The maddened Hero Hunter harpooned himself through the air, his hand outstretched for the newly arrived Demon Cyborg.
As Garou closed in on Genos and Shunshi, the former blasted his incineration cannon at the Human Monster.
Impressively, despite the minimal distance between the Heroes and himself, Garou was able to twist his body mid-air, evading the blast.
However, Genos seemed to have anticipated this. As soon as Garou had whirled himself away from the flames, the Cyborg For Justice activated a jet on his other arm's elbow and attacked the Hero Hunter with a spear-like strike with his new claws.
Before Genos' sharpened metal digits could pierce too far into Garou's torso, the Hero Hunter kicked directly upwards at the Demon Cyborg's arm, separating himself from the cyborg's appendage.
As Garou cartwheeled back through the air, Shunshi rushed in on him with an explosive punch to his gut. The resulting blast slammed Garou into the ground and pushed him back a couple of feet. Monster Mask followed this with a forward-flying Burning Buzz Saw, but the prone Hero Hunter quickly planted his hand on the dirt and spun himself to kick Shunshi in his side.
However, just as Garou was about to bash Shunshi away, Genos jetted into him with an underhand, jet-powered claw swing to his face.
The instant the Demon Cyborg's claws slammed into the Hero Hunter's face, Garou snapped his leg back like a cocked rifle and kicked Genos in his chest with a powerful clang.
Within the same second, Shunshi stopped spinning forward and slammed his foot into the earth while turning in place. The second had yet to pass as Shunshi changed his position and cut down at Garou with a blazing karate chop. The force of the explosion caused by this strike smashed the Human Monster into a crater and pushed Genos half a foot further back than he would have otherwise gone before he flipped forward and recovered.
However, before the S-Class youth could rush back in, Garou used his powerful muscles to lift his lower half and snake his legs around Shunshi's arm.
This move caused flashes of his arm being pulled from its socket to race through Shunshi's body. Instantly, Monster Mask pulled his appendage back before Garou could dead-lock his grip around it.
Now, without a limb to grab onto, the Hero Hunter instead used his momentum to pull the upper half of himself into the air next to Shunshi while planting his feet on the A-Class' chest-piece. Garou then thrusted both his feet at Monster Mask, sending the two martial artists flying in different directions.
While Monster Mask was slammed into a tree and the Demon Cyborg rushed back in, Garou somersaulted backward through the air and thought, These assholes aren't letting up even for a second. As soon as I get away from one of them, the other one's rushing in. Speaking of, I didn't expect to snag such a big fish today. I didn't know Demon Cyborg knew martial arts. It's not as good as Monster Mask's technique, but with how strong and fast that tin can is, it doesn't have to be. Heck, the bastard's hitting as hard as Tanktop Master. Gotta think of something fast, or these two might actually overwhelm me. Those exploding hits are gonna take their toll eventual-. What the!?
As the tenth of a second it took Garou to have all those thoughts passed, he looked at the hand he'd used to tear open Monster Mask's helmet, expecting to see bone. However, when he saw that the flesh on that hand was regrowing, the Hero Hunter's concentration broke for an instant of shock.
This instant was all Genos needed to close back in on him. Once the Hero Hunter was within reach, Genos grabbed his shoulders, digging his claws into them for good measure. Suddenly, jets activated across Genos' body, spinning himself in place multiple times before slamming Garou into the ground behind him.
The Human Monster recovered from this almost instantly, snapping back up as he was ready to confront his prey.
However, it seemed this was what the Hero counted on, as he nearly smirked at the sight of Shunshi rushing in from behind Garou to attack.
Garou's pupils dilated as he realized the Demon Cyborg's gaze had shifted from him for an instant and looked at the other Hero, who must have been behind him. Instead of getting ready to go on the offensive, Garou instead prepared to defend against the coming onslaught.
Genos unleashed a flurry of precise punches while Shunshi bombarded Garou with kicks, subconsciously not wanting his arms anywhere near the villain.
The Hero Hunter impressively dodged and deflected all of the incoming attacks with Water Stream Rock Crushing Fist. However, after he thought he dodged Monster Mask's one-hundredth kick, the strike instead blasted apart the earth beneath Garou's foot and knocked him off balance for a second's fraction.
Before the Human Monster could fix his stance, the Demon Cyborg landed a piercing punch squarely in his jaw while Monster Mask thrust-kicked him at the base of his spine. With these attacks connecting simultaneously, the Human Monster was sent spinning backward over Shunshi's shoulder.
This happened because the force of Demon Cyborg's attack on his face pushed him away, while Monster Mask's attack on his lower back completely took him off his feet. The two attacks pushing in directions at his body's lower and upper halves forced Garou into his spinning motion, with Genos' stronger blow winning the contest of which direction the villain would be sent off in.
Once Garou went a dozen feet past Shunshi's shoulder, Genos opened the hand he'd punched the Hero Hunter with and fired an incineration ray. The beam was just short of hitting Monster Mask, nearly igniting his hood.
Just as the blast was about to hit Garou, the Human Monster utilized his masterful control over his own momentum to spin out of the way. The direction Garou spun towards put Monster Mask between him and Demon Cyborg's line of sight. This was a split-second strategy Garou had hoped would give him a few seconds to breathe while the Heroes repositioned themselves. Unfortunately for Garou, this task became more difficult by the hole Genos put in his cheek.
However, the villain's pupils expanded once again when Monster Mask dropped to all fours at nearly the same point Garu had gotten behind him.
Shunshi followed Genos' eye movements. Once he saw where the cyborg's gaze had gone, he dropped to the ground to give Genos the room he needed to fire.
With his target in sight again and unable to alter his trajectory further, the Demon Cyborg opened fire, hitting Garou squarely in his face.
The fact that Garou was spinning like a turbine caused the flames to dissipate slightly and saved him from a permanent wound, but the force of the blast was still enough to knock him back once again.
To both the Demon Cyborg's and Hero Hunter's shock and confusion, his red hair and white bandages had somehow avoided getting scorched off.
At this point, it truly dawned on Garou how in sync his opponents' moves were. Until now, the Hero Hunter just assumed that they had good instincts and reflexes, but it was now evident to him that their moves were a sign of warriors who understood each other and would go out of their way to complement the other's techniques. In fact, if the Demon Cyborg and Monster Mask hadn't been able to cooperate in battle as well as they were, the Hero Hunter felt he could have begun to overpower them by now.
Smashing back-first into a tree, Garou's first thought was, Damn fire blasting bastards! I need water. I need... to move better. More naturally... More wildly! As images of Watchdog Man's techniques raced through his mind, the Hero Hunter noticed that Shunshi was still on the ground in a vulnerable position. I gotta go for it!
Suddenly, the Human Monster sprung off of the tree and dropped to all fours as well. Whereas Shunshi's posture was out of necessity, Garou's was far more fluid and natural, like that of a beast.
Once Garou touched the ground, Genos shot another incineration blast at him.
However, Garou immediately used his hands and feet to spring forward and to one side to avoid the blast. He continued rushing forward like this for a couple of seconds, making his way towards Monster Mask as he did. Soon enough, with just one more pounce, the Hero Hunter would reach his hated rival to tear him apart.
Just as Garou began to tense his legs to lunge at his foe, Shunshi lifted himself with one hand and spun his body in a half-circle in front of himself and Genos. As Shunshi moved, he dragged one of his feet along the ground. Of note was that the foot Shunshi was ripping the ground up with had a Light Ball formed underneath it.
Garou recognized this technique's movements from the circle of flames Monster Mask made in the park during their second fight, so instead of leaping forward, the Hero Hunter reflexively sprung back. This saved the Human Monster from taking another nasty hit, as the small trench Shunshi made with his foot glowed white for a fraction of a second before erupting in a short wave of flames aimed at Garou.
The Hell was that?! Did those ass hats plan to lure me in for Monster Mask's attack?! Dammit! This must be some kind of attack pattern they trained for! If I was fighting either of them by themself, I could kill them easy, but they're working together like a machine! I gotta think ten steps ahead of them if I don't wanna get charred to a crisp!
Huh, cool. Wasn't even sure that that would work, Shunshi thought with simultaneous relief and joy as he sprung to his feet to stand next to Genos.
It appears that Shunshi has developed new techniques outside of what I saw on his sister's phone recordings. I am fortunate that I have grown accustomed to fighting alongside him during the patrols I accompanied him for. Otherwise, I may not have thought to wait for his attack to finish, the Demon Cyborg postulated.
When Genos saw out of the corner of his eye the light from one of Shunshi's explosive spheres, and Shunshi recognized the glow of his Senpai's incinerator, the two once more needed no words to work together for their next move. Shunshi threw a Light Ball as Genos shot his incineration cannon. Their attacks were targeted so that one focused on Garou while the other aimed for the most obvious path the Hero Hunter could take to avoid the first blast. The two would effortlessly switch between the main attacker and the support blaster each time Garou started feeling comfortable with their attack pattern.
If it weren't for his sudden adoption of Watchdog Man's nimble techniques, Garou would have been getting pulverized with explosions and rays of flame. Instead, he was just barely evading them. Unfortunately for him, the blasts and flames were still nicking his arms and legs, and if he didn't go back on the offensive or find some way to get them to stop soon, he'd be slowed down to the point that evasion would no longer be viable.
Even his newfound hastened healing wasn't working fast enough to compensate for the damage he was taking.
As these demonically powerful warriors were leveling the forest with their volley of explosions and fire blasts, Death Gatling, Stinger, and Glasses couldn't help but look on in awe. Not that they weren't doing their best to get their wounded comrades to safety, with Stinger carrying Wild Horn, Death Gatling grabbing both Smile Man and Shooter, and Glasses holding Gun-Gun. However, each time an explosive blow rang out, their attention was forcefully pulled towards the battle.
While simultaneously watching the fight and placing Smile Man and Shooter behind a tree, Death Gatling lamented internally, What the Hell is this?! Why...? Why are they so powerful?! I've spent years training my body and skills, I made it to the top ten of A-Class, so why is there still something above me?! I can demolish a building with Death Shower, but each one of their attacks has at least that same level of power! What am I missing?! Strength? Equipment...? Both. It's both... It can't be too hard to improve more, right? I'm one of the strongest Heroes there is. Once those two take down the Hero Hunter, I'll get to work on a new mini-gun to bring down Demons. Then, once the Monster Association is dealt with, I'll devote the next month to training. Once I'm finished recreating myself, I'll have everything I need to tear down the Hero Association's S-Class hierarchy for certain!
