"I refuse."
Lock's answer was the same one he had given Tomura Shigaraki.
"As expected."
All For One's reaction was calm—almost patient.
Not surprised. Not angry.
As though rejection had already been predicted.
"When I first learned about you," AFO said, "I thought you were exactly the kind of person I had been waiting for. But meeting you in person… I realized I was wrong."
He had been monitoring Lock from the moment he stepped inside—using vibration-sense, emotion-sense, and the dozens of perceptive Quirks concealed inside him.
But Lock's mind remained unnervingly steady.
Not nervous about his own danger.
Not shaken by AFO's presence.
Not even tempted by the offer.
AFO couldn't understand it.
"The helpless loneliness of your childhood," he continued, "the discrimination you suffered… and now your ability to wield multiple abilities. I assumed you would be starving for greater power. Especially when I can provide you with as many Quirks as you desire."
He spread his hands, as though displaying an infinite library.
Any Quirk Lock desired—he could take it from someone and gift it to him.
And yet…
Lock remained unmoved.
"I refuse for three reasons."
Lock's lips curved upward. Beneath the frozen bar floor, Baruch waited patiently for the signal. And inside Lock's body, magic swirled—coiled—ready.
"First," Lock said, "I will never join a villain organization. I am a Pro Hero."
"Second—" his gaze sharpened, "I despise the idea of taking someone else's Quirk. That's subtraction. One minus one. What I want is addition. One plus one."
"Third—" he continued calmly, "I am not dissatisfied with this Hero society. And even if I were, I would change it through the front door—not from the shadows."
Darkness can grow stronger.
Darkness can rebel.
But darkness can never step into the light.
That is the path of villains.
"That nonsense again," AFO murmured, confused for the first time. "What does 'one minus one' and 'one plus one' even mean?"
"Then allow me to show you my secret," Lock said softly. "You're the first person I've ever revealed this to."
He raised his palm.
A thin, translucent mist—real and not real—began to gather in his hand.
"This is—?"
AFO leaned forward despite himself.
Lock smiled.
"Magic."
AFO fell silent.
"Magic," Lock repeated, "the fictional power system from fantasy novels, games, manga. Except here, it's real. This world is filled with free ambient magic—energy that no one in this society has learned to tap into. I am the only one who knows how to cultivate it."
He twirled the mist between his fingers.
"Do you understand now? Quirks… plus Magic."
One plus one.
Fire blossomed in his palm.
Then water.
Then lightning.
Then wind.
Each element flickered like a living thing.
AFO's expression froze.
This time, truly froze.
Because none of the powers Lock had shown until today—
NONE—
came from Quirks.
Magic.
A system he had never seen in hundreds of years.
And worse—
If the world learned of it…
If even one nation learned to cultivate it…
The social impact could surpass the Extraordinary Dawn, the Chaos Era, and even the Dark Age he created.
AFO's mind raced.
His senses tightened.
Lock noticed.
He smiled faintly.
"From the Extraordinary Dawn… the chaos… your Dark Age… and now the Hero Era," Lock said, "I've watched everything unfold. And if my existence changes the world line—so be it."
He closed his fist around the swirling magic.
"One day, I'll announce magic to the world. I'll create a new era with my own hands. An era where everyone can cultivate magic. An era where this world becomes the second Fairy Tail."
The thought alone made his blood burn.
"And the popularity that brings—the fame—I'll take every last drop."
AFO exhaled sharply.
"…You shouldn't have told me that."
A shadow burst from him like a tidal wave of malice.
"Because now it is even more necessary for me to keep you."
Lock shrugged.
"Funny you say that."
He lifted his hand—
and the bar's shattered ice began to glow.
"Since I revealed my magic… didn't you realize you already stepped into my trap?"
AFO stiffened.
Lock snapped his fingers.
"Skyscraper."
A circular sigil of blinding light flashed beneath AFO's feet.
Illusion magic.
AFO froze mid-step, his massive frame stopping less than a meter from Lock—
motionless.
Mind seized.
Perception hijacked.
Trapped.
"Baruch!"
Lock called out.
A crack burst through the icy bar floor—
and a cloaked figure rose from the earth, kneeling on one knee.
"I respond to your summons, my Master," Baruch declared solemnly. "Please give the order."
Lock stared at him for a moment.
"…Where did you learn to talk like that?"
"From an anime called Fate," Baruch replied proudly.
Lock rubbed his forehead.
Internet culture was dangerous.
But he didn't have time to lecture him.
"Baruch—take me out of here. Now."
"Understood."
Baruch swept Lock into his arms and immediately sank back into the ground, earth-swimming them out of the frozen district and into safety.
Behind them, All For One remained trapped in the illusion—
forced to confront visions pulled from the deepest layers of his mind.
His foolish little brother.
The first wielder of One For All.
The eighth wielder, All Might, stood tall above him.
What AFO would see inside that illusion…
Lock had no interest in knowing.
He was gone long before the nightmares began.
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