Chapter Twenty Three: Strange Encounters
Saitama through another wall. "Child Emperor!"
A dozen tiny lasers hit him in the face. "Hey! I came to help!" Saitama complained.
"Oh! Saitama! I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you," Child Emperor said nervously, putting down what looked to be a box of pencils. Weird, he didn't know pencils shot lasers. Seemed like a safety hazard.
"It's alright," Saitama said, rubbing his eyes. Those things were kinda bright. "The kid's safe."
"Yeah, thank goodness you're here. I'm almost out of gadgets, and my sugar levels are getting kind of low," Child Emperor said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Maybe Pig God's got some candy for you," Saitama suggested. "We can go find him if you want."
"That's ok, I brought extra candy in the med trucks," Child Emperor assured him.
"Sweet. Let's get going then?" Saitama asked.
"Of course. You'd know best, after all," Child Emperor grumbled. Saitama frowned, but said nothing as they continued on.
"Wait, who are you? Are you a hero? You don't look like one of the S-Class. What are you doing down here? Didn't the Hero Association send the best of the best to come save me? How come I never heard of you? Where did you come from? Are you even supposed to be here?" the previously hostaged kid asked. Saitama's eye just twitched. Maybe he'd just let Child Emperor handle this one. Seemed like he had it under control anyways.
"What took you so long this morning? Tatsumaki figured you'd already be here," Child Emperor asked.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" the kid yelled.
Saitama grimaced. "The uh…IRS came by."
Child Emperor's eyes widened to saucers. "You're kidding."
"Hello, can't you hear me?" the kid whined.
Saitama shook his head. "Nope. Did you know they have wristwatch teleporters?"
"What!? That kind of technology doesn't exist yet," Child Emperor exclaimed.
"I'm right here you know!" the kid yelled.
"Tell that to the IRS," Saitama grumbled. "The IRS are unfair. You should hire them to get rid of monsters. They'd be unstoppable."
"Hellooo!" the kid complained.
"I bet Metal Knight would know more about it than I do," Child Emperor said. "He's always got a trick up his sleeve. Hell, he might have created the tech. I can't imagine anyone else who'd be able to."
"I'm just glad no monsters have that tech. It would suck if monsters kept teleporting into my house," Saitama shuddered.
"Right. Hey, Saitama? You know what's above us?" Child Emperor asked.
"Uh, no?" Saitama replied.
"Is it the ceiling?" the hostage kid asked.
"There's a water treatment plant above us. It was abandoned when this section of the city was quarantined. Monsters took it over, brought it back up and running. It supplies this whole place with clean water. It also supplies water to any nearby buildings, like abandoned convenience stores, or apartment buildings," Child Emperor said, glaring at him. "The Monster Association must have seized control of it."
"Ok," Saitama said.
Child Emperor sighed, rubbing his temples. "Half a mile northwest, there's a power plant."
"Cool," Saitama said. Child Emperor stared at him. "What?...Oh. Oh."
From that time he Child Emperor and King had gone to Mrs. Yakuza's house, only to find that she had moved out. Then they found a nearby power plant had been overrun by monsters who were using it. Was he saying that the monsters up there were working for the Monster Association? Damn. Saitama had advocated for them, asking Child Emperor not to call in the nuke that was Tatsumaki so his home wouldn't get destroyed. Well, apparently they weren't the vibrant community of monsters singing kumbaya and holding hands he hoped they were. These were big time baddies, and he had almost given them a free pass.
"You're lucky I had done some investigating," Child Emperor grumbled. "If I hadn't already scouted ahead and known who our enemies were, we would have been at a major disadvantage. Thankfully, no one questioned where I got the information from. But if someone somehow found out about this, it would cost us."
Saitama nodded. "You were right. I shouldn't have been so selfish."
"What are you talking about?" the kid interrupted.
"We can't afford to make mistakes like that. The consequences of what we did could have cost people their lives. There will not be a next time," Child Emperor chastised. "As heroes, we need to put the safety of others above our own desires."
Saitama nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. "I understand."
"Make sure you do," Child Emperor growled.
"What the hell is going on?" the hostage child complained.
"Koh ho ho, you thought those flimsy barriers would hold me?" A voice called. A monster in a bird costume staggered out of a nearby hallway. It was bleeding heavily from dozens of lacerations on its body.
