The Neo Heroes Organization didn't collapse overnight, but the cracks were visible from space.
With their flagship grounded and their mind-control scheme exposed, public opinion plummeted. Recruiters were chased off college campuses. Investors pulled funding. Forte's defection started a cascade; dozens of chipped heroes turned themselves in to the Hero Association for "de-bugging."
For the first time in months, the Hero Association breathed easy.
In his office, Sitch looked at the approval ratings. They were up. Way up.
"It seems," he mused, looking at a photo of Saitama eating a sandwich on top of the captured flagship, "that chaos has a silver lining."
However, peace is fleeting in the world of heroes. Especially when you owe property damage fees that rival a small country's national debt.
Saitama sat at his kitchen table (which was actually a Neo Hero crate he'd dragged home), staring at a piece of paper.
"This is a joke, right?" he asked.
Genos scanned the document. "Negative, Sensei. This is a civil summons. The owners of the building next door, which you partially destabilized during the 'Angel Throwing' incident, are suing for structural reparations. Also, the city is fining you for 'Unauthorized Landing of a Class-A Aerial Battleship in a Public Park.'"
"But I saved the park!" Saitama argued. "I stopped the ship from blowing up!"
"Legal precedent does not account for hypothetical explosions," Genos said unhelpfully. "The current total is 300 million yen."
Saitama put his head on the table. "I should have just punched the ship into space."
"Hey."
The new voice came from the window. Or rather, the hole where the window used to be.
Garou sat on the sill, crouched like a gargoyle. He looked cleaner than before. His clothes were less ragged, and he wore a black mask over his nose and mouth.
"You're loud," Garou said.
"And you're trespassing," Saitama mumbled into the table. "Go away unless you have 300 million yen."
Garou hopped into the room. Genos instantly powered up, arm cannons aiming.
"Stand down, Tin Can," Garou waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here because I found something. And it concerns your little computer problem."
He reached into his pocket and tossed a small, metallic chip onto the table. It was the eye-symbol chip he'd ripped from the robot lizard.
Genos picked it up. "This... this is an Organization cortex processor. It contains highly advanced machine learning algorithms."
"I found a nest of them," Garou said, pacing. "Underground. They aren't just building robots. They're building us."
"Us?"
"Martial artists. Psychics. Brutes. They have combat data on everyone. And they're simulating fights. Thousands of them. Trying to find the 'perfect sequence' to defeat every S-Class hero." Garou pointed at Saitama. "Including you."
Saitama looked up. "Did they win?"
"In the simulation?" Garou smirked. "No. The system crashed every time it tried to calculate your punch. Error: Infinite Value. But they're getting closer. They built a unit called the 'Mirror Knight.' It mimics moves instantly."
"Sounds annoying," Saitama said.
"It is," Garou agreed. "But that's not why I'm here. The nest... it was guarding a door."
"A door?" Genos asked.
"A vault. Heavily shielded. Lead-lined. Psychic dampeners. I couldn't open it. But I heard something inside."
Garou leaned in close, his eyes intense.
"It wasn't a machine. It was a heartbeat."
Saitama finally sat up properly. "A monster?"
"No," Garou said quietly. "It sounded like... him."
He didn't need to say the name. They all felt the weight of it.
Blast.
In the deepest sublevel of the Hero Association—Level Omega—a secure elevator chimed.
Sitch stepped out, flanked by Flashy Flash. The S-Class ninja was impatient.
"Why bring me here?" Flash demanded. "I have training to do. That bald amateur is surpassing me, and it is unacceptable."
"Patience," Sitch said, leading him down a sterile white hallway. "You asked where Blast is. You asked why he didn't intervene during the Neo Hero crisis."
"Yes. Is he lazy? Or just incompetent?"
"He's busy," Sitch stopped in front of a massive steel door. "With this."
He placed his hand on the scanner. The door hissed open.
Inside was a room filled with floating, glowing cubes. Black cubes.
"These are transmitters," Sitch explained. "Left behind by God. They offer power in exchange for souls. We've been collecting them. Securing them."
In the center of the room stood a man. He wore bulky, scarred armor. His hair was grey, his cape tattered. He had a scar over one eye and held a black cube in his gloved hand, crushing it until it sparked and died.
Blast. The Rank 1 hero.
He turned. His presence was overwhelming. Heavy. Like gravity itself had intensified.
"Sitch," Blast said, his voice deep and weary. "We lost another seal."
"Lost it?" Sitch paled. "Where?"
"City Q. Watchdog Man's territory. Someone stole a cube from under his nose while he was distracted by the riots." Blast tossed the dust of the crushed cube onto the floor. "And I think I know who has it."
"The Neo Heroes?"
"Worse," Blast said. "The Ninja Village leader. That Old Man wasn't killed by Saitama and Flash. He retreated. He's been recovering. And now, he's gathered the remnants of The Organization and the Monster Association into a single alliance."
Flashy Flash's hand went to his sword. "The leader... he's alive?"
"Barely," Blast nodded. "He needs a new body. A vessel strong enough to hold God's power without burning out."
He looked at Flash. Then he looked at a monitor showing Saitama's face.
