Shigaraki whispers in disbelief, stepping back slowly in cold fear as he stares at the rotting figure before him.
Shigaraki : "That's... All For One."
(In his mind).
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me!"
He thinks, fists are clenching at his sides.
"Overhaul and I barely got out of our fight with All Might, now I have to face All For One alone? It's not fair!"
He lifts his chin and stands his ground, decay already spreading up his fingertips, waiting for All For One to make the first move.
"Random wants me dead so badly, but at least I finally get to face the bastard who's been pulling my strings this whole time."
(Out of his mind).
Shigaraki roars, charging straight at the reanimated All For One with his decay quirk activated.
Shigaraki: "Bring it!"
(Outside the basement in Suicide Forest)
Dabi shoots a wave of roaring blue flames straight toward Alexa. She smirks, disappears in a puff of smoke, and reappears right behind him, slashing her knife deep into his unprotected arm.
Dabi hisses in pain, jumping back to put distance between them.
Dabi: "Damn."
Alexa twists the knife in her hand, grinning darkly.
Alexa: "You should know better than to charge me head-on. Remember who I can use against you, if I get bored of this little dance."
She laughs low, running her tongue along the edge of her knife to lick up Dabi's fresh blood that's stained the blade.
Dabi glares at her in annoyance.
(In his mind).
"If she can teleport, how the hell am I supposed to beat her without her dragging Overhaul into this?"
He thinks, racking his brain for a plan.
(Out of his mind).
Alexa: "You're thinking hard over there about how to beat me?"
She teases, teleporting again to pop up right behind him, and slashes her blade deep across his back.
Dabi clicks his tongue in irritation, spinning around to blast a wall of blue flames directly where she stands.
Alexa just chuckles, teleporting away a split second before the flames can reach her, and reappears ten feet away.
Dabi's jaw tightens, the stitches along his jaw pulling tight with how hard he's clenching his teeth. Anger and frustration burn hot in his chest as he keeps his flame raised, searching for any opening.
(Meanwhile back at Hassaikai Headquarters)
Shigaraki reaches out to grab the reanimated All For One, but the zombie suddenly disappears using the same teleportation quirk. Shigaraki scans the area, frowning, and spots him standing on top of the broken remains of the main hideout.
Shigaraki clicks his tongue, deciding to take a risky move to end this fast. He runs straight toward the building's base, slamming his entire palm against the concrete, and activates his quirk to decay the entire structure from the bottom up.
(In his mind).
"Sorry Overhaul, pretty sure you can build a different hideout after we survive this shit."
He thinks, watching the decay spread up the building straight toward where All For One stands.
Shigaraki smirks up at him, decay already creeping faster.
(Out of his mind).
Shigaraki: "I've been training my Quirk, asshole. Whatever I touch, it leads straight to you."
All For One smile behind his cracked mask, looking down unafraid.
All For One: "Well then, prove it. I'm standing right here."
Shigaraki's eyes blow wide open, staring at the speaking figure in confusion.
(In his mind).
"Huh, I thought he was just a mindless zombie?
He thinks, caught completely off guard by the sudden speech.
(Out of his mind).
All For One's smile widens behind the mask.
All For One: "You seem surprised I can talk. That's because I am Random."
Shigaraki nods, it all clicks into place. He runs fast, jumps into the air, tackles Random straight down into the dust from his decay.
Random chuckles under the mask, not fighting back.
Random: "I'll let you win this round, but know this: things will get much harder once you come looking for me in the USA. I'll make sure you never get there."
Shigaraki smiles sharply, pressing his palm hard against Random's masked face.
Shigaraki: "Random you listen to me. I'm going to find you, and I'm going to kill you. I swear."
He activates his quirk, letting decay eat through the body.
Random laughs loudly as he turns to dust.
Random/All For One: "I'd like to see you try. Kill me if you can."
Shigaraki clenches his fist so tight his knuckles turn white, slamming his hand into the ground to decay it into a deep, jagged hole. He screams at the empty sky, voice raw.
Shigaraki: "Random! I'm coming after you! I don't care what waits for me—I will find you and I will kill you!"
(Back in the basement)
Overhaul tugs hard at the chains binding his wrists to the chair including the machine, jaw set with frustration.
Overhaul: "Fuck sakes, I'm just a sitting duck here. I don't want to be the loser that can't even help." "I have to find a way out to help him."
(Up in the forest battlefield)
Alexa licks the blood off her blade again, grinning at the injured man.
Alexa: "I could cut you up all day if I wanted to."
Dabi breathes heavily, leaning on one knee, his entire body crisscrossed with bleeding cuts from her knife.
(In his mind)
"If this keeps up, I'll end up dead, and Overhaul will be this bitch's sex slave."
He thinks, rage burning hot through the pain.
"How do I fight someone who can teleport? Or... should I just take the risk?"
He wraps his entire body in blue flames, his burnt skin stretching and cracking even more under the heat.
(Out of his mind).
Dabi: "Try to cut me, bitch."