"Phoenix Man," Child Emperor replied, unwrapping a lollipop. "I thought I left you for dead."
The monster chuckled. "Don't you know anything about phoenixes? We always rise from the ashes."
A ball of fire erupted from the monster's body. Saitama blinked, shielding his eyes from the light. When the fire died down, Phoenix Man was reborn. No longer was he a dinky dude in a bird costume, he was a dude who put serious effort into his cosplay. His talons were razor sharp, his armor stylish, his wings blazing with orange tendrils of fire. His costume had more pizzazz than most monsters.
"Saitama, I'm going to ask you to escort Waganma to the surface," Child Emperor said, taking something out of his backpack. "Leave this to me."
"What!? You're leaving me with him!?" The other kid shrieked. "But you're a hero!"
"You sure? I could take care of it, you know," Saitama shrugged.
Child Emperor shook his head. "I already killed him once. I intend to make sure he stays dead this time. Besides, other than maybe Tatsumaki you're the most qualified hero to safely escort the child back to the Evacuation Squad up top."
"You can't be serious! I want to stay with Child Emperor!" The kid whined.
"No matter your guardian, you will die!" Phoenix Man roared. His wings thrust forward, and a wall of heat exploded out from his body. Saitama stepped in front of the child, protecting him from the concussive force of the blast, while Child Emperor ducked behind him with an umbrella.
"Are you sure you don't want me to deal with him?" Saitama asked.
"Positive," Child Emperor replied. His backpack exploded with dozens of different gadgets and weapons. "I'm taking birdbrain down."
Saitama shrugged. "Okey dokey. You change your mind, give me a call. Come on kid."
Saitama picked up the kid, who was encased in some kind of shield and started jogging, ignoring the sounds of explosions in the background.
"Hey! What are you doing! Come on, you've got to help him!" The kid cried.
"Nah, he can fight his own battles. Sides, we gotta get you to the surface," Saitama replied.
"But you're a hero! Heroes kill monsters! So go kill that monster!" The kid complained.
"A hero's first priority is the safety of others, not killing monsters," Saitama said. "Killing monsters comes with the job, but protecting innocents comes first."
"Blah blah," the kid droned. "I wanna see Child Emperor beat that monster up! I bet you don't want to help cause you're too weak!"
"Uh huh," Saitama rolled his eyes. "Sure. That's my problem."
"I bet you couldn't even beat a Wolf level monster," the kid taunted. "What class are you anyway?"
"I don't know, actually," Saitama said, scratching his head. Probably in B, right? No, that didn't sound right.
"I bet you're in C Class. I don't even know why you're down here. Did you get lost or something?" The kid asked.
Saitama sighed. "Hey, you don't by any chance know where the exit is, do you?"
"I knew it! You are lost! Someone get me a new hero, mine's gonna die!" The kid yelled.
Saitama shrugged. If he couldn't find a way up, he'd just make one. "Hold on kid."
The child scoffed. "Hold on to whaAAAAA—"
Saitama jumped up, his arm protecting the kid from the rocks that he smashed through. Saitama flew through several dozen floors before busting through the street. But he overshot it a little, continuing to fly into the air for a bit. But it did give him a birds eye view of where he was. Look, there was Sekingar! Great, all he had to do was give the kid to him and he'd be done.
Saitama angled himself to land in front of the one eyed business dude. Unfortunately, he forgot that momentum was a thing and landed way too hard on the pavement. A couple people fell over when he landed.
Saitama held out the kid in the umbrella-bubble. "Here's the kid."
Sekingar stared up at him from the ground, his mouth opening and closing a few times. Then he got to his feet, brushed himself off and cleared his throat. "Excellent work Saitama. As expected of you."
Saitama shrugged. "It was no biggie. It was Child Emperor who found the kid after all."
"Still, you successfully managed to bring him to the surface unharmed," Sekingar said.
"We were underground and then-then we were in the sky," the kid babbled, his eyes wide and unfocused.
"Who the hell are you," the dude with the chained spiky ball asked.
"Name's Saitama," Saitama replied. "I'm a hero for fun."
