The Next Day
Three years ago, Saitama quit his search for a normal job to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a superhero. Back then, he didn't know what to expect from this new way of life. But he knew his old passion would prepare him for anything life had to offer.
Of course, whatever he had imagined he would see was absolutely not that. Ever since the start of his journey as a hero, he's fought comically devious supervillains, monsters that defy almost all logic, ancient evils from the long-forgotten past, and an S&M Gimp-Fish-Person Crime Lord.
Then there came the earth-shattering discovery that the gods of ancient myth were actually real! Well, the reveal would have been earth-shattering for anyone other than Saitama. In his experience, the monsters faced by ancient civilizations weren't that much different from the monsters of today (they were scarier… Maybe?), and the so-called "gods" (at least, as far as the two he's met) were more or less just normal people with superpowers. Even Mayari, a goddess who is supposedly thousands of years older than Saitama, behaved more like a human teenager than some divine being.
Saitama felt like he had seen it all, and to an extent, he has. So when a teenage cyborg, whom he had saved the life of just yesterday, showed up at this apartment (the address of which Saitama did not provide) and called him "master", the bald hero hardly bat an eye. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't at least a little uncomfortable.
"Look, just drink your tea and then leave," said Saitama as he poured his kettle's contents into his guest's cup. "I'm not looking for any disciples…"
Said guest was currently sitting attentively at his table, still and steady like a statue or a disciplined soldier. Even with the utter oddity of present circumstances, the fact of the matter was that Saitama had a guest, and guests needed good courtesy and tea. As Saitama sat down opposite the cyborg, he took notice of his new arms. They looked brand new, all shiny and silver in color, and were almost completely covered in sturdy-looking armor plates.
"Huh? You're all fixed up," he remarked.
"Yes. Most of my body is mechanical," Genos explained. "So long as I can be recovered by my benefactor, Doctor Kuseno, no damage to me is fatal."
"Huh, kind of like Mayari's friend, that big lady with the antlers," Saitama mused internally. "What was her name again-"
"What kind of components do you use, master?" Genos asked, knocking the bald hero from his thoughts.
"W-what?" Saitama stuttered. "I don't use any."
Genos seems surprised by this, which only confuses Saitama even more. "But what about that skin-colored armor on your head?" he asks.
"Yeah, that's just my skin, man," said Saitama with a slightly annoyed tone. He could see where this chain of thought was going and he did not like it.
"Incredible! You appear to be around twenty-five years old," Genos said, astonished. "For someone to lose their hair before the age of thirty-five…"
"SO WHAT IF I'M BALD!? WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" Saitama exploded in a sudden rage. Yet, he immediately felt remorse for letting his anger slip out so easily, even if it was somewhat justified (in his eyes, at least). Though, this spontaneous anger would not last for long.
"My problems?" Genos asked. "Are you willing to hear out my troubles?"
At that moment, Saitama's anger disappeared as quickly as it rose. He was utterly dumbfounded at how someone could be so oblivious, yet at the same time, look so diligent. Of course, Genos would continue to surprise him, as he apparently took Saitama's silence and shocked face as a cue to continue.
"It all started four years ago," Genos began. "I was fifteen then, and I still had a real human body."
"Uh, dude?" Saitama tried to interrupt. "I didn't say anything."
Genos, to even more of Saitama's confusion, simply ignored his bald host and continued with his story. "Although we were financially destitute, my family and I lived relatively peaceful, happy lives in our small country town. But one day, a deranged cyborg appeared out of nowhere and began destroying everything in his path. It was likely some fault in the transformation process that caused…"
Defying all common sense and logic, Genos kept explaining his long and overly complicated origin story, and Saitama had no idea how to respond, other than to continue listening to the cyborg's tirade.
"It'd be pretty rude to stop him now," Saitama thought, now too mindful of his manners to interrupt. "I might as well hear him out. It can't be that bad, right?"
