Hey Guys, Crescent Rider here and I am back with another chapter! But before that, It's time to reply to the reviews of the last chapter!
theotakuboy: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
kerrowe: You can say that again. XD
SynchroRegis: Thanks and I promise that I will.
That is it for the reviews and as always. Enjoy the chapter!
City - M
The trio (Saitama, Genos, and Nadia) were making their way back to City - Z after buying some discounted groceries.
"Sensei, Where should we go next?" Genos asked,
"Let's see... We bought ingredients for the hot pot, right? That just leaves toilet paper and shampoo," Saitama noted, but soon trails off when he took a glance at a store displaying several figurines.
Genos and Nadia stopped and takes a look at the figurines on display as well. They all consist of popular Class - S and Class - A Heroes even they have their own figurines on display as well.
Genos' figurine was him standing straight with his arm cannon stretched towards the front while Nadia's figurine was more of a fencer pose with her left hand behind her back and held her cane sword upright.
"Huh... I guess you get one of these when you get popular," Saitama remarked plainly,
"To be honest, Seeing a figurine of myself is kinda rude considering that they just did this without my attention," Nadia noted,
"Must be nice... Getting your own figure," Saitama said,
This caused Genos to pull out his cellphone, and plans to make a call, "Let's contact the manufacturer,"
"Nah... You're not supposed to ask them to make one yourself," Saitama stated, "Let's go,"
"Yes!" Genos responded, while Nadia just rolled her eyes at the cyborg's response.
Then, The three soon stopped when they heard someone screaming nearby. They turned to see what was going on and spotted a lizard-like monster with a long tongue.
Apparently, Its name was Tongue-Stretcher and the cause of his mutation was due to his obsession with reptiles. As for its intentions, It wished to capture female bystanders and Nadia wanted to act against its lecherous acts.
But before she could, Someone was already there and was revealed to be King after having his hood and cap flown off of his head.
Tongue-Stretcher was startled by King's sudden appearance and soon began to pale over when it heard loud heartbeats and stared at King's intimidating face.
The trio just watched this for a moment and the people recognizing and cheering for King to beat Tongue-Stretcher. Instead, Tongue-Stretcher immediately prostrated itself to King and hastily apologized as it began to tremble with immense fear over King's intimidating stance.
The denizens of City - M then gathered near King, thanked him for handling the monster even though he did absolutely nothing, then requested them to make way as he continues his walk alone.
A moment later, He was seen entering some store, then went out with a small paper bag on hand.
"Sensei, I believe that man is King," Genos said,
"Whose that?" Saitama asked,
"He was one of the heroes at the Class S gathering. He also claims to have your title as the strongest man in the world," Genos explained, "But what in the world is he doing here?"
Nadia somehow frowned at this as she was fully aware of the truth behind King.
She was somewhat confused about how King was able to hide the truth especially when people believed him as the strongest man alive. But not long after, They soon hear another scream about a monster, and this time, It appears just in front of King.
"A monster? Sensei, we should hurry-" Genos hesitated and turns back to King, "No, wait... This might be a good opportunity to see King's true power,"
This was a towering robot decorated with shiny ornaments and plating, wore a royal fur coat and a crown.
"My name is G4, A machine god that the 'Organization' created," G4 introduced himself, "You're the Class S Hero King, aren't you? I will eliminate you,"
A moment later, One of the denizens spotted King and yelled it out loud for everyone to hear.
"You're aware that I'm King... A Class S Rank 7 Hero, and the strongest man on Earth?" King sternly questioned,
G4's robotic eye just flashed in red, pulls out a large sword from its back, and points it in front of King's face that caused the latter's hat to fly off of his head.
"I'm saying that I've come to kill you!" G4 declared,
A moment later, a loud series of heartbeats rang out and one of the denizens explained that it was King's signature ability called 'King Engine'. This ability was said to be King preparing himself in combat and rumor has it that not one monster was able to escape after hearing the sound.
As for Nadia, She felt worried for King as she mentally noted that a heart beating that fast is quite unhealthy and he was face to face a robot that's merely unaffected by his intimidation.