"A hero for—"
"BLAST!" A monumental voice roared. The enormous head of Elder Centipede rose in the distance. Even from this far away, Saitama could see the fury in all six of his eyes. "YOU THINK YOU CAN PROTECT THEM!? I WILL KILL YOU NOW! YOU CANNOT RUN FROM ME!"
The enormous insect started charging for the evacuation squad. Saitama started walking towards it.
"What are you doing? That's Elder Centipede, a Disaster Level Dragon!" Spiky ball dude said.
"We have to run!" A buff redheaded girl said.
"Saitama," Sekingar spoke, eerily calm. "If you are to defeat him, it needs to be quickly. Quite frankly, we have no chance of escaping with our lives. You cannot allow him to escape. He seemed to be waiting for Waganma's return to the surface, so he could obliterate the evacuation squad. If you're going to beat him, it's gotta be with a single blow. Do you think you can do it?"
"A single blow!? That's insane!" Gearsper cried.
"There's no way! Not even the S-Class could pull that off!" Vegetales exclaimed.
Saitama just smirked as the heroes retreated behind him. The gargantuan centipede bore down on him, like a living earthquake. Its teeth were gnashing like it hoped to devour him whole. "A single blow? That's my specialty."
Just as Elder Centipede was about to reach him, Saitama clenched his fist, pulling it back. "Serious Series: Series Punch."
Saitama punched through the monster, vaporizing it in its entirety. It didn't even have time to register the pain as it's face disappeared. The force of Saitama's punch rippled through the entire monster, evaporating it. In less than 15 seconds, the entire body of Elder Centipede, which spanned over three hundred meters long, was entirely disintegrated, leaving only scattered legs and a trail of destruction as proof of its existence.
Saitama returned to the evacuation squad. "You sure you'll be able to make it back to the branch by yourselves? I could escort you. Monsters down there aren't going anywhere."
"No, you're needed here. I doubt Gyoro Gyoro sent any other monsters. He couldn't have possibly predicted that you would destroy it so completely," Sekingar said.
"Well, if you insist. I'll get back to killing things then," Saitama said.
"Wait! Who the hell are you!" Redhead girl exclaimed.
"I told you. I'm a hero for fun," Saitama answered.
"But, that thing called you Blast," Gearsper mumbled.
Saitama scrunched his nose. "Man, I hate that name. It sounds so pretentious. What's wrong with just using my actual name?"
"Hold on, you can't actually expect us to believe this guy is Blast, right?" spiky ball dude scoffed. "I mean, there's no way."
"You will all be debriefed about Mr. Saitama's particular status when we return to the City Z branch. But for now, we have a mission. So let's get a move on people!" Sekingar shouted. All the heroes present jumped at his voice, and ushered the hostage kid who was still babbling into the trucks. Saitama watched them drive away before jumping back down into the monster's lair. No other monsters assaulted them before they drove out of Saitama's line of vision. Saitama wandered around the Monster Association for a while, killing any random monsters he came across. Saitama wished he had a flashlight. Sure, there were the odd light bulbs flickering on and off here and there, but for the most part the stone hallways were pretty dark. Which was unfortunate because it gave monsters a perfect opportunity to sneak attack him. He already had like, a dozen cuts and tears on his suit! He was going to have to sew the shit out of the suit when he got back home. Or maybe Genos would do it. You know, if he wasn't too busted up.
Saitama continued walking, whistling a merry tune. Another monster, this guy looking like a cross between a cowboy and a horse jumped out at him. Saitama splattered him against a wall before he could launch into a monologue about wild west movies, or whatever his spiel was. Honestly, why did every monster have this long elaborate speech about themselves? It's not like every hero announced their name and origin story every time they got into a fight? Ok, maybe a few did, but not the majority. Maybe it was because they died so quickly. I mean, if you had five seconds of fame, wouldn't you want to tell your story? Saitama shook his head. He'd rather not have five seconds of fame. Knowing him, it'd turn into a whole big thing, and he didn't really want to deal with all that jazz. Saitama absently decapitated a monster the size of a tractor trailer, pondering about monsters. Maybe they wanted to be understood? Nah, they wanted power. Every story he heard was either the shallowest thing he ever heard, like "I liked crabs so much I turned into one and now I'm gonna kill everyone I see!" or super egotistical for no fucking reason like, "I'm the best fucking crawfish this world has ever seen, and I'm gonna prove it by murdering everyone I see!" Yeah, no. Monsters didn't really care about motivations. They just wanted to kill things.