Contrary to the lack of obvious spectators, the deeds of Saitama and Mayari had not gone completely unnoticed. Secretive eyes had been observing the battle between the monster and the four heroes, and a cold and calculating mind digested the new data with a vested interest. This was a man whose heart held no compassion for his fellow man. A certified genius who had decided decades ago that the entirety of his species had become obsolete. Within his secure and hidden laboratory, Mosquito Girl's creator was scrutinizing the final results of his now-destroyed prototype.
"Mosquito Girl was defeated?" the mysterious genius remarks as he scans his computer screen. The room was dark, illuminated only by the green-tinted light of the monitor. "And with only a single blow?"
Part of the doctor was unsurprised by the Mosquito Girl's failure. She was only a prototype, after all; merely a proof of concept of his new parasite series. But on the other hand, her initial combat test results were nothing to scoff at. By all accounts, she was capable of halting the function of an entire city in her most powerful state. On top of that, thanks to the careful planning and scheduling of his team, there were only four potential threats in her designated test route. If there was something out there with that much power that somehow evaded his awareness…
The doctor kept that thought in mind as he browsed through the files containing footage from yesterday's battle. As with all of his creations, the Mosquito Girl had miniature cameras hidden within several points of her body. That, including the several techno-organic camera drones he had mixed in with his insectoid creation's swarm, meant that the doctor held a near complete picture of what occurred.
Meticulously, he scanned through each and every recording sent back by the surviving drones, and each one captured a vivid image of the same events. The footage would start with the mosquito girl hovering above a blonde cyborg and antler-ed giantess in her evolved form. Shortly afterward, she would begin to assault and mutilate the two before being struck by a heavily-scarred young woman. Mosquito Girl then charges at the young woman, who braces herself with a piece of light pole, only for a gargantuan shockwave to blow the hybrid monster away. This shockwave was so powerful that the concrete buildings near its epicenter were warped and deformed, and the clouds had been parted in a straight line beyond the horizon. Interestingly, none of the nearby camera drones actually captured the cause of the shockwave. At best, in some of the footage files, a strange blur could be seen darting in between the young woman and the mosquito girl.
The doctor was slightly annoyed but was by no means deterred. There was still one video recording that had yet to be opened: the internal camera embedded in the mosquito girl's forehead. This camera had been specially made; not only to fit comfortably within the monster's head but also to keep with her immense speed. It could record high-definition videos even while Mosquito girl moved several times faster than sound.
At last, the doctor had the identity of his mystery killer. But what he saw only raised more questions than it answered. In the very last frame before the killing blow, the silhouette of a man appeared before the mosquito girl and the young woman, still too fast to capture a clean image. With some techno-wizardry and no small degree of patience, the doctor enhanced the final frame; and he could finally see the full appearance of the perpetrator. He was a bald man with a plain face, raising his arm back in preparation for a punch.
"This is her killer?" the doctor pondered. The evidence was undeniable: this man had killed his latest creation, and caused damage comparable to an atomic bomb, with just a punch. Such a concept was inconceivable… yet oh so enticing. What wondrous secrets could be uncovered with just a single drop of his blood? Or a skin sample? Or even a hair follicle! The possibilities were endless!
"His physiology may hold the key to the next step in our research," the doctor proclaimed. "Alert strike teams A and B. Let's send this one a cordial invitation to our House of Evolution."
"So he lives around here?" Skathi mused as she took in the barren cityscape.
"Yep," answered Mayari, hands on her hips. "It's a little creepy because of how quiet it usually is. But other than that, it's actually kinda nice."
By some stroke of divine luck (or rather, Mayari's bald-faced stubbornness), the lunar deity had convinced Skathi to meet with Saitama again, so they could properly get to know one another. Surprisingly, despite her initial shock, the hunter goddess was unbothered by the bald human's inconceivable power; and she saw it as a natural progression of the species. If anything, she was more surprised that it had taken so long for a human to get that strong.
