Yuto laid down on the flowers, tired. He looked at the stars and tried to grab them with his hand.
What just happened? Well, I guess it's over then. I can finally rest.
He closed his eyes to sleep. His concentration was good enough to keep his power working while unconscious, so he wouldn't die so easily. As he was falling asleep, a loud sound woke him up. Before he could stand up, someone slapped his face with an unnecessary amount of force.
— Come on, I healed you. Why are you resting already? The Boss is still alive.
His vision was coming back slowly and the hole in his chest was regenerating. He took a better look at the girl who slapped him with no reason. It was Ria. He looked at her, surprised she came to see him after what happened to her best friend.
— What's with the shocked face?
— Ah, nothing, I just... I'm happy to see that you're okay now.
She slapped him again.
— I may look okay, but I still don't respect you one bit.
— Hehe... That means you're 100% okay.
— Whatever you say, lazy ass. Come on, let's fight him together.
She extended her hand to help him get up. He took it with no hesitation, smiling after realizing he's not alone yet. She might not like him, but she was not his enemy. She pointed her finger in a seemingly random direction.
— Look over there.
As Yuto turned around to see what she was talking about, Ria pointed her revolver towards the back of his head and shot. A speed bullet pushed his body in the direction she pointed. He reached there in no time, with her coming right after him. They were on the top of Mount Takao, Tokyo's Mountain. They could see almost the entire city from up there. Ria pointed her finger again at a flying object.
— See that plane? For some strange reason, it never lands. It has an infinite amount of fuel. Probably, someone refills it while on air.
— You're saying there's someone important there?
— Not only important. Our main enemy is probably there.
— Are you sure? It seems too obvious to be the case.
Ria thought for a moment. Impatiently, she punched his back for some reason.
— Ouch! Why did you do that?!
— Who's the detective here, dumbass? Do you have a better idea?
— Well, I may have. Look up.
They both looked up.
— The real reason Hakkiri died is because of the orbital cannon Disruptor activated.
— Wait, Disruptor, that hacker girl? Really?
— Yeah, what's the problem with her?
— When she said she wanted to dismantle the level 7's, I told her to meet you, since I wasn't in a good mood. I never thought she would go that far... She's probably dead by now.
— What makes you think that? She said she would try to escape.
— That fortress is no joke. It's strict about who comes in and who goes out. Just the fact that she could fire it is impressive.
— Her power made the job easier, no?
— Of course, but there's something else. Everyone agrees that the level 7's are the main threat to humanity, right? The Boss obviously thinks that as well.
— Are you saying he's trying to eliminate the top heroes indirectly?
— Exactly. He probably wanted Disruptor to kill Hakkiri first, then kill her. He has a last trump card.
Yuto scratched his hair nervously.
— Well, I guess we have no other choice.
— You were saying he's probably on the station, right?
— Yes, but your theory may be right too. That plane does look suspicious.
— So let's split up. The last time I did this things went south, but we're talking about a powerless man.
— How do you know he doesn't have a power?
— Didn't Haji tell you? I overheard a scientist saying that she unconsciously blocks him from receiving a power, since he made her suffer the most. But he may have other powerful people do his job, as he always did.
— I hate people who tell others to do their dirty work. He's a level 7 in cowardice.
— Not only that. He may have compatibility with 7-Up, so be careful. If you lose your power for some reason, you'll have to fight him by hand. Which is not too difficult, since he's an old man.
— Tomorrow the news will say that a young man mercilessly beat an old man...
— If I do that, it's less alarming, since I'm a little girl. That's the only time I'm proud of my short stature...
— Don't worry, you can still grow.
Ria punched him again, harder than before.
— I'm older than you, shitass. Do you think I have any hope left?
Yuto giggled, disguising the pain from being punched multiple times.
— At least you're cute.
Ria had studied the plane's route since Exwind died. She was sure the Boss would be there. That's why she got angry when Yuto said it was too obvious to be true. The plane flew in almost regular circles. Sometimes, it strayed from the path a little, probably when the fuel supplier came to meet him.
