"Even breaking through it?"
Seeing Masata shatter the air cannon with brute force, All For One felt genuine surprise.
He knew very well that his body was no longer in its weakened state. His recovery was nearly complete, and the power he could now display was far beyond what it had been in recent years.
In his memory, only one person had ever been able to overwhelm such an attack—
All Might.
"To apply a Quirk to this level… truly impressive."
Facing the incoming magma fist, All For One did not panic.
He remained standing calmly.
Then—
A stronger pressure erupted from his body.
The invisible wind suddenly became visible.
A violent air current swept forward like a raging storm.
"What kind of Quirk is this?!"
Before the tornado-like wind reached him, Masata's body began to lose stability in midair.
In the air, there was nothing to brace against.
He could only rely on magma propulsion to stay balanced.
The violent airflow slammed into his giant lava arm.
The storm tore at it mercilessly.
Chunks of magma were ripped away.
The temperature dropped rapidly.
The originally blazing red glow dimmed.
"I can't keep this up… I'll run out of stamina before I even reach him!"
As the magma cooled, its driving force weakened.
Realizing this was pointless consumption, Masata immediately activated his elemental form.
His body turned into molten lava.
He fell straight down, avoiding the whirlwind entirely.
After landing, he reformed his body.
"Hm?"
All For One tilted his head slightly.
"What a strange way to use your Quirk. It's incredibly powerful… yet I can't see any obvious drawbacks."
"Care to tell me?"
Masata rose from a pool of magma and sneered.
"Do you think I'm some anime villain who explains his techniques before a fight?"
The surrounding ground had already been corroded into a scorched wasteland.
This battlefield was becoming his territory.
Just as he was about to launch another attack—
All For One suddenly stopped.
He looked up.
"You really came."
High in the night sky, a golden figure was approaching at terrifying speed.
His voice arrived before his body.
"ALL FOR ONE!!!"
AFO's lips curled into a smile.
After regaining his strength, defeating the man who had once "killed" him—
In front of the entire world—
Would be the perfect declaration of his return.
At the instant the figure descended—
AFO's arms swelled.
Multiple enhancement Quirks activated simultaneously.
He caught the incoming punch head-on.
"This power… you've grown weaker."
"All Might."
A massive shockwave erupted.
The surrounding ground was ravaged once again.
Rubble flew everywhere.
Deep cracks spread outward.
Several injured heroes were blown away.
Masata barely stabilized himself using magma and physical strength.
Meanwhile, AFO stood firm.
All Might staggered slightly.
"The bar is only five kilometers away," AFO mocked.
"It took you thirty seconds to get here."
"Are you trying to make me laugh?"
He flexed his wrists casually.
"And you've been clinging to life all this time… hiding behind that breathing device?"
Behind the metal mask lay a face destroyed by All Might's fist five years ago.
At the mention of it, AFO burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Do you really think I've done nothing these past five years?!"
"How naïve, All Might!"
He raised his left hand.
Air compressed to its absolute limit.
A faint white glow appeared.
This was far stronger than the attack that had defeated multiple heroes earlier.
"Here it comes…"
All Might recognized it instantly.
He had been beaten into hell by this move once before.
BOOM!!!
Their attacks collided.
But something was wrong.
All Might felt a force even stronger than his own crash into him.
His body was blasted backward.
He smashed through more than a dozen buildings.
Finally, he crashed into a pile of rubble.
"Cough!"
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Clutching his chest, he struggled to stand.
"…Your power has returned."
The dust settled.
AFO still stood unmoved.
All Might was injured.
The difference was clear.
All Might realized it.
AFO had almost returned to his peak from five years ago.
Meanwhile, his own body had been permanently damaged.
He had passed One For All to Izuku Midoriya.
His strength had declined drastically.
This battle would be far harder than expected.
"Yes… thanks to the doctor's technology."
AFO twisted his neck.
"Genetic science truly is miraculous."
He revealed a secret he hadn't even shared with Shigaraki.
Perhaps because he no longer feared All Might.
"Just as I thought," All Might replied grimly.
"The Doctor is connected to the League of Villains."
"Then I'll send you to prison—and drag your entire organization with you!"
"Hah?"
AFO sneered.
"With this body of yours?"
"If you still had your former power, I might be cautious."
"But now?"
"You're far behind."
"As for the others… ants."
"They're irrelevant."
Just then—
A voice cut in.
"Hey, did you forget about me?!"
Flames erupted.
"Surface of Flame!!!"
Masata, who had been ignored since All Might's arrival, finally rejoined the battle.