Game
Thoughts
"Talking"
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One Minute Earlier
As Gray's Kokuyo streamed downward, slamming into the surface of Monas and sending a massive explosion of light streaming in every direction, Garou simply looked over, unfazed. The 'Ultimate Monster' and 'Hero Hunter' had long accepted what the outcome of this battle would be.
We'll all die.
It wasn't that Garou was at peace with his death, or that he yearned for it. No, he wanted to live just as strongly as anyone else, and dying in the vacuum of space wasn't something he was looking forward to. In his mind, he knew that he should've left - that, upon seeing how out of his league both Boros and Gray were, he should've run for the hills. He should've followed the action of Gray's squad and the rest of the heroes, and left the bald man and the insane Saiyan to fight until they died.
But I didn't.
It wasn't because Garou was stupid or reckless. He knew that joining in the fight would only ensure his death, and he'd die along with the other battle-hungry maniacs on Monas. As he had watched the fight taking place, 'insane' had been the only way he could describe them.
Saitama, who fought an opponent who could never die, endlessly. Throwing punch after punch, tanking hit after hit, and fighting even as he barely made a dent in the planet.
Boros, who died as he fought. Struggling endlessly in a pointless battle, where his own body was slowly betraying him. An alien thief who was fighting a fruitless battle, and who had condemned himself to death just by stepping onto the battlefield.
And, finally, the Saiyan who had started it all. Gray, who had the most talent Garou had ever seen. A Saiyan who had picked up on his fighting style through just a few spars, and soon reached, and then nearly surpassed, Garou himself. A Saiyan whose growth rate surpassed even his own.
And, a Saiyan who just never seemed to go down. A Saiyan who had been humiliated, discarded as he wasn't even worth killing, and then had come back with a fiery vengeance. A Saiyan who could've simply destroyed Monas and not entertained battling Boros, but fought for the sole reason of enjoyment. A Saiyan who was willing to risk not only his life, but the lives of all his friends and loved ones for a simple fight. A Saiyan whose battle-hungry nature was unmatched - surpassing the eagerness of most Saiyans, and even of the King of Saiyans himself.
But, as Garou stared at the insanity taking place around him, he didn't run. He couldn't even bring himself to look down upon the maniacs.
Because I'm one of them.
When Garou had set out to become the Ultimate Monster, he had known that he would die. No matter how much he despised the structure of Harro, where heroes killed monsters without a care and were celebrated for it, he knew he couldn't change it. He couldn't be the monster that won - because the monster never won.
But we came close.
Garou didn't share any camaraderie or love for either Orochi nor Boros, but he had lunged into the fight to assist them anyway. He had given a poor excuse, simply saying that he'd rather die fighting than die running, but it had been nothing more than an excuse. In reality, there was a feeling deep inside of him. Something he had wanted for his entire life - ever since he was forced to be the monster by his friends on the playground, and beaten while they cheered. Ever since he had discovered that the heroes always won.
I want the monster to win.
It went against the very logic that Harro acted upon. Garou wasn't a bad or evil person, as most monsters were, and he didn't want to kill or harm anyone. He simply wanted the bad guy to win for once.
So, when he watched the 'hero' return and handle Boros with ease, it annoyed him. He was watching the monster lose once again, and he wouldn't accept it. He had intervened, and in the same way the maniacs around him had, he had condemned himself to dying on this planet.
I don't want to die.
Garou didn't have an immense will to live or any last-minute regrets about dying. Instead, he simply had one wish.
I don't want to die until the monster wins.
In both a stroke of fortune and misfortune, someone far above him, in a higher realm, was looking down at the battle on Monas. He wasn't someone who was tied to the planet, nor to the surrounding ones, but someone who had been using the inhabitants like toys.
And, as Garou was watching Gray destroy Monas, that being happened to hold a grudge against the Saiyan.
Do you… want… to win?
The thoughts weren't Garou's own, but as he stared blankly at his incoming doom, he didn't think too hard about who the voice in his head was. Instead, he simply answered.
Of course.
