The first official mission. It's a big deal for any hero. It's the impression. The initial show of one's talents, skills, and capableness. If an individual were to fumble their true call to action, they'd feel immeasurable shame.
These sentiments and many more were but a fraction of Genos's thinking. His sensei had given him the "mission" to investigate Ghost Town for anything that could relate to the non-human that Hellish Blizzard and her team discovered. This task would be the cyborg's best chance to show his sensei and the rest of S-Class that he was reliable. He wouldn't disappoint any of them!
The start of Genos's search was the rooftop where Hellish Blizzard made contact with the non-human. As he expected, there was more than enough residue, traces, and other such things for him to analyze. The entity had been using this abandoned building for shelter. Only today, as indicated by the now extinguished fire, did it cook anything on the rooftop. With his speed, Genos finished scanning the building in its entirety in eight minutes.
Once the building was thoroughly examined, Genos set to finding a trail of any of the materials he discovered. The non-human had to come from somewhere. There was no entry point at the base of the building that indicated it surfaced here. So, where did the entity enter Ghost Town?
With even greater haste, Genos ran through the alleyways and streets within the immediate vicinity. No luck. He expanded his search zone by one block. No success. Then, the cyborg went one block further.
There. In a vacant building that had been up for sale before Ghost Town was abandoned. In the center of the main space, there was a hole. This hole led into a tunnel. Given that the non-human was much larger than a normal person's proportions, most humans could fit easily into it.
With no fear or concern, Genos jumped into the hole. The entire time he plummeted through the tunnel, he didn't move at all. This young man remained perfectly neutral in his expression and posture. If anyone could see him, they'd think someone through a very-detailed statue down a chute.
Eventually, after a solid five minutes of falling, Genos landed. Granted, due to how he descended, when he impacted the Earth again, he went straight into it like a rivet being driven through a railroad track.
"Hmm..." Genos hummed, casually removing himself from the rocky terrain. "There are multiple tunnels. Each of them is showing signs of an energy source. What is this place?" He asked aloud, despite knowing no one was listening.
True to Genos's description, the tunnel had led to a moderately-sized chamber. This chamber had several openings across the walls and ceiling. Even more corridors, yet these were different from the first. Each of them had differing dimensions, meaning that they were meant for creatures of varying sizes.
After inspecting each of them, Genos found one that he could comfortably walk through. Furthermore, like the other tunnels, this one was carved with flawless expertise. This aspect was important because Genos didn't want to start walking down the passageway, only for it to get smaller the further he went in. With a course chosen, Genos proceeded on his way.
Now, at this point, some might have a question come to mind. "Why the hell is Genos not reporting any of this back to Saitama?". Simple. As stated previously, this was, in the eyes of the cyborg, his first mission. How would it look if Genos couldn't handle it himself? He was going to be an S-Class hero. S-Class heroes didn't call for backup unless it was truly warranted.
After three minutes, Genos reached the other side of the tunnel. When he did, he discovered something else. A new chamber, FAR bigger than the last, with several craters spread throughout the room. However, when Genos examined the craters, he made yet another discovery.
Within the craters were traces of the liquid that resided within the non-human. For clarity, Genos scanned the entity when it was brought out from the nearby woodlands by Armored Gorilla and Flashy Flash. Although, even if he didn't, his investigation at the abandoned building did turn up the same substance. However, within the building, the material had been trickled across the floors and stairs sometime in the past. Was this the non-human's blood?
"No, not blood." Genos began, closing his eyes to think. "It's an energy source, much like my core. To the non-human, it could be the equivalent of blood. But if that is the case, why would it have been in these craters?" He pondered aloud before restoring his vision to re-examine the environment. "Also, why would there be so much of this energy here? They do not seem to be natural sources. Were they gathered and stored at this location? If so, where has it gone? There were no signs of large quantities at the abandoned building." He questioned.
The plot thickens, so they say. Genos, needing to go even deeper, ventured forward. Whatever happened here, he would uncover the truth. Again, for emphasis, he would not shame his sensei!
