"Dammit! Why are these guys so persistent?"
The human-wave tactics that were usually invincible proved useless against these elite heroes, and Black Sperm undeniably fell into a slump.
Among them, the performances of Flashy Flash and Saitama were the most dazzling. The two of them were constantly clearing out the surrounding Black Sperms in an instant before moving to another area to harvest more, their efficiency far surpassing the others.
More importantly, the strength of an individual Black Sperm was too weak, and simple merged forms were no match for them either.
"What's wrong, Black Sperm? Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now? Why so quiet?" Glasses said to him with a teasing look.
"Shut up! Don't think I'm afraid of you!" Black Sperm snapped in exasperation. "Let my tide consume you all!"
"Sperm Tsunami!"
Black Sperm pushed his self-splitting and multiplication to the absolute limit. All 35 trillion cells were released, surging toward the heroes like an all-consuming tidal wave that blotted out the sky.
"Hey, isn't this a bit much?!" Glasses sucked in a breath of cold air. He immediately channeled all of his water-attribute energy, erecting a barrier of flowing water around his body and shouting, "Everyone, get behind me!"
"No need! I'm not afraid of this stuff!" Suiryu didn't retreat; instead, he charged into the black tsunami. He unleashed a barrage of Void Fist strikes, standing like a reef amidst the storm.
"Exactly. My tough skin is enough to withstand this tide." Puri-Puri Prisoner activated his "Dark Angel Tank Mode" and dove into the black wave, swimming upstream like a pro athlete.
"This is a perfect chance to annihilate him." Genos pressed a switch on his chest and pulled out a glowing power core, slotting it into his arm. Electricity arced across his body as he focused all his energy into his palms: "Full Power: Incineration Cannon!"
A massive energy beam erupted, instantly blasting a giant hole through the wave of Black Sperm and hitting the area behind it, sending a mushroom cloud spiraling into the sky.
"In that case, I'll use this Gundam's ultimate move too!" With a determined look, Child Emperor raised his beam saber high. The blade, originally only a few meters long, surged to 40 meters after he bypassed the limiters.
The light blade flickered and pulsed. Knowing he couldn't delay, Child Emperor swung the blade at the oncoming tsunami. "Aomori gave me this name. Go! 'One Strike, Two Halves: Ryujinmaru Sword'!"
The blade fell, cleaving the tsunami in two and slamming into the ground. Child Emperor gritted his teeth, maneuvering the Strike Gundam to sweep the beam saber in a horizontal semi-circle. Everywhere it touched, Black Sperms vanished into mist, wiping out countless clones.
"Glasses, just focus on protecting yourself." Mumen Rider stepped past him. He struck his fists together in front of his chest, and his entire body suddenly erupted in scorching flames like a living torch.
He accelerated into a sprint and leaped high. After spinning several times in the air, he extended his right leg, crashing into the tsunami like a fire dragon.
"Justice Nuclear Kick!"
Half a second later, a vortex of fire erupted from the ground, soaring nearly a hundred meters and dyeing the sky red.
"Why are all of you so impulsive? How am I supposed to just stay back safely like this?" Glasses smiled helplessly before suddenly shouting, "Senpais, wait for me!"
The water barrier that was meant to protect everyone swirled around him, transforming him into a massive sea giant.
"When it comes to putting my life on the line, I won't lose to you!" The "forced" overachiever Glasses roared, controlling the sea giant as he charged into the tsunami.
In the blink of an eye, as the heroes displayed their various powers to combat the Black Sperm Tsunami, the wave finally swept across the entire area, swallowing everyone up.
Many people were like small fish, causing only a tiny splash before going silent. Only three "big fish" continued to thrash about.
One was Saitama.
"Get off me!" Saitama kicked a swath of Black Sperms aside and reached out to haul Suiryu, who was pinned to the ground, onto his shoulder.
"That's the third one."
Mumen Rider and Glasses were already perched there.
"Ah, I'm saved. Thanks, Caped Guy," Suiryu thanked him weakly. "I almost got crushed to death by them."
"Sigh, how embarrassing. A hero needing to be rescued."
"It's nothing," Saitama said as he kicked away more clones while searching for the others. "To me, you're just people who need help. Hero or not, there's no difference. Besides, you did your best. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Exactly," Mumen Rider agreed.
