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Chapter 298 - The Choice of Steins;Gate

Above the clouds, two dark silhouettes blurred as they clashed.

The Freedom Gundam, sword in one hand and shield in the other, maintained a perfect balance of offense and defense, leaving the giant Black Sperm with no opening to exploit. Its plasma beam saber was particularly lethal; unarmed and unable to parry such high-temperature strikes, the monster was forced to rely on constant movement to find an opportunity.

"You're actually pretty strong," the giant Black Sperm taunted as it zipped around, trying to distract King. "You're holding your own against me even while piloting a robot that moves like a snail."

It was overestimating its own influence. When King, the God of Games, was in the zone, he was not someone who could be distracted by mere chatter. "In games, a fast assassin is destined to lose against a warrior with balanced offense and defense."

"Hehe, your analogy is flawed. I'm no assassin," the giant Black Sperm laughed. "In terms of defense and HP, you don't even come close to me."

"That is the only reason you are still alive."

"Hmph. That self-assured tone is truly loathsome." The giant Black Sperm's expression darkened. "What is your name?"

"King."

"King? Fine, I'll remember that. Of all the people I've met, I'd call you the most talented! Therefore, I must defeat you and add you to my trophy collection!"

With that, the giant Black Sperm beat its wings violently, its body becoming a phantom as it charged straight at the Freedom Gundam.

"Going for a frontal assault?" King's expression turned solemn. He didn't stand his ground like a fool; instead, he maneuvered the Freedom Gundam into a rapid retreat.

As he backed away, he fired a continuous stream of missiles at the oncoming giant. The monster twisted and turned mid-air, dodging every single projectile, but its forward momentum was inevitably slowed.

By the time it reached the Freedom Gundam, King could see its form clearly. With a flick of the controls, he swung the beam saber in a rising diagonal slash.

The giant Black Sperm didn't dodge. It reached out both hands to strike the Gundam. It was willing to trade a wound for a hit!

The blade flashed. An entire arm and a small portion of the monster's torso were sliced away, but its other fist slammed solidly into the Gundam's shield.

BOOM!

The massive force traveled through the shield into the Gundam's arm, causing electrical arcs to spray. Using the recoil, the Freedom Gundam drifted back and fired more missiles to widen the gap.

However, the giant Black Sperm refused to give him space. The severed wound writhed and instantly regenerated a new arm, which lunged out to grab the Gundam. Simultaneously, the chunk of flesh that had been cut off transformed into a smaller Black Sperm; it sprouted wings and looped around to attack from the rear.

In this moment of crisis, King slammed the throttle to the max. The machine surged upward, narrowly escaping the pincer maneuver.

"Tch! He still got away?" the giant Black Sperm cursed. It called out to its smaller clone, and the two pursued King from left and right.

The Freedom Gundam discarded its shield and drew the beam rifle holstered at its hip, pulling the trigger. At the same time, every missile pod opened, unleashing a full salvo.

"Holy—!" The monster hadn't expected such overwhelming firepower. Unable to brake in time, it crashed headlong into the storm of fire.

A series of explosions rocked the sky, creating a massive fireball. When the smoke cleared, the smaller clone was gone, vaporized in the blast. The giant Black Sperm was riddled with gaps, and its wings were smoking. It glared at the Freedom Gundam, possessed by a primal urge to tear the machine into scrap and swallow King whole.

"I am beyond pissed!"

"Hehe. Like I said, don't talk big too early," King chuckled. "Well? Do you want to keep going?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?!" The giant Black Sperm's body slowly knit itself back together. It hissed venomously, "You're almost out of ammo, aren't you? You can't win with just that broken sword. I'll be the last one standing!"

"Who knows? Here's your chance, come and get me."

"This..." The monster hesitated, wondering if King was just bluffing. "Tch, what am I afraid of? Even if I lose these trillion cells, I'm taking your life right here!"

It rallied its strength, preparing to engage King once more.

Suddenly, a massive pillar of light shot up from below, grazing the monster's body and instantly flaying a layer of its skin.