He stands calm, fists clenched, waiting for her to make her next move.
Alexa smirks confidently, adjusting her grip on the knife.
Alexa: "Nice move, but it's impossible to win against me."
Suddenly she feels strong legs lock her in place from behind. She spins around, eyes blowing wide to see Overhaul—both hands gone, but still holding her trapped.
Both Dabi and Klaudia freeze in shock. Dabi yells his name and sprint straight toward them.
Dabi: "Overhaul!"
Alexa snarls, teeth bared.
Alexa: "You sacrificed your own hands just for this?"
Overhaul says nothing, his face is cold and set with determination.
(Earlier in the basement flashback)
Overhaul yanks his arms against the chains, grunting through sharp pain as he works his wrists raw to break free. He finally cuts them completely off, clamping his mouth shut to muffle a scream.
Overhaul: "Dabi... I'm coming."
(End of flashback)
Overhaul holds Alexa tight with his bleeding stumps and locked legs, face twisted with cold fury.
Overhaul: "It's fucked up of me, but anything to bring your fucking ass down! Dabi, strike this bitch now!"
Dabi roars, pouring all his remaining blue flames over the trapped Alexa, yanking Overhaul out of the fire's reach. They listen as her screams of pain fade to silence, leaving only the crackle of burning trees.
Overhaul looks up at Dabi calmly.
Overhaul: "You okay?"
Dabi stares at his bleeding stumps, voice soft with sadness.
Dabi: "Your hands..."
Overhaul just gets to his feet, jaw set.
Overhaul: "Let's go find Shigaraki."
Dabi walks over to him, rolling his eyes.
Dabi: "Wait idiot, we have to patch those wounds first. And we're both naked for fuck's sake—think before you move."
Overhaul smiles nervously, scratching at his stubble.
Overhaul: "Oh yeah, you're right."
Dabi huffs a quiet laugh.
Dabi: "Idiot."
He falls quiet, frowning when he hears faint shifting movement coming from the still-burning pile of ash and charred wood.
Alexa's half-burned voice gasps out from the dying flames, cackling as she turns to ash.
Random: "From this point on, everything gets harder once you get close to the USA. I'll make sure you all die here!"
Dabi stares at the ashes calmly, voice low and steady.
Dabi: "Random will be next. I'll be the one who kills him."
(Back at Hassaikai Headquarters)
Shigaraki gets to his feet, scanning the darkening sky, and his stomach drops. He remembers the night creatures that hunt after sunset, and the kid he saved earlier.
Shigaraki: "I have to find the kid before night falls."
He searches through the ruined nearby buildings, calling out for the rescued child he can't find.
Shigaraki: "It's safe now. You can come out."
He steps into a dark alley near the crumbled headquarters, and his red shoes hits something wet. He looks down to see bright red, fresh blood glistening on the cracked concrete.
(In his mind).
"That can't be... it looks fresh. Are Dabi or Overhaul hurt here?"
He thinks, creeping toward the end of the alley. He freezes when he sees a pack of zombies tearing apart something in tattered, childish clothes, blood pooling thick on the ground.
(Out of his mind).
Shigaraki whispers in quiet shock, stepping back slowly from the feasting zombies so he doesn't draw their attention.
Shigaraki: "It's the kid..."
He glances up, and the last sliver of sun is just dipping below the horizon, painting the sky deep purple.
Shigaraki: "I better find a safe place to hide. I'll look for Dabi and Overhaul come morning."
He turns and runs quietly toward the last intact building he spotted earlier, keeping his footsteps light to avoid attracting any more of the night's hunters.
(Inside the intact cabin deep in Suicide Forest).
Dabi wraps thick clean bandages around Overhaul's stumps where his hands used to be, sitting on the basement floor. Overhaul stares silently at his wrapped arms.
Dabi's voice is quiet, not meeting his eye.
Dabi: "Looks like you can't use your quirk anymore... Pretty sure Shigaraki won't be thrilled—it was our best ticket out of this hell hole."
He pulls the bandage tight and ties it off securely.
Overhaul leans back against the cold concrete wall, still staring at his bandaged stumps with a calm, steady expression.
Overhaul: "It was the only way. If I didn't step in, she would've killed you, I'd be her sex slave forever, Random wins, and Shigaraki would be left alone. I give him two weeks tops surviving out there."
Dabi huffs a small, dry smile, packing away the leftover bandages.
Dabi: "Two weeks? Pretty sure Shigaraki can last longer than that—that's just my opinion."
Overhaul goes silent, jaw tightening.
(In his mind).
"I'm useless now... I don't think I should go with them just because I'm handless. Maybe it's time for him to just leave me here."
He thinks, taking a deep breath to speak his mind.
He looks at Dabi calmly, opening his mouth to say what he's been thinking.
(Out of his mind).
Overhaul: "Listen Dabi..."
Dabi cuts him off immediately, reaching out to grip his shoulder firmly.
