Hello and welcome back. How you all doing today? Hopefully the whole fiasco with chapters not showing up is over and I can get back to my regularly scheduled schedule of scheduling.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Punch Man, all credit goes to One and Murata for being such badasses even though they're doing like 20 redraws on chapters that were fine and I'm not upset because they still look amazing but like why I just want to continue with the story its in such a climactic spot and I just want to keeping reading it cause its amazing.
Anyways.
Chapter Thirteen: The Hunt
It wasn't long before Tatsumaki realized she had no idea where she was going. Metal Knight had only told her they existed, not where they were.
While Tatsumaki could eventually find them by scanning every building city by city, that would take far too long and no doubt attract unwanted attention. She didn't want to go to Metal Knight. That left one person she knew of that could help her find them.
So Tatsumaki flew towards City K. Towards the headquarters of a certain hero group opposing the Hero Association.
Tatsumaki landed in front of the building, looking up. It was a tall tower, looking similar yet different from one of Metal Knight's buildings.
Almost seconds after she landed, a large group of people surrounded her. All of them wore some kind of battlesuit.
"It's Tatsumaki! Come on, if we can take her down, we'll prove for certain the Neo Heroes are the best Heroes!"
A collection of cheers and hoots followed as the crowd surged towards her.
Tatsumaki sighed, waving her hand upward. All of the low level grunts flew forty feet in the air, metal armor snapping and breaking midair. Screams filled the air as all of the 'heroes' fell to the ground, many screaming with broken bones. Tatsumaki calmly floated over them.
As Tatsumaki entered the building, alarms went off. They blared in her ears, annoying her. Tatsumaki climbed the tower, dispatching any and all weaklings that tried to stop her. Hundreds of puny heroes were dismantled as Tatsumaki made her way through the tower.
Finally, Tatsumaki found the person she was looking for. Tatsumaki entered a lab. Immediately she was bombarded by all kinds of traps her prey set for her. All of the traps failed to pierce her barrier.
Tatsumaki looked at her prize through a fake wall. "Come on Dotei. We both know that wall can't stop me."
There was a series of clicks, and a doorway appeared, and a small boy exited. "Alright Senritsu no Tatsumaki. You got me."
Child Emperor stared up at her. "What do you want?"
Tatsumaki smiled a vicious smile. "I want you to find someone for me."
Child Emperor seemed confused. "Can't you do that with your powers?"
"I could, but it would take too long and I am impatient. Will you find him or shall I turn your bones into a powder and sell it to Metal Bat as cocaine?"
Child Emperor gulped. "Y-yes I can do it. Who is this person?"
"His name is Ryu Ansagma. He is associated with an organization known as the Psychic Analysts Society of Science. I want an address for both."
Dotei's small finger flew over the keyboard. "C-can I ask what this is for?"
"No."
It only took Child Emperor about four minutes to find both of them. Both happened to be in City M, close to one another. Tatsumaki wasn't surprised. Of course Ryu would stay close. Monsters had their hunting grounds, didn't they?
"Thank you Child Emperor. I'll get out of your hair now."
Before Tatsumaki could leave, the door burst open behind her. Several people tore into the room. She recognized Metal Bat, Darkshine and Zombieman. There was a girl, a fat sumo man, and blue haired teenager that reminded her uncomfortably like Amai Mask. There were other insignificants but Tatsumaki didn't bother looking at them.
"Tatsumaki! Let Child Emperor go at once!" The blue boy said.
Tatsumaki snorted. "I already did, dipshit."
"Then lets get her! Come on!" Metal Bat lunged at her, along with a long haired guy, a scar faced man, and a fancily dressed girl. Tatsumaki allowed them to hit her barrier for a few moments, then sunk them all through the floor. Only Darkshine, the fat sumo and the blue haired boy remained.
"If you don't mind, I will be on my way now," Tatsumaki answered, turning her back to them. Instantly, the blue haired boy appeared in front of her.
"You're not going anywhere," blue-boy said.
Tatsumaki snorted. "That line is way overused. Get some new material."
In his moment of confusion, Tatsumaki closed her fist, summoning chunks of Child Emperor's lab to crush the kid. The material connected, encasing the person in a sphere of rubble.
Tatsumaki turned back to the remaining heroes. Darkshine slowly backed away, then ran once he was out the door. The fat sumo stared at her, assessing her for a moment. Finally, he bowed his head in acknowledgement of her superiority and left the room.
Tatsumaki snorted. These were the Neo Heroes? She was not impressed.
Suddenly, the sphere of rock behind her exploded. Tatsumaki whirled around to see the blue haired kid emerge from the trap she put him in.
