On the surface, after watching Aomori depart, the remaining heroes gathered to discuss their battle plan.
Flashy Flash, showing no hesitation, seized the leadership role. "I am the only S-Class hero here; naturally, I will assign the tasks."
"Fine by me," Child Emperor said, smacking his lips. As a conscious spiritual body, he didn't technically need sugar to replenish his energy, but old habits died hard, and his mouth felt restless without a lollipop.
The others didn't seem to mind the arrangement either.
Seeing no objections, Flashy Flash nodded. "Who among you hasn't finished off their target yet?"
"I haven't," Genos said, raising his hand. "Black Sperm is far more troublesome than we anticipated. I request backup."
"He's right. Individually, they aren't overwhelmingly strong, but their numbers are staggering. We haven't been able to wipe them out completely," Glasses explained.
"Furthermore, he can merge and split at will. After all that effort, we only managed to eliminate one trillion of his cells," Child Emperor added.
And that trillion-cell reduction had only happened because King had seemingly put his "life" on the line for it.
"Aside from Black Sperm, are all other monsters dealt with?" Flashy Flash asked. Seeing the others nod, he continued, "Since he's the last one left, there's no need for complex assignments. We'll hit him with everything at once."
Despite his arrogance, Flashy Flash knew that Black Sperm was the exact type of opponent he hated facing. As an assassin-type ninja, he much preferred targets that were "glass cannon" mages.
"Understood," the group replied.
Fubuki, who was currently holding the unconscious Psykos (whom Aomori had knocked out), raised her hand. "Chairman Aomori told me to watch over her, so I'll be staying back to cheer you on. If anyone gets injured, bring them to me for treatment."
"Fine," Flashy Flash dismissed.
"Then let me brief you on his specific abilities," Child Emperor said, summarizing the data gathered during the fight.
…
"That's quite a crowd."
Black Sperm lurked cautiously behind a jagged rock, peering up at the massive floating island in the sky with a growing sense of unease.
Taking advantage of the earlier chaos, he had recalled all his cells and retreated to this spot to observe the surroundings.
"Isn't it a bit too quiet? Where are the other monsters? Don't tell me I'm the only one left besides that guy in the sky?"
While he had always looked down on the other monsters, Black Sperm wasn't delusional enough to think he could take on the entire Hero Association alone. If he really was the last man standing, he needed to seriously consider his exit strategy.
"No, wait... those idiots might have been weak, but they should have taken a few heroes with them. Both sides must be heavily depleted. There shouldn't be many people left." The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"Regardless, it never hurts to have a backup plan." He split off a hundred cells and sent them to hide elsewhere while he remained to scout.
If there was an opening to exploit, he'd take it. If everyone left was a "tough nut to crack," he'd bail.
Just as he made up his mind, he looked up and saw numerous figures flying out from the floating island.
"Those are... heroes? There are still that many?" Black Sperm pondered for a moment before creeping toward them. "I'll take one look and then leave."
Halfway there, he ran into a person radiating an aura of absolute arrogance. "Are you the Horned Monster?" Black Sperm asked, puzzled.
"Horned?" Garou quickly realized what he meant and snapped, "This is my hair!"
"Then... the Silver-Haired Monster?"
"Why do I have to be a monster?!"
"Because looking at you, I feel a strange sense of kinship," Black Sperm laughed. "In a way, you and I are quite similar."
"Who's similar to a piece of trash like you? Don't flatter yourself," Garou said coldly.
"I get it. You're a pathetic outcast, too," Black Sperm said, spreading his arms and looking at Garou with eyes that claimed to see through everything. "I was once abandoned by humanity. To satisfy their own desires, they didn't care about us, being stuck to walls, wrapped in tissues, and tossed into the trash. That is why Black Sperm was born. I will have my revenge on those foolish humans."
"You hate humans as much as I do, right? Why not cause some chaos with me?"
"I do indeed hate certain irredeemable humans," Garou said, his gaze turning icy. "But you've got one thing wrong. When it comes to filthy, ugly monsters, I loathe them just as much!"
