Exchanging blows miles away from where the other Heroes and monsters were battling were Shunshi and Garou. The two martial artists continuously landed hits simultaneously throughout their hundreds of clashing strikes. Matching roundhouse kicks to the other's face, simultaneous uppercuts to each others' torsos, and clashing Whirlwind Iron Cutting strikes.
Although their attacks seemed equal, the truth of the matter was that Garou's blows packed a noticeably mightier punch to them. Even Shunshi's explosions weren't enough to quite close the gap.
However, both fighters soon learned that the Hero Hunter's advantage meant little if they both continued healing as rapidly as they were. Every burn, cut, and bruise Monster Mask put on the Human Monster healed within seconds. And every broken bone or smashed muscle throughout Monster Mask's body recovered just as fast.
With one final Whirlwind Iron Cutting attack slashing apart both fighters' arms, the two allowed themselves to slide back as their flesh knitted itself back together. And after exchanging hostile glares, Shunshi and Garou dropped their stances and straightened their posture.
Lightly slapping his arm, Shunshi calmly said, "I don't think we're getting anywhere. It looks like we've both picked up some faster healing."
Cracking his neck, Garou replied with a matching tone, "And our abilities are too close to counter how fast we heal. If I want to kill you, I'll need to figure out something new."
"Why don't you use Abandonment Breathing?" Shunshi recommended.
Cocking an eyebrow, Garou asked, "You know about that technique?"
"Grand-Sensei Bomb explained it to me after I saw you using it," Shunshi answered. "So... You gonna break it out?"
With a mixed expression, Garou stared down Shunshi for a moment before smirking and responding, "Heheheh... Hahaha! Naw, dumbass! I already used that when I took out those three shit stains you just rescued!"
"You did...? Why would you tell me that?" Shunshi asked as he started wracking his brain on the implications.
I've been fighting Abandonment-amped Garou already...? Holy shit.
Cracking his knuckles, Garou's smile widened as he answered, "Because I still have even better techniques to fall back on. Tell me something, Shit Mask. You know about Abandonment, but have you ever heard of the Exploding Heart Release Fist?"
His posture relaxing slightly, Shunshi replied excitedly, "Of course! It's the martial art that Bang-Sensei developed in his violent youth! He used it to terrorize other martial artists and make money to live the high life! But after his older brother, Bomb, knocked some sense into him, Bang abandoned that martial art and spent years developing Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock and opened his own dojo to nurture the next generation of martial artists! He then joined the Hero Association shortly after it was founded in what myself and most of his other fans speculate was another means for atoning for his violent past!"
Utterly flabbergasted, Garou asked, "I... What the...? How the fuck do you know all that?!"
Putting a fist to his chest, Shunshi answered proudly, "Silver Fang-Sensei is my favorite Hero! When I wasn't training, I used to spend all my free time doing research on Heroes, with him at the top of my list!"
By that point, Garou's jaw had dropped in disbelief.
Pointing at Garou now, Shunshi stated, "So, let me guess. You know how to use the Exploding Heart Release Fist?"
"Grrrr...! Stop acting so buddy-buddy!" Garou yelled as he stepped into Exploding Heart Release Fist's basic battle stance.
"Sorry. It's been a rough day, and you just put me in a better mood. Getting to talk about my hobbies is always fun for me... Just one sec." After saying this, Shunshi inhaled deeply before letting out a gout of Abandonment breath. And while Garou raised his brow in slight surprise, Shunshi concluded, "Alright! This is kinda reminding me of the legends around how Grand-Sensei Bomb rehabilitated Bang-Sensei! You ready to get back at it, Garou?"
Gnashing his razor-sharp teeth as gray Kie erupted from his body, Garou snapped, "I'm going to fucking kill you, asshole! This battle is nothing like that! The end of our fight is going to birth the world's ultimate evil and the end of society as we know it!"
"Well, show me what that looks like, Hero Hunter! And I'll show you the full extent of the power of Humanity's kindness that you've been enveloping yourself with!" Shunshi replied as he and his Burn Whips assumed a stance that combined all his known martial arts.
"Shut up, you two-bit, lightbulb, fuckface!"
However, as Garou yelled his latest curse, he and Shunshi noticed how the debris of the battlefield around them was beginning to levitate.
Then, once the rubble began to chase itself, creating a whirling barrier around the combatants, Garou hissed, "For fuck's sake. I thought I beat that shitty psychic brat already!"
Flying down through the debris once Garou insulted her sister, the Blizzard Of Hell appeared.
"Fubuki?" Shunshi asked in a mix of annoyance and joy.
"Is that the number 1 B-Class...? What's the fuck's going on with her skin?" Garou added while examining Fubuki's Spirit Harmony form.
"Just be quiet and get buried alive, Hero Hunter!" Blizzard declared as she raised her arms. All of the flying wreckage was then shot down to close in on Garou and crush him.
However, with his reflexes being more than fast enough to surpass Blizzard's speed, Garou raised a Darkness Barrier.
And as Blizzard wondered why her physically-infused ammunition couldn't crush down past the shape of a man-sized ball, the orb of collateral damage was blasted open. Exploding toward the esper, a barrage of Shadow Spheres came rocketing toward her.
Impressively, Blizzard managed to drop her elevation in time to avoid these attacks. But she couldn't have predicted in time how Garou, moving faster than she could see, had blitzed behind her, ready to strike at her neck.
In turn, though, Garou failed to react fast enough to the Abandonment-enhanced Shunshi that came to Blizzard's aid, landing a knee and a Burn-Whip variant of Void Fist in the Human Monster's torso. However, no explosions accompanied these attacks, with Shunshi refraining while in such close proximity to Blizzard.
Knocked away by Monster Mask's attack, Garou felt a couple of broken rips slide back into place. Using his wings to slow himself down, Garou saw Monster Mask glaring at him while resting a hand on Blizzard's shoulder.
"Fubuki. Leave," Shunshi told her while pulling her back.
"What?! I can't leave you to fight the Hero Hunter by yourself!" She shot back as she tried to get closer to him.
Pushing the B-Class Heroin away without looking at her, Shunshi told her, "Yes, you can. I can see you got stronger too, but you're still not on this level. You'll just get in my way. Besides, this is between me and Garou."
Hearing an explosion, Shunshi and Fubuki looked at the source of the noise. And both their anxieties grew when they saw the blast petering out where the other Heroes and the Cadres were doing battle.
Through gritted teeth, Blizzard muttered, "It's that disheveled freak again."
Running through the information Genos had given him earlier, Shunshi said, "Homeless Emperor? The one who..." Grabbing Blizzard by her shoulders, Shunshi forcefully turned her toward him and said, "Blizzard, please! They need help! Go! I'll handle Garou, trust me!"
As Monster Mask held her shoulders, Blizzard suddenly felt compelled to inch closer to him. Specifically, moving her face nearer to his. In turn, Monster Mask felt the same overwhelming compulsion as his glowing eyes stared into Blizzard's. He then began leaning down.
Before they could get a chance to embrace their passion, Shunshi was snapped back to reality when he felt a Shadow Sphere coming toward them. Pushing Blizzard away while lashing the Shadow Sphere out of the air with two of his Burn Whips, Shunshi formed a Light Ball in his palm by reflex.
Focusing back on a freshly enraged Hero Hunter, Monster Mask heard him exclaim, "Are you seriously about to start making out?! Didn't you just see the spot where your Hero buddies are fighting got nuked?! The fuck's wrong with you?! You thinking with your dick that much?!"
Using his Burn Whips to strike up the stances of every school he knew, Monster Mask ordered Fubuki, "Blizzard! Go! Now...! Garou... Shut up and show me the Exploding Heart Release Fist!"
Glaring at the Hero Hunter, Shunshi couldn't help but think, I... Garou's right. What the Hell was that? Why would I ever want to kiss Blizzard...?! It must be an effect of Spirit Harmony... Ugh, I hope this isn't permanent!
