One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Chapter 32: Fist vs Faith
An unmarked, simple looking black sedan sped down the hidden dirt road created to meet the other end of Spade's escape tunnel. Leaning against the passenger seat window, the now broke and beaten crime boss contemplated everything that lead up to him fleeing with Rose. Heavy metal playing from the stereo helped the time pass, Rose kept her eyes on the road but never stopped wondering what was going through his mind.
"We're going to the C-City safe house, right?" Rose said.
"Yeah...seems like the best place for now." Spade said, coughing harshly as he turned. "Still got some favors to collect down there, that should help us get things up and running again."
"So that's it? Just start all over and hope for the best?" Rose asked.
"Not quite, gotta learn from your mistakes after all." Spade said, sighing as he realized just how many mistakes he made. "Better gear, better help and having a better ace in the hole then letting some mad scientist make whatever they want..." He said with a smirk, but he could tell Rose was not impressed. "Aww...come on Rosie. Give us a smile."
"What did I say about calling me that?" Rose said, irritated as a hint of her British accent slipped out.
"Right...Sorry." Spade said, remembering how old both of them were now. "You regret going along with this old bugger? Didn't exactly go the way I said..."
"Really, what makes you say that?" Rose replied with a cheeky little grin. "All in all, I think it still beats having some dull office job. Besides, running a criminal empire seems to be something I'm rather well suited for."
"Ain't that the truth." Spade said, his chest hurting as he laughed. "No way in hell I'm running the books."
"As if you could." Rose added with a chuckle.
Their moment of levity was ruined by something crashing in front of their path, creating wave of dust that made Rose slam of the brakes. Before the dust finished settling, the glowing outline of a man could be seen inside along with two shining eyes staring directly the escaping criminals.
"We might have a problem..." Rose said, trying not to panic as she realized who was stopping them.
"Well...that figures." Spade said, carefully reaching under his seat for a weapon.
Another came with the one who was stopping Spade, a man from Randal's past who was now the only thing standing between him and death from the manmade god known as Seraph. It was still unbelievable, the last second timing of his arrival made Randal wonder if all of these was just a dream. But as he stared at the bald, slouching man who looked like who could not even crush a mosquito the old man knew the presence he was feeling was very much real. He was also the only one from his group still conscious, Kathy crawled to the Bulldog but only made it half-way before passing out.
Seraph could feel something to, something different then all the others humans he had faced so far. Despite having an appearance that was the opposite of threatening, something told Seraph this new arrival had a very strange aura. A file stored in his memory banks flashed into his view, but it was not the same as the other personnel records for official Heroes.
"No, Spade is either hiding or fled but I will be sure to deal with him next." Seraph replied with intrigue. "The better question is...what are you?"
"Umm...a Hero. That's why I'm here." The Bald man said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Not your title Caped Baldy, I'm already aware of that." Seraph said, one hand behind his back while the other stroked his chin in contemplation. "Your file has only the most basic information. The Association must think you're something special if they're willing to keep so much about you classified. I can't help being curious."
"Were you the one who attacked them?" The Bald man asked, seemingly not caring about what Seraph had to say as he examined the other Heroes.
For a few seconds, the bald man noticed the only Hero that was still conscious. Randal was speechless and struggling to keep his head up while the bald man simply wondered why the old timer near death looked so familiar.
"I am, they refused the offer to join my reign as god." Seraph said, shifting into a ready stance. "But you...you will be my test."
"If that means you want to fight..." The bald man said, a clear shift in tone as he raised his fists. "I'll take you on."
His lips spreading into an elated smile, Seraph felt destiny itself providing the perfect trial for his ascension. Every combat program ran through his mind in rapid succession, helping him find every opening and presenting the best option for attack. The Bald Man held his ground, his eyes locked on the opponent as he waited to see what they could do.
Knowing how much was at stake, Randal planned to watch the fight closely and hope he was not caught in the crossfire. Even if he was not disoriented, Randal would not have been able to see Seraph make his move. One moment the madmen dressed in white is there, the next he's gone. Then his ears pop from what sounded like a bomb going off right next to him. The sound came from the bald man, who was now looking to his left with his fist stretched out like a straight jab.
"What the...?" Randal muttered, staring at the huge chunk of forest and the mountain range behind that was suddenly gone.
"Hmm...pretty fast." The Bald Man thought, his eyebrows perked.
A new feeling coursed through Seraph's body as he watched his opponent from the other side of the power plant; fear. Sweat running down his faces, goosebumps covering his skin and the painful knowledge that his godly power was only just enough to avoid this new beings counterattack. The devastation left in the wake of a single punch let another sensation creep into his mind; doubt. Perhaps even his body could not recovering from such a force? Maybe his reign would come to an end before having a chance to begin. The bald man looked his way again; taking up the same, simple fighting stance again. Knowing the only way to complete his goal was to kill, Seraph was now filled with overwhelming determination.
"Yes...there is no more doubt, you are my final trial!" Seraph called out, pointing at his opponent dramatically. "Humanity's best, come to make me earn my place as the one who guides them! Well, so be it! I promise to use all of my divine power in order to show...!"
"Enough!" The Bald Man yelled, his face quickly changing from stern to cranky. "Why do I have to keep hearing long-winded monologues?!"
"Hmph...so be it." Seraph bitterly replied, putting his new plan into action.
"Huh...?" The Bald Man wondered, tilting his head to the side as he watched Seraph shift into horse stance. "Weird time to do squats…"
Along with knowledge of all common forms of combat, Seraph's mind was also built to adapt. With this ability, he could copy the same enhancement technique used by Master Wing. As his superior body drew in air, his already toned physique expanded quickly. This caused dark green veins to appear over his face and hands, spreading over the rest of his body. He straight ahead, creating a sonic behind as Seraph moved several times faster than light. The Bald man had enough time to show surprise at Seraph's increased speed before his new attack began.