"Listen well. This is also a test of my combat AI," G4 elaborated, "I need you to fight at full strength so I can gather data,"
"Alright, but let me go to the bathroom first," King stated, "I'll only be able to fight at about half-strength if I'm holding it in. That won't give you accurate data, will it?"
"... I shall wait here for ten minutes," G4 said, then it points its sword towards the bystanders, "For every minute that you're late, I shall kill ten people. Got it?"
King merely nodded his head and went to a bathroom which was located in City - M's public park. As for the denizens of City - M, They all ran away while the trio just took cover and peeked towards the robot.
"That monster seems pretty strong," Saitama noted,
"Sensei, That thing is a robot..." Genos clarified, then began to analyze it, "And it's quite powerful. Its performance might be higher than mine. I estimate that it's at least threat level Demon and will be quite troublesome. I wonder how King will fight it,"
Nadia just slumped her head down, and sweatdrops as she assumed that King just made an excuse to run away. However, instead of saying the truth, she decided to tempt Genos since he's always itching for improvement in his arsenal.
"You know, Genos. Maybe this is a perfect opportunity for you," Nadia said,
"What do you mean?" Genos asked,
"You said that this robot has higher performance compared to yours. Just imagine if you were able to get your hands on it," Nadia explained, "After all, You've always been seeking several ways to increase your firepower, right?"
Genos puts this idea in thought since he considered watching King fight G4 from the start instead of intervening. However, when he completely recalls his previous statement about performance.
He decided not to care about King's fight and decided to face it head-on.
G4 immediately took notice and tried to bring Genos down with its sword. However, the latter broke the sword with a single attack and performed a counter-attack by firing his right fist like a rocket and knocked G4 back.
Then Genos pulls his right fist back into his arm.
"What was that? A rocket punch?" Saitama plainly questioned,
Genos didn't answer as G4 recovers from the blow and attempted to stomp on Genos with its large metal foot. But Genos manages to stand his ground as he caught its attack and held it in place.
"Genos, want me to lend you a hand?" Saitama questioned,
"No," Genos replied, "For me to achieve my assignment into becoming one of the top ten Class S Heroes,"
Genos then proceeds to smash through G4's foot and charge towards G4's upper body.
"I need to be able," Genos then sends a barrage of fists towards G4's faceplate and upper body, "To defeat something like this on my own!"
"I see," Saitama understood, then he turns away from the fight, "Well, see ya. Make sure you don't lose,"
"I'm pretty sure that he won't lose," Nadia said,
After momentarily leaving Genos to fight against G4. Saitama and Nadia spotted King running away from a certain direction and the two glanced at each other before following him.
After a while, They followed King into an apartment building.
"That must be his home," Saitama commented,
"Are you planning on talking to him, Saitama-san?" Nadia asked,
"Umu..." Saitama said, then the two approached the apartment building.
Saitama first looks up, then buckles his knees, and jumps all the way up to the 22nd floor. Nadia takes several glances in the area, then she flew herself up to the 22nd floor as well.
The two reached a balcony and took notice that King was sitting in front of a tv screen playing some sort of game.
"Onii-chan, Can you tell me your name?" The in-game character asked,
"My name, huh? It'd be too embarrassing to use my actual name. I wonder what I should use," King thought out loud,
"Why not just use King?" Saitama suggested,
"Or some random common name?" Nadia added,
"Yeah, I'm not sure about using my hero name. A random common name is fine since having someone say 'King Onii-chan' is just..." King immediately trails off when he turns his head around and noticed the two, "Huh?"
A moment of silence was brought between the two as King tries to figure out why they were in his apartment.
"Um... How did you two get here?" King questioned,
"Your window was open," Saitama answered,
"But we're in the 22nd floor," King pointed out,
"He jumped while I flew," Nadia answered,
"C-Come on, you two. You can't just come in here uninvited!" King stated, but a moment later he clears his throat a few times and somewhat made a confident look, "D-Do you know that I'm a Class - S Hero?"
"Of course, I do. You're King, right?" Saitama said,
"And as a fellow Class S Hero. I know about you as well," Nadia said, 'Even though I know the truth about your current power...'
From this point, King finally recalls who the two are. First, Saitama was that Class B ranked Hero that attended the Class S meeting and Nadia was a young Class S Hero Rank 13.
