"Uncle Cade, you want to see big brother superhero fight too, don't you?"
The girl read Cade's face at a glance.
"How about we all ride on Bumblebee's shoulder and fly to the Hall of All Things," she chirped, "so we can watch the match up close?"
"I…" Cade hesitated, heart in knots. How was he supposed to face a duel where both sides were his brothers?
"Cade," Bumblebee said, "Optimus has only had his mind twisted by the Mother of Life. If we get there, we might still save him."
"You know how to bring him back?" Cade asked, startled.
Bumblebee scratched his head. "Maybe. Possibly. We can try!"
Vrrrm!
Bumblebee lifted off with the girl, Cade, and the little blue ladybug perched beside her. A squad of Autobots rose with them, wings fanning open as they shot for the sky.
Home. However desolate, Cybertron was still home.
On the Temple's terrace, Optimus and Saitama had traded two blows. Feeling the weight in Saitama's fists, Optimus drew his greatsword.
But the bulk of that towering frame gave Saitama openings galore. A blur of footwork, a sudden slip to the blind spot behind the neck—and Saitama jammed a driving blow that nearly flattened him.
A witchlight sheen of purple flickered through Optimus's optics.
Then, in plain view, Optimus shrank, frame condensing and lines tightening.
"Human—you are strong."
Smaller now, he moved with concentrated precision: a super-CPU crunching vectors, Cybertronian martial protocols flowing like water. For a time he fought Saitama to a standstill.
"Catch!" Vivian called, fear biting her voice.
She started to throw the Merlin's Staff—but Saitama shouted, "Don't! That's exactly the opening Quintessa wants!"
Quintessa observed from on high, lazy approval in her tone. "Not bad. After all this, you're still thinking clearly."
Saitama wiped a bead of sweat. "I'm always calm."
"Since we've dragged this out without a finish," he said, "I'll just get serious."
"What?" Quintessa blinked. "You mean you weren't already?"
"My scans of human data say those heavy strikes were your maximum output," she added, skeptical.
"That," Saitama said, "is the difference between humans and machines. We grow while we fight. You beg the AllSpark—or your 'Mother'—for handouts."
"A people with will should rely on themselves to advance."
He surged back in. This time, with his full strength unsealed, he seized the advantage and never let go. Fist-shadows filled the God-Forge. The thought would have been absurd in the past: hurling this many serious punches for this long. But the system's upgrades had stacked and stacked—enough that his body could meet machine head-on.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Steel rang everywhere in the Hall of All Things. Troops clustered along the edges—new arrivals like Cade's team—awe-struck into silence.
"My God," Cade breathed. "Saitama's a monster."
"He's hitting so hard," Bumblebee fretted. "He won't… break Optimus, will he?"
"Big brother One-Punch is crazy strong!" the girl squealed.
Around the world, the same shock rolled through every crowd.
Saitama was overwhelming.
"OMG—my idol!" shouted Trump.
"My lover!" sighed Ivanka.
The White House staff all turned to Ivanka's husband. "Buddy… that's rough."
China, former "Bing Prefecture."
Since Saitama hauled Cybertron into orbit, the seas had swallowed Japan; the prefecture below had been reorganized as an autonomous county under China.
"I want to name something for the hero Saitama! Let's rename the district 'Saitama,'" a local official proposed.
Whoosh—passed by unanimous vote.
Cheers for Saitama swept the globe—and with them, the tide against Optimus.
Quintessa's face went green. "Useless. Useless iron scrap!"
She yanked the violet glow back out of Optimus. "Then die under that Saitama wretch!"
But when Saitama's finishing blow came arcing down… he stopped. Fist hovering.
Beneath him, Optimus's eyes cleared.
"I… what am I doing here?" he gasped. "Mother of Life spurned my plea—humans must be warned!"
A hand appeared in front of him.
Saitama's.
He hauled Optimus up and sent him stumbling toward Cade and the others.
"Cade," Saitama said, "he's himself again. Just… smaller. Don't you bully him."
Two bright lines of motor oil gathered at Bumblebee's optics. "Unbelievable! We were just worrying about you, boss!"
He glanced at Saitama, sincerity from the core out. "Thank you."
Vivian hurried to Saitama's side as the fighting lulled. Humans and Autobots stood together, eyes lifting as one to the machine-mother hanging over them.
"Why did you stop?" Quintessa hissed. "Was he not your enemy?"
"He was," Saitama said. "He isn't now."
He didn't bother to explain the soft chime only he had heard at the last instant. "Rescued the Lost Optimus Prime"—a massive reward. And a bonus: one spin of the system's lottery.
Nice surprise. Fight's not over, though. He eyed the spectral roulette. After Quintessa.
Up above, Quintessa's fury twisted into a thin smile. "Heh. Heh-heh… good. Very good. No wonder our kind has withered—traitors and fools in our own ranks."
A crystal of violet hatched in her palm. "No matter. Time to reshuffle the order of all things."
(End of Chapter)
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