In that moment, the chaos of Monas seemed to fade around him, becoming just background noise as his eyes were drawn forward. In front of him, a living, yet not living, figure walked towards him. A figure that looked remarkably like him, but also not like him. A Garou made of long, connecting, and crossing lines. A monster.
Take… my… hand…
The monster raised its hand, one Garou staring at the other as the limb was extended.
You will… win…
Normally, Garou would refuse such an offer. He was a man who wanted to spit in the face of the higher-ups in this world and wanted to achieve his power on his own. He wanted to become the Ultimate Monster - not be gifted it.
But, as he was about to die anyway, Garou simply shrugged. He had nothing to lose.
"Sure."
He reached out, his hand gripping the monster's, and the deal was made. In that moment, god created the Ultimate Monster.
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Boros' brain shook as a fist slammed into his cheek, sending him reeling to the side as his Ki-beam was prevented from pushing against Gray's. As it happened, the alien warlord knew, without a doubt, that his life was going to end.
Not that he was surprised, or even worried about such an outcome. He had long ago accepted that this was his fate - that he would die on this planet, along with all the other fighters around him. But, as he reached the goal he had been striving towards for so many years, he didn't particularly care about his own death.
I found a fighter who surpassed me.
In fact, he had found even more than that - he had found two fighters that surpassed him. In a twist of events that Boros could've never predicted, after years of searching for a worthy opponent, he had found not just one, but two.
The first one had been a bit disappointing - after facing down the bald hero for the first time, Boros had been shocked to have his armor destroyed in just one punch. He had been excited and hopeful for the fight of his life afterward, but the ensuing battle had been a letdown, to say the least. Saitama was certainly powerful, but with multiple other fighters on Monas gunning for his head as well, combined with the bald hero's lack of seriousness, the fight had been lackluster.
Then, Boros had met the Saiyan again. When he had encountered Gray the first time, he had woefully regretted eating fruits from the Tree of Might. His lack of belief in the fruits legend, and then his desire to prove the fruit wrong and survive eating two of them, had led to him missing out on a fight that could've made his heart race. Then, just a month later, as Boros was considering taking the fight to Frieza instead of waiting, Gray had returned.
A fighter who surpassed me in every way.
It was different from Saitama, whose physical body made him seemingly unkillable no matter how many attacks stacked up. Instead, Gray wasn't invincible, nor was he an overwhelming physical force.
No, rather than invincible, he was simply the better fighter. Boros might've been disillusioned to believe the gap in the power between Gray's Ozaru form and his Meteoric Burst was the difference maker, but upon the Saiyan's tail being cut off, he had quickly realized that was far from true.
He's better.
The Saiyan's power had plummeted, becoming just a fraction of Boros' own, even when he powered up further with the Kaio-Ken x20. Even then, in a situation where he was fighting two opponents at the same time, he had held his own well. He had nearly closed the power gap with his fighting prowess alone.
So, as Boros watched the pitch-black beam of Ki stream downward, he couldn't be upset. If anything, he was-
Satisfied. I'm satisfied.
His opponent hadn't been who he expected in Frieza, but that didn't mean it was a disappointing fight. Instead, Boros had a fight great enough that he was fine with meeting death.
It was a glorious battle. The only thing I'm sad about is that it's ending.
Boros had enjoyed himself so much that he wished he could've fought forever. But he knew such a reality could never happen. He simply stared, watching as the surface of Monas was blown apart by the beam of Ki, with a satisfied grin on his face. Blood streamed down his body, flowing like a waterfall after sustaining his form for so long, but he barely even noticed the pain wracking through him.
Though it would've been nice to win. Ha.
Even in a losing battle, Boros was still satisfied.
Do you… want to… keep… fighting?
As a gravely, foreign voice entered Boros' mind, he didn't think much of it. He wasn't sure if he was going insane in his final moments, or if the pain of his body being constantly torn apart was making him loopy, but he didn't care either.
No. This was enough for me.
Boros was satisfied. He didn't need more.
Do you… want… more… power?
Boros' eyes were filled with light as the planet exploded below him, and chunks of debris were sent flying in every direction.
No. I have too much power already.