Seeing that Shunshi had completely turned his attention from her and feeling the anxiety and dread coming from the Heroes' battleground with her developing empathic powers, Blizzard regretfully left the source of her confused feelings and flew off. And as she took off she found herself pushed away faster by the shockwaves of the world-shaking brawl behind her.
Although the hoards of Black Sperms seemed endless, the Heroes and swordsmen were handling themselves comfortably. The sword masters and their students were easily holding up the borders against this monster while Superalloy Darkshine was spinning at them with his arms extended, acting as a blender of muscle for any Black Sperms that came near him.
"C'mon! Bring 'em all on!" Superalloy Darkshine exclaimed as he effortlessly knocked away the monsters.
But as Darkshine cheered himself on, a massive version of Black Sperm with various faces on it burst out from the Earth beside him. This was an identical form to what the Black Sperms had taken to flatten Tanktop Master.
"You think you're hot shit!? I'm going to crush you and take the lead in the murder race!" The colossal Black Sperm roared with a chorus of voices.
However, just as the colossal Black Sperm was about to bring its fist down on Darkshine, the S-Class counterattacked in a blur of motion that lead to an uppercut. Darkshine's retaliation went through the big Black Sperm's arm and splattered the large monster's body as easily as the little ones.
And as he swatted away another hundred or so Black Sperms that rushed him afterward, Darkshine exclaimed proudly, "I don't care how big you make yourselves! Your muscles don't even shine in the slightest! Against my perfect shining body, you're all just dust in the wind!"
Gritting its teeth at how ineffective it and its other selves were against Superalloy, one of the Sperms exclaimed, "What the Hell?! That body had twice the cell count of what we used against Tanktop Master! Where's Golden when you need the lazy bastard?!"
"Stop whining, runts. I'm here to pull your asses out of the fire," Golden Sperm's voice suddenly called out.
Turning to look at their golden merger, a horde of the Black Sperms saw Golden Sperm standing proudly and wrathfully atop a pile of debris. And although they were glad to see it, the Black Sperms were equally concerned when they noticed all the wounds across Golden Sperm's body. In particular, its missing hand.
"What the fuck?! What happened to you?!" A Black Sperm called out.
Scowling, Golden Sperm explained, "That Monster Mask bastard was tougher than we thought is all. We'll need to merge into our ultimate form to win this. Now hurry up, get over here, and become one with me!"
"Shit!" "Alright!" "On it!" "Guess we have no choice!" Numerous Black Sperms exclaimed as they rushed to Golden Sperm and began fusing into its body. And with each Sperm that melted into it, more of Golden Sperm's wounds sealed shut.
However, before Golden Sperm's hand could even start to regrow, many more Black Sperms yelled out, "If even eleven trillion of us in one couldn't pull off a victory, what good will more merging do?! We need to divide more and overwhelm them with numbers!"
Noticing the whirlwind of Black Sperm corpses Darkshine and the swordsmen were creating, Golden Sperm snapped, "That's not working at all, you morons! You're all too weak individually to do anything! The only chance we have is to fuse more!"
Before this argument could escalate any further, another Black Sperm shouted, "Incoming!" A tenth of a second later, that same Black Sperm and all others near it were pulverized as Superalloy Darkshine ran through them at full force.
Running through the Black Sperms as easily as air, Darkshine yelled, "I heard you all shouting! Another monster showed its ugly face! Time to flatten you under my unmatched shiny... Huh!?"
The moment Darkshine actually got a good look at Golden Sperm and its metallic and beefy body, his face grew solon as his stride faltered slightly.
What the-?! Muscles bigger and shinier than mine?!
Clenching his fists tightly to his sides as he continued his crumbling sprint, Superalloy Darkshine shrieked, "Impossible! That's impossible!" With his confidence wavering, Darkshine lept at Golden Sperm with half strength while screaming, "No! My muscles won't lose! Superalloy Double Bazooka!"
He then pulled back his fists and readied himself for a double punch. However, as soon as Superalloy Darkshine got near Golden Sperm, the Hero found his jaw uppercutted by the blinding speed of Golden Sperm's one intact fist.
"Are you seriously throwing a hissy fit in the middle of a fight? And you call yourself an S-Class Hero?" Golden Sperm asked as it knocked Darkshine away with its punch.
After being sent flying back, blood flying from his cracked jaw, Darkshine landed in the middle of all the swordsmen.
Understandably disturbed, Iaian exclaimed, "Darkshine?! What happened?!"
"Far too weak," Golden Sperm remarked dismissively as it walked through the Black Sperm army while they made a path for it.
Simultaneously, before the next stage of battle could begin, the Heroes and the Sperms noticed the sky above them grow brighter. Looking up all at once, everyone saw a glowing sphere the size of a small building that was crashing down toward them.
Reacting in tandem, Atomic Samurai and the other Councilmen launched four wind blades at the orb, their attacks overlapping each other. With this combined effort, the swordmen were able to detonate Homeless Emperor's orb and redirect its explosion upwards. Even so, with the intense heat and kinetic energy that came from the blast, everyone realized that the attack very well could have killed them all if it had hit.
With a sarcastic slow clap, Homeless Emperor approached the battlefield alongside Psykos as more of its spheres floated around it.
"Well done, well done. Looks like a single overwhelming attack doesn't work on you guys. Now, let's see how you lot handle a barrage," Homeless Emperor said as it conjured hundreds more of its attacks and sent them flying at the swordsmen.
"Focus on redirection! Don't actually touch them with your blades!" Atomic Samurai called out.
To Homeless Emperor's surprise, all of the swordsmen, even Iaian and Spring Mustachio, were successfully parrying this entire barrage, even keeping Darkshine Safe, with the attacks instead colliding with the Black Sperms surrounding them.
"Watch where you're aiming, jackass!" The Black Sperms shouted.
Gritting its ugly teeth in frustration, Homeless Emperor launched a few hundred more attacks and shouted, "How about you get out of the way!?"
"Oh, for God's sake," Psykos exclaimed in exasperation as she raised her hands. Just then, as the swordsmen deflected the last of Homeless Emperor's spheres, they found themselves being lifted off the ground and their arms frozen in place by psychic energy.
As she restrained the swordsmen, Psykos remarked, "None of them have the raw strength needed to break my grasp! Hurry up and take them out!"
"Ah! Excellent work, my dear! Just hold them still while I unleash our God's wrath upon them!" Homeless Emperor exclaimed as it fired off another volley of hundreds of blasts, causing a vein to pop on Psykos' forehead.
However, before the blasts could travel very far, each one was sent tumbling off in random directions. And before Homeless Emperor or Psykos could understand what they'd seen, Silver Fang appeared in front of the restrained swordsmen, his hands raised and ready for combat.
"Ha! Looks like your powers can't even get past one shitty geezer!" Some Black Sperms mocked.
Pointing her hands at Silver Fang, Psykos said, "Don't worry. I'll grab him too and- ARGH!" All at once, Psykos dropped her concentration as she was struck by a sudden headache. Immediately, Pskos got an explanation for her head pains, as Blizzard flew in from above directing psychic energies at her.
Her eyes glowing with power, Fubuki stated proudly, "You always tried to rely on raw power over skill, Psykos. You never had a real plan to beat someone stronger than you."
With absolute panic on her face, Psykos shrieked, "Homeless Emperor! Black Sperm! Kill her!"
However, when Psykos yelled for their help, the Cadres acted as if they couldn't hear her. And before Psykos could yell at them again, she was sent flying away by Blizzard, who followed directly after her.
"You need to hold your own to prove yourself, my dear. Good luck," Homeless Emperor muttered as it watched Psykos being thrashed away.