While Death Gatling contemplated the future of his heroic career, Garou started maneuvering his way around Genos and Shunshi and towards Glasses and Stinger.
The Hero Hunter had given up trying to get through the wall of fire and explosions that Demon Cyborg and Monster Mask had put up. Instead, he aimed to reach an area the two infernos couldn't afford to blast apart recklessly.
As Garou bounced on all fours from one tree to another, he could see the clearing where the shed was, smirking with relief. Unfortunately for the villain, as soon as he got ready for his last jump, the tree he was in got engulfed by an incineration blast while the tree in front of him was blasted apart by a Light Ball. This time, the two Heroes' combo attack actually landed dead-on target.
Garou had been too focused for an entire second on reaching his destination and was enveloped in the flames and detonations of his prey. The combination blast hurled the Hero Hunter into the air above the treetops, and as he spun in the sky, the Demon Cyborg and Monster Mask burst from the trees to give chase.
The Hero Hunter knew these Heroes would hold the advantage in aerial combat, so he didn't even want to try fighting them on that field.
Taking account of his surroundings, Garou saw a sizeable tree branch from the tree Shunshi had blown apart that had been sent into the air alongside him. Grabbing the tree limb, the Human Monster put it behind himself and used it as a springboard to launch himself downwards.
Following Garou's trail, Genos and Shunshi turned in the air to face where he was, both continuing to pelt him. Genos, however, stopped once he saw where the villain landed.
Garou had reached his destination and planned to stay there, smiling at his new dumbfounded hostages.
Death Gatling and the others were taken off guard, not just by the Hero Hunter's lightning-fast return and feral stance, but by his odd appearance.
Garou had been badly burned all over by the combo attack that Genos and Shunshi had landed on him, but that wasn't it. The bandages he had come out of the shed wrapped in hadn't burned off of him. That said, they were still scorched, but it was perplexing exactly how. It looked similar to if they'd merged to the Human Monster's skin by searing to it as if they were cheese on an overcooked burger.
Regardless, Death Gatling immediately started spinning his gun in a futile attempt to fire on the Hero Hunter before he could close in on them.
While Shunshi's cyborg senpai folded his arm to halt his incinerator, the older of the two didn't even attempt to stop his throwing motion, as Shunshi had no intention of halting his attack. However, this didn't seem to concern Genos, who glanced at his junior as if he'd expected this.
Just as it seemed Shunshi was ready to condemn the other Heroes to death by Light Ball, the orb in question wrapped around his palm and stretched into a Burn Whip. As soon as it reached Garou, the Burn Whip wrapped around one of his arms as Shunshi yanked on it to snap himself and Garou closer to each other.
I did think that this was an ideal situation for Shunshi's Burn Whips. Fortunately, he realized this as well, Genos thought as he descended and watched Shunshi entangle their foe.
However, Genos' calm and collected attitude dropped when he noticed, just before falling beneath the leaves, that Shunshi was the only one to move while Garou had remained stationary. After firing rockets from his shoulders to reach the ground sooner, Genos used those same rockets to launch himself out of the foliage. Once he could see Garou, Genos was infuriated by what he saw the Hero Hunter doing.
Shunshi's helmet's faceplate was completely punched off as soon as he got near Garou, and despite the Burn Whip wrapped around his arm and sizzling his skin, the Human Monster made no attempt to remove it. Instead, he used it as leverage to keep Monster Mask pinned under his foot, crushing his chestplate in the process. In Garou's other arm, he held the unconscious Gun-Gun, having easily wrested him from Glasses.
"What's wrong, Monster Mask!? Why don't you hit me with ANOTHER explosion!? It'll just cost you this cowboy's life! Say, since you can grow your limbs back, how about I take your FUCKING HEAD THIS TIME!? LET'S SEE IF THAT COMES BACK TOO!"
With his venom-filled words, the Human Monster swiftly lifted his foot, aiming to bring it down on Shunshi's neck.
"NO!" Genos roared as he exploded forward, fury plastering his artificial face. Pulling his arm back, it looked like Genos was going for a reckless swing at the Hero Hunter.
"Genos, wait!" Shunshi shouted desperately.
Perfect! Garou thought with a satisfied grin.
With utmost speed, Garou tossed Gun-Gun aside and smashed his foot next to Shunshi's head. As soon as Genos approached, Garou moved his palms to where the blond cyborg was telegraphing his attack, aiming to snap his arm off. However, Garou's ecstatic smile vanished when he saw Genos' uncontrolled fury disappear from his face, replaced with a calm glare.
Using jets in his limbs to move even faster, Genos pulled his arm back and kicked up, hitting Garou's chin.
Watching Genos' attack, the kick he'd just done vaguely reminded Shunshi of one of Suiryu's moves.
Before Garou could move even a couple of feet up from the force of the Demon Cyborg's blow, Genos used the full power of the rockets in his legs to get above his opponent. While keeping the jets on, the Demon Cyborg delivered a burning axe-kick to the top of Garou's head.
Recognizing the move, Shunshi realized Genos had done the same thing as him and added flames to Sonic's Wind Blade Kick.
However, Genos was taken off guard when, despite all the blood flying from Garou's new head wound, he moved as if unphased and tightly clasped his hands onto the cyborg's shin. Instantly, Garou pulled off the same kind of kick that Genos landed on his jaw, except aimed at the joint of Genos' leg, taking it off in the process.
"Won't share your arm with me, Mr. Selfish? Fine! I'll just take your leg," Garou chortled as Genos fell at his feet.
Just as Garou gave Genos' leg a quick shake for emphasis, the rockets in the leg suddenly came to life as numerous small spikes protruded out of it. The rockets started spinning the limb in place, cutting up Garou's hand before propelling itself at his face.
While the Hero Hunter struggled with the twirling leg of flames and spikes in his face, Genos once more used the rockets on his shoulders to blast himself back to his feet, or rather, foot.
At the same time as he came up, Genos shot off more rockets, this time from his elbow. These rockets carried his lower arm forward as a metal cable unwound from the joint. The hand of this arm aimed to grab Garou by his throat, taking advantage of his temporarily blinded state.
Unfortunately, even though Garou couldn't see through all the fire, spikes, and blood, his trained instincts told him that the Demon Cyborg would obviously use this as a moment to attack. As such, the Hero Hunter ignored the spinning pillar of pain on his face and started throwing an open-clawed strike in Genos' direction. However, before he could finish throwing his attack, Garou was lashed across the back by Shunshi's Burn Whip, ruining his concentration as Genos' leg moved away from the Human Monster and the cyborg's arm grabbed the villain by his throat.
Genos' arm quickly rocketed Garou towards a tree as the cable connecting the lower half of the cyborg's limb to him reached its end and disconnected. At the same time, Genos' severed leg shot itself back into place underneath the blond cyborg as it reconnected itself. Finally, when the cable arm planted Garou against a tree, hooked wires shot out from it and wrapped Garou by his torso to the trunk. After that, the cable coming out of the arm's end wriggled to life and tied the Human Monster's legs to the tree as well.
"That seems like a useful feature for a guy like you, Senpai," Shunshi commented while gesturing to Genos' reattached leg. Looking over at the bound-up Garou, Shunshi grinned with his sore face and joked, "And that one's pretty handy too, eh...? I'm sorry."
Genos, fortunately, ignored Shunshi's poor attempt at humor. Instead, focusing solely on his target.
At the same time, after witnessing the Demon Cyborg's versatile arsenal, Death Gatlin thought while still absentmindedly spinning his mini-gun, Maybe... Maybe I should get a better bowie knife too?
"Alright, well, you got him trapped, Senpai. Now let's beat him unconscious and take him-." Before Shunshi could finish talking, Genos' detached arm suddenly heated up to such a degree that it began setting the tree Garou was attached to ablaze.
As Shunshi was baffled, Genos explained without breaking eye contact on the Hero Hunter, "I was inspired by your Burn Whips. I insisted on this upgrade with Doctor Stench. Now..." Genos then made his way over to the soon-to-be blazing tree.
"GYAHAHAHAHA! YOU THINK A LITTLE HEAT IS GONNA BUG ME AFTER EVERYTHING YOUR SIDEKICK PUT ME THROUGH, TIN CAN?! HA! AS IF! YOU HEROES MUST BE DESPERATE TO TAKE ME DOWN IF SO MANY BIG SHOTS KEEP SHOWING UP FOR ME!" Garou declared madly as his skin, especially the sections touching Genos' arm, burned.
Looking up at Garou, Genos suddenly ripped off his jacket, electricity crackling from him as he explained, "You are nothing but a worthless punk who is getting in the way of us focusing our efforts on the issue at hand, that being the Monster Association. However, I will admit that I dislike you. You put a hole in my junior's chest, took off his arm, and now tried to decapitate him. Seeing him near death like that is a failure on my part as his Senpai to help him grow stronger safely, and I... will not forgive that. You are going to die here, Hero Hunter!"
Garou found his crazed laughter stuck in his throat when he saw the electricity on Genos' body building up and focusing on the orb in his chest. That, however, wasn't what was stopping Garou from vocalizing, for as the Demon Cyborg readied his attack, the look of uncontrollable anger returned to his face. However, it was only now that Garou realized that what he saw moments earlier was a facade. This primal fury on the cyborg's face was the real deal and helped Garou understand where the Demon part of his name came from.
As Genos' power nearly finished building up, he took a horseback stance to ready himself for his ultimate attack.
Just before Genos finished gathering power, though, Shunshi yelled, "Genos, stop!" Genos' junior then lept over him to get between him and the Human Monster. "What are you doing, Genos?! You can't kill him!" Shunshi frantically exclaimed as he stretched out his arms in an attempt to absorb as much of the blast as possible.
"What are you doing? Move! That is an order!" Genos shot back.
"Genos, I won't move, so turn it off! Garou isn't an actual monster. He hasn't even killed anyone, and I won't let you kill him. It's not what Heroes do, and you're a Hero!" Shunshi argued further.
