Chapter 338: The Snowman’s Ambition!

"Teacher?" Tomomi took two steps forward and looked at her teacher, but All For One patted her shoulder.

"You can't beat him right now." After saying that, All For One raised his head and looked at the menacing ice dragon, slowly lifting his right palm and aiming at it.

"What you're about to see, Tomomi-chan, is the ceiling of power in this world. Although it's much lower than it used to be, it's still the ceiling!"

Boom—

The next moment, all the air in front of All For One suddenly erupted into chaos, converging into a massive, terrifying shockwave that swept forward.

The surging blast of air not only sent nearby waves soaring into the sky, but even pushed the black cruise ship beneath their feet dozens of meters back under the pressure of the immense power.

"S-So strong… Teacher is so strong…" Tomomi stared dumbfounded at the scene before her, as if watching a natural disaster unfold.

Before the overwhelming force of what felt like a natural calamity, the fearsome-looking ice dragon was completely defenseless. In an instant, it shattered into fragments of ice and dissipated into the air.

"It's not over yet! All For One!!"

"Aaaaah—!"

Just as the Snowman had used the ice he had previously thrown into the sea to freeze a vast stretch of seawater and was preparing to control this enormous mass of ice to launch an attack.

A violent shockwave slammed into him. It felt like being hit by a speeding truck. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying into the dark sea.

"H-How… how is this possible…"

The Snowman stared blankly up at the stars in the night sky, muttering in disbelief.

"With just one… one blow… he destroyed the ice dragon… and the leftover force was still this powerful…"

Feeling the sharp pain in his chest, he finally understood the true weight behind titles like "Lord of Darkness" and "All For One."

But the Snowman quickly realized that years of Quirk training hadn't been in vain. A mass of ice rose up from the sea, catching him safely.

"Urgh… I told you… this isn't over yet!!" The Snowman stood shakily on the ice, propping himself up with one hand.

"Oh? You can still stand? That's impressive, Snowman boy." A magnetic, intellectual voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Clang!

"Whoa!!"

The Snowman didn't have time to think. He quickly manipulated all the ice on the sea and in the air to form a tight defense around him.

But his ice couldn't keep up with the speed of the figure standing behind him. The tall, dark silhouette of All For One gently pressed a finger to the Snowman's shoulder.

"Kid, you're still far from reaching that level."

Bang!

"Ugh… aaaaaah!"

A miserable scream rang out. The Snowman felt as if his right shoulder had been struck with a steel rod.

Plop!

Under the immense pressure, his body crashed through the ice beneath his feet, sending waves splashing high into the air before his figure vanished into the terrifyingly dark sea.

Plop. Splash. Crack.

The chunks of ice that had risen into the air under his control now fell one by one under the pull of gravity, sending up towering columns of water.

On the deck of the cruise ship, Youmei looked at her teacher with awe in her eyes. "So fast… so strong…"

"Teacher, is he dead?"

Upon hearing her question, All For One looked out toward the sea and smiled. "He won't die here. Not by my hand."

"Teacher?" Youmei looked at him in confusion, not understanding.

"He, or rather, they—the villains—should not be mine to fight. They're not worthy of being my enemies…"

The black cruise ship slowly disappeared over the horizon, with the bright moon reflecting off the waves and the lights of I-Island shining in the distance.

"They're gone," Kyoka said softly while supporting Kaminari.

Kaminari sighed helplessly. "Once they've achieved their goal, of course they leave. Man, I just hope they don't fix the device too quickly, otherwise we're screwed."

"Exactly. If it's just fixed, maybe only one powerful villain will appear. But if a villain gets their hands on an energy-generating device…" Momo said worriedly.

"Hmph, what's the point in worrying so much?" Bakugo sneered. "Doesn't matter if they come alone or in a group, just blow them all up!"

"Crude words, but the reasoning is clear. At this point, all we can do is respond with strength and adapt as things come. We just have to keep getting stronger," said Class Rep Iida seriously.

"Right!" Midoriya nodded in agreement, then turned to Uraraka. "Where are Melissa and the others?"

"Melissa, Tsuyu-chan, and Mineta-kun took Dr. David and All Might to get treatment," Uraraka replied.

"Thanks, Kirishima," Todoroki whispered to Kirishima beside Bakugo.

Kirishima gave a thumbs up and grinned. "Heh, no problem!"

"Hey, look! The pro heroes are here!" Tetsutetsu suddenly pointed to seven or eight men and women in eccentric costumes running over and laughed.

"Whoa, that's the Russian hero 'Soloist'—they say he can control villains' movements with his baton!"

"There's also the Spanish 'Matador', the Chinese 'Peacock Lady', and last is the Brazilian 'Queen Bee'!" Midoriya listed them off confidently, clearly very familiar with the pro heroes.

"They're like the cops in movies, always showing up after everything's over," Kaminari joked with a shrug.

At that moment, Midoriya's face suddenly fell. "Oh no, I'm going to get lectured again!"

"Alright, alright. Let's just get some rest and take a hot bath before worrying about that stuff." Tetsutetsu patted Midoriya on the shoulder.

"Hot bath, huh? You really know how to enjoy the moment." Kirishima laughed, scratching his red hair.

Tetsutetsu's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Then let's go together?!"

"To hell with that! Who'd want to bathe with you?!" Bakugo snapped.

"I prefer bathing alone," Todoroki said flatly.

"I don't think there's even a big bathhouse here," Iida commented.

Amid everyone's laughter and chatter, the night finally passed. There wasn't much time left before the new day arrived, but for now, they just wanted to sleep peacefully.

"Kyoka, let's sleep together."

"Go to hell!"

"Hahahahaha…"

Bang!!

A towering column of water suddenly erupted from the dark sea, and the soaked Snowman reappeared in the night sky, standing atop a platform of ice.

"Ugh… Hah… Hah!"

After spitting out several mouthfuls of seawater mixed with blood, his breathing gradually calmed. The Snowman clutched his burning chest and lay on the ice, gasping for breath.

Looking at his reflection in the moonlit ice, he saw eyes filled with fear—fear of power, fear of death!

"H-How… how could someone be this strong? How is that possible!!"

He couldn't believe what he had just experienced. He had known the opponent was stronger but not this much stronger. It was overwhelming.

"That kind of power… even stronger than the leader… by who knows how much… Hahahahaha!" The Snowman lay flat on the ice, laughing wildly at the bright moon.

"I'm not dead!"

"If I'm not dead, then I still have hope of reaching that level of power!"

For him, the greatest takeaway from this battle was experiencing firsthand the sheer strength that existed in this world.

"If All For One can do it… then I definitely can too…"

(To be continued.)

***

This book is completed on Patreon. Support me on Patreon to read all advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.