My great thanks to HighFlyingWings, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!

Silver Fang Dojo, a week after Aeon and Bang met.

I stared at Bang firmly, the old man staring back at me just as seriously.

For a long moment, neither of us moved… And then I launched myself forward, a vicious strike at his chest being swiftly deflected and countered by a strike at my face.

I dodged it and struck back towards his right shoulder, his left hand pushing the blow away while his right struck towards my stomach.

My other hand came up, deflecting the blow away, before his right knee came towards my face.

I pushed my head to the side, my hand seeking his knee, but a swift movement on his part caused me to miss.

We struck over and over again against one another, each blow, despite being deflected and dodged, still creating shockwaves around us.

Each of those blows would kill a normal human being, but neither of us were that fragile, and so we kept going, blow after blow dodged, deflected, and countered, vicious return strikes being exchanged faster than the blink of an eye.

The expressions on our faces did not waver, hard eyes staring each other down, challenging the other, commanding them to bow and accept defeat.

Neither of us submitted. We fought, our bodies flashing with inhuman speed across the dojo, our focus entirely on the other.

Finally, the moment came, where our eyes met with the same understanding- this next attack shall be the last.

We took positions, focused everything we had, everything we were, and like coiled snakes, we moved.

Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist mastered to perfection struck against one another, a violent shockwave spreading out from the point of contact, and despite the viciousness, speed and strength behind the last attack, neither of us blinked when our fists met.

For a moment, we stayed like this, fist against fist, hard eyes meeting hard eyes, a battle of will where a moment of weakness would spell defeat instantly…

Before we grinned at each other, took a step back simultaneously, and bowed deeply towards one another.

"It is done." declared Bang, after straightening. "It took a mere week, and yet there can be no doubt. You have reached a level equal to mine, and I have nothing more to teach you. Everything that yet awaits in your growth in the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist style of martial art shall be by your own efforts, now."

I smiled. "I thank you, Master Bang, but this was only possible thanks to your aid."

He waved me off with a smile. "None of that. You earned this from your own hard work and talents… Master Aeon." he smirked at the end, recognizing me as an equal in the ways of his martial style.

I was about to reply, but a loud voice cut me off.

"Wow! That was awesome, old man!"

We turned, glancing at the white haired young man grinning widely.

The various students of the dojo had wide-open mouths after our display, but he was the one who looked like a kid on a sugar rush, eyes wide and gleaming.

Bang sighed, but there was no denying the fond smile on his lips.

"Garou. What you saw was what you yourself will one day be capable of doing. All of you, if you keep working hard." his eyes narrowed at the grinning teenager, who looked thoroughly unbothered by the way he loudly shouted his glee. "And, if you learn more about discipline too."

"Bah! I just need to train hard, and one day I'll kick your ass old man! Just you wait!" he said smugly, grinning widely.

I shook my head and met Bang's gaze, a shared understanding about the passion and folly of youth in our eyes.

Of course, Garou would one day kick Bang's ass, so…

Well, a problem for later. For now, it was time to finish the ritual of Bang declaring me a master of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist in my own right.

-

After dealing with the paperwork to officially recognize me as a master of Bang's martial art, I had gone back into the dojo to find Garou training by himself, the young man visibly working hard on his form and incredibly focused on his movement.

For a moment, I said nothing, simply observing the future Hero Hunter.

Then I spoke up.

"Why do you seek strength so hard, kid?"

Garou paused mid-punch, before relaxing and turning to look at me.

"What?" he asked, blinking.

"Why do you seek strength so much?" I repeated. "I see the way you train. See the efforts you put into this. You have passion and determination in your every movement. But such a thing is not purposeless. It never is. You are training for the sake of something important. Something important enough that you'd gladly sweat, cry and bleed for it. So what is it?"

Garou stared at me, before frowning. "Shouldn't you know already? Being a god and all." he waved.

"I could, but I want to ask you directly." I calmly replied.

He grunted. "And what is it to you?"

"I'm just curious. You seem to have the greatest amount of natural talent in this dojo, and yet you also work the hardest as well. So, what drives you? What motivates you to work so hard?"

He stared at me in silence, before asking a question of his own.

"What do you think of heroes?"

I hummed, tilting my head. "Which kind?"

He blinked. "Which kind?" he repeated in confusion.

"There are two kinds nowadays. Most of the heroes in the Hero Association are the first. They are people who become heroes for money, fame, prestige, even women. For those people, to be a hero is about selfish desires, if still used to do good… For the most part."

I paused, then sighed. "Much rarer, you have the real heroes. Not a title they wear because that's what their job is, but because that's what they are. That's who they are."

I look at him in the eyes. "Those are few, because they are ideals in human form. Money, fame, prestige and more? They don't care about it. Not really. What they want is to do good. To help people. To fight injustice whenever it can be found. Those kinds of people do things because they are the right things to do. Those are the real deal."

He frowned, visibly thinking. "So, what you're saying is that most heroes aren't really heroes?"

The way he said this, he didn't sound surprised, but… still mildly disappointed.

I shrugged. "Behind the costumes, behind the fancy names and powers, what you're left with are people. And people are rarely black or white. Most people care about having a job, a home, a lover, etc. The rest is not something they really think about. In the end, people just want to be happy, and pursue the path that leads to that happiness. For many, that requires a certain amount of selfishness, for obvious reasons."

I smiled. "But sometimes, just sometimes, you meet people who care about ideals. About justice. About equality. About grand things, hard to grasp but all the more wonderful to chase after. Those are where true heroes are born. Those are the people who don't care about 'me', but 'everyone else'. And those people tend to be able to change the world, because they'll never be satisfied in life. The ideals they pursue will never be fully brought into existence, because reality is fundamentally imperfect, while ideals are absolute. So they'll fight, and keep fighting, because the dream they pursue is one that will follow them all their life."

Garou stared at me, frowning deeply.

"And only heroes can fight for ideals?" he questioned.

I laughed. "Far from it!"

