Above the dome, the dark golden beam of light that tore through the galaxy slowly dissipated.
Silence once again descended upon the world.
Starlight once again scattered, illuminating the scarred, ruined earth.
"Heh..."
A soft chuckle broke the deathly silence.
It was Garou.
He, who had hoped to become the absolute evil to reshape the world, was now kneeling blankly amidst the rubble.
Crack... crack... faint sounds of cracking came from his body.
The pair of demon wings that had just grown out now crumbled inch by inch like weathered rock, dissipating into the night wind.
Next was his Monster body, which symbolized "absolute terror."
They were shedding, they were shattering.
Revealing the scarred and emaciated young figure beneath.
Blood trickled down Garou's cheek, dripping onto the dusty ground.
Did it hurt?
Not a single bone in his body was intact, every muscle was spasming.
But he couldn't feel it.
Compared to the physical destruction, the collapse of his spirit caused him greater pain.
Garou raised his trembling hands, looking at his palms slowly returning to a flesh color.
All this time, he had firmly believed that as long as he kept evolving, as long as he became terrifying enough, he could break the boring fairy tale of "justice always wins."
But in that instant just now.
When that beam of light called Purgatory Matchless Exploding Heat Wave Cannon pierced through the sky, Garou understood.
"Ha... haha..."
Garou's throat emitted a dry, hoarse laugh that sounded worse than crying.
What good was technique in the face of that power?
What good was evolution?
What good was resolve?
That kind of power was completely illogical, unreasonable.
If that was the epitome of "justice."
Then "evil" had no chance of winning from the very beginning.
In a trance, the scene in that park from his memory reappeared.
But this time, he couldn't even summon the emotion of anger.
The child playing the "Hero of Justice" kicked him down.
The old him would have felt unwilling, would have wanted to get up and resist.
But now, looking at the figure in the distance gazing up at the starry sky.
He suddenly felt that the outcome of being kicked to the ground was perhaps destined from the start.
"Justice... won..."
Garou lowered his head, muttering to himself.
His tone was no longer hysterical, only the calm of seeing through everything remained.
"No matter how hard I tried, no matter what price I paid."
"Whether it was a human body, or the power of a Monster."
"In front of a true 'Hero,' a Monster is destined to fail."
It was as if this world had a script written out.
No matter how the villain struggled, how they powered up, they would ultimately fall under the light of justice.
And that KING, in this script, represented the absolutely invincible "Incarnation of Justice."
"What an incredibly boring story."
He was tired.
Truly tired.
The "obsession" that had sustained him until now was completely extinguished the moment that dark golden beam of light shone.
Since it was destined to be unchangeable, since this damned fate was so rigid.
Then so be it.
Perhaps putting an end to the life of "Monster Garou" here was also a form of liberation.
Just then.
"Hey."
A flat voice sounded.
Garou's ashen eyes moved slightly, and he laboriously lifted his head.
What met his eyes was that bald head.
Saitama was squatting not far away, still holding a small stone he'd picked up from somewhere, tossing it around.
"You, is that it? Are you done?" Saitama asked, "Not continuing?"
Garou looked at Saitama.
Although it was KING who ended everything just now, he clearly remembered that this bald man in front of him had effortlessly taken on his Monster form and then swatted him to the ground like a fly.
This was also a strong person.
A strong person he similarly couldn't comprehend.
"You..."
Garou opened his mouth, his voice so faint it was almost inaudible.
"Hm? What did you say?"
Saitama dug at his ear, leaning his face closer, "Louder, the explosion was too loud just now, my ears are ringing a bit."
Looking at this utterly simple face, the atmosphere of "tragic martyrdom" in Garou's heart instantly faded considerably, replaced by a strange sense of absurdity.
These two... one was the unfathomably powerful KING.
The other was a seemingly clueless but unfathomably deep bald man.
Was this the top combat power of the Hero Association?
"Kill me."
Garou closed his eyes, his neck slightly tilted upwards, exposing his throat.
"Justice has triumphed over evil, heroes have defeated Monsters."
"Now it's execution time, come on."
"Take my head, go accept the cheers, go enjoy your glory."
"Isn't that the meaning of your existence as heroes?"
However, the anticipated pain did not come.
The surroundings remained silent.
After several seconds, Garou opened his eyes in confusion.
He saw Saitama looking at him with a strange expression, as if he were looking at a fool suffering from chuunibyou.
"Huh? What foolishness are you talking about?"
Saitama said nonchalantly while picking his nose:
"What justice or injustice, if you're done playing, hurry home."
Garou was stunned.
What kind of answer was that?
Not killing him?
"Why?"
Garou's voice trembled, and the nameless anger that had just subsided seemed to show signs of flaring up again.
"I'm a Monster! I'm the 'evil' that hunted countless heroes and brought terror to this world!"
"You won't kill me? Are you pitying me?!"
"I don't need your charity! Do it!!"
He roared, trying to struggle to his feet, trying to force the other party to act.
But the intense pain in his body made him fall back into the dust.
Saitama sighed, stood up, and brushed the dust from his cape.
"I'm not pitying you."
Saitama looked at Garou, his eyes showing a pure frankness.
"It just doesn't seem necessary."
"Besides, 'an eye for an eye' is a bit too much, isn't it?"
This bald man... Garou stared blankly at Saitama.
Different.
Truly different.
"You..."
Garou stared at Saitama, and the question that had always lingered in his mind, troubling him throughout his childhood and even now, suddenly blurted out.
"What exactly should a hero be like?"
"And why exactly are you a hero?"
Is it for justice?
Is it to protect the weak?
Is it for that so-called honor and cheers?
If it's for these hypocritical things, why do your eyes lack that nauseating sense of superiority?
Why, amidst these ruins, do you look at me not at all like you're looking at an incorrigible Monster?
Garou stared intently at Saitama, waiting for the answer.
Saitama was taken aback.
He didn't seem to expect this Monster, who had just been shouting for a fight to the death, to suddenly ask such a philosophical question.
He stopped picking his nose, stood up, brushed the dust from his cape, and looked directly at Garou.
"For what?"
Saitama's tone became more serious than ever before.
"There's no special reason."
He gave Garou a thumbs up, pointing to his own chest.
"I'm a hero for fun."
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