Fortunately for the monarch of the homeless, it focused back on the battlefield just in time to notice a stretching rapier rushing toward it. Ducking out of the way of Spring Mustachio's attack, Homeless Emperor sent a string of spheres back at him in retaliation. However, not a single one managed to touch Spring Mustachio, as Iaian intervened and redirected each orb.
Standing up and stepping back, Homeless Emperor readied more spheres and hissed through its teeth at the A-Class Heroes. But before it could try to bombard them, it felt a pair of presences rushing it from behind.
Turning around sharply, Homeless Emperor fired a barrage of spheres without looking at who was behind it, grazing Tanktop Master and Pig God with explosions.
"Gah! I thought I already blew you apart, you sack of lard!" Homeless Emperor snapped as the two S-Class struggled back to their feet. But just as the Cadre was about to ready more attacks for them, it sensed Iaian and Spring Mustachio rushing it from the opposite direction.
Gnashing its teeth as its brow twitched with rage, Homeless Emperor thought, You pathetic Humans think jumping me as a gang is enough?!
"Fine! Let's do this!" Homeless Emperor raged as it formed a whirling blade of spheres around itself while the four Heroes rushed it.
While Homeless Emperor fought its opponents, the Black Sperms had gotten back to attacking the Heroes and swordsmen it still had surrounded as Golden Sperm made its way toward them.
Seeing the golden monster that had dropped Darkshine approaching them, Zanbai broke off from the main group and went to confront it.
"Let us see how you handle an armed opponent, creature! Go to a peaceful death!" Zanbai exclaimed as he rushed Golden Sperm and swung his blade. However, before Zanbai's sword could reach its mark, it was caught in the hand of Golden Sperm and split in half like a twig.
Smiling sadistically, Golden Sperm said, "Seems like I can handle your pot sticker just fine." And before Zanbai could get away, Golden Sperm swung its head forward, colliding foreheads with Zanbai. The resounding noise of a metallic clang and a wet crunching signaled everyone to Zanbai's skull caving in, killing the sword master instantly.
"Zanbai!" The other sword masters yelled in horror and rage.
Immediately, Atomic Samurai and Nichirin rushed Golden Sperm, cutting through hundreds more of the Black Sperms as they dashed. Unfortunately, this also left Bang and Amahare to handle the waves of trillions of monsters on their own.
"Atomic Slash!"
"Iai Rahu-Asura Slash!"
However, as the sword masters were about to unleash their countless imperceivable cuts, both were met with the same sound of breaking metal that Zanbai had faced. While Golden Sperm had intentionally snapped Nichirin's sword, Atomic Samurai's blade had broken against the monster's face.
Throwing a punch at Nichirin and a kick at Atomic Samurai, Golden Sperm shouted, "Golden Barrage!"
At the last moment, though, Nichirin kicked Atomic out of the way, shouting, "Move it!" This action caused the elder to take both blows to his torso, splitting him in half from the points of impact.
"Nichirin!" Atomic shouted after landing.
Looking disappointed, Golden Sperm remarked to Atomic Samurai, "Damn. I was trying to go two for one there... Actually, I don't know if either of those old farts counted as Heroes. I guess I need to keep going if I want to win this contest."
Before Atomic Samurai could react to this taunt, Golden Sperm closed the gap between them faster than he could follow. However, just as Golden Sperm was about to land a blow that would've made Superalloy Darkshine seem like a child, the giant sperm's fist was suddenly planted in its own face.
Having punched and kicked his way through the Black Sperms, Bang had come to rescue Atomic, having redirected Golden's Sperm's attack back at it. Meanwhile, Amahare had remained behind to defend the unconscious Darkshine.
While Golden Sperm staggered from its own fist with doubled force, Silver Fang stated, "Kamikaze, get behind me! We need to regroup our forces."
But just as Bang said this, a hundred-foot wall of Black Sperms formed behind them and asked, "What makes you think that's an option?"
And as atomic Samurai reflexively struck one of the Black Sperms with his sword hilt, Golden Sperm recomposed itself, wiped the blood from its lip, and added, "Using my own punch to hurt me...? Heh. Guess you'd need to do that to have a chance, old man." Raising its fist back up, Golden Sperm concluded, "Let's see how your fancy moves help when I can see you coming, and you have to protect your sword buddy!"
Just then, as Bang fretted over Golden Sperm's next attack, a twister that threw aside mangled Black Sperm bodies came crashing in from the distance. And while Golden Sperm was momentarily distracted by whatever this was, Silver Fang took advantage and landed a light-speed double-palm strike to Golden Sperm's torso. Although this did no real damage to the monster, the force of the attack was enough to send Golden Sperm skidding back on its feet.
Seconds later, the twister of destruction closed in on Bang and Kamikaze's position, smashing the wall of Black Sperms apart along with sending all other nearby Blak Sperms flying. With the area cleared, the tornado seized, revealing Metal Bat from within it, relieving the other two S-Class immensely.
Resting his bat on his shoulder, Metal Bat asked, "Yo, guys. Either of you seen the Hero Hunter? These black antenna guys won't tell me anything."
"Oh, thank goodness. Metal Bat, you need to help Amahare defend Darkshine. He's unconscious. They're over there!" Silver Fang exclaimed while pointing at where he'd come from.
A bit shocked, Metal Bat replied, "Darkshine got downed...?! Uh... Okay, I'll handle that." Flourishing his weapon, Metal Bat turned to where Silver Fang pointed and started smashing his way through the army of monsters in his path.
"Who the Hell is this new asshole?!" Some Black Sperms raged as Metal Bat bashed through them and ignored the counterattacks that pelted his body.
While Metal Bat made his way to Superalloy Darkshine's side, Silver Fang turned back to face Golden Sperm. Pulling the remains of his shirt off, Silver Fang extended his arms as he took in a deep breath before letting out a gout of Abandonment air.
However, before Bang could rush Golden Sperm, the voice of Nichirin called out, "Kamikaze...! Spring Mustachio...! Come here...!"
Hearing his colleague's dying cry, Atomic Samurai dashed to his side, finding him bisected from the waist down. Reflexively, Bang followed Atomic, wanting to make sure his companion would stay safe.
"Nichirin... What do you need, friend?" Atomic asked somberly.
Grabbing his prayer beads from around his neck, Nichirin said, "You and Amahare are all that remain of the Council Of Swordsmasters... T- Take this." Setting his beads on the ground, a glowing portal opened in their center. Reaching into the portal, Nichirin pulled out a gold-hilted katana sheathed in a white hilt with a crimson sun symbol.
Taking the sword as Nichirin offered it to him, Atomic Samurai was dumbfounded as he stated, "This is... the sun blade?!"
Just then, Golden Sperm's voice called out as the monster came barreling toward the three, "What's that fancy new toy?! Want me to break it too!?"
Dashing at Golden Sperm, Bang pulled his fists back as he shouted, "You will leave them in peace!"
Golden Sperm attempted a sweeping kick, only for Bang to redirect it so that the monster's knee would strike its own stomach. And while Golden Sperm recoiled from the blow, Bang pulled his hands back before launching them both in a spear thrust aimed for the Cadre's belly button.
To Bang's shock, however, Golden Sperm sidestepped the attack and crouched by Bang's side.
"You think I'm dumb enough to fall for the same thing twice...? DIE!"
Following up on its declaration, Golden Sperm launched an uppercut at the elder Hero. And while Silver Fang managed to leap away from the strike, the wind force of the blow still grazed him enough to leave a shallow gash on his cheek.
So much speed and power... I would've been dead without Abandonment. Bang thought as he flipped back, recomposed himself, and resumed his school's stance.
Without waiting for a single second to tick by, the martial arts master and the oversized monster glared at one another and charged back into combat.
While Golden Sperm and Silver Fang were battling, Spring Mustachio had rushed to the scene, covered in scorch marks.
Seeing both his students now here, Nichirin smiled at Atomic Samurai and told him, "Listen to me. As your master, I saw to your growth with my own eyes. I leave the Council Of Swordsmasters in your hands."