Then I sighed, my expression twisting slightly. "The problem is that ideals can all too easily be twisted by imperfect people in imperfect worlds. That's where villains, monsters, and others like that come from. People willing to do anything in the name of a goal. No matter how beautiful the overall goal may be, no matter how benevolent the intentions, and in the minds of many villains, they are the heroes of their stories, make no mistake, they will still leave a trail of bodies behind. And in the end, whatever good they might have accomplished will be forever tainted by the cost of their journey towards making their dreams come true."

My expression hardened. "The difference between a hero and a villain is that the hero will drag the world upwards, towards a brighter tomorrow for all. A villain will burn it to the ground, claiming at every step that the beautiful end goal justifies the horrors to get there. And they'll keep going, even as they trample upon the lives of countless… including even the people who might have once supported them."

We stared at each other, Garou looking tense while I was grimly looking at him, before I sighed deeply and turned away, walking towards the exit of the dojo.

"I won't ask again what motivates you, Garou, but I hope that whatever it is, a time will never come when you will look back behind you and realize in horror the cost of the journey which brought you farther along your dream."

I left, with Garou staring at my back with an unreadable expression on his face, and Bang hiding behind a corner staring at Garou with a pained expression on his face, as if he was staring at his younger, more foolish self, and wanting nothing more than to help him before the weights of his regrets would threaten to crush his spirit.

Then Garou would return to his training, and Bang would sigh, hoping that whatever the future held, the young man he had come to cherish would not make mistakes he would one day regret.

And if he ever did, Bang could only hope he would be able to stop him before it was too late, as his own brother once did for him.

-

Headquarters of the Hero Association, A-City.

"So, you're the new S-rank hero, Atomic Samurai."

"I am. And you're Aeon, the god. I heard a lot about you. There are rumors that you're something of a swordsman yourself." The swordmaster gave me a look, one hand on the hilt of his sword tightening. "That's true?"

"It is true, yes." I replied, smirking slightly at him. "Want proof?"

"What do you have in mind?" he questioned, a glimmer of eager anticipation in his eyes.

I hummed, then smiled, snapping my fingers and creating an apple that I held in my left hand.

Atomic Samurai raised an eyebrow, before a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

A little known thing about the man was that he could learn a lot about someone from watching them cut an apple. That's how he gained his three apprentices in canon.

And now, I was going to show him what I could do with a sharp thing in my hands.

Though then again…

"Hey, can you give me a toothpick for a sec?" I asked him.

The man raised an eyebrow at the request, the toothpick in his mouth pointing up, before he nodded and brought a second for me to hold.

I took it, held the apple up-

The swordmaster leaned forward, eyes sharp.

-And cut.

Atomic Samurai froze, eyes wide with shock, the toothpick in his mouth almost falling on the ground from his sudden slack jaw, as he stared at the unblemished apple in my hand.

"Did you just-"

"Cut in between its atoms? Correct." I said with a slight smirk.

The man stared for at least ten seconds, before he finally looked away and at the toothpick in my hand. "And without a sword too. Goddamn." he whispered.

I chuckled, before looking at him thoughtfully. "You've got a sword technique of your own called Atomic Slash, right? A hundred strikes in less than a second?"

"That's right." he said proudly, though with a measure of humility in his voice that showed clearly that he recognized that as less impressive than the bullshit I just showed him.

"Then let me show you some of the heights that still await you on the path to perfecting your swordsmanship." I replied, holding up the apple again.

Atomic Samurai paused, then bowed slightly.

"It would be an honor to see the skills of one further along on the path of the sword." he said respectfully.

My smile grew at his respectful tone of voice. The man, Kamikaze, only respected the strong…

And he learned a great deal when I cut through the apple as I did, and not just about my skill with a blade.

He gained hindsight about my life. Not actual knowledge, but… a general "feeling" of what kind of person I am.

And I had a feeling from what I could feel from him that he was going to think deeply over what he glimpsed from me.

Still, for the moment, I held up the toothpick-

And cut.

And Kamikaze froze again, as this time the apple straight up ceased to exist.

"You… You…" he stammered, staring bug-eyed at my empty hand.

"Yes." I said calmly, with a hint of amusement. "I cut through every individual atom of the apple… at the exact same instant, and in a single swing."

The man kept staring, so frozen in place he looked to have forgotten how to breathe entirely.

Then he inhaled deeply, took a few deep breaths more, before bowing deeply.

"Thank you for showing me the pinnacles of swordsmanship, Master Aeon. I do not know if I or any others can ever reach such heights, but I promise in the name of the Council of Swordmasters that we will try our best to reach the heights of such divine skill."

I looked at him, then snorted.

"Please, I learned how to strike several times in a single swing when I was still mortal. Hell, I discovered how to cut Space and Time as a mortal. If you try hard enough, I'm sure you'll get there too."

Kamikaze opened his mouth, visibly took a moment to replay my words in his mind, then swallowed and bowed again.

"As you say, great master."

I rolled my eyes. "Get up and stop being so damn polite, you've reached great heights with your sword, do not doubt your skill simply because someone stands even higher than you. Instead, see it as a chance to see for yourself what yet awaits you, and grow even stronger from it."

The man straightened, a look of determination on his face, his right hand tightly squeezing the handle of his sword, his body almost vibrating with the nervous energy of a man who wanted nothing more than to train himself into the ground to grow stronger.

"You're right. I'm a swordmaster in my own right, I shouldn't have let myself be so overwhelmed. It won't happen again. Still." his expression softened. "Thank you for showing me this. Not only your skill, but… What I saw of you when you cut the apple."

I smiled. "I went through horrific trials, Atomic Samurai, but while I was broken by them, I used that to reforge myself stronger each time I fell. Let that, too, be a lesson. There are no such things as defeat, as long as you have the will to keep on fighting and growing stronger. True defeat only comes when you let yourself give up. But for warriors like us, for swordmasters like us, even defeat can be an opportunity for further growth."