Fists glowing, blue-boy attacked Tatsumaki's bubble. Of course, his attack failed to connect, but yet they were far more powerful than a kid of his age should be. And no one outside of Darksine-and another certain bald hero Tatsumaki was not thinking-could break that easily.
It was then Tatsumaki made the connection. Glowing fists. It was similar to Blast's abilities.
"Where did you get that power?" Tatsumaki demanded.
"That is none of your concern," blueboy answered, attacks speeding up.
Tatsumaki grabbed him with her power, halting his assault. "How. Did. You. Get. That. Power."
Tatsumaki could feel the boy's aura increase. Confused, Tatsumaki let him go. He continued to pound away at her barrier, attacks failing to even make a dent.
"Maybe you didn't hear me," Tatsumaki said calmly. She swept the floor out from under him. The kid fell on his face. She wrapped the material around his hands and feet and lifted him off the ground. She pulled the material in opposing directions, stretching his limbs.
"How did you get Blast's power?"
"Blast...is...my...father," the boy gasped out.
Tatsumaki felt her power drop the kid. Blast? Father? Tatsumaki lowered to the ground as the implications washed over her.
The boy struggled to his feet, clearly ready for round two. Tatsumaki waved her hand and sent him flying through the building. Tatsumaki would come back and find this boy. She would pry the truth and the location of where Blast had been all these years. Then she would find Blast. After all these years, she could finally see him again.
Tatsumaki was minutes away from City M. She hid in the clouds above the cities to conceal herself from any watchful eyes. Tatsumaki felt her rage grow as she grew closer to her prey. These people had taken her from her home. They had stripped her of everything she had and turned her into a weapon. A person hellbent on releasing her fury on any threat that came her way.
They had forged her in the darkest pits of their laboratories. Now, they would fall to their own creation.
Tatsumaki finally found the building that Child Emperor had shown her. It was a large, glass building, reaching into the sky. It wasn't the tallest building in City M, but it certainly made an impression. It was a pale blue, contrasting the gray cement most other buildings surrounding it had.
Tatsumaki stared at it, comparing it to the prison she had been in. This one was large and modern, and from her scans, mostly a technological building. It seemed to serve as a headquarters of some sort.
If it was a headquarters, that means there could be other sites. She would have to go through the databases and find them if there were. And she would destroy them all.
Tatsumaki searched the building for Ryu. Tatsumaki stared down at the building, glaring through concrete and steel.
Finally, she found him.
Eighteen years. Eighteen years since she had last seen this man. Eighteen years since he had her thrown in a dungeon to rot. Eighteen years she had waited to meet him again.
Tatsumaki hovered high in the sky. Tatsumaki exhaled once. Summoning her power, she raised both hands.
Every door in that building slammed shut. The shouts as hundreds of scientists cried out in panic echoed through the desolate halls. Then, every lightbulb shattered, shrouding the building in darkness.
Raising both hands slowly, Tatsumaki lifted the building off the ground. She ripped it out of its foundations, pulling it high into the sky.
Far below, she could sense people looking up, wondering how such a phenomenon could occur. Others, inside the building screamed and pounded on closed doors, begging to be let out. Tatsumaki paid no heed to any of them. Now they would know her suffering.
As soon as the building reached her altitude, Tatsumaki landed on the entryway and pushed open the door. Tatsumaki stalked through the building, slowly climbing her way up through the tall building. Her steps were slow and steady, controlled and composed.
Her mind was anything but.
Fury consumed Tatsumaki. It took every ounce of her willpower to not rip this entire building to shreds and send these men into the sun. Every ounce of her being screamed at her to destroy these people, to hurt them as badly as they hurt her. She seethed, needing to release on these men. To unleash all her pain and suffering on them. So badly she wanted to hear the screams of these men who had tormented her all those years ago. So badly she wanted them to beg as she did, wishing, hoping, praying for a release. For death.
And yet, Tatsumaki did not give into her rage. She walked forward, one step at a time. She breathed, inhaling air and letting it go. And Tatsumaki did not give into her rage.
Finally, Tatsumaki reached the top floor. Tatsumaki stared down the hall, one final door at the end. Tatsumaki stared at it, taking it in.
Tatsumaki walked towards this door. This final moment. For eighteen this man has evaded her wrath. No longer.
Tatsumaki placed her hand on the door handle. Tatsumaki loosed a breath and pushed the door open.
Inside was an office. A wooden chair faced a desk, and another sat behind it. A stack of paper was neatly tidied away into one corner of the desk. A laptop sat closed on the desk. On the walls were paintings, none of which Tatsumaki recognized. The wall faced outwards into the sky was made of glass.
Staring out the window, arms crossed behind his back was a man. He was dressed in a gray suit, black hair slicked back.
"Hello, Senritsu no Tatsumaki," Ryu Ansagma said. "It's been a long time."