Clenching his artificial teeth, Genos hectically yelled, "He just tried to kill you! He has tried to kill you three times now and nearly succeeded each time! I must stop him before he does succeed! I will not let this evil trash kill my-!" Suddenly, Genos stopped talking, his jaw just hanging in the air. The only thing that stopped Genos from finishing that sentence was himself. He wasn't sure what he was going to say at that last point, and it made him scared to try to think about it.
His sweat growing fiercer, Shunshi examined the confused and possibly frightened look on Genos' face before gathering his courage. "Genos. I've never pulled this card on you before, but... I'm older than you, and I'm telling you to turn off your damn chest cannon right now! If you don't, the one who killed me will be you!"
Genos found Shunshi's authoritative delivery both familiar and heartbreaking. Turning on his emergency systems, Genos shut down his ultimate move and slumped his torso slightly, letting his remaining arm go limp for a moment.
Shunshi sighed at this before turning to look at Garou with redoubled anxiety. At the same time, Genos felt two drops of clear oil roll down his synthetic face.
"Okay, I gotta get Garou free before-." As Shunshi talked, he was taking steps toward the inferno of a tree. However, he stopped when Garou suddenly found the strength to pull his legs free from Genos' cable.
Just as fast, Garou lifted his legs and slammed them back down into the trunk, shattering the tree and freeing himself.
As Garou stumbled out of the blaze, he glared inhumanely at Shunshi and asked him, "He says I'm trash and worthless? You say I'm not good enough to be a real monster? You both keep going on about the Monster Association being a big deal? Hehehe... No. Not after all that. All this. You know I'm the real deal, Monster Mask. You know I'm the big bad, the final boss. Or maybe you need reminding, fucker? Either way, I'll show you all what Garou the monster can do. That's right. I'm the monster that can beat any Hero. And unlike you, I don't need a mask to play the part."
Once the Human Monster was out of the flames, Shunshi was stunned for a moment for mixed reasons. First off, while Garou was still covered in burns, all the cuts and bruises they'd given him were gone, healed, in fact. But what was far more disturbing was the marks on the Hero Hunter that used to be his bandages. These white streaks of flesh were slowly spreading like veins across Garou, turning the surrounding skin equally white.
Whatever was happening to Garou, it made Shunshi feel phantom pains from the Spirit Rage transformation he himself went through while fighting Gouketsu.
A few minutes before Genos had arrived at the battle, at Saitama's apartment, the B-Class Hero was entertaining an S-Class house guest, King. The two of them were playing a fighting game, with King only poking his controller with his index fingers. At the same time, Saitama's bald head glistened with sweat as a frustrated grin was scrunched onto his face.
"Alright, I've got you this time! You're at one HP, and I'm at full! There's no way you could-!" As Saitama finished his sentence, he blinked, hearing the game's announcer declare a knockout against his character.
As Saitama slammed his face into the floor and screamed in frustration, King asked him, "So, how was that? I let you get close to winning and think it was a close match. I can't just let you win, though. Was it fun? If you wanna win on your own, you have to improve. Your moves are too simple, and all you do is button-mash. I could beat you with my eyes closed. You're at zero wins to eighty-one losses. I'll lend you my console so you can practice on your own."
With every word King spoke, another vein popped on Saitama's hairless head.
"Crap game... Crap game!" That was all Saitama could say.
Resting his hand on the shoulder of the world's strongest man, King reassured him, "You'll win one day, and then you'll feel better. Just don't break my console."
Suddenly, a device in King's shirt pocket started beeping.
"Huh? What's that beeping?" Saitama questioned.
Pulling the device out, King answered, "Oh, this thing? I've been keeping it in my pocket since I got it. It's a prototype device to share your location, call for backup, and tell other Heroes what kind of monster you're fighting. All the S-Class and a few other Heroes got these. Hmm... It's only broadcasting a location, so maybe the Hero couldn't do anything but push the emergency button."
Slamming his fists together, Saitama exclaimed, "What?! Are they fighting a monster!? Let's go smash its face in!"
"Looks like another S-Class Hero already showed up. It'll probably be handled by the time you get there. The police haven't even announced a monster warning."
With King's clarification killing his mood, Saitama angrily flopped onto his back.
While the Caped Baldy was fussing on the floor, King took a look out the window, noticing all the dead monsters on the street below.
"Man, it's scary how many monsters show up around here. The corpses in front of your house are really piling up. That can't be sanitary," King pointed out.
"Yeah. I'll have Genos or Shunshi burn 'em up. Whichever one of them shows back up first. Why do so many monsters show up here, anyway?"
"I don't know, but it's probably why nobody lives here. If the number of monsters here were the same in other cities, there'd be almost nowhere for normal people to live. Hey, where are Genos and Shunshi anyway?" King questioned as he sat down and picked his controller back up.
"I haven't seen them since Super Fight yesterday," Saitama answered with a twinge of anger still in his voice.
Snapping to attention at this, King put the controller back down and asked, "What?! Are they alright? With the Monster Association out there, maybe they got taken out."
Looking at the ceiling and superimposing an imagined scene of his disciples fighting monsters, Saitama retorted, "I'm sure they're fine. I mean, it's them, after all."
However, as the Caped Baldy finished this scenario in his head, his image of Genos went from strong and cool to shattered and crushed. Then, his image of Shunshi went from intimidating and confident to bloody and broken.
"On second thought, I think I should go. Where'd that alert come from, King?"
Despite feeling the increased danger Garou was posing to him, Shunshi reinforced his nerves, took up a defensive stance, and reignited his Kie.
However, before the Human Monster could take another step, the ground behind him and the grounds next to Shunshi and Genos exploded apart. Coming out of the earth were two squadrons of Monsters, all aiming to dogpile the Heroes.
"Back up the Hero Hunter!" The monsters exclaimed.
At the same time, a large, weed-like monster with a Sunflower-shaped face appeared next to the shocked Garou and told him, "Hello, Garou. We're from the Monster Association. We're here to get you out of this pinch and welcome you into our ranks. You've-." Before the flower monster could finish speaking, the sound of gunfire cut it off.
Having stood by long enough, Death Gatling had opened fire on the squadrons of monsters. He swept his aim horizontally across the battlefield, reducing monsters to mush as his bullets ripped through the air and their flesh.
As his shots harmlessly bounced off a surprised Genos and were deflected by Shunshi into any monsters who'd managed to evade the initial spray, Death Gatling thought, I already know this won't hurt Monster Mask or Demon Cyborg, so I can at least deal with these grunts for them. My gun was already ready to go when these freaks showed up anyway.
When the flower monster successfully dodged the bullets coming its way, Garou effortlessly redirected the rounds that would have hit him into its head, taking it out.
Hrm. Looks like it's convenient that Death Gatling's still standing. I'll have to kill him fast to thank him for getting rid of the pests for me... Would you look at that? That shitbag, Monster Mask, learned a few more tricks from the old prick, Garou postulated as he watched Shunshi finish turning away the bullets that would have hit him onto the surrounding monsters with Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock techniques.
Once all the monsters were dealt with, Genos forced himself to recompose himself and address the A-Class Hero, "That... That was unnecessary but appreciated. Now finish getting the others to safety while we-." The Demon Cyborg was now the one getting cut off as Garou came rushing through the air at him, having ignored Shunshi.
"You're the heavy hitter here, bolt-brain, so it's lights out for you first!" Garou exclaimed as his jump-kick was inches from Genos' face.
The Hero Hunter's movements had become too fast for either Genos or Shunshi to follow any longer. Not only that but if the Human Monster's attack power had increased by an equal measure, then it looked like Genos was about to meet his end.
However, just as Garou's killer kick was about to land, a roundhouse kick from a new source connected with his face. Bang had arrived at the battle, his attack having sent Garou flying off.
Glancing at Shunshi and Genos, Bang addressed them, "Hello, boys. I know you had your heart set on this, Shunshi, but do you mind if we take it from here?"
Just as Bang asked this, a cyclops-like monster rushed out from one of the holes and tried to swipe at the old man's back with its claws.
"There's more of them?!" Death Gatling exclaimed as he tried to aim his weapon at the creature in time to save the S-Class Hero. Fortunately, this was an unnecessary gesture, as Bang's older brother suddenly appeared behind his sibling.
After thrusting his open palm in a circular motion while extending his fingers at the monster, the cyclops was suddenly cut into circles.
"Is that Bomb!? Was that Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist?! Incredible!" Shunshi couldn't help but exclaim under his breath. Bomb, being the older sibling of his personal Hero, was one of the few famous figures Shunshi was aware of who wasn't a Pro Hero themselves.
"Leave the monsters to me, Bang. You handle-," Bomb began to say.
Once more, Death Gatling cut off someone. The A-Class Hero stood over the hole that had opened next to Genos, with his gun aimed directly downwards at the frightened monsters inhabiting it.
"No! I'll take out these pawns! I'm one of the strongest A-Class Heroes! I can do that much! Death Shower!" As soon as the A-Class said this, the monsters looking up at him swore they saw his face tear away as a fleshless skull took its place. Instantly, a rain of bullets poured into the hole, tripling its size and turning the monsters within it into a red and black mist.
With his clip emptied, Death Gatling took a breath, straightened his posture, and thought, Alright. Once this is all over, they're going to have to give me some credit in the report for that.
After the last bullets finished pouring out, Genos thought, My sensors still detect a monstrous presence, but I cannot determine their numbers or distance properly. Do these holes lead to the Monster Association's hideout? I must stay on guard.
"Well, that one's got a fire in his belly. Now..." After witnessing Death Gatling's ultimate attack, Bang strolled over to Garou, who'd fallen to his knees. "You certainly look like a mess. It's been a while. Eh, Garou?"
Shooting to his feet, Garou stared daggers at Bang and exclaimed, "Well, speak of the Devil, and he'll arrive! Looks like the annoying old fart's shown up to play!" With that, Garou attempted a strike at Bang's face, only for his old master to beat him to the punch, knocking him back once more.
"You've gotten faster. I'll give you that. But you've still got a ways to go before you're at my level. Now, I'll be the one to finish this, Garou. Let's go."
Taking a deep breath after getting back to his feet, Garou struck a few posses with his arms, snapping the air with each movement, before taking up an aggressive combat stance. In response, Bang gently assumed his own stance, readying himself to counter anything his former pupil would throw out.
"I... I'll get to watch Master Silver Fang go all out, but... Dammit all," Shunshi hissed under his breath as his pride took a massive blow.