He smirked. "Then I look forward to the day I can challenge you, from one swordmaster to another."

I smirked back, the Holy Moonlight Sword flashing for a second at my back. "I look forward to seeing you try."

We shook hands. No more words needed to be said.

Atomic Samurai has seen the mountain standing in front of him, and instead of giving up, swore to reach its heights one day.

A proper S-class hero indeed.

-

A few months later, HQ of the Hero Association, City A.

I took a sip of my tea, sitting down at a table reserved for S-rank heroes.

At my right, Oedon, "The Bloody Angel" as her hero name was, did the same, a slight smile on her lips as she drank her tea.

At my left, the two seats closest were filled by the Summer Twins, who I had finally brought to this world. Known simply as "The Twin Huntresses", they had easily proven their right to sit at the table by being some of the strongest of the S-Class.

Considering each of them could devastate a continent, that was something few humans could match.

Of course, we weren't alone. There was Silver Fang of course, Atomic Samurai, but also Tank Top Master, Superalloy Darkshine, Pig God, Drive Knight, Metal Knight (or a robot acting for him), Watchdog Man and Flashy Flash.

Over a dozen S-Class heroes, though obviously Blast was not here, the man had better things to do with his time, what with dealing with the slowly increasing influence of God in the world.

There would still be more joining in, which was part of the reason we had been gathered here today.

The unmistakable psychic presence I had felt coming closer couldn't be missed, after all.

Still, for the moment we were having a pretty standard report of how things have been going over the last month. With me being present, the S-Class were somewhat more… professional than in canon, simply because there actually was someone strong and willing to force them to play nice.

Also, most of the current S-Class heroes weren't too complicated in terms of personalities. Sure, some had their pride, but I could deal with that easily enough, after earning the respect of pretty much everyone present in some way or form.

Finally, the report ended, with once again a note that monsters were growing in numbers and strength.

Nothing too bad yet, but having my wife as a healer for the Association had definitely come handy quite a few times.

Of course, Sitch, the man doing the report, knew as well as I did that the true reason was because of God's growing influence, but that fact was hidden from most people, even in the Association.

Still, the result was that everyone was recommended to keep growing stronger, as the foes we'd likely face in the future would most likely get stronger for sure.

Which was something I had personally encouraged, and in quite a few cases, personally helped with.

Whether it was Atomic Samurai and his swordsmanship, Superalloy Darkshine and his CQC skills, Flashy Flash with his speed and more, I had regularly supported them to make them grow ever stronger.

By the time canon came about, they most likely could all defeat their canon counterparts with relative ease.

The wonders of actually ensuring the S-Class had direction and a drive to keep growing stronger.

Also, a bit of teamwork thrown in there too, for good measure.

"In other news, we have a new recruit for the S-Class." declared Sitch, the news making several people perk up. The Association wasn't very old, so it wasn't that rare to have a new S-class come up every month or so, but it still was a noteworthy event.

"Oh? They wouldn't happen to be a swordmaster by any chance?" questioned Atomic Samurai, though he looked visibly doubtful, since he would have known about anyone strong enough wanting to join.

"No." Sitch shook his head. "She's an Esper, actually."

That sent a ripple of surprise amongst most heroes. Espers weren't unknown, but they were rare.

Especially ones capable of reaching the S-Class.

I looked at the entrance of the room, a presence like a well-controlled miniature sun behind it.

"Everyone, I'd like to present you-"

The doors opened.

"-Tatsumaki, a.k.a Terrible Tornado." declared Sitch.

"I can introduce myself." came a cold, annoyed voice, before a small woman glowing faintly green flew towards the table we were sitting at.

There was a moment of pause as everyone stared at the small floating woman scowling at everybody, before Atomic Samurai snorted. "I think you got lost, the kindergarten-"

"She's 26." I interrupted, before he could set Mount Tatsumaki off.

Thankfully, that made Tatsumaki close her mouth before she could tear into him, Atomic Samurai blinking before looking at me in surprise. "Really?" he questioned, the same look of surprise on all the heroes' faces.

"How do you know that?" demanded Tatsumaki, frowning at me.

I shrugged. "Blast told me about you."

That sent the heroes to stare back at her, visibly reevaluating her if Blast himself knew her, while Tatsumaki herself blinked in surprise.

"I heard that you two knew each other, but…" she trailed off, for the first time looking almost concerned. "What did he say about me?" she asked, and this time it was said as a proper question rather than a demand.

I hummed, thinking about how to answer that, before I shrugged again. "He told me how you met, and that he wanted me to check for him how much you've grown." I grinned at her. "Something about whether you had the strength to protect that which he pointed out still mattered to you that day."

She paused, before she actually smiled at that.

"You can tell him that I have never forgotten his words, and that he won't need to help me ever again. From now on, I'll save myself… And I'll always protect my family."

I nodded. "He'll be happy to hear that."

"Why is he not here, for that matter? We are." asked Flashy Flash.

A quick look of annoyance flashed on Tatsumaki's face, no doubt about anyone questioning Blast, though there was a small feeling of grudging agreement as well, since she would have liked to see him.

"He's Blast." I pointed out. "That man has a lot of things he is watching over and taking care of. In short, he's most likely preventing an apocalypse somewhere." I paused. "Or several, possibly."

"Sounds like him." Tatsumaki muttered, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Flashy Flash grunted, but backed down.

For now, at least.

"So, an esper, huh?" said Silver Fang, the old man looking at Tatsumaki with interest. "I haven't met many of those in my life, but I can feel that you're the strongest I've met."

Tatsumaki smirked, perking up. "You've got good instincts. I'm the strongest esper in the world. The strongest hero, really… Well, after Blast." she finished, mixing an immense amount of pride in herself with a surprising show of genuine humility at the end… Well, surprising for anyone who didn't know her past.

Naturally, that statement sent ripples across the table, more than one hero not appreciating the boast being made.

Sure, I had curbed their pride compared to canon, but not that much.

I could tell quite a few present wanted to test that, and Tatsumaki's small stature really didn't help.

