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

Hero Association HQ, A-city.

"So, what do you both think of this world so far? It is rather different from what you are both used to."

The Summer twins turned thoughtful, wondering how to best answer my question.

We were in one of the rooms of the HQ of the Hero Association, and I was standing in front of a window showing the city beyond, both Summer twins at my back as we enjoyed a moment of peace where there were no monster attacks requiring our presence.

"It's very different from Remnant, that's for sure." agreed Summer, silver eyes narrowed in thought. "Heroes rather than huntsmen, and an Association rather than the more loose affiliation with the kingdoms' huntsmen had back home." Her lips quirked upwards. "Though somehow, people in this world are even more eccentric than in mine. Seriously, hero costumes get far crazier than anything Huntsmen wore back home."

I snorted in amusement and agreement. "Yeah, I noticed. I mean, we have an S-Class hero who believes in the power of Tank Tops. Seriously, what the hell? Since when did pieces of clothing hold power?"

"Unless they are magical ones." teased the other Summer, blue eyes gleaming with amusement.

"That doesn't count, it's magical clothing. It's meant to hold power." I shook my head. "Well, whatever. It's not the craziest thing I've ever seen in this world, and as long as they are heroes, the rest doesn't matter."

The blue-eyed Summer hummed at that. "I have to admit, after dealing with things back home, I foolishly thought that I had seen the heights of craziness." She shook her head. "I had to deal with a showerhead monster a week ago. A literal, human-sized, living showerhead, trying to burn people alive though scalding hot water. Just… what even is this world?" she muttered.

"One where spirit is reflected in the body." I replied. "Where people are naturally more in line with their spirits, allowing them to pursue their passion, and obsessions, to otherwise impossible heights… For good or ill. Heroes and monsters are two sides of the same coin in this world. People who became obsessed with something, dedicated their lives to it, and grew stronger from that. The only difference is whether they kept their sanity, and thus humanity, or not in the process."

The silver-eyed Summer shuddered. "Yeah, well I'm happy we don't have to deal with shit like this back in Remnant. The Grimm are bad enough, but adding those monsters on top would destroy our civilizations."

To say nothing of God, I thought but did not say, even if they were both aware of him.

Once again, I was faced with a situation where, because of divine meddling, humans turned into bloodthirsty monsters. And yes, the heroes of this world were more or less able to stop the monsters…

Except that, without Saitama, this world would be doomed. God's seal was breaking, and not even Blast was powerful enough to defeat God.

And that's not even considering the growing power of monsters in the years to come.

Without Saitama, the combo of the Monster Association and God-Blessed Garou would have spelled the fall of the S-class heroes.

And with it, the fall of humanity.

Blast alone wouldn't be able to protect the whole world, after all.

Thankfully, Saitama would be here.

And thus, the worst-case scenario will be avoided by human hands.

Or fists, as the case may be.

… It felt almost strange to not have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Strange, but not bad by any means.

"Have you spent some time with the other S-class heroes?" I asked.

"A bit." admitted my faithful Summer, smiling slightly. "They are a rather unique group. Very prideful too. Still, they earned their place."

"Yeah. If Remnant had people this strong, then maybe…" the silver-eyed Summer fell silent, before shaking her head. "I suppose it doesn't matter. One day we'll get there, and make things right." she declared with determination.

"Yes, we will." I agreed.

"And speaking of heroes." her twin began, leaning forward with a teasing smirk on her face. "I can't help but notice the interest you have in Tatsumaki."

I turned, looking at her with amusement. "Noticed that, did you? Yes, I do rather like her."

"She's got quite the attitude." she replied, before she chuckled. "But even so, she respects you. And as far as I can tell, she takes being a hero very seriously."

Her expression twisted slightly, and I could feel a storm of emotions for a second within her before she crushed it through willpower. "If you want to pursue her as a lover, she would certainly be an amazing woman to have by your side, Aeon." she finally declared, though I could feel the envy, desire, and shame within her as those words, considering the fact that she was still hesitating to make it clear that she too, wanted to live with me as lovers.

And her twin was no better, a slight grimace on her face at her words, before the same conflicted expression that alway appeared when such a subject was brought up twisted her features.

They both wanted to take the leap… but both still held back for various reasons.

Hopefully, me pursuing Tatsumaki would also be the kick in the ass they both needed to finally be fully honest with themselves, take their courage with both hands, and tell me their feelings.

So with that being said…

I grinned at them.

"Oh? You give me your blessing, hmm? Good to know. Well in that case, I better go see her, since apparently I've got work to do."

I walked towards the door, feeling the storm of emotions my words brought in both…

But they still stayed silent.

I mentally shook my head. C'mon girls, is it really so hard to be honest?

Then again, the Summer from Remnant never said anything about her feelings towards Taiyang as long as he pursued and was with Raven, and her twin is refusing to do anything while she still hesitates, so maybe it's not that surprising…

I sighed. Well hopefully, my dear silver-eyed huntress would finally learn from her mistakes, instead of repeating history.

Still, for now, time to go see Tatsumaki!

-

I looked at the puddle of gore on the ground, then at the tall, faintly glowing, flying woman with a disdainful expression on her face looking at it with contempt.

"Hard at work, I see." I said with amusement.

Tatsumaki looked towards me with no surprise on her face, no doubt having felt me coming, and smirked. "It was weak, so it didn't even take me 5 seconds to kill it."

"To be fair, most things are weak compared to you." I pointed out with a grin.

Tatsumaki's smirk grew at my words. "Obviously. Honestly, the Hero Association should just let me do all the work, it'd be faster that way."

"But even you can't be everywhere." I calmly replied. "And I'm pretty sure you'd get very annoyed if the Hero Association called on you every night because of random Tiger and Wolf level threats showing up."

Tatsumaki frowned at my words, but noticeably didn't disagree with me.

