A/N: Hello everyone, I posted a short song on my YouTube channel IHF Music about this fanfic. There's also some art there which you'll see in the video.


"Hey."

Ayano looked up. Ahead of her was the last person left:

Saitama.

He looked the same as he always did. The same blank expression, the same mundane hero costume, cape flowing behind him. Even his voice sounded the same: nonchalant, despite the circumstances.

There was a long, tense silence.

"So," Saitama finally spoke. "All of this… is your doing. Right?"

Ayano didn't say anything.

"I just wanna know…" Saitama breathed out, slowly. "Why?"

Ayano made no response, aside from pulling out her knife.

"So I guess you're a bad guy now," Saitama sighed. "Were my lessons so bad you became evil?"

Ayano appeared beside him, glitching. Saitama grabbed her arm, casually flinging her away.

"I guess I'll need to teach you a new lesson, then," he glared down at her. "A lesson… about being selfless."

Ayano got up again. Saitama watched as she approached, casually flinging her away when she got close.

"First thing's first," he narrowed his eyes, "when someone doesn't want you to be around, just take the hint and leave them alone."

Ayano zoomed towards him. Saitama stood there, the expression on his face staying the same.

"Second thing's second," Saitama glowered. "I feel like this should be obvious, but… don't kill anyone."

Ayano stumbled back, continuing to move.

"Well, I guess it's kinda too late for that, but…" Saitama shrugged. "It's a reminder for the future."

Ayano teleported beside him, swinging her knife. Saitama punched her away.

"Third," he said, "is helping other people. I mean…" he looked off to the side. "Isn't that what being a hero is all about?"

Ayano moved towards him, eyes as lifeless as ever. Her knife was in grip.

"... you're not listening to me, are you?" Saitama sighed, punching her away once more. "That was my first lesson, you know: listening to people. Backing off when they tell you to."

Ayano got up again, marching towards him.

"Oh, what's the point?" Saitama shook his head. "You don't care, do you?"

Saitama avoided her slashing knife.

"You never cared, even from the beginning," he said, glancing at his fist. "I guess this was your end goal all along."

Ayano glitched, going for him again. Saitama closed his eyes.

"Well, if this is really the end, if you're really unredeemable..." He furrowed his brow. "Then I guess I don't need to hold back."

He aimed his fist towards Ayano, sending her flying back. A hole had pierced itself through her chest. Her body mended itself at lightning speed, allowing her to get back up again.

"Nice healing you got there," Saitama huffed. "Maybe I'll actually get a semi-decent fight."

Before she could respond, Saitama picked up her body, slamming his fist through it. He smashed it into the ground, ripping apart the Earth. The empty planet groaned. Ayano's body was motionless.

Ayano, for the first time, had a thought outside of KILL, KILL, KILL.

She realised… she was losing a battle. She was losing to Saitama… again.

Her body was already mending itself, but other thoughts were clouding her mind.

I need to get stronger to defeat him, she thought. God, I need more power! Give me more power!

Saitama stepped towards her body. Then he jumped back when a surge of power ripped from her chest, exploding into the red sky. The whole world, excluding the sky, went black and white. All life and colour had been drained.

Ayano was floating in mid air, skin completely white. Her eyes were hollow black shells. Red strings danced across her school uniform.

Saitama kept his serious scowl on as strings came up from the ground, wrapping around his body. He casually broke away, facing the floating girl in front of him.

She glitched away, appearing beside him. She sent a punch in his direction. A punch that did absolutely nothing.

Saitama grabbed her arm, causing it to glitch. He slammed her body into the ground. Red strings came flying out of her. Black goop dripped from her eyes. Her body was lifeless once again.

Still not strong enough, Ayano thought. I need more power!

There is only one way for you to gain more power, God boomed in her mind. We must become one. We will share the same mind, the same power.

Then let's do it, Ayano thought. Let's become one.

A wave of red power exploded from Ayano's body. White strings flowed through a heart shaped hole in her abdomen. Her body was completely white. Her form glitched, red lines seeping into the Earth. The ground cracked around her, hovering around her body. The same hollow black eyes peered into Saitama's own.