Throughout the long walk from Skathi's campsite to Saitama's apartment, the two gods had been stared at and gawked at by just about every human they had come across. However, they really didn't mind. Mayari was more than fine with being ogled by the mortals; taking it as them admiring her physique and battle scars, which more than sated her ego. On the side of the spectrum, Skathi couldn't care less about being ostracized for her appearance. After all, a good hunter had more important things to focus on.
Like the overabundance of monsters in Saitama's neighborhood. Skathi had heard tell (through hearsay and the occasional skimming through a newspaper) of dangerous monsters spontaneously appearing in City Z. So much and so often, in fact, that an entire district had been abandoned by its residents for fear of said monsters. Skathi was definitely intrigued. In truth, part of the reason why she came along was that Mayari had mentioned that Saitama lived within City Z, and his neighborhood seemed to match the description of the "Ghost Town" she had heard so much about.
At last, Mayari and Skathi came upon a chain-linked fence, slightly taller than Skathi herself. The barrier was adorned with barbed wire and a variety of different warning signs dotted along its length. From where they stood, the fence went on for several blocks and extended well beyond their field of vision. There was no gate for them to enter, but an obstacle like that would never deter these goddesses. With a smirk and a stretch of her knuckles, Mayari dashed towards the fence and began scaling its side. Once halfway up its height, she leaped squirrel-like from the fence and to a nearby light post. Not missing a beat, she pushed off the light post and into the air, soaring over the fence. Finally, with a stylish mid-air pirouette into a somersault, she touched down on the other side of the fence.
"Hell yeah!" Mayari shouted, throwing her fists above her head. She looked to Skathi on the other side of the barrier, but her friend said nothing. Instead, she crouched down, and in an instant, she launched herself into the air. She flew up to twice the height of the metal barrier, before falling back down on the other side, right beside Mayari.
"You couldn't have just done that?" Skathi asked, shaking the dust from her clothes.
"Er… well, it wouldn't have been as cool," Mayari protested, to which Skathi simply chuckled and shook her head.
With that out of the way, the two continued onwards to Saitama's apartment. They took in the silence as they weaved through empty streets and abandoned buildings. Though it was not completely devoid of life. As they walked, Skathi couldn't help but notice the myriad of life that had made their homes here. In every nook and cranny, there were squirrels, rats, and crows; and all were going about their business as animals. It was the epitome of peace and quiet.
In fact, for some, it was almost too quiet. That "some" being Mayari, of course. Though their commute was nearly over, the lunar deity was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"So…" Mayari began, trying to break the silence. "What brought you back to Earth?"
"I had heard from the other gods about new monsters appearing here, so I wanted to try my hand at hunting again," Skathi explained, holding her hand over her belly, remembering the pain from the other day. "But I guess after a few thousand years of doing nothing, I've gotten a little rusty."
"A little Rusty? I've never seen you get hurt that bad!" the young goddess exclaimed. "At least, not since I was a ki-"
Mayari cuts herself off when she hears a noise just around the corner ahead of them. Not the sounds of a chattering bird or a squeaking rodent, but voices.
Unfamiliar voices.
Immediately, Mayari ran to the building's corner, with Skathi following behind her. The young goddess cautiously peeked her head around, whereupon she grimaced at the sight. She pulled back, and she was met with Skathi's confused expression
"There's monsters here!" Mayari silently screamed at Skathi.
"Monsters?" the frost giant asks. With how quiet their walk had been, Skathi almost forgot that they were right in the middle of a monster hot spot. Now with this sudden new sighting, her interest was piqued once more. The huntress craned her head around the corner, expecting to see some fearsome beasts with how Mayari reacted. And indeed, standing in front of Saitama's apartment were three monsters, each with their own ferocious visage… ferocious for humans under the age of two, that is.
Where should she begin? One "monster" was a frog person that wore only white pants, sandals, and a belly sash. Another was some kind of… pink humanoid slug(?). The third creature was somewhat intimidating: a tall bipedal mantis with sharp teeth and long, serrated claws. Though it would have actually been frightening if not for its exposed brain, which was protected by nothing but a small glass dome. With that, it looked almost like some child's drawing that had come to life.