Before he finished speaking, Garou lunged like a cannonball. A heavy uppercut slammed into Black Sperm's gut, sending him hurtling backward.
Black Sperm skidded across the ground, smashing through ruins for nearly a hundred meters before coming to a stop.
"Cough, cough... that actually hurt." Black Sperm pushed himself up slowly, his expression grim. 'That one punch wiped out tens of millions of cells. This guy is on a completely different level from the ones before.'
"Oh? You're still alive?" Garou was genuinely surprised to see the creature stand back up.
"Don't lump me in with those small-fry monsters. You're strong, but you're no match for me." Irritated by Garou's dismissive look, Black Sperm instantly split into tens of thousands of clones, surrounding him completely.
"Numbers don't mean anything." Garou walked through the crowd of clones with ease. With every punch, dozens of Black Sperms were obliterated. Under his masterful martial arts techniques, not a single clone could touch him.
'This guy...' Black Sperm was once again thinking about retreating.
But at that moment, the heroes, drawn by the commotion of the fight, surrounded them both.
Flashy Flash glanced at Black Sperm before turning to Garou. "This is hero business. Bystanders should leave."
"I should be the one saying that," Garou shot back. "This is my prey. If you don't want to be 'collateral damage,' get lost."
"Are you intentionally provoking me?" Flashy Flash asked coldly. He had been annoyed by Garou for a while. "If it weren't for Aomori, I'd have taught you a lesson by now."
"Taught me a lesson? You're not qualified." At the mention of Aomori's name, Garou's expression turned even more sour.
"You brat!" Flashy Flash's short fuse was lit.
Seeing things escalating, Puri-Puri Prisoner hurried to intervene. "Flashy, calm down! I think he wants to help us. Our priority is the monster. We can settle your dispute later."
"Shut up! You're just an A-Class hero; don't give me orders!" Flashy Flash snapped, showing zero respect.
The faces of the other heroes present darkened at the remark.
"That was uncalled for," Glasses said. "But honestly, except for old man Bang and Superalloy Darkshine, S-Class heroes are really hard to get along with."
Flashy Flash, Tatsumaki, and Atomic Samurai shared a common trait: if you didn't earn their respect through strength, you simply didn't exist to them. Flashy Flash was perhaps the most extreme, as he was willing to talk back even to Tatsumaki.
"Tell me about it," Saitama agreed. "Flashy has a terrible temper. He tried to fight me earlier for no reason."
"Eh?" Glasses turned in surprise. "You fought him? What happened? Did he beat you up pretty bad?"
"No, he's not that special."
"..."
Black Sperm was also fuming. He expected the heroes to treat him as a major threat. Instead, everyone's attention was on the "horned" guy.
He felt ignored. 'Damn these guys! Do they think I'm just a dead fish on a chopping block? I'll show them!'
'Hmph, Aomori. Are these the heroes you placed your hopes on? Just as I expected.' Garou sneered, about to launch into a "chuunibyou" monologue, but someone beat him to the punch.
Mumen Rider stepped up in front of Flashy Flash and spoke with righteous conviction: "We are all heroes. Ranks only distinguish our responsibilities, not our worth as people. Chairman Aomori said that heroes should listen to feedback and withstand public scrutiny. As an S-Class hero, you should set a good example for others. Also..."
His lecturing caused Flashy Flash's face to twitch. "Stop! Don't say another word. Do whatever you want. I'm going to kill the monster."
With a sour expression, Flashy Flash went to vent his frustration on Black Sperm.
"I wasn't finished yet," Mumen Rider said, licking his lips. He turned to Garou and said gently, "I apologize for Flashy's attitude. He didn't mean any harm. But he's right, it's dangerous here. You should leave."
With that, he patted Puri-Puri Prisoner on the shoulder, and they both charged at Black Sperm.
"Is that guy an idiot?" Garou watched Mumen Rider's back and narrowed his eyes. "What an annoying smile."