Believing he saw an opening, Garou lunged forward once again and attempted a pincer strike at Silver Fang's head, only for Bang to redirect the attacks and begin pummeling his dojo's traitor.
Bang's attacks moved so fast that he made Genos and Shunshi's joint assault seem as if it had been moving at a snail's pace, with each blow Bang landed drawing blood and cracking bones. Even Garou's newfound regeneration was having trouble keeping up with the beatdown he was getting.
Eventually, though, the Hero Hunter was able to strengthen his stance and start fighting back. The two were exchanging a barrage of Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock techniques, with the Hero Hunter just managing to hold Silver Fang at bay.
While watching this, Genos thought, Bang's movements are like a perfect blend of offense and defense. His techniques far exceed Garou's. These techniques, combined with Master's strength-building training... I can see why Shunshi's abilities have been increasing at such an accelerated rate since he began studying under Silver Fang.
At the same time, Shunshi had his own thoughts as he watched Bang beat Garou down. I see. It's just like I thought. Silver Fang-Sensei was holding back against Charanko and me when he kicked us out. I was almost worried he was slowing down in his old age. If he'd gone at us like this, I don't think Charanko would still be alive... or maybe me too, for that matter.
After the two young Heroes finished their postulations, Bang had pushed through Garou's counterattack and landed a pair of simultaneous strikes on the Hero Hunter's face and chest. In addition to drawing a significant amount of blood, these attacks sent Garou skidding back on his feet.
Bang rushed to close the distance between himself and his opponent once more, unwilling to let up the assault for even a second. However, as Silver Fang attempted the same pincer attack Garou tried on him, Garou suddenly grabbed his wrists.
Swinging his leg up, Garou tried to land a knee strike but was stopped when Silver Fang matched the Human Monster's knee with his own. Once their knees collided, Garou could feel his bone crack and break when met with the force of his former master's attack.
Taking advantage of Garou's now broken knee, Bang swept the villain's other leg out from underneath him and tossed him onto his head.
Before the Hero Hunter could even hope to recompose himself, his former sensei grabbed him by his ankle and smashed him into the ground like a ragdoll a couple of times before leaving him in a crater. These strikes knocked the wind out of the young villain and left him immobile on the ground as Silver Fang stood above him.
Just as it seemed as if Garou was trying to take a breath, Bang struck at his chest. In response, gathering all of his strength, Garou was able to cross his arms fast enough in an attempt to absorb some of the damage to his ribs.
However, as the force of Silver Fang's strike caused a massive crater to form beneath himself and his target, Garou thought in a panic, Wha- What!? This isn't like the old fart! He's in a rage... Uh-oh! I'm losing consciousness. Or maybe... I'm dying?
"Wait. Is Master Bang going to...?!" Shunshi posited Genos, who understood all too well what was being asked and could only look at the ground in response.
Desperate to live, Garou grabbed dirt off of the ground and flung it at Silver Fang.
While Bang took a second to swipe the dirt out of the air, Garou frantically spun out from underneath him and began dashing off on all fours as best as he could with a broken leg. Once again, he was using Watchdog Man's techniques to try and survive.
Despite rooting for his sensei's victory, Shunshi couldn't help it as a relieved smile appeared on his face when Garou managed to momentarily escape his beatdown.
"Where did you learn how to move like that? Have you truly become an animal, Garou?" Bang questioned.
As Garou dashed in the direction of Stinger and the unconscious Wild Horn, he thought, This ain't over! I can survive this if I grab one of the fodder Heroes to use as a hostage.
However, suddenly appearing between Garou and his targets was Bomb.
After sending Garou away with a swift and powerful kick to his face, Bomb exclaimed, "I don't think I'll allow that."
Once Garou crashed into a cow-like monster's corpse, he saw Bang and Bomb walking towards him, with the older brother declaring, "I think it's time I stepped in too, brother. You can't just let Garou slip away when you have him pinned like that."
In the sky above the battleground, Phoenix Man was circling in the air and contemplating the situation beneath him, "Dammit all! Those monsters were supposed to be enough to keep the Heroes busy and bring Garou back. I didn't think one of those A-Class could have wiped them out like that. Now we have to deal with Demon Cyborg and Silver Fang, not to mention their gaggle of A-Class grunts. As things stand, I'll never get Garou out of there, but if I return empty-handed, Orochi will eat me. I'll need the Hero Hunter to survive this on his own... Maybe I should consider just leaving the Monster Association."
Back on the ground, once Bang and Bomb took up their stances, Bang gestured at Garou and questioned his brother, "Look at all those burns and bruises. Do you think you could keep moving after receiving injuries like those?"
While positioning his fingers into claws, Bomb answered, "If I was sixty years younger, I could handle it... maybe. Now come on! Let's finish this before more Heroes arrive!"
With their exchange completed, the two elders rushed Garou with a storm of attacks.
Even with all his superhuman and martial arts abilities, this was too much for the Hero Hunter. All he could do was cross his arms in defense and pray he could find an opening as the bones in his forearms cracked apart.
However, as his arms fell limp at his sides and his face got beat in, Garou thought, Fuck! I was just getting feeling back in my arms! This isn't like the beating I got when he kicked me out of the dojo! And the ancient sack of crap with him is Bomb. He's laying it on just as hard! Shouldn't they be ashamed or something by ganging up on me like this? I could beg for my life, but would Demon Cyborg or Monster Mask still be willing to show me any mercy? I know those three scrubs wouldn't want to spare me for sure, not after all this. I think the only way out of this is to kill them all. But that's... impossible.
As he finished his last thought, the Human Monster took a roundhouse kick from Bang to his face.
"Garou! I'll make you pay for what you did to my students! Taking Shunshi's arm and brutalizing my star pupil Charanko is unforgivable!"
While blood flew from Garou's face after taking that kick, his mind flashed back to his childhood.
In a playground he'd regularly visit, Garou was sitting on a bench and passing the time by reading a guidebook about insects. However, three other boys suddenly approached him.
The leader of the three exclaimed, "Let's play Hero! Come on, Garou. Play with us."
Looking up from his book, Garou responded, "Huh? Really? Okay!"
A few minutes later, the lead boy was standing atop a jungle gym and declaring, "Haha! I'm the great Justice Man! Justice Kick!" Suddenly, he jumped off the jungle gym and aimed a clumsy kick, as one would expect of a child, at one of the other kids.
After the other boy got knocked down by the lead boy, Garou voiced a concern, "Hey, that's dangerous! He could get hurt, Tacchan."
Looking at Garou with complete confusion, Tacchan retorted, "What...? Okay, you be the monster then, Garou. Justice Cross-Chop!"
With that sudden switch in roles, Tacchan ran at Garou while keeping his arms crossed in front of himself.
Understandably not wanting to get hurt, Garou yelped and moved out of the way of Tacchan's attack. This ended up causing Tacchan to trip over himself and land on his hands.
As he got up and glared at Garou, Tacchan whined, "Why did you dodge, jerk? I scraped my hand!"
"S-sorry," Garou said earnestly.
"You're the monster, so act like it. Guys, hold Garou down."
Following the popular kid's orders, the other two boys smiled as they grabbed Garou and forced him to his knees.
With Garou pinned down, Tacchan kicked him in his face, nearly breaking the boy's nose while exclaiming, "Justice Kick! Yeah! Garou The Poop Monster is defeated!"
After that, Tacchan and the others decided to beat on Garou a bit more, claiming they needed to make sure the poop monster would never come back.
While Tacchan and the two other kids beat up Garou, a slightly older kid with long black hair had just come down from a slide. Once he noticed the three kids beating up the fourth one, he looked at them with concern and anger.
Taking a couple of steps, the older boy weakly spoke, "He-hey, you-."
Before he could do anything else, though, the long-haired boy's teenage sister rushed up to him, grabbed his shoulder, and stopped him.
"Mom and Dad told us it's time to leave. What do you think you're doing, Shunshi?" The boy's sister asked impatiently.
Pointing at the scene next to the jungle gym, the boy meekly protested, "I-I'm sorry I ran away, I just wanted to keep playing. But... But those kids are beating up that other kid. We have to help him, Ishisu."
Looking at the bullies, the teenage girl grimaced before saying, "Sorry, but we'll have to leave it to their parents to discipline them, Shunshi. There's three of them, so you'd get your butt kicked, and I don't want anyone to see me beating up a pack of twirps. Now come on. Dad and Mom are in a hurry, so let's go."
Looking heartbroken, the long-haired kid glanced back at the white-haired kid getting beaten up one more time before pouting, "Okay, fine, Ishisu... But I wouldn't get my butt kicked."
With the hope of saving that younger kid dashed, the black-haired kid sulked off with his sister.
In the present time, Shunshi blinked as the memory of one of his life's biggest regrets finished playing in his mind. Despite Shunshi's worship of Silver Fang, believing the elderly Hero could do no wrong, the scene before the young Hero reminded him of that awful day in the park.
Blinking, Shunshi collected his thoughts, Why... Why am I thinking about that? I don't want to kill Garou, but he started all this. He... He's the bully here... Right?
As Shunshi contemplated his feelings, he watched as Garou took two simultaneous punches to his face from Bang and Bomb. After taking this hit, the Hero Hunter fell to one knee and grabbed his face in pain, prompting the senior martial artists to move in for a finishing blow.
While he watched Garou about to be finished off, Shunshi started moving without thinking. He took a couple of running steps forward and began to form his Burn Whips, startling Genos. However, before Shunshi could move another muscle, Garou pulled his hand from his face and glared at all the Heroes.
"NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET IT END THIS WAY!" As Garou shouted these words at the top of his lungs, he smashed at the ground with renewed strength, as if his physicality had suddenly spiked up at that moment.
The force of Garou's strike shattered the ground into a tsunami of debris. The destabilized earth knocked Bang, Bomb, Genos, and Shunshi off-balance, forced Death Gatling, Stinger, and Glasses to cling to what little solid earth there was for safety, and even threw the forest's massive trees out of the ground.
As everyone struggled to keep themselves stable, Garou grabbed one of these trees and rested the massive thing on his shoulder. Roaring at them, Garou swung his impromptu weapon with enough strength that the wind force of the attack would have sent a crowd of normal people flying a mile away. To the credit of the Heroes present, they were only forced back a few feet. Before they could try to regain their footing, though, Garou bounced through the rubble and was about to take another swing at his elderly opponents.
