"Extinguish the magma? What the hell does that mean?"
Hearing All For One's words, Igarashi Masata's instincts flared. He immediately shifted into a guarded stance, eyes locked sharply on his opponent.
"All Might!"
But All For One merely smiled.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
A shockwave cracked the ground where he had stood—
—and he reappeared directly behind Masata.
"Igarashi boy!"
All Might had just climbed out of the crater from their previous clash. Seeing All For One disappear, he shouted a warning immediately.
Masata heard the whistle of wind at his back.
Without hesitation, his body dissolved into magma.
AFO's fist tore through the space where his human form had been—but struck nothing.
However—
"This… is the moment I was waiting for."
There was no disappointment in All For One's voice.
Instead, a chilling aura burst from his palm.
Before Masata could fully reposition, AFO's hand plunged directly into the magma.
"Temperature Absorption."
A thin layer of icy blue coated AFO's palm. The instant it made contact, the magma did not flare brighter—it dimmed.
"It's… cold!"
Even in his elemental state, Masata felt it.
The heat was being drained from him.
Not symbolically—
Literally.
The blazing crimson glow of his magma began to fade. The surface darkened. The molten flow slowed.
Worse—
His control over the magma weakened with every passing second.
"Damn it!"
All Might saw immediately what was happening.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he launched forward at blinding speed. A deep trench carved through the rubble behind him.
He closed the distance in an instant and threw both fists toward All For One.
But AFO didn't release Masata.
He couldn't afford to.
If he let go now, Masata would recover his combat capacity.
All Might was forced to pull his strike slightly off-course to avoid hitting Masata directly. The attack missed its full force, and the two titans clashed again at close range.
From that point on, they fought in brutal proximity.
All For One maintained his grip on Masata with one hand while exchanging devastating blows with All Might using the other.
Masata's body grew colder from the inside out.
The once-raging magma was beginning to solidify.
For the first time—
Fear crept into him.
If the magma fully cooled…
Could he even recombine into human form?
Would he simply… collapse into inert stone?
AFO activated multiple physical reinforcement Quirks in succession. Combined with his "Impact Reversal" ability, every one of All Might's punches sent a backlash into his own limbs.
Within moments, All Might's arms were swollen and flushed deep red—a sign of severe internal stress.
Time stretched.
Masata's awareness began to blur.
He was no longer a defined shape—only a mass of cooling lava.
The surface had blackened almost completely. Only faint crimson veins pulsed weakly beneath.
His consciousness drifted like a small boat lost in a violent storm.
Go to sleep…
Let go…
Rest…
Another voice fought back:
Hold on.
Stay awake.
Fight.
His molten form trembled violently, yet he could no longer feel his own body.
This wasn't overuse of his Quirk.
It was something far more terrifying.
He was losing the very state that defined him.
Meanwhile—
All Might realized how dire the situation had become.
He didn't know exactly what would happen if Masata's magma was fully extinguished—but every instinct screamed that it would be catastrophic.
Yet AFO's current physical condition was superior to his own.
His reaction speed.
His raw strength.
His Quirk stacking.
All of it had surpassed All Might's present limitations.
So All Might relied on what he still possessed:
Experience.
He shifted into close-quarters combat, dodging with razor-thin margins, baiting openings, striking where he could.
All For One had always relied on Quirk combinations.
In pure hand-to-hand combat—
All Might still held the edge.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each collision detonated like artillery.
Within minutes, the battlefield had been flattened across hundreds of meters.
Even as All Might tried to minimize collateral damage, several of AFO's blows connected.
Each one sent a spike of pain through his battered body.
But now was not the time to feel pain.
"It's useless, All Might."
AFO deflected another punch effortlessly. His tone carried faint disappointment.
"Even injured, your strength should not be limited to this."
He shifted back slightly.
"And through our exchange, I have confirmed something."
All Might's expression darkened.
His punches accelerated.
"I was uncertain before… but now I am certain."
"ONE FOR ALL is no longer within you."
"Has it been passed down again?"
All Might missed a strike by inches.
AFO's voice continued calmly.
"It must be the boy in my hand."
Otherwise—
"How could this child's physical power be so extraordinary?"
"At such a young age, displaying this level of strength… If allowed to grow further, perhaps even I would fall to him."
AFO's head tilted slightly.
"It is unfortunate."
"He will die here."
All For One had misunderstood.
Because Masata already possessed a Quirk of his own, the possibility of inheriting One For All had never crossed his mind.
And Masata's physical prowess clearly extended beyond a simple enhancement-type Quirk.
If anything—
In pure physique, AFO sensed Masata might already rival him.
Thus, in his mind, only one explanation existed:
Masata was the new bearer of One For All.
All Might, despite the danger, felt a flicker of relief.
If AFO believed that—
Then Midoriya Izuku remained off his radar.
But that comfort was shallow.
Masata's current influence and potential impact on Hero society far exceeded Izuku's present growth.
If Masata fell here—
The future itself would fracture.
"All Might," AFO continued lightly, as they exchanged another brutal clash.
"I have news for you."
"I, too, have accepted a successor."
His tone sharpened.
"His name is Tomura Shigaraki."
"He is the grandson of Nana Shimura."
"The granddaughter of the seventh holder of One For All."
The words struck like lightning.
Both men faltered for the briefest instant.
Neither noticed—
That within the blackened mass of cooling lava—
Heat had begun to rise again.
Faint.
But unmistakable.