She was no longer a human. She was no longer Ayano.

"I am God," God declared. "I have come to save my Earth from the destruction of humans." It pointed at Saitama. "You are the last living human. Once you are dead, the Earth will be safe!"

Saitama tilted his head, reverting to his usual expression. "Wait… hold on a second. Ayano, are you pretending to be a god?"

"Ayano Aishi is no more," God replied. "God is here now. I am saving the Earth from humanity. Give into despair, human."

"Wow, didn't know you were such an environmentalist," Saitama replied. "Seriously though, Yan-chan, this is going way too far. Enough with the dumb costume already. Seriously, first that hero hunter guy, those other weirdos, and now you?"

"Pathetic human," God sighed. "I shall make your death quick."

It raised a hand. The ground beneath Saitama split open. He casually jumped away.

"So you got a few new powers," he said. "So what? You're still Yan-chan. Just because you slapped on a new coat of paint doesn't mean you're a different person."

God held out its hand, grabbing Saitama with its strings. It closed its fist, but Saitama was completely unaffected.

What?! God's eyes blazed. What is with this human?! Is he invincible?!

"Are you done yet?" Saitama grumbled. "Listen, I've told you before. You can't-"

"Do not think you can toy with me, human," God said. "I will find your weakness, and I will destroy you from the inside out."

"Honestly, what made you want to do all this, Ayano?" Saitama asked. "Is it something I said?"

"You humans are destroying my Earth," God boomed. "You will suffer the consequences of your actions!"

"'Your' Earth?" Saitama asked. "Come on, Ayano. This planet doesn't belong to you. It belongs to all of us."

"SILENCE!" God roared. "Selfish and greedy as I'd expect a human to be! All the monsters I've made truly are no better than you humans at all!"

"You… made monsters?" Saitama asked, tilting his head.

"Of course," God replied, holding up its hand. "For a long time, I've been trying to eradicate humanity. That's why I created the Yanderes, after all. But then you fools invented this 'hero' nonsense. I knew then that fate could not wait anymore. It was time to act."

"So you're responsible for all of this…" Saitama stared at his fist. "Ayano, why do you hate humans so much? Even if they did something really bad, is that enough to kill them all? Not all humans are bad."

"Stop referring to me by the Yandere girl's name," God boomed. "I am God, Master of the universe, protector of Earth. I am much more than she will ever be."

"Whatever you say, Ayano," Saitama said.

God raised its hands, strings wrapping around Saitama's body. White energy formed in the blood red sky.

"This will teach you, foolish human!" God roared.

The energy flew towards Saitama. A bright flash of light obscured his vision. The entire planet felt the impact from the hit. Buildings were knocked over. The ocean rose into the sky, forming tsunamis everywhere. Lands were swallowed by the sea. Bodies were washed away, floating in the sea with the destroyed buildings.

God floated above the barren ground. Saitama was gone. Not a trace of him remained.

"... seriously? What's with all the flashing lights?"

God span around. Saitama was standing behind it, hands in pockets. His clothes had been ruined, but the man himself still lived.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" God roared. "THERE'S NO WAY A HUMAN COULD'VE SURVIVED THAT!"

"Maybe you underestimated humans, then," Saitama pointed at it. "We're much stronger than what you 'Gods' think."

God's power surged around it, aimed at Saitama.

"WHY DO YOU BOTHER FIGHTING, HUMAN?!" it asked. "ALL OTHER HUMANS ARE DEAD. SOCIETY IS DESTROYED. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU TO PROTECT! YOUR ENDEAVOUR IS POINTLESS!"

"Like I said, humans are stronger than what you give us credit for," Saitama said. "You know that yourself, Ayano. Wasn't that one of the things I taught you?" He scowled. "No matter how much you knock us back… we'll come right back up. We'll rebuild society. We'll keep fighting for justice, no matter what problem comes our way. So even if you 'destroy' the world or whatever, you can't kill human spirit. We are still living."

