The Centipede Sage was truly a figure who had suppressed an entire era; its strength far surpassed that of the Centipede Patriarch. However, under the concerted efforts of Aomori and his six companions, it ultimately could not escape its fate of judgment.
With a final, unwilling shriek, the Centipede Sage perished under Aomori's Nuclear Meteor Fist.
On the other side, Dr. Bofoi's robot army arrived late to the fray, pouring out the ammunition they had stockpiled over the years onto God's physical body. Surprisingly, these conventional weapons proved more effective than the techniques of Saitama and the others. After a round of bombardment, the giant's body was riddled with craters and gouges.
At this point, the physical body was suppressed, and the Sacrifice Light pillar had been significantly diminished by Valkyrie's efforts, leaving only a tenth of its original size. Blast and his team, enduring God's pressure, gradually restored the seal to its former pristine state.
Everything seemed to be heading toward a positive conclusion.
"God, your conspiracy has been thwarted. Return to the moon and grow old in your loneliness," Blast said in a low, firm voice.
"Is that so?" God let out a chuckle. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together. "Come back to me, my flesh!"
A strange ripple bypassed the seal and transmitted directly to Earth. Blast's pupils shrank as he shouted, "God, what are you trying to do?!"
"Break the shackles of fate," God replied.
The ripple reached the physical body in an instant. Suddenly, the originally pitch-black form erupted with dazzling brilliance, its surface swirling with a resplendent nebula like the Milky Way itself. A powerful aura and crushing pressure burst forth, sending the nearby Beast Emperor and the others flying.
The body, which previously could only act on instinct, performed a deliberate action for the first time, matching the soul of God beyond the stars, it folded its hands in prayer. A magnificent voice boomed: "SA-CRI-FICE!"
BOOM!
Before the shocked eyes of the Beast Emperor and his peers, the mountain-like physical body of God transformed into a streak of red light and dove into the Sacrifice Light pillar.
Reinforced by this massive energy, the pillar instantly expanded, radiating a blinding light that repelled the attacking Valkyries, appearing holy and inviolable. Then, the base of the pillar rose, piling upward to bypass Blast and the seal, merging into God's soul and staining it blood-red.
"You don't mean to..." Blast faintly guessed God's plan.
"Blast, we shall officially meet soon. At that time, please do not hesitate to show me your strength." As the words faded, the sacrificial light cocooned God into a giant, glowing red sphere hanging outside Earth, looking like a second moon.
"This is going to be trouble," Blast took a deep breath, his expression grave.
Below, Aomori gazed up at the new satellite in the sky, his heart equally heavy.
…
The subjugation of the Monster Association was largely over. In the eyes of the public, the Hero Association had returned in a landslide victory.
The Monster Cadres on the hit list, with the exception of Overgrown Rover, who had been taken in by Saitama, were all accounted for, falling at the hands of the heroes. The heroes themselves had suffered several major injuries, but no fatalities.
Notably, during the battlefield cleanup, Pig God volunteered to swallow the severely weakened Evil Natural Water, using his immense digestive capabilities to finish it off for good. Meanwhile, Black Sperm, who had hidden a hundred cells in advance, was sniffed out by Darkrai and easily captured.
"Dammit! You were a double agent all along!" Black Sperm shouted as he was held before Aomori by Darkrai's psychic.
Focused on paperwork, Aomori didn't even look up. "Time is precious. I'll give you three seconds to decide: Die with dignity or reform? 1..."
"Don't bother! From now on, I am your loyal lapdog!" Black Sperm said hurriedly. If he hadn't been held by Darkrai, his total lack of integrity would have seen him prostrate on the ground in submission.
"Very well. From now on, you'll work at the Underground Research Lab."
"Research lab? May I ask what my duties will be?"
"Being researched."
"????"
After settling the remaining issues, Aomori straightened his attire and entered the adjacent reception hall to meet the mysterious and busy Blast.
"Hello. We finally meet, Blast."
"Haha, sorry. It's not that I didn't want to show up, I'm just truly too busy," Blast said with a laugh. Unlike Aomori's, his smile was infectious, making one feel as comfortable as a spring breeze.
"I know. You've been busy dealing with that guy called 'God,' right?" Aomori sat down across from him.
"It seems Valkyrie told you a lot." At the mention of God, Blast's smile vanished instantly. He said solemnly, "Yes. I have been fighting God since I first learned of its existence. It is my mission."
"How did you learn about God?"
"By chance, really," Blast recalled. "When I was young, I awakened spatial superpowers, allowing me to travel between different dimensions. Time flows slower in some spaces; I trained there and quickly gained strength far beyond ordinary people. With that power, I began hero activities out of interest. Later, during an operation, I found a black cube in a research facility."
"And that's when you saved Tatsumaki?"
"Oh, you know about that? Did Tatsumaki tell you herself? That's good. She was very resistant to those memories; I was worried her psychological trauma would worsen."
Talking about Tatsumaki, a smile returned to Blast's face. "I saved her shortly after I started being a hero. Back then, she was as fragile as porcelain. Twenty years have passed in a flash, and she's grown into an outstanding hero."
"So why didn't you tell her about God?" Aomori asked the question weighing on his mind. "In terms of strength, she's qualified, isn't she?"
"The reason?" Blast thought for a moment. "Probably because I view Tatsumaki like my own child. What father would send his daughter to such a cruel battlefield? Besides, I'm often away from Earth. Knowing Tatsumaki is here gives me peace of mind; I don't have to worry about the world falling into chaos."
"I see. I understand."
