Chapter 168 (Online)

"Awakening of the Gods" (神々の目覚め, Kamigami no Mezame, Tonari: 213) is the 168th chapter of the One-Punch Man manga series.

Summary
Using his hyperspace gateways, Garou attempts to punch Saitama from a distance, but the hero dodges in time and send one back through them, hitting him. Knocked back, Garou summons a gateway to stop himself from flying back, only for Saitama to already appear at the other end and punch him. He leaps into another one and emerges out the other side to hit him, only to find that Saitama has vanished. From above, Saitama leaps from a chunk of lunar rock and lunges at Garou; the rock he is one colliding with another and exploding. He slams his hand down onto the Hero Hunter, devastating the surrounding area. Garou sees that Saitama is purposefully copying his own moves.

Saitama mocks him for believing he could copy him as he is serious, and goads him into trying. A frustrated Garou realizes that despite replicating Saitama's power, his next attack continues to hit even harder. Realizing that the current rate, Saitama will eventually hit hard enough to kill him, Garou opens a gateway and emerges with a straightforward punch fuelled with his anger. Saitama effortlessly catches his fist but begins to feel something. With his clothes blown away and exposed to Io's extremely cold atmosphere, Saitama unknowingly launches a Serious Sneeze at Garou, who barely manages to move out of the way. The sneeze rips apart Io's surface and travels to Jupiter in the distance; Jupiter's gaseous surface is blown apart by the sneeze, devastating the giant planet.

The recoil of the sneeze launches the two out of Io and into inter-planetary space. Believing that a being as powerful as Saitama cannot be allowed on Earth, Garou sees the Sun as they travel through space and thinks of a plan. With the Sun in his vision, Garou surmises that he can teleport Saitama there to kill him. Using a hyperspace gateway to reach the Sun, Garou punches Saitama into the blinding light and opens another gateway. He emerges out of the other side and sees he is back on Earth. Without warning, Saitama appears behind him and commends Garou's move, shocking him; he explains that after developing a stomach ache from the cold, the Sun's light caused him to fart, allowing him to reach the hyperspace gate in time.

He punches Garou down to Earth, causing both of them to land exactly where their clash first began. Realizing all his efforts have been futile in the end, Garou asks why Saitama doesn't kill him on the spot. Saitama relays his belief that he can never be cut out for a hero, compared to Garou's "quick-changing costumes" or King's reputation. Nevertheless, he maintains that he is a hero, adding that it was his promise to "that kid" that he would not kill him. Wondering whose final request he meant, Garou turns and sees Tareo on the ground, having died from his exposure to his cosmic radiation.

With the guilt building up, Garou runs away, grieving that his death was due to Tareo being too close to him, seeing that it is the price of being "that ominous future". Confused at his behaviour, Saitama wonders if someone did something to him, noting that he has been asking strange since he fell from the sky. Garou replies that if something did happen to him, it is because his spirit is too weak. He laments that being "Absolute Evil" is laughable when Saitama can beat him, only for him to act as if he is enough to be one; he believes that Saitama could have killed him, allowing his wish to be true evil to come true. In the end, the one he wanted to save first after changing the world is now dead.

Saitama realizes that Garou had always wanted to save Tareo, asking him if he was clinging to him as support. Angered, Garou wonders what he knows about clinging, only to see that he is still holding Genos' depleted core. The hero tells him that someone of his power can never keep a right mind, shocking the monster; after questioning Garou about what he will do now, Saitama is asked for a favour.

Garou asks the hero to copy his moves; knowing that he is able to copy his techniques and surpass them even further, Garou informs Saitama that he will pass onto him his most powerful technique, which he himself has never attempted. Though somewhat annoyed, Saitama complies. As Garou begins to use his technique, he notes that if anyone can steal God's power without taking his hand, it's Saitama. Suddenly, a voice erupts from the sky, proclaiming "Silence. I am taking them back". Garou suddenly begins to turn into salt but regains focus to aid Saitama.

With Garou's moves in his hands, the subatomic particles in Saitama's body begin to move as one, causing him to travel back in time. Garou tells him that he of all people can do it, defeat that ominous future, as he turns into a pillar of salt and is killed. He travels back in time and arrives at the moment when Garou had just been empowered by God. With the strength he used during his battle on Io, Saitama defeats Garou with a Zero Punch, the punch having landed before it was ever thrown. As the heroes watch in amazement, a shocked Garou realizes that his power is escaping. Saitama suddenly travels back in time again, flying back to his spot during the moment, under a mountain of debris.

Confused, he recalls being hit by Garou's Gamma Ray Burst. Wondering where his head is at, he is shocked to see himself holding Genos' depleted core. He receives an even greater surprise when he sees a hole in his costume at his crotch. Suddenly, he is rammed by Genos. The Demon Cyborg apologizes for getting carried away but Saitama is instead surprised to see him still alive.

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