"I guess you're right," Suiryu nodded thoughtfully.
"Ha, it's rare to hear Saitama say something so philosophical," Glasses said with a laugh.
"Shut up. If you've got your strength back, get down and keep killing monsters."
"No way, my legs are shaking so much I can barely stand."
"Then be quiet."
"..."
The other two who could move freely were Garou and Flashy Flash. The two of them seemed to be in a competition to see who could eliminate more Black Sperms.
"This isn't working! Numbers mean nothing to those three!" Black Sperm sensed his cell count rapidly dwindling and finally reached his breaking point. "I have to become faster and stronger!"
With a single thought, all the Black Sperms retreated like an ebbing tide, gathering in one place.
Unlike previous fusions, this was mutual consumption. The dead cells would not reappear. The resulting Black Sperm would be the ultimate individual, concentrating the power of every single clone.
The black tide receded, replaced by a brilliant shimmer of gold.
Golden Sperm, possessing the power of 35 trillion cells, was born!
He was entirely golden and tall. The sleaziness in his expression had vanished, replaced by an arrogant confidence in his own strength.
Golden Sperm looked at Garou and Flashy Flash, a look of disdain curling his lip. "It's time for this farce to end. I, Golden Sperm, will eliminate the remaining heroes here and become the new Monster King!"
"Hmph. A mere monster thinks he can talk big just because he changed his skin? Don't make me laugh."
Flashy Flash looked back at Golden Sperm, his eyes still full of contempt.
On the other side, Garou was much more direct. He cracked his neck and said, "Don't lump me in with those fragile heroes. If you're hell-bent on seeking death, I don't mind taking you out as an appetizer before I beat that idiot."
With nothing more to say, the three locked eyes and vanished instantly.
A thunderous boom erupted in the air immediately afterward, the aftershock of their initial clash.
…
Saitama rescued all the heroes who had been buried under the tsunami and brought them to Fubuki's side.
"Fubuki, you said earlier to bring the wounded to you, right?"
"This many people are hurt? Saitama, put them down flat on the ground immediately!" Fubuki rushed forward to check. She breathed a sigh of relief upon finding that many were just exhausted.
"Is the battle over there that intense?"
"Yeah. The remaining monster is a real pain. I have to go back and help." As he spoke, Saitama handed Rover, who had been following him, to Fubuki. "I might not be able to look after him for a bit. Watch him for me, and don't let him pee or poop everywhere, okay?"
With that, Saitama turned away, snapped his cape, and ran back the way he came.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Fubuki looked at Rover in her arms, feeling a bit creeped out. She wanted to call Saitama back and refuse, but he didn't hear her. He just kept jogging forward and quickly disappeared from sight.
"That guy... why did he dump this on me?" Fubuki sighed. She looked away to avoid the gaze of Rover's six eyes and set him on the ground. "Go play on your own. I'm busy."
"Woof!" Rover barked once, then obediently sat down nearby, wagging his small tail.
'He really is like a dog. Saitama doesn't actually plan on keeping him, does he?' While Fubuki treated the more seriously injured heroes, she kept an eye on Rover. Seeing that he wasn't causing trouble, she relaxed.
"Whatever, it's none of my business!" Fubuki quickly pushed the matter of Rover to the back of her mind and focused on healing the heroes.
…
'This guy has some skill.'
After a brief warm-up, Flashy Flash's opinion of Golden Sperm had improved significantly. What surprised him even more was that the guy named Garou could actually keep up with his and Golden Sperm's speed, and his punches were even more powerful than the Saitama he had fought before.
'It doesn't matter. I'll be the winner in the end!' A cold light flashed in Flashy Flash's eyes as he shifted his speed up another gear. His sharp fists and feet attacked Golden Sperm and Garou relentlessly.
'That Flashy guy keeps targeting me. Tch, give him an inch and he takes a mile!' Garou stopped holding back as well, utilizing his Monster-Slaying God-Killer Fist to its fullest potential, bringing both of them into his range of attack.
Every move he made carried enough force to shatter mountains.
Golden Sperm's mindset was much simpler: both of them were enemies, so he just had to kill them both.
The battle between the three grew increasingly fierce, moving from the ground into the air. Because they were moving so fast, they left behind trails of light in the sky that looked like a star chart.