The deeper Genos went into the bowels of the Earth, the darker it became. Of course, his cybernetic eyes could see everything without issue. Yet, just as the darkness was at its apex, a light source emerged. It crept into the shadows at the end of the corridor the cyborg currently traversed.
The color of the light was blue, the same as the mysterious energy. Genos, believing this light to be important, began running toward its origin. When reaching the exit, the cyborg was bathed in the blue illumination. What laid before him was, undeniably, the most significant find.
A colossal machine sat at the center of an equally massive cavern. Beneath the apparatus was a pool of the same blue energy that Genos had been examining. However, it was only through his enhanced vision that the cyborg could even see the pool. The device covered it completely from above. But the radiance of the energy was so great that it glowed even through the metals of the mechanism.
"It's...a power plant?..." Genos considered, only to correct himself immediately. "No, it's extracting the energy. It's delivering it somewhere else." He deduced, now focusing on the innumerable pipelines that went even further underground.
Logically, this couldn't be the work of the non-human, right? That wouldn't make sense. Operating on the assumption that the energy was the entity's blood or source of life, why would it abandon this place? It could've remained here, healed its wounds, and not risked exposure on the surface.
Naturally, Genos was quick to form a hypothesis. The pieces were there; he just needed to put them together to paint the proper picture. The non-human had been in a rough state, possibly near death. It was hiding in Ghost Town from whatever attacked it. This place had some connection to the entity; there was no denying that. So, it was likely that whoever or whatever chased them off also built this machine. But what was it all for? Where did the pipes go? What did all of this really-
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Hot air. Genos felt a sudden difference in temperature on the back of his neck. There were no thermal vents in this cavern. The overall temperature was warm, not hot.
Slowly, Genos looked behind himself. What he saw nearly broke his mind from how surprising it was. Somehow, by means that seemed impossible, a creature had stealthily approached the cyborg. What made this so shocking was the sheer size of it.
Gargantuan. Titanic. Monumental. These words could barely describe it. The beast was a hulking mass of black fur. Beneath it, the limbs and underbelly were more exposed. The lesser amount of fur wasn't a vulnerability. How? The musculature of the creature was INSANE. As much as it would sound like a joke to say, it genuinely seemed as though its muscles had muscles of their own!
Six glowing red eyes stared down at Genos. A set of three on each side of the creature's face. Beneath the eyes was a mouth jagged like daggers. Through the rows of spikes came a hot gust. Its maw was the source of the air from a moment ago.
For a few seconds, neither Genos nor the monster moved. When their eyes locked, they stared each other down. Genos only saw the endless crimson in the creature's gaze. The beast saw a remarkable resolve that showed no fear in its presence.
When ten seconds had gone by, everything became a blur. Genos spun around and sent forth blasts of fire from his palms. This decision served two functions. Firstly, it would be an attack. Secondly, by not maintaining his footing, Genos would be sent flying across the cavern from the force of his attack. That, of course, was intentional.
When the monster saw ANY movement from the cyborg, it lunged. Its mouth opened, ready to consume the intruder. But then, it was filled by a torrent of fire. It caused no injury to the creature; it only dazed it for a moment.
Thankfully, that's all Genos needed. He knew that attack wouldn't harm a beast so imposing. Once he landed on his feet, he had a small window to reassess his surroundings and the distance he had now created between himself and the monster.
Immediately, Genos's eyes fixated on the ceiling. Countless stalactites dangled from above. Their average size was that of a small vehicle. Would they hurt the creature? Maybe. But that wasn't the purpose Genos hoped to use them for.
Soon, the beast was in motion. In a single powerful leap, it was nearly upon Genos again. In reaction, the cyborg shot himself upward with the jets in his feet. Like before, the monster wanted to eat him.
SNAP
The closing of the creature's jaws was terrifying. The sound it generated resembled a powerful weapon being fired. If Genos had heard that sound without knowing the cause, he'd assume someone had just used an artillery cannon.