"Anyway, back to the story," Blast continued. "That black cube allowed me my first communication with God."
"I assume the talk didn't go well?"
"Pretty much. Its temptations couldn't shake my will. Later, I searched for every bit of intel regarding God. Until one day, I accidentally entered a dimension God had carved out, the God Realm."
"There, I encountered enemies that gave me a genuine brush with death for the first time. This scar was left then; any deeper and I would have been finished." Blast pointed to a long scar on his forehead.
"Those people... were they Apostles?"
"Yes. They are strong. Extremely strong. I contended with them for over two years and caught a few prisoners; only then did I manage to piece together God's information. After realizing the threat God posed, I felt a sense of duty. I had to stop it. No one else was fit for the task."
"And after that, you started searching for the cubes and like-minded allies."
"Exactly," Blast nodded.
"Coincidentally, I picked up a black cube a while back. Take a look, is this what you're looking for?" Aomori produced the black cube he had kept in storage.
"Oh?" Blast took it and inspected it closely. "It looks like one, but the function to communicate with God is gone. Normally, an ordinary person touching this would trigger immediate spatial distortion, unless they're a spatial user like me. Can I take this back for research?"
"Sure, go ahead. If you find anything, let me know. I'm curious about it too."
"Will do." Blast tore open a rift in space, tossed the cube inside, and sealed it.
What a convenient power. Aomori was slightly envious. Spatial and temporal abilities were always the highest-tier skills; unfortunately, he only knew how to teleport for now.
"My story is finished. Now, let's discuss the most important matter," Blast said with total seriousness. "This time, God's conspiracy was a failure, but also a success."
"Why do you say that?" Aomori looked at him quizzically. "Is it related to that red moon in the sky?"
"Yes," Blast nodded. "We had God cornered, so it went all-in, sacrificing its own physical body as well. With that massive energy, it can reshape its form. When that red moon cracks open, that is when the true God will be born. At that point, the dimensional seal probably won't hold it back. The good news is that it will take a few months to finish its body. Also, the newborn God will be several levels weaker than the original."
"A few months?"
"I don't know exactly how long, but definitely no more than a year."
Less than a year... Aomori's face darkened. He had fewer than twelve dungeon entries left. To defeat God, he couldn't put all his hopes on Saitama; he had to grow strong enough to stand as God's equal.
"Blast, what do you plan to do next?" Aomori asked.
"I will lead my teammates to eliminate the remaining Apostles in the God Realm."
"Do you need our help?"
"No. There are only a few stragglers left. They won't last long; my team is enough. During this time, you should handle all the restless factions on Earth to prevent them from being manipulated by God and causing unnecessary trouble."
"Understood."
…
Blast left. He took one look at the unconscious Tatsumaki and hurried back to the inter-dimensional space. Aomori went to the hospital to visit Tatsumaki, Atomic Samurai, Iaian, and Bang.
At Bang's bedside, he saw Garou.
"I didn't expect you to come visit Bang-sensei."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just worried the old man will kick the bucket and bail on our fight," Garou turned to face Aomori.
"Can you really bring yourself to strike an eighty-year-old man?"
"In martial arts, there is no distinction between gender or age."
"True. Bang-sensei wouldn't mind anyway," Aomori smiled. "So, do you still want to challenge me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Garou suddenly radiated a terrifying aura, a wide grin on his face. "I think about defeating you every waking second!"
"Fine. Let's find a suitable place to spar."
…
In the middle of a desolate wasteland, a massive explosion suddenly erupted. Garou and Aomori turned into phantoms, colliding in mid-air.
Aomori didn't use any flashy powers, relying solely on his martial arts skills. Monster-Slaying God-Killer Fist and Thunder-Light Duality Fist clashed once again after six months. Violent currents of air ravaged the ground repeatedly, kicking all the dust into the sky.
An hour later, Garou lay panting on the ground, his eyes dim. "I lost again..."
"You did well to push me this far." Aomori had used his full strength; his hands were still trembling. "Losing to me proves your idea of becoming 'Absolute Evil' won't work. So, are you going to help me?" Aomori reached out a hand.
Garou's eyes sharpened. He slapped Aomori's hand away and said fiercely, "Even if I lost, it doesn't mean I accept your ideals."
"Among heroes, there are plenty of people who look shiny on the outside but are filthy within. From now on, I'll be watching you. If I see that kind of person, I won't hesitate to act. That's right, if heroes are responsible for judging monsters, I'll be responsible for judging heroes. From this day forth, I am the Hero Hunter!"
Garou stood up, staring Aomori down fearlessly. "If you don't want your precious heroes to become trash that everyone despises, you'd better kill me right now!"
"Why would I kill a free internal investigator?" Aomori shook his head. "You're basically doing me a favor, as long as you make sure the target actually deserves it before you act."
"Hmph, we'll see. I only act on my own whims."
"Is that so? Then every time you hit the wrong person, I'll hit you once."
"..."
…
The day after the mission to attack the Monster Association ended.
Because his home had been caught in the battle and was now a wreck, Saitama had no choice but to set up a tent outside. In the morning, Saitama woke up, yawned, and stretched, but suddenly felt something was off.
"Why does my head feel so... breezy?"
A dark premonition filled his heart. He grabbed a mirror.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The next second, Saitama's piercing scream echoed through the neighborhood, causing Overgrown Rover to bolt upright.
"Dammit! Why am I bald?! Where did all the hair I had yesterday go?!" Looking at the bald man in the mirror, Saitama couldn't help but shed hot tears.
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]