Thankfully, I knew exactly how to defuse the situation.

"Oh? Care to prove it? I did have Blast asking me how much you've grown after all, and what better way than a spar between us?" I declared, leaning towards her with a challenging smirk.

That caught everybody off-guard. Sure, I had helped the heroes in the past, but an actual fight?

"Are you sure? The collateral damage-" began a visibly worried Sitch, but I waved him off.

"We'll fight in another dimension. That's what I use everytime I spar with Blast." I replied.

"You've sparred with Blast?" asked Tatsumaki, a measure of surprise in her voice.

I smiled. "Of course. I'm a god, and he's the strongest human hero." I pointed out. At least for now, until Saitama gets stronger. "Obviously I'm the best person he can turn to when it comes to testing his strength."

I chuckled. "He even got my reversal of causality technique mastered, so he's making good progress!"

There was a collective blink.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you could reverse causality?!" exclaimed Flashy Flash.

"Sure. It's not that hard when you get the trick." I calmly replied.

They stared at me.

I rolled my eyes, while at my side, Oedon had an amused grin across her lips, and the Summer twins had a thousand-yard stare, mumbling about horrific training sessions and utter bullshit powers.

"So!" I clasped my hands together, and looked at Tatsumaki in the eyes. "Care to challenge a god?" I challenged with a smirk.

And Tatsumaki grinned.

-

Tatsumaki glanced at the desert world they were in, after the god, Aeon, had created a portal for them to go through which would lead them to another dimension.

She looked up, taking in the great blue star in the sky, which was doing a wonderful job of proving they no longer were on Earth, before looking back down at her opponent in this fight.

The god was staring at her calmly, a light smile on his face that spoke of eager anticipation, but otherwise he looked completely relaxed, seemingly unconcerned about fighting her.

Normally, that would have annoyed her… but if he was a friend of Blast and strong enough to spar with him, then he probably had the power to be that confident.

And the fact that he didn't seem bothered by her height, or lack thereof, helped too.

She didn't know too much about him, to be fair. She knew he was married, several times over in fact, had an adopted daughter he had saved from cruel scientists (she could sympathize greatly on that one), and that he was one of the greatest forces behind the Hero Association.

She knew of his Church, the Church of Starry Wisdom, though had never really looked into it deeply. She had no intention of ever wanting a god to save her, when she could do that herself.

Though he was also a known supporter of those wanting to get stronger, encouraging all of humanity to try and reach his power if they could by training hard enough to equal the divine.

Several in the ranks of the Hero Association were actually his followers, seeking to grow stronger by fighting monsters.

All that, she could respect.

His apparent connection to Blast was something she had heard about, and from what she had heard, he had been the one to ensure that Blast would be S-Class Rank 1 because "A human deserved that seat, and Blast was the strongest hero."

Though there were rumors about a man named King that the Association was trying to find that might be even stronger, as absurd as the thought was…

Well, thoughts for another time. The point was, the god before her had gained a reputation of being able to kill any and all monsters in his presence in a second, none being strong enough to even survive his mere presence.

Demon, Dragon, it didn't matter the class of monsters, they died instantly.

He had never even been seen truly fighting, and the only recordings of him doing so were actually recordings of training sessions between S-Class, where he was shown to be as masterful in CQC as he was deadly at a distance.

The god had mastered the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist martial art style in a week, and even she who had little interest in martial arts knew enough to know it was an impossible feat.

And his comment about being able to reverse causality…

About training Blast to do the same…

Tatsumaki closed a fist.

It had been a very long time since anyone was beyond her power.

Normally, she would expect to be able to fight even him, but again, if he was strong enough to be able to teach Blast…

She took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.

It didn't matter. What mattered was proving herself strong enough that Blast would know she had become strong.

She glanced to the side, as she knew that this sparring fight would be shown to the rest of the S-Class somehow, something that Aeon had requested and Tatsumaki had accepted.

Let the other heroes see her power, and know who is stronger amongst them.

She took a deep breath.

Exhaled.

Her gaze met the god's, who nodded.

She immediately raised massive chunks off the ground and sent them flying at high speed towards him, only for him to raise an eyebrow and create a psychic barrier around him, the barrier not even flickering at the impact of entire small hills hitting it.

"I didn't know that you were psychic." she remarked.

"I'm a god. You truly expected my mind to not be as superhuman as the rest of me?" he replied calmly, to which she had to acknowledge the truth of his words. In hindsight, it did make sense.

Of course, if he was a psychic…

She sent more giant chunks of earth at him, using the fact he wasn't fighting back for now to call upon one of her techniques: Psychic Whirlwind, an anti-psychic technique she had first developed as a child, and later turned into a defensive and offensive power.

She called on it now, the technique slamming with enough strength to rip a city apart-

And Aeon's right hand twitched, the attack harmlessly dissipated into nothing.

"Not bad. By making your psychic signals move in circles around you, you can create a whirlwind capable of harmlessly redirecting or deflecting psychic attacks… Or going straight through a psychic barrier. Impressive, but not good enough." he declared, seeing straight through her technique and smiling challengingly at her.

She closed a fist, eyes narrowed.

Fine then, if he wanted worse…

She raised a few rocks no bigger than her fist, and then sent them like hypersonic bullets at him, massive sonic booms echoing around her-

Only for Aeon to casually catch all of them between the fingers of his right hand, before letting them fall on the ground.

"Better. Still, I know that you can still do even better."

Tatsumaki's jaw clenched, a vein popping in her forehead, before with a scowl she lifted the entirety of the ground he stood on, miles of ground turned it into a ball with him in the middle, and squeezed.

Pressure enough to crush a Dragon-level monster with ease slammed into the god, and Tatsumaki allowed herself a smirk-

Which promptly fell when, in a slight flex of his power, the ball of doom came apart like an egg, showing the god within not even having sand on his clothes.

