Hero Hunter: Izuku Yagi [opm x mha]

Chapter 56: Limit Breaker vs Limitless pt 6 (Final)

Saitama's punch crashed into Cosmic Fear Izuku's face, sending them both hurtling back to where their battle had begun. The sheer force of the impact was visible from space. As Izuku lay battered and broken, he finally understood—no matter how much he tried, he would always lose to Saitama. Victory was impossible in any timeline, in any way.

Saitama, now standing over him and holding Genos' core, glanced around.

Saitama: "Oh, this is right where we were before... Were you actually aiming for this place...?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, just thinking aloud. Izuku coughed up blood and glared at him.

Izuku: "Ghah... What's wrong... Do it. Why aren't you killing me?"

He didn't want mercy. He didn't want redemption. He wanted an ending worthy of a villain like him. But Saitama wasn't giving him that.

A long silence passed. Saitama thought about why he wasn't finishing Izuku off.

Saitama: "Compared to people like you with your quick costume changes or King, I really hate the fact that I'm not cut out for this at all. But it's because I'm a hero."

Izuku didn't want to admit it, but deep down, he felt at ease knowing someone like Saitama existed.

Saitama: "Not to mention, it was also those kid's final request that I stop you without killing you."

Izuku froze. His blood ran cold.

Izuku: "Fi... Final request...?"

With all his remaining strength, he turned his head, dreading what he might see. His worst fear became reality.

Lying face down, lifeless, just twenty meters away, was two kids.

Kota and Eri.

Izuku: "TA-U-UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Strength started to come back to him as Izuku limped up with all the remaining energy he had.

Izuku: "АААААААAAAAAААНННHHH!!"

A pained scream escaped him—he couldn't believe it. This was all his fault.

Izuku: "IT'S MY FAULT... I WAS TOO CLOSE TO YOU...!! I WAS... gah!"

His strength failed him, and he tripped, skidding across the ground. He didn't even try to get back up. Tears streamed from his eyes—he knew he deserved this and whatever fate or even God had in store for him.

Izuku: "Huff... Huff... Kota... Eri... That's right... I'm... I'm... That ominous future, huh..."

Something had changed in Izuku. His humanity was returning, and even Saitama noticed it.

Saitama: "You've been acting really weird ever since you fell down from the sky. Are you sure some weirdo didn't do something to you?"

Tears kept falling from Izuku's eyes as he remembered his encounter with God before gaining this power.

Izuku: "If they did... It's because my spirit was too weak. It's laughable. If I can't beat you, I can't become absolute evil. And then the hero that takes me down... Says 'I'm not cut out to be a hero'..? You could at least act like one. If you could've just killed me with a smug look on your face, waving around your crazy idea of justice... I could've gone out like true evil... Now, the ones I wanted to save first by changing the world... Because of me, they're..."

Saitama, for once, listened. The one opponent who had rivaled his strength, if only for a short time... But he knew Izuku was lying.

Saitama: "You wanted to save them? You weren't just clinging to them for support...?"