to consider the other heroes. He was sure that Garou would decimate them in an instant should they jump in. Thus…
‘...I can only hope to defeat him in a war of words.’ He decided. Garou was no villain, no. He was more of a misguided soul… a…. Very, very scary strong soul. It was his only option, as he had to appeal with the boy’s sense of justice.
“Justice… Justice isn't about who's right and wrong. To me, it's about preserving the smiles of every soul out there. It's about preserving my ideals of peace.” he replied, deciding to wing it. He was never much of a smooth talker, but he still decided to gamble it anyways.
“Your ideals?” Garou then stopped, standing at Toshinori’s left side.
All Might tensed his body, as he felt a rush of air blowing to his neck. He was afraid to look down, but he did, and saw Garou’s hand in a chopping motion, stopping right before All Might’s neck.
“You think justice is all about you? Are you serious?” Garou asked as he closed in his hand near his throat, as if he could slice All Might’s head off with a simple flick of his hand if he so wished.
“Isn't that what justice is?” All Might took a deep breath as he turned his head around and moved closer, his neck touching the hand that could end his life in an instant, and stared right at Garou eye to eye.
“Justice is about the light our hearts taking shape. Justice… has no clear definition, but one thing’s for sure. Justice does not tolerate any evil that brings harm to the innocent. So tell me, Garou.” All Might continued staring into the pitch-black abysmal eyes of the monster in human form.
“What is your Justice?” All Might countered as he fought back. His words gave Garou pause for just a slight moment. He had a reaction.
“.........are you joking? I do not fight for justice, you-”
“I know when a person has his own kind of justice, boy. Don’t deny it.” All Might placed all his chips, gambling his life before the others.
“And I know you don't want to become the villain here.” He said as he continued his counter.
The tension in the air was palpable as the two men stood still, staring at each other in a silent duel.
“......you are delusional.”
“You’re bluffing, my boy.” All Might replied without fear. He was weak, he was vulnerable. And he knew, that from his string of victims, that Garou will never take a life. Especially his as he is now.
“Why did you save those kids you mentioned then? All you’ve been doing is trying to prove yourself a better hero than me.” All Might then froze as he felt massive killing intent radiating off of Garou. Cold sweat dripped from his skin in rivers as he realized he stepped on a landmine.
“You dare mock me? Are you trying to die?” All Might could feel Garou’s nails touching his jugular, feeling his pulse of his heart strongly pounding.
“Then kill me.” All Might praised himself for not breaking his voice.
The tension then rose to whole new levels when the world heard his words. All Might just offered his life in the middle of his verbal duel, gambling it to make a point.
“....wow. You are crazier than I thought.” Garou said as he raised his hand up, as if ready to end his life. However, before he can drop the hand that can reap human lives like a scythe to weed, an unexpected interference arrived in the form of an angry muscular hothead.
“Release All Might and surrender yourself!” Endeavour's stern voice cut through the air. Behind Endeavour stood several other top ranked heroes, including Edgeshot, Crimson Riot and Best Jeanist.
Despite this lineup of prestigious heroes. Garou was anything but impressed.
“And here comes the peanut gallery. Watch, as I prove how worthless heroes are with their quirks.” Garou said as he turned his head to the heroes.
‘You fools!’ All Might thought. He was sure that the boy can take all of them down without breaking a sweat. The kid took down All For One like he was nothing, without All For One’s Quirks being hindered.
Garou turned his eye to Endeavor, and narrowed his eyes. Endeavor flinched from the pitch-black eyes zeroing in on his being.
“You. Endeavor, Ranked two. How’s your wife? Does she still hate you? Or is she still insane from the fires of your stupidity?” Garou threw the most combustible verbal fuel he had against Endeavor, with a condescending smile to add salt to his wounds.
The frown on Endeavour’s face only deepened to a furious scowl.
“Your insults only worsen your punishment.” Edgeshot called out from the group.
“Hahaha! Says the one whose only power is to fold himself like paper!”
Before Edgeshot could retort, he heard a cry followed by an shockwave of turbulent air coming right behind him. The heroes turned their heads behind them to see Garou in place of Best Jeanist.