"Garou, stop! Just accept defeat, or you'll die!" Bang yelled in frustration.
Fortunately, just before Garou's tree could slam down on Silver Fang, a Burn Whip collided with it, splitting the oak in half and setting it ablaze. Before the Hero Hunter could fully process what had happened, a rather large Light Ball struck his chest, launching him into the air as it exploded.
Just as Shunshi tried to rush in and restrain Garou with his Burn Whips once more, Genos yelled, "Shunshi! Bang! Above you!"
Before anyone could act on Genos' warning, a gust of wind with far more power than Garou's tree swing overtook them all. Above the squadron of Heroes, the monster known as Phoenix Man flapped its powerful wings, dispersing everyone even more.
As the Human Monster continued to be flung about in the air, Phoenix Man closed in on him, used its talons to grab his shoulders, and started flying away as fast as it could.
When he saw this, Genos twisted his arms around each other, pointed them at the monsters in the sky, and unfolded every weapon from his fingers to his shoulders.
"Genos!" Silver Fang and his Heroic student yelled simultaneously.
Knowing what they were going to say, the Demon Cyborg preemptively yelled back, "You both saw that! Garou is too far gone and is allied with the Monster Association! I have to eliminate him now before he becomes too dangerous!"
Just as Genos said this, Phoenix Man shouted, "I've secured Garou! I leave the Heroes to you, Elder Centipede!"
Ignoring the bird monster's words, Genos fired his attack, shouting, "Spiral Incineration Cannon!"
However, as the twisting beam of flames shot out from the Demon Cyborg's arms, a pair of gargantuan pincers erupted from the ground on both sides of the shed sitting in the center of the clearing. Suddenly, the ground exploded as Elder Centipede came towering into the path of Genos' attack, colliding with it and shielding Phoenix Man from the resulting blast.
This storm of fire, smoke, and explosive force would have been enough to bring down a skyscraper and thus enshrouded Elder Centipede's head in black clouds.
For a brief instant, all of the gathered Heroes gained a twinge of hope that the Demon Cyborg's attack had instantly slain the newly arrived, gargantuan beast. Unfortunately, this colossal champion of death and hatred pulled its face from the smoke, revealing a complete lack of damage.
Then, the miles of length that made up Elder Centipede's body burst forth from the ground. Any normal Human in the presence of this would have been forgiven for believing that the entire world was exploding to make way for this monster's surfacing.
The plate of rock that Genos, Shunshi, Bang, and Bomb were standing on was flipped, throwing them all onto another plate that Death Gatling, Stinger, Glasses, and the unconscious Heroes were on.
Landing on their feet, the four warriors looked into the sky. Most of their view was taken up by huge pointed legs and pitch-black sections of the monster's carapace.
That must be the monster I was detecting! No wonder I could not determine its location. Its size was too large for my sensors! Genos thought.
"Is that thing really a living creature?!" The eldest warrior, Bomb, shouted.
"Th- THE WORLD IS ENDING!" Stinger yelled as he grabbed at his deflated hair.
"Is that really Elder Centipede? I- I-." Glasses attempted to stammer out.
"Get ahold of yourselves and our unconscious allies! We need to move!" Silver Fang shouted as the earth beneath them continued breaking apart.
Understanding what his sensei meant, Shunshi grabbed Shooter, Gun-Gun, and Wild Horn and threw them onto his shoulders. Simultaneously, Death Gatling picked up Smile Man while Genos Grabbed Chain'N'Toad. Bang and Bomb then picked up Stinger and Glasses.
Despite the A and B-Class Heroes not being unconscious, neither of them were in good shape. The old martial artists weren't sure if the injured young Heroes could have made it on their own, but judging by Stinger and Glasses' lack of resistance to being manhandled, the question seemed to answer itself.
As the fleeing Humans dashed through the destroyed landscape, Garou struggled in Pheonix Man's grasp. "Let go of me! Why the Hell is that stupid centipede here?! Why are you pricks getting in my way!?"
While holding Garou still, Phoenix Man responded, "Forget this fight, Hero Hunter. Elder Centipede will handle it from here. He is a living catastrophe that the Heroes stand no chance against. As for you, you need to sharpen your fangs more. None of the Heroes you defeated down there are dead. Luckily for you, Elder Centipede will finish them for you."
The Human Monster's face twitched at that remark just before he began flailing more violently. "WHO ASKED YOU SHITS TO HELP!? PUT ME DOWN! THEY'RE MY PREY!"
"Hey, hold still!"
"DAMMIT ALL! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU BASTARDS!"
"Oh, stop complaining. You had plenty of chances to end them and didn't take any of them. Besides, this is a great chance for us to take out two S-Class Heroes at once. They're the greatest threats to us monsters. They're the ones who left you like this, after all."
As Phoenix Man talked, Garou seemed to lose the will to continue struggling as he slumped and listened instead.
"Elder Centipede is a near-perfect match for these Heroes. According to our strategist, Gyoro-Gyoro, only four Heroes can actually defeat him. Tornado Of Terror, a living force of unstoppable psychic power. Metal Knight, who commands an unrivaled robotic military force. King, the strongest Human. And the number one Hero who nearly killed Elder Centipede before, Blast. I heard Elder Centipede only joined the Monster Association as a way of drawing out Blast to get revenge. The Heroes down there have no hope of surviving, however. Silver Fang is an unmatched martial artist, but that's only effective against humanoid opponents. And while Demon Cyborg has impressive firepower, the upper limits of his arsenal don't come nearly close enough to dealing with an opponent of Elder Centipede's size."
After listening to all this, Garou glanced back at the battleground before asking, "You fuckwits know anything about Monster Mask?"
"Hm? Oh, the A-Class. He's been making enough waves to be noticed. However, I don't think he's proven to be powerful enough for Gyoro Gyoro to come up with specific strategies against him," Phoenix Man retorted dismissively.
Keeping his gaze on the battle, Garou was unsure of how to respond to that before letting out a snicker and thinking, They got no plan for the asshole? This might actually be fun to watch.
Back on the ground, the Heroes managed to carry themselves and the passed-out bodies of their allies out of the immediate vicinity of Elder Centipede's destruction.
"So, do you two sprouts think you can give our move the cover it needs?" Bomb asked Genos and Shunshi, evidently having just finished a conversation with them.
"I believe so. If we combine our attacks, there is a chance that Shunshi and I could actually damage the beast," Genos responded.
"You think so, Senpai?" Shunshi questioned with more doubt than hope.
"Yes. Sometime after the meteor incident, Dr. Stench modified my incinerators so that they might more easily absorb energy from your Kie projectiles. Admittedly, we have not had a situation that warranted testing this, so I am unsure of how efficient it will be."
Awestruck, Shunshi responded, "Seriously?! That's awesome, Se-."
Before the young Hero could finish his statement, Elder Centipede turned its humongous head towards the ground. Once it collided with the Earth, Elder Centipede began crawling along the Earth's surface at speeds that would put bullet trains to shame, the monster's intended targets being the fleeing Heroes.
This served as the signal, and Genos, Shunshi, Bang, and Bomb spun around to face the oncoming goliath.
Genos dropped to one knee and pointed his hands at the charging monster, while Bang and Bomb struck up a mirror-matched striking stance just behind the cyborg. Simultaneously, Shunshi got behind his sensei and his sensei's brother and began outstretching his arms as he formed Light Balls.
Due to his significant size, Shunshi's position did nothing to impede Bang and Bomb or inhibit his own aim.
After forming Light Balls twice the size of his head, Shunshi waited for the whirring sound of Genos' incinerators powering up. The second he heard them, Shunshi threw his spheres, followed by his Senpai firing four precise rays through them. As the beams passed through the Light Balls, the spheres erupted, turning the incinerator blasts pure white as they struck Elder Centipede's insectoid eyes, piercing and burning into one of them.
As its eye boiled, Elder Centipede desperately tried to stop itself, skidding across the ground. Despite its best efforts, the Dragon-Level insect came crashing towards the four warriors.
At the last moment, Genos and Shunshi darted to the side as Bang and Bomb stomped on the ground to strengthen their stance. The step the elder martial artists took was so powerful that it caused a miniature earthquake of their own, shattering the stone in their immediate vicinity.
While moving their arms in a circle around the other's, the martial art brothers declared in unison, "Roaring Aura Void Ripping Fist!"
In synch, the two struck Elder Centipede's face with such force that the monster's massive body started scrunching in on itself, like a rope that had one end being pushed towards the other.
Large cracks were forming along Elder Centipede's carapace from where they'd struck its face, going down its body.
Not satisfied with the damage they'd done, Silver Fang and his brother uppercutted the monster together, throwing its face into the air. With its underbelly exposed, the elderly warriors began pummeling it in unison, each of their attacks aimed to push up on their target more and more, throwing more of Elder Centipede's colossal body upwards and allowing them to break apart more and more of its carapace.
Watching this display of unprecedented martial prowess, Genos exclaimed to his junior, "It is incredible! They are destroying the monster's absurdly dense shell! I think I might properly understand why you walk this path now, Shunshi. I should look to incorporate more skilled techniques into my body."
Smiling with his sore and swollen face, Shunshi retorted, "Thanks, Senpai. That means a lot. I- Wait, is Elder Centipede missing a leg?"
As the massive monster's body continued to be flung into the air, Shunshi pointed towards a section near its back that seemed to have been damaged beforehand.
With the high-speed sensors in his eyes, Genos was able to locate where Shunshi was pointing and confirmed with him, "It looks as if a leg is, in fact, missing at that section."
Just as it seemed like the monster was truly helpless against the martial arts onslaught, Elder Centipede let out a furious roar. Instantly, Elder Centipede slammed its face back onto the ground, knocking Bomb and Bang away into nearby trees.
Despite its wounds, the monster seemed to have gained a final breath of strength.
As he climbed to his feet and rubbed his head, Bang declared, "Ow! I can't believe we let that thing catch us off guard like that."
Looking up at Elder Centipede as the cracks spread across its entire carapace, Bomb responded, "I know what you mean, but at least our attack is working. The shockwaves are reverberating throughout its whole body. That damn thing'll explode into bits any second now."
"We're too old to do that more than once. Thanks for the distraction, boys," Bang addressed Shunshi and Genos.
As the elders talked, the three other conscious Heroes were stunned with awe by their performance of power.
