"I have absolutely no interest in joining your organization."
Muscular answered quickly and decisively.
"Even if joining you would make my Quirk stronger…"
"Even if it could let me obtain even stronger Quirks…"
"Even if it would make future operations easier and give me more ways to escape…"
"I still refuse."
Shigaraki was genuinely surprised.
Based on what he knew of Muscular, the man shouldn't have been this stubborn. Nor should he have been stupid enough to misunderstand the situation.
More importantly, Muscular should know very well what refusing meant.
After learning this many of Shigaraki's secrets, there was only one possible outcome if he refused to submit.
Death.
There was no way Shigaraki Tomura would let someone who knew this much simply walk away.
So why refuse?
"Oh?"
Shigaraki tilted his head slightly.
"You refuse?"
"Why?"
He looked at Muscular with genuine curiosity.
"I'm not trying to brag, but our side has strength, resources, powerful Quirks, and talented people."
"Among villain organizations, Destiny can absolutely stand at the top."
"So why reject us?"
"Wouldn't having a powerful backer make things much easier for you?"
He smiled faintly.
"And besides…"
"You should understand my personality by now."
"After hearing this many secrets, do you really think I'd let you leave safely?"
"Of course I know that."
Muscular shook his head.
"If I refuse, I probably won't leave this place alive."
"But I still refuse."
He looked down at his own hand, the one Shigaraki had nearly ruined earlier.
His voice grew colder.
"Because I don't want to fail some mission one day and have that man take away my Quirk."
"Compared to becoming useless…"
"I'd rather fight you to the death while I still have my power."
"Even if I get beaten to death here, that's still better than living on as a powerless cripple."
So that was it.
Shigaraki almost laughed.
He had wondered what Muscular was so worried about.
In the end, he was afraid All For One would steal his Quirk.
Was this paranoia?
Or had his teacher's reputation truly become that frightening?
Frightening enough that villains didn't even dare join an organization connected to him?
Shigaraki silently slandered his own teacher for a second, then straightened his expression.
"You really don't need to worry about that."
"Teacher rarely interferes with my affairs."
"And if you join Destiny, you become one of my people."
"If you fail a mission, then naturally, I'll be the one to decide your punishment."
"There's no need to trouble Teacher over something like that."
"So the thing you're worried about, having your Quirk stolen…"
"That won't happen."
Then Shigaraki paused.
His tone turned a little more blunt.
"Besides, to be honest…"
"Teacher probably wouldn't be interested in your Quirk."
Muscular's expression darkened.
Shigaraki acted as if he hadn't noticed.
"He already has too many Quirks of your type stored away."
"In fact, he has complained before that power-type Quirks take up too much inventory space."
"…Inventory?"
Muscular frowned.
Being belittled so casually made him unhappy, but that strange word caught his attention even more.
Shigaraki didn't answer directly.
Instead, he pointed toward the Sludge Villain, who was quietly standing to the side like background scenery.
"What do you think of Sen'gen's Quirk?"
Muscular fell silent.
He recalled what he had seen during the past few days.
A Quirk capable of controlling a person's senses.
A Quirk that could drive someone to suicide with a gesture.
How could an ability like that be described as anything but terrifying?
Anyone who claimed otherwise would simply be lying.
Seeing Muscular's expression, Shigaraki's lips curved upward.
"Looks like even you admit his Quirk is powerful."
Then he raised nine fingers.
And delivered the decisive blow.
"Then what if I told you…"
"Teacher possesses nine more Quirks just as powerful as his?"
That statement was both true and false.
The true part was that All For One did possess many terrifying Quirks comparable to Tsuki Sengen's illusion ability.
The false part was that the Sludge Villain's current possession of Tsuki Sengen's body had nothing to do with All For One.
But Shigaraki was betting on one thing.
Muscular didn't know that.
And clearly, he had won the gamble.
Muscular's eye widened.
He fell silent.
Although his face barely changed, his heart was no longer calm.
He had personally witnessed how terrifying "Sen'gen's" Quirk was.
Yet now Shigaraki was telling him that All For One had several more abilities on that same level.
Maybe even stronger ones.
And what about him?
His Quirk might be powerful compared to ordinary people.
But in front of those monstrous abilities, Muscle Augmentation suddenly seemed far less impressive.
For the first time in a long while, Muscular felt a faint sense of being left behind.
Anxiety.
Restlessness.
A trace of inferiority.
His teeth ground together softly.
His foot scraped against the floor.
Shigaraki saw everything.
Then he smiled and added a calming dose at just the right moment.
"Relax."
"Creating a powerful Quirk isn't that simple."
"You have to consider the quality of the source Quirks."
"You have to consider compatibility."
"You have to consider cost, time, and failure rate."
"And even if a powerful Quirk is successfully created…"
"Without a suitable user capable of developing it properly, it's meaningless."
He looked at Muscular meaningfully.
"After all…"
"An undeveloped Quirk usually isn't very strong."
"And that…"
"is something you should understand better than anyone else."
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