She was right below the usual path. She pointed her revolver at her chin, upwards. When it was time, she shot a speed bullet. Her body was launched up at such speed that she reached the plane in less than two seconds. Actually, she calculated that she would land exactly on the wing next to the door. She managed to do so, trying to keep the balance while being pushed by the strong wind. They were travelling at above 1000 km/h, so it was pretty challenging.
She walked towards the door, punching the wall to climb it. She opened it with ease, even though it was reinforced. She tried to close it gently, since it would be bad if it opened while she was inside. The lights were off, so she couldn't see much without turning them on before. She had night vision bullets, but she felt both her bullets and barrier powers weakened. The plane was a closed space, perfect for the power nullifying gas.
Ria headed to the cockpit to find a light switch. She sighed, knowing nothing about plane controls. Suddenly, the lights turned on. She quickly grabbed one of her revolvers and turned around, pointing towards the end of the hallway. A man was standing half way towards the back part of the plane. He was pointing two desert eagles at two different directions behind the seats.
— Look who we have here. I thought being the top 1 level 6 was enough for you, but I guess humanity's greed knows no bounds.
Ria started walking towards him, stopping midway, since it would be stupid to approach someone threating two people at gunpoint.
— Pretty ironic coming from you. You have the strongest beings on the planet in your hands, yet you want more submissive and controllable ones.
She looked at the victims sitting on the seats. She recognized them both immediately.
Haji and Kiseki?! What are they doing here?
They were tied up with futuristic handcuffs and a holographic barrier closing their mouths and preventing them from speaking.
— Well, if they were simply obedient, my job would be easier. But you know who we are talking about.
— You let your own son die. Your daughter would have died too if I decided that was the best choice.
— Akira was a good kid before he got his power. Different from his sister, he became truly arrogant.
— Then you are not a good biological or adoptive parent. Anyone that falls under your control hates you.
— To govern by fear is still to govern.
— I said hate. I don't fear you.
— You will.
Suddenly, the barrier from Haji's mouth opened. She started shouting immediately, pissed off.
— Get this shit out of me, bastard! I'll tear you apart when you do so!
— Calm down, my daughter. Tell her why you're so special.
— What are you talking about?! I just give powers to everyone who touches me!
— Then why didn't you give me any power, huh?!
The Boss yelled at his adopted daughter angrily. It was really rare for that to happen, since he seemed so calm all the time. Haji shrunk back in fear and trauma. Years ago, that man tortured her endlessly, which made her tremble uncontrollably.
— Please... don't hurt me...
— Then tell her where you came from!
— I really don't know what you're talking about-
He aimed the desert eagle at her foot and shot. She screamed and cried in pain. After all, her arms were still broken by Slade. She never felt so much pain before, not even when she was a prisoner.
— The sandstone desert, smartass!
— I... I don't know...
She tried to remember her past the hardest she could. She finally catched a glimpse of her long-forgotten memories.
A house in the middle of a sandstone desert. A boy who was probably her brother cuddling her happily. Suddenly, she was in an ocean with several broken structures scattered around. Time seemed to stop there. A giant man with no face saying something to her.
— ... what a perfect... receptacle... Nice to meet you, my daughter... my name is...
She woke up from the strange dream because of the absurd pain she was feeling.
— I am from... another world...?
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The Boss smiled triumphantly.
— See? That wasn't so hard, was it, daughter?
— I am not your daughter...
— Well, duh, I adopted you. Your parents didn't want you.
— No, I mean... where am I really from?
— Jeez, can't you remember your hometown? I know more about that place than you.
— You... what do you know...? Tell me... tell me, asshole!
— Whoa, calm down there, brat. I'm in control here, remember?
Suddenly, Ria shot him in the face. It was just a holographic body of his, which could use real weapons somehow.
— I'm still here, remember? Or is your age showing, old man?
— That's not the first time I hear that insult. Well, you know what I'm capable of now. I visited the world where this ungrateful brat came from.
— And?
— The powers we all cherish for came from that world. The people there are thousands of times stronger than on Earth.
— Looks like your homework paid off. Unfortunately, your research isn't complete yet, am I right?