"Are they- Are they even Human!?" Stinger proclaimed with no sense of exaggeration in his voice.
"I... I don't know," Death Gattling answered, a disheartened sorrow suffusing his voice.
Picking up on his fellow Hero's bleak tone, Glasses added his voice to the conversation, "So what? Are you gonna give up just because you saw someone stronger than you? Just work hard and become stronger than them. No one gets to decide your limit but you."
Moved by the B-Class' sudden words, Death Gatling gave Glasses a look that was at once confused and astounded.
"Who... Whoever said I was-?!" The minigun wielder began to declare until Elder Centipede's roar cut him off.
Looking up, everyone saw as Elder Centipede's body began to shatter.
"This fight's over," Bang stated confidently.
With that declaration, the gargantuan monster exploded; the huge fragments of its shell scattering throughout the forest. Each of these pieces had enough weight behind them that whenever they'd land, they'd rip through trees or tear apart the earth.
Once the dust settled, the Heroes looked on with confusion and horror as they saw Elder Centipede still standing. Despite still being alive, with its carapace destroyed, the monster's shiny black body was now rather soft-looking and pale-white.
"What!? It's still alive...?! Well, I mean, it doesn't have its shell anymore, so I'm sure even I could-." As Shunshi was about to voice his words of reassurance and was getting ready to finish cleaning up this monster, a new carapace near-instantly grew over the bug monster's soft body.
After that, another face formed from within the mouth of Elder Centipede's humanoid face. Once the new face finished growing, it pushed back the face that it came out of into its body as if it were simply a mask made from flesh. On top of all this, Elder Centipede's body suddenly increased in size to the point that calling it a city-sized monster would be an understatement now.
Witnessing this horrid sight, all Silver Fang could say was, "Are... Are you serious?"
As Elder Centipede let out another roar, Bomb exclaimed, "The damn thing is even bigger now! Shouldn't that be impossible?!"
Turning around, Bomb looked at the unconscious bodies, Glasses, Stinger, and Death Gatling, and told them, "You lot, get the sleepers out of here! We can't beat this thing while having to worry about protecting all of you too."
Despite his wounds, Glasses immediately went to pick up Wild Horn while responding, "Right. Let's get out of here, everyone."
"That won't work," Death Gatling interjected while looking at Bomb and grabbing Glasses' shoulder.
"What? Why not?" Stinger questioned.
Furrowing his brow, Death Gatling explained, "You guys are too hurt to carry bodies and run. I'm in good enough condition to get two of our allies out of here, but I'd be leaving the others behind, and I'm not doing that. You S-Class guys just fight like we're not here, and I'll do my best to keep the others alive."
"What? But I'm not even S-Class! Besides, Death Gatling, we can't just-!"
Cutting Shunshi off, Genos told the group, "You all do not need to worry. Shunshi and I will handle the fighting on our own from here. Bang and Bomb can help you all escape."
"We will?!" Shunshi shouted.
With the slightest hint of a mournful expression, Bang argued somberly, "Genos. The two of you cannot hope to defeat this creature, especially as it is now. Its shell was already strong enough to withstand your blasts before. I can't allow this."
Pointing at Elder Centipede, Genos explained, "I am not behaving recklessly. Shunshi pointed out to me that Elder Centipede is missing one of its legs. I suspect that it must be an injury it sustained while fighting Blast. The leg is still missing, leaving an exposed weak point on its body. Shunshi and I will attempt to get into position to perform the White Heart Cannon and use it to split Elder Centipede apart at its weak point."
"I'm sorry, you'll use the what now?" Bang asked.
"The White Heart Cannon. You were there when Shunshi named our combination attack, Bang. That is what you named it, correct, Shunshi?"
"Huh?! You actually heard that?!" Shunshi panicked. If his face hadn't been as swollen as it was, the sheer embarrassment he felt would have been more evident.
Cocking an eyebrow, Genos answered, "Of course. My cybernetic ears provide me with excellent hearing. I found the name to be appropriate."
"Oh, is that what you were screaming back then?" Silver Fang inquired.
"Uuuuuh," was all the armored Hero could bring himself to say.
Ultimately, not being too concerned with Shunshi's immature tendencies, Bang continued, "I see that your plan might actually succeed, but I think it would be best if you two kids left this up to me. You both still have so much further left to go. As for me, I'll take advantage of the weak point and use up what's left of my life to end this creature."
"What!?" Shunshi and Bomb yelled at once.
As his brother and his student fretted over his safety, Silver Fang took in a deep breath before letting out a gust of steam.
Seeing this, Shunsi managed to slip a moment of cohesion into his panicked thoughts, Wait... That's like what Garou did. Is that a-? However, before Monster Mask could ponder this any further, Elder Centipede turned its attention back onto the Heroes and began charging them.
"Alright, let's go, Shunshi!" With those words, Genos lept into the air and landed on Elder Centipede's back.
Shunshi, having only a single second to make his next decision, put his faith in his Senpai and jumped after him. His jump lacked the same amount of power that the Demon Cyborg's had, making it look like Shunshi would miss his mark. However, before Shunsi could begin descending, he formed a Light Ball under his foot, set it off, and propelled himself up to where Genos was.
As for those still on the ground, Death Gatling rushed up to Bang and Bomb and yelled, "Alright, listen to me! I refuse to be useless anymore, and I've got a plan!"
While Death Gatling ranted about his scheme to the startled elder warriors, Shunshi and Genos were sprinting across the colossal insect's body. Running at sound-breaking speeds, the two young Heroes fired a volley of incineration bursts and Light Balls at Elder Centipede's face, covering its head in smoke. Demon Cyborg and Monster Mask were hoping their combined attacks would keep the monster stunned long enough for them to reach their target.
Unfortunately, as they began closing in, the shell underneath their feet dropped away, as Elder Centipede roared out, "CENTIPEDE UNDULATION!"
Just like the city that had been subjected to this attack, the entire forest began getting torn to pieces as Elder Centipede violently wriggled its body.
However, just as Genos and Shunshi were being thrown away from their target, the older of the two formed a pair of Burn Whips, lashed them forward, and wrapped them around the sharp edges of the huge monster's shell. At the same time, Genos grabbed onto Shunshi, wrapping his arms around his junior's neck in hopes of being able to land on Elder Centipede as soon as it stopped flailing.
"GENOS! MY ARMS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GONNA COME OFF AGAIN!" Shunshi yelled with slight dread.
When he heard this, the Demon Cyborg began to frantically scan the surrounding area in the hope of finding some way to stop Elder Centipede before Shunshi became too injured to help. Fortunately, help came erupting out from the trees.
Death Gatling, riding on Bomb's back, yelled, "Just a bit closer to its face!"
"If I'd just picked rock, my little brother would be the one carrying out this ridiculous plan... Good thing I won then," Bomb muttered excitedly.
With one more leap, Bomb and Death Gatling were about sixty feet from the gargantuan creature's face. It was at that moment Death Gatling pulled out his combat knife and threw it at Elder Centipede's humanoid face. The knife quickly reached its mark with shocking accuracy and velocity, digging right into one of Elder Centipede's humanoid eyes, causing a horrid roar to erupt from the beast.
"Direct hit! Now run for it!" Death Gatling yelled at Bomb.
"You don't need to tell me twice, punk!" Bomb yelled back as he landed on a tree and started jumping away with the A-Class Hero.
Furious, Elder Centipede locked onto Bomb and Death Gatling and began gunning for them, prompting a satisfied smirk from the minigun-wielding Hero.
"Alright. While Elder Centipede is chasing us, Monster Mask and Demon Cyborg will have enough time to pull off their stunt," Death Gatling exclaimed.
"Well then, we better hope their plan actually does some damage, or this could be the end for you and me, punk," Bomb retorted.
Now that Elder Centipede was running in a straight line, Genos and Shunshi were able to land on its back once again.
"Shunshi, are you-?" Genos began to ask but stopped as he watched his junior pop one of his arms back into place.
"Argh...! Woo...! I'm good! I'm good. Let's go!"
Without spending a second longer than necessary dwelling on his pain, Shunshi began running once more, soon followed and passed by a somewhat shocked Genos. As they ran, Shunshi took advantage of the fact he no longer had to pelt Elder Centipede's face with attacks and started charging a Light Ball in each of his hands, growing them faster than Genos was aware he could.
The fact Elder Centipede was rushing in the opposite direction of them greatly aided their pace. Within just a few seconds, the two were closing in on their target.
As Genos' body began to spark in the same way as when he had Garou tied up, he shouted, "We are close to our target! Are you ready, Shunshi?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, Senpai!"
Looking back, Genos saw Shunshi holding a Light Ball in each of his hands, both the size of his Minature White Sun attack.
"Alright then! We are jumping!"
At that command, Genos and Shunshi bounced off Elder Centipede and positioned themselves just under where the monster was missing one of its colossal limbs.
"Ultra Helix Incineration Blast!" Genos shouted these words at the top of his artificial lungs as he fired a swirling, gigantic blast of fire from his chest, burning away what was left of his clothes in the process. The sheer power and size of this attack would have been enough to level at least a town on its own.
"True White Sun!" When Shunshi yelled this, he slammed his two spheres of light together. Instead of detonating as usual, the orbs combined into a single large ball that Shunshi swiftly kicked into the path of Genos' attack.
As Genos' attack fused with his junior's, turned pure white, and doubled in size, Shunshi couldn't help but grin as he proclaimed, "Neo White Heart Cannon!"
Once the Neo White Heart Cannon collided with Elder Centipede, the monster's back half was picked up off the ground as it began to shout with a newfound pain. Under normal circumstances, this attack wouldn't have done any more than perhaps crack its shell. However, with such a large opening in its natural armor, a good portion of its soft flesh took the full brunt of the young Heroes' combined effort.
After lifting the back half of the monster thirty feet into the air, the Neo White Heart Cannon exploded with enough force to level an entire city. The force of the blast knocked Shunshi and Genos onto their backs, along with Stinger and Glasses. Bang was able to stay standing despite the wind force but had to struggle to do so. As for Bomb and Death Gatling, the two were being propelled through the air, as Bomb had been jumping when the explosion went off.
Simultaneously, as Bomb and Death Gatling came crashing into the trees, so too did Elder Centipede crash into the earth. While Bomb was able to correct himself enough to land gracefully, the monster's body landed with such weight that it sent a title wave of dirt throughout what was left of the forest.