‘What?’ Since when did he get there? Was the thought of all the heroes as they sweated, as Garou held the hero by the head in one hand, his back turned against the other heroes as if telling them, they were too weak for his attention.
“Best Jeanist. Number Four. Tell me, how is it you’re so proud of controlling clothes? Seriously, and they call you a hero? And ‘appearances makes the hero’? How could you stand your own voice?” Garou continued as he grasped the bloodied head of the fourth strongest hero by the claws.
Sweat trickled down the heads of the remaining heroes. Such speed. Such power. They hadn’t even been able to react.
“Anyways…” Garou then dropped the hero like a useless sack of potatoes, letting his body collapse to the dusty rubble, as he turned to the others.
“Come on. Entertain me. Let me show you the power of a Quirkless human, ‘heroes’.” Garou taunted as he spread his arms wide as if daring them to strike, leaving himself seemingly open for the heroes.
Tension filled the heroes as their bodies trembled. This was bad. The boy was playing with them, mocking them. They need to formulate a suitable plan to take down this monster.
However, Crimson Riot took the bait and rushed in to assault this threat. He allowed his emotions to act more than his mind, disregarding the danger this man posed as he hardened his right arm to the point of being three times harder than titanium.
He ran towards the villain, fists raised in a striking position. However, the moment he reached Garou, he heard the cracking of bones the moment he threw his fist, soon followed by searing pain as he turned to his right arm, seeing already broken at such a dangerous right angle.
“Crimson Riot. The fearless hero. More like reckless retard. Is it the Quirk replacing your brain cells? No one in their right mind would just jump in like that.” Garou lectured as he remained still, as if he never moved a muscle, listening in the scream that followed as Crimson Riot clutched his broken right arm.
Endeavour remained still as the group was being taken out without effort. The top ranked heroes stood no chance against such a foe. Only All Might could have stood a chance, yet even he stood powerless in the presence of Garou.
“Anyone else? If not, I will go back to the skeleton waiting for me. He seemed he has a Death wish and I intend to grant it.” Garou said jovially, like a kid in a candy store, as if he enjoyed using All Might as a hostage. All Might of all people.
“Not that you all can stop me anyways.” Garou added even more salt to their wounds, before he vanished out of their sight in a phantasmic blur and reappearing before the skeleton of a hero while the heroes scrambled their eyes for him.
All Might defiantly stared at the demonic figure of Garou. There was still life in his thin frame and he was determined to fight it out, be it through words or fists. Despite the thrashing the heroes before him had just received, All Might stood before Garou. He had to put on a brave face for those watching. So many lives were relying on him as their Symbol of Peace.
“You really want to die?” Garou asked again as he slowly pulled back his right arm, his hand ready to impale him through his heart.
“I expected you to beg for your life at least. I mean, if you die, the world will definitely panic at the loss of their symbol.” He continued on as he verbally poked his ego.
“Your friends are also more useless than I thought. And you call them your ‘comrades’? Really? You should’ve left them a long time ago.”
All Might’s brow furrowed in anger. Even in his state of weakness, he would not allow any insults to those who put their lives on the line to protect the innocent.
“You may have battered our bodies and tested our spirits, but you are not allowed to insult those who selflessly put themselves in the firing line of your wrath! I know your compassion is still alive, yet even you must acknowledge that it requires some level of heroism to choose that life.” In his shout, the heroes turned their attention to All Might, finding him in another verbal duel with Garou.
“Define ‘choose’. Explain why children with Quirks are trained to be heroes? Is it really a choice? Or is it because you people are afraid of them?” Garou countered his logic using the kids. Another thing Garou despises, how they allow even kids to endanger their lives.
“Don’t you dare bring the children into this! Their ideals and hopes are what is needed to change the world! Heroe schools are what gives them that chance to realize their dreams!”
“Adults shouldn’t risk children like this!” Garou snarled as he kneed All Might in the stomach, making him cough up blood through his teeth.
“No one in their right minds should even risk children like this! Children changing the world? Don’t screw with me! This is why I hate Quirks! You treat it as a badge of privilege more than an opportunity!” Garou roared back with furious rebuttal, as All Might fell to his knees clutching his gut.
