"Hey, hey, hey! I don't even know you, stop framing me!"
Saitama couldn't open his mouth to speak, so he could only resort to frantic facial contortions, trying to signal the God with his eyes.
"How can I be defeated by someone like you!" God suddenly reached out toward Saitama, causing the space behind him to warp.
A black hole abruptly manifested, swallowing Saitama whole before snapping shut. Throughout the entire process, Aomori stood by with his hands folded, silently watching the drama unfold.
"Why didn't you stop me? With your abilities, you could have easily saved him before the black hole took him," God said, turning its gaze toward Aomori.
"You were already prepared to snipe me the moment I moved. I'm not blind; why would I fall for such an obvious trap?" Aomori said with a smile. "Besides, Saitama's mission is already complete. Forcefully manifesting a physical body must have drained quite a bit of your energy, while I am still in peak condition. As one wanes and the other waxes, the advantage is clearly mine."
The two conversed through telepathic intent.
"It's only been a few months, yet your confidence has soared," God said, staring at Aomori. "I'll say it again: there is no deep-seated hatred between us. Why must we fight to the death? You don't have a guaranteed path to victory either."
"Because the paths we've chosen are different. After all, I am a hero."
"A hero? What a joke! You can fool others, but you can't fool me. We are the same kind of being! They are merely passing travelers in your long journey. You are destined not to belong here, are you really going to risk your life for them?! Cooperate with me. Rule this world by my side, and I will help you become stronger! That is your true goal, isn't it?"
"Don't you understand yet? You are a destined loser. Why would I stand on your side to do thankless work, only to be backstabbed by you later?" Aomori looked at the entity as if pitying a fool. "Even an idiot knows to stand with the winner. Just accept your fate, God."
"Fate... Based on what? Why should I accept such a fate?!" As if his words had struck a nerve, God screamed out in agitation. Surging waves of intent fluctuated violently in Aomori's mind, causing him to knit his brows.
"From childhood, I was exceptionally gifted, called a genius seen once in a hundred million years. By my teens, my clansmen worshipped me as a deity, never daring to disobey a single command."
Suppressing its emotions, it began to recount the past: "But within two years, I grew tired of such a boring life. I turned my gaze to the sea of stars. I took all my subjects into my God Domain and left with them, devouring my home planet until nothing remained. War, enslavement, consumption… I wandered the stars, a voice in my heart driving me to find something. Yet I didn't know what it was."
"Until one day, you saw Earth?"
"Exactly. I arrived at Earth, sensing that what I sought was there. But it wasn't until after I was sealed, through fragmented memories of another self surfacing in my mind, that I realized I had already failed on Earth time and time again. This is the fate that imprisons me..."
God's tone gradually escalated: "That bald man... it's as if a true god resides within his body. No matter how I struggle, he defeats me with inconceivable power. Therefore, with a variable like you existing, this time might be the only chance of my life. No one shall stop me!"
"Sorry, let me interrupt for a second," Aomori said, raising a hand. "Since you know you can't win, why not try turning over a new leaf? As long as you keep quiet and stay in the background, knowing Saitama's personality, he wouldn't actively go looking for trouble with you."
"..." God fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Are you joking? I am the God of Ten Thousand Races. You want me to tuck my tail and beg for an enemy's mercy? You might as well kill me."
"Nature is hard to change, I see. No wonder you can't escape this fate," Aomori said pointedly. "Have you ever considered that your personality and your thoughts are the very culprits leading you down this predetermined path?"
"This..." God fell into deep thought. After a long while, it looked up. "There's no need for your silver-tongued tricks. If I changed myself as you suggest, then I wouldn't be 'me' anymore."
"I am the God who stands above all living beings! I will never bow to anyone! Only you, a powerhouse from another world, are qualified to stand as my equal."
"I'm flattered, but we are not the same," Aomori said calmly. "Come. Let's fight. I'll try to make sure you go out with some dignity."
"If it's a fight you want, then a fight you shall have!" With the final word, God suddenly swung a fist at Aomori, blasting out a blinding wave of light.