Suddenly, something dashed around the corner ahead of him and tried to take his head off. Saitama ducked under the two swings, and turned to punch whatever attacked him. He stopped, when it was a human. "Oi! What the hell man, are you trying to fuck up my clothes!?"
"Apologies Saitama, I didn't realize it was you," the white ninja dude said. He was an S-Class hero, right?
Saitama waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Maybe just look before you try and take my head off next time, huh?"
"You survived," ninja man dismissed. "The child has been evacuated?"
"Yeah, I got him up to the evacuation squad. They're taking him out of here on the tank trucks they got," Saitama replied. "They'll radio us when they get back to the City Z branch."
"I see. So we are meant to eradicate the remaining monster down here?" Ninjago asked.
"That's the plan, Slashy Slash," Saitama said.
The effeminate assassin glared icily at him. "The name is Flashy Flash. You would do well to remember it."
Saitama waved his hand like yeah, yeah. "I took care of the Monster King already, and Tats got the Gyoro Gyoro person. So yeah, we're looking for the other major players Child Emperor gave us."
"I have exterminated Hellfire Flame and Gale Wind. I do not know what other monsters the other heroes have gotten rid of yet," Flashy Flash said.
"Communicators somehow aren't that useful for communicating," Saitama murmured. "Oh well. I guess we just keep walking then and hope we come across them?"
"I suppose. Come then, Saitama," Slashy Slash said, speeding off. Saitama followed, a step behind. They ran faster than sound traveled, so they didn't bother speaking. They flew down long corridors, shot up flights of stairs both long and short. They saw ancient murals and huge rooms with a ton of confusing technology. They'd occasionally run by a monster, and Slashy Slash would slash it with his sword, or Saitama would wack it as they passed. They even passed Zombieman once. But they didn't find any of the monsters that they were looking for. And after the fourth time they passed the same statue of some weird moleman looking thing, Saitama tapped Smashy Smash on the shoulder. They stopped.
"Yo, I think we're going around in circles. I've seen that same statue a couple times now, I think we need a better way to navigate this place," Saitama said.
"Nonsense. I'm an expert navigator. I know exactly where we are," Crashy Crash said.
"Yeah, maybe on a one dimensional plane, Crash Bandicoot–"
"My name is Flashy Flash!"
"Fine. Flashy Flash, but there are hundreds of floors to this place. We've gone up and down the same two flights of stairs a dozen times," Saitama said.
"Fine. What do you propose we do then?" Flashy Flash asked.
"Why not find a monster that knows where other monsters would be hiding?" Saitama suggested.
"Very well. I suppose having a monster with knowledge of the inner workings of the Monster Association would be beneficial," Flashy Flash agreed.
"Told ya. Come on, Streaker, let's go find us a monster," Saitama said, zooming off. He never got to see Flashy Flash's face turn bright red at his new name.
Saitama busted through a nearby wall, accidentally burying a monster. But there was another short, pink monster sitting on the toilet. "You!"
"Ah! Not the face!" The monster cried, holding a newspaper up in front of its face.
"Fortunately for you, we're not going to kill you. So long as you cooperate," Flashy Flash said, pointing his sword threatening at the monster.
"Ok! OK! Whatever you want!" the one eyed monster cried.
"Where can we find the executives for the Monster Association?" Flashy Flash demanded.
"Each of the executives was assigned a certain S-Class hero to kill! Except for Elder Centipede, who was told to eradicate the heroes on the surface when the hostage was saved!" the monster cried.
Flashy Flash looked at Saitama. Saitama shrugged. "Don't worry, I killed him."
"You…what? You? Ha! Elder Centipede is one of the most powerful monsters on the planet. The only heroes capable of killing are Blast, the Tornado of Terror, and King himself," the monster laughed, falling off the toilet and rolling around on the floor. "You think..! Ha! Some baldy killing Elder Centipede! Ha!"
Saitama grumbled. "I still hate that name."
"It's a good name," Flashy Flash rebuked. "Get up, monster. He did kill Elder Centipede. Saitama here is Blast."
"Ha! Ha. huh. What?" the monster asked.