"Are you sure those aren't just…" Skathi paused, taking in the creatures' looks for one more second before turning to Mayari. " … humans in silly costumes?"
Mayari looked again at the three "monsters", and this time their appearances registered in the goddesses' mind, and she chuckled to herself.
"Oh yeah," the lunar goddess muttered with a slight grin. Still, her suspicions were not quelled, and she maintained her gaze on the three mysterious beings. Carefully, she craned her head forward as much as she could to listen in on their conversation.
"… doctor say anything about his life?" asked the mantis creature.
"He said he wanted him alive," the slug man said. "But if that isn't possible, we can just bring his corpse."
The mantis creature chuckled at the answer. "Fine by me," it said, grinning with murderous intent.
"Yep, they're monsters!" Mayari said to Skathi. Promptly, she sprung from her hiding spot and charged at the monsters with her kampilan drawn. She let out a thunderous warcry, causing all three to turn their heads in shock.
"W-Woah, who is that!?" the frogman exclaims.
The creature's compatriots could give no response as Mayari continued to charge at them, her weapon raised high into the air.
"Shit!" The mantis monster cursed, and it ran forward to meet her charge, brandishing its claws. When they were nearly face to face, they unleashed their attacks, with Mayari aiming her blade for its throat.
" … right now, I need enormous power so I can eradicate the greatest of evils!" Genos proclaimed. "Doctor Kuseno is-"
"ENOUGH GODDAMMIT!" screamed Saitama. "SHORTEN YOUR FRIGGIN' BACKSTORY TO TWENTY WORDS OR LESS!"
Several minutes went by, and that was several minutes of nothing but a bloated and extremely detailed backstory, all relayed at a nearly incomprehensible speed. And it was at that point where Saitama finally had enough and snapped. The bald hero breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down as Genos seemed to consider his next words carefully. Once again, the young cyborg was unbothered by the sudden outburst of his host.
"Essentially, master," Genos began. "I wish to train under you, so that I may become strong."
Briefly, the question of why the cyborg hadn't just started with that popped up in Saitama's brain, but his common courtesy suppressed the urge to ask it out loud. With that finally out of the way, Saitama, with as serious a face as he can muster, looked Genos square in the eyes.
"How old are you?" he asked the young cyborg.
"Nineteen," Genos answered.
"So young…" Saitama mused, maintaining his expression. "I'm sure you'll surpass me in no time."
"Really!?" Genos exclaimed, surprise and excitement brimming in his dark eyes.
"Probably not," the bald hero corrected internally. Well, Saitama did hold some hope that the young cyborg would somehow surpass him one day, as unlikely as that would be.
"Yes," Saitama continued regardless of his thoughts. "I was twenty-two when I started training in the summer, and I'm twenty-five now."
To Genos, this revelation was world-shifting. The prospect of attaining such unparalleled power in a comparatively short amount of time was nearly incomprehensible, and yet, he had to believe it, as the living proof of such a thing was sitting right in front of him.
"I'll teach you my ways, but it won't be easy," said Saitama. "Are you up for the challenge?"
Genos pauses for a moment as if intimidated by the daunting task set before him. But that nervous reservation disappeared, replaced by a confident determination.
"Yes!" he finally answers.
And so, Saitama now had a disciple. A student for him to mentor in the ways of heroism…
Wait a minute, Saitama just promised to give some teenager ultimate power. A power that, as far as Saitama was aware, was only attainable through physical training. Maybe he could think up a new routine for him? Was Genos even capable of physical training? He was a cyborg, so…
"Foreign object approaching at high speeds!" Genos suddenly announced. He was now facing away from Saitama and towards his door, hunched in a defensive crouch.
"Huh?" Saitama-
CRASH!
… said when he was interrupted before he could even comprehend Genos' words. Annoyed, the bald hero turned his attention back to his now ruined table to confront this "foreign object"… which turned out to be the beheaded and mangled corpse of some bug monster. Genos was shocked and confused to see the dead body, though this sentiment was not shared by Saitama. Instead, the nigh-emotionless man only took one look at the creature's bleeding neck stump (cleanly cut, as if with a blade) and he had an inkling of who was responsible.