"I suppose that even the weaker heroes have to be good for something." she grumbled, before glancing my way. "What are you doing here, anyway? I doubt that you were worried for me." she questioned, with a subtle edge to her voice that made it clear that it had better not be the case.

I snorted at the very thought, which made her relax slightly, before I frowned.

"There's something I figure that we need to talk about, in private since that's not something that anyone should hear about. Do you have a moment?"

Tatsumaki frowned, looking at me thoughtfully for a moment.

Then she nodded, and I opened a portal, waving her in before going through it myself.

Tatsumaki barely hesitated and went through it, looking around curiously as she took in the sight of the living room of my house on this world.

"Take a seat, want something to drink?" I asked her while making myself a cup of tea, the portal closing behind Tatsumaki once she was through.

"Sure." she replied, before taking a seat while still looking curiously around.

Her eyes briefly stopped on the official document stating me as a Master of Bang's martial arts style, before looking away.

"Here." I said, using my own psychic power to float the cup towards her, before her power took hold of it and let it float casually by her side.

I sat back on my sofa, before taking a sip of my tea and sighing in satisfaction.

Tatsumaki hesitated, before taking a sip herself, at which point her eyebrows rose sharply in surprise and happiness, and she wasted no time taking a second sip, a small moan of pleasure escaping her.

Then she let the cup float back, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"That is… very good tea." she admitted, sending a hungry look at the cup, before her brow furrowed.

"The cup is touched by my power, it will never run out of tea unless you want to drink the whole cup." I explained as she looked in confusion at the fact the level of tea had not lowered despite drinking some of the tea.

"Ah." she blinked, before nodding, sending an even more eager look at the cup at that news.

Then she finally tore her gaze away from it, though with some visible effort.

I held back a smile. If nothing else, convincing her to come by here was going to be a cakewalk in the future.

Then she crossed one leg over the other, and my gaze flickered towards the very attractive legs on display.

Damn, but grown-up Tatsumaki has legs for days.

Also, I was 90% sure she did not wear panties. Or a bra. Which was, well, something.

My gaze met her eyes, and I could see that she caught me staring, but she did not say anything.

Though I could feel that she was pleased by the attention… Hm.

Then I sighed, and decided to get down to business.

"Right, let's get to it then." I said, before looking firmly at her. "What I am going to tell you is a secret that only a handful of people in the world know about. I had to get the approval of Blast before I could even brief you on this, but I convinced him that it would be best if you were informed of the danger, just in case. You aren't the kind of person naturally inclined to fall for his trap, but he might target you for various reasons, so it's better if you are warned in advance."

Tatsumaki's face turned serious the moment I name-dropped Blast, and outright grim by the time I finished talking.

"You're talking about a threat powerful enough to require Blast to get involved?" she asked, the hard look in her eyes making it clear that she understood well the implication of such a thing.

"No." I replied, which made her blink. "I'm talking about a threat powerful enough that Blast had to create a team to have a hope of even slowing it down."

Tatsumaki's face turned blank, before she took a long, shuddering breath.

"That's…" she swallowed, before her expression hardened with determination.

Credit where credit was due, she took the news with only a modicum of fear.

Much better than most in her position.

"Now, the good news is that the threat in question has been sealed away a long, very long time ago. The bad news is that the seal is breaking-" I look at her in the eyes "-and that the barest hint of his power leaking through is enough to cause more and more powerful monsters to be born."

Tatsumaki inhaled sharply, understanding flashing through her eyes.

"The growing numbers and power of monsters these last few years-"

"Yes." I confirmed. "A mere side-effect of the seal breaking. Some in the Hero Association are aware of the threat, like Sitch, and they've been secretly helping keep an eye on things for Blast."

Again, a gleam of understanding in her eyes. "So that's why Sitch has been so focused on that, and informing us all about the growing threat of the monsters."

"Correct." I confirmed.

Tatsumaki fell silent, deep in thoughts, before giving me a nod to keep going.

"That monster, known only as 'God'- and yes, he does deserve that title, and that's why the idea of a threat level God came to be- is one that Blast has been trying to keep in check for a long time now."

I took a sip of my tea, before once again looking firmly at Tatsumaki.

"An example is the day he rescued you." I declared, and Tatsumaki stiffened at my words. "The organization experimenting on you was also studying an artifact connected to God." I explained, creating an illusion of the cube, Tatsumaki's eyes narrowing at the sight of it.

"The monster that nearly killed you that day was born as a result of those experiments. You see, anyone touching the cube gets connected to God, at which point he will offer you power. A great deal of power. And the more powerful you are, the more power you receive."

"I'm guessing there's a cost." Tatsumaki said grimly.

I nodded. "The moment you accept, or even get in physical contact with God, and his power flows through you, you become a slave to his will. Worse, your very life is now his, and he can kill you at any time. And of course, any part of his power that gets into the world breaks the seal a bit more, allowing him to use more of it in the world to contact more people… And you know, cause even more monsters to be born as a side-effect on top of that."

"Damn." Tatsumaki cursed, which was surprising enough to make me blink.

She passed a hand through her green hair, before grimacing and looking at me grimly. "There's more, I take it?"

I nodded. "Remember that Blast told you to not expect someone to save you? He was literally trying to protect and save your life and soul that day. Especially because God can take the form of someone you know and trust to trick you into accepting the deal or even touching him."

Tatsumaki grimaced, the grim look on her face turning even more grim. "That's… there are a lot of people who could fall for something like that." she darkly pointed out, to which I could only grimly agree.

"Thankfully, even God has limits, and the seal is still strong enough he can't just contact many people, but you see how quickly things could get out of hand if knowledge of God and his artifacts became known, since those things allow him to act without worrying about the seal."

"It would be chaos." Tatsumaki declared while visibly holding back a shiver at the very thought.