"This man before is Blast," Flashy Flash repeated.
"You…you're lying," the monster stuttered. "That's impossible."
"Do you take me for a liar?" Flashy Flash said coldly, putting the tip of his sword millimeters in front of the monsters eye.
"No! No no nope, definitely not," the monster whimpered.
"Then Saitama here is Blast and he killed Elder Centipede. Now, tell us about the rest of the Monster Association executives," Flashy Flash said.
"W-well, the Monster King Orochi–"
"Killed him too," Saitama said, brushing loose rocks out of his belt.
"You-no way," the monster said.
"You get all the fun monsters," Flashy Flash grumbled.
"You shouldn't have gotten lost then," Saitama replied. "Sides, you must have fought something good, right?"
"I did defeat two others from my ninja village that had monsterized themselves," Flashy Flash said. "Continue, monster."
"Black Sperm was sent to kill Atomic Samurai. Goketsu was sent to kill Silverfang. Homeless Emperor was to kill Zombieman. Gums was to kill Pig God. Nyan was sent to kill Puri Puri Prisoner. Fuhrer Ugly was to kill Amai Mask. Nyan was to kill Puri Puri Prisoner. And Overgrown Rover was to kill Superalloy Darkshine," the monster reported rapidly.
"I see. Saitama? Shall we get Child Emperor on the line?" Flashy Flash suggested. Saitama pulled out his communicator and relayed the information that the monster had told them.
"I see. That is troubling. If this Psykos has prepared traps for us, I'd imagine our opponents would be quite troubling," Child Emperor mused.
"Hey, how'd your fight with birdman go?" Saitama asked.
"He was more trouble than I had anticipated. I was forced to use more tools than I had hoped too against an opponent not even considered an executive," Child Emperor grumbled. "Anyways, you two should head towards any of the S-Class your monster mentioned. What monster was it again?"
"Yo, what's your name?" Saitama asked the monster.
The monster gulped, eyeing Flashy Flash's sword. "Manako."
"Some monster named Manako," Saitama repeated to Child Emperor. "Looks like Mike Wazowski if he was pink."
"First of all, I'm a girl. Secondly, I'm way cooler than some weirdo from some kids movie!" Manako shouted.
"Oh yeah? Besides your color, what differences do you and Mike have?" Saitama retorted.
"I'll have you know my eye can be used as a searchlight, can emit x-rays and even make thermal signatures light up!" Manako boasted.
"Oh! You're a flashlight! Cool," Saitama said.
"I am not a flashlight!" Manako yelled, stomping her feet on the ground.
"Guys. Focus. You should focus on helping the S-Class. I'm making my way towards Tatsumaki to see what information we can get from this Psykos person," Child Emperor said.
"And hurry it up, will you?" Tatsumaki screeched over the communicator. "I'm getting bored just waiting for you. She keeps trying to escape, its really sad."
"Child Emperor-kun, I have defeated Goketsu, one of these so-called executives," Bang's voice crackled over the communicator. "You may cross that monster off your list."
"This is Iaian! We need assistance! We are facing a monster made out of water! Our swords are powerless against it!" Iaian cried.
"Do not doubt the iron in your heart! I will come," Atomic Samurai yelled back.
"I could use some help," Darkshine said. "This dog is unrelenting! Its blasts are too powerful, I keep getting buried, and its range and speed keep me from being able to attack it."
"Bang! I found Garou!" Puri Puri Prisoner's voice called from the communicator.
"Garou!? You found him!? Where?" Bang asked.
"Deep in the dungeons. He's chained to a wall and appears to be unconscious. I'm going to see if I can wake him up," Triple P replied.
"It could be a trick. Wait for me!" Bang yelled.
"Saitama, Flashy Flash, go help Darkshine. He's the nearest to your location. Bang can go check on Prisoner, while Darkshine can go to Atomic Samurai's disciples. After that, you two head down to Zombieman and work your way up," Child Emperor said.
"Right. We're on our way," Saitama replied.
Saitama stared at the communicator before turning to Flashy Flash. "How do you use this thing as a map?"
Flashy Flash sighed. "Give it here."
Saitama complied. "Where's your communicator anyway?"
"Lost it in my fight with the other ninjas," Flashy Flash replied. "Here we go. Follow me."