"I didn't know you were into these types of games," Saitama noted as he was fixated on King's tv displaying a female game character.
As for Nadia, she was somewhat confused about what she was seeing as she never seen nor heard of a game like that before...
"Onii-chan, Can you tell me your name?" The in-game character repeated,
King adopted a panicked expression and mentally screamed. But a moment later, Saitama took notice of a game from the floor and proceeds to pick it up.
"Hey, What kind of game is this? It looks fun," Saitama said as he shows the cover to King,
"Oh, that's an action game!" King answered,
"You operate a robot and stuff?" Saitama asked while King frantically ejects his previous game and places it back to its case.
"Yeah, exactly!" King replied, and frantically nods his head several times,
"Eh..." Saitama said in interest,
"That's the kind of game I'm really into! I bought this thinking it was an action game, but what the heck? It's a dating sim!" King said as he points at the previous game he was holding. Then he hardly throws it on the ground, "I guess I bought it by mistake!"
"It totally says 'Heartthrob Sisters'," Saitama read out loud, while Nadia picks up the game and reads the description.
Apparently, Nadia still has no clue what this meant. But with the female characters having eye-catching figures. She planned to call in an expert on this sort of stuff later.
"Seriously?! I thought it said 'Wrathful Shooters'!" King yelled, "Damn, They tricked me! I'll throw it away!"
"Then let's play this one," Saitama suggested,
"Yeah! That's a great idea! That one's... Er, wait... You wanna play that?" King questioned,
"What? I can't? I mean you've got time, right?" Saitama noted,
'What's with him... He's only Class B, but he's super pushy and way too casual than me...' King said, 'Not to mention, I'm older here!'
"So... Are you going play that or this game?" Nadia said as she raised the dating sim,
Without hesitation, King swipes both games from their hands. He then inserted the action game and placed the dating sim game underneath a table.
As soon as the game starts playing, King decided to show Saitama how to play the action game while Nadia decided to browse around a bit.
The messy room was a little unnerving. So she decided to treat some manners to King and clean up his mess and organize his stuff.
A few minutes in, Nadia finished cleaning the room and sat down next to Saitama, who was slurping on a juice box.
"Are there more for me?" Nadia requested, Saitama hummed in response and passed a juice box to her.
"Whoa, King. You're super good at video games," Saitama complimented,
"I mean... I've won a few tournaments for some fighting games, but..." King answered,
"Really? So not only are you strong in real life, you're a winner in video games, too?" Saitama asked, then King shot a glance at him, 'How long are those two plan on being here? Hurry up and-'
"So, why did you run away earlier?" Saitama asked, causing King to spurt out his juice from his mouth, "Right now, Genos is fighting in your place. You're a super strong Class S Hero, right?"
"Why did you run away from the robot monster then?" Saitama questioned as King was sweating buckets, "I came here to ask you that, but you were playing video games. Did you get bored with the monsters? Could it be that you're so strong that you don't want to fight anymore? Please, tell me,"
King was still unresponsive as he was panicking from the inside while Nadia simply glanced at the two for some time now. A moment later, A siren rang out and an announcement was declared that another monster has appeared.
"Here we go again. That's the third warning today," Saitama noted, as he stood up and picked up his plastic bags
"Tell me about it," Nadia added and followed suit.
"So what are you going to do? I'm gonna go," Saitama questioned,
However, when Nadia sensed the monster approaching nearby. She turned to the right and spotted a giant bird ramming into the balcony.
Upon impact, King was immediately backed against the counter with a terrified look on his face while Saitama just stood there and held it with one hand, and Nadia coughs a couple of times from the dust.
"You alright, Nadia?" Saitama asked,
"Yeah... I'm fine," Nadia replied as she finished coughing and materialized her cane sword in case the monster manages to break free from Saitama's hold.
Meanwhile, the latter just turned to the monster, "Well, I'll be damned... Guess the threat decided to come right to you, maybe there's something about you that attracts monsters,"
'Yeah... I've always been super unlucky. But lately, it's been getting worse,' King said,
"What do you usually do in situations like this?" Saitama asked, then he turns to King, "I mean, if these things are showing up at your house, you have to fight, don't you?"