"Correct."

Tatsumaki sat back in her seat, a deep frown on her face, and I let her think over everything, before she eventually looked back at me.

"And what's your role in all of this?" she finally questioned.

I shrugged. "God is powerful, but as you know, me and mine aren't from this reality. We are outsider gods, and even more powerful than the evil God is. As a result, I have two different plans, depending on something I've been keeping an eye on."

She raised an eyebrow, and I smiled. "There's a man who's training to be a hero, unknown by the vast majority of the Association, and I have foreseen that he could become powerful enough to defeat even God. If he does prove himself capable of reaching that level of power, I will let Humanity save itself." I declared, and Tatsumaki blinked.

"You really think- wait… you mentioned him before, didn't you?" she paused, before looking at me sharply. "That day, you mentioned that someone was walking the path to becoming like gods already…"

"That's right." I said with a smile. "And when he will be done walking that path, I will challenge him as I have challenged you, and see for myself whether he can rise to my expectation."

"And if he fails?" She challenged me.

I looked at her, before my eyes glowed with the power of my true self.

"If Humanity proves itself incapable of saving itself, then once again I will save it myself." I declared firmly, Tatsumaki, to her credit, barely shivering under the weight of my voice, and the waves of power that suddenly filled the room.

Then I sighed, and slumped slightly, the power disappearing into nothing. "But I hope that I don't have to, for it would mean I will stand far beyond Humanity for far longer than I had hoped for."

Tatsumaki stayed silent for a time, before her voice came out more softly than usual.

"Do you not believe that any of us already in the S-Class can reach your level?"

I stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Can you make a universe dance with a thought, Tatsumaki?"

She clenched her jaw, looking away at the fact that no, she could not.

Far from it.

"Then even God stands before you like a supernova before an insect." I said bluntly. "And he will burn you to nothing as you currently stand, without even having to lift a finger."

Tatsumaki looked at me with a look of anger, teeth grinding at being compared to an insect.

Even if it was true.

Also, if she genuinely thought that reaching universe-level was good enough to match me, well she was in for one hell of a surprise.

"Then I'll become so strong that not even this 'God' will be able to stand against me, and I won't need anyone to save me, not you, not Blast, and not whoever it is you're currently keeping secret!"

I gave her a long look, before giving her a sharp nod. "Then try, Tatsumaki. But no mere Tornado can stand against what is to come. Either become as a goddess yourself, or fall like any other human in this world when confronted by a monster far beyond you."

I smirked at her. "So with that being said, care for another spar?"

She growled. "You're on!"

I chuckled darkly. "We'll see."

I got up, followed by Tatsumaki, a harsh scowl on her face as she looked at me, before I opened a portal to the same dimension as usual when we spar.

"Oh, and don't worry, the tea will still be hot when we come back."

And then I held back a snicker as I saw Tatsumaki pause, glance at her still floating cup of tea, and then very carefully put it down on the table, before once again turning back towards me with an angry look on her face.

In her defense, the tea really was that good.

-

I stared at the four swordsmen in the room with me, Bushidrill, Okamaitachi, Iaian, and their master, Atomic Samurai.

When I had proposed to show off a thing or two to him and his student, the man had been very enthusiastic, and so here we were, in a training room of the Hero Association HQ.

Seeing that they were waiting for me to begin, I smiled.

"The first thing you must know as a swordmaster, is that there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, that you cannot cut." I declared.

I could see a few raised eyebrows from Atomic Samurai's disciples, though the man himself stayed silent, merely listening and watching intently.

"For most, that means cutting things best described as physical. A monster, a log, a training dummy, etc. But for a true master of the art-"

I took a step forward, and swung my sword.

Atomic Samurai's students stiffened when a moment later I had my sword over Iaian's throat, having cut the space between us in order to get where I wanted to be instantly.

Their master inhaled sharply, having understood what just happened, though his students were too shocked to do the same.

I pulled back, smiling at their master. "What did I do?"

"You cut the space between the two of you, so that you would reach him instantly." he replied, a measure of awe in his voice, though as he had previously promised his self-control was good enough that he had not frozen in shock.

"Correct." I agreed, giving him a nod. "But that was cutting space. If I so wish-"

I took a few steps back, raised my sword-

And cut.

And once again, I was standing before Iaian, sword at his throat.

"- I can cut Time as well, or even both, in order to achieve the same result."

"That's insane." Iaian muttered in awe, but I frowned at him, and he stiffened under my glare of disapproval, his experience as a student letting him know he fucked up by saying that.

"Insane?" I replied, scowling. "No. No. Never. Improbable, incredibly difficult, requiring incredible skill, yes, but not insane. Heroes are those who push the limits of humanity. They take that which is thought impossible, and break it. Defeat only comes when you let it claim you. Nothing is impossible, Iaian. Merely improbable, and it is the duty of the great to prove it possible."

I stepped back, sword in hand. "Let me show you the two opposite heights of skill, the greatest of high, and the lowest of low in the art of the sword. There are those who believe that the greatest skills that can ever be reached by a swordsman can be separated into two things: Infinity… and Zero, The Void."

I created an apple, and Atomic Samurai stiffened, before he turned towards his students, a fierce look on his face.

"Watch closely!" he barked. "Do not miss an instant! This is the skill of one who has reached the divine! Do not let this moment go to waste!"

And then he turned back towards me, a look of deep focus on his face, matched by those of his students a moment later.

I smiled slightly, before focusing myself.

"Behold! The VOID!"

I cut-

-NOTHINGNESS/NON-EXISTENCE/NOTIME/NOSPACE/NOTHOUGHTS/NOLIFE/NODEATH/ZERO-

-and the apple ceased to be, as I ordered the universe that [Apple=0] and the universe agreed.