When the smoke cleared, Genos and Shunshi were greeted with a grizzly sight.
They had nearly succeeded in taking off the monstrosity's backside, with a huge chunk of its body now missing and only a crescent-shaped section of its shell still keeping its lower body connected to the rest of it. From the horrid wound on the colossal creature, the smell of cooked bug meat filled the air, alongside the insect blood that came gushing out like rivers from the less fried sections of its injuries.
"Ah...! YES! We actually did it! If it's not dead already, Elder Centipede'll bleed out in no time now!" Shunshi proclaimed as he jumped and rejoiced.
While climbing to one knee, Genos commented, "That is good. I do not think I have enough energy left in me to do much else."
"No problem. You don't have to worry about a thing now, Sen-." Before Shunshi could finish, the section of Elder Centipede's shell that kept it connected to its lower section cracked apart, disconnecting the monster from its damaged body parts. This left an exposed nub at the end of the monster's body that lacked any armor.
The anxiety of what Shunshi thought was about to happen left him so afraid that he couldn't even take in a breath.
Although he lacked the same ability to breathe that had been robbed from Monster Mask, the Demon Cyborg shared the same feeling of dread that his junior was experiencing.
Thoughts of intervening crossed both of their minds, but the strength to actually do any more meaningful damage was drained from their bodies. Soon enough, the fear they were feeling showed itself to be well warranted, as the nub at the new end of Elder Centipede's body quickly grew a new shell over it.
In a combination of fury, disbelief, and desperation, Shunshi yelled as loudly as he could, "NO! FUCK THAT! WE KILLED YOU, YOU BIG BUG BASTARD! YOU! ARE! DEAD!"
Once Shunshi shouted this, Elder Centipede's legs started moving with new vigor and power, propelling its body with every movement. It was clear from its movements that Elder Centipede was turning around to go after whoever harmed it. However, as if unable to wait to reach them, one of the monster's massive, sharp legs came slamming down toward Genos and Shunshi.
Elbowing Shunshi in his chest to push him out of the way, knocking the wind out of him, Genos took the leg crush. Fortunately, without any accuracy behind this attack, the leg only took out Genos' right arm, leg, shoulder, and the right half of his metal face. While this damage did take him out of the fight, nothing vital had been destroyed.
"YOU BASTARDS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE ME TO REGROW THE PARTS YOU BLASTED OFF OF ME!?" Even with its voice normally booming, anyone could tell the sheer anger behind these words would've caused any normal person to go deaf if they'd been near Elder Centipede's face at that time.
Suddenly, the movement of the legs picked up dramatically as Elder Centipede turned itself around and roared, "YOU HUMANS ARE ALL DEEEAAAAAAAD!"
With neither of them able to move much, the sight of this Dragon-Level monster barreling towards them drained Genos and Shunshi of all their remaining hope. Each second felt like an eternity as the dread closed in more and more.
As he struggled to catch his breath, Shunshi kept expecting Genos to pull some new weapon out of his arsenal to at least get them out of there. However, each time he did, Monster Mask was reminded of the grim reality of the situation as he glanced over and saw that his Senpai lacked the ability to even stand up again. When it finally sunk in that there was nothing Genos could do, the black-haired Hero strangely began to grin as he caught his breath.
Stepping in front of Genos, Shunshi horrified the Demon Cyborg by striking up a combat stance and telling him, "Don't worry, Genos-Senpai. I'll do whatever I can to slow this big bastard down. Maybe that'll give Bang-Sensei enough time to get here and save you. I know you said I was annoying, but I hope you made some good memories with me that'll make you smile down the road."
Furious and mortified, Genos' jaw was left agape as he struggled to say anything and thought, Again?! I failed to be strong enough again... I failed to protect them again...!
Resolute in his conviction, Shunshi began running forward, as all Genos could do was shout in fury and sorrow. However, both Shunshi and Genos' trains of thought were completely derailed as they got picked up off their feet and were suddenly darted away to relative safety.
"What was that about me needing time to get here? Do you really have such little faith in your master, Shunshi?" Bang asked as he ran with the two younger Heroes on his shoulders. Just behind him, Elder Centipede's destructive legs were destroying the forest floor.
"Big bro! Gun guy! Grab the others and run!" Bang yelled.
Soon after these words echoed out, Bomb and Death Gatling arrived back at where their injured and unconscious allies were.
"You take the conscious two while I grab the dead weight! It'll be faster that way," Bomb ordered.
With all his stubbornness having been depleted, Death Gatling didn't bother to argue as he ran over to Stinger and Glasses. Without needing persuasion, the two let the higher-ranked Hero throw them over his shoulders. At the same time, Bomb had gathered all the knocked-out members of this squad onto his own aching back.
Within a few moments, everyone had reconvened, Death Gatling only just barely able to keep pace thanks to Bomb's bigger load and thrown-out back.
"IT'S NO USE! YOU'LL NEVER ESCAPE ME!"
Meanwhile, up in the sky, Phoenix Man was looking on with shock at the magnitude at which the Heroes were able to injure Elder Centipede. At the same time, Garou was shaking with raw anger.
"What's wrong? Is it really that upsetting to be on the same side as actual Hero-killers?" Phoenix Man asked impatiently.
As he glared daggers at Elder Centipede, Garou answered, "That bastard...! That bastard who won't get out of my way! MONSTER MASK IS MINE TO KILL! If it weren't for that shit, I could have killed them all and become a true symbol of terror! That's the whole point of being the Hero Hunter!"
"A symbol of terror? Hahaha! If I'd left you down there, you'd have been crushed too! You're strong, maybe even a Dragon, but you can't hold a candle to the big shots of the Monster Association."
Suddenly, Garou's enhanced healing failed him. Right then, the full extent of Garou's wounds caught up with him as he began losing his vision.
While the world went dark around him, the Hero Hunter muttered, "Just wait. I'll show you all..."
The second his consciousness slipped, one last thought went through Garou's mind, After everything I did to you, you'd better survive this too, Monster Mask. I need to be the one to kill you.
Looking down at the Human Monster, Phoenix Man asked, "You finally out cold? Good. Now off to see Lord Orochi."
"Bang, Bomb! If we keep heading this way, we'll leave the forest, and there'll be civilian casualties!" Death Gatling yelled to the others as they neared the city.
"Not to mention my back can't handle carrying these guys forever!"
Without needing any other words said, Bang suddenly set Genos and Shunshi down and threw his shirt off.
"Okay. It's all or nothing now. Thanks for trying to handle this, boys, but I guess I really do have to give this everything I have left," Bang addressed the group as he turned to face the charging creature. While he struck his combat stance, Bang let out yet another gout of steam from his lungs.
As everyone, especially Bomb, gave Bang looks of concern and confusion, Shunshi saw the steam exit his martial arts master's mouth and thought, What... is that? What is that steam gonna do to Silver Fang-Sensei?!
However, all of a sudden, the voice of the mighty Hero King rang out through the park with a clear megaphone filter, "ELDER CENTIPEDE! YOU OVERGROWN STINKBUG! I BROUGHT BLAST WITH ME, YOU PEST!"
The voice of King, while loud, was clearly coming from the next entrance over to the forest.
As if a new wave of strength washed through his robotic body, Genos' eyes lit up as he asked, "Was that King?! Did... Did he say Blast!?"
"What!?" Bang and Shunshi questioned in unison.
"King!?" Stinger exclaimed.
"Blast?!" Glasses shouted.
As Glasses and Stinger tried to turn themselves around on Death Gatling's back to get a better look, the gun-wielder nearly got knocked off his feet by the awkward movements.
"Look! The thing stopped chasing us! It's turning around!" As Bomb exclaimed this, Death Gatling started to try to turn around as well, ultimately resulting in him and the two on his back collapsing to the ground. While on the ground, the three Heroes looked up and saw that Elder Centipede had truly stopped and turned its head.
"BLAST?" The monstrosity of insectoid mass asked.
King's voice then continued to shout, "THAT'S RIGHT! THE HERO WHO BEAT YOU SO BAD THAT YOU HAD TO RUN OFF PISSING YOURSELF THE WHOLE WAY HOME! IF YOU WANT YOUR REMATCH, GET OVER HERE, YOU SAD LITTLE SLUG! WHAT?! TOO SCARED TO FIGHT!? WELL, IF YOU'RE GONNA SHIT YOURSELF, DO IT IN PRIVATE! GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT OR GO CRYING HOME TO MOMMY!"
Over where King was standing, he glared resolutely at Elder Centipede as he dropped his megaphone behind himself. His mighty King Engine drummed powerfully. As soon as the megaphone hit the ground, the monstrosity roared and began rushing in King's direction.
To keep his nerves strong, King began talking to himself, "Okay, I've gotta draw it in close to avoid casualties and destruction. Then it has to be taken out with one fast attack so it can't just scurry back underground. To do all that, I gotta stay right here so it stays on target."
As King finished reaffirming his strategy to himself, Elder Centipede continued to charge closer and closer.
"BLLAAAAAAAAAASST!" The monster shouted ferociously as it closed in on King. Nearer and nearer, it stampeded, shrinking the distance between itself and the Hero Association's ultimate weapon.
"Uh... Saitama?" King asked as the distance between himself and the monster shrunk to less than fifteen feet. Within the next second, Elder Centipede was so close that there were only five feet between its face and the world's strongest Hero.
"SAAAITAAAMAAA!" King shouted as loudly as he could as the Caped Baldy stood behind him and got a punch ready.
"Super Move: Serious Series! Serious Punch!" Saitama yelled with a bit more enthusiasm than he'd normally give as he threw his fist right into Elder Centipede's face.
The magnitudes of power behind Saitama's attack instantly atomized Elder Centipede's head. This effect continued down the entire body, only leaving the titanic-sized legs of the monster behind.
As the front end of Elder Centipede vanished, a gust of wind from Saitama's punch blew past the gathering of Heroes. Once the wind blew Genos and Shunshi's hair back, Saitama took notice of them.
"Hm? Is that Shunshi and Genos? Hey, you were right. They were here, King," Saitama remarked as he and King began strolling through the dust that was once Elder Centipede.
"Yeah, but look at 'em. They look like they barely survived. Good thing we went looking for them. Hm? Hey, Saitama, you look relieved. What happened?"