With somber determination, doing his best to shut out Bang's battle for the moment, Kamikaze said, "I... understand."
"As well, I leave the search for the Moon Blade for you to complete... Spring Mustachio!"
Kneeling at his mentor's side, the burned A-Class Hero asked while holding back tears, "Master?"
With the last of his breath, Nichirin told him, "You've become remarkable... All that's left is for you to find the path of the sword you believe in and follow it. Do this, and you will obtain full mastery. I... believe in-..."
With Nichirin's last tie to the mortal coil undone, Spring Mustachio allowed his tears to trail down his face as he whimpered, "Thank you, Master..."
Placing his hand on the Sun Blade's hilt, Atomic Samurai addressed the grieving swordsman, "Iaian, Tanktop Master, and Pig God are holding back the bum with the glowing orbs, while Metal Bat and Amahare are fighting to protect Darkshine from the splitting monster. Pick one and go help."
Picking himself up, Spring Mustachio wiped the tears from his face with a handkerchief and stated, "It would be best if I went to assist the young man and your fellow council member."
Taking a knee as he began trying to pull out the sword, Atomic said, "Then good luck and get going."
Back at the fight with Homeless Emperor, Tanktop Master and Pig God laid unconscious on the ground as Iaian gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
And as Iaian gasped for breath, Homeless Emperor teased, "Shame that your mustache friend ditched you like that. You guys with the swords were the only ones who seemed to have any means of deflecting my attacks. I wonder how long you'll hold out without him."
Raising its finger and summoning hundreds more orbs, Homeless Emperor declared, "Come on! Let's test your limits, Mr. Fancy Armor!"
Just then, Homeless Emperor's reflexes saved it yet again, as the Cadre leaped back when something came flying at it. And where Homeless Emperor had been standing, Psykos had come crashing into the Earth, her spine twisted into a semicircle as her eyes, ears, and nostrils were bleeding profusely.
Rasped for breath, Psykos wheezed, "I can't... Nothing works... I can't... touch her!"
Descending down from the sky, the glowing blue Blizzard stated, "That should keep her incapacitated until the battle is over. Now, do you need a hand, Iaian?"
"Blizzard of Hell!" Iaian exclaimed in relief. "I'd love that!"
While glancing at the injured Pig God and Tanktop Master, Fubuki told Iaian, "Just remember that you'll be in the Blizzard Gang's debt for this."
Smiling with a mix of disbelief and acceptance, Iaian replied, "I... Okay, sure thing."
I already sped up their rate of healing once. If I did that again, I could do permanent damage to their bodies. I'll send them enough energy to make sure they're stable, but even that's risky right now. Blizzard thought as she channeled invisible psychic energy to the knocked-out S-Class Heroes.
Walking past the injured Psykos without a second glance, Homeless Emperor remarked, "I suppose hoping she could be the Eve of my new world was just wishful thinking. Oh well. Back to the original plan of an empty Earth." Raising its hands into the air, Homeless Emperor threw its orbs into the sky, where they all tripled in size.
Smiling at the surprised Heroes, Homeless Emperor told them, "Let's see how you runts handle a proper carpet bombing."
In response, Blizzard threw up a barrier while also channeling psychic energy into Iaian and yelled at him, "I should be able to hold back most of them, but I channeled my spare power into your muscles to speed you up! Deflect as many as you can, and the barrier will keep away any that slip past you!"
Readying his blade as the first orb touched the barrier, a now glowing Iaian yelled, "I'm on it!"
As Amahare and Metal Bat fended off the hoards of Black Sperms, Amahare with precise cuts and Metal Bat with crazed swings, the old swordsman was beginning to noticeably sweat.
Noticing the fatigue of his older ally, Metal Bat exclaimed, "Just hold out for a bit longer, Amahair! King came here with me! Once he's done sweeping the other half of the battlefield, he'll flatten all these antenna jerks in one go!"
Seemingly reinvigorated by this news, Amahare asked as his swordsmanship picked back up, "The King?! The strongest Human in history?! That King?!"
Grinning eagerly, Metal Bat took out another twenty Black Sperms with an exaggerated swing and cheered, "Exactly the guy! So just hold out!"
"King's here?!" "Shit!" "Aw, crap!" "We gotta take these guys out before he gets involved!" The Black Sperms exclaimed as they started trying to pile on their numbers even more heavily.
However, from the sky, the Black Sperms heard Spring Mustachio exclaim, "Tomboy Barrage!" Then dozens of the A-Class Hero's attacks came piercing through the monsters, dispersing them and granting the other two Human fighters a bit of space to breathe.
Landing next to his allies, Spring Mustachio raised his rapier and stated, "Apologies, but you'll be doing no such thing."
Elsewhere, the mighty and unstoppable King was hiding behind a large boulder as he screamed internally and sweated profusely, What the Hell?! Why do they keep sending me off by myself?!
While the main battle against the Monster Association raged on, the personal grudge match between Monster Mask and the Hero Hunter continued.
Dashing away with his wing-propelled flight as Monster Mask launched himself with Burn Whips and Blast Stepping in pursuit, Garou found himself on the back foot. Monster Mask's use of Abandonment had put his pace a notch above Garou's, giving him just enough of an edge in melee.
Despite his situation worsening, the expression on Garou's face didn't match his predicament at all. Instead, he was smiling. Smiling as if he were having the time of his life. And the Hero Hunter wasn't alone in his glee, with Monster Mask's face exploding with equal excitement.
"Hahaha! Alright! This is the kind of fight I was looking for from you Heroes!" Garou exclaimed as he dashed along the battlefield.
Turning around briefly, Garou kicked two Shadow Spheres at Shunshi that expanded in size to each match a skyscraper. This proved to be an error, though, as Shunshi catapulted two of his Light Balls as a counter. And as Garou had come to learn, the explosive nature of Shunshi's white Kie was far more suited to offense than the defensive barriers of his gray Kie.
Melding with Garou's Shadow Spheres, Shunshi's Light Balls erupted with a blast large enough that it enveloped them both.
After being forced to the ground from the explosion, Garou landed on his feet and started trying to scan the area, only to be uppercutted by a burning slashing blow from Monster Mask in his ribs.
Blocking the follow-up roundhouse kick with his arm, Garou remarked as his skin sizzled, "You stopped using those exploding attacks of yours! What's wrong?! Outta steam already?!"
Smiling back at him, Shunshi answered confidently, "In your dreams! But if I send you flying, then I can't give you the beating I need to wear out your healing!"
Using the momentum of his foot against Garou's arm, Shunshi pushed against it, launched himself upwards, and blasted himself back down while spinning with a claw aimed forward.
Although this drilling attack cut and singed Garou's forearm, the Hero Hunter was able to retaliate with Exploding Heart punch that went up Shunshi's. This clash resulted in Garou's arm being gashed down to the bone, as Shunshi's body was filled with painful vibrations that started tearing into his muscles. And as the vibrations disoriented Shunshi, Garou slipped one hand onto his elbow and another under his armpit, throwing the Hero and breaking his arm before he could touch the ground.
After tumbling for a half moment, Shunshi righted himself. But even as he stood up, his body continued to violently vibrate, skin and muscle splitting as it did.
His grin widening, Garou stated, "Ha! That's it, Monster Mask! Just one blow from Exploding Heart Release Fist is enough to shake your-."
Before the Hero Hunter could finish his sentence, Monster Mask took in a deep breath as the vibrations across his body suddenly ceased.
"Huh?!" Garou gasped out.
Stretching his arms and Burn Whips as his wounds shut close, Shunshi chipperly told Garou, "I told you that I already know about Exploding Heart Release Fist, Garou. And thanks to my partner, I have a solid grasp on how to control the vibrations of my body. I do it every time I use Fist Of The Impenetrable Fire Spirit... You didn't think it'd be that easy, right?"
