_____[POV: Third Person]_____
The underground base was drowned in darkness, lit only by rows of tanks where Nomus in different stages of creation floated like slumbering abominations. The constant hum of machinery, the viscous bubbling, and the chemical stench soaked into the walls created a suffocating atmosphere, where every detail seemed to scream of decay and power.
At the center of the place, sitting with the flawless posture of a king upon his throne, All For One observed in silence. His presence was crushing, as if the very air around him bent simply because he existed.
Before him, Garaki moved anxiously among screens and notes. His face overflowed with sickly excitement, like that of a prophet before the work of a god.
"The preparations are complete," Garaki said, bowing slightly. "Two High-Ends stabilized, each strong enough to adapt to any prolonged battle. They will lead a contingent of weaker Nomus, with Kurogiri providing support. The capture operation will be... efficient to a certain extent."
All For One remained silent for a few seconds, and that brief pause alone was enough to make the air grow heavier still. When he finally spoke, his voice resonated with calm, yet carried an authority that crushed.
"All of this just to capture a mere fourteen-year-old child... once, I would have called it excessive."
His eyes, hidden behind the mask, gleamed with malice.
"But after watching the Sports Festival broadcast... I understood that Ryuji Fugimoto is no mere child. The quirk he possesses has proven to be incredibly powerful and versatile. A raw, savage power that must be properly controlled... and taken."
Garaki's eyes widened in enthusiasm. "Exactly! His quirk... if we manage to obtain it, replicate it... imagine what we could build!"
All For One rose slowly from his chair. That simple movement was enough to make the entire room seem to shrink before him. His silhouette was imposing, firm, his fully healed body radiating the image of a predator at its peak.
"I could crush Japan today," he said, with a coldness that made the doctor tremble with both euphoria and fear. "Take every hero, every quirk, and rise over the ashes as the absolute ruler. But I don't merely want to win..."
He stepped closer to one of the tanks, where a Nomu floated, and placed his hand upon the glass as though touching a piece on a board.
"I want to destroy every shred of hope and morale people cling to. And when I rise, there will be no doubts, no sparks of resistance. Only the certainty that the era of heroes has ended before the birth of the Demon King."
His voice grew lower, almost a threatening whisper:
"For that... I need Ryuji Fugimoto's quirk. Once I possess it, no one will be able to stop me from conquering this world."
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The shattered planet floated like a corpse in the interdimensional void. Planetary fragments, wreckage of ships, and the ruins of suspended cities formed an interstellar graveyard, illuminated only by the distorted glow of stars near their dying state. Silence was absolute, broken only by the desperate dragging of a mutilated body across the cold rock.
The fallen figure had only half a body — from the waist up, bloodied, clawing forward with broken nails that left trails on the dry ground. His eyes reflected pure terror as he tried to escape, though it was impossible.
Behind him, walking unhurriedly, came another being. Or at least, something that once had been. Its form was misshapen, an abyssal blend of something human and cosmic, cloaked in a suffocating aura that warped the air around it and perhaps even space-time itself. Its eyes, more like galaxies embedded in a star-lit face, shone intensely. The front of its body also mirrored the sight of stars and galaxies, pulsing with every step (A/N: For clarity, he is an identical copy of Cosmic Garou). In his hands, he carried a bloodied hunk of flesh: the severed leg of his victim.
He bit into the limb without mercy, jagged teeth tearing through bone as if it were butter. The wet sound of his feast echoed in the void, clashing with the weak screams of the man ahead. Garou chewed slowly, savoring every fiber, before discarding the half-eaten leg and letting it drop to the ground. For a brief instant his body glimmered, small deformities shifting and adjusting, as though the essence of something had been assimilated.
The mutilated man wept, choking on blood.
"Y-you're a monster… a murderer! Please… I don't want to die…"
The other man smiled. A smile stripped of any empathy.
"Go on… judge me like the others."
He tilted his head, his radiant eyes locking on the helpless prey. His voice was deep, distorted, as though countless beings spoke at once.
"I know it's wrong… wrong to devour another reincarnated. Someone of my own kind… someone who should be an ally in this prison of worlds."
He opened his hand, gazing at the fragments of flesh still dripping blood. His expression reflected both pleasure and self-disgust.
"But ever since the first time I tasted that warm flesh… that throbbing, maddening flavor… something inside me changed. When I discovered I could absorb their biological structures, replicate their essence, rewrite and refine my own genetics…" his shoulders trembled, and then he laughed quietly, a chilling sound. "I realized there would be no turning back…"
He stepped forward, and each impact of his feet made the ground tremble, as if the very planet itself feared him.
"I know… I know that every bite disfigures me. Strips me away from what I was. Turns me into something unrecognizable, further from my humanity."
He bent down slowly, bringing his deformed face closer to the trembling victim. The man's eyes reflected absolute despair.
"And yet… I can't stop."
A heavy silence fell before he continued.
"And the truth is… I don't even want to."
The mutilated man gathered his last strength, spitting blood into the predator's face.
"P-psychopath! You're nothing but a filthy murderer!"
The man laughed. Not a human laugh, but a distorted chorus of voices, like echoes from an abyss.
"Heh… that's something I heard a lot… in my previous life."
And then, his monstrous shadow engulfed the man for the last time.
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(A/N: Sorry for the short update, I ended up with a lot of work for the coming weeks due to some delays. While I was here stressing out, I thought about updating the fanfic, but as you can see, it turned out a bit shorter than expected because of my busy schedule. I apologize once again and I truly hope you can forgive this messed-up author... I think I really had time to write more... Anyway, see you on next update!)