Dabi: "Don't say anything. I'm not leaving you behind just 'cause you lost your hands. We stick together, no matter what happens."
Overhaul: "Probably Random already thinks he's won."
Shaking his head lightly.
Overhaul: It's your chance, idiot. You and Shigaraki have a way better shot without me slowing you down...
He says, frowning at Dabi for insisting on staying.
Dabi snaps back, tightening the bandage hard to make him stop talking.
Dabi: "Shut up, bro!"
Overhaul yelps, tensing up.
Overhaul: "Okay!"
He falls silent, not saying another word.
Dabi leans back, a small faint smile tugging at his mouth.
Dabi: "Good."
He rummages through a broken closet, tossing a clean medium size shirt to Overhaul.
Dabi: "I think we will lay low here tonight, then find Shigaraki tomorrow and get out of Japan."
Overhaul pulls the shirt on over his head, keeping his gaze turned away.
Overhaul: "I think we should head to China first."
He says calmly.*
Dabi pauses mid-dress, raising an eyebrow.
Dabi: "China? Why China?"
Overhaul crosses his arms over his chest, the bandages peeking out at the cuffs, his eyebrow still raised in irritation.
Overhaul: "It's closer than any other country, what's so hard to understand about that? We need help, not a wild goose chase."
Dabi snorts, pulling a worn leather jacket over his burned shoulders and zipping it up to hide the worst cuts.
Dabi: "Whatever, once we find a map tomorrow we'll see who's actually the right, smart guy."
Overhaul huffs, tilting his head with that sharp annoyed glare he always uses when Dabi acts stupid.
Overhaul: "Of course we can check a map, but what're you gonna do if I'm right? You gonna admit I'm the one who's got half a brain here?"
Dabi grabs the cabin door handle and yanks it shut to lock it for the night, turning with a sharp smirk.
Dabi: "We'll see who admits who's wrong when we find one. I'm pretty confident I got the geography right on this one."
Overhaul just nods, turning his head away to stare at the chipped cabin wall. Heavy, shuffling footsteps echo back and forth right outside the locked door, making the floorboards creak softly.
Dabi reaches down to grip the handle of his knife, voice quiet.
Dabi: "Looks like we got company."
Overhaul flops down onto the floor next to the old blood stain, closing his eyes.
Overhaul: "I'll probably die first anyway. Maybe this will satisfy it."
Dabi rolls his eyes, grabbing his good leg to drag him back into the dark hallway away from the door.
Dabi: "Idiot."
He creeps to the door and peeks through a cracked knothole, spotting two of the night creatures shuffling aimlessly past the cabin porch. He backs away quietly, stepping into the hallway beside Overhaul.
Dabi: "It's just those zombies again. Stay quiet and they'll pass."
Overhaul glares up at him from the floor, irritation clear on his face.
Overhaul: "Why did you have to drag me by my leg? That was so damn embarrassing."
Dabi throws his hands up in exasperation, glaring at Overhaul like he just asked the stupidest question imaginable.
Dabi: "Seriously!? There's nobody around to see it, you moron! What's there to be embarrassed about when it's just the two of us?"
He drops his voice quickly when one of the zombies snarls right outside the door, pressing his back against the wall to stay quiet.
(At the abandoned building).
Shigaraki locks the heavy wooden door behind him, leaning against it to catch his breath. He glances out the cracked window at the pitch-black night outside before yanking the blind closed, and his eyes land on stacked cans of food and bottled water by the desk.
(In his mind).
"Looks like someone was trying to survive here."
He thinks, walking slowly toward the back bedroom. He freezes in the doorway when he sees it stacked floor to ceiling with crates of loaded guns.
"Then I'm not the only one still alive around here."
(Out of his mind).
Shigaraki turns slowly around, and his back hits the cold plaster wall when he sees a stranger holding a loaded gun pointed straight at his chest. He holds both hands up slowly, voice steady.
Shigaraki: "I mean no harm. I just wanted to hide for the night, I'll leave first thing in the morning."
The stranger steps closer and tosses a bloodstained framed photo at his feet. Shigaraki glances down at it, his breath catching in his throat.
Shigaraki stares down at the photo, recognition hitting him like a punch to the chest.
Shigaraki: "It's the kid..."
He remembers the child torn apart by zombies not hours earlier. He lifts his head, gazes sad, and shakes his head slowly to tell the stranger their child is gone.
The stranger's face crumples, and they twist the gun to point at their own chest. Shigaraki lurches forward, yelling.
Shigaraki: "Wait!"
The gun goes off with a deafening crack, warm blood splattering across the scuffed wooden floor. The stranger crumples down, and Shigaraki's heart races—he knows the gunshot will draw the night creatures right here.
(In his mind).
"They're probably coming!"
He sprints for a locked closet in the corner, yanking the door open and squeezing inside before pressing his back to the wall.
"Fuck sakes, I just hope the night goes by fast."
(Out of his mind).
He thinks, holding his breath to listen to the approaching snarls of zombies outside the building.
This will continue in the next chapter.