Now in the air, Genos extended his arms and began pelting the ceiling with fiery blasts. Unsurprisingly, his aim was immaculate. He struck the bases of the stalactites, which severed their connection to the cavern. Now, there was a downpour of death headed for the beast. Assuming that these could hurt it.
BOOM
With a barrage of its own, the monster destroyed the falling Earthly spikes. Apparently, it could fire energy-based attacks from its mouth. Yet, somehow, that wasn't what Genos paid attention to. Instead, he was intrigued by where the creature had aimed the projectiles.
Rather than firing the spheres of energy at the cyborg or the general area that the stalactites covered, the beast sent its counterattack to the space above the machine. Genos hadn't intended to hit the apparatus at all; his target was the monster. But his assault on the ceiling had struck a few that were in that area. Those stalactites had earned the creature's attention more than those that were heading for it, even though it still managed to take them out, too.
"It's guarding the machine!" Genos exclaimed in his mind. To prevent himself from falling, he grabbed onto one of the larger stalactites that remained on the ceiling. "However, this entity is clearly an animal. There's no way it could've built it. So, it's not the true mastermind." He reasoned.
That was enough thinking time for Genos, as decided by the beast. Opening its mouth again, it fired another volley of spherical projectiles at the intruder. Each one that made contact with the ceiling created a crater. Any stalactites that were caught in their radius were turned to dust.
Wanting to remain a fully intact person, Genos started dodging them. As he hopped between the stalactites, the cyborg's mind worked as quickly as it could to determine what the best way to end this would be. He knew he wasn't built to take the monster head-on. Although grim, it was an obvious fact that if the creature landed one attack, energy-based or not, that'd be it.
Sadly, time was running out. Once the beast understood what Genos was doing, it changed its approach. It did away with precise aiming and simply unleashed its projectiles with reckless abandon. This strategy was the same as carpet bombing. Cover a large enough area with enough explosions and you were bound to hit SOMETHING.
But, in doing so, the monster created a new opportunity. When Genos witnessed it abandon all attempts to aim its projectiles, he also saw how the attacks were affecting the ceiling. Every brutal blow against the cavern caused cracks to appear and weakened its integrity. So, if someone were brave enough, they COULD use this as a means of attack.
Although, it would be pretty crazy. Collapsing the ceiling while you are still inside the cavern. Dangerous. Uncontrolled. Placing a lot of faith in Lady Luck. The majority of people on this planet would not WILLINGLY do this.
Genos unleashed two torrents of concentrated fire from his palms as he let go of the stalactite he was currently gripping onto. His targets were very specific weaknesses that the creature had made with its attacks. Like a house of cards, take one of them out; the rest will follow. That was what the cyborg betted on.
Well, as it turns out, Lady Luck favors the bold. Or maybe she just has a thing for handsome blondes with stoic expressions. Either way, Genos was given his desired outcome. His attacks loosened two massive chunks of the ceiling. Once they were free and in motion, combined with the continued barrage from the beast, it all came tumbling down.
When the monster realized what was about to happen, it stopped firing. Its eyes widened. For but a moment, it was shocked. Did the intruder intend to bury them alive?!
No. Not exactly. The machine and the creature were meant to be destroyed. Regarding Genos, as the rubble fell around him, he began hopping once more. He used the raining debris to ascend. If it seemed like the ceiling would stop crumbling, he'd fire additional blasts to cause more instability and keep the destruction going.
After observing this, the beast copied his plan. With its mighty legs, it easily leaped into the air and onto chunks of rock that were, at minimum, big enough for it to kick off of. Now, the chase was on. Genos in the lead, with the monster rapidly closing the distance.
Realizing he was being pursued, Genos quickly thought of his options. Essentially, both the cyborg and the creature were in freefall. If either of them made a mistake or were interrupted in their ascent, then they'd plummet and would be unable to recover. Thus, the loser of this battle would be buried.
Then, at the most crucial moment, Saitama's face appeared in Genos's mind. It was a memory. Earlier today, in the ravine. What had been the purpose of that training session?
