I do not own this franchise. There is no Hero Association- Saitama is basically a Bounty Hunter for monsters. First story for OPM...wish me luck.

Act 001

.❀. Prologue .❀.

"The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways. I to die, and you to live. Which is all the better...well only god knows."

I heard the crush of bone against flesh before I felt it.

And when I did, it was all I could do to prevent myself from instinctively jerking my body away from the source, knowing that if I did I would no doubt regret such hasty actions later.

The feeling of rough sand underneath my body and against my aching face prevents me from opening my mouth to scream. And once a burst of white hot pain explodes against the entire left side of my body- a heavy weight pressing deeply into my shoulder, I know instantly that I'm trapped and screaming will do me no good anyway. I can barely breathe as it is, with a dryness fit to be sandpaper coating my throat and lungs as I rasp and struggle only to realize if I move too far or too quickly I'll have one less arm to own.

So instead I clench the one hand that isn't lodged underneath brittle weight- the one I can still feel, and ball it into a fist as I grit my teeth together and try to block out the pain. There is something strong and hard holding down the entire left side of my body, I have known this since the second I regained consciousness. It feels like stone, but I cannot reach to feel it or open my eyes to see without the burning smoke of flying sand escaping into my vision.

I briefly wonder how long I have been unconscious, but the last thing I remember is the explosion.

I hope beyond hope that the other squadrons that had been flying around my airship had seen it descend and crash before my tracker died out. Even now the sounds of the bomb, as well as raging flames that had licked at the insides of the plane before it all went black, still echoed in my mind as if it were happening now.

I was overcome with anger. And the feeling of not being able to move or even open my eyes to discern where I was caused a wave of desperation and uselessness swirl in my chest.

'God, no...' I think faintly, the deafening sound of my heartbeat being all I can hear now as I lay still in the darkness. The thought of my squadron flashes through my mind. I had been in the army for only a few years, and had been given my own team to lead in even less. But in that short time I had grown to count on them and depend on their competence. I wondered where they were now, and if they were dead.

I had made sure we had set precautions down to the T when I realized I was being summoned to awaken the sleeping demon prince from his prison world and escort him to court, where his death would be decided by those higher in power than both of us. Like anyone with human emotion, I had been reluctant to face the scars of the past. But now I knew that it was my fault he was set free.

It had been I who had foolishly allowed the bonds on his eyes go. It was I who had been unable to do anything when he twisted my weapon out of my hands and broke away the cuffs that had kept him docile and mortal and weak. The second those golden chains fell to the floor, I knew I was done for. The energy the cuffs had generated around his body all this time in imprisonment were parasites, sucking away his power and keeping the prince slooped and defenseless as well as unable to use his abilities to fight against us. The second I saw life return to his eyes and the blood return to his armored skin however, I knew that there was no chance he was going to be captured so easily again.

"Foolish girl." He had murmured, golden eyes flashing in amusement as he looked down on me while I struggled to my feet so as to grab my energy gun. The sharp heel of his foot swept in front of me, causing the gun to fly to the opposite end of the cockpit. By the time it hit the wall, the princes boot had landed squarely on my wrist- a crack echoing in the air and a black flame already forming in the palm of his hands. Never before had I felt such ice cold fear course through me when I slowly lifted my head to look him in the eyes. He only smiled, the ghostly pale of his skin barely visible behind the rough armor that was forming over his body in swift strands.

I wondered for a moment if he recognized me, a wave of hesitance coursing through my body despite the pain in my wrist. I knew however that he wasn't concerned with me or my identity, as his eyes had focused on the soldiers who had caught sight of him downing me, and were currently rushing over to my aid. I knew by the smirk that flashed across the demons face however that they were already too late. The flame in his hand grew bigger, eyes flickering to me for just a moment.

"You better brace yourself sweetheart, this place is about to go down."

And before I could even scream for my squadron, who had been too shocked to do anything in those short few seconds, the ship had already exploded.

And now here I was, my left arm useless and my vision gone- completely and utterly humiliated. I knew that it was I who had caused him to go free, and it was because of me that my airship was destroyed. That my squadron was now missing. That the demon prince was now roaming free where only god knows, probably opening a portal to another world. No doubt about to cause chaos wherever he stepped. Now that the magical cuffs were no longer binding back his powers, there was no stopping him. He couldn't die when he left the confines of our world, at least not as easily as he could when he was within it. And though I had never been outside of the astral plane myself, I knew that many other beings traveled to and fro freely and the chances of him crossing paths with some unsuspecting innocent was too high.

Eventually though it would be inevitable that someone go after him. And I hated to think that my Commander in Chief, a steel faced man who had been so proud of my accomplishments as a young keeper, would soon know of my foolish actions and what they had caused. What would he say when he knew that I had unleashed a war criminal into the universe? What would he do once the council alerted him to it? By the time I was found, my injuries taken care of, and the incident reported-the prince would be long gone.

I had to do something.

'I'm sorry guys...but I can't wait until I'm saved. I have to deal with him first...forgive me.' I pleaded silently, knowing my squadron couldn't hear me but hoping they felt my message anyway. Determination filling me despite the deep reluctance I felt at leaving my squadron behind, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the inevitable..

My eyes slammed shut as I summoned all the energy I could muster and braced myself, hefting my body upwards against the force of the large object above me. The pain roared in not just my arm but my chest and abdomen, a ripping sound filling my ears as I slowly but surely lifted up the source of the weight. I still could not see a thing and kept my eyes shut tight, struggling not to pass out from the pain. The feeling was almost impossible to describe as I slowly edged my arm out of the tight space it had been trapped beneath. I didn't have to see it to know I was bleeding, and the liquid that ran down my arm soaked into my clothes as I freed myself from the confines of the trap, no doubt staining them.

After I was sure the weight was completely gone, I rolled to the side with careful precision- a loud thud sounding beside me as the object fell back to the ground. The rawness of my arm taking the brunt of my attention for now, I felt through the darkness and tried to feel for where I was. Nothing but dusty sand filled my hands as I patted the ground, and I knew that if I was going to be able to see again I needed to find a way out of this place, wherever it was, if I was going to be back on my feet anytime soon.

No doubt inside of me I knew that the princes teleportation abilities required a portal, and if the sand rushing against my skin and washing over my entire body was sign enough then there was no doubt that the portal hadn't yet closed. I struggled to my knees with the one good arm I had and edged toward where the current was strongest, hoping to whatever goddess was out there that the prince hadn't chosen some world I hadn't heard of and wouldn't be able fend for myself in. I had no weapon, no squadron, and no communication with my superiors. By the time I even managed to find any survivors here, the portal would be already gone. And it would be much harder to find him if I ended up lost myself, so there was no way I could let that happen or waste any time.

No doubt about it, no matter what transpired- I had to find him before he found me. Or worse.

"I hope you're ready, Demon." I hissed, coughing as dust filled my throat. "Because you aren't going to get far or hurt anyone else before I catch you!"

If only I knew how wrong I was.