"We did it!" Natasha panted, staring at the scene in front of them.
"We actually pulled it off!" Steve retrieved his shield, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
Tony's armor slowly descended. The faceplate opened, revealing an exhausted but excited expression. "Nice work, everyone! Especially you, Bald Cape!"
Saitama stood beside the alien leader's massive corpse. He patted at dust that didn't exist, looked over the wrecked core now free of danger, and nodded calmly. "Yeah. It's done. Time to go home and eat."
When their group climbed out of the ruins and returned to the surface, New York's sky was still choked with smoke—but sunlight had already pierced through the clouds, pouring down in golden beams. In the distance, surviving civilians erupted into thunderous cheers and applause! They saw the heroes return. They saw the hope of victory!
"Avengers forever!"
"Saitama! It's Saitama! He beat those monsters!"
"Hero! Our hero is back!"
People surged into the streets, shouting the heroes' names in a frenzy. Saitama—the bald man in that plain yellow hero suit from another world—became the brightest star of the entire battle. His deeds—the unmatched power, the way he stepped forward at the critical moment—spread through New York, and across the Marvel world, like a living legend.
Steve, Tony, Natasha, and the others looked at Saitama as the crowd surrounded him, then exchanged a smile. They knew this victory took everyone's effort—but Saitama's decisive strength truly had played the most crucial role.
Saitama, made awkward by all the enthusiasm, scratched his bald head. "Uh… as long as everyone's okay. I'm heading back. The supermarket specials are about to end." He squeezed out of the crowd and walked toward home, his silhouette stretching long beneath the sunset.
Steve watched Saitama's retreating back and said softly, "He saved the world again."
Tony nodded, but there was a heavy edge in his eyes. "Yeah. But this world… never seems to run out of new threats." He lifted his gaze to the sky, where somewhere in the endless depths of the stars, even more unknown dangers seemed to be lurking.
Saitama walked along the road home, listening to the cheers behind him, yet his heart was strangely calm. He looked up at the sky as night gradually fell, stars scattered across it. Tony was right. This world called Marvel was filled with limitless possibilities—and also endless crises. Alien invaders, mad scientists, interdimensional demon gods… In the future, even more enemies—stronger enemies—would appear.
But so what?
Saitama clenched his fist, feeling that power inside him—power strong enough to crush anything. No matter who the opponent was, no matter where the threat came from, he would use these fists to protect this place he was temporarily calling "home," and the people living here.
Because he was a hero for fun.
A new adventure… might already be on the way.
Saitama pushed open the familiar door to his apartment. A smell unique to a man living alone—instant noodles and old newspapers mixed together—hit him in the face. He kicked off his shoes and casually tossed his cheap cape—printed with the "Hero Association" emblem (though nobody in this world really recognized it)—onto the couch.
Outside the window was the familiar cityscape of City Z… or rather, this world's Manhattan, slowly rebuilding after the battle of New York. Sunlight spilled through the window, leaving a warm patch of light across the floor.
(End of Chapter)
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