Even through bouts of coughing up blood, All Might still tried to rise to his feet, only to fall back down to his knees. Covering his mouth, blood splattered out, covering his hand.
“Idealists or not, I just can’t believe anyone would allow this. Is the world in so much need for heroes that you are willing to risk children for its selfishness? Are you all that desperate for heroes? This isn’t a children’s television show, you asshole. It’s real life!” Garou followed up in his rant, now infuriated by All Might’s reply.
Whilst Garou ranted at All Might, Endeavour stood at a distance, staring on. He watched the violent assault on All Might and how the Symbol of Peace fell to his knees. At that moment, he made a snap decision. He formed his flames into a sword and gripped the ‘handle’ with both of his hands.
As he squeezed on the handle of the sword, he looked over at Edgeshot in a silent message. They both acknowledged that this opponent was too much for them. But they had to save All Might. Without him, there was no one capable of taking up his mantle of the Symbol of Peace.
Edgeshot folded himself into a string and roared towards Garou. A deafening boom shook the entire area as a sonic boom followed Edgeshot. Garou absentmindedly turned to follow his movements.
No matter where Edgeshot moved, regardless of speed, Garou’s eyes would still follow his exact movement. Panic began to build inside of Edgeshot. Even the speed of sound was not enough to deter this man. Gathering up his courage, he charged at Garou.
“Ahh, so I see.” In his charge, Edgeshot heard Garou’s voice so close to his ear, it was frightening. Garou’s voice was a ghost, a phantom haunting him from his shadow. He was too afraid to even turn his head left to the source of the voice.
“So your Quirk made you light? Or is it you somehow made it into a makeshift speed power?
“How creative. I might have to take back some of my insults. Even I didn’t expect something like this is possible.” The monstrous human praised Edgeshot, which was surprising.
“But, in the end, you failed one crucial part.”
A hand reached out and grabbed hold of the speedy hero with almost contemptible ease. The heroes eyes widened for a moment before a fist crashed into his face. The unconscious body of the pro hero collapsed into a heap before Garou, blood leaking from his lips and nose and his body sprawled in a unsightly form.
“You rely on the Quirk too much. Your own body is weak.” Garou lectured as he stood over the unconscious hero.
Before turning his sight towards Endeavor.
“Endeavor. The hero who failed as a father. Failed as a husband. And, today, will fail as a Hero. Did you know I met your son once? I overheard him ranting about you from time to time. The stories are quite something. To think a hero would drive his wife to insanity, and beat on his own kid. My, my, I might have to make an exception for you and take my time breaking you down.” Garou chuckled as if he found the biggest, most delicious candy of all in the candy store.
Endeavour’s faced twisted into a vision of fury as he glared back at the dark figure before him. His flames seemed to only grow stronger as his rage fueled them.
“How dare you lecture me? After all you’ve done! How dare you act as though I’m the villain here!”
“Then how are you a hero then if not one? A real hero never fails as hard as you do in life. That much I know.” Garou retorted with a effective counter.
Surrounded by the unconscious bodies of his fellow heroes, Endeavour continued to stare down Garou. His face was a mask of anger he intended on taking it out on the one before him.
“Ohhhhh~ shiny! Is this the infamous temper that you vented on your own family? It’s even better than I expected!” Garou praised in the most insulting of ways.
Screaming a wrathful cry, Endeavour charged towards his opponent, firing his flames from his hands as he ran. The ground grew blackened and scorched under his feet.
The news crew recording this did not expect this to occur. Something quite shocking about Endeavor that was kept secret from the public was revealed to the populace, one of the most iconic Pro Heroes was practicing child abuse and home violence.
Watching the screen on the other side, Todoroki grit his teeth as the ugly truth about his family was so callously revealed to the world, and the fact that his father reacted to Garou’s words with pure primal rage did not help him. He hated his father, he really do, but… right now… a part of him does not want him to lose. Deep down he wanted to see his father become a better man and defeat this Villain before him.