Flexing his claws and wings, Garou exclaimed with mad joviality, "Heheheh HA! I'm glad it wasn't! Come on, Hero!"
With a smile that matched Garou's grin, Shunshi reassumed his stance and replied, "You got it, Hunter!" But instead of rushing back in to clash with the Human Monster again, Shunshi stayed in place as his Burn Whips stretched out and began rapidly striking at his opponent.
Although initially taken off guard and taking several broiling blows to his chin and torso, Garou was quick to adapt this attack pattern. Utilizing his wings, Garou countered the Burn Whips and started making his way toward Shunshi. But as soon as he took a second step, Garou found himself being pulled backward by his wings, now tangled in the Burn Whips.
It became clear that it had been Shunshi's plan to clash his Burn Whips with Garou's wings. With this moment of disorientation for the Hero Hunter, Shunshi was able to violently pull him off his feet and toward himself, landing a whirling, burning, and slashing blow into Garou's gut.
"No more running! It's time to beat you down with the Spirit Fist Martial Art, Hero Hunter!" Shunshi exclaimed as he unleashed a flurry of his mixed martial arts.
Blocking a few of Shunshi's blows, Garou managed to grab Shunshi's right wrist, got in his face, and asked, "Running?! Who the Hell'd be a big enough cowered to run from you?!"
Matching Garou's movements, Shunshi smashed his forehead into Garou's, drawing blood as he cracked both their skulls.
"Seems like you were, bud!" Monster Mask exclaimed despite his self-inflicted injury.
And as Shunshi threw out another Kie-covered blow, Garou matched it with a vibrating punch and yelled, "Shut it!"
Colliding, the martial artists' punches let off their effects, with ripped skin running up Shunshi's arms and white flames spreading up Garou's.
That's it! I've got Garou held down! Time to cut loose! Shunshi shouted to himself as he focused on the destructive vibrations running through him.
Forcing the vibrations to stop even faster than before, Shunshi reignited the Fist Of The Impenetrable Fire Spirit. In an instant, he began laying back into Garou with blows that produced explosions, each one powerful enough to atomize a city block.
This'll be over soon... Shunshi thought with a frown as he thrashed and blew apart Garou.
Taking one warhead of a blow after another, Garou could feel his flesh burning and blasting off. In retaliation, Garou tried to plant an Exploding Heart Release Fist punch in Shunshi's guts, only for his hand to be blown back so fiercely that he lost all four fingers. Desperate, Garou reverted to Water Stream Rock Smashing to deflect Shunshi's endless attacks, only for even the slightest touch against the Hero's skin to ignite more blasts.
Shit, shit, shit! It's this bullshit again! With Abandonment and his transformation, he's closed the gap between us enough that I can't just power through these explosions anymore! And his strength is increasing just as fast as mine! How the Hell am I supposed to counter that damned Kie of... What the Hell am I doing?!
Channeling his own Kie, Garou formed a small Darkness Barrier centered on his chest that instantly grew and expanded outwards, phasing through Garou as it went.
Instantly, Monster Mask's fists, feet, knees, elbows, and claws were bashing against Garou's barrier, and his explosions were only touching the Hero Hunter's flesh wings. But even that would be negated as Garou's barrier pushed against Shunshi's Burn Whips, forcibly pinching them off his wings. However, this move did cost Garou a number of fleshy feathers.
Freed from Monster Mask's grasp and beatings, Garou began regrowing his body and exclaimed, "Expanding Darkness Barrier!"
Stepping back from Garou's growing barrier, Shunshi had a joyous smile on his face, as if relieved. However, Shunshi's joy was replaced with curiosity when he saw blinding flashes of light from miles away.
But the moment Shunshi allowed his attention to be swayed, he found a gray flaming foot planted in his jaw as Garou came bursting through his own barrier. And not only had Garou's charbroiled body fully healed, but his six wings had all taken on the same crimson hue of his hair and horns.
"Keep your eyes on the prize, Monster Mask! We're just getting started!"
Raising a hand to Garou as he snapped his dislocated jaw back in place, Shunshi replied hastily, "Guh-! Hold on a second. I think the other Heroes are-." Before he could finish, Shunshi was pummeled with a barrage of blows from the Exploding Heart style. Despite his entire body being swept over with deadly vibrations, Shunshi was able to stop them again before too many of his muscles could tear up.
As his body knitted its muscles back together, Shunshi spat out some blood and exclaimed, "Just give me a second to get an idea of what's going on!"
"Like Hell I will!" Garou exclaimed as he rushed Shunshi with an easy-to-follow hook punch.
What the...? What is he doing? That attack's too sloppy to even be used to lure me into a trap. Shunshi pondered as he positioned himself to counter the attack. However, Shunshi completely lost his focus when he heard pained yelps that sounded like Genos, Bomb, and Tornado. As such, the A-Class Hero took the Human Monster's blow across his face while Garou looked on with disgust and horror.
"What are you doing?! This is the final battle between the big Hero and the Ultimate Evil! Get your head in the game, Monster Mask!" Garou yelled furiously, yet with a hint of agony.
On one knee, Shunshi gave no response as blood leaked from his mouth and his gaze was focused on the ground. And Shunshi still failed to reply as he suddenly started dashing away on all fours.
Watching Shunshi flee like an animal, Garou thought, Is he...? Are those Watchdog Man's moves? Is he copying my copy of them?!
Ignoring his own contemplations, Garou gnashed his teeth and exclaimed, "Get back here!" He then fully extended his wings and flew in pursuit.
Noticing Garou giving chase, Shunshi began propelling his movements with blast stepping. This gave the illusion that he was running through the air on all fours, a road of fire materializing beneath him with each strut.
All around Genos, Bomb, and Tatsumaki, a hoard of the Black Sperms had erupted from the Earth.
"If we eat these guys, we can greatly replenish our cell stock!" "I doubt the cyborg's gonna be good for much there." "But killing him will still be hella fun!"
As the monsters talked and closed in on the wounded Heroes, Tornado did her best to climb back to her feet even as blood gushed from her wounds. Before she could do anything, though, one of the Black Sperms rushed her and socked her across the face with a fist the size of its own body.
"Take a seat for dinner!" The Black Sperm mocked as Tornado let out a cry of pain, her psychic barrier almost completely gone.
Suddenly springing to life, Bomb pushed himself off the ground and roundhouse kicked the head off that Black Sperm. He neglected the use of his standard attacks as the muscles in his arms had been shredded.
"You... scum!" Bomb rasped out as he used up the last of his strength.
Just then, another Black Sperm split into three of itself and charged Bomb, the trio striking him with a train of attacks as they exclaimed, "Hey! There were ten of me in there!"
And while Bomb fell beside Tornado, the Black Sperm trio was suddenly blown apart by Genos' limbless body crashing through them as he was propelled by his rockets. Using his momentum to land on and cover Tornado and Bomb, Genos' yellow eyes glared at the Black Sperms closing in on them.
"And that's another three! Dammit...!" The Black Sperms cried out before all sneering. "Now you just have to take out the other four hundred forty-nine billion one hundred million seven hundred twelve thousand and five hundred fifty-four of the mes remaining here!"
However, before the Black Sperms could begin laying into the Heroes they had at their mercy, a streak of white light came crashing into the monsters, burning a hole through the inhuman crowd.
"What the fuck?! What's-?!" Some Black Sperms began exclaiming before being washed away in a stream of explosions and Burn Whips. Within seconds, Shunshi was about to take out half of this contingent of Black Sperms.
Simultaneously, the other half of the Black Sperms exclaimed, "Who the fuck is that?!" "Isn't that the guy who was fighting Golden Sperm?" "Come on! While he's not looking, let's dogpile him!" "No, you idiot! If you touch him, you explode!" "Seriously?! What the Hell are we supposed to-?!"