Atomic Samurai staggered, sweat covering his brow all of a sudden, eyes wide yet unseeing as he stared at something beyond his universe, that which existed in nonexistence around all things.

A paradox by default, a sea of nothing around things, a place where all was equal to "zero", and yet still existed as pure contrast to that which was "one".

His students blinked rapidly, but as expected they were not far enough into the path of the sword to truly see more than the apple no longer existing, even if they could tell that something happened.

Which was admittedly already more than most people.

"Master?!" exclaimed Iaian when he noticed the man panting hard, as if he had run a marathon, but the swordmaster only waved him off.

He stared at the spot where the apple was, then slowly he looked up to meet my eyes.

"That was…" he trailed off, still taking deep breaths, before he slowly calmed down.

Then he turned towards his students, his eyes blazing with passion.

"Did you see that?!" he exclaimed, a wide smile on his face.

"The apple is just… gone, from one moment to the next." muttered Okamaitachi.

"No, not that! Well, that too, but… did you really not see more?" Atomic Samurai slumped slightly at those words, a flash of disappointment on his face.

His students exchanged a look, before looking back at him. "I saw… or felt rather, something, but it was gone too fast to really know what it was." said Iaian, the other two nodding as well.

Atomic Samurai sighed, then nodded. "Fair enough. I suppose that your journey in the path of the sword is still far from reaching mine."

"What did you see, master?" wondered Iaian, and the man paused, before he looked back at me with a complex look in his eyes, but also one of profound joy, like one finding an answer to a question that he never even knew to ask before now.

"I saw a glimpse of the End of all things." he answered. "And also of that which existed before the universe, and now exists beyond it. The Void, as he told us."

He took a shuddering breath, before exhaling. "It was… humbling. And awe-inspiring. And… I don't know." he put a hand on his forehead, sighing deeply.

"I'll have to meditate, because that was a glimpse into the very nature of reality itself, and that's the kind of stuff that can inspire entire schools of swords techniques."

He looked back at me, before shaking his head with a smile. "And you did that with a single cut. Now I understand what you meant when you said that this was one of the greatest, or rather lowest in this case, points that one can reach with a sword. This was…"

He paused, pursing his lips. "The absence of thought, of consciousness. For an instant, you were the Void incarnate, and the Void was you. And you used that to declare that the apple did not exist, and so it didn't."

He snorted. "Fuck, and here I thought cutting through atoms was a big deal… What a blind fool I was!"

He laughed, delight clear on his face. "There's so much more yet to do! So many mountains to climb! Damn it, what have I been doing?! A hundred cuts in a second and I was strutting around like a peacock! Bah!"

He looked back at me, eyes gleaming. "I'll make sure to make you proud, master Aeon. You won't regret showing me this."

I smiled, deciding that we should probably stop the lesson already.

I had a feeling that if I showed him Infinity as well, he might just break from the enlightenment.

Or ascend to godhood on the spot. Still, better not to risk it.

"I'll hold you to that. When you are ready for the next lesson, I shall show you Infinity as well, so that you can understand the contrast between both."

Atomic Samurai bowed deeply, his students doing the same a second later, before he straightened with a respectful smile. "I look forward to it, master."

Then he turned and walked away. "Come you three, to the dojo! I want to get some work done while what we have seen still remains fresh in our mind!"

"""Yes master!"""

And there they went, Atomic Samurai almost running, so quickly he was walking in his eagerness to start training.

I chuckled. I had to admit, I was enjoying this whole "mentorship" thing I was building for the S-class.

Still, I was pretty sure that Atomic Samurai could replicate it eventually.

If Fate Miyamoto Musashi could do it, why not him as well, after all?

-

Silver Fang dojo.

"So, that's your brother, Bang? A pleasure to meet you, Master Bomb of the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist." I declared, shaking the man's hand with a smile.

"And you're the god who watches over the world, hm?" the old man replied, looking at me curiously. "From what I've heard, you've mastered my brother's style in a week. That's no small feat."

I chuckled. "I am a god, you know. I could hardly call myself as such if I wasn't far beyond normal human capabilities."

"Hmm." Bomb hummed thoughtfully, before glancing towards Bang.

"And you want us to see if he can learn my style as well, brother?" he questioned.

"That's right, big brother." nodded Bang. "I am intrigued by what a god like Aeon can do if he masters both of our martial art styles. Also, he wanted to see us for his own reason, though he did not elaborate on it."

Both men turned to look at me, curiosity in their eyes, and I smiled.

I took out two syringes from one of my pockets, and presented them to them.

"This is something that will be presented to the entire human population in a matter of months, a couple of years at most. This is called Rejuv-nat. And to put it bluntly? It's a serum capable of extending human lifespan to two hundred years, if not more, while giving back youth to those who take it at an advanced age."

Their eyes widened, and they looked at the two syringes with shock in their eyes.

I smiled at them. "Human lifespan has been continuously growing as human civilization did. Age is but yet another weakness of the human form that can be fought, and today, the first blow against it is struck."

They stared at what I held, before looking back at me. "The consequences of giving this to all of humanity will be far-reaching." cautioned Bomb. "Are you ready for that?"

"Absolutely. Do remember it's not the first world I've been to, so it's not the first time we gods actually saw to the introduction of this serum to human civilization." I calmly replied.

"Big Brother…" Bang pursed his lips, a complicated look in his eyes as he stared at what I freely offered.

"I know, Bang. This… This changes everything." Bomb frowned, looking both incredibly interested and concerned.

"No more back pain..." muttered Bang.

"No more pain in my right knee…" muttered Bomb.

They shared a look.

Then they looked back at me, looking thoughtful. "We'll have to think deeply over this." finally said Bomb, taking the two syringes with all the caution of a man handling his namesake. "This isn't something to be rushed."

