After channeling enough energy to restore the ship's systems, Boros turned when he heard Tatsumaki's voice. His gaze lingered on her briefly before he spoke.
"I have already lost. There is no point in continuing the fight."
He stated it plainly, without a shred of hesitation, the admission serving as both a declaration to her and an explanation to Shinji.
"So Shinji won. Looks like the so-called ruler of the universe is nothing special after all."
Tatsumaki's voice carried smugness and a deliberate edge, as though she wanted to provoke.
"..."
Boros was silent for a few seconds, then glanced at Shinji. "What is with this arrogant little girl? Does your planet have some kind of system where children are sent to the battlefield?"
"What? I am not a child!" Tatsumaki's reply was immediate, her tone sharp and indignant.
She knew full well how powerful Boros was. She had seen every moment of his battle against Shinji, and she was not reckless enough to challenge him directly. The remark had been nothing more than a way to vent her lingering frustration from their earlier encounter, where she had been so easily overpowered that it left a mark on her pride.
"It is fine, do not take her words to heart. She may be small in stature, but she is actually quite strong," Shinji said with a faint, almost teasing smile.
"What?!"
Tatsumaki's hair seemed to bristle instantly. Hearing Shinji not only refuse to defend her but also refer to her as "small" was more than enough to irritate her further.
She floated closer and began lightly striking his chest with her fists. Without the aid of her psychic powers, her physical strength was weaker than that of an ordinary person, making the blows completely harmless. She had no intention of using her powers either, knowing well that Shinji's strength surpassed even Boros'. After a few token punches to release her irritation, she gave a short huff.
"I have recovered most of my strength. Leave the remaining enemies to me."
"That will not be necessary. From what I can sense, the only ones left aboard are low-level fighters without any real combat capability." Shinji gave a small nod as he spoke. Having just made Boros stabilize the ship, he was not about to allow Tatsumaki to dismantle it immediately afterward.
"So I did not even manage to do anything useful?" she asked, her voice edged with annoyance.
"That is not true. You were the one who protected everyone, were you not? You are the reason I was able to go all out."
As he answered, Shinji casually reached out and placed his hand on her head. Even though she was floating in the air, she was still well within his reach, and he gave her a light pat.
"..."
For an instant, her eyes flickered with something unreadable, but the moment quickly passed as she brushed his hand away.
"First, I am not a child. I am older than you, so you are not allowed to touch my head. Second, the only reason I bother is to ensure no one thinks I lack the ability to protect my teammates. Beyond that, I do not care in the slightest whether they live or die."
"Yes, yes," Shinji replied, his tone deliberately casual.
"Master!"
Genos appeared at a run, his expression filled with urgency. "You are not injured, are you?"
"I am fine." Shinji's voice was steady, without the slightest change.
Seeing his teacher standing there unharmed and speaking as if the events just now were nothing of consequence, Genos let out a deep breath of relief, though a trace of astonishment remained in his gaze.
He had witnessed firsthand how his teacher and Boros fought with a power that could tear apart any common sense. Other than the fact that the two of them had suddenly vanished in the final moments, it was hard to believe that after such a devastating battle, his teacher could remain completely unharmed. The sight was almost beyond comprehension.
Genos shifted his gaze toward Boros and noted that although the alien's aura felt diminished, he didn't appear to be seriously injured either.
"You're Shinji's disciple?" Boros suddenly spoke, his voice breaking the silence.
Genos, caught off guard by the alien's unexpected greeting, took a moment before answering. "…Yes."
"Hmm…" Boros merely sensed the energy within Genos and found it lacking. He had assumed that someone who called Shinji "Master" would possess far greater strength, but there was no need for further comment.
"What happened in the end? Why are you both… like this now?" Genos asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Just moments ago, his teacher and Boros had been clashing with a force that could reshape the world, yet now they stood there as if nothing had occurred. The sudden shift felt inexplicable.
"It's over. We can head back," Shinji replied calmly. "The crisis on Earth is essentially resolved, though rebuilding City A will be… challenging."
City A had already been erased in an instant by a single blast from Boros' spaceship. To make matters worse, Shinji's own "Super Shinra Tensei" had carved out a massive basin spanning dozens of kilometers. Under such destruction, the idea of restoring City A anytime soon was unrealistic.
In the end, the Hero Association would abandon the plan to rebuild it altogether. Instead, they would reinforce and expand the Association's headquarters into a fortified zone for top heroes and the wealthy elite. The land where City A once stood would be repurposed into a central transport hub, complete with a rapid rail system linking all major cities.
…
Once the spaceship had stabilized in midair, Bang and the others, who had been rushing toward the headquarters, noticed something unusual.
"Huh? That's odd… the ship's flying again?"
"Look, over there! Tatsumaki… Shinji… and that alien, they're all together!"
"So that means… the battle's over. Should we head over?"
Realizing the ship was no longer about to crash, Bang and the group redirected their steps toward Shinji's position.
When they arrived and learned Boros had been defeated, relief swept over them. Considering the overwhelming power Boros had displayed earlier, none of them were confident they could have taken him down in a direct fight.
"Although Shinji won, the enemy doesn't seem too badly injured," Bang observed with a frown.
From his perspective, Boros still carried enough strength to threaten nearly any S-Class hero present, except for Shinji.
"I was as good as dead. Shinji saved me," Boros stated plainly.
"What?"
"Why… would you save an enemy like this?"
"This is the ruler of the universe who intended to wipe out humanity…"
Atomic Samurai and the others were openly shocked and confused. They were not the sort to kill every monster on sight, but an enemy of Boros' caliber, if they had the chance to eliminate him, they would never hesitate.
"You all know he's the ruler of the universe. Wouldn't it be wasteful to let someone like that die?" Shinji said casually. "Think about it, if the Hero Association could gain the ruler of the universe as an ally, our ability to protect the world would increase greatly. And the value of his spaceship alone could offset all the infrastructure losses from City A's destruction."
Then Shinji turned toward Boros.
"So… Boros, are you willing to submit to me?"