"THIS IS NONSENSE!" God shouted. "JUST GIVE UP AND DIE ALREADY, YOU WORTHLESS IDIOT!"

The whole world split in half from its power alone. Saitama kept on his blank slate as he withstood the tremendous rush of energy flying towards him. He leaped into the air, avoiding the ground shattering beneath his feet.

"I think I get it, Ayano," he said, quietly. "You're just like me."

"GIVE IN AND DIE!" God cried, another wave of power flying towards Saitama.

Saitama simply withstood the hit, taking a step forward.

"When I first met you, I noticed you had the same look in your eyes I did when I was younger," Saitama commented. "That apathetic look, you know what I mean."

God scowled, sending yet another wave of energy.

"You have trouble feeling emotions, right?" Saitama asked. He looked off to the side. "I get that. Honestly, I find it hard to care much about anything these days."

"STOP TALKING," God screeched, its power glitching.

"Being strong isn't all it's cracked up to be," Saitama continued, taking another step forward. "It's actually pretty boring. There's no thrill in fighting anymore, which is the whole reason I became a hero in the first place."

"I SAID STOP," God roared, the red sky turning black for a moment.

"You want to be strong, right, Ayano?" Saitama asked, still moving forward. "Well… you shouldn't get too strong. It's a real drag. What are you gonna do after you've killed every monster? You'll just feel empty. It sucks."

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" God demanded. "I'VE THROWN EVERYTHING I'VE GOT AT YOU… HOW DID YOU GET SO STRONG?!"

"Oh come on, I already answered that question," Saitama sighed. "Remember? 100 push ups. 100 sit ups. 100 squats. A 10km run, every single day. No breaks."

"BUT THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD GET SO STRONG JUST BY DOING THAT MENIAL TRAINING," God replied. "UNLESS…" Its whole body trembled. "UNLESS YOU BROKE THROUGH THE LIMITER…"

"What are you talking about?" Saitama asked.

God trembled. "IMPOSSIBLE. I CREATED THAT LIMITER SO NO HUMAN COULD GET TOO STRONG. BUT YOU…" It pointed at Saitama. "SOMEHOW, YOU BROKE PAST THE LIMITER… THAT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE. AND ESPECIALLY A HUMAN LIKE YOU OF ALL PEOPLE. YOUR LIFE IS EVEN MORE PATHETIC AND MEANINGLESS THAN THAT SCHOOLBOY'S."

"Well, what did I say?" Saitama asked. "Don't underestimate humans."

God raised its hands. Saitama raised his own fists, narrowing his brow.

"Well, it's been nice talking, but…" he breathed out. "I think it's time to take you out."

He slammed his fist in God's direction. The punch, to his surprise, did nothing to God. The only thing he noticed was the glitch in its eyes.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A HUMAN CAN BE THIS DETERMINED," God uttered, its form glitching. "YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR, SAITAMA. THE WORLD YOU LOVE IS GONE! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT YOUR FATE AND DIE!?"

"I'm a hero," Saitama replied, folding his arms. "This is my planet, my livelihood. It's my job to keep it safe, no matter what."

"BUT YOU FAILED…" God spat. "HUMANITY IS DEAD!"

"Not yet," Saitama looked down. "I'm still here. So are you, Ayano. Even though we're the only ones left, we're still living. We're still here."

"I CAN'T FULFIL MY PURPOSE IF YOU WON'T DIE," God growled. "SO JUST DIE ALREADY, SAITAMA!"

"You don't have to live to fulfil some 'purpose'," Saitama said. "You're not a puppet controlled by strings, or a character in a story book. You have your own life. You can live it however you want. There are plenty of ways to find happiness."

"I JUST WANT TO FEEL ALIVE," God argued. "I'LL FINALLY UNDERSTAND EMOTION ONCE YOU ARE DEAD, ONCE I'M THE STRONGEST. DON'T YOU GET IT?"