Before they could come to a conclusion, the other half of Black Sperms were suddenly sucked into the blender of gray, burning attacks from the Hero Hunter.
Finally, in a whirlwind of white and gray flames, within eighteen seconds, nearly all the Black Sperms that had come to eat the injured Heroes had been bashed, burned, and blown apart. Only a handful of the lucky ones on the edge of the massacre managed to slink back to the main hoard.
Once the flames had died down, Genos looked up and saw Shunshi and Garou staring at each other. The Hero Hunter's eyes then drifted toward the injured Heros.
"You really can't keep focused because of these assholes?" Garou asked as he glanced at Genos, Tatsumaki, and Bomb. And as his stare turned into a glare, his wings began to flex, half of them pointed at the three.
Atomic Samurai was on one knee while Silver Fang fought Golden Sperm, Blizzard and Iaian deflected Homeless Emperor's barrage, and Metal Bat, Amahare, and Spring Mustachio kept the Black Sperms distracted. As his remaining allies fought for their lives, Atomic kept his grip on the Sun Blade's hilt and was waiting for the sword to allow him to draw it.
As Atomic Samurai was able to pull it up by a fraction of an inch, sunlight shined from the head of the sun blade's sheath, prompting the Hero to think, Nichirin told me this sword is telepathic. Alive even. It gauges its wielders to decide if they're worthy. If I'm not, then unsheathing it will be impossible... I hadn't believed him when he told me about this. But holding it in my hands, I understand now. It's searching for something within me... Answer me, Sun Blade. What sort of blade are you? What sort of vessel will you lend power to?
In that moment, Atomic's mind raced with thoughts of the martial arts master he considered a rival. If Bang's mentality could be seen as a flowing water stream, then the state of mind Atomic had reached was a reflective surface of a perfectly calm lake. Dispelling even the most violent sounds of battle around him, Atomic reached the unparalleled level of concentration all masters of any art strived for. Then, slipping from its sheath, the Sun Blade gave its answer.
While Atomic pulled out the legendary blade, Homeless Emperor moaned as it failed to make any meaningful headway through, Blizzard and Iaian's defense, "This is getting frustrating. If I can't even eliminate you two worms, how am I supposed to wipe out Humanity? Time to end this." And with that proclamation, Homeless Emperor formed an orb twice the size of what it used to kill Child Emperor and hurled it at the best A and B-Class had to offer.
Simultaneously, with eyes glowing like the sun, Atomic Dashed across the battlefield. In a flash, he split Homeless Emperor's sphere in two with the Sun Blade, the sword itself shining with blinding rays that were spreading down the Samurai's arm.
"Atomic Samurai!?" Homeless Emperor proclaimed in shock as it tried to raise another volley to pelt the incoming Hero with. However, Atomic was moving far too fast, his blade coming down on the bum monster as the orbs formed.
Hearing its ally cry out while it tried to land an earthshaking blow against a dodging Bang, Golden Sperm glanced over and saw Atomic Samurai bringing his blade down on the homeless Cadre.
Dashing off as Silver Fang lept away from it, Golden Sperm just managed to move fast enough to get between the Hero and Cadre, blocking the Sun Blade with its good arm's forearm. The Cadre didn't truly care for Homeless Emperor's life but knew that it needed as many allies as possible still standing so long as the Hero Association was still running around.
While Homeless Emperor fell over from the kinetic force, Golden Sperm pushed against Atomic Samurai and remarked, "Is he monsterized...? Maybe not. The sword seems more likely a reason." And as the Sun Blade started piercing the Cadre's skin, Golden Sperm readied an elbow, stating, "I'll just break it and- What the Hell?!"
When Golden Sperm attempted to strike the Sun Blade, the Sun Blade instead took on the consistency of a snake and move with the monster's elbow. Just then, the snaking blade wrapped around the monster's forearm, cleaving Golden Sperm's remaining hand off. Atomic then jumped back from the Cadre.
"Ah! My twelve billion cell hand! I already lost the other one!" Golden Sperm shouted.
Dashing to Iaian and Blizzard's side, Atomic slid across the debris-strewn ground as he sheathed the Sun Blade. And as the legendary sword returned to its sheath, the sheath itself ballooned with power before deflating to its normal shape.
The moment after the Sun Blade was returned to its home, the light vanished from Atomic Samurai's eyes, and he suddenly vomited blood.
As Atomic Samurai fell to a knee in pain and exhaustion, Iaian ran to his side, crying, "Master!"
Shaking to his bones, Atomic thought, The sword assimilated me...? Tch. It drained me of all my strength too.
Getting up and wiping its face off, Homeless Emperor remarked, "Short-lived power, eh? Nothing like the blessings of God!"
Utterly infuriated, Golden Sperm readied its elbows and exclaimed, "The price you must pay is immeasurable, Samurai!"
And as the monsters blustered, Iaian reached his teacher, the S-Class immediately telling him, "Iaian... You and Blizzard need to run..."
Before Iaian could respond, gouts of water began erupting from the Earth.
"No way! Darkshine took out every trace of it!" Iaian cried as he readied his sword, psychic energy still bolstering him as Blizzard flew up beside him.
"Is it safe to assume this isn't good?" she added.
Looking up at the congealing torrent of liquid as eyeballs formed within it, Golden Sperm remarked, "Still alive, eh, Evil Natural Water?"
Just then, as it seemed Golden Sperm was about to turn and address the Heroes before it, Silver Fang came flashing back into the battlefield.
"Fist Of Flowing Water Crushing Rock, Harpoon!"
Crashing into Golden Sperm's face with a drop kick, the Abandonment boosted Bang sent the Cadre skidding back. Without any hands, the Cadre was at a disadvantage on its defense, taking the full brunt of the master martial artist's attack, sustaining a bruise to its face.
"Apologies, young Iaian and Miss Fubuki. The shiny one slipped away from me and, in turn, I slipped and fell on loose debris when I tried to give chase."
Infuriated as a trickle of blood came from its nose, Golden Sperm turned its face to the sky and shouted at the top of its lungs, "ALL OF MES! ASSEMBLE NOW AND MERGE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
Seeming almost hysteric, Homeless Emperor launched several more orbs at Silver Fang as it cried, "Die! All of you fleas, die!"
Silver Fang was ready to dodge the projectiles headed for him, however, he suddenly found himself frozen in place. His eyes darting, Bang eventually saw the immobile Psykos reaching her hand out to him with a sinister grin, her psychic energy holding him down.
Flabbergasted, Bang stated, "Wait a second-!"
Unable to defend himself, Bang was pelted by several of Homeless Emperor's explosive orbs. But once the smoke cleared, Homeless Emperor was shocked when it saw that Bang was still alive. He had been heavily scorched and was bleeding profusely, but he was still in one relative piece.
"I said die!" Homeless Emperor yelled, launching dozens more attacks at the elder Hero.
Dashing to Silver Fang's side, Iaian slashed and managed to deflect all of its orbs while shouting, "No! You're the ones who're dying here today!"
Reacting to the violence as Homeless Emperor grew frustrated at the A-Class Sworsman's bravery, Evil Natural Water joined in and launched several water jets at all the Heroes before it.
Acting in tandem with Iaian, Blizzard unleashed a wave of raw physic might at Evil Natural Water. Roaring at the top of her lungs, Blizzard managed to kill the momentum of Evil Natural Water's attacks, only prompting further strikes from the seemingly mindless creature, resulting in a gentle but muddy rain falling on the Heroes.
And as all the Black Sperms began conglomerating around Golden Sperm, Blizzard thought, We just need to keep them at bay a little longer. If Saitama or Shunshi can get here in time, we should be able to turn the tide... Huh?
Just as Blizzard concluded her thoughts, having reduced Evil Natural Water to half its size, she felt the fire that had been burning inside her go out instantly. The blue glow her skin and eyes had obtained went out, and the mountain of psychic power erupting inside her vanished without a trace. With the power gone Blizzard immediately felt a tidal wave of exhaustion as she crashed to her knees, her face colliding with the ground.