However… in the next two seconds, the screaming Endeavor was suddenly bloodied all over his body as Garou stood where he once did, switching places with Endeavor in their exchange without any hint of movement. It was an instant, absolute defeat. The camera can’t even record Garou’s method of victory. And thus, Endeavor fell. In the most painful way possible.
“I thought you would last longer. Congratulations, you’ve now failed as a hero. You are now a true failure.”
Todoroki heard Garou debase his father after breaking him. On the screen, he can see how Endeavor was spitting blood from his mouth, his arms and legs broken in dangerous angles like All For One… he really showed no mercy to the Number Two Pro Hero.
“Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist…” All Might heard Garou say the name of his ‘new martial art’, one he still could not believe that he actually made a new martial art on the fly.
“It has no weak spots. I did say it, yet you ran to me like a dumb animal.” Garou spoke to the unconscious Endeavor behind his back, not even bothering to look at his broken form.
“Now, then… where were we?” Garou said as he turned to All Might, before vanishing and reappearing before the skeletal form of All Might.
“So, how did it feel? To see your so-called friend break down like an immature brat? And put down like the animal he is?” Garou asked almost gloatingly.
All Might looked at the broken form of the No.2 hero and then back to Garou.
“…do not call my friend an animal.” He warned critically.
“He is. Don’t deny it. I don’t care how much good he did, that’s no excuse to allow someone like him to become a hero. There’s a limit to how far one can fall.” Garou further insulted the fallen Endeavor.
“...then what do you think a hero should aspire to be, Garou? You always seem to claim how bad we are as heroes. Tell me, what are you accomplishing?”
“Absolute evil.”
All Might drew his breath, his heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. From his answer, the first image that came to All Might’s mind was another All For One. No, an even scarier and more unstoppable version of him, something even worse than the Symbol of Evil.
“The world is too saturated with absolute justice. It can no longer be relied upon, it is intolerable for such justice to run free unchecked. Thus, absolute evil must exist, but the hypocrisy of heroes won't let it.”
‘What?’ All Might stared at Garou confused with his blue eyes within the darkness of his sclera. He could not understand a lick of sense coming out of Garou’s mouth. What the hell was he saying? His only conclusion was that there was something Garou disliked about the heroes that made him choose ‘evil’.
“...excuse me, my boy?” All Might started to counter.
“Absolute Evil… I do not understand what you mean by this. Absolute Evil means evil that cannot be reasoned with and must be destroyed. What are you…” All Might slowly picked the pieces together. Whenever he mentioned the hypocrisy of heroes… then he remembered Captain Celebrity, how much his voice dripped with hate when he mentioned him.
“Ah…” All Might gets it.
“...you follow evil because you saw what passes for ‘good’...” All Might understands it now. It is not the absolute evil that wanted to end all that is good and just in life that Garou was fighting for.
“You wanted others to see what they think is ‘good’ is ‘bad’.” All Might’s words, made Garou pause in his tracks. He found an opening he can exploit.
“But, Garou, your method won't save anyone in the end. All you will do is incite the people to rise against you. Becoming the enemy of the world won't bring true peace by making yourself the target of hate.” It all clicked in at that moment. The thing that always make rival heroes conspire together was… a common enemy they could not defeat. Garou wanted to exploit this concept by using it against the world, but it won't work. It can't work on so many people. Cooperation through necessity won't last as long as the problem was solved, and being that problem won't save lives. It will torment them.
All Might’s rebuttal caused a twitch from Garou’s unmoving figure, followed by an angry snarl from the monsterized man himself.
“I can. You cannot save everyone. Who will save the kid being abducted by random Quirk monsters? Who will listen to the cries of the oppressed? I can. And through absolute evil, I can change the world.”
“Your vision is flawed, my boy. You said it to me, didn’t you? My message to the world is only good Quirk users can become heroes. What about you? How will your message bring peace? All you will say is that through oppression and fear will there be peace. That is not peace. That’s a nightmare.”
“Oh?” Garou stopped his steps as he looked at the weak defenseless hero.
“So what makes you think you can do better?” Garou asked, confident of his resolve.
“Because… I have comrades, and a legacy I can entrust.” Garou raised an eyebrow at his answer.
“Garou… I know that my Justice isn’t perfect.”