— In a few years, it will be. That planet is not easy to conquer in a day or two.
— So you killed your strongest heroes to fight even stronger people? That's a big brain move right there.
— I never said I would have to fight them directly. Conquering isn't just killing the leaders, but also becoming theirs.
— Well, guess what? You gave me one more reason to stop you.
— I'm eager to hear your plan-
Suddenly, the Boss turned his head around, while keeping the aim of his guns.
— What are you doing here? Well, well, well, the plain old distraction plan. Wait a second, until I finish this-
Ria used the extra time to make an explosive bullet. The area of effect would be decreased by the power nullifying gas, but it would be destructive enough. She shot at the hologram's feet, opening a hole in the ground. He shot his guns in random directions, hitting Kiseki's head and Haji's heart. The hologram fell down, disappearing after getting too far away from the plane.
The entire aircraft blew up right after. Haji's body was badly burned, since her 7-Up was weaker than the others. Kiseki healed her injuries in no time. Ria was closer to the last, so she decided to shoot her speed bullet at her own hand to reach the healer. She catched her midair and aimed for Haji. She shot Kiseki's body towards her.
When she got launched, a piece of the aircraft got in the way and acted as a shield. Kiseki's body pushed the metal wall, which hit Haji, throwing her far away. At the last second, she managed to punch the wall and barely grab Haji's clothes before ripping them off. That brief touch was enough to heal her burns and injuries by a lot.
She tried to climb the metal wall and jump from the other side to reach Haji, but something unexpected happened. A huge laser came from the sky, destroying the forest they were falling into. The Boss changed the plane's route to a secluded place, in case he needed to use the orbital cannon again.
The plane had exploded because the hologram got too far away from it. In addition, someone broke into the control room he was in, so he decided to fire the railgun again, consuming even more power. The explosion was a bit smaller, since it was still recovering from the last shot. But it was stil devastating enough to be considered an atomic explosion.
Ria's barrier saved her, but her body got sent into the ground with such force that she could not return in less than five minutes. Kiseki's body almost disintegrated, but some cells remained, healing again completely in five seconds. Haji, however, disappeared.
Once Kiseki landed on the ground forcefully, she tried to find her friends. Ria rose from the ground eventually.
— Where is she? Kiseki, did you heal her in time?
— I... I could not save her...
Ria hugged her.
— It's okay. At least we're both alive.
Ria went silent for a moment.
— And I... I wanted to apologize for what I said to you back then... Everybody cares about you, including me.
Kiseki smiled warmly and hugged her tighter.
— Thank you, Ria. I'm glad you're okay now.
Yuto reached the space station easily. He could fly, after all. He managed to break into every security test by force. Once he found the control room, he just entered, since the reinforced doors were still open.
He saw Disruptor's headless corpse sitting against the wall. That was less gross than seeing a kid being shot in the face, but he still felt a bit of a nausea. The girl who killed her saw Yuto first, as the Boss was distracted by Ria. She pointed her finger towards him, not saying a word.
— What are you doing here? Well, well, well, the plain old distraction plan. Wait a second, until I finish this-
Yuto used a supreme gravity where his archenemy was. The girl jumped to save him by very little. She stood up and summoned the black sphere, punching it towards Yuto. He tried to deflect it with his power, but it didn't work. The sphere pushed his body towards the wall, trapping him.
What is this, a power sink? Well, I guess I'll have to use my hands.
He tried to push it away, but it was too heavy. As the girl jumped to land a kick on it, Yuto managed to slip below it. Her kick sent the sphere through the wall.
You don't have your weapon anymore!
While he was still sliding down on his knees, the sphere appeared above him again. It was so heavy that it could pulverize any normal human body instantly. He laid down on his stomach, and spreaded his legs the farthest he could, avoiding the sphere.
Suddenly, the lights went out. The Boss activated the cannon to kill Ria and the others. Yuto tried to use his sensory gravity to see everything in the dark, but the sphere was draining his power. He got up and walked backwards until he hit a wall, trying to minimize the opponent's options. She probably couldn't see in the dark too, since they were both waiting for the other to attack.
