At the same time, Tatsumaki gritted her teeth. Her green psychic energy no longer tried to attack the God directly. Instead, it transformed into a gentle force that quietly wrapped around Sol.
"Idiot… don't die."
Bang lowered his stance and shouted loudly, "Kid, be careful!"
Metal Bat pointed his shattered bat toward the sky.
"Sol! Finish it!"
Tanktop Master roared as his muscles bulged violently.
Genos' mechanical eyes glowed at maximum output.
"Sol-senpai!"
Even Saitama clenched his fists, his expression becoming unusually serious.
Countless emotions, trust, determination, support, flowed together from every direction. Heroes, monsters, and survivors alike unconsciously focused their will on Sol.
Sol felt it clearly.
It did not strengthen his body, but it sharpened his resolve.
Just before the God's destructive energy fully erupted, Sol's figure suddenly blurred. It looked as though countless versions of him existed at once, slipping past the locked-on attack.
In the next instant, he appeared directly above the massive energy figure.
Ultimate Sun Being, Meteor Burst Mode activated to its limit.
His enhanced vision barely caught sight of a tiny, constantly shifting core hidden deep within the unstable body of energy.
That was the source.
The key to the projection.
Every ounce of power within Sol surged into his right fist without restraint. Dark crimson energy compressed violently until traces of pitch-black distortion appeared around it. Space itself shattered inch by inch from the overwhelming pressure.
Everything he had.
Everything he carried.
All condensed into a single punch.
"God?"
Sol's cold voice echoed across the silent battlefield.
"You're nothing special."
His fist came crashing down.
Directly onto the core.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
There was no deafening explosion.
Only a faint cracking sound, delicate like shattered glass.
The blurry energy figure suddenly stiffened. Then cracks rapidly spread outward from its core, covering its entire body in an instant.
Like a broken mirror, it silently collapsed apart.
Its massive form dissolved into countless particles of light before being dragged back into the unstable black vortex overhead.
The enormous eye in the sky released one final pulse of emotion.
Indifference.
Shock.
Anger.
Then it vanished completely.
The dark vortex lost stability immediately. It began collapsing inward at terrifying speed until it shrank into a tiny black dot before disappearing entirely.
As if it had never existed.
Only the fractured sky and ruined battlefield remained as proof of the battle that had just taken place.
Sunlight slowly returned.
Sol descended from the sky, his dark crimson aura gradually fading back into his body. His breathing was uneven, and his face slightly pale, but his posture remained straight.
His crimson eyes stared silently at the empty sky where the God had disappeared.
The battlefield had fallen completely silent.
Neither heroes nor monsters could process what they had witnessed.
God-slaying.
They had just watched someone fight and destroy a godlike existence.
And the one who accomplished it was the former S-Class Hero now known as the King of the Monster Association, Sol Mirek.
Sol landed in the center of the destroyed battlefield. The last traces of his aura disappeared completely.
Despite his exhaustion, his sharp gaze calmly swept across everyone present.
Silence answered him.
Black Sperm's countless miniature faces had stopped arguing entirely. The merged body he formed stood frozen in place.
Gouketsu's four eyes no longer held arrogance or bloodlust. Only awe remained as he lowered his head slightly.
Elder Centipede's enormous body trembled faintly while its cracked carapace scraped against the ground.
Hellfire Flame's fire had dimmed noticeably while Gale Wind remained completely silent beside him.
Further away, Gums nervously gurgled to himself. Overgrown Rover's tail drooped against the ground. Ugly President slowly closed his disgusting grin.
Orochi wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, silently grateful he had chosen submission earlier. Otherwise, he knew Sol would have erased him completely.
Every Monster Association executive looked at Sol differently now.
Fear.
Respect.
Fanatic admiration.
The heroes were no different.
Bang slowly relaxed his Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist stance, his aged face filled with complicated emotions.
Atomic Samurai had already sheathed his sword. He instinctively reached for a toothpick, only to realize his fingers were trembling slightly.
Flashy Flash stood motionless. His expression remained composed, but the tension in his body exposed his inner shock.
Superalloy Darkshine's bronze skin glistened with sweat.
Child Emperor stared blankly at the broken data flickering across his monitor.
Genos continuously recorded everything while his internal processor nearly overheated from the sheer amount of abnormal data.
Tatsumaki floated silently in the air, her green hair messy from the battle.
She stared at Sol's pale side profile.
Her lips parted slightly before pressing shut again.
Her emerald eyes carried emotions too complicated to describe.
Worry.
Relief.
Annoyance.
And frustration.
Had he been fighting monsters like this alone the entire time?
Saitama scratched the back of his head before glancing around at the silent battlefield.
"So… is it over?" he asked casually. "What even was that eye? Another monster?"
The simple question perfectly voiced what everyone else wanted to know.
Genos immediately responded.
"Sensei, based on the energy readings and manifestation structure, that entity does not resemble any known monster or esper. Its existence is closer to a projection from a higher-dimensional lifeform. Sol-senpai most likely knew about it beforehand, and this operation may have been planned around eliminating it."
Everyone's eyes immediately returned to Sol.
Waiting for answers.
Sol took a slow breath, stabilizing the violent energy still surging inside his body.
But just as he was about to speak, his pupils suddenly shrank.
A far more terrifying pressure descended upon the world without warning.
It was deeper than before.
Older.
More suffocating.
Above the full moon stood a figure.
It had no visible face, yet its existence radiated indescribable majesty and horror.
Its body looked woven from twisted vines, rotten wood, and decayed fibers. Dark green and brown textures intertwined across its form while traces of ashen gray spread through it like death itself.
It stood silently above the moon.
Looking down upon Earth.
The aura radiating from its body froze the entire planet in place.
Even time itself seemed to slow beneath its presence.
===
Get access to the entire catalog on Patreon, where all chapters are conveniently organized into collections.
If you prefer not to pay for a monthly membership, this is a more affordable option that gives you access to the content you want.
(Buying the collection gives you access to all chapters in it.)
Search for "_Zeph" on P@treon to get started.