"There are more outside!" Genos exclaims. "Let me deal with them, master!"
The young cyborg burst through Saitama's door, threatening to tear the thing off its hinges. In one swift motion, Genos vaulted over the railing and landed perfectly in a three-point pose, ready to attack.
But that battle-readiness would immediately dissipate when he realized that Saitama had already beaten him to the fight. Well, there was not much of a "fight", but what he saw was more in line with the aftermath of a massacre; his master was standing amongst the bisected corpses of two small monsters as well as the severed head of the insect monster. Additionally, the young woman, Mayari, as Skathi had told him, from the other day was standing in front of him, rubbing her head with one hand and holding a blood-drenched sword with the other.
"Don't throw things through people's ceilings!" Saitama chastised.
"OW! Alright, sorry dude. Geez!" Mayari said in pain.
"Oh. Never mind," said Genos, easing out of his offensive posture. The sound of heavy footsteps prompted him to tense up and turn 180 degrees on his heels, but the familiar visage of a giant woman with antlers put him at ease.
"Ah, you again," she says.
"Miss Skathi? You're here too?" the cyborg asks.
The cyborg and the jötunn began to chat, catching up from when they last met. Meanwhile, the pair of a one-eyed goddess and a bald hero were continuing their discourse over the bald man's ruined home.
"Seriously!" he (almost) shouts. "If you're gonna fight near my home, keep it outside-"
Before he could finish his sentence, clawed hands sprung up from the ground and dragged Saitama into the ground. The motion of his submerging was so quick, that almost no one could react as the bald man was left with only his head above the pavement.
"Master!" Genos shouted. And the young cyborg dashed forwards to rescue his teacher.
"No, I'm good," Saitama says, prompting his disciple to skid to a halt. "Actually, I kinda feel like a bamboo shoot like this."
"You're so weird," said Mayari with a half-smile, to which Saitama responds with a simple look.
With how surreal yet casual the scene that played out before him was, Genos couldn't help but stare; and he almost completely disregarded his surroundings. And it was here that Genos would (unknowingly and unintentionally) learn his first lesson: Never drop your guard before the resolution of a combat situation.
"Elevated energy levels detected," said a monotone voice behind Genos.
But before he could turn around, a massive force collided with his back, launching him forward a short distance. Skathi rushed over to his aid, but another, similar force slammed into her. The power behind it was immense, and the attack would have been far more devastating had she not just barely manifested an ice shield to block it. The cyborg staggered to his feet, still in fighting shape, and the two readied themselves for a fight. From the dust cloud before them, two red lights peered through towards them. Loud, metallic 'thunks' and the whistles of hydraulic pistons filled the air, causing Genos to tense up. The dust began to settle, and Genos narrowed his eyes. But he opened them wide soon enough when the dust settled. Their enemy turned out to be a mechanical creature, covered head to toe in heavy armor. With its enormous arms and comparatively short legs, it knuckle-walked like an ape.
At first, the two assumed that this being was some kind of robot. But the sensors in Genos' eyes revealed a shocking truth: a small but still significant portion of its body was organic.
"A cyborg!?" he shouts in his mind. "Could it be…?"
"Huh? What's going on?" Saitama asks, trying to turn his head.
"Some big ass metal dude just turned up," answered Mayari in a casual tone.
"Really?" the bald man asks. "Does he look strong?"
Mayari took a moment to examine the metal monster, comparing it to the other beasts she's fought. Before long she answered with a simple, "Not really."
"You are not the target," the creature says as it raises its massive arms above its head. In an instant, he brings them both down on the giant and the cyborg, who narrowly jump out of the way. Genos was relentless as he immediately countered with a swift kick to the monster's head. The attack launched him backward, and when he landed he charged back toward the monster for another strike. But the creature was prepared, and it spun in place to hit the cyborg with a swift backhanded strike. It forced him to put up a defense, and he was locked in place under a massive metal fist. With all his strength, he only just saved himself from being crushed, and the monster growled. In their conflict, however, the two had forgotten about the other combatant present.
