One Punch Man: Saitama Retires

Saitama Retires

"Maybe I'm imagining things," Saitama stared at Vaccine Man's dead body with a blank expression. "Guess I'll head home."

He started walking away from the pool of green blood as the eyes of the hero, Lightning Max, slowly opened.

"Am I alive?" Max murmured, forcing his hands towards his eyes. "Uhh..."

His eyes began to close again as his overwhelming exhaustion took over.

After a few minutes, he stood up, his arms supporting his upper body. He glanced around and found the colossal beast dead, with half of its body evaporated.

"W-What?" Max's eyes were wide open, his mouth about to plummet to the ground. "D-Did a top S-class hero stop by? In any case, I need to make a report to the association."

He pulled out his mobile phone, which had miraculously survived, and dialed an unknown number.

BZZT!

Meanwhile, in the hero association headquarters, a long, reinforced room remained silent as heroes seated around a large desk.

A tall, muscular guy wearing a suit stood at the reinforced steel door. He slowly glanced around the table, identifying all the S-ranked heroes in the blink of an eye.

The first seat was empty. It belonged to the S-ranked hero, Blast, who held the top spot.

Beside the vacant seat sat the S-ranked hero, Terrible Tornado. She was the tall yet slim queen of tornadoes, known for her commanding presence, giant chest, and formidable powers. "Blast hasn't come again."

Following her was Silverfang, ranked 3rd, known for his masterful martial arts skills and wise demeanor.

His eyes were closed as he wondered. "Why did the association call us out of nowhere?"

Closely following him was Atomic Samurai, ranked 4th, famous for his unparalleled swordsmanship and swift strikes.

Next in line was Metal Knight, who was absent from his seat.

Zombie Man, ranked 6th, possessed an eerie ability to regenerate from any injury, making him an invaluable asset in many battles. "How much does Pig God eat?"

Drive Knight occupied the 7th rank, known for his enigmatic nature and highly advanced combat capabilities.

Pig God held the 8th rank, known for his immense size and unquenchable appetite. "I want to eat some venomous snakes."

Finally, Superalloy Blackluster, ranked 9th, was known for his impressive body and unmatched raw physical strength.

A man in his sixties, who held one of the top positions in the association, stood at the end of the table, his face displaying a frown of fear.

Breaking the silence with a clap of his hands, he announced, "If you're wondering where the others are, we have sent them to City A to control the situation."

He bent towards the table to create an atmosphere full of tension as seriousness took over his face. "We've got terrible news from the great sage."

"Terrible?" Zombie Man wondered as he titled his face to the left.

"Yes," The old man said, turning his head towards Zombie Man. "A disaster worthy of God—no, an even greater threat."

"What!?" Blackluster stood up.

"Tell us more about it," Atomic Samurai stated, his eyes locked onto the associate's eyes.

"I'm sorry, but that's all we know," The old man closed his eyes, indicating a sign of disappointment at their failure. "The great sage mysteriously perished while looking for the cause."

"What sight could've made the great sage perish?" Silverfang's mouth opened wide as he glanced around towards the other heroes, who were also shocked.

Coming back to Saitama, who stood near his house's door, his hands placed on its knob.

CLANG!

The doorknob slightly came off before Saitama exclaimed. "Oh! Of course, it's locked."

Saitama glanced down to reach for the key before realizing he didn't have one. "I forgot it at the other planet."

"What did you forget?" A gentle voice abruptly interrupted from behind.

Saitama turned around, his unlively eyes dilated, and his mouth opened with surprise. "M-Me?"

The reaction was mutual since the guy standing in front of Saitama was also shocked, as indicated by his grocery bag that fell onto the ground. He wore a black jacket and pants, had black hair, and a round yet pale face, exactly like Saitama.

"Who're you? A monster?" The other Saitama questioned while slowly retreating.

Bald Saitama stretched out his palms and straightened them before gently waving up and down. "No, no, I'm a human who's a hero for fun, and why do you look like me?"

The other Saitama suddenly started to laugh. "I get it now. I'm Saitama, and you're Saitama. We're both Saitama, but we're somehow different."

"Oh," Bald Saitama tilted his expressionless potato face.

"Are you the dumber version of me?" The other Saitama sighed, pointing at his bald self. "This is seriously so hilarious."

Straightening his posture, the other Saitama stopped laughing and turned serious. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Saitama. I used to be a hero, but I retired a few months ago."

"I became too strong and was able to kill anything with one punch," the other Saitama mentioned with a frown. "The pleasure and fun I once experienced, the emotions I felt, everything vanished. I felt empty, so I stopped being a hero because an emotionless hero couldn't possibly represent the essence of heroism."

"I can understand it," Bald Saitama replied. "But now, I've met plenty of strong guys."

"Ahh... Lucky for you," The other Saitama smiled as he stretched his arms. "But today, it seems like luck has responded to my pleas."

He began rotating his arms and gradually changing to a full-body stretch. "No matter how many strong guys you've met, today will be the day we both realize the true joy and happiness of a fight like we dreamt."

After a brief pause, the other Saitama grinned. "Let us not waste time, or my luck will run out."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged at Saitama with a menacing face, emanating a very intense aura, and launched a punch aimed at his torso. His punch was shrouded in layers of compressed air, appearing almost invisible.

Sensing danger, Saitama reacted instantaneously, retaliating with a punch of his own. He widened his stance, positioning his legs at a considerable distance apart, then squatted down, channeling a monstrous amount of strength into his punch.

As their fists came closer, the air pressure around them intensified as their house crumbled.

Returning to the hero association, the old man turned around and walked towards a wall. "But we know one thing for sure that the disaster may happen years from now... Or-"

The moment the tips of their fists connected, city Z immediately evaporated from the map. The intensified pressure further traveled with the shockwaves to deepen the impact and obliterate anything from its path.

As the shockwaves reached the hero association building, the old man finished his sentence with a pause. "It may happen right this instant."

BOOM!

Their fists collided further, and a loud creak reverberated through the Earth's surface before disappearing and giving way to a moment of complete silence.

SWOOSH!

Within the next moment, the Earth's crust had vanished, and the entire planet was split in two as the shockwaves traversed through space, making the other planets tremble with fear.

Author: I have re-edited this chapter several times and its a little longer than the others. I hope you liked the climax and I don't think I have to explain what happens in a battle between Saitama vs Saitama lol.