4: God Slayer fist

4: God Slayer Fist (rewritten 04/25/2024)

Things could worsen so quickly that Jaune could barely believe it.

Everything was a disaster—Garou, the Monster Association, the sudden large-scale attack.

Everything had gone downhill rapidly.

And now, standing in front of him with his master defeated, was Garou, transformed into a monster.

"It's you. I didn't expect us to meet again like this" Garou seemed relaxed, his posture displaying an unmatched confidence.

"But it's good that you're here. You were my first prey and my first failure. It's time to rectify that. Your defeat will mark the beginning of my absolute dominance"

Jaune didn't speak; the time for that had passed. He didn't believe he stood any chance of defeating Garou anymore.

If his master failed, what chance did he have? But even if he couldn't do it, he had to try.

The fight was one-sided at the beginning. Garou contented himself with toying with Jaune, demonstrating his superiority and boasting of his strength.

That began to change slowly but steadily.

"This feeling!?" Garou opened his eyes, recognizing a familiar sensation.

His blow was diverted and countered, which should have been impossible.

Every move that followed, every attack diverted and countered, only made that feeling of familiarity grow in Garou's chest.

He had felt this before when he and that idiot Metal Bat had faced that huge centipede together.

"Damn it!"

Jaune and Garou didn't know each other well, they hadn't spoken much, but they had practiced together a few times.

Both used the Water Stream as the central foundation on which they built their strength. This was truer for Jaune than for Garou. The Water Stream was the martial art he had grown up with, the one upon which he had relied to grow from a helpless child to a Class S hero.

He might have learned other martial arts before realizing the truth in the currents of the Water Stream, but that didn't change what the core of his martial arts was.

Garou had also taken the Water Stream as his core; it was the pillar of his strength and what led to his perfect fist.

What led him to the pinnacle of martial arts.

And for that reason, he couldn't defeat Jaune. It was like it was their first fight, the fight Garou had lost but with the roles completely reversed.

Jaune was using the Water Stream to enter Garou's energy flow and copy his technique.

Jaune wasn't a genius, but the martial art his master had created was so incredible that it allowed him to grow as quickly as a genius, even faster thanks to Garou.

Realizing this, Garou tried to do the same thing Jaune did to him, to break the flow and thus end the fight.

It was a pity for Garou that Jaune wasn't him. He knew the flow could be broken, so he didn't limit himself to the Water Stream; every time Garou changed his style, Jaune did so accordingly.

Every martial art Garou knew, Jaune had also learned.

Every style Garou had taken by force, Jaune had learned it the right way.

Even if Garou pulled out a style Jaune didn't know, he could still keep up and instantly copy that style.

Then there was resonance.

Even if there was an abysmal difference in their raw power, the extremely similar nature of that power and the flow of energy currents created resonance and exponential amplification.

Jaune began to quickly catch up to Garou.

"Impossible!?" Garou couldn't understand it or believe it.

Something of this nature was beyond even his comprehension.

For a brief moment, Garou considered stopping the fight, but at the same time, he realized that his strength was also growing.

This was an opportunity!

He didn't think it was possible, but he was actually getting stronger. He believed he had already reached the absolute peak of power, but now he knew that wasn't the case.

So the battle continued, and Garou decided to fight for real.

"Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist!"

"God Slayer Instant Attack!"

"What!?" Jaune barely managed to deflect the thousands of blows that were directed at him in an instant from what seemed like all directions. Garou's attack almost overwhelmed him completely.

"Amazed? This is the pinnacle of martial arts! The combination of all the styles I've learned brought to perfection: Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist!"

"Tch! I didn't expect you to have the naming ability of an 8-year-old... but since that's the name you've decided to give it, then I'll respect it! God Slayer Instant Attack!"

Of course, Jaune wouldn't fall behind at this moment, not when, by some miracle beyond his comprehension, he was keeping up with Garou and not losing completely. So he returned the attack. It wasn't perfect yet, but it was an almost exact copy, and that was enough to catch Garou off guard.

His fists connected, but Garou's monstrous body was harder and more resilient than anything Jaune had faced before.

"Hahahaha! Yes, that's it! Make yourself stronger! You'll only make my own strength increase! I thought my fist was perfect, but it seems there's still room for improvement. Let's perfect my martial art beyond any limit!" Garou laughed with excitement and quickly pressed forward.

"Whirlwind Calamity Cutting Fist!"

In the distance, a mountain was cut into pieces. The extremely thin and compressed air currents were more lethal than any other attack Jaune had faced, and he barely managed to dodge, but the damage was evident—deep cuts spread across his body.

"Do you like it? It's the improved version of the old man's brother's technique" Garou smiled, his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

That smile vanished when equally sharp and cutting air currents almost blew his head off, the ocean splitting behind him to reveal the ocean floor.