With a mighty shout, Skathi charged at the metal monster with an ice spear in hand. But the beast proved to be quicker, and it met the huntress' charge with a heavy slam from its free hand. Skathi had just barely manifested an ice shield to protect herself, but now she was also pinned down by a massive metallic arm. Though they would not be held for long. Genos' palm began to glow a faint orange, while Skathi's mouth opened just slightly and a white mist emanated from within. In the next instant, the duo unleashed a devastating double attack, bombarding the metallic monster with a maelstrom of fire and ice. From the clashing elements, a cloud of scalding steam enveloped the three as they fought on; with the rest of their battle concealed from any onlookers.
"Wow," Mayari simply remarks.
The ground shook under the goddess, then again, and again. They repeated rhythmically, like the footfalls of a giant. She calmly scanned her surroundings, trying to look for the source. When the rumbling eventually ceased, and a great shadow came over the young goddess and the mostly buried bald man, Mayari turned around, and simply raised a brow at the new creature before her.
"It looks like you're in what they call a tight spot," the creature: a large, humanoid lion adorned in various animal furs and basic jewelry, jeered. "Good job, Ground Dragon!"
Nearby, the monster in mention burst up from the ground. This one was less bombastic looking than the larger lion-man. It simply appeared to be an over-sized mole with a line of kanji running down its belly
"It's a hassle if they put up too much of a fight," it says, revealing itself to be the culprit behind Saitama's submerging.
Predictably, the bald man looked less than impressed with the two monsters. Mayari was just as unimpressed, though she still took up a fighting stance. However, this seemed to only amuse the lion beast as it let out a hearty chortle.
"Death Spike! The small one's yours!" he shouts.
"Small!?" Mayari shouted back, very offended.
"Well, you are kinda short," said Saitama, candidly.
Before Mayari could respond, another shadow appeared over her, and she backflipped out of the way to avoid the giant spike about to impale her. Landing a few feet away, she stood with her blade at the ready.
Her new opponent was some kind of large anthropomorphic porcupine, standing on digitigrade legs, covered head to toe in dark blue fur, with four plain white skulls tattooed on its chest, and a back full of comically long spikes. Its right forearm was replaced with a similarly long spike, and more spiked bands adorned its limbs.
"I'm Death Spike!" it shouts. "And I'm gonna… I'm gonna… er…"
The next few moments were certainly… interesting for the young goddess. Instead of trying to impale Mayari with one of his many spikes, Death Spike opted to simply stand there, wracking his brain for whatever he was going to say next. His face was contorted from the frustration and the apparently great deal of effort to recollect. He groaned and growled as he started knocking on his head in anger. All the while, Mayari maintained her stance in anticipation of a surprise attack.
"Consarnit! I can't r'member!" shouted Death Spike, causing Mayari to tense up just slightly. Then, his face lit up with excitement.
"Oh yeah! I wrote it on my paw," he says. The creature raised his free hand impractically close to his face. He spent a fairly sizable amount of time just rotating his hand in an effort to understand what he had written. At this point, it was very apparent that this monster was not very bright.
"Huh, can't read that… " says the dimwitted Death Spike. He then extended his palm towards Mayari, who took two reflexive steps back at the gesture. "Yuh think yuh c'n read this for me?"
Suffice it to say, Mayari was confused. Though from what she could see, there was no hostile intent in the monster's gesture. So, cautiously, she moved forward to examine Death Spike's palm… and the reason for the monster's frustration was made abundantly clear to Mayari. For what was written on Death Spike's hand was pure, unadulterated, absolute…
Scribbles. It was just a bunch of scribbles.
"It's a little hard to make out…" Mayari muses.
"Ah, flagnerbit!" Death Spike cursed, childishly stomping his foot in anger. "I knew I shoulda had a sticky note 'er summin'!"