"My turn?" he spoke, Tatsumaki stiffening at the words, a second before her eyes bulged and she quickly raised a psychic barrier, a massive GOOOONG sound echoing around them as somehow, the god had used his psychic powers to bent light and turn it into deadly lasers strong enough to melt, or cut through, a continent.

Tatsumaki scowled at him, though she could admit that she really should have known better than to underestimate a literal god.

Very well, then.

She clenched her right fist, pressure enough to match that of Earth's atmosphere a thousand times over crashing on top of the god, at the same time as she took thousands of rocks around him and launched them at him at such speed they left trails of light behind them.

Aeon didn't blink, and simply raised a hand-

And then snapped his fingers.

*KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!*

Tatsumaki was blasted backwards by a shockwave strong enough to obliterate their entire hemisphere of the planet they were on, though she quickly recovered and stopped herself from spinning in the air, instead staring in surprise at the gigantic hole in the planet the god created by quite literally snapping his fingers.

She was starting to think she might have underestimated just how strong the god truly was…

Then said god looked at her, turned his fingers of his right hand into a finger gun-

*FFFWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHH!*

-And then Tatsumaki had to quickly fly out of the way of an energy blast strong enough it cut through the entire solar system and beyond in an instant.

She boggled at the sight, but quickly recovered, expression hardening with determination, and she took hold of the entire wrecked planet, gritting her teeth at the feat of power beyond anything she had ever needed to do before-

And then she tried to crush the god in the middle of it, repeating her Ball of Doom technique but with the entire planet, and adding enough gravity to almost create a black hole in the middle of it-

"Hey."

Tatsumaki froze, before she looked behind her, eyes going wide at the sight of Aeon standing in the middle of space, calmly waving at her with a smile. "Impressive stuff. I hadn't seen a human destroy a planet since Blast punched me in the face hard enough to create a supernova on impact."

She stared, trying to think on how he could have avoided-

Damn, did he escape through a portal?

… Wait, Blast did what-

And then Aeon punched her in the face.

Hard.

Tatsumaki blinked, feeling herself fly through space, her psychic barrier protecting her body from the hostile environment, but not the punch powerful enough to make her cross through most of a solar system in an instant.

She grimaced, coming to a stop with a flex of her power, feeling blood run down her broken nose-

Dodge.

-Tatsumaki moved faster than ever before in her life, her powers instinctually warping space around her to allow her to dodge the punch that would have caught her in the stomach, the sheer shockwave of power from the punch alone enough to send her flying once more, and she noticed an entire area in the distant void of space suddenly empty of stars.

You fought against that, Blast?! She thought in shock, feeling genuinely small for the first time in a long time.

Aeon turned to look at her, eyes reflecting the cosmos staring at her with calm focus...

And crushing amounts of overwhelming power.

His right hand came up, and every planet and the star in the solar system suddenly moved, going at high speed towards her.

"You seem to enjoy throwing things at your enemies. Then let me do the same in return."

The voice sent shivers down her spine, pure power beyond anything she could have imagined echoing from it, and she could see space itself ripple with every word, reality straining and breaking apart before it.

She swallowed, glancing at the growing sizes of the planets and star growing in her vision, the planets visibly burning from the close proximity of the blue star, all of which headed towards her.

Clenching her jaw, she focused.

Trying to avoid what was coming was impossible. Trying to stop it even more so.

She flexed her powers, straining as she tried to deflect the celestial bodies moving towards her- and then her powers hit a wall.

Her will met Aeon's, and found an unmovable object before her, staring her down with the implacable strength of the inevitable.

She snarled, and acknowledged that overpowering him was impossible in the time she had.

Fine then. In that case-

She focused.

If he could do it, then so could she.

She tried opening a portal.

Remembering how he had done it when they first got there, she strained, sweat falling down her brow, teeth clenched so hard they might crack, she put her hands together and slowly tore open a hole in space and time, pouring her power into it, widening it further.

She could feel the heat of the star grow, could feel its power as it threatened to burn her to nothing.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhh-"

She raged, screaming in defiance-

And then passed through her portal.

She almost bent over, but instead took several deep breaths, making sure her psychic barrier was still up to protect her from the void of space.

"Impressive. Most impressive."

She stiffened, before turning to look at the god, who had somehow appeared by her side from one moment to the next- and no, it wasn't a portal that brought him there, she would have seen or felt its creation.

She narrowed her eyes, preparing herself to keep fighting to the bitter end, even if she knew that anyone who could play with a system's worth of worlds and stars was going to be incredibly hard to defeat-

"But I am satisfied. I'll make sure to tell Blast that you did well."

She blinked, blinked again, and then almost fell over when she remembered that it wasn't a fight to the bitter end.

True, she was far from done, she could have fought for a long while more, she wasn't really injured and the most tiring thing she did was break that planet and open that portal, but even she had to admit she was outmatched right now. She was strong, but throwing planets around without effort was far beyond her.

Throwing rocks at prodigious speed did nothing. Higher gravity did nothing. Squeezing him between massive amounts of rocks did nothing.

Almost creating a damn Black Hole did nothing.

At this point, most of her regular techniques just meant nothing to him.

And some of her more esoteric ones, like psychic whirlwind, psychic binding, or even Chi manipulation would easily be countered.

His control over his powers, and his sheer willpower, were simply too strong to break.

If she wanted to fight him, she would have to come up with something entirely new… Something esoteric enough that it might be able to do actual damage.

She clenched her fists.

She had promised herself that she would never be weak again.

If Blast could spar against him, then-

She paused.

Blast did spar against him…

Her anger cooled, and pride soothed over that fact, she started thinking more calmly.

She looked at Aeon. "You won't mind doing this again?" she questioned.

If this god was good enough to have Blast challenge himself against him, then so could she.

Aeon smiled. "It would be my pleasure. It's far too rare to find a strong psychic to test myself against."

She nodded. That was fair, since it was the same for her.

Until now, that was.

"Alright. Then I suppose that you're strong enough I wouldn't mind doing this again." she harrumphed.

Then she turned, and looked around.