I nodded. "I understand, but I felt like I needed to make the offer. Old age is no less of a foe than any disease or the like, so I see no reason to not fight it, but I can understand that not all people will be comfortable with the implications of such a radical increase to human lifespan. Still, the offer is made with good intentions, and I wish only to help. Whether you accept it or not, at the very least, the choice is now yours."

I chuckled. "And I am very big on Free Will and the freedom of choice."

I shook my head, before looking at Bomb with a smile. "That aside, Master Bomb, what have you decided on my request to learn your martial arts style?"

Bomb straightened, looking away from the serum in his grasp to look at me, now far more comfortable with familiar ground.

"I will accept you as my student. If you are good enough for my brother, then you are good enough for me."

"Big brother…" muttered Bang, visibly touched.

Bomb grinned. "Also, I too want to see what a god is truly capable of with my own eyes."

I grinned back at him, eyes faintly glowing at the challenge.

"As you wish."

A week later, I walked away from his dojo with a new martial art mastery under my belt.

-

I stared at Tatsumaki, the green-haired esper panting hard as we continued our latest spar.

She has grown nicely ever since I've met her, having to continuously push herself in order to try and overcome me having forced her power to grow stronger than ever.

Obviously, she failed miserably at even putting a scratch on me, but I respected her will to never give up.

And since she believed that she wouldn't achieve anything until she was universe-level anyway, it wasn't like she expected to win.

Still, I wasn't just ensuring the growth of her level of power.

I was also teaching her to get creative with them.

Healing, physical empowerment, portal-making, shapeshifting… This was just the basics.

Nowadays, I was teaching her far more.

I had taught her to control the elements, creating and controlling fire, lightning, water, even Light and Darkness.

I had taught her how to live without water, food or air for long periods of time.

I had taught her a form of mage sight, or rather energy sight, being able to see the energy of all things in order to better manipulate it, or knowing when someone was about to attack.

I had taught her how to hide her presence, whether physically or psychically, such that no one could see or feel her.

I had taught her how to make psychic clones.

And much more besides.

With an actual teacher, Tatsumaki's threat level was growing by leaps and bounds, as mere telekinesis was now but one of an arsenal of abilities she could call upon.

And even that telekinesis was far more deadly nowadays.

*BANG!*

Case in point, my psychic shield glowing brightly from the railguns-like shots from small pebbles she was shooting at me.

Shooting at me from every direction might I add, thanks both to her greater control over her power, and the use of portals.

Also, while true manipulation of time and space was something she was still trying to master, she could at least use it well enough to give her railgun telekinesis attacks an extra kick by warping space and time to add even greater speed and velocity.

Honestly, if my psychic shield wasn't so strong that it could tank the Big Bang, even I would have to get a bit more serious.

Alas, she still lacked raw power.

The fact that each of those pebbles hit with the strength of a high-level nuke meant nothing to me, even if she kept throwing those by the hundreds at every second.

Time to show off a bit, then.

I snapped my fingers, dozens of black holes suddenly surrounding me.

The local space-time warped by their presence, drawing inside them all the attacks headed my way.

I smiled at Tatsumaki, who growled at the ease to which I had negated attacks capable of killing most of the S-Class with ease.

"What now?" I asked, challenging her to once more get creative.

Tatsumaki had a lot of power. But that was a weakness as well, because it let her overcome all challenges by brute force.

So my training wasn't just to make her stronger, but to make her used to thinking things through and getting creative.

She had the same issue as Saitama, I suspected. Why get creative when you could win everything with a simple punch?

Which was why I smiled when I could feel the power of the next attack.

She was using what power she had learned to master over space and time to try and counteract the warping effects of the black holes surrounding me.

Infusing her strikes with both concepts… Ah, she was truly learning well.

It was just a pity she was fighting against someone like me.

One of my fingers twitched, and the black holes gained an unnatural darkness to them.

Tatsumaki's strikes hit the edges of the Black Holes' warping effects… and instead of forcing their way through, the attacks were consumed instantly.

"What?!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

I smiled. "Void-infused black holes." I explained. "No mere physics at work, but a true superior concept negating all that you can strike at me with. Space? Time? Velocity, energy, and matter? All things to be consumed by the ever-hungry Void."

Tatsumaki scowled, but I could feel her power trying to grasp the black holes, trying to understand how they worked so that she could either exploit a weakness or learn to replicate the technique.

My smile grew.

Truly, there was nothing quite like a talented student to delight a teacher with…

-

"So, you are his students."

Tatsumaki looked at the two red-haired women before her, one with silver eyes and the other with pale blue eyes.

Both women named Summer Rose, simply known as the Twin Huntresses by their hero name, they looked almost perfectly the same, except for the eye color.

"That's us." cheerfully said the silver-eyed one.

"From what we know, he's taken to sparring with you quite often, too." said the other, and Tatsumaki nodded.

"He's a good way for me to get stronger." she said simply.

The two shared a look, and she frowned, wondering what that was all about, but a moment before she could ask they turned back towards her and the silver-eyed one asked what kind of techniques Aeon last showed her.

Tatsumaki hesitated, not wanting to reveal the fact that she had never even come close to winning one of their spar (though she had never lost them either, as they always broke it up before one of them could get really tired).

Then she remembered the sheer frustration of trying to get through those so-called "Void-infused Black Holes", and sent a thoughtful look at them both.

They were his students, right? So maybe…

"He's been protecting himself with Void-infused Black Holes in our last spar." she growled, a measure of the frustration she felt at failing to go through those damn things filling her words.

Their eyes widened, before they winced. "Oh boy, those are nasty." muttered the silver-eyed one.

"There's a trick to it, though." admitted the other, and Tatsumaki's eyes zeroed on her.

"Which is?" she demanded, even if it burned at her pride to have to ask for help.

"Have you tried cutting through them?" replied the blue-eyed one, and Tatsumaki scoffed.

