"Always trust your gut instincts.

If you genuinely feel in your heart that something is wrong,

It usually is."

-Unknown

Gray's body ceased all movement, like a cat that had been startled by something. Its pointy oval like gold eyes stared off at the battle in the distance. In fact, it wasn't just Gray. Deku found himself unconsciously stop moving at the sight below as well. It was truly an incredible sight; a single fist crashing down to the ground and crushing everything around it to dust, no matter what was in its path. The sheer power of it formed a billowing cyclone in the air that had such pull that even Deku could feel it, as far away as he was. It had unbelievable power.

Perhaps when the dust cleared, even All for One would be unable to continue.

There should be no way that a human could wield such power, but he was. And that was slightly intimidating.

"Hey, Gray... That lightning bolt you fired at All for One... How would you rate it?"

That seemed to snap the lightning spirit out of its trace, as its' eyes narrowed into slits at the question.

{Compared to that monstrous power... Perhaps I would be, at best, 15%. It takes a lot out of me to perform that attack. I essentially have to spilt my ego multiple times over; then, I guide all the electricity in myself and the air to strike down at the ground. It takes time and effort.}

"You're not limited by my body's limits either... And yet-"

{He managed to produce such a ridiculous amount of power with his bare hands. I'm one of the more powerful quirks in existence, yet that freak surpasses me in almost every way. That last strike especially... I can't even imagine making something like that. Just... wow.}

He stared at the still billowing cyclone. Truly, he couldn't even imagine such power either. But that also meant...

"That should have done the trick, right? All for One should be beaten... It's worth the risk to take a look."

{If you have judged it so, then go ahead. Just... be careful. If one of them tries to do something to you, I won't be able to stop it.}

His eyes were solemn.

"Don't worry, I know. I won't do anything foolish."

He prepared the lightning to enter his legs, but it didn't activate as it usually did, instead fusing along the side of his legs in spiral-like patterns that zig-zagged around to the base of his foot. He didn't feel any pressure from it or unpleasant sensations. He didn't even feel numb like he usually did from the overflow of electricity. Each and every drop of it was so carefully controlled that he couldn't even feel discomfort.

{I couldn't do anything before because my ego was mainly sleeping, but I can increase the efficiency of the lightning. It's me after all, and I know myself best. You have barely reached around 50% efficiency. Pretty good for a human. But you just barely qualify as a proper host-}

"Thanks, Gray."

{...It's good you know proper manners. Hmph. Go on, run. And try not to get killed after I went through so much trouble.}

His lips curved at the spirit's derision filled worry, and he moved.

He could immediately tell the difference. Every strike of the foot against the earth sent him further several meters. He felt like gravity was an ancient concept that no longer existed. It was like... flying for a few seconds at a time. Somehow, beyond being happy about the increased efficiency, he felt exhilarated. It was just the earth, the sky, and him. He almost wanted a quirk solely dedicated to flying. It was that enjoyable. That much of a primal exhilaration for humans as a whole.

Then he felt the twist and turns of the wind brought about by All Might's quirk, and enjoyment existed no more. Just business.

He slid behind a crooked and bent piece of debris, figure carefully concealed by the dark plastic. All Might looked bad, almost skeletal in nature. He wasn't exactly surprised because he had seen it before, on that accursed day, but it still created a conflicting feeling within him. Even back at USJ, he never imagined actually killing All Might, he realized now. The man had seemed too powerful, too immortal compared to a dainty and easily killed person of mortal flesh. But seeing him like this... It was wrong. Wrong to degrees he hadn't felt in a while.

All for One... All for One was actually crumpled on the ground, and it didn't look like he would be getting up anytime soon. He had his reinforcement quirks to thank for not immediately dying, but even that wasn't enough compared to that final strike of All Might's. He had thought it might be possible, expected it even, but seeing it was a different feeling altogether. It was similar in nature to the feeling he got when he looked at All Might.

They were both two mighty, powerful people (gods) beyond comprehension, but now they just looked like humans.

"All for One... Farewell. The Symbol of Evil will no longer exist from today onwards."

If All for One had eyes, they would have been shaking crazily, just the rest of his body was doing.

"I... I miscalculated... That strike, that lightning bolt, and your surprising strength..! No, this can't be the end... Not at the hands of that wrench's successor! I can tolerate any other ending, but not this," The words were like the hisses of a snake. "Not at this passing down of the torch... By that bastard's..."

'...Torch? Successor? He could be referring to All Might's... teacher, maybe, but what's this about a torch?'

"It was nothing, at first. Nothing! And yet that bastard's legacy, his quirk, is dragging me down even now in the form of you!"

'...You're kidding me, right? A quirk that can be passed down...'

"All for One, you won't die by my hands. You'll spend the rest of your life wasting away in Tartouros. And you'll never be near Young Midoriya ever again!"

The words seemed to calm him down, for some reason. Deku felt a bad feeling grow in his gut.

"...Even if I can't, I'll make sure he follows in my footsteps. That child has so much talent; it would be a shame not to let it blossom. Apathetic, ruthless, competent... The one and only flaw he had was that he was just too kind to the innocent. But with a certain tie severed, it won't matter anymore. I didn't wish to use such a strong measure, but it's the only way. With this... He'll be freed from his morality!"

He laughed.

"All Might, I'll pass down a torch of my own. Just like that accursed brother of mine. I may be defeated now, but that child will inevitably kill you! As long as he walks the path of villainy, you will inescapably cross him. And when that day comes, he will kill you! Hahahaaahaha!"

Deku didn't even blink before rushing out at the speed of lightning.

(All for One was no longer a threat; he even had All Might by his side. Moving closer wouldn't be a potential threat at this point in time. Of course, he wasn't really thinking about that at the moment. All for One's words had angered and frightened his usually clear mind.)

He loomed in front of All for One, eyes alight with fury.

"What did you do? What. Are. You. Saying?"

His face was dominated by a peculiar smile, and Deku oddly felt like he was being played.

"Why, I simply told a little tiny bird what it had wanted to know all along. You thought you were playing chess with me, Deku, as one of the chess masters, but in truth, you were fated to be my puppet to control the moment I learned of your name. This... is my trump card."

He laughed again. (It was the most damning noise Deku had ever heard in his entire life.)

"Oh, don't get irritated now. It's already begone; your time is slowly running out. Do you really want to take out your frustration on me?"

Deku felt a vein throb on his forehead, but more than that, he was scared.

Truly and utterly terrified. A certain tie could only mean one thing if he understood All for One right.

He couldn't waste time here now.

"Gray, we're leaving. Now. Give me the best speed you can possibly produce. Don't worry about my body."

{...Okay, I'll do it. But, I don't have much juice left though, Izuku. If I go at maximum...}

His gaze hardened. He still had other options; he wasn't completely reliant on his quirk. If he could get there faster...

"Do it."

Lightning flared and engulfed his body, numbing his legs to the core, but he could still move.

He could still run.

He put one foot in front of the other, and in a flash, he was gone.