After Fujimaru said goodbye to the humanoid Tiamat.
The underworld began to collapse; huge stones rained down as Merlin's petals wrapped everyone and soared skyward.
At last the earth closed, leaving only Fujimaru and Mash lying upon it while warm sunlight bathed them.
But by now they had both fallen asleep, as though the battle had drained every last ounce of their strength; they could hold out no longer.
It was then that the screen faded to black—No.3, "Uruk Endures," was over.
Seeing this, the onlookers quietly exhaled in relief.
One-Punch Man World.
"Finally done. Felt like forever," Genos sighed.
"It really did. Felt like watching a whole movie—humans, kings, goddesses, even a creator deity."
Saitama echoed the sentiment, then glanced at Genos. "Which part impressed you the most?"
The question was rare coming from Saitama. Genos thought for a moment and answered seriously, "When Ishtar first unleashed her Noble Phantasm."
Nothing afterward had matched the impact of that moment for him.
Though Ishtar might have been the weakest of the lot—she basically did nothing besides clear mooks once she'd fired her trump card.
Still, it looked awesome! Genos couldn't help fantasizing about creating a "light cannon" on that scale himself.
Even if the damage were low, the visual alone would be worth it.
"Oh, that." Saitama clearly remembered the shock of seeing Venus brought to bear.
Using a planet as a weapon was mind-blowing.
"What about you, sensei?" Knowing Saitama's nature, Genos asked first; if the teacher brought it up, he already had an answer.
After a pause Saitama declared, "That old guy with the skull mask was cool—his slash was super-cool."
"The strike that abandoned the grand order?" Genos nodded; he'd expected that choice.
Compared to flashy Noble Phantasms, his teacher valued raw power.
King Hassan's renunciation of his grand order and that single slash had given Fujimaru's side the hope they needed to beat Goddess Tiamat.
Without it, no amount of Noble Phantasms could have finished her.
Thanks to Merlin's nonstop commentary and the Chaldea staff, Genos and Saitama understood part of the Type-Moon rules and the weight of that act.
"Man, I'm hyped," Saitama said, eyes on the multiverse projection. "Who's the next powerhouse they'll show?"
"I'm looking forward to it too, sensei." Genos had a hunch: the next two countdowns would feature his teacher for sure!
Naruto World, Akatsuki Organization.
"So the mighty Tiamat was wiped out just like that? That serious Gilgamesh was something else," Deidara mused with a grin.
"Imagine how he'd react if he saw his No.8 self—he'd probably strangle himself! Hahahahaha!"
Deidara answered his own joke, greatly amused.
No one else responded; they already had a fair gauge of Gilgamesh's strength.
His poor showing in No.8 had been pure arrogance; once serious, the performance at the end of No.3 was exactly what you'd expect.
"Poor Tiamat," Black Zetsu spoke up in his eerie voice.
"She created the world, loved her children, yet was betrayed and destroyed."
Of all the scenes, what struck Black Zetsu hardest wasn't Ishtar summoning a planet or King Hassan's entrance, nor Mash and Merlin's twin Noble Phantasms, or even Gilgamesh's own.
It was Tiamat's pure love for her children.
Though a schemer himself, Black Zetsu could be called the top filial son of the ninja world—he'd schemed for ages to free his mother.
Seeing Tiamat love her children unconditionally, only to be betrayed, and then beg Fujimaru, "Don't go, don't leave me, and please—don't love me anymore."
She wanted them to stay yet wished they'd stop loving her so they wouldn't suffer.
That reminded Black Zetsu of his two "elder brothers," and his already-black face darkened further.
He understood Tiamat's heart; his mother must have felt the same when those two betrayed her.
"Yeah, so pitiful," White Zetsu echoed dim-wittedly.
Uchiha Itachi said nothing, eyes closed in thought.
Sasori likewise fell silent.
Pain glanced at Black Zetsu but remained quiet.
"Pitiful? She was a threat—like a tailed beast, no, worse," Deidara blathered on, missing the mood entirely.
"She was the mother but also the enemy of the world. Why else would Gilgamesh and Fujimaru fight her?"
"Shut up, idiot," Sasori snapped, finally silencing him.
Huh?
Only now did Deidara realize that while he'd been talking,
Leader Pain, Uchiha Itachi, and Black Zetsu were all staring at him—not just them, but Kisame and Konan as well.
Deidara shrank back. What was going on? Had he said something wrong?
...
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