"Why didn't we use this earlier?" Saitama wondered, but Flashy Flash was already gone. Saitama picked Manako up and raced after him. They skidded down a series of corridors, smashing through the occasional monster or wall in their way. Soon enough, they felt the vibrations of dozens of explosions going off nearby. They found their way to a huge chamber, made even larger by the hound firing off blasts of heat twice a second. Saitama could see Superalloy Darkshine at the bottom of the cavern, shrugging chunks of rock off of himself, only to be bombarded by the beast's blasts and buried once more. The hound itself was as tall as a two story building and as long as an RV, with six eyes glowing orange. Its black, matted fur was caked with dried blood. It moved fairly quickly, bounding from wall to wall in less than a second. It didn't seem to notice the three of them as they raced into the cavern.
Saitama frowned as he looked at the big dog. "I thought I told this dog to go home earlier."
Flashy Flash looked at him. "This creature survived your attack?"
"Survived? It's not like I was trying to kill it. Someone's probably missing their puppy," Saitama said, crossing his arms.
"Puppy? Surely you jest. Look at it! It's a monster," Flashy Flash said.
"It's a dog. Granted, it needs to go back to obedience school, but all dogs are good boys," Saitama said. "Or girls. Anyways, you want to help Darkshine, and I'll take care of the dog?"
"I don't think that would be wise. Why don't you help Darkshine and I shall engage this monster?" Flashy Flash countered.
"Nah, I got this. Manako, don't go anywhere," Saitama said, dashing off towards Overgrown Rover. He jumped up around falling rubble and ran across the smashed portions of the cavern until he was in front of the monstrous dog. "Oi! Fido! What did I tell you about attacking people like that!"
The enormous hound obviously recognized him by the way it stopped firing blasts from its mouth. Saitama walked up to it. "That's better. Now, sit."
The six eyed dog stared at him for a second before leaning over and trying to bite Saitama. His legs were sticking out of the dog's mouth while the rest of his body was in it. Saitama grimaced at all the saliva and wiped his face. "Bleh." Saitama reached up and pried the dog's mouth open, hopping out. He landed, and immediately jumped up to the dog's eye level. "Bad dog! No biting! I said, sit!"
Saitama punched the dog in the snout. The force of his punch knocked the hound out of sight and created a shockwave that shattered the walls behind it. Saitama sighed. It was upsetting to hurt a dog, but bad dogs had to be punished.
"Thank you Saitama!" Darkshine's voice called from the bottom of the room. "That monster was getting annoying. My muscles can overcome anything, but I hate getting buried. It gets dirt on my skin and dulls my shine."
"Yeah no problem," Saitama yelled back. Flashy Flash appeared beside Saitama, Manako in tow, looking a little pale. "You good to go get the swordsmen?"
"Never fear, Saitama! Together our muscles will defeat every enemy in our way!" Darkshine yelled up at him. "I will help Atomic Samurai's disciples! Make whatever monster troubles Zombieman tremble before your glorious shiny head!"
"My head is not shiny," Saitama pouted.
"It reflects light admirably. That constitutes 'shininess'. Come, Saitama, we must aid Bang," Flashy Flash said.
"Alright. Where is he now?" Saitama wondered, pulling out his communicator. He tapped on the screen, but it didn't turn on. He smacked it a couple times, but it didn't work. He sighed. "Goddamnit. Fido's spit ruined my communicator."
"Child Emperor said that he was below us, no?" Flashy Flash said. "Let's go down."
"Yeah, but that's not a lot to go off of. There's a lot below us, in case you couldn't tell," Saitama rebuked.
"It is enough," Flashy Flash dismissed. "At our speed, we should find Zombieman fairly quickly."
"Yeah, no, we tried that already. Let's not get lost again," Saitama said. "Hey Manako, if you wanted to kill an immortal zombie hero, and you were below us, were below us, where would you go?"
"Uh, there's, um, well there's a couple places they could be," Manako said. "Homeless Emperor attacks with his lightsphere."
"So he's a ranged opponent," Flashy Flash mused.
"Wait, is he just a regular dude that can shoot those lightcubes?" Saitama asked.
"Lightspheres," Manako corrected. "But yeah."