A loud boom occurred from behind Mayari, and she swiveled around just in time to see Skathi being launched out of the steam cloud and landing ungraciously in front of Mayari. She looked like she had been through the wringer with her numerous burns and bruises, though thankfully still nowhere near as bad as the other day. The huntress growled and cursed under her breath as she rose again to her feet, preparing to charge back into the fight. But she promptly stopped herself when she turned around and saw Mayari and Death Spike just… looking at her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm trying to help this guy read his hand," Mayari answered, pointing a thumb toward the monster.
As if on cue, Death Spike walked right up to Skathi and held out his hand to the very bewildered jötunn. "C'n yuh read this fer me, stranger?" he asked, politely.
Wordlessly, the jötunn took one look at the monster's hand, then at the monster himself, and finally at Mayari, who only shrugged. Resigning herself and standing to her full height (which is quite a bit taller than the rather large Death Spike), Skathi examined the dimwitted creature's palm. Her initial reaction mirrored that of Mayari's, scrutinizing the lettering and internally wondering what kind of intelligence could have created such markings. After a short while of staring at the messy handwriting, the giantess, at last, rotated the orientation of the monster's hand, where his written reminder (while still comparable to a drawing made by a toddler's non-dominant hand) was now somewhat legible.
"It looks like it says: 'Am DEth s⍴iEK mE . thREW A YOo mE DETh §PiEK ThrUىt! !' …?" said Skathi, struggling to read the chicken scratch out loud.
"Hey! That sounds about right!" says Death Spike with a smile. "Lotsa' thanks, stranger!"
Still thoroughly confused, Skathi simply nodded in response. Yet another loud boom would avert their attention. This time, it was the metallic monster, pinning a fittingly roughed-up Genos to the ground with one arm. The monster's elbow and shoulder joints were glowing a hot red as it reached toward Genos' head with its free hand, and the blonde cyborg just barely managed to hold back the massive limb.
"I gotta go," Skathi said hastily, and she charged back into the fight. With a mighty shout, she tackled the monster off of Genos, throwing the two back into the steam cloud. The young cyborg was now free, and he immediately jumped to his feet and ran head-first into the steam cloud once more.
"She's real helpful," Death Spike remarks.
Just an ounce of pride swelled up in Mayari's heart at the compliment, and she smiled. "Yes she is," she says.
Death Spike stomped on the ground, briefly launching the goddess into the air; and only slightly startling her. Now the creature was at last ready to attack, his fur and spikes flaring up as he hyped himself up for the fight.
"I'M DEATH SPIKE!" He shouts. "AND I'M GONNA RAM A DEATH SPIKE THROUGH YA!"
The monster's spike arm forcefully grows to nearly twice its original length, along with the spikes on its back. Now Death Spike looked more accurate to his name, and Mayari prepared herself for a fight. As she descended, the monster thrust at the goddess, yet she proved to be much faster, and she slapped the organic weapon out of the way. Now she was on the ground, and the monster was furious. He raised its arm yet again to attack with even more speed, but still not enough to harm Mayari, who stepped to her side. This exact pattern continued for some time, with Death Spike's frustration growing with each missed attack. The goddess, meanwhile, was only amused by the monster's lack of skill and experience.
But Mayari would have her fill of fun soon enough, and when the next attack came, she dodged once more and answered it with a staggering head-butt, followed by a straight punch to the monster's gut. Death Spike was pushed back several feet and held his abdomen in pain.
"Yer in fer it now!" the monster shouted with a snarl. The four skulls on his chest shifted color from white to a deep red. His muscles swelled to near impractical sizes, along with his fangs and claws, and his eyes became pure white. With his brief transformation complete, he let out a low, animalistic bellow. But even then, Mayari was not impressed. Death Spike thrust his weapon at the goddess. Though to her, it seemed to move even slower despite its increased power. This time, she grabbed onto the creature's weapon, and with a mighty swing from her blade, cleaved off the boney spike. At that moment, Death Spike's bestial demeanor disappeared in an instant, with an expression of total shock and fear taking its place. With not a second to spare, Mayari took the severed arm-spike, and wielding it like a club, smashed it into the monster's face, sending him flying off over the horizon, defeating the spiny being.