"Are they fighting or drawing a picture?" Saitama muttered as he arrived back at the scene.
"They seem to have things under control, though. They don't need my help for now."
Saitama's neck was starting to get tired from looking up, so he simply lay down on the ground. While watching the star chart above, he started narrating the fight.
"Right now, the guy with the horn-hair has the upper hand, so Flashy and the golden monster are teaming up against him. Oh, Flashy ambushed the golden monster! He got a hit in, but the damage was too low; the guy is totally fine. Ah, the 'traitorous' Flashy is now a common target. Wow, that punch to the face looked like it hurt..."
Flashy Flash was hit by a combined strike from Garou and Golden Sperm, falling to the ground like a cannonball and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Saitama quickly stood up and ran over. Squatting by the deep crater, he asked the Flashy Flash lying inside, "Are you okay? Do you need help?"
"Get lost!" Flashy Flash stood up, panting. He said with an annoyed expression, "If I had a sword, I would have cut them both down long ago!"
"Ah, right, right. I noticed you haven't drawn your sword. I thought the sword on your hip was just a decoration," Saitama said.
"How could it be a decoration?!" Flashy Flash roared. Feeling his body recover slightly, he leaped back into the air to rejoin the fray.
"He's still injured, yet he's so dedicated?" Seeing Flashy Flash working so hard, Saitama felt bad for slacking off. He stretched, looked at the sky, and decided to jump in to make it a four-man party.
He dropped into a slight crouch, exerted force through his legs, and shot into the sky like a missile. His target was naturally the near-Monster King, Golden Sperm.
Saitama's entry instantly shattered the stable triangular dynamic.
Sensing Saitama flying toward him, Golden Sperm frowned. He recognized him as the other hero who had seemed troublesome earlier. He thought: 'That Garou guy is a lot tougher than I thought. Taking him down will take a lot of work. Better to let the long-haired hero fight him to a finish while I deal with this baldy in a cape first.'
Golden Sperm smiled and immediately abandoned Flashy Flash and Garou. He dodged Saitama's headbutt and beckoned him over with a finger, laughing loudly. "Baldy, let me test your strength!"
"B-Baldy?!" Saitama glared at Golden Sperm, his anger flaring up. "Open your eyes and look! Where am I bald?! I still have plenty of hair!"
As he spoke, Saitama stepped on the air with a massive boom. He pivoted his body and appeared in front of Golden Sperm in an instant, slamming a heavy punch into his face. "Go reflect on yourself in hell!"
Golden Sperm felt a wave of destructive force explode against his face. His entire head felt like it had been hit by a rocket, and his mind was buzzing. His body fell to the earth like a fallen angel, embedding itself deep into the ground.
'Why does this man have such a terrifying punch?' Golden Sperm lay in the rubble, feeling a deep sense of regret for his earlier taunt. 'If I get another chance, I'll never run my mouth again.'
The next second, a red glove grew larger in his vision, and then his world fell into darkness.
Golden Sperm had fallen. The slayer: the enraged "Caped Guy," Saitama.
Saitama dragged Golden Sperm's corpse and tossed it aside, his anger mostly spent. He shouted to Flashy Flash and Garou, who were still fighting, "Hey! The monster is dead! Stop fighting!"
Either way, they weren't going to kill each other.
Garou was the first to land back on the ground. He glanced at the lifeless Golden Sperm and turned to Saitama. "You killed him?"
"Yep. Who else?"
'He looks totally unremarkable, yet he has such overwhelming power?' Having fought Golden Sperm himself, Garou knew how tough its body was. Even he couldn't have defeated it in such a short time.
After taking a deep look at Saitama, Garou turned to the landing Flashy Flash and said indifferently, "Well? Do you want to keep going?"
"Hmph. I'll let you off this once. You won't be so lucky next time." Without a weapon in hand, Flashy Flash decided to let it go for now.
"Heh. Arrogant prick."
Garou waved his hand, intending to go his separate way from Saitama and the other hero. Just then, a seven-colored light barrier rose in the sky.
But with the appearance of a massive fireball, the seven-colored barrier vanished.
"That guy's aura..." Garou looked up at the sky. A crimson full moon had already appeared there.