'Come on, God, give me a break! Like that one time, then that other time, and then that other time!' King pleaded as he recalls the terrifying monsters he had come across in the past, 'I just got dragged into those messes! I'm always running away. Eventually, someone'll show up to defeat them. I just happened to be at those places, but everyone ends up thinking I'm the one who defeated those things! I've never even been in a fight!'
'King... I ended up with this hero name because they thought I was the ultimate hero and my overwhelming strength... What a joke, I'm basically nothing but lies,' King admitted while he smiles in complete distraught,
"Are you going to fight or what, King?" Saitama asked,
'You've got the wrong idea! I'm not the King that society looks up to so much!' King admitted as tears were welling up, 'I have to say it! I have to say it! If I don't say it now, he's-'
"I'm! Actually-" King fully admits to Saitama and Nadia about himself being nothing but a hero made from lies while the former instantaneously dealt with the monster.
"Seriously? So your strength and battle history are all lies?" Saitama questioned, and King gasps went the monster was gone, "I guess it must be true if you pissed your pants over that bird,"
'Wait, why are you just standing there? What happened to the bird? He... What' King tried to process on what happened, but a moment later he soon remembers something when Saitama asked him, "Are you okay?"
King soon recalls the time when he has gotten his scars from a rampaging monster and the man who saved him. A moment later, He notices the resemblance and immediately started sobbing.
"Hey! what's the matter? Hey!" Saitama questioned,
"I'm so sorry!" King apologized as he kept sobbing.
Afterward, Saitama and Nadia sat down on the floor while King was kneeling towards the former.
"Are you having fun? Being a hero who lies and cowers in fear?" Saitama questioned,
"No..." King answered,
"I mean, it's none of my business, so I'm not going to lecture you or anything," Saitama stated,
"But, uh... I may have been taking credit for your deeds," King admitted,
"This isn't about that. You're everyone's hero," Saitama pointed,
"No, I'm..." King tried to admit, but Saitama continues by saying, "No matter what you think, they think that you're the ultimate hero,"
"King, are you going to continue with your lies? Or are you going to quit being a hero?" Saitama asked,
"I'm not sure..." King responded, however, this response made Nadia gave a heartwarming smile for King's honesty,
"In that case, why don't you just get strong?" Saitama suggested,
"Huh?" King raises his head towards him, but notices that Saitama walking his way out through the hole,
"I'm going now. You coming, Nadia?" Saitama questioned, as he glances at her,
"I'll be right behind you," Nadia stated,
"Wait! Aren't you mad at me?" King asked, 'You worked so hard to become a hero, and yet, I...'
"I'll be coming by now and then to play some games, Peace," Saitama said then leaves through the hole,
"Oh! Uh... Sure," King muttered,
"He's a great hero, don't you think?" Nadia questioned,
"He is..." King replied, then moments later, he flinched and turns his head to her. But she eases his worries by raising her hand towards him.
"You don't have to say, King-san. I'm already aware of your secret. In fact, I've known about it even before you admitted the truth," Nadia said,
"H-How...?" King asked,
"Do you remember my Servant during the alien incident?" Nadia asked, and he nods in response, "Well, he kinda told me that you're weren't as special nor as powerful as the other Class S Heroes during the incident in City - A,"
King slumps down in guilt over his lies.
"But that doesn't make you a bad hero at all," Nadia stated,
"Huh? W-What do you mean by that?" King asked,
"The title 'Hero' is never an occupation, King-san. Anyone, even those outside of the Association, can become a hero themselves even if they don't know it," Nadia explained,
"How can you be sure?" King asked,
"Take a doctor who has saved a life of a patient. Take a fireman who would rush into a fiery building to save someone. and Take a regular salaryman who would share his own food with a homeless person," Nadia mentioned, "Fighting monsters on a daily basis is not what it means to become a hero. Sometimes, it's all about helping the people without fighting. Just like what you did when you faced that Lizard monster,"
King understood bit by bit while trying to forget about that Tongue-Stretcher incident.
"Well. I'd best be going right now," Nadia said, as she stood upstraight, "And just like what Saitama-san said. I'll be coming here to play games, See you later, King-san,"
Nadia then left King's apartment and followed Saitama back to City - Z.