"Dammit! Who fired that map-wiper?!" the giant Black Sperm screamed. It felt like the world was out to get it. Before it could recover from the random strike, the Freedom Gundam lunged forward and locked it in a tight bear hug.

King's voice drifted into the monster's ears: "You guessed right. I really am out of ammo. So, the only thing left is to take you with me. See you never."

"Wa-wait! Don't be impulsive!"

Ignoring the monster's terrified screams, King pressed the self-destruct button and immediately triggered the emergency ejection system.

BOOM!

A second sun rose in the sky.

On the ground, Child Emperor sensed something and looked up at the massive fireball. Startled, he checked his comms; the Freedom Gundam's icon had gone dark.

"King..." Child Emperor gritted his teeth and dialed King's mobile. "Pick up, King! Pick up!"

After several rings, the call connected. King's voice came through, sounding shaken: "That was terrifying... Why did I think taking it with me was a good idea? What if I actually died?"

"Pfft!" Child Emperor relaxed and laughed. "As long as you're okay. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Um... about the Freedom Gundam being totaled... I won't be held liable for that, right?"

"What do you think?" Child Emperor teased. "Do you have any idea how long it takes me to build a Gundam? You better get ready to work off that debt!"

"What?!!"

A refreshed Child Emperor hung up the phone and looked at the mass of Black Sperm clones below. "Looks like your trillion cells failed."

"So what?" Black Sperm snapped. "I still have 35 trillion cells left! You're a long way from beating me!"

"Hehe." Child Emperor was about to mock him when the ground shook violently once more. The tremors grew increasingly intense.

Sensing something was wrong, Child Emperor scooped up Genos and the other two and took to the sky. The ground cracked and began to heave upward. Moments later, a massive chunk of the earth, floating thousands of meters in the air, loomed before them.

Child Emperor's jaw dropped. "This is unscientific!"

Whether it was scientific or not, it was happening. Even a monster like Orochi was stunned by Tatsumaki's display of power. "You lunatic!"

"Oh? Are you scared now? Too late." Tatsumaki glanced toward Aomori and said, "Get lost, all of you. I'll send everyone else out too."

"Looks like your sister hasn't completely lost it. Let's leave so she can cut loose." Aomori grabbed the two women and flashed to a safe zone below.

"Teacher, why didn't you stop my sister's nonsense?" Fubuki puffed out her cheeks, sounding a bit jealous. "You're spoiling her too much."

"If you had that kind of power, I'd let you run wild too. That's a privilege of the strong," Aomori said, patting her head.

"Hmph. I'll defeat her eventually!" Fubuki balled her fists, cheering herself on. Nearby, Psykos watched their interaction, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

In the original magma chamber, Tatsumaki raised her arms. Her immense psychic energy swept over the floating island like a storm, locating every human and wrapping them in psychic barriers.

Saitama, Flashy Flash, and Overgrown Rover were caught in the pull. The captured Iaian and Atomic Samurai were likewise covered in protective shields. Any monsters found were simply crushed out of hand. Only No. 17 managed to evade the scan by suppressing his aura and transforming into a rock.

Then, with a smirk, Tatsumaki flicked her arm. The floating island was shaken apart, and everyone wrapped in psychic barriers was launched out like cannonballs, landing near Aomori.

"There. All the nuisances are gone." Tatsumaki looked at Orochi and sneered. "Now, do you want me to drag you out, or are you coming out yourself?"

"Don't think you've won yet!" Orochi emerged from the cooling magma, his body drastically altered. During the time Tatsumaki was preparing her move, he hadn't been idle; he had retracted all his tentacles and compressed his body into a high-density form as hard as diamond.

He now stood only three meters tall, covered in a thick, black chitinous shell with a pair of large wings on his back.

"Hoh, another new look? Your taste is as terrible as ever," Tatsumaki said, crossing her arms. Since Orochi had come out voluntarily, she no longer needed to maintain the massive floating landmass and released her hold. The debris, which had been airborne for less than ten minutes, came crashing back down.