He felt that he and Mumen Rider were fundamentally incompatible, like two opposite poles. One was the embodiment of light, the other of darkness.
…
In mid-air, Aomori looked at the hovering No. 17 and said curiously, "Your abilities are earth-based, aren't they? I assumed you couldn't fly."
"Don't be ridiculous. Apostles who can't fly were phased out long ago." No. 17 didn't rush to attack. "Since you know so much about us, I assume you're the one who killed No. 18."
"Yes," Aomori admitted freely. "Before she died, she told me quite a lot. About your master, God, and the mission you've been burdened with."
'That useless 18, always failing at everything,' No. 17 cursed internally. Externally, his expression remained unchanged. "So what if you know? The descent of our God is inevitable. It's only a matter of time."
"When that happens, this entire planet will be His divine domain. If you join us now, you could be my colleague. Otherwise, you're a dead man."
"Oh? If He's so powerful, why does He need you to do His dirty work?" Aomori chuckled. "Why would you serve some unlucky guy who's currently sealed away?"
"You don't understand," No. 17 said with a look of pity. "His power is beyond your imagination."
"I won't understand unless you tell me."
"Trying to trick me? Do you think I'm as stupid as 18? I was stalling for time! Now that my preparations are complete, go to hell!" No. 17 grinned as he waved his hands. All the falling debris from the floating island began to converge on him.
In moments, the stones had fused together, transforming into a gargantuan golem nearly a thousand meters tall. Its fists alone were 50 meters wide. A single punch could level an entire street.
"I am a Mud-Man from the Planet of Mud. Manipulating stone and soil is my racial talent," No. 17's voice boomed from the golem's head. "Given enough time, I can assimilate the entire planet into my body!"
During his three months with the Monster Association, he had assimilated more than half the base into himself. That was why his clones could manipulate the earth so easily.
No. 17 laughed maniacally. "To defeat me, you'd have to destroy every speck of dust and soil in this body! Can you do that?"
"I can't. But aren't you curious what I was waiting for?" Aomori said with a smile. "Conveniently, my preparations are also complete."
A shimmering, rainbow-colored dome rose from the distance, rapidly encasing all of Z-City.
"What is this?" No. 17 was shocked to find he had lost control of his colossal rock body.
"This is the Underground Research Lab, a digital space. It seems your stone body can't enter here." Aomori looked at the now-drifting No. 17 and flashed a smile that made the apostle's skin crawl. "Now, show me what else you've got. This is your last chance."
"Damn you! Don't look down on me! I am an Apostle!" No. 17 roared, his aura exploding. A thick layer of rock skin covered his body. "My close-quarters combat is top-tier among the Apostles!"
He kicked off the air, breaking the sound barrier and lunging at Aomori with a punch that seemed capable of shattering the heavens.
"Close-quarters combat?" Aomori smiled. His right hand erupted with a blinding light as he met No. 17's fist with lightning speed.
"Three-in-One: Super Nuclear Punch!"
BOOM!
Inside the digital space, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the air. The resulting shockwave was so intense that the digital space shattered like a soap bubble.
To No. 17's horror, his arm shattered inch by inch. An unprecedented force traveled up his limb and through his entire body, causing him to crack and burst like a porcelain doll.
He had been literally punched into oblivion!
'A monster... he's a monster!' Only a soul remained of No. 17. He had no will left to fight and fled in terror.
Aomori looked at his own charred arm and frowned. "Darkrai, go catch him."
Darkrai appeared instantly, nodded, and vanished in the direction No. 17 had fled.
"The power is great, but the recoil is no joke." Aomori had detonated the fused energy upon contact, causing massive secondary damage, though it was more than even he had expected.
"Fortunately, it's not a major issue."
Under the glow of a Healing Spell, the charred skin peeled away, revealing fresh, healthy skin beneath.
Suddenly, Aomori felt something and looked up. High in the heavens, a red moon hung in the sky, a moon that shouldn't have been there at this hour.