Meanwhile...
Edmond Dantes is seen sitting on a bench smoking away to kill time. As for his surroundings, There were monster corpses littering all over the place and some of the blood had gotten into his clothes.
But he didn't care as this was all-natural to him.
"It seems you're getting the job done better than those amateurs of the so-called Heroes Association," Edmond's master stated,
"Tell me about it, and to be honest. These things are getting on my nerves," Edmond admitted,
"But that begs the question. Did you face any of those amateurs lately?" Edmond's master questioned,
"A few, but I didn't kill them since they aren't worth my time whatsoever," Edmond stated, "Also, you told me not to bring myself into trouble with them,"
"That I did. Because your priority is to find a way to get the girl without you being caught in the center of attention. Who knows what the Association would do if one of their Class S Heroes were kidnapped by a monster," Edmond's master stated,
"Whatever, besides. What can I do that would divert the attention of the Association?" Edmond questioned,
"I know of a way," A voice said,
Edmond was alerted of this, drops his cigar, and conjured his flames as he assumed his fighting stance. As for the voice, The one who spoke landed just right in front of Edmond and it appears that it looks like some giant bird with colorful feathers.
"Please set your hostilities aside. I didn't come here to fight," The giant bird stated,
"Then back off, I don't have the time to deal with you," Edmond sneered,
"Please, hear me out first. You said you wanted to divert the Heroes Association?" The giant bird questioned, and Edmond slowly lowered his arms but still kept his guard up.
"What do you have in mind? If it's not worth my time, I'll burn to a crisp," Edmond threaten,
"Very well, You see I belong to an organization that's currently being formed by some of the most powerful monsters," The giant bird stated, "I am Phoenix Man, one of the executives of the said organization,"
"Since when monsters like you form groups? Last I checked, They don't usually act like that," Edmond stated, "... Unless,"
"If you are assuming that someone more powerful than I am is running the group. Then you are assuming correctly," Phoenix Man said, "As a matter of fact, We are still gathering numbers for a plan that would shake the entire world,"
"Good to know that I'm right. But why have you come here to see me? I'm hardly sure that you've come here just for talk," Edmond stated,
"You see. One of the Executives of my Organization known as 'The Monster Association' has taken an interest in your capabilities in the past few weeks. So he sent me to search for you and see if we could... recruit you to our cause," Phoenix Man explained, "He even offered an Executive Spot for you to take in,"
"Tempting... But I'm afraid I must refuse to your offer," Edmond rejected, "One master is enough for me. I don't need another to get on my nerves,"
Before Phoenix Man could say another word. A monster suddenly emerged from the woods and attempted to get the jump on Edmond.
But he immediately took action, grabbed the monster by its face, and burnt its face with his flames as it lets out its dying scream.
A moment later, Edmond throws the monster's body aside and turns back to Phoenix Man with a frown on its face, "Was that one of your underlings?"
"No, I was sent here to find you alone," Phoenix Man said,
"I'll take your word for it. But know that I still won't-" Before Edmond could continue any further, his master interrupts him, "Edmond..."
Edmond growl as turns away from Phoenix Man, "What do you want now?"
"Who are you talking to" Before Phoenix Man could finish his question, Edmond silences him by raising his hand towards him.
"Be quiet, I'm currently conversing with my master," Edmond stated,
Phoenix Man did what he just said and waited. But he was confused about who was talking to Edmond.
Their conversation lasted for a couple of minutes. But once it was all said and done, Edmond suddenly growled then followed by a sigh as he turns back to Phoenix Man.
"You said your organization is currently gathering numbers?" Edmond questioned,
"Yes, Why do you ask?" Phoenix Man stated,
Edmond thinks to himself for where he was going with this. But moments later, he sighs and looks at Phoenix Man in the eyes, "Where do I find them?"
Phoenix Man somehow made a smile as Edmond quickly changed his mind.
The Next Day...
King was just playing one of his video games when suddenly he heard someone knocking on his door.
He pauses his game and goes to see who it was. When he slightly opens the door, he notices Saitama and Nadia standing there, and behind the two was Edward Teach.