"They aren't going to fight Saitama," Blast said. "They're going to try and possess him."
Saitama was cleaning the bathroom again when his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Saitama." It was Fubuki. She sounded breathless. "Turn on the news."
"I can't. TV is broken. Remember?"
"Check your phone then! Channel 8!"
Saitama swiped his cracked screen.
A live broadcast played. A figure stood atop the tallest mountain in City Z. He wore flowing white robes and a mask depicting a serene, smiling face.
"Citizens of Earth," the figure spoke calmly. "The age of Heroes is over. The age of Enlightenment is here."
He raised a hand. Behind him, a massive, swirling portal opened. Not a black one like before. A golden one.
"We are the Heavenly Ninja. We offer peace. Order. Strength without sacrifice."
The figure pointed at the camera.
"But first, we must remove the obstacle of Chaos. Saitama. The Final Fortress. We challenge you."
Saitama squinted at the tiny screen. "Another challenge? Didn't we just do this last week?"
"To a game," the figure continued. "Not of fists. But of will."
He gestured to the portal.
"Enter the Golden Gate. Inside, you will find your heart's greatest desire. If you can reject it... if you can walk out willingly... we will leave this world forever. But if you succumb... if you choose the dream..."
The figure smiled behind the mask.
"...then your body belongs to us."
The broadcast cut.
Genos looked at Saitama. "It is a psychological trap, Sensei. A Lotus Eater machine. They intend to entrap your consciousness in a simulated utopia while they usurp your physical vessel."
Garou snorted. "Greatest desire? What's he gonna see? A never-ending supermarket sale?"
Saitama stood up. He looked at the 300 million yen summons on the table. He looked at his ruined apartment. He looked at his empty fridge.
"Free peace and they leave forever?" Saitama asked.
"Sensei, no!" Genos panicked.
"I'm gonna go," Saitama decided. "If it's a dream, maybe I can get some sleep. I haven't slept good since you blew up the floor."
"But your body!" Fubuki yelled over the phone.
"Don't worry," Saitama hung up. "I'll be back before dinner."
He jumped out the window, heading for the mountain.
Garou watched him go. "Ideally," he muttered, "we should stop him."
Genos was already charging his boosters. "We must follow him into the portal! We cannot let his body remain unguarded!"
"Right," Garou sighed, pulling up his mask. "Into the dream world. Because that always goes well."
The mountaintop was windy. The Golden Gate hummed with inviting warmth.
Saitama landed. The Ninja Leader—"That Man"—watched him from behind the mask.
"You came," That Man said. "Do you accept the terms?"
"Sure," Saitama said. "If I win, you guys leave. And you pay my legal fees."
"Agreed," That Man lied smoothly.
Saitama walked up to the portal. He paused. "By the way, is there food in there?"
"Anything you can imagine," That Man promised.
"Nice."
Saitama stepped through.
The world dissolved into white.
Genos and Garou landed seconds later.
"He's in!" Genos yelled. "Incinerate the gate!"
"No!" That Man laughed. "The gate is anchored to his mind! Destroy it, and his mind is lost forever!"
He snapped his fingers.
From the shadows of the rocks, fifty ninjas emerged. They weren't human. They were cyborgs, fast as lightning, wielding vibro-blades.
"Secure the vessel," That Man commanded. "Prepare the soul-transfer ritual. The Vessel is vacant."
Genos and Garou stood back to back.
"Looks like we're the babysitters," Garou growled, cracking his knuckles.
"Objective: Protect Sensei's empty head," Genos confirmed. "Initiating combat mode."
Inside the Golden Gate.
Saitama opened his eyes.
He was in his apartment. But it wasn't ruined. The walls were pristine. The TV was a massive 80-inch 8K screen. The AC was humming perfectly.
He looked down. He had hair. A full head of thick, black hair.
Someone knocked at the door.
He opened it.
A crowd of people stood outside. Cheering. Holding banners.
"Saitama!" they chanted. "The greatest hero! The most beloved!"
King was there, smiling confidentially. "You're amazing, Saitama. Everyone knows it."
Fubuki was there, holding a bouquet. "You did it. You fixed the world."
Genos was there, human again. "Sensei, your training restored my body. We are truly strong."
And then, a monster appeared. A huge, terrifying beast.
Saitama clenched his fist. He felt… resistance. His strength wasn't infinite. It was hard-earned. He could feel the thrill of the fight. The pump of adrenaline.
The monster roared.
Saitama grinned. A real grin. A hero's grin.
"Finally," Dream-Saitama said. "A real fight."
This was his desire. To have hair. To be respected. To feel the thrill again. It was perfect.
Why would he ever leave?
Outside, Genos blasted a ninja in half. Garou ripped the arm off another.
"They keep coming!" Genos shouted.
"Hold the line!" Garou roared. "We have to buy him time to wake up!"
"He won't wake up," That Man gloated, floating above the fray. "Why would he? He has everything he ever wanted. He is content. And a content Saitama... is a harmless Saitama."
He began to descend towards Saitama's motionless body, a black cube pulsing in his hand.
"Time to move in," he whispered. "Welcome to your new home, God."