All For One

"You were here?" Stain chuckled dismissively. "Your aura is so distinctive, it's impossible for me not to have noticed."

"And now?" Jilan released the Hamon from within her body, pressing them tightly against her skin to suppress all their brilliance.

In Stain's perception, Jilan was clearly in front of him, but her aura had vanished!

Seeing Stain silently watching him, Jilan knew he had successfully concealed his presence and continued, "After you and Shigaraki joined forces, you had a chance to end the battle, but it was stopped by the person behind me now, known as the Eye of Dawn. Isn't that enough proof?"

"Since you were here, why didn't you show up?" Stain a moment of silence.

"Because there's no need," Jilan smiled. "Besides, I'm quite interested in your ideas and would like to learn from you in person."

In class, Jilan compared Pro Hero with United States vigilantes, convincing her classmates and Aizawa Stain had simply confused the two and failed to grasp the relevant national context. This reassured them and inspired them to become selfless Pro Hero.

But this is just a flawed inference. No, it shouldn't be called flawed; it should be considered the most reasonable analysis of the Hero Killer's behavior from the perspective of Pro Hero.

Jilan's statement was only a one-sided and rough viewpoint, which served to broaden people's thinking to a certain extent. However, Jilan deliberately made everyone overlook one point, which was that the Hero Killer had already proposed the idea of "Hero's Return" before he disappeared during his student days!

"Hero Killer Stain, no one knows where he came from, only that since he appeared, he has indiscriminately wielded his knife against Pro Hero. His deeds aroused the unanimous anger of Pro Hero across the country, who vowed to bring him to justice. Finally, during the Hosu City incident, he was arrested by Endeavor and other heroes, and his fate is unknown."

Jilan Jiyu read aloud a quote from a report Stain: "But at the same time, the crime rate in every city he visited dropped significantly. Some experts have said that there is some connection between his actions and the progress of heroic consciousness..."

Stain grinned. "This report is fairly fair. When the market is flooded with inferior goods, bad money drives out good. A hero is a title earned only by those who have accomplished great things. In today's society, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can call himself a hero. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

"So, you see yourself as a market regulator?" Jilan looked at him and said calmly, "Have you ever considered that although these inferior currencies don't have the same purchasing power, they are still worth using for the general public, and might even turn into superior currencies?"

"Bad money is bad money, and it won't change easily."

Transformed.

"You eliminate the bad money without explanation, how do you know things won't change? You are not a fish, how can you know the fish's intentions?"

"I don't care about the fish's intentions." Stain's face showed a mocking smile. "I've given them chances, but none of them have changed. How can people like them be changed? Answer me."

"So this is the difference in our values..." Jilan Jiyu scratched their heads in distress. "In my opinion, even if there are many inferior products mixed in, they all share common attributes and will play a certain role regardless of their efficacy; but you believe that any product that does not achieve a certain efficacy has no reason to exist, and that the market should wake up on its own and only produce high-performance products."

"Using metaphors... Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking." Stain smirked. "Although some products are scrapped every year, it's not enough to make the market pay attention. Only by breaking this balance will the market adjust as quickly as possible."

"Don't you think your thinking is too extreme? As time goes by, people will naturally support those who truly deserve to be called heroes, just like they supported All Might." Jilan pointed to Hizashi Yamada behind her, who was pressing his face against the small window, staring intently at the Hero Killer's every move. "Like Eye of Dawn and Midoriya, whom you let go, don't they have the qualities of heroes? And Ingenium, whose legs you rendered unconscious, I don't think he's inferior."

"Ingenium... I admit he is indeed a hero, but since he bumped into me, I can't show him any mercy. Besides... I didn't intend to use him as a sacrifice to awaken society."

Jilan suddenly felt like laughing, "His Quirk is no longer usable. What's the difference between destroying his career and killing him?"

"How long do you mean by market self-regulation, five years or ten years?" Stain didn't answer the question, but suddenly said, "The time left for this society is running out."

"So you finally want to confess?" Jilan Jiyu smiled.

"Why would someone who talks about Pro Hero like they're commodities be All Might's student?" Stain also revealed a somewhat terrifying smile.

"Then why would someone who can kill a Pro Hero without hesitation be a fan of All Might?" Jilan Jiyu retorted with a smile.

After a brief silence, Stain and Jilan Jiyu burst out laughing simultaneously, "... Hahahaha! That's because we're the same kind of people!"

Stain's brief conversation with Jilan revealed that Jilan, unlike others who aspired to be heroes, did not share their righteous indignation, nor did she possess reverence for life.

They have a clear sense of right and wrong, can disregard the law and act entirely according to their own will, and are willing to give up everything for their goals... just like themselves.

Such people are not uncommon in society. Whether it's the Pro Hero Endeavor, Tomura Shigaraki of the League of Villains, or the Hero Killer Stain himself, they are all like this. They can become Pro Hero because of a single thought, or they can become criminals because of a single idea, or like himself, they can become someone who wants to cleanse society.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" the Hero Killer suddenly asked.

"... I have never killed an innocent person," Jilan replied.

"... Very well, since All Might is no longer able to come, telling you this isn't a bad thing." Stain smirked. "I wonder if you're aware of the Dawn of the Supernatural?"

"Wasn't that almost a century ago?" Jilan Jiyu had been fascinated by this period of history, which he had never experienced, ever since he arrived in this world. He was very familiar with both unofficial histories and official records. He recalled, "I remember that at that time, the concept of Quirk had just appeared in the world, and society hadn't yet adapted to this change. It was like the 'mutants' in Hollywood movies. Many people's appearances underwent significant changes, and some animals even transformed into human-like beings. The standards that defined humanity suddenly collapsed, laws lost their meaning, and civilization stagnated..."

"Although it's not mentioned in history books, according to some rumors and unofficial historical records online, when the world was in chaos, a person stepped forward. It is said that he had the ability to steal the Quirk of others. While stealing the Quirk of others, he rapidly expanded his power and soon ruled Japan. Although his forces caused trouble everywhere, he still managed to maintain temporary stability in society."

Jilan thought for a moment, then continued, "But... at some point, he disappeared without a trace, and his entire organization was destroyed. After that incident, the profession of Pro Hero, which uses Quirk to legally engage in combat, developed in Japan."

Stain smiled. "I didn't expect you to know so much about this."

Jilan frowned and said, "Just like banning all rock music, I believe this is part of what the government is covering up. But there's a question: why would this person, who was described as almost invincible, suddenly disappear?"

"So, he's back now," Stain said casually.

"... What did you say?" Jilan could hardly believe her ears. "You mean the person behind the League of Villains is that legendary figure from a hundred years ago?"

"Since he can plunder Quirk, it's not surprising that he also possesses Quirk that can slow down his own aging," Stain said gravely. "He has a title: All For One."