"I did. It failed." she bitterly said.I guess they are useless after all-

"But have you tried while infusing your spirit into the strikes?" she questioned, and Tatsumaki paused.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, now intrigued.

"Aeon's black holes are powerful, created by his power, but they are not sustained by it." explained the silver-eyed one. "As a result, if you infuse your spirit into the strike, it's possible to overcome the black holes through sheer willpower and cut them, causing them to destabilize and disappear."

Tatsumaki paused.

One of the things Aeon had often mentioned was that willpower was one of the greatest sources of strength in existence, from which impossible miracles were born from.

She shook her head with a smirk. Figures the counter to that technique was him testing my conviction to fight and win.

That definitely sounds like something he'd do.

She sent a considering glance at the twin sisters before her. They were both S-class, and from what she knew, neither had any problems dealing with monsters so far.

As expected of Aeon, none of the people around him were weak.

Now if only Fubuki could learn from their example…

Tatsumaki hesitated, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Do you two have some time to talk? There are some things I'd like to ask of you."

The two sisters shared another glance (and no, as far as she could tell they weren't using telepathy) before they nodded.

Time to get some answers…

-

"So, let me get this straight. You-" Tatsumaki pointed at the silver eyed Huntress "-are from a world called Remnant?"

The woman nodded.

"And you're from another Earth?" she asked the other, who nodded as well. "And you two consider yourselves sisters since you are effectively dimensional versions of one another?"

More nods.

Tatsumaki blinked. "Huh."

Then she shrugged. It wasn't the craziest thing she had heard of, and it wasn't her place to judge people's relationships between one another.

Instead, she looked at the blue-eyed one with a frown. "And you are a follower of the Good Hunter?" she asked, calling Aeon by his Hero, and apparently divine title.

"That's right." replied the woman with clear pride.

Tatsumaki frowned harder. "And you call upon him for power?" she questioned.

The woman opened her mouth, visibly hesitated, before closing it and looking at her thoughtfully.

"Let me guess, you don't like the fact that I'm effectively boosting my strength thanks to someone else's power?" she said knowingly.

"No." Tatsumaki agreed with a grunt.

The blue-eyed Hero chuckled. "It's not as bad as you seem to think. Aeon is very clear that warriors should rely on themselves first, and on gods a distant second. No proper follower of his would ever just rely entirely on his power- that's not how he works. You train yourself, you grow stronger, you work hard, shed tears, sweat, and blood, and prove yourself worthy of his blessing. But it should never become a crutch. Any proper followers of him are meant to be able to win their own battles, and rely on his power only in situations where there is no other choice."

The woman hummed, then nodded. "Imagine that I'm fully focused on fighting a monster, but that there are civilians in the area. If I can't get them out of here quickly, they will die. Even if I can win the fight, the people would still be in danger of being collateral. So I can just call on his power, let him as a god save the people, while I focus on killing the monster… It's not that I'm weak, it's that we are working as a team."

Tatsumaki pursed her lips, still feeling faintly disapproving, but less so after the explanation.

As Aeon himself said, even weaker heroes had their uses. She supposed she could understand the desire to be able to ensure the safety of innocents when in the throes of fierce battles.

Against sufficiently powerful monsters in a populated area, even she might have to hold back…

Then her eyes found the other red-haired woman, the silver-eyed one.

"But you don't think like that?" she questioned.

The huntress pursed her lips. "It's… not how I was raised, or trained. I can see the logic, even agree with it, it's just… not as natural for me to call upon a god for help. I'm used to working with a team, yes, that's how we did things back in Remnant, but deities weren't just something you could call for aid at will, so…" she shrugged.

Tatsumaki frowned. "You always fought your battles in teams?" she questioned, faintly disapproving for another reason.

The huntress sighed. "We didn't have people as powerful as there exist here back home. If we wanted to fight our hordes of monsters, the Grimm, we had to work together or… die alone."

She flinched slightly at the last part, some kind of personal experience obviously being recalled.

Tatsumaki frowned harder, not really liking this. She had always taken pride in being fiercely independent, and calling on gods (especially after learning of that monster God) and relying on teammates just wasn't something she could ever see herself approving of.

At the same time, Summer's current "teammate" was her own… sort-of-sister, and sisters watching out for each other was something that she could respect.

And since they were both S-class…

She grunted, standing up.

"I see. I need to get going, I'm sure there are some monsters somewhere in need to get crushed."

Tatsumaki left, flying away at high speed while frowning deeply.

It might be time to introduce Aeon to her sister.

Hopefully, together they could convince her to cease that silly attempt of creating that "Blizzard Group" of hers and focus on herself instead.

-

HQ of the "Blizzard Group".

"So, this is where your sister lives?" I asked, taking a look at the admittedly high-class house in a rich part of the local city.

"Yes, and where she is building up that pointless 'Blizzard Group' of hers." Tatsumaki shook her head, green curls of hair flying everywhere at the move. "It's a waste of time, she should be focusing on herself, not on some weaklings who will be a burden on her."

I hummed. "If she trained them well-enough, they could be useful. You've met the Summer twins, no?"

"They are S-class." she dismissed, waving it off. "They're strong. These wastes of skins aren't."

"Guess we'll see." I remarked, when the front door opened to reveal Tatsumaki's sister, with a few of her growing Blizzard Group in the background.

I could feel their anxiety at the sight of Tatsumaki, and said esper scowled as she felt the same.

Teaching her (Empathy) was either going to make her grow as a person, or the exact opposite.

I guess time will tell.

"Sister!" exclaimed Fubuki, before her gaze switched to me, and she blanched slightly. "And the Good Hunter. Hm… Please, come in! What can I do for you both?"

Tatsumaki wasted no time flying in, sending a disdainful look at the other lower-classed heroes present.