Boros' woes about finding a powerful enemy had come from his immense power, and he didn't need, nor want, more. He had fought his battle to the death with a worthy foe, and this was his perfect ending. He didn't want anything else.
And so, god's attempt to reel another being into his control failed.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
You are… satisfied… but is… he?
As Boros' body was blown apart, the aftershocks of Monas' destruction slamming into him over and over again, he became numb to all feeling. However, as the voice spoke in his head again, his lips twitched down from his grin.
Him?
Boros instantly knew what he meant - the Saiyan, Gray. The man who had fought him with just as much vigour, and who had been grinning near-psychotically throughout their battle. The Saiyan who enjoyed the fight even more than he did.
He… wants to… fight…
Boros' lips twitched into a frown before the outer layer of his flesh was torn away by the explosion around him, and he couldn't even frown anymore. Silently, Boros was torn. He wondered if, by losing like this, he was condemning Gray to a similar fate as his own.
If he was forcing the battle-hungry Saiyan to live a life without an opponent. A life constantly looking for a worthy enemy, and a life filled with boredom.
Keep… fighting…
Around Boros, the dying planet and the vacuum of space seemed to fade away. Instead, a being who was both him and not him stood before him. That being reached out his hand, offering it to Boros.
Take… my… hand…
Boros was far from stupid, and if he had thought about the situation a bit more, he would've surely declined this offer. Gray had clearly destroyed Monas because he wanted the fight to end, and even beyond that, Boros didn't care much for the Saiyan. He was the opponent who had given Boros the fight he wanted, but the alien warlord wasn't the type of compassionate person to feel guilty about sending him to a life of boredom.
But, as Boros was only a fraction of a second from death, and as the being in front of him leaned forward - almost panickedly trying to grasp his hand - Boros was, for one of the few times in his long life, tricked. His emotions took over, and in a moment of weakness, he felt pain at forcing the man who had cured his boredom into the situation he had just suffered from.
He reached forward, and two hands clamped over each other.
And so, god's attempt to reel another being into his control almost failed.
But, it didn't.
A moment later, a massive stream of pure-white, blinding light headed for Harro.
In that moment, the course of this universe shifted towards the darkest timeline.
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Gray Tanaki:
[Saiyan S-Class Squad Captain]
Age: 18
Wallet: 76,880,150 Coins
Lvl: 29 (9,043,910/27,500,000 XP)
PL: 5.40 Trillion
Available Points: 150
HP: 302,255,545/302,255,545
TKI: 303,455,100/303,455,100
TMP: 14650/14650
STR: 15277
AGI: 16676
END: 19785
INT: 13700
CHA: 10945
LUK: 9795
KI: 22,150
MP: 14650
HREG: 10000
EREG: 9750
Skills: [Observe LVL 107], [Running LVL 124], [Determination LVL 104], [Ki Control LVL 105], [Ki Gun LVL 105]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 112], [KI Suppression LVL 102], [Ki Sense LVL 105], [Pushup LVL 112], [Punch LVL 123], [Kick LVL 122], [Jump LVL 125], [Flight LVL 140], [Prediction LVL 120], [Zenkai Boost LVL 77], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 115], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 100], [Mouth-Beam LVL 103], [Ki-Blade LVL 103], [Cooking LVL 80], [Ki Barrage LVL 105], [Ki Explosion LVL 105], [Ki Vision LVL 92], [Attack Boost LVL 126], [Swimming LVL 81], [Clothes Materialization LVL 88], [Seal of Weakening LVL 105], [Portal Creation LVL 115], [Lie Detection LVL 85], [Reflect LVL 115], [Instant-Transmission LVL 97], [Healing LVL 98], [Multi-Form LVL 87], [Gigantification LVL 80], [Tracking MP Blast LVL 85], [MP Conversion LVL 112], [Tracking Ki Blast LVL 80], [Kaio-Ken LVL 64]
Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master],[Ladies Man]
Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 5], [Fighting Style: Broly LVL 7], [Martial Arts Style: Garou LVL 2]
Party: [Tamari, Fubuki, Tatsumaki, Celia]
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted in a few days!
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