"There are plenty of other ways to feel happiness aside from all of this," Saitama replied. "Listen, if you just did some normal training, stayed away from crazies, and stayed in school… you would've become the strongest hero eventually. You have the potential, but you lack the patience. If you'd let yourself become a hero naturally… you'd be much happier."

God went silent for a moment.

"We all wanna become strong super quickly, I get it," Saitama tilted his head. "And you're young, so you're obviously going to be impatient. But even with that said, you've gone way too far. You ruined the chance you had, Ayano. Plus, even if you did kill me, what would you do then?" He shrugged. "You'd be on this empty planet all alone. Is that what you want?"

God gazed at its surroundings for a moment.

"I was going to rebuild society," it said. "I was going to recreate a new world. No humans, no murder, no fighting. Finally… I'd be able to feel emotions."

"And that involves killing everyone?" Saitama asked. "That's not fair to all the heroes who put themselves on the front line. The civilians who look out for each other. The workers who spend hours of their day just for the benefit of others. Yes, you'd be killing the bad, but what about the good?"

"What do you know?" God asked, almost sadly. "You haven't witnessed humanity for thousands of years like I have. You haven't lived your life feeling completely empty."

"Maybe I haven't been around for thousands of years, but I know humanity can grow and change," Saitama replied. "What've we been doing for the past thousand years? And plus… I do know what it's like to live feeling empty. That was a good chunk of my childhood, Ayano. I didn't spend much time around other people, and other people didn't like me."

God and Saitama stared each other down for a long time. Power thrummed through the air.

"I'm not going to wait anymore," God hissed. "That Yandere woman Ryoba already set my plans back long ago. This is what I've been waiting for. No matter the words in your mouth… I WILL DESTROY YOU."

Saitama sighed. "Listen. If you don't want to stop all this… then I'll have to go all out on you."

"THEN GO ALL OUT, HUMAN," God boomed. "I WON'T HOLD BACK EITHER."

A pause.

The two forces of absolute power charged towards each other.

BOOM

Time seemed to slow down as their hits impacted. Buildings toppled, and tsunamis rose. The entire planet split apart. Fire and lava rose from the Earth's core. Fire spread across the red skies like a blanket. The roaring of energy was destroying everything. Every living being was washed away by the power. The planet had become a barren wasteland.

Saitama stood above God, holding his fist to its throat. Ashen wind blew past. Lava bubbled in the distance.

"... YOU LIED…" God coughed. "YOU HELD BACK…" It laughed. "EVEN AFTER EVERYTHING, YOU STILL HELD BACK… YOU WERE STILL TOO STRONG FOR ME."

"Honestly, what's even the point of killing you?" Saitama sighed, slumping back. "I don't want to be stuck here all by myself."

"OH, SAITAMA…" God smiled. "OF EVERYONE ON THIS DAMNED PLANET, YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE TO MAKE ME FEEL SOMETHING… AND YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I REALLY CARED ABOUT IN THE END…"

It blinked heavily. "YOU WERE RIGHT… HUMANS REALLY ARE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT."

Its white skin cracked like porcelain. Its godly powers seeped out, floating back into the red sky. What remained was a schoolgirl. A schoolgirl with black hair flowing behind her, grey eyes, and a simple school uniform.

"Uh, hey," Saitama waved at her. "You there?"

"Saitama…" Ayano sat up.

"Finally knocked off that god costume?" Saitama asked.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Ayano asked. "I have no reason to live, and I cannot kill you. I am responsible for destroying this planet. Why let me live?"

"You're still a human, you know," Saitama replied, sitting down beside her. "You can still change. And plus… I don't have anyone else left with me here."

"I can't change," Ayano shook her head.

"Not true," Saitama replied. "You changed just there. You don't want to kill anyone anymore, right?"

Ayano blinked, before slowly shaking her head,

"It's ironic," she said. "I did all this just to feel alive. And yet… I somehow feel even more empty than I did when I started."

"Being too strong will do that to you," Saitama replied. "It's not as great as it looks."

Ayano didn't say anything for a moment. She and Saitama observed the destroyed planet.

"You must hate me," Ayano finally said.