“World peace cannot be achieve by a single person. That is the biggest flaw of your vision… you think only one person alone can save the world. World peace will never be achieved. What if you’re gone? Who will take after you in your absence? You won’t change a thing in the end.”
Garou froze as he looked at the hero surprised, caught off guard by his logic.
“My boy, I don’t know what happened in your past life to make you hate heroes, but… I know that deep down you want to become one. I am sure of it. I am even more sure of what you’re really trying to do.”
“And what’s that oh great hero? Enlighten me.” Garou taunted as he resumed his stride, ready to finish all the heroes still standing but barely.
“You have no confidence in being a hero, so instead you compromised and decided to play a villain. How else would someone like you save innocents while posing as the bad guy?”
Garou ceases his stride, as he looked at All Might with a face that can be taken as agast behind that stoic face of terror.
“You can’t defeat me without killing me, Garou. And I won’t let you silence me as you wish.” All Might continued his verbal assault, gaining great sway over the war.
“You want to become a hero, but deep down you are afraid you might not be able to become the hero you wished to be, which is why you chose to play the villain.”
Garou froze in his steps again, his body shaking from the turbulent emotions swelling inside him.
“Strike me down if you want. But I will not let you silence me!”
“Being a hero is not about fame, glory, or ensured happy endings like you see! It’s about risking their life to protect lives, to fight for what they believe in! Garou! What do you believe?! Why are you afraid of becoming a hero?!”
“.....…” the demon paused at his words.
“.........you don’t have to criticize our justice. It’s not perfect. I know this. The heroes know this. We know this, but we still fight for it.”
“...…and why is that?” After period of silence, Garou finally responded with intrigue.
A pang of relief echoed in All Might’s heart. He was moving him.
“Because we know that one day, justice will change for the better as time pass us by.”
“What? You think you can improve your justice like that? By doing nothing?” Garou criticized harshly.
“No. We won't. We will not stop working hard to accomplish that ideal Justice. Be it through us, or the next generation who will succeed us should we fail. It is why we train children into the next generation of heroes.”
“..….isn't that just pure laziness? An excuse to dump your problems on the kids?”
“Garou, is it no different than a student inheriting a legacy from his master? It is never about running away, my boy. But to build a better future for the people in this world the best you can. And teach them to do the same.”
“..…” Garou’s hostility dimmed upon hearing his answer. All Might could feel the oppressive air around Garou diminishing, wavering in resolve.
“Forsake your path, my boy. It won’t lead you to the peace you want… you will walk the same path as All For One. You will make the same mistakes as him if you continue.”
Garou flinched upon hearing the name.
“..........I see.” And the last embers of his hostility vanished, like a candle finally dying out.
“I thought you are nothing but a liar and a hypocrite, All Might. But… it seems I was wrong about you.” Garou said as he relaxed his hands, letting his arms hang by his sides.
“...but be warned. One day… I will test this legacy of yours. If it fails to reach my expectations…” Garou then slowly turned his head around, and then vanished without any prior warning. But not without his voice echoing through the wind.
“I will come back for you. And crush everything you stood for.” The demon swore as he disappeared from the battlefield like a mirage, a phantom playing tricks on the mind, as if his existence was never there in the first place.
The air paused with tension after Garou’s disappearance. The news reporter and cameraman never took their eyes off the spot where Garou vanished, as if they expected him to reappear and finish off All Might in cold blood. But… after a few tense minutes, which turned into around ten minutes, the reporter stuttered as she tried to give the world an explanation as to what had occurred.
“...T-This just in… A-All Might seemed to have driven off the monstrous human known as Garou, with just his words alone. I'm not sure whether it was a ploy or… All Might has faced Garou in a war of ideals… and won… but could this really be called a victory? As our Symbol of Peace is still critically injured in the process, with the downfall of other pro heroes. Garou has left his mark on the world regardless… what change will grace our world after his shocking entrance and display of might and ideals? Only time will tell…”
“........Good grief.” Toshinori sighed as he then collapsed to his hands and knees, then fell to the floor, lying on the ground sprawled as his four limbs failed to support him. His heart still pounded in his chest despite Garou no longer here.