It's gone...?! The power was only temporary...?! Blizzard thought, unable to lift her head as she rasped for breath.
In turn, Iaian lost the psychic boost that Blizzard had been giving his muscles. As such, he faltered in his next sword swing, breaking his blade and taking an orb from Homeless Emperor, blasting his armor's chest open, knocking him out, and sending him flying back.
At first surprised by the suddenness of the turned tides, Homeless Emperor shifted to a smile as it cheered, "Ha! And that's the last of the ones here! Now we just need to finish them off and take out any stragglers!"
Cockily, one of the Black Sperms nudged Golden Sperm's leg and remarked, "What was that about needing to merge, Handless Joe? Looks like everything is handled!"
With a nudge from Golden Sperm's shin, that one Black Sperm splattered and got absorbed, with Golden Sperms snapping at the rest, "Don't any of you be stupid! Monster Mask could still be out here somewhere, and numbers have no effect on the guy! We still need to merge!"
Picking his head up slightly, Bang listened to what Golden Sperm was yelling, and muttered to himself, "Merge? Does that mean that thing can get even stronger?"
Just then, as the monsters were about to make their next play, an overwhelmingly loud pounding noise was heard. The sound radiated raw, overwhelming power. And for subconscious reasons, the rhythmic drumming filled the Humans with hope and the monsters with dread.
Desperately, all combatants searched for the source of the noise, and they found it simultaneously. There, standing atop a mountain of debris, the world's strongest Hero, King, was standing confidently. His face was utterly stoic and arms crossed dominantly as the King Engine roared with might.
"The sound, it's... KING!" All the Heroes who could see him exclaimed in unison.
"Tch... I heard that he destroyed Elder Centipede with a single attack. As if we weren't having enough trouble," a Black Sperm remarked as Golden Sperm began to visibly sweat.
Rushing toward the battle, Metal Bat shouted, "Where the Hell did all those little creeps run off t- King?!"
Alongside Metal Bat, Amahare and Spring Mustachio came running in as well. But unlike the teenage S-Class and his endless fighting spirit, the two older men were visibly exhausted. Evidently, fighting an endless hoard as their own numbers continued to dwindle had taken its toll on the swordsmen's stamina.
Noticing the Black Sperms gathered with the other monsters, Metal Bat spit into his palms and tightened his grip on his namesake, stating, "Still got more skulls to cave in." However, as he took a step, an expression of realization slapped onto Metal Bat's face and stopped him cold.
"What's wrong?" Amahare asked.
Relaxing slightly against a rock, Metal Bat remarked confidently, "If King's ready to fight, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. It's better if we stay back to keep those black swarm things from escaping."
"Man, that asshole just watching us is pissing me off. Get ready to get pummeled, world's strongest Human!" Another Black Sperm shouted.
Addressing its lesser selves, Golden Sperm said, "Stop! Are you even listening to yourself?! We need to be cautious! This is an opponent even more dangerous than Tornado Of Terror at full power or Monster Mask's new form. If we want to ensure our victory, we all need to do this together."
And with Golden Sperm's declaration, it and the other living Cadres began to rouse.
While the monsters gathered to face off with King, the legendary Hero looked at the ground beneath him and letting out a sigh as he thought, Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT! The Hell am I doing!? Even if everyone here is in danger, what do I think can do to save them?!
"Did he just laugh at us?! Just because he's a bit stronger he thinks he can look down on us?!" A Black Sperm yelled.
Huh?! I'm not looking down at you, dumbass! What do I need to do to get you to leave me alone?! These guys are for real! They're so strong that my title alone won't scare them off! It's over for me...! If only Saitama-bro was here. Now that I think about it, where the Hell did Saitama go?! I'll even take Shunshi or Genos!
Suddenly, a muscular arm erupted from the Earth behind King, and a voice called out, "Ah, King!"
Turning around with a brilliant smile, King thought, Saitama!?
Getting a good look at his reinforcements, King saw Puri-Puri Prisoner with Child Emperor on his back as the larger man moved a boulder.
"King is here! Hooray! We can win this!" Child Emperor cheered.
His smile turning into a small frown, King began sweating heavily and his King Engine dialed up another notch as he thought, Can't I catch a break...? I'm gonna die...
For most monsters, the King Engine was a sound that guaranteed their death, a sign to abandon their hopes. However, for the Dragon-Level Cadres, who have absolute faith in their power, all it did was give them a shot of adrenaline for the fight to come.
Suddenly, a cracking and crunching noise rang out as Psykos climbed back to her feet and used psychic energy to straighten her spine out.
While Psykos let out agonized breaths and glared at King, Homeless Emperor remarked, "Huh. You just refuse to die, eh?"
Ignoring the Cadre who abandoned her, Psykos asked the group, "Gah... What are... fuu... we waiting for here?"
"For King to make the first move..." Golden Sperm answered while keeping its eyes on the strongest Hero.
"Yo!" A Black Sperm called out to Psykos. "You seemed to know everything about the Heroes as Gyoro Gyoro. How does King fight?"
Straightening her posture out fully, Psykos answered, "I have no idea."
"What? How come?!"
"All his fights end so quickly, I've never had time to send out a probe to observe him, and he seems to be a master of manipulating information," Psykos admitted through gritted and bloodied teeth.
Raising a finger to form a slowly growing orb, Homeless Emperor remarked, "He's regarded as the world's strongest man for a reason. Even with our hostages, we shouldn't assume we have an advantage. We may be strong, but we shouldn't let our guard down."
"Keh. Who's this we?" "Don't lump us all together." The Black Sperms remarked.
Wrapping those two Black Sperm in its arms and slightly crushing them, Golden Sperm whispered, "Speaking of lumping together... We're going to get to merging while the other Cadres attack King."
Ignoring the Sperms, Homeless Emperor expanded its orb to the size of an average two-story building, "Alright. I'll test things out first."
His face remaining stoic, King asked, "Eh? Test? Test what?"
"King, how someone like you would avoid one of my attacks, of course," the bum Cadre answered.
"I see...," King replied. "And what would happen if that light thing touched me?"
"Normally, you'd be vaporized," Homeless Emperor answered.
"Ah. Okay."
Extending its finger, Homeless Emperor stated, "I think I'll start by blasting that smug look off your face."
Raising his brow, King exclaimed, "Wait! Haven't you noticed yet?!"
Stopping its orb's momentum, Homeless Emperor asked, "Haven't you noticed yet? Noticed what exactly?"
Furrowing his brow, King stated, "Look under your feet..."
Quickly looking down with fear, Homeless Emperor noticed how the ground beneath it was uneven, and how wobbly its stance was. At that moment, Homeless Emperor froze.
"That place where you're standing... all those little chunks of rubble are pretty unstable. It's dangerous. It looked like you hadn't noticed, so I figured I should tell you," King explained calmly.
Utterly confused and frightened, Homeless Emperor pondered, Huh...? He's just telling me to watch where I'm standing...? No. I have to read between the lines... "I can dodge your light spheres and be on you in an instant. Do you think you can escape my attacks while standing on that?" That's definitely what he's saying. That was close... if I hadn't read between the lines and hesitated my attack, he would've struck through some small opening and killed me in an instant!
In that instant, Homeless Emperor's view of King changed, from seeing him as a powerful Hero, to instead as an unstoppable colossal bearing down on the Cadres.
This man... He has his keen receptors wired into this whole battlefield!
Taking a breath, Homeless Emperor smiled despite its nervous sweat and said, "Heh... You've given me a glimpse. You seem to think you've hidden your hand well... But I'll show everyone the true you, King!"
Sweating slightly King thought, Whoa?! My true self...?! Does he know?! I know I'm just a normal person! I'm sorry for getting involved! I'll just leave, alright?!