"I guess I should, but…" Saitama sighed. "Honestly, I'm too tired to hate anyone at the moment."

"Even after I destroyed your planet and killed all your friends?" Ayano asked.

"There's no point in doing much of anything at the moment," Saitama breathed out, slowly.

"The Earth is beyond repair," Ayano said. "There's no hope for us anymore." She paused, turning to face Saitama. "I'm sorry, Saitama. You are a genuinely good and noble hero. You deserve so much better than all of this. I took everything away from you because of my selfishness."

Saitama shrugged. "I did the best I could."

"There's no happy ending for you," Ayano said. "If I can't kill you, that means we'll be stuck on this desolate planet forever."

There was a pause. Then Ayano's eyes lit up.

She stared at her hand. "But maybe there is a way to get you a better ending. After all, this world's just like a video game. I can reset and control it if I desire. And I can remove certain things."

"What are you talking about?" Saitama asked.

"We're in a stalemate until one of us dies," Ayano continued. "God is also watching over us, through me, that is. But if I remove myself - the player - from this timeline… I'll reset all the disasters that occurred."

Saitama tilted his head. "Wait, you're saying…"

"I will remove myself from this timeline," Ayano said. Much like the Fun Girl did, she thought. "And I will reset reality."

She stood up, hair blowing in the ashen wind. Saitama stood behind her.

"Ayano…" he reached out.

"You won't remember this, but…" Ayano gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Saitama. You taught me how to be a true hero."

And then she stabbed herself in the heart.


Ayano was in the empty and bleak Void, God standing above her.

"What are you doing?" it demanded. "Do you really think you can remove yourself from the world?"

"Of course," Ayano said. "I am the player; this is my game. My simulation. I will do what I choose."

"It's more than a game to you," God hissed. "You care about those fools."

"I want to give Saitama a happy ending," Ayano said. "That's the purpose I choose for myself."

"You will not," God growled, its form glitching. "I created you-"

"I don't care about you anymore," Ayano responded. "I'm a human. I choose my destiny. I choose my purpose. And you should know not to underestimate humans."

She held out her hand, summoning a worldview of the timeline. Every event that had happened was right in front of her. The universe's code was at her disposal.

"Y̲̭͌̉Ȍ̡͇̤̼̆͗͘U̧͔͔͍̍̿́̈́͋͟ ̛̥͎͋SE̛̘Ŗ̣̓̇IƠ̺̐ͅU̠͖̥̐͐͐S̩͞L̳̟̈͞Ý̧̖̲̮̯̓͋͐́ W̯̾͛͢Ā̦̙̓N̰̈́̚͜T̘̿ ̧͔͗͛T͈͗̎͜O̮̭̭̿̀̿̎ͅ DO̱̓ ͕̦̖̲̔̿́͌͞ͅṮ̢͍̠̿̋͑͝HI͖̲͕̤̫͛̀̏̑͠Ŝ̗͉͚̄̚?̨̫͛̒" the Fun Girl asked, appearing behind her. "͖͕̌̓̍͜B̩̰̝̦́̋̐̍E̪̠͗͊ ̪̚S̢̺͓͐̽̒TṴ͓͍͉̺̑̾̀̆͒C̗͘K͇͠ ̢̠̠̆̐͟͞͞I̤̟͌̌Ń̢͉͐ ̢͇̪̥̪̄͐͗͗̿H̢̻͊͑Ḙ͔̫͍̌̓̄͐R͈̆E̛͎͕͖̝̬̅̀̕͝ F̜̚Ọ̿R̩̒Ę̱̟̠̑̍̒͗Ṿ̞̼͓͐̓̒͌ȆͅR͔̹̫̅͗͡?̦͛"

"Of course," Ayano said. "For once... it's not about me."

She reached out to the code, grabbing her own file. She removed it from the timeline.

"NO!" God boomed.

"This time…" Ayano smiled. "I really am the hero."

She saved her progress. And the whole world went white.


A/N: Next chapter is the last chapter. Thank you for reading and see you soon.