King paled a bit when he saw Edward Teach. But he had to keep it to himself as he had to focus on Saitama and Nadia.
"Hey, King," Saitama greeted while Nadia just waved her hand to him, "Do you mind if you let us in?"
King closed the door, unbolted his lock, and lets them while King slightly trembles as Edward Teach was the last to enter.
"Is this your room or did you move into another room?" Nadia questioned,
"After that bird trashed my old room. I was given this one as a replacement," King stated, then he lightly taps onto Nadia's shoulder, "By the way... Why is that man doing here?"
"You mean Teach? Well, I kinda told him about you and he wanted to come here and meet you in person," Nadia explained which King flinched at this considering that he still recalls his previous encounter with Teach, "But you don't have to worry about him attacking you out of the blue. I'll keep a sharp eye on him,"
King was somewhat relieved and everyone in his room proceeded to do separate things. Saitama decided to wait by the tv as King decided to play another game that has a co-op mode, while Edward Teach browses place as well as King's belongings while Nadia keeps a close eye on him.
A few minutes in, Edward Teach and Nadia decided to watch Saitama and King's game. However, Saitama was started to feel a bit frustrated
"Hey, why are you taking all the items? What the hell?" Saitama questioned,
"First come, first serve," King answered,
"This is a co-op, you moron. You friggin' moron, King. I'm still at my default gear," Saitama told,
"Don't worry. I can beat them by myself," King said,
This struck a nerve and Saitama unintentionally breaks the controller in two.
"Whoops. The controller broke," Saitama said,
"Eh?" King responded as he turns to him,
'Guess it goes to show that you can't win at everything, Saitama-san' Nadia noted
"Master, can you fix that controller?" Edward requested,
"Why?" Nadia asked curiously,
"I want to play with this guy," Edward stated as he points towards King,
Nadia sighed at first, but then she decided to fix the control with a bit of magic.
"Hey, do you mind if I take over?" Edward requested,
"Sure, I was getting frustrated anyway," Saitama said, as he passed the controller,
As the game resumes, Saitama and Nadia watched King and Edward playing the game.
Another few minutes in, Edward seems to be getting the hang of the game and he even had a good gear set as King stated.
Then they reached the boss level, and the two started dealing damage to it. But instead of doing it together, They were competing against each other since the bosses of the game always drop a special item to the player who beat it first.
With the bosses' health at the minimum. Edward attempted a steal by dealing heavy damage to the boss.
He smirks in triumph as he shot a glance at King. But he soon became confused when the latter just focused on the game.
When Edward turns back to the screen, The boss somehow recovers a bit of health left much to his surprise and King ends up delivering the final blow to the boss.
"Dang! I didn't see that coming," Edward stated, then he turns to King as soon as the item drop was displayed on the screen, "You're good at this,"
"Thanks," King said,
Nadia just smiled at the two as she could tell that they would soon get along in the future.
(Bonus) Heroes Association Headquarters...
Apparently, The entire headquarters was on high alert when one of their meeting halls was trashed by a single man.
The said man was now seen exiting the place.
This man had long silver hair that spikes upward in two large prongs and yellow eyes. Wore tight, black, long-sleeved shirt, loose-fitting white martial arts pants, a yellow sash around his waist, and tai chi slippers on his feet
On his hand, He was reading a manga he had borrow (He actually stole it). In fact, he had taken a liking to a few villains in the story as they were more interesting to read than the other villains he had seen on tv.
But that's not all. Apparently, he had also taken a liking to the main hero and a few of his comrades for their actions and took some inspiration from them unlike other unrealistic heroes of other stories and real life
Once he had reached the end of the volume. He groans in disappointment but was tempted to wait for the next volume.
He also kept the book with him rather than throw it away.
'This author may be the only one with some common sense in this world,' The man then made a smirk filled with interest, 'I wonder if I'll be able to meet her in person...'
First chapter of the month and a few things are in motion!
Saitama and Nadia occasionally hanging out with Edward Teach becoming a potential friend to King, Edmond Dantes being invited by the Monster Association, and the next chapter will be the appearance of a certain Class B Hero you all know well.
The same can be said for a former disciple, especially when he's interested in the manga Nadia had published.
That is all I have to say, Stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next chapter!