"Divine Onslaught!" One of seventy-seven afterimages declared.
Randal couldn't see the attacks, even the Bald Man's body moved like a blur as it flailed like a ragdoll in every direction. With his installed knowledge, Seraph was able to make each hit was intended to break bones and target the body most vital areas. Taking a countless number of attacks in only a handful of seconds, the yellow-clad Hero suddenly found himself clutched by the cape and pulled miles into the air. Spinning with enough force to bring clouds into a midair tornado, Seraph flung him into the landscape his punch already decimated. Feeling the ground shake, Randal wondered if The Bald Man had met his match.
With the Hero buried deep within the earth, Seraph knew there was nothing stopping him. Diving straight down, he planned to finish the fight with a powerful punch of his own. His confidence grew as he kept descending like an avenging angel, but that at the very last moment he would be overtaken by fear again. A single fist popped out of the dirt, sending an immeasurable shockwave into the sky. Looking straight up, Randal saw clouds part and was convinced he even saw a cluster of stars scatter. The shockwave also cleared all the loose rubble covering the Bald Man, his cloths mostly intact expect for being covered in dirt.
"It can't be..."." Randal said as he looked down again and noticed Seraph's new trick.
To push himself away from imminent death, Seraph had to tap into a dormant power he assumed would not be needed so soon. That power let he escape the Bald Man's punch with only his left arm lost, it quickly heal as he floated still in the air. A bright green field of energy emanated from his body, causing the visible veins to glow as well.
"It seems the estimates were mistaken..." Seraph said, floating higher and higher the Bald Man while he shook the dirt out of his special place. "My Esper abilities were only expected to be needed for the two highest ranked Heroes. Already, this world must bear witness to my true power."
Waiting to see what was next, The Bald Man calmly observed Seraph entering the mesosphere. Satisfied with the distance, Seraph kept one arm behind his back and pointed the other at the ground with an open hand. Miles of rock and dirt were being pulled out of the ground, swirling upward into the ball of debris that grew into a massive meteor. Surrounded by psychic energy, the glowing mass in the middle of the sky left Randal unnerved. He prayed The Bald Man would be able to pull off a miracle, but the only Hero still standing appeared to be confused.
"Huh..." The Bald Man said, watching Seraph create a very familiar shape. "What's that feeling...when you know you've done something before?"
Entire mountain ranges were pulled apart, adding to Seraph's meteor until the size was to his satisfaction. He estimated the impact could completely destroy everything radius that took up thousands of miles. It was a shame, having to wipe out the Heroes that he wanted to join the cause. But there were others that could fill the role and this event could be used to show the world what happens when their new ruler is opposed. Pointing directly at The Bald Man, the meteor began to rapidly descend. The compressed air creating a coat of fire that surrounded the gigantic mass of rock and dirt.
Knowing what that giant rock would do if it touched ground made Randal panic. He stared at the giant, descending ball of destruction for a few seconds before snapping himself out of it. He was too far away to see what The Bald Man was doing, but so far he seemed to be just standing there.
"What the hell are you waiting for?!" Randal shouted.
"Oh yeah..." The Bald Man said before squatting down, launching straight into the air and punching straight through the meteor with enough force to reduce it to dust. "Deja Vu."
Seeing Seraph above, The Bald Man was expecting another attack but noticed his opponent was to busy looking at him with complete disbelief. He dropped to the ground, with the humbled god floating down to join him. Now back where they started, they stood two football field's away from each other with a complete awestruck Randal watching in the middle.
"I could try crushing you with gravitational force, but something tells me that won't suffice." Seraph calmly confessed, his body starting to glow brighter. "No...for you I will need something much...more."
"Ok..." The Bald Man said with a blank stare.
Clenching his right hand tight, focused on the limb and began to transfer his power. From his other side, the glow on his body faded as the power shifted into a single pointed on his body. By the time it was done, Seraph's whole arm and shoulder was engulfed in a blinding green light. Complete conviction in his quest for godhood caused the an angel's wing made of pure energy to sprout from the right side of his back.
"I pity the world now under my care..." Seraph said, looking somber for a moment. "The power this blow will likely tear it in half!"
Just like before, Randal was too badly injured to escape and this time he had teammates that would not be left behind. The thrill that came with seeing The Bald Man again was now a mix of frustration and fear, knowing all of their lives were in the stranger's hands. Holding his breath, he only saw a twitch from Seraph before he moved in for the decisive blow.
"Angelic Execution!" Seraph cried out, a green shockwave and trail following behind him.
He attacked with total confidence, knowing this punch would be the true start to his ascension. The unfazed look on Seraph's enemy had to be a strong attempt at hiding their fear. Every vision of his reign, all the images of billions bowing to him running through his mind, the very purpose he was conceived by both Dr. Nova and destiny itself...all of that shattered the instant two fists collided.
It was so sudden to Randal, one blink of his eyes and Seraph was there but the next he was gone. In his place looked a swarm of glowing green fireflies, erupting into the air from the end of The Bald Man's smoking fist. This only lasted for a few seconds, the glowing ashes deteriorated and faded completely.. As Randal's brain put together what happened, the man who just saved him and everyone else looked down at his fist and sighed. Once the shock died down and he was overcome with relief, Randal's head dropped. His tired, damaged body finally started to catch up to the old man. His eyes were heavy and his vision was starting to blur, but he could still make out the pair of red boots that were now in front of him. Forcing himself to look up again, his eyes met with the man who changed his life. The Bald Man still looked uncertain about who Randal was, but he ignored to focus on a message he felt had to be given. Unfortunately, he would not get the chance. Randal opened his mouth, by could only let out one more groan of exhaustion before his head hit the ground.