"I wanted to speak to you about this silly 'Blizzard Group' I heard you were creating. Why exactly are you wasting your time with such weaklings, sister?"

"You could have said 'hello' first before questioning her, you know." I said calmly, though the expression on my face as I stared at Fubuki was decidedly… cold.

Because while Tatsumaki had issues, so did Fubuki, and I wasn't as forgiving towards what kind of person she was as her sister.

Tatsumaki's issues came from being sold as a lab rat by her own parents.

Fubuki came entirely from the fact that she wanted to be the greatest in the world, and her sister consistently crushed that dream without trying.

And as a result, Fubuki turned cold and ruthless on a level that was unacceptable.

The whole Psykos situation was a perfect example.

And that was before considering the newbie hero-crushing.

Actually, I might be a bit biased on that one, since seeing a supposed hero beat others up to a pulp in the name of fame and self-interest just…

Annoyed me.

It was an insult to everything heroes were supposed to be.

And I did not take kindly to those pretending to be heroes while acting like beasts.

True, Fubuki wasn't without her redeeming qualities, but she seriously needed Saitama to punch her head on straight.

Unfortunately, he was still in training for a while.

That was a bad thing… for her.

Because I wasn't going to be as gentle.

"These are my people, they might not be as strong as-" declared Fubuki, eyes narrowing, before Tatsumaki cut her off.

"They are weak. Not even good enough to be A-Class. These idiots will only drag you down, why would you-"

"Strength in numbers." This time, I was the one interrupting, as I looked with cool detachment at Fubuki. "Since you're stronger, she's trying to prove that quantity has a quality all of its own. In other words, Tatsumaki, since you're the epitome of someone strong by her lonesome, she wants to be the epitome of someone strong through numbers." I explained.

The two sisters paused, Fubuki sending me a shocked look, and Tatsumaki merely a surprised one before she turned back towards her sister with a frown.

"Is that true?" she questioned, crossing her arms under her new sizable bust.

I noticed Fubuki's eyes flicker down at the sight of those new massive breasts, a flicker of bitterness passing through her at the fact her sister was now as beautiful as her along with a measure of happiness for the sake of her sister, then her eyes looked up and met Tatsumaki's gaze.

"That's right." she declared, standing her ground.

Tatsumaki frowned deeper, once again looking with disdain at the other heroes present.

"And you think to do that with such weaklings? You'll never get anywhere with that." she scoffed.

The other heroes tried to protest, but Tatsumaki waved her hand, forcibly closing the mouths of all the heroes except her sister.

"Save your breath, I don't care what you say." she coldly declared. "I can feel your weakness, I could send you all flying with a single thought." she mocked.

"Sister." ground Fubuki, jaw clenched. "Please release them, they are my people, you can't just-"

"They are weak." Tatsumaki bluntly replied. "If they were A-class, I might hold a shred of respect, but they aren't. They are definitely B-class in strength. I'm disappointed, Fubuki. Is this really the best you can do? B-class?"

"Not everyone can be born with your level of power, sister." replied Fubuki.

Tatsumaki snorted. "Yeah, but even then people can still become strong. I'm not the only one in S-class, after all. Sure, they aren't as strong as me, but they are strong."

"Even the god over there is weaker than you, sister?" Fubuki questioned, waving at me.

Tatsumaki paused, turning to glance at me, before looking back at Fubuki. "He's a god, he doesn't count. And even then, I'm training hard to beat even him one day."

This time, Fubuki blinked. "You-"

"-Are sparring together often, yes." I finished. "Your sister may be powerful, but she doesn't rest on her laurels. She's still learning and growing stronger. Tell me, Fubuki, how hard have you been training yourself lately?"

Fubuki closed her mouth, sending me an irritated glare, though she visibly held herself back from saying more out of fear of me.

I nodded at her silence. "Focusing on hero ranks, crushing newbies that don't agree to serve you, and more… Are you truly trying to be a hero?" I said coldly. "Do you even know the meaning of the word? Does beating up those weaker than you make you feel strong? Because I expected better out of Tatsumaki's sister."

Fubuki visibly swallowed her first reply, her gaze bouncing between a frowning Tatsumaki and me.

"Aeon."

I glanced curiously at Tatsumaki.

The woman hesitated… then nodded at me. "Train her."

I blinked, and so did Fubuki, but Tatsumaki kept going.

"You're good enough to both train me and Blast-" "Blast?!" exclaimed Fubuki, throwing me a wide-eyed look. Tatsumaki ignored her and kept going. "- and both of your students are in the S-Class, so I'll trust you to train my sister. Don't disappoint me."

And with that Tatsumaki tore a portal open, went through it, and left, the portal closing behind her.

I stared, then snorted. "I should have seen this coming." I muttered.

Though the sheer show of trust that was Tatsumaki letting anyone have authority over Fubuki like this was…

Well, it certainly had implications.

Something Fubuki seemed to understand as well, because she seemed more shocked now than ever before in the entire encounter.

I glanced at her, then at the other heroes who finally were no longer forced silent by Tatsumaki's power, and sighed.

"Come on, we need to talk in private."

Fubuki gave me a look, and nodded.

"Agreed."

-

"So, what's going on between you and my sister?" she questioned the moment we were sitting alone in her office, after she was done checking up on her people.

"For now, I am training her, and we are… somewhat friends. You know how your sister is." I said wryly, Fubuki snorting at my words but visibly understanding all too well what I meant.

"You must be doing something right for her to trust you with me like this. That never happened before." she remarked.

"Your sister respects the strong. You don't get much stronger than me." I pointed out.

Fubuki's face twisted, before she sighed. "Yeah, but even so…"

"Instead of talking about her, I'd rather talk about you." I interrupted, my eyes narrowing.

Fubuki paused, then frowned at me. "I get the feeling you don't like me much." she questioned.