"Don't be arrogant. You may have copied that technique and think you've improved it, but I learned it from the true master" Although he said that, Jaune had to admit to himself that Garou's version was extremely superior, and that's why he copied it.

"Tch! You say that and yet you use it, you bastard" The fight didn't stop because they exchanged words; the speed at which they moved left residual images, creating a trail that soon turned into something akin to a star formation of lights in the sky.

Like a constellation on the rise.

Jaune pushed aside any other thoughts; his mind focused solely on defeating the enemy in front of him—every movement, every breath, every moment.

All his focus was on defeating Garou.

If this were a duel between two humans, then such a fight wouldn't have a winner or loser. Unfortunately for Jaune, he was just a human, and his enemy was already a monster.

His wounds continued to accumulate, and Garou regenerated at an impressive speed, nullifying any hint of injuries Jaune managed to inflict.

In the end, the result was decided before it began, and although Jaune knew it, he didn't give up even when his body could take no more.

"Truly, you're surprisingly persistent. It's a pity. A human can never compare to a monster like me. This is the end" Garou relaxed, looking at his opponent who staggered before him, missing an arm and with a large hole in the side of his chest.

It was truly a pity. If he could fight a little longer, if they could exchange a few more blows, Garou felt he could overcome an invisible barrier.

But it didn't matter anymore; his strength was now incomparable. No one could match him.

He walked away ready to begin his final hunt.

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Jaune could no longer see; his eyes filled with blood had clouded, and his other senses were numbing.

Had he failed? Even though he knew he couldn't win, it was still bitter, really bitter. He was going to die again; he could feel it.

Although it was only slightly longer than his previous life, he really came to appreciate this new life, didn't he? He really achieved many things, didn't he? Although he failed many times, he also triumphed many more. He couldn't achieve everything he set out to do, and he left many things unfinished, but at least, in this life, he truly wasn't a disappointment.

He really came a long way, but everything has to end at some point... truly disappointing.

There was the sound of something hitting the ground, a slight tremor.

"Who are you supposed to be?" A strange but familiar voice reached Jaune's ears. Although he couldn't hear as well as before, this voice sent an unprecedented sense of relief.

A smile spread across his gaunt face, and his body finally surrendered and began to fall.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" The sound began to reach him more faintly, but he no longer cared. Now that everything was fine, so what if he failed? In the end, all he had to do was buy time.

"What am I supposed to be, you ask?"

"I'm Garou, the monster"

Garou began to rant, but Jaune no longer cared. Now that everything was in place, he let his body relax, the cold embrace of death beginning to envelop him.

He really hoped his master wouldn't be too sad. In the end, it was his choice to end like this. He wondered what would come next, what comes after death when you die for the second time?

He hoped there would still be comics and video games; it would be really boring if not.

"Everything is in your hands now, Saitama"

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"ja"

"jau"

"jaune!"

It was with a startle that he woke up, his eyes snapping open, and his body leaping upright in the air, landing agilely in a combat stance even before knowing what was happening. This sent a jolt of mild pain; muscles that had never been used in this way before were suddenly strained, causing Jaune to feel an improper stretch. This had never happened to him; his body had long ago become accustomed to moving in sudden bursts of speed.

Now it seemed his body wasn't ready for his movement.

"Everything okay in there, Jaune? Heard a weird noise, never mind, come down! Breakfast is almost ready." A vaguely familiar but unknown voice called out to him. Jaune blinked confusedly before noticing his surroundings.

It was a somewhat small room, posters of video games and comics adorned the place. A television was in the corner alongside what looked like a gaming console. Some books were scattered on the floor, and there were action figures on the shelves adorning the walls. A window let in the soft morning sunlight. Jaune rubbed his eyes and began to stretch properly, feeling that his body was strange, different.

Looking at himself, he seemed to have shrunk; his muscles disappeared, and he felt weak, very weak, extremely weak, like weak to the level of an insect.

Maybe that last part was an exaggeration; insect-type monsters were probably stronger than he was now.

With no small amount of confusion, Jaune searched for a reflective surface, opting for the television in the corner of the room. Upon seeing himself, he couldn't help but blink several times—blue eyes, blond hair, and a bewildered look.

"What the hell?"

"Jaune, come down already!" Another shout, and Jaune straightened up.

Jaune? That was his old name, right? How did someone else know it? He had never mentioned it to anyone.

Still, he responded; he was weak, very weak. The simple action of taking a stance quickly and having his body ache from it demonstrated this. Getting into a fight now wasn't smart.

"I'm coming!"

So he opted to be peaceful until he figured out what was going on, although judging by what he had gathered so far, he had a vague idea in his mind.

"I really can't stay dead, huh...?"

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End of prologue

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes there may be.

originally posted in the nsfw section of questionable questing (rewritten 04/25/2024)