"It's a good thing that we didn't do this back on Earth." she muttered, noting the space dust and debris everywhere.

"Hmm."

She blinked, then stopped to stare as Aeon snapped his fingers and time itself seemingly flowed backwards until the entire system was back to how it used to be.

"There, all fixed."

Tatsumaki nervously licked her lips.

That was… that had been time manipulation.

She would have felt it if he had simply used telekinesis or something similar.

No, with what little recent familiarity she had gained in space-time techniques in learning about opening portals, she could tell he had bent time to his will.

Across the entire solar system.

At will, and without tiring himself.

On one hand, she was somewhat terrified of this kind of raw power.

On the other hand…

Could she ever learn to do that?

-

Tatsumaki and I passed through the portal I created, going back to the HQ of the Hero Association.

I could see every hero and employee of the Hero Association in the room stare at the both of us, an illusion of a screen showing the fight between me and Tatsumaki created by Oedon disappearing now that it was no longer needed.

Naturally, I merely sat back calmly in my seat, and smiled. "Well, that was a nice work-out. I trust that none here find issues with Tatsumaki's presence in the S-Class?"

There was a moment of dumbfounded silence, before Atomic Samurai snorted and relaxed.

"None." he said firmly, before respectfully nodding at the green-haired woman. "Welcome amongst the best."

Tatsumaki nodded sharply, having taken her own seat, and looking satisfied at the looks of respectful awe thrown her way.

The meeting after that didn't last much longer, Sitch obviously having decided he really needed a break, and the rest of the heroes looking hardly better.

With the exception of my wife, as calm as ever if visibly amused by everyone's shock, the Summer Twins, long used to my glorious bullshit, and Watchdog Man.

Who looked as impassive as ever. Somehow.

Seriously, dogs.

Always the bane of my existence, those.

Once the meeting was finished and everyone was starting to get up, I looked at Tatsumaki and politely asked her to stay behind for a moment.

The powerful esper looked at me curiously, but nodded, while the other heroes gave us curious glances before leaving.

Once we were alone, I leaned forward, expression thoughtful.

"There's something I noticed when looking at you that caught my attention, since I would have assumed you would have dealt with the problem long ago if you could have done so."

Tatsumaki frowned, looking faintly confused and annoyed. "What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"Your powers have messed with your body's growth." I pointed out, Tatsumaki's expression freezing before she scowled angrily at me-

"Why did you not use your psychic powers to fix that?" I asked. "While your powers are the sources of your problem, they can also be the solution to it." I finished.

Tatsumaki paused, her anger cooling off, replaced by curiosity… and a hint of hope as she looked up at me.

"You know how to do so?" she wondered.

I nodded, summoning a book in my right hand and giving it to her.

"Here. This is a book about how to use psychic powers to manipulate the body. Give yourself super-strength, toughness, healing powers, and yes, shapeshifting abilities like-" My body shifted, becoming as tall as her, before I became a blonde hair, blonde eyed man, then back to my original form "-this."

Tatsumaki's eyebrows rose at the sight, before a green glow appeared around the book and she levitated it towards her, the book opening as she curiously glanced at its contents.

"I figured that you would be interested in knowledge to grow stronger, especially after our fight, and there aren't all that many books about esper powers in the world." I continued, before nodding at the book. "So that's one way you could grow stronger, and being able to heal yourself… or others-" I gave her a knowing look, and I could see her thinking of her sister in her mind "-is always a handy thing to know how to do, especially when esper powers don't work well with head injuries."

Tatsumaki stared at me for a second, then at the book, then nodded, the book closing.

And if I caught the page she had been reading being about shapeshifting, well, I wasn't going to mention it.

"Also, here. I can't imagine that you want to keep that book floating around you all day, so watch this." I said, before using my own psychic powers to create the equivalent of my Gamers-granted Inventory.

A hole in space opened up, and I levitated my empty cup of tea in it, closed the hole, and then reopened it to get the cup of tea back.

Tatsumaki's eyes narrowed, and she mumbled to herself for a moment while staring at the hole in the air, before she slowly opened her own with her power, needing less than 3 minutes to be able to repeatedly open and close it.

I smiled. She really was a genius.

Tatsumaki put her book in her new pocket dimension, let the hole close, before looking at me seriously.

"What do you want?" she coldly questioned, no doubt wondering why I was so helpful to her.

I looked at her in silence for a moment, before asking a question of my own.

"Did you know that I was once a mortal man? A completely ordinary human being?" I asked, and Tatsumaki blinked before nodding slowly, looking confused about the change in subject, but willing to humor me for now.

"One thing I learned from that is that everyone can become great… if they have the will to do so. You ask what I want? That is what I want."

I leaned forward, my voice turning passionate and firm.

"I want humanity to challenge the impossible. I want it to grow stronger, better, wiser. I want it to conquer everything that drags it down. Sickness, old age, monsters, even death itself. I want it to learn the secrets of reality, and use that to create wonders beyond anything you could ever imagine. I want to see humanity spread across the stars and thrive, building civilizations so advanced that the people of today would scarcely comprehend them. And you, heroes? I want you to reach for the divine. I want you to grow more skilled, more powerful. I want Atomic Samurai to be able to cut Space and Time at will. I want Silver Fang to warp reality with his every move. I want Flashy Flash to outrun light itself, perhaps Time itself."

I stared into the glowing green eyes of a woman able to shatter worlds with her mind and smiled widely.

"I want you to be able to replicate what I did with the planets and the star of that system with an entire universe. I want you to be able to make creation dance to your will, I want you to create realities with a snap of your fingers, I want you to be a goddess looking down over Space and Time and seeing all, knowing all, and being able to control it all."

I leaned back, expression softening. "I want humanity to see me as an example of what it can become, if only it has the will to try. Me being in the Hero Association? Me being here, saving people? One day, I want humanity to be able to save itself. I want all of humanity to be as gods, free to prosper against any evil foolish enough to get in its way. Blast once told you that you shouldn't expect someone to come save you. I want all of humanity strong enough to save itself, without a god having to save them."

