Leaden Mass (
Summary[]
Star and Stripe tells her master about the child within Tomura.
Within the One For All and All For One vestige realms, the All Might vestige sees a vision of the Star and Stripe vestige's final moments against Tomura and All For One. As she disappears, she sees deep within the core surrounded by hands is Tenko Shimura, and in the present, she points towards a crack in the crumbling visage and tells her "Master" there's a forlorn boy in there.
In the real world, Edgeshot tells All Might he may meet his end if he drifts off and to remain conscious, and without an earpiece they don't know the details but presumes that Deku is still fighting. All Might wonders what that dream was about, quickly realizing the sensation was just like what happened previously when he experienced what his vestige self witnessed, not knowing how that's possible with One For All so far away. He realizes that the power they spun together, bit by bit, is coming unraveled.
As Tomura continues attacking Deku, he is confused at why he sensed Star and Stripe and why she would still be floating around in his head, believing she should've been completely obliterated. Remembering her last words that "someone will inherit that will of heroism", he realizes that despite her being gone, her embers continue to haunt him. Deku is sent flying across the forest by the attacks, landing miles away. Barely able to breathe and move from the recoil, he remembers All Might telling him he could be a hero too, as he ask Kudo what he means about parting ways with One For All. Kudo tells him to stay calm so Tomura doesn't hear them, and proceeds to explain.
He states how the dark mass within Tomura is as solid as a ball of lead, made up of every piece of anger and frustration inside him, all drawn together into a single mass that represents his unshakable resolve and spirit solidified by raw hatred. However, All Might noticed "a rift", which they believe is a scar from his fight against Star and Stripe, a mental wound, not a physical one, that can't be healed with his Super Regeneration. Deku asks what it has to do with One For All, and Kudo continues that after absorbing All For One, Tomura has become too powerful he doesn't stand a chance, so to defeat him they must attack from within, and that by transferring One For All, they can smash away at the scar, to give his soul a good beating.
Deku, and then En, question this idea, since if they transfer it he'll just start using their Quirks, like what happened with Hikage, but Kudo says to use a broader understanding of "transfer". Using the idea of "visualization" that All Might suggested to Deku in the past, Kudo uses the example of Katsuki harshly passing something to him, saying that the right sort of transfer can wound or even break the thing being passed, so they'll put that into practice with One For All.
Kudo says since there's no guarantee it'll work, he will go first, and since they know only Hikage got taken earlier, it means they can transfer one piece of them at a time. Thanks to One For All, their Quirk Factors became components of the overall Quirk, but also special, powered-up factors in their own right, so Kudo wants Deku to throw him hard enough into Tomura that he'll shatter into nothing, serving as an attack without giving him control of his power. En suggests he go first since his Smokescreen is the most useless right now, but Kudo insists on him.
En further states that Gearshift is the cornerstone of the fight, so worries if the plan fails and Tomura gets the Quirk, but Kudo says if they don't do anything Deku will die now, explaining that if he parts ways with Gearshift, he will be free of the recoil, and if Tomura somehow gets ahold of the Quirk, the backlash will transfer to him. Bruce tells Kudo that even though he always followed him, he thinks this plan is too risky, with Kudo adding it's why he's taking this bet, since they've lived during the cruelest times, where they had to make plenty judgment calls, and now in their current reality, Deku refuses to throw in the towel, and he wants to believe he has the right idea.
"Yeesh, look at you... I'd never guess you were a hero."
Deku struggles to process all the information, as Nana says that she knows he's not reluctant to relinquish power or fear death, no matter how daunting the mission he's charged with is, even after coming this far, he still sees One For All as an irreplaceable gift from the hero he admires the most. As Tomura starts to rush toward them, asking what they are all muttering about, Kudo tells Daigoro to stay by his side as Blackwhip will keep him alive, then turning to Yoichi to watch over him, who responds calling him his hero. Kudo finally asks Deku what he has to say, and he responds that he'll do it. Deku retaliates with a hoard of Blackwhips that slice off Tomura's hands, as he uses them to surround his body, allowing him to move once again, as Tomura snarks at his appearance that he'd never guess he was a hero.
Chapter Notes[]
- An ember of Star and Stripe's vestige reveals a scar left behind from her battle within Tomura's hardened mass of hatred, where Tenko's soul remains.
- The real All Might senses this vision, realizing One For All is becoming unraveled.
- Kudo develops a plan to forcefully transfer each of their individual Quirk Factors into Tomura, destroying them before he can make use of their Quirks, while also breaking the crack from within.
- The other vestiges are unsure of the risk, but Kudo is willing to take the gamble to help ensure Deku's ideals.
- Deku uses Blackwhip to take control of his entire body to continue fighting Tomura.
Characters In Order of Appearance[]
- All Might
- Star and Stripe (Vision)
- All For One (Flashback)
- Tomura Shigaraki
- Edgeshot
- Deku
- Kudo (Vision)
- En (Vision)
- Katsuki Bakugo (Flashback)
- Toru Hagakure (Flashback)
- Hikage Shinomori (Flashback)
- Daigoro Banjo (Vision)
- Bruce (Vision)
- Nana Shimura (Vision)
- Yoichi Shigaraki (Vision)
Appearances[]
| Appearances for Chapter 413 |
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Locations
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Author's Comment[]
| “ | I got Deku from a My Hero bath bomb! I was squeezing it between my butt cheeks, so it came as a surprise! It warmed me up! | ” |
Trivia[]
- Izuku's appearance after Blackwhip controls his body has visual similarities to the Marvel Comics supervillain Carnage.
- Tomura's comment about Izuku's unheroic appearance is a callback to Chapter 317, when civilians commented that Izuku's exhausted and dirtied appearance looks nothing like a hero.