"I evolved this form specifically to deal with you. I hope you're still smiling in a moment."

"Hmph. Big words."

Amidst the falling rocks, a new round of battle between Tatsumaki and Orochi began.

"What is actually going on?" Saitama was still looking around, completely confused. One moment he was fighting Flashy Flash, then an earthquake hit, and suddenly he was yanked into the air and tossed here.

"Hey! Caped Guy over there! Group up!" Puri-Puri Prisoner called out.

"Caped Guy? Is he calling me? I guess that name works." Tucking Rover under his arm, Saitama jogged toward Puri-Puri Prisoner.

There, he saw many familiar faces. More importantly, Chairman Aomori was there too.

Just then, a voice called from above: "Hey, Saitama!"

"Who's that?" Saitama looked up, his eyes widening.

Glasses and Mumen Rider were descending from the sky, carrying a cool-looking Gundam. Saitama felt a surge of envy. "Ah! Why do you guys get a Gundam?!"

"Hehe, I knew Saitama would be jealous," Glasses laughed.

"It was a mission assigned by Chairman Aomori," Mumen Rider added with a smile.

"Dammit, I want a mission like that too," Saitama sighed.

"By the way, where did that dog come from?" Glasses looked at the six-eyed Rover, feeling a sense of unease. "That's a monster, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It was a big doggie before, but it turned into this after I took it down," Saitama said, holding Rover out to them. "Look closely, it's actually pretty cute."

"Cute, my foot!"

With everyone gathered, Aomori took stock. Aside from Atomic Samurai and Iaian being seriously injured, and Silver Fang still being unconscious, everyone's spirits were high. Most importantly, not a single hero had been lost.

Aomori cleared his throat and gave a brief summary of the situation. "Darkshine and Tanktop Master, escort the wounded to the hospital. Everyone else, stay here to clean up the remaining monsters. We have a massive advantage, but don't get careless. Until final victory is achieved, anything can happen."

"Understood!"

Just then, Garou appeared, looking cold. "Tch. Aomori, you're as annoying as ever."

His arrogant words drew hostile glares from the heroes.

"Garou, you finally showed up." Aomori smiled. "I know you want another round with me, but I'm busy right now. We'll talk once this is settled."

"Who cares about you? I came here to punch a guy calling himself 'God,'" Garou said. "He was making too much noise while I was trying to sleep. He messed with me and then ran, no way I'm letting that slide."

"Oh? Then we have a common enemy. Want to team up?"

"Hmph. Who'd team up with you? I can handle it myself." With his hands in his pockets, he walked away.

"Who is that guy? How bizarre," Flashy Flash remarked, annoyed.

"Don't worry about him. Just focus on our tasks." Aomori shook his head. It seemed Garou was diving deeper into his chuunibyou phase. He seemed to have given up on being a "Monster," but it was unclear if he had found a new goal. As long as he didn't start causing trouble for the heroes, Aomori didn't mind.

At that moment, the floating island in the sky began to disintegrate, its fragments raining down.

Aomori looked up at the sky. "It's my turn to step onto the stage."

He flashed into mid-air and released Absol. Patting its head, he said, "Let's see if that Luck-Luck Fruit is truly as miraculous as they say."

"Go, Absol! Use Night Slash on the falling debris at random!"

"Sol!"

Absol leaped across the falling stones and swung its head, releasing dozens of air blades at a plain-looking fragment.

Following a loud explosion, the smoke cleared to reveal No. 17. He looked grim as he asked, "My disguise should have been flawless. How did you find me?"

"It was the choice of Steins;Gate," Aomori said with a slight smile.

When Tatsumaki uprooted such a massive area, Aomori suspected No. 17 might be caught in it. He decided to test Absol's Luck-Luck Fruit ability. As it turned out, luck was on his side, he hit the jackpot on the first try.

Even if he hadn't found him, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have simply ground Orochi into dust, leaving the Apostle as a commander without an army. No matter how much he struggled, it would be futile.

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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]

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