The young goddess wiped the sweat from her brow, silently graduating herself for a job well done. It was now, with the chaos and exhilaration of battle subsiding, that Mayari finally noticed that everyone else was gone. Saitama was missing, with the blown-apart corpse of the lion-like creature being all that remained of his presence. Mayari chuckled to herself at the sight, before noticing that Skathi, Genos, and the metallic monster were also nowhere to be seen. Even The cloud of mist that concealed their fight was gone, revealing the numerous chunks of ice and patches of melted and cracked concrete they had left behind.
"Where is everybod-"
SMASH!
As if on cue, the metallic monster crashed into the ground, bouncing upon contact with the ruined pavement. He looked way worse than when Mayari last saw him. First of all, on several points of his body, he was on fire; and wherever he wasn't, he was frozen solid. Secondly, all but one of its limbs were missing, that being its left arm. His helmet was gone, too, revealing his… actual gorilla face. From out of the sky, an ice spear shot down at blinding speeds and pinned the monster's remaining limb to the ground, causing his momentum to tear it off at the shoulder. The metallic gorilla tumbled and rolled across the pavement before finally hitting a wall. Soon after, a teenage cyborg and a snow-blonde jötunn dropped from the sky and right in front of the monster, aiming their respective weapons at their defeated foe.
"There they are," Mayari remarked, and she started walking towards them.
"Your combat capabilities have been rendered null," Genos stated with his palm facing Armored Gorilla's face. "Now, answer my questions or be eliminated."
"Your choice, ape," Skathi added, pointing a spear at the Gorilla's throat.
At that point, Mayari had joined the duo, bearing an appropriate scowl and Death Spike's severed weapon slung over her shoulder. And then there were three foes before the broken monster, one of them was even brandishing a part of his compatriot. The correct response to this (at least in the eyes of the three heroes), would be immediate panic followed promptly by some desperate groveling. But such a reaction never came.
"You fools are the ones who will be eliminated," he stated in a mechanical monotone. "I, Armored Gorilla, am the third most powerful combat unit in the House of Evolution."
Almost immediately, Mayari let out a scoff and a chuckle at the monster's perceived overconfidence. Skathi and Genos remained as stoic as ever, though the huntress did roll her eyes at Mayari's overconfidence.
"I have analyzed your power levels during our battle, and I have determined that you two lack the sufficient power level to defeat the Beast King, the second most powerful combat unit," Armored Gorilla continued in a confident monotone. "He will destroy you…"
The cyborg gorilla uncharacteristically trailed off, his eyes widening ever so slightly. The trio was confused at first, but they would get an answer to their questions when they detected the telltale smell of burnt flesh and fried blood. To their side, Saitama had finally reappeared, slightly dirty and holding what was presumably the eyeball of the topical Beast King.
"You mean this guy?" asked the bald hero. At this grotesque, but very hilarious sight, Mayari smiled and laughed.
"That's nasty, dude!" exclaimed the young goddess.
"You're always cutting off heads and skewering them with your sword," Saitama pointed out plainly.
"Fair point," she remarked.
Now, with the most powerful of his squad now apparently very dead, Armored Gorilla was left at the mercy of four powerful combatants and with very few options for a proper response. But thankfully, this monster's creator had blessed his "offspring" with a brilliant mind. With his cybernetics, his brain held more in common with an advanced computer than anything organic. And with his loyalty to his creator, and using his cold and calculating mind, he would surely determine the most rational, well-thought-out way to-
"Ok, ok! I'm really sorry about everything!" Armored Gorilla exclaimed in sudden (and very genuine) panic. "I'll tell you whatever you want, just don't kill me!"
… So technology couldn't repress some good old-fashioned desperate groveling, it would seem.
Goddamn, these chapters keep getting longer.
Burnout's a bitch.
Anyway, see y'all in the next one.
Take care.