Aomori was prepared and blinked away, but God acted as if it had predicted his position, launching an attack at his destination beforehand. "Trying to use spatial movement in front of me? You're still too green."
Left with no choice, Aomori met the attack head-on. A purple glow ignited on his right arm, shooting out like a bolt of lightning. Like a solid rock amidst a giant wave, he split the incoming light wave in two, sending the energy harmlessly to either side.
In the airless void of outer space, their collision was silent, but the confrontation was more perilous than ever before.
After completely breaking the offensive, Aomori's expression suddenly shifted. He looked at his right hand, which was now covered in bulging pustules.
"This is a technique I realized while wandering the stars, incorporating the omnipresent cosmic rays into my own attacks. Even if you block the strike, the radiation will still affect you," God explained helpfully.
"A decent skill. I suppose you had a hand in the monster outbreaks as well. Too bad it's useless against me." A white light glowed on Aomori's hand, completely purging the diseased cells. He returned to normal almost instantly.
"Is that so?" God seemed to chuckle. "You don't think I said all that just to win your sympathy, do you? You've been in outer space for half an hour. How much longer can you hold your breath, human?"
"Unlike your kind, I don't have such lowly settings as needing to breathe. I can survive comfortably here. I am the God of the Universe! I only need to stall for time to win this battle." God had somehow moved to put his back to Earth, subtly blocking Aomori's path back.
"Don't even think about using spatial movement to escape. I've already mastered the weakness of your technique; you cannot move in places where space is unstable. Creating spatial fluctuations is child's play for me."
Aomori sensed the distorted space around him and knew God wasn't lying. However, his expression remained unchanged, as calm as ever, leaving God somewhat uncertain.
"You don't actually think I'm just an ordinary human, do you? If I didn't have a way to win, why would I come looking for you?"
"Even if you can survive in space, it doesn't matter. I'll simply exile you beyond the solar system, letting you exhaust your lifespan before you can ever return to Earth." God spread its hands, condensing a violent orb of high-energy particles in front of its chest. It grew from the size of a billiard ball to the size of a house.
"Begone to the ends of the universe! High-Energy Particle Cannon!"
An energy beam, seemingly from a supernova explosion, erupted, illuminating the dim void. People on Earth could clearly see a bright speck of light in the sky. Aomori, locked by the skill, was instantly submerged in the violent cosmic rays.
But before God could celebrate, the smile froze on its face. It clearly saw a "sun" being born within the beam, moving rapidly forward against the torrent of high-energy particles.
In the blink of an eye, a fist glowing with a dazzling golden light emerged from the flood, slamming heavily into God's face. A force akin to a meteor strike rippled through its body, blasting it toward Earth.
In the moment it was sent flying, God caught a glimpse of Aomori's current form.
He was encased in a set of golden armor, radiating a sun-like brilliance, his eyes filled with intense battle intent. This golden armor was the divine artifact he had just acquired—Leo Gold Cloth (Gold) from Saint Seiya.
With the buff of the Gold Cloth, every casual punch Aomori threw carried the power of a nuclear explosion. Combined with his self-taught Trinity Mode, it would be even more terrifying.
He glanced at the falling God and transformed into a golden blur, appearing directly in front of it. His fists rained down like points of light.
"Seventh Sense: Leo Light Speed Fist!"
Massive fireballs erupted in the sky. The two entangled figures frictionally heated the atmosphere, falling toward Earth like a twin-star meteor.
God, feeling as though it was being burned by the sun, was dazed by Aomori's light-speed punches. It took a moment to regain its senses and notice the gravity acting on its body. It sent its confusion as a mental message to Aomori: "Are you crazy?! If we fight on Earth, the aftershocks alone will tear the planet apart!"
Before getting what it wanted, it didn't want to enter a new cycle like this. If Earth were destroyed, that man would turn into a demon and destroy everything, including God.
"Who said I was going to fight on Earth?" Aomori didn't stop his assault; instead, he increased his power.
"?"