I smiled sadly. "I can't do that for all humanity. I respect Free Will too much to just empower all of mankind like that without asking. Nor would it be right, since it would be my power boosting humanity, nor theirs. What I can do, however, is help people like you grow far beyond anything you could have once imagined. One day, nothing, not age, disease, or even death will bind you anymore. My goal, what I want, is to get you far enough on that path safely, until you can finish the journey on your own."

I grinned down at the wide-eyed esper before me, eyes glowing with the power to create or destroy uncountable multiverses at will.

The power to rewrite reality to my image.

"Does that answer your question, Tatsumaki?" I finished, the esper staring at me for a long moment before nodding once.

She hesitated, then turned away, floating towards the exit… Before pausing.

"Do you truly believe humanity can accomplish that?" she asked.

I chuckled. "I did it. Lucy did it. And… I know of another that is doing exactly that, walking that road, as we speak. When the time is right, when he has walked that road to its conclusion, I shall invite him to the Hero Association. So, yes, Tatsumaki. It's entirely possible to do so, if you have the will for it. So the question becomes… Do you believe yourself capable of becoming the equal of gods, Tatsumaki? Do you think you have what it takes to get there?" I questioned, a hint of a taunt in my voice as I challenged her.

For a moment, Tatsumaki floated in front of the door in silence… before she turned towards me, expression firm.

Determined.

Unyielding.

"Blast did tell me to never expect someone to come save me. That remains true, whether by heroes… Or gods. So I'll do it. I'll become so strong you will never have to come save me." she declared, had green eyes staring at me, as if daring me to call her a liar, or incapable of doing exactly that.

Instead, I smiled warmly, eyes twinkling like all the stars in the cosmos.

"Then I look forward to that day, Terrible Tornado, would-be psychic goddess of humanity."

Tatsumaki kept staring at me for a second more, before she gave me a sharp nod and finally left.

I was not surprised when, by the next time I met her, she was radiating smug satisfaction while standing at a full 5 feet 7 inches, everyone around us staring in shock at the gorgeous woman that fully-grown Tatsumaki had become.

From there, becoming friends with her wasn't hard.

Helping her overcome one of the greatest sources of frustration in her life, being looked down upon (literally so), actually turned out very helpful in making her like me quite a bit.

How (not) shocking.

-

"So, you're the new A-Class Rank 1 hero, huh? Sweet Mask." I declared, after having gone to the office of the man in question.

The blue-haired, golden-eyed man smiled, oozing charisma and confidence in himself.

I could see why he had gotten so popular lately.

But of course, everything had a cost, and Sweet Mask's cost to success was a great one indeed.

"I am. And you are the Good Hunter, the god who watches over the world. As someone who passionately believes in the beauty of justice and its swift execution with overwhelming power, it's an honor to finally be able to meet you properly." he replied.

I hummed at his words, my mind focused on the "finally" part, before nodding. "You know, that's fair. I really should put more time into meeting the lower-class heroes, for true heroism isn't about power, but about the strength of one's heart."

He raised an eyebrow, a look of curiosity in his eyes.

"Oh? I know that many don't give respect to the lower-class heroes, focusing mostly on the higher classes. Do you disagree with that?"

"Of course." I said, as if that was obvious. "Heroism is about standing up for what is right, no matter how hard it might be, or how impossible success or victory is. It's about sacrifice, courage, and selflessness. Heroism isn't about personal strength, but moral integrity… Which is sadly much harder to find in the world than just strength. Monsters are powerful, but I think we can both agree that is all they are. Without humanity, there can be no heroism. The selflessness required for heroism simply doesn't exist in monsters."

Sweet Mask stared at me thoughtfully, a gleam in his eyes.

I supposed that it would be a deeply personal subject for him, after all.

"Quite so, which is why Monsters need to be put down like the mindless beasts that they are. Still, a hero has to be tough, strong, and beautiful at all times... always able to defeat evil swiftly and skillfully. That's what being a hero means, no?" he questioned.

I hummed, before tilting my head, looking curiously at him. "Do you believe that one needs strength to be a hero? What, then, of simple acts of kindness? Someone helping someone else for no other reason that it is the right thing to do? One does not need raw power to be kind, and yet those acts of kindness can be considered a form of heroism all the same."

He blinked, before smiling. "I admit, I was not expecting a philosophical debate out of this encounter, but… Hm. Kindness is not necessarily justice, just like justice is not necessarily kindness. Justice is about correcting a wrong. A monster attacks people, that wrong needs to be corrected by its death. There is kindness present in the act, in protecting the innocent, but it's above all about stopping evil."

"And what would you consider the most important? Protecting people, or slaying evil?" I asked.

He paused, face twisting slightly at the question, the very thought of letting evil live deeply upsetting him, and yet…

"The first." he finally declared, looking slightly pained but firm. "Evil can still be slain later, lost lives cannot be brought back so easily... Or at all."

I smiled. For all that Sweet Mask was a fanatic due to his nature, it was good to see his humanity, despite said nature, was still strong enough for him to reach that conclusion.

"I see. So for you, strength is an important part of being a hero, for how else can evil be stopped?"

"Exactly." he said with a warm smile. "The people need to know they can trust in their heroes. Any who falls in battle damages that trust, so seeking strength is an important part of being a hero."

I pursed my lips, understanding his point of view, though…

"So being a hero isn't just about protecting the innocents, or slaying evil, it's also standing as a beacon, an idol of heroism that all can rally behind?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed with joy, visibly glad I understood him. "That's it! That's what it means to be the perfect hero! Someone tough, strong, and beautiful, capable of both slaying any evil and inspiring hope in the people!"

I smiled, feeling a bit sad that this man wouldn't meet Ludwig at his best, or for that matter wasn't born in the DC universe.

I dare say that he would thrive so much better with the Justice League…

Then again, maybe not. Their no-killing rule would frustrate him to no end.