I stared at her, before scowling slightly. "I'm a god, there is nothing that I don't know. And while Tatsumaki has her… issues, so do you."

My scowl grew. "And you didn't get sold by your parents and experimented on as a child."

Fubuki opened her mouth, but I cut her off with one word.

One name.

"Psykos."

Fubuki paled, and I glared at her. "I know what you did… And more importantly, I know why you did it. You didn't stop her because she was going crazy, you sought to bind and break her because she was standing in your way. Because she was powerful, and you refused to allow rivals to your rise in power. You broke her with cruelty in your heart, not heroic intentions."

Fubuki opened her mouth, but I kept going.

"And now, what are you doing? Crushing newbie heroes who don't kneel before you. I suppose that you haven't changed much, huh? You may hide as a hero, but I have to wonder if it's not a villain that sits before me." I said coldly.

Fubuki swallowed, looking away from the cosmic gaze tearing through whatever lies she may have thought to defend herself with, before she took a deep breath and looked me in the eye.

"You're wrong. I want to be a hero. I want to-"

"-save your sister from her own demons. Yes, I know." I finished softly, my expression softening.

Fubuki blinked in shock, and I smirked at her. "I did say I know everything, remember? I know that you want to help your sister. That you want to aid her, and support her. But…"

I paused, and continued with grim humor. "You know, I had a talk much like this one some time ago. Tell me, Fubuki, what is the difference between a hero and a villain?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling that you're about to tell me." she replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

I ignored it, and kept my gaze meeting her own. "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."

I scowled at her. "How many heroes have you already beaten? How many lives have you made worse out of a mistaken belief that it was okay to trample over the dreams of others for the sake of your own? You get angry over your sister's disregard of those weaker than her, but you are arguably no better."

She opened her mouth, but I leaned forward, a fierce expression on my face.

"I respect heroes." I said coldly. "I respect true heroes far more than you can ever understand. And yes, I know that there are many other so-called heroes in the Association who are no better than you, who pull off the same kind of shit that you do. That does not make it right. You should be leading by example, not joining!"

"And you don't understand!"' she shot back. "How can you? You're a god, you are already all powerful, struggling against those far stronger than you isn't something you can understand-"

"Wrong." I interrupted, voice so cold that Fubuki stiffened in shock. "I wasn't always so powerful. I was born a completely normal human being, with no power or special ability of any kind. My power? My godhood? Everything that I have, I earned it. With sweat, blood, and tears, I earned it. By struggling against those far greater than me, by challenging the impossible, by daring to believe that I, too, can be great. You wallow in mediocrity and call it wisdom. It is not."

"So what, you think I should do like my sister? Believe only in myself, while thinking that everyone else desires only to use me for my power? That I can trust no one but myself?" she challenged, voice cold.

"No." I replied. "My problem isn't that you want to be a leader. If that is the path you wish to pursue, so be it. But a chain is only as strong as its strongest link, and I can assure you that in this world, challenging the powerful with raw numbers alone is doomed to failure. Raising other people up is not a bad thing. But doing it at the cost of yourself will help no one, in the end."

"So what's your plan, then?" she questioned.

I smiled coldly at her. "My plan, since your sister asked me to train you, is to do exactly that. No more hiding behind others, no more relying on other people's strength more than your own. You want to be able to support your sister? Then you must learn that the journey to true power is one that you must walk alone. Others can support you, aid you, advise you, but in the end, that path is one that you must be willing to see through to its end by your own efforts."

"You believe that I don't have what it takes to seek strength myself?" she questioned, gaze cold.

"Apparently not." I shot back.

We glared at each other, before I smiled coldly. Time to light up a fire under her ass.

"She can destroy a star, you know."

Fubuki blinked. "What-"

"Your sister. If she uses her power in full, she can destroy a star." I repeated.

Fubuki's jaw dropped, and I smirked at her. "Still think that mere numbers can ever stand up to her?"

She looked at me for a long moment, before her eyes narrowed slightly.

"And you think you can make me reach that level?" she asked, sounding very unconvinced.

I hummed in thought. With enough time, I could, but of course Tatsumaki would also keep growing stronger.

Still.

"The real question is: are you willing to give it your all to do so?" I challenged. "Or is your willpower so weak that you'd rather just give up entirely, now that you know what you're up against?"

Fubuki's jaw clenched, and her eyes blazed. Ah, pride, the two sisters really had far too much of it…

And it was all too easy to wield it.

"Fine." she growled. "Do your worst, and I'll show you what I can do."

I smiled.

Fubuki shivered slightly at the sight, though she tried not to show it.

Well, at least she had good instincts.

Because with how weak she was compared to Tatsumaki, I was going to push her far more than her sister.

Welcome to your personal nightmare, Fubuki.

Don't expect to be able to leave it for quite some time.

-

A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the One Punch Man Arc!
Some more interactions with the Summer Twins this chapter, and a look at their differences in viewpoints.
Also, Tatsumaki gets some answers that both shake her and explain a lot, and if nothing else only strengthen her determination to grow powerful enough that not even "God" can be a threat to her. Thanks to that, and Aeon's presence, Tatsumaki is actually forced to acknowledge that people stronger than her exist (beyond Blast), which light up a fire under her ass to get stronger.
It does result in her wanting Fubuki to get stronger as well however, as this time she's slightly worried that even she won't always be able to protect her. So Tatsumaki is both challenging Aeon to prove himself worthy of her trust in him, and ensuring that Fubuki will get more powerful.
As for Atomic Samurai and his students, well Aeon decided to show off more in the hopes of eventually getting Atomic Samurai as a true legend of the blade. And with that whole "Sun and Moon blades" subplot in the background… Yeah.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we continue OPM, with Fubuki discovering what kind of nightmare she so foolishly agreed to walk into…