"Oh, well, that was just a good way to get my stress out after losing to you over and over."
At the same time as King and Saitama talked, Genos addressed his fellow student, "Shunshi, you can walk, correct? Bring me over to Master."
"Master?! Are they talking about King? I thought Silver Fang taught Monster Mask," Death Gatling questioned while trying to push Stinger and Glasses off himself.
Looking through his swollen eyes at who was with King, Stinger gave an answer as he got off Death Gatling, "Uh... No, I don't think they're talking about King. If that's the Caped Baldy over there, then they're talking about him."
"The Caped Baldy?!" Glasses exclaimed as he followed Stinger up.
"I guess you heard the rumors about that guy stealing credit too? Don't bring it up around them. It ticks them off," Stinger explained as he scratched his flattened hair.
"Uh, no... I mean, yeah, I've heard that stuff, but I've actually met Saitama myself," Glasses answered.
While the three lower-ranked Heroes talked, Shunshi had complied with Genos and was walking with his Senpai's remaining arm flung over his shoulder.
When Death Gatling got to his feet, he asked another question, "Wait, that Caped Baldy guy really taught Monster Mask? I just assumed he was delusional when he was yelling about that last night... I need to get to the bottom of this." With his goal set, Death Gatling began following the Demon Cyborg and Monster Mask.
"I... I think I'll go say hi too," Glasses added with a weak smile as he began making his way over as well.
"Eh, guys... Just don't insult Saitama," Stinger told the two as he followed them, using his spear as a crutch.
While the trio of other Heroes followed after Saitama's students, Genos and Shunshi had reached their Sensei.
"Hello, Master. Thanks for saving us. I really thought it was gonna be the end back there," Shunshi said in greeting.
"No problem, guys."
"Saitama-Sensei. May I ask you a question?" Genos inquired.
"Sure. What's up, man?" Saitama asked back.
"In this fight, I was still unable to defeat my foes. What is it I lack?"
Thinking about this for a second, Saitama eventually answered half-heartedly, "Uh, raw power, I guess."
Perking up a bit, Genos was left awe-struck before managing to exclaim, "I see! Thank you, Master!"
With a look of sheer horror, King thought in sheer horror, What?! No! you can't listen to Saitama about this! Don't do it, Genos!
"Um, do you think I'm lacking raw power as well, Sensei?" Shunshi asked with concern.
"Well, if you feel like you're having the same problem as Genos, then I guess," Saitama haphazardly answered.
With this response, Shunshi began glaring at the ground with determination before responding, "You're right. If I'd been as strong as Garou, my techniques could've actually worked on him."
NO! Not you, too, Shunshi! King screamed internally.
"Saitama? It is Saitama, right?"
When Saitama heard someone else say his name, he leaned over to look behind his students, to see the three other gathered Heroes.
"Uh, yeah, that's me. Who's asking?"
Glasses stepped forward, responding, "That was me. My name is Glasses. I don't know if you remember me, but you saved my life a little bit ago. Ever since I met you, I realized that the only limits for my growth were the ones I was putting on myself. I just wanted to thank you for helping me become stronger."
Scratching his head, Saitama answered, "Uh, yeah... No, I don't remember that. Bit hard to remember all the guys I've punched, but I guess I'm glad that I was able to help ya out, dude."
While Death Gatling was surprised by Saitama's dismissive answer, and Stinger flinched, Glasses smiled and replied, "Yeah. It really did mean a lot to me. Thanks again... That's all I wanted to say."
"Oh, okay," Saitama responded.
"Alright, hold on a second. Caped Baldy, are you really Monster Mask and Demon Cyborg's teacher?" Death Gatling asked.
Saitama twitched with annoyance at the mention of his Hero name but still answered, "Yeah, I guess."
"Wha... What the Hell could a guy like you even teach them?!" The minigun-wielder demanded.
Stinger grew nervous at Death Gatling's attitude but quickly calmed down when neither Genos nor Shunshi seemed visibly upset. In truth, the two were simply too exhausted at the moment to get riled up.
Seeing that Saitama was uninterested in this conversation, Shunshi decided to turn around and answer himself, "Master Saitama teaches me the best ways to improve my physical strength and purity of spirit, while Silver Fang-Sensei teaches me martial techniques."
Death Gatling had trouble believing most of what he'd just heard, so his gaze shifted toward the damaged Genos. "What about you, Demon Cyborg? Don't tell me you're taking bodybuilding advice. Don't you think that'd be a bit pointless?"
With his one good eye, Genos looked up at the A-Class Hero while answering, "I do take advice from Master, but not for exercise. Master uses his boundless wisdom to guide both myself and Shunshi down the path of true heroism. He illuminates the path best taken for me to improve myself, both in regards to my arsenal and as an individual."
As Genos finished his explanation, Death Gatling looked at Saitama, a man who, for all intents and purposes, looked to be below average in every regard. Despite their insistence, there was just no way for him to believe that the Caped Baldy was capable of any of this, especially when compared to the man standing next to him, King.
At that moment, Death Gatling realized that he and the others were overlooking the great King. At once, shame and reverence overtook his expression.
When Saitama saw the change on Death Gatling's face, the Caped Baldy began to grow concerned. Pointing at the trio of Heroes, Saitama addressed them accusatorily, "Wait, hold on! Don't you guys get any ideas! I'm not taking on any more students. Like I told the last guy, if you want advice, ask Genos or Shunshi."
Appearing practically insulted, Death Gatling responded, "What!? No, I was looking at Mr. King! I would ne-..." Flashes suddenly went through A-Class Hero's mind of his bullets bouncing off of Genos, as well as the sheer level of destructive power the cyborg's weapons possessed.
Looking at Genos' robotic parts, Death Gatling's inner weapon-smith took over as he corrected himself, "Uh... Actually, yeah. Mind giving me a piece of advice, Demon Cyborg?"
Without hesitating, Genos answered, "You lack raw power. Both in your body and your arsenal. You'll meet your end very soon if you do not take drastic steps to improve both of these."
Death Gatling's gut reaction to this was one of anger. However, this quickly faded away to hesitant acceptance as he looked down at his empty minigun. Not only did his bullets bounce off of the cyborg, but Garou and Monster Mask were able to catch and redirect them. Perhaps if he'd used Death Shower, he might have been able to hit one of those martial artists, but a nagging feeling told him that this wouldn't have made a difference.
"I... Yeah, you might be right... My weapons need an upgrade... Damn, S-Class," Death Gatling seethed in acknowledgment, muttering that last remark.
Surprising Shunshi slightly, Stinger approached him and asked, "What about me, Shunshi?"
"Huh?" The younger Hero replied, unsure of what Stinger was getting at.
"Since I met you, I started training harder, so I wouldn't lose my place in A-Class. I've even been able to climb a couple of ranks since we met. I've trained all my moves as hard as I can, but you're still leaving me in the dust. What should I do?" Stinger questioned with an almost surrendered tone.
Since they'd started meeting up more regularly, Stinger's air of arrogance and glory-hunting seemed to slowly sink away. Shunshi had assumed this was a sign of positive growth from his friend, that he was becoming more mature, as Heroes should be. However, the idea that the difference in their abilities was actively depressing Stinger never occurred to Monster Mask, hitting him with a gutshot of guilt.
Desperate to help, Shunshi thought of an answer as quickly as he could, "Well, it sounds like you've enhanced your moves as well as you can. Have you been trying to come up with anything new? Like, I saw how you used your spear to lift yourself away from Garou. I know about your Quadruple Spear Giga Thrust attack, but maybe you could use the spinning itself as some kind of attack...? Aside from that, uh, I'd say you just need to improve your overall strength and reflexes."
Stinger stayed silent for a moment, a neutral expression on his face. However, a more stressful look soon took the place of that, as if he were wracking his brain for something serious.
Finally, Stinger relaxed, smiling slightly as he exclaimed, "Okay, yeah! I think I got an idea!"
"Oh...? Oh! Cool! Awesome, man," Shunshi responded.
"Hmm. With this and how you've helped Charanko, you seem to have a knack for giving out advice, my pupil," Silver Fang commented as he walked up to the group alongside Bomb.
Grinning shyly, Shunshi replied, "I just pass on what I learned from you and Master Saitama, Bang-Sensei... Uh, that and Kie. I, uh, I taught myself that. But you both have helped me improve it!"
Folding his arms, Saitama expressed his boredom by stating, "Alright, well, this has all been super cool, but I'm going home. Shunshi, help me out and carry Genos back to my place."
"Yes, Sensei!" Shunshi replied eagerly.
"Do not let this valuable training go to waste, Shunshi," Genos whispered seriously to his junior.
Although Shunshi wasn't sure what his Senpai was specifically talking about, he also understood that Saitama must be requesting this of him as some form of extra training.
"Yes, let's get going," Bang added as he walked alongside them.
"I suppose I'll see what this Master Saitama's place of residence is like," Bomb added.
At the same time, King walked along with the group, not saying a thing.
Not thinking to question the three tagalongs, Saitama started trudging back to his place of residence alongside five others.
After watching all the elite Heroes leave, Glasses remarked, "Okay, I'm going to go find a phone and call the Hero Association's ambulance."
Giving Glasses a look of disapproval, Death Gatling put his hand in front of him and said, "Are you kidding? Look at the condition you're in. You and Stinger stay here with the others. I'll go get help."
With his order given, Death Gatling marched off while Stinger slid his grip down his staff before taking a seat on the ground. While resting on the ground, he smiled at the higher-ranked Hero's attitude.
"Y'know, with how angry and deadly that guy is, I sometimes forget that he's a Hero too and not just some kind of monster exterminator," Glasses remarked as he took a seat next to Stinger.
After a few moments of silence, a thought occurred to Stinger, prompting him to ask, "Hey, so, why didn't you ask King for advice or something?"
Smiling as he shook his head, Glasses explained, "I don't need any. I'm already on the path I need to go down." Once he explained this to the A-Class, Glasses looked up to the clouds with a strangely content look on his face. "If I just keep working to break my limits, I'm sure I'll be able to stand alongside Heroes like them one day as an equal. If you do the same, I'm sure you will too, Stinger."
Stinger seemed a bit baffled for a moment before looking at the clouds with Glasses and responding, "You think so...? Okay, I'll keep up the effort, too, then."