The red emergency light turned on. Immediately, the girl jumped to punch Yuto. He dodged it, causing her fist to break the wall. She tried to land other punches and kicks, but he could avoid all of them by little.
She's a master in martial arts... But I'm not bad either.
— Is that all you've got? I'm gonna put some dirt in your eye.
He looked at the terminal to find the Boss. He was not there.
Dammit! He's good at hide and seek...
The girl jumped back and summoned her sphere. She punched it with such force that Yuto didn't see it coming. His body got pushed towards the wall, breaking it. After some seconds, he fell into a plaza. The lights were dim, but he had a good sense of the space he was in. It was a very futuristic plaza.
It was the station's main square. The cover was made of transparent material, simulating glass. The stars and Earth could be seen above. Yuto felt like he was in a sci-fi movie. The girl jumped out of the hole in the wall and punched the sphere again. Yuto dodged it by jumping and rolling on the ground. It hit a water fountain, wetting the place.
There were people in the plaza, probably employees of the station or tourists. They fled in horror, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. The girl took the fountain from the ground and swung it towards Yuto, who jumped and landed on it. He crouched while on top of it and pulled it with his hand, launching her body towards him. He punched her in the face, throwing her body across the square.
She grabbed some people's arms and threw them at him. He dodged them, since he couldn't use his power. Some of them died by the impact. She ran with her maximum speed, reaching him and kicking him in the arm. He punched the ground to minimize the momentum.
She punched her sphere, launching it at maximum speed. He hit it with his fist, throwing it back. She then kicked it. An intense tennis battle started, until it was so fast that they both had to lie down to avoid it. The girl made the sphere disappear, probably to summon it somewhere else. At the same time, Yuto used his power on her. He threw her body everywhere, trying to hurt her as much as possible.
She used her sphere again to nullify his power. He predicted it, so he pulled her body towards his fist, punching her face with his maximum strength, knocking her out instantly. The sphere also disappeared. Suddenly, an electric shot hit Yuto's head. It pierced part of his brain, but he managed to catch it in time with his power.
He turned around and saw the real Boss, holding a railgun. He shot it again, but Yuto was faster. He ran towards him and punched him several times. The old man managed to hit him a few times, but Yuto didn't want to give him a chance, now that he had his power back. He grabbed the Boss's head and kicked it with his knee. Not satisfied, he headbutted him with such force that their skulls vibrated. He then punched his face multiple times, while pulling his head towards his fist with his power.
The Boss used his jet booster boots to fly upwards. Yuto catched his foot to pull him again, but someone also pulled his foot. It was the girl who was unconscious seconds ago. She was bleeding everywhere, yet she managed to wake up and protect her master. The Boss increased the boots's speed and burned Yuto a little. Angry, he froze the entire station, killing many innocent people. The girl stopped again. The old man fell to the ground.
Yuto increased his body's temperature to unfreeze him and hurt him as much as he could. He grabbed the Boss's neck and lifted his body, almost crushing it. He punched his head donwards, making his body bounce on the frozen floor, breaking part of it. The Boss reached out, pulling the railgun towards him.
Yuto tried to take it midair, but it disassembled itself and returned to its original form behind Yuto. It shot multiple lasers through his body, damaging him severely. The Boss kicked him to increase the distance between them and catched the railgun again. He used it as a shotgun again, piercing Yuto's body more and more. He catched some lasers with his power, but they were very concentrated and powerful.
— I must thank you, Yuto-kun. You made my job easier, eliminating most of the self-centered morons that consider themselves as gods of this world.
Yuto was struggling to stay on his feet. His blood was covering most of his body now. The Boss was also bleeding, with many broken bones.
— You know, I was kind of happy when you survived Zenith. The most powerful hero died, yet you managed to live to tell the tale. That's when I realized you were special. That's when I realized... you would be useful to me.
Yuto didn't respond. He just started walking slowly and painfully towards his enemy to finish his job.
— But your job is already done, Yuto-kun. You may rest now. It's okay now.
Yuto stopped.