His brow furrowing and eyes nearly going bloodshot as the King Engine picked up its pace, King smiled and said, "Heh. Just a regular Human..."
Completely horrified, Homeless Emperor took a step back and thought, This guy...!? He knows my secret... Without my blessings from God, I'm just on par with an average Human...! Shit, where did I slip up?! Th- this is bad. If the other Cadres figure it out too, I'm in deep trouble.
Glancing back at the Black Sperms, Homeless Emperor expected to see them staring at it inquisitively. Instead, though, the entire hoard was jumping into one massive pile.
As Homeless Emperor looked at the baffling sight, Psykos shouted at the Cadres, "What are you two doing?! I told you, just team up and you can beat anyone! Even King!"
While she yelled at her pseudo-allies, Psykos glanced at Evil Natural Water, noticing that it hadn't moved against King, and wondered, What's going on? Evil Natural Water responds to any thoughts of hostility directed toward it... Has King completely hidden his hostile intentions? Or are we so beneath him that he doesn't even see us as a threat...? Don't start panicking now, Psykos. Defeating King was always going to be the biggest hurdle to come across. But if I can find a way to defeat him now, then nothing else will stand in our way.
"Fine! I'll make the first move, then!" Psykos shouted as she psychically lifted a boulder, a feat that her exhausted and brutalized state agonized with.
And as her nose bled, a horrific realization hit Psykos, Fuck! I don't even think I have the energy to throw this damn rock! Just lifting it feels like it's killing me!
Hurridly spinning around to stare at King as Psykos readied herself, Homeless Emperor struggled to balance its destructive sphere and was about to speak, but couldn't get a word out before the ground beneath it busted open. Bursting from the eruption of rubble, Zombieman grabbed Homeless Emperor by its throat and slammed the Cadre to the floor of debris.
"Zombieman?! You're still alive?!" The Homeless Emperor cried out as it foamed from its mouth.
Crouching above the pinned Cadre, a very naked Zombieman violently choked out Homeless Emperor and stated, "Yeah, but I thought I was really gonna die that time. I was even flying up to Heaven. But then I remembered I don't have wings and fell back down to Earth. I guess dying is just too hard for me."
Jumping off Puri-Puri Prisoner's shoulder, Child Emperor exclaimed, "Mr. Zombieman! You're okay!"
Waving with his free hand, Zombieman smiled at the child S-Class and said, "Hey, Child Emperor. You alright?"
Feeling Homeless Emperor struggle in his grip, Zombieman glared at and told the monster, "Sorry, but no way I'm letting you go. And just try hitting me with those lights of yours now that you're in the-. Huh?" Before the S-Class could finish talking, he noticed a flash of light come from the gathered monsters.
In a unified cry, the voice of Black Sperm called out, "Behold! The glorious fruit of the fifty-four trillion cell merger!"
Fifty-four trillion?! What's with that huge number!? What's that thing talking about?! King panicked internally.
While the remaining S-Class watched this explosion of light, King and the others noticed as ladybugs landed on their faces, only for the insects to let out a radio-filtered voice, "This is Child Emperor. Listen, everyone. My blood sugar is low, so I can't repeat myself. Prisoner is heading in to pull the injured Heroes away from the monsters. The rest of us only need to make sure the monsters stay in the fifteen-foot diameter line that they're in now. We need to make sure they stay in front of Mr. King for his special move."
His jaw unhinging, King wondered, What is he talking about?
"King will enter Super Sparking King Mode, or SSK. Then he'll utilize his limited-time secret killer move, the Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Canon. With that, no matter how hard a monster is to kill, they'll all be annihilated at once! It's a miracle such a perfect plan has aligned for us when my reasoning is diminished."
Stoically staring into the flash of light, King pondered, I see... Blood sugar levels really are important.
While the Heroes formulated their attack strategy, Psykos stared at the struggling Homeless Emperor and thought, Should I help him...? It's not like there's anything I can do! Just holding this boulder up is exhausting me. But I can't drop it. If I showed any weakness, I'd lose whatever respect I might still have with the Cadres... What about the Sperms? Are they done with whatever that is yet?!
As a solid form began to coalesce inside the light, Child Emperor was observing it when he heard Puri-Puri's voice from his wristwatch, "With my Angel Crawl, I sped through sneakily and grabbed all our allies! We're out of the blast zone, little Child Emperor!"
Reacting immediately, Child Emperor yelled into his watch, "Mr. King! Now's your chance!"
For what?! King screamed internally.
In a flash of movent, Golden Sperm's body had dashed out of the vanishing light. The monster had lost a foot of its height, and its muscles had streamlined from bodybuilder's to that of a professional martial artist's. Its golden skin had turned into an illustrious platinum, and its antenna had grown to dozens of feet with a whip-like consistency. Finally, as the newly born Platinum Sperm struck a crouching stance, it used its regrown hands, placing one on its chest and extending the other to the sky.
As he kept Homeless Emperor pinned down, Zombieman remarked, "Some kind of new form? Why waste your efforts? You're up against King now."
Despite sweating anxiously, Homeless Emperor remarked, "You say that, but King seems to be waiting and watching... Heh. An individual Black Sperm is a match for an A-Class Hero. The power of all fifty-four trillion fused together is unimaginable. Not as powerful as me, though. You should let me go now, Zombieman. I might even grant you the mercy of an instant vaporization."
Unimpressed, Zombieman stated, "Shut up. You want me to kill you right away? Once King mops up the rest, I plan on squeezing all the information out of you about your powers. If your story about them coming from some higher power is true, then I need to confirm that."
Cocking an eyebrow, Homeless Emperor asked, "You want to know... about God?"
A bit surprised to hear this, Psykos thought, That look on his face... Is Homeless Emperor really going to tell that Hero the truth about God? Well... hehe. It might frighten Zombieman into suicide if he did.
Suddenly, Homeless Emperor froze up as he stared past Zombieman and at the moon. The Cadres' eyes bulged with terror, its sweating intensified, and it gnashed its horrible yellow unaligned teeth.
"Gu...! God...!" These were the last words Homeless Emperor spoke. Suddenly, the Cadre's body began to react as if being burned from the inside out. Intense steam and flames erupted from its eyes and mouth, as its skin took on a burnt, jerky-like appearance. Finally, the dead Cadre's corpse turned to ash in Zombieman's grasp.
"What?! Hey...! God...? Did you say God?!" Zombieman exclaimed, desperate for a response. Standing up, Zombieman stared at the scattering remains and asked himself, "Is this... really the work of a God?"
Before Zombieman could ponder this further, he was suddenly struck by the boulder Psykos had been levitating, crushing half his body and burying him in the debris landscape again.
Running as fast as she could while blood poured from her nose and eyes, Psykos thought aloud, "I feel like I burst a blood vessel in my brain, but I can't let him ask me about God too! No way I'm letting that happen to me!"
At the same time, as Puri-Puri Prisoner set the injured down behind the world's strongest Hero, everyone else observed King, and they all felt their hearts skip a beat as King unfolded his crossed arms.
"Mr. King just unfolded his arms! He must be ready now!" Child Emperor screamed with overwhelming fanaticism.
Staring directly at Platinum Sperm and Evil Natural Water with unmatched intensity as the King Engine boomed, King thought, Is it doable? Can I do this...!? Will it even work if I prostrate myself in front of these guys, will they let me live?
Overcome with their admiration and the hope they placed in the man, the other conscious Heroes began cheering together, "Come on!" "You've got this!" "King! King! King! King! King!"
Shifting his eyes at the Heroes behind him, King yelled at them in his mind, What are they doing chanting my name like that?! Do they want to get me killed!?
However, at that moment, all the chanting Heroes were struck down by a blur of platinum, excluding Child Emperor, who was mostly shielded by Puri-Puri Prisoner at the last instant.
Appearing as if