"Not just a ranged opponent, but a glass cannon too," Flashy Flash said. "He'd want to give himself some space to bombard Zombieman, perhaps bury him in a way where it would be difficult for him to regenerate."
"Know anywhere like that?" Saitama asked.
"Maybe," Manako said. "But this is a big place. I haven't been anywhere."
"Well, you had best think of something," Flashy Flash said. "Or your usefulness will quickly run out."
Manako gulped and nodded rapidly. The three of them dashed off, Manako's skin rippling cartoonishly from the high speed they were moving at as she was held by her horn by Flashy Flash. Down the two of them went, racing deeper and deeper into the depths of the Monster Association.
"You can stop trying to escape anytime now," Tatsumaki said lazily, reclining on a cushion of her own power. "It's not going to work. Try whatever you like, but you're outclassed."
"Outclassed…my ass," Psykos seethed, breathing heavily. "I will defeat you! Humanity is weak! It will yet fall!"
"Maybe that's why you failed," Tatsumaki taunted. "You're human too, remember? If us lowly humans are so weak, why are you still one? You try so desperately to prove how strong monster are, but at every turn you are thwarted by humans."
"Humanity will fall! I have foreseen it!" Psykos shrieked.
"So that's what you saw in your vision," Tatsumaki said. "Humanity's downfall? Pray tell, how exactly did your vision play out?"
Psykos's jaw snapped shut like a mousetrap. Tatsumaki floated up to her face, bringing Psykos's eyes up to meet her own. "Go on, tell me. What did you see? An army of monsters? A monster king? What was it? What did you see!?"
Psykos's eyes flicked to her, and Tatsumaki saw something she never expected.
"God," she whispered. "I saw God."
Fear.
"Tatsumaki! Look out!" Child Emperor's voice cried out.
Tatsumaki had just enough time to erect a barrier around her as a dozen torrents of flame slammed into her. "What the–"
"Haha!" Psykos yelled, breaking Tatsumaki's hold on her in Tatsumaki's lapse in concentration. "Orochi! You live! Come to me so that together we can destroy this whelp, and humanity alongside her!"
Tatsumaki snarled, reaching out a hand to ensnare her again, but she noticed a dragon head rise behind Child Emperor. She whipped her hand towards him and created a barrier around him just as it struck. He yelped as it slammed against her barrier, his own defense mechanism, an arm with a chainsaw attached smashing into the other side. She tsked, but pulled him towards her, enveloping him in her own psychic bubble. More dragons appeared, growing out of the strange goop that seemed to be growing at a rapid pace. They blasted fire at her again, but she batted it aside, sending it spiralling into the depths. She reached out her hand and crushed a portion of the dragon heads, but more grew out of the walls, rearing their ugly heads at her.
"What is this?" Child Emperor asked.
"The Monster King, Orochi," Tatsumaki replied. "I thought Saitama had killed him when he snapped him down the ravine, but apparently he survived. Now Psykos is drawing on his body as a psychic power source. Orochi is feeding on smaller monsters, I can feel his presence growing. Shit, I shouldn't have been so careless."
"The hostage has been returned to the City Z branch," Child Emperor said. "All of the supporting heroes have evacuated. Everyone left is just the S-Class, Amai Mask, and Atomic Samurai's disciples."
"Your point?" Tatsumaki snapped as Orochi reared up before them, a swirling mass of flesh, fire and scales. A form solidified out of Orochi's body, a slim, pale copy of Psykos's body, her legs entwined with the crest of Orochi's new head. His face looked like a knight's helm, two narrow slits arced downward into one protecting his two glowing eyes. His body was serpentine, thick scales protecting his body as it trailed down into the ravine where fleshy appendages stretched out, seeking more prey. From Orochi's body, wings, dozens of them, sprouted from his shoulders and back. Four arms, two on each side, grasped spear-like protrusions, thin blades that Tatsumaki could tell were at least as tough as titanium. The Psykos part of the body weaved her hands through her hair, and it grew, stretching out as the follicles grew into tentacles, swaying in the psychic power radiating off of the monster. The Psykos copy grinned at her, her hands splayed in a display of dominance.
"My point is, you won't have to hold back," Child Emperor said.
Tatsumaki's face grew into a devilish grin. "Oh, Child Emperor. Why didn't you say so?"