Is it okay to rest now? How come my main enemy is the one who comforts me the most? Not even Genesis, Tatsuya or Haji said it was okay for me to rest... Did they want me to suffer? Or did they want me to do my best?
— I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. I hope they remember you.
My job was to help him all this time? Will he save this rotten world if I let him do his thing for once?
— Your friends would be proud of you. You know what they say, sacrifices are necessary for your character development. Haji is the last piece in that board. I hope you find her in the afterlife.
Yuto turned his head upwards to face the Boss. He tried to understand what he just revealed.
— ... What?
— Wait, wait, I know that sounds bad-
With no hesitation, Yuto pierced his enemy's body thousands of times with his power, like what that damn railgun did to his. The Boss fired the railgun, but something strange happened: all the shots returned to his body.
Yuto made a gravitational field centered on the old man's body. Everything nearby would be attracted to him with such force that not even a laser would leave the field. Yuto jumped towards him, landing dozens of furious punchs and kicks. He took the railgun from his hands and hit him multiple times with it, finally breaking his futuristic mask. His top hat also flew away.
The Boss had red evil eyes and a slicked back grey hair. Yuto continued punching for minutes nonstop and mercilessly. He kicked him in the stomach one last time to make him fall into a sitting position. Before the old man fell, Yuto tore off his arm.
— Standing here, I realize... you were using my friends as well, not just me. You tarnished their name to make me feel better about myself for not accomplishing anything. What would it matter if I didn't kill you in the end? You're the final Boss, aren't you? You're the real reason my friends died. You killed your own daughter.
— The hardest choices require the strongest wills... They needed to die to please the gods who watch us. Also, I was not lying when I said I hope they remember you. I really do.
— Stop that bullshit, you're not gonna deceive me again. Never again. If I just kill you, everything can start again, even if it takes a while.
— I'm not gonna say killing me won't bring your friends back, because you know that. Go ahead, kill me. I lost.
— Wait, really? You'll give up, just like that? You made millions of people's lives miserable and then you die with no regrets?
— Yeah, you're right I have no regrets. I never felt anything towards mankind. I just used the system more than it used me.
— You can't be serious...
Yuto hit him in the head with the arm he tore off.
— I am dead serious, Yuto-kun. I tried my best, but I couldn't escape my fate. I wanted to be a god, but universe flipped its finger at me. There's nothing we can do against the gods's will.
— Stop the philosophical bullshit. There aren't any gods.
— Oh, there are. You just hadn't visited Haji's world yet. You'll see what I'm talking about sooner or later.
— Alright, I'm tired of your lies.
Yuto swung the arm again, hitting his head multiple times.
— This is for Tatsuya...
After remembering his friends, he increased the force he was applying to the arm.
— This is for Haji...!
He was now so angry that his blood was boiling with vengeance.
— This is for Genesis!
The Boss's head almost left his body. Yuto tossed the arm away and started punching him with his bare hands. He beat him up until he was lying on the floor. The shockwave from his punches cracked the floor. He joined his fists together, about to crush the old man's head.
— THIS IS FOR MY SISTER!!!
Splash. His head was nonexistent now. The entire floor started to collapse from the impact. A few seconds after that, the entire station exploded, killing almost everyone there. When the association's Boss died, many things were programmed to self-destruct. Yuto was caught off guard, but he was still alive, somehow. His power was pumping his blood through his veins so he wouldn't die.
He began free falling to Earth. He unconsciously kept an air bubble around his head, because he knew something like that could happen at any moment. The girl who was frozen moments ago unfroze due to the huge explosion. Her body would simply combust if she didn't have a powerful 7-Up. She reached Yuto, who was trying to concentrate so he wouldn't die for stupid reasons.
She punched him in the stomach, making him cough up blood. He looked at her and realized something different: one of her eyes was normal, the other was still soulless. He remembered Slade, who had two different souls. Maybe that girl was fighting against herself to break the brainwashing she was under.
She punched him several times, but some of her attacks were held back at the last second. Yuto confirmed his theory. He grabbed her head and headbutted her as hard as he could, but not enough to kill any of them. They both went unconscious.