In just a few seconds, the two slammed into the ground. But the ground wasn't soil, it was a massive black portal. After falling into the portal, God sensed the familiar fluctuations of spatial transfer.
Then, they exited the portal, crashing heavily into the ground and kicking up a colossal amount of dust.
"Get up!" God erupted with a powerful aura, forcefully throwing Aomori back.
It stood up from the impact crater and looked at the unfamiliar terrain and the crowd surrounding it. It nodded in realization. "So, you intended to send me here from the very beginning."
"Exactly. I saw this future clearly," Aomori said. "You were too focused on Saitama and neglected Blast, who has been fighting you all along."
Aomori wasn't a conservative who only cared about individual heroism. Naturally, he had coordinated with Blast beforehand, formulating this battle plan based on Absol's ability to predict the future.
"God, this is the graveyard I specifically chose for you." Blast, who had been waiting here with his team for a long time, stared at God with a solemn expression. "I have already locked down this dimension. There is no escape. Prepare to die. Our struggle of so many years ends here, in this interdimensional space."
"That's right!"
"We will never forgive you, God!"
The members of Blast's team declared war on God one after another.
"And me!" Saitama raised a hand while sniffing. "You actually dumped me in Antarctica! I almost froze to death. I haven't had a cold in forever. I'm not letting you off easy either."
With Absol's help, Blast had gone to Antarctica and rescued Saitama.
Antarctica? I should have thrown him into the depths of outer space. That freak! God cursed inwardly. Its gaze swept over Blast and the others before settling on Aomori. "Calling in this cannon fodder to die? You really are cold-blooded."
"Stop trying to sow discord. We heroes are willing to sacrifice ourselves to save humanity." Aomori released all his pets. "Get ready to accept our righteous gang-up."
"Indeed. We are prepared to make the sacrifice," Blast responded.
"Hmph, you think you've already won?" God roared. "Who do you think you're facing? I am God!"
With that, it charged toward Aomori. "I'll at least kill you first!"
"Absol, Bond Evolution!" With the luck bonus from Absol, Aomori charged forward without fear.
The two collided violently. The shockwave of their clashing fists forced Blast and the others to retreat repeatedly.
"Terrifying... these two..."
"When did he become so strong?" Beast Emperor couldn't believe his eyes.
"Interesting. I'll help too." Saitama's eyes lit up as he became truly serious. "This is a battle that gets the blood pumping!"
He gave a light leap and plunged into the center of the storm. With Saitama's entry, the equilibrium shattered instantly. God was immediately subjected to a combined beatdown from Aomori and Saitama.
"Damn it! Damn it! All of you, go to hell!"
God unleashed its full power, repelling Aomori and Saitama. Its entire body radiated a blinding light, like a star.
"Taste the strongest attack in the universe! Gamma-Ray Burst!"
In that instant, the world seemed to be filled with blinding light. Blast and the others' hearts skipped a beat as they immediately unleashed their strongest skills.
Facing this move, Aomori held nothing back. He gathered all his essence, energy, and spirit, transforming into a massive golden dragon. He charged directly into the powerful radiation, which was comparable to a stellar explosion.
Saitama followed the path carved out by Aomori, arriving in front of God. He clenched his fist, his eyes filled with unprecedented seriousness and determination.
"Full… Poweeer... Puuunch!!!"
BOOM!
"I... refuse... to accept this!" In a final cry, the once-unrivaled God turned to ash.
Under a single punch, all beings are equal.
Aomori's eyes overflowed with purple light as he quickly entered his True Sight and saw the remaining orb representing God's essence.
"No, stop!" An intent emanated from it.
"I never forget to finish the job."
His hand fell. After confirming that God's existence had completely vanished, Aomori returned to reality.
"Chairman, what should I do? It'll be hard to find another battle that gets my blood pumping like this, right?" Saitama's tone was filled with endless sighs.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm around, you won't be lonely."
"I guess you're right."
"When we get back, I plan to promote you to S-Class."
"Eh?"
"Your hero name needs a change too. I've already thought of one…"
"One Punch Man!"
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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]