With Cybertron's threat erased, the humans of this world engraved Saitama into their hearts.
When he touched back down on Earth, the leaders of the five great powers hurried to the landing site and pinned medals to his chest. Funny—this was the first planet he'd seen that treated heroes with such ceremony.
Reporters from Global Times snapped every chance they got, chasing that perfect "hero" shot. British papers were no different. Even journalists from China were firing away from the front row.
Saitama waved to them, letting that beige coat and red cape burn themselves into their color prints. In the end he even took a group photo with the heads of the five great powers—then finally slipped offstage.
Vivian and the others were waiting not far away.
Andrew: "Saitama, you finally made it back!"
The little heroine: "Saitama-oni-chan, Vivian-nee's been super anxious!"
Vivian's pretty face flushed. She didn't speak—just looked at Saitama. He brushed a hand through her hair, pulled her into a hug, and smiled at everyone around them. "We finally beat the bad guys."
But Cade and the Autobots nearby looked… troubled.
Cade said, "Saitama, you saved everyone on Earth. I ought to start with 'thank you.' But now that Cybertron's villains are gone, my brothers' future… might not be any better."
He wasn't wrong. Back when all this began, the Autobots earned the U.S. government's tolerance because they could help advance technology and repel outside threats. Now the external enemies were gone. What remained—upright as their stance might be—were still "alien" machines. Strict surveillance was practically guaranteed.
Bumblebee groaned, "Oh, man, I don't wanna go back to those miserable days!"
Another Autobot—painted all over in soldier's green—added, "Same here. Anything but that junkyard again."
Over his shoulder, Saitama also caught the looming silhouette of the swordsman with the greatblade. From earlier, he could feel certain eyes on this group already. If he hadn't just saved the world in front of every camera, some people would be slapping "anti-human collaborator with the Autobots" labels on him right now.
Saitama sighed. If he'd known it would end up like this, maybe he should've left one or two Decepticons around as convenient scapegoats…
He paused, as if sensing something. "Hold on. Let me check something."
He vanished from sight.
When he reappeared, it was on a small hillside in Britain. A long-buried cave there had been exposed during his battle with Quintessa; the rubble sealing it had been blasted away. On the lintel, a carved cube sigil caught his eye.
"If Sir Edmund were here, he'd be stunned," Saitama mused. This was the very core cavern the families of Edmund and Vivian had guarded for generations. Sir Edmund had only ever heard the legends from his elders.
Within, so the tale went, rested Unicron.
If the old knight learned Saitama had found it—like this—he'd probably be in awe. What a monster of perception.
Screee—ak.
Saitama pushed the door open. The chamber, though long dormant, felt grand—like a hall Arthur himself might have commissioned. Upon a throne sat a machine being, gazing at Saitama with eyes weathered by ages.
"Have you finally come, Saitama?" the mech asked.
Saitama nodded.
"Then you've heard what happened before I arrived here?" the being asked again.
Saitama nodded once more.
"And Quintessa?"
"Dead."
At that word, the mech's eye-corners welled with two oily tears. "At last… she's dead."
"How did she die?"
"I punched her to death."
The great being dipped his head. "If she fell to your hand… that's fitting." He studied Saitama. "Since you've slain her, why come to me?"
"I want you to shelter your descendants."
A faint tremor crossed the mech's features.
"Your descendants who came to Earth searching for you," Saitama added.
He looked at the crowned machine before him, and his heart swelled. This was no one else but Quintessa's true target—Unicron.
"Humans truly do not welcome our kind, do they?" Unicron asked softly.
"No," Saitama said. "Humans just don't understand you yet."
Unicron considered him. "Then what do you propose?"
"I want you and your Autobot descendants to remain on this planet—and protect humanity."
Unicron stared, surprised. He'd assumed Saitama had come to drive him off; after all, Saitama had just represented humankind and crushed the machine race's fiercest huntress.
"Why? I'll need a reason," Unicron said.
Saitama shrugged. "I've got a good feeling about you. You're a good person. Unicron—leave the summoning of your descendants to you."
He turned to go, a flare of red cape and the bright flash of that stubborn beige coat filling the doorway.
Unicron watched him leave, a smile in his tone. "What an interesting man."
A duel that might have shaken the world vanished as if it had never been. In Unicron's private estimation, Saitama was a battle-crazed brute. If Saitama had decided to expel him, he truly couldn't have remained on this world. But as things stood… he would do as asked. What choice did he have? When a savior of humanity asks— even Unicron yields a few points of face.
When Saitama returned to Cade and the others, he said, "Cade, you don't need to worry about your brothers anymore. It's handled."
Cade was about to ask what he meant when the Autobots around them cried out—
"Whoa—no way! A miracle? I'm receiving a signal from Lord Unicron!"
Ding—
Hidden quest complete:
Unity between machine race and human world!
Reward: Attribute boost!
(End of Chapter)
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