Still…

"But what about someone who doesn't care about fame, or recognition, or about anything else but doing the right thing? Someone who doesn't want to be a symbol, and just wants to do good for the sake of it?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, and frowned, looking slightly lost.

"But… Wouldn't they do more good that way? By being such a visible symbol of justice?" he questioned.

"Maybe, but true heroes don't do things because of the expectation of a reward. They do things because it's the right thing to do. Fame, recognition, and even being upheld as more than just good people seeking to do good wouldn't interest them. Such people would just be happy with a simple thanks, and the joy they would bring by helping people." I pointed out.

Sweet Mask frowned harder, pursing his lips.

Silence fell for a time, as I could see his fanatic desire to do all he could in the name of justice clash with the fact he could find no real fault in my words.

Finally, I spoke up again, smiling slightly. "It's alright if you don't understand. One day, you will meet a hero of such overwhelming might he could be that beacon of justice… and that hero will have no interest in becoming a symbol, only in doing good and fighting monsters. Once that day comes, I hope that you will better understand. In the meantime, I actually came here in the name of a simple act of kindness."

Sweet Mask blinked, before he looked curiously at me. "Oh? Consider me intrigued."

I chuckled, before smiling kindly at him. "Well, I couldn't let the Class A, rank 1 hero of the Association remain a monster when he was so devoted to do good as a hero, now could I?"

Sweet Mask stared at me, before blanching.

He licked his lips nervously. "What-"

"Please, Sweet Mask. I'm a god, of course I would know." I said gently, before extending my right hand towards him, my expression soft. "I met someone like you before, you know?" I spoke softly.

He stiffened in surprise at those words. "Truly?" he wondered, even as the veins of his face suddenly grew unnaturally.

"Truly." I replied, a smile heavy with nostalgia on my face. "His body was that of a horrific monster, an unsightly beast horrific beyond words… And yet, when I fought him, he managed to gather his mind back one last time. That monster was a hero once, you see. A true hero, brave, righteous, and selfless, who only wanted to save people. But he ended up trapped in a horrific place that twisted him until only bestial madness remained… Until I fought him, and he fought his way back from the brink, just so that he could die as a man, and not as a monster. It was…" I trailed off, before looking at the man before me in the eyes.

"I hate beasts. I hate monsters." I suddenly declared, voice so cold that the temperature in the room actually dropped. "I hate them with a passion that could outmatch even yours. I killed, slaughtered, butchered countless of them in my life. And yet, that day…"

My eyes lost focus, a slight smile across my lips.

"That day, I met a true hero in a monster's body, someone with a heart of gold, and a wondrous soul. And on that day, I learnt that for all the power of evil, true miracles existed, and so did true heroes."

My eyes snapped back towards the being in front of me, expression determined.

"I wasn't able to save him, that day, beyond granting him a good, honest death. But I can save you now, and so I will. So please, let me save you, so that you can be the hero I know that you can be in full."

The being before me stared at me in silence for a long moment, before he extended one of his hands towards me.

I took it, and for a second, Sweet Mask's office was filled with a blinding light.

When that light disappeared, the man before me stared at himself in wonder, feeling how fundamentally changed he was.

The mask had become the truth, humanity and power combined in a single form.

A true hero's body for a hero's soul.

As I prepared myself to take my leaves, quite satisfied with my visit, he spoke up again.

"What was his name, if I may ask?" he said softly.

I paused. "Ludwig. His name was Ludwig, the Holy Blade. At his request, I have carried his sword with me ever since, and if I ever meet a foe worthy of tasting its edge, I will gladly use it once more."

"Ludwig, the Holy Blade." he muttered, before sighing. "I would have liked to meet him."

I smiled sadly. "He would have been glad to meet you, too, I'm sure of it."

I stood up, walking towards the door, but paused before opening it.

"Also, there's another reason I respect him." I suddenly declared, and the blue-haired hero looked up towards me.

I turned and grinned. "When he lay dying, after our fight… I asked him if he would do it all over again, even if it meant ending up a monster again."

"What did he say?" the hero asked, leaning forward.

"He didn't even hesitate, before replying that he would do it gladly, because if he could save even a single life, going through all the pain and horror again would be worth it completely." I replied, before turning away.

"So if you ever fall once more, as long as your heart remains that of a hero, I will always bring you back from the brink. Even if the world turns against you, I would still help you, because sometimes, it's not about power. It's about doing the right thing, no matter what."

And with that I finally left, leaving the blue-haired man to stare at my back for a moment before looking out at the world outside, a slight smile on his face.

"Perhaps kindness truly is as important to heroes as beauty and strength." he mused.

-

A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the One Punch Man Arc!
So, the interaction between Aeon and Garou won't necessarily become relevant, since I won't go until the Monster Association Arc, but you can imagine that Garou will remember his words when he'll see the boy he cares about dead because of him. So Aeon basically tried to warn him about his future, but Garou being Garou, he won't listen, not until it's far too late.
The part with Atomic Samurai shows some of what God!Aeon can do with a sword (or sharp objects in general), and also shows that he's quite eager to see other swordmasters walk in his footsteps.
Also, Tatsumaki! Aeon had several reasons to do as he did this chapter, amongst which was establishing himself as the de-facto leader of the S-Class beyond question, show off Tatsumaki's power to the others, and build the foundation of trust between him and her. Also, shapeshifting Tatsumaki is now a thing! Fear not though, we'll see small Tatsumaki again in the future.
And yes, Aeon wants to basically uplift humanity as gods in their own right. As in, the species as a whole. Obviously, that's a very long time project, but when one is eternal, time is actually on your side…
As for Sweet Mask, his situation reminds him of Ludwig far too much for him to not be… sympathetic. A hero with a monstrous body, though he at least can hide that fact, for the most part. So naturally, Aeon helped turn him into a human, while making sure he stayed as powerful as before. Expect him to be somewhat different from canon as a result of this.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we continue OPM, as even more S-Class heroes join the ranks of the Hero Association!