All Might's gaze wasn't feigning the murderous lust they carried at this moment.
They had become the epitome of all the evil, ready to squash all joy and hope.
For decades, All Might had fought Villains, protecting innocents, and making things right. However, to take down the most heinous Villains, he had also needed to learn how they thought.
So, ironically, the greatest Hero could also be the most dangerous Villain — at his whim.
"We can't take him head-on!" Midoriya shouted, turning around and remembering the plan. "Let's run away!!"
All Might took a step forward, making the boys' knees wobble.
Then, with another step, he threw himself forward.
As if that was a cue, Bakugo grinned like a maniac. "Don't tell me what to do!" he shouted, pointing his right hand's palm forward. "Come at me, you said All Might?! Even if you didn't say anything, I was gonna do that!!"
"Kacchan!" Midoriya gasped.
"Stun Grenade!!" Bakugo roared, activating his Quirk.
Sadly, to Bakugo and Midoriya's horror, no blinding light erupted from Bakugo's palm.
Terrified beyond thoughts, Midoriya tried to activate Full Cowl — but failed.
Oh, no! The two boys realized together. Erasure Head!!
They looked around but couldn't see Erasure Head anywhere.
But that didn't matter, they knew. Aizawa needed to keep them in his direct eyesight to erase their Quirks. Then, as long as he didn't blink, it didn't matter where the Hero hid himself.
So, even if his Quirk had a range limit, Erasure Head could easily keep erasing their Quirks by hiding in one of the buildings and keeping an eye on the battlefield.
But, when?!
When did Erasure Head cancel their Quirk?!
The timing mattered because of the reduced visibility due to the dust and Erasure Head's Quirk's weakness, which gave him dry eye if he kept it on for long.
And, as All Might reached Bakugo, they knew exactly when.
It was the time All Might had appeared and had rooted them to their places with his words.
Turned out, as the boys were busy bickering, the two Pro Heroes had already been working on a viable plan, despite the advantage of their enormous strength.
Sadly, it was a little too late to regret now.
All Might's grin widened, and he grabbed Bakugo's entire face in his right hand, lifting him like a toy.
"… RUN!" Midoriya shouted, dread flashing across his face. "LUKE!"
Just as Midoriya turned around, though, and looked where Luke had been standing, he couldn't see anyone there.
How?! He asked himself, shocked.
Along with him and Bakugo, Erasure Head had definitely canceled Luke's Quirk as well.
He and Bakugo hadn't moved an inch, letting themselves fall in All Might and Erasure Head's trap, because they didn't know their Quirks had canceled.
For Luke not to be here only meant one thing.
Somehow, Luke hadn't let All Might's murderous gaze overwhelm him as much as Midoriya and Bakugo. Not only that, but he must have also realized that he couldn't use his Quirk anymore and decided to run for it, instead.
Why… Midoriya thought, clenching his teeth. Why… couldn't I move…
Of course, Midoriya had no idea that there was a monstrous gulf between his and Luke's experiences. After dying once, there was hardly any fear that could hold Luke, preventing him from making a move for long.
On the other side, behind Midoriya, despite losing his Quirk, Bakugo hadn't given up.
"Hahahaha!" the boy madly laughed, banging his grenade-like gauntlets on All Might's head. "I will just wait for my Quirk to return and blow you up, All Might!!"
All Might frowned, ignoring the blows.
Normally, if you grabbed someone's face, they reflexively tried to remove that hand, All Might thought. This kid is seriously thinking of defeating me, huh? Then…
From the corner of his eyes, All Might noticed Midoriya bolting toward a building, trying to leave Aizawa's line of sight.
They had taken the boys by surprise, but what Bakugo said was true as well.
Erasing Quirks opened a tiny little window to make the boys feel helpless, and it wasn't something that could be repeated over a long time.
Not to mention, they had already lost Luke.
But that was something both he and Erasure Head had taken into account.
Now, they just needed to neutralize Bakugo and Midoriya before their Quirks returned.
Fortunately, despite carrying half his weight on his wrists and ankles, All Might was powerful enough to take advantage of this moment.
"… Young Bakugo…" All Might grinned, hurling the boy. "You should learn when it's not the time to throw hands…"
Spinning Bakugo and still grabbing his face, All Might slammed him into the ground.
A loud thud echoed as Bakugo's breath gave away, his eyes popping out of his head.
Before he could even register the pain, though, All Might grabbed his leg and threw him like a ball.
Crack!
It was hard to know what actually snapped.
Was it Bakugo's hand? Or was it Midoriya's back?
Regardless of the origin of that cracking noise, both boys went rolling, slamming into a broken piece of concrete.
"Weak hits… Cowardly thoughts…" All Might said, putting his hands on his waist. "Is that how you thought you would win against me?!"
Shaking like leaves in a storm, and bruised black and blue, Midoriya and Bakugo got up and eyed the greatest Pro Hero they had admired since their childhood.
Now, it was the same Pro Hero who stood against them — like an unsurmountable barrier.
If only they had their Quirks…
Around two hundred meters away from this scene, behind a ceiling-high glass wall on a building's tenth floor, Aizawa blinked.
This was the effect of All Might's presence.
Under pressure, neither Bakugo nor Midoriya was trying to activate their Quirks, giving Aizawa enough time to blink and then cancel their Quirks again.
But that's what the Practical Exam was all about, wasn't it? Aizawa thought.
To overcome one's fears, grudges, and come out of the pinch — To be a Hero!
"It's time to go after Luke, All Might," Erasure Head thought out loud. "Don't forget the plan. That boy is…"
As the Pro Hero turned around, time slowed, a chill running down his spine.
From the corner of his eyes, a figure came blasting across the hall before he could even lay his eyes on it and slammed into him —
— throwing both of them out of the building, shattering the glass into hundreds of shards.
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100 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter