In the early morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a sun ignited out of thin air in a suburban district of City Z.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Orange-red fireballs rose continuously from the ground, accompanied by billowing thick smoke that firmly blotted out the rosy light of the morning sun. High in the sky, dozens of fighter jets and robots were relentlessly raining missiles down upon designated coordinates.
"If all these hundreds of bunker-busters hit their mark, they should be able to destroy everything up to fifty meters deep. However, for enemies lurking deeper than that, we'll need much stronger weaponry." In a temporary command post located in the distance, Child Emperor licked a lollipop while monitoring drone feeds.
Next to him, Metal Knight remarked, "Simple. Just plant a few mushrooms."
"Mushrooms?" Child Emperor was startled. "Using nukes in the city isn't a good idea."
Because the operation had been moved up by a day, he hadn't had the chance to discuss specific details with Dr. Bofoi. He had assumed Bofoi would have better, high-tech non-nuclear alternatives.
"The population has long since been evacuated; what's the problem? Using burrowing robots to carry nuclear warheads deep underground for detonation is enough to cripple the opponent." Metal Knight looked down at Child Emperor and said coldly, "In the pursuit of justice, there is no room for womanly compassion. If a single monster escapes, it will inevitably lead to greater casualties. Child Emperor, do you understand?"
"But if we use nukes, we won't be able to go in and clear out the remaining monsters ourselves..." Child Emperor shook his head in rebuttal. "Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
"I don't need you. My robots are sufficient to sweep away all the monsters."
"Are you sure? If they escape, the guilt will be on your head."
"..." Metal Knight fell silent. Out of scientific rigor, he truly couldn't guarantee 100% success. "But it is the optimal solution."
"Forget it. Let's play it safe and stick to the original plan." Child Emperor stopped paying attention to Metal Knight and decided to activate his own method: "Justice Gundam, move out!"
In the distance, the standby Justice Gundam's eyes glowed a sinister crimson. Blue flames erupted from its back thrusters as it flew over the target area. It deployed its thirty-six cannons and unleashed its entire missile payload, joining the carpet-bombing.
A few minutes later, the fighter jets, having exhausted their ammunition, began their return flight. Metal Knight's robots landed on the ground, preparing to storm the underground base to provide some support.
Child Emperor clattered away at his keyboard before slamming the Enter key. He shouted, "Justice Gundam, activate Drill Mode!"
A massive drill flew in from the distance. The Justice Gundam, also out of ammo, caught it and transformed into the Drill Gundam.
"Kayaba, go! My drill is the drill that will pierce the core of the earth!"
With Child Emperor's shout, Justice Gundam inverted its body. With the drill spinning at high speeds and the thrusters at full power, the entire unit plummeted from the sky, piercing into the red-hot rubble. It cut through the earth as easily as a knife through tofu.
"Done!" With everything going according to his projections, Child Emperor said triumphantly.
"Hmph. You'll regret this." Watching the deep pit from his hidden location, Dr. Bofoi's urge to "plant mushrooms" grew stronger, but after a second thought, he refrained from making that decision alone.
"No, I won't. I'm going over there to help. Goodbye, Dr. Bofoi." Child Emperor packed his laptop into his backpack and walked out of the tent. He was a member of the strike force and needed to get to the front lines immediately.
Metal Knight was left alone in the tent, his thoughts unknown.
…
Having waited outside the bombing perimeter for a long time, Aomori received Child Emperor's message. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"The bombardment unit has finished clearing the area. It's time for our debut." Aomori held his silver staff and pointed forward, announcing, "Strike force, move out! Objective: Total annihilation of the enemy!"
"Yes, sir!"
Representing the peak of human combat power, over twenty individuals charged forward without hesitation. This was a war of survival between humans and monsters!
…
The monsters, caught off guard by the sudden missile strikes, fled frantically into the depths of the underground. Collapsing tunnels buried a vast number of fodder-level monsters beneath the rubble.
"How? How did the Hero Association find our hiding spot?!" Listening to the ceaseless explosions above and feeling the earth tremble, Gyoro Gyoro said with suppressed rage. "And it happened exactly one day before we were set to begin our move."
Gyoro Gyoro suspected a traitor among them. However, there was no time to investigate. The priority was to deal with the Hero Association.
"Fine. We'll settle this right here." Gyoro Gyoro swept a hand out, projecting psychic energy throughout the base. "All hands, prepare! Kill every human who enters the base!"
"The day has finally come." Unlike the panicked fodder, the Executives felt a long-absent surge of excitement.
"Hunting season... has begun!"
…
"Honestly, this is way too deep."
The members of the strike force stood at the edge of the hole drilled by Justice Gundam. Looking into the pitch-black abyss, some felt their skin crawl.
"Hmph. Cowards should just stay here. You won't be of any use anyway." Leaving those words behind, Tatsumaki took the lead and flew down.
"Must be nice to be able to fly. That brat is so rude." Saitama stared blankly into the deep hole. "How am I supposed to get down?"
As a pure human, he couldn't fly. Fortunately, Aomori solved the problem for him. Using his psychokinesis, Aomori levitated the group, slowly drifting down the hole. He even thoughtfully emitted a Holy Light to provide illumination.
"Chairman Aomori really is amazing! Not only can he make others fly, he can glow on his own. He must save a fortune on electricity every night," Saitama noted seriously.
"That's hardly the point," Glasses said, exasperated. Looking at the layers of the earth, he could see remnants of man-made tunnels, but they were currently blocked by fallen rocks.
It wasn't until they reached a depth of over a hundred meters that they found relatively intact tunnels. Using what he saw through his Mind's Eye, Aomori dropped people off at their respective paths.
Saitama was separated from the group and dropped into a specific tunnel by Aomori. Staring at the murky, dark walkway ahead, Saitama swallowed, rubbed his head, and began walking in.
"I wonder what kind of monsters I'll run into?"
After a few minutes, the sound of noisy footsteps echoed from ahead. Saitama perked up. "Finally!"
He sped up. His eyes, long since adjusted to the dark, predictably spotted three running monsters. Curiously, they were looking back as they ran and didn't notice him.
"Die!" As a battle-hardened veteran, Saitama didn't miss the opening. He lunged forward and threw three punches in rapid succession, instantly reducing the three monsters to dust.
"Huh. I feel like my punches got stronger again. Killing monsters is getting easier and easier." Saitama shook his arm, a sense of emptiness rising in his heart. "Can't I get a slightly stronger enemy?"
As soon as he spoke, a massive ball of light appeared ahead, illuminating Saitama's shocked face. "I was just speaking figuratively!"
In the next second, a spiral of light blasted toward Saitama, filling the entire tunnel with scorching radiation. Without a thought, Saitama dove to the ground. A massive explosion roared behind him, and a powerful shockwave sent him tumbling.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Saitama rubbed his dizzy head as he sat up from the rock pile. "What the hell was that? A laser cannon?"
As he rubbed his head, a texture different from usual made his expression turn grim. "I didn't have much hair to begin with, and you dared... Whoever you are, you're dead!"
With a dark expression, Saitama stood up. His eyes, filled with killing intent, glared ahead. Standing there was a massive black dog the size of a building.
…
Tatsumaki followed the tunnel dug by Justice Gundam all the way down. Suddenly, the view opened up into a vast space. The air was thick with dry heat. Tatsumaki raised an eyebrow at the gargantuan monster before her.
It stood atop churning, high-temperature lava, treading upon the wreckage of the Justice Gundam. The frame had been mostly melted away, leaving only the massive drill standing defiantly.
"Based on your looks, you must be that so-called Monster King, Orochi. Looks like I came to the right place." Tatsumaki slowly reached out her small hand, a wide smile on her face. "Now then, please be a dear and die."
"The one who will die is you, human!" Orochi brandished his hideous tentacles, lashing out to ensnare Tatsumaki.
…
Elsewhere, the members of the Hero Association were running into their respective opponents.
Bang looked at the hulking figure of Goketsu before him, his expression solemn. "Are you truly Goketsu?"
As fellow martial artists, the two had crossed paths before. When he saw the files provided by Aomori, he hadn't wanted to believe that the young man with such a sincere heart for martial arts would discard his humanity to become a lackey for monsters.
"Bang, it's been a long time," Goketsu said in a booming voice. "There's no need to bring up the past. Now, I am Goketsu, an Executive of the Monster Association. After becoming a monster, I realized that humans have limits; they can never push martial arts to the absolute peak. I have zero regrets about becoming a monster!"
"Sigh. In that case, don't blame me for not holding back." Bang took off his shirt, straightened his back, and assumed the starting stance of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. "Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, Bang. Let us begin!"
"Suits me. I won't show you any mercy either. Let your blood forge the glory of my Monster Technique: Great Destruction Fist!"
"Hah!" Goketsu took two massive strides, appearing before Bang in the blink of an eye. His thick arms bulged with rock-like muscle as he swung a fist toward Bang's face.
Before the fist even arrived, a gale of pressure struck first. Bang's expression didn't flicker. His withered, bark-like skin pulled taut as his gaze focused on the magnifying fist.
I see it. Right there!
His arm shot out like a high-pressure jet, precisely striking Goketsu's wrist to parry the punch. His body then swayed forward, and his other fist slammed solidly into Goketsu's shin with a dull thump. The force of the punch rippled through Goketsu's entire body from the point of contact.
However, Gouketsu seemed unfazed, a cruel sneer curling his lips.
Bang's pupils constricted. He kicked off the ground and flipped backward. A fist larger than a human brushed past him and smashed into the ground. The earth shattered like brittle foam into tiny pebbles that flew in all directions.
Bang raised his arms to protect his face, blocking many of the flying rocks, but other parts of his body were struck.
Terrifying power. After landing, Bang looked at the crater, his expression grave. If that punch lands, broken bones will be the least of my worries.
"How is it? This is my power after becoming a monster." Goketsu clenched his fists and said coldly, "Furthermore, my physical durability is beyond your imagination. That punch just now was like an itch. But if I land even one hit on you, you're finished."
"I can fail a thousand times, but you cannot fail once. Bang, do you understand the gap between us now?"
"Ah, I understand. In other words, as long as I don't let you hit me, it's fine, right?" Bang cracked his neck. "It seems I need to get serious too."
Bang assumed his stance again, but this time, his breathing became more rapid and rhythmic.
I wanted to save this chance for an all-out fight for that boy, Garou. But if I don't use it now, I might not get another chance. If Garou remains unrepentant, I'll leave him to Aomori.
He cleared all distractions from his mind, leaving only pure battle intent. Facing this man who desecrated martial arts, Bang was determined to defeat him personally.
"Come! Fight!"
Bang's eyes widened. He stomped, shattering the ground beneath him as he lunged toward Goketsu like a cannonball.
"You're just an old man. Your era is over; this is my era!" Gouketsu roared, throwing a massive punch. "Then let's fight!"
Their fists crossed, generating unparalleled impact. Their clash turned the area into the eye of a storm, the sound of their battle a continuous roar.
This old man... why are his punches getting stronger? How does that scrawny body hold such power?! Under Bang's torrential assault, Goketsu had become a massive punching bag.
Damn it! I just need to land one hit! Just let me hit him once! The more Goketsu fought, the more his heart sank into despair. In that turbulent river of strikes, he couldn't touch Bang a single time.
"I won't accept this!" Goketsu brought both hands together, slamming them down toward Bang like a sledgehammer.
Amidst the flying debris, Bang stepped onto Goketsu's body and jumped up to his head. His small but beautifully powerful fist slammed mercilessly into the center of Goketsu's brow.
The sound of a cracking egg echoed. Goketsu's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his head drooping limply.
"Cough, cough, cough." Upon landing, Bang couldn't hold back and coughed up a mouthful of blood. "I really am old. If I were ten years younger..."
Defeating Goketsu wouldn't have been this exhausting.
"You were right. My era is over, but it isn't yours either."
Bang staggered to his feet. He picked up his discarded shirt and draped it over Goketsu's head.
"Rest in peace."
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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]