"How creative can I be?..." Genos wondered, recalling the lesson. "Right now, all I have at my disposal is fire-based attacks. I can also cause lightning under specific conditions. My physical attacks will not affect the monster. So, the fire is my only option. How many different ways can it be used?..." He pondered.
Unfortunately, this was it. The beast was one leap away from reaching the intruder. Genos wouldn't be able to dodge until he reached the next sizeable rock, which wouldn't happen before the monster reached him. So, it was do or die. Time to shine, cyborg.
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SHINE. SHINE! THAT WAS IT!
Swiftly, Genos charged the power within him. Although his attacks were all fire-related, that didn't mean what powered him was the same. Genos's core, a sphere within his chest, surged with light blue energy. If he desired, the cyborg could self-destruct. But that isn't what he intended to do.
Even so, Genos charged his core. As he did, the creature jumped. Its mouth was wide open. The gaping maw of death welcomed its next meal. All six eyes were focused on the intruder.
Then, at the last possible second, Genos unleashed his energy. It wasn't an attack. It was nothing more than a discharge of the power from within his core. It'd do no damage, but it would be blinding.
The sudden surge of brightness caused the beast to shut its eyes and try to look away. In doing so, it closed its mouth. The monster's body still collided with Genos, mainly the left side of its massive head, but the cyborg anticipated this. If anything, it was part of the plan.
Once his feet touched the fur-covered face of the creature, Genos jumped off of it with as much force as he could muster. This action, combined with the disorientation caused by his bright blue flash, sent the beast downward. As for the cyborg, he made it safely to the next falling rock and continued on his way.
As Genos climbed, he also fired more blasts of heat. He needed the collapse to continue so he could find a way out. Seconds became minutes; nothing seemed to change. That wasn't surprising since Genos had fallen a VERY long distance with his earlier descent.
Eventually, after so much jumping and blasting, Genos saw it. Sunlight. It was growing as more debris fell. Amazingly, he "tunneled" his way back to the surface. A few more leaps, and...
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After reaching the top, Genos collapsed onto the ground. Of course, he ensured it was STABLE ground before doing so. Despite being a cyborg, the young man could still feel exhaustion to some extent. After what he just experienced, he deserved to lie down on the grass.
That's right, grass. You didn't misread. Genos wasn't in City Z anymore. Was he close to it? Had he traveled far? None of that was important right now. He just wanted a moment to relax.
Soon, there'd be no more noise. The collapse of the Earth had finished. Now, there was only a serene silence. A fitting reward for the cyborg's efforts.
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"Genos!"
Unexpectedly, Genos had momentarily fallen asleep. Can you blame him? After his ordeal, a comfortable patch of grass and a peaceful day would knock anyone out! Again, the poor fellow deserved it.
But once Genos had returned to his senses, he focused on the voice he heard. It sounded as if it...came from above. Upon tilting his head backward, the cyborg saw a drone of some kind slowly descend toward him.
"Genos!" The voice called out again. This time, Genos recognized it.
"Metal Knight? Is that you?" Genos asked.
"Yes! It is!" Metal Knight answered as the drone positioned itself in front of the cyborg. Its optic studied him intently. "Are you alright? Are you damaged?" He inquired.
"No, sir. No injures. If there are, they're minimal." Genos replied.
"That's good to hear. I'm glad to see you're safe." Metal Knight said before turning the drone to look at the nearby pit. "But what in the world happened?! You're miles from City Z! The only reason I was able to find you so quickly is that I detected an unnatural seismic disturbance. I honestly didn't think you'd actually be here since I couldn't imagine you'd somehow be involved in something on this scale." He told him.
"It was not my intention. I was only doing as sensei instructed." Genos responded.
"Your search in Ghost Town led to this?!" Metal Knight questioned in amazement.
"Yes, sir. There's far more to the non-human situation than any of us realized." Genos confirmed, now adorning a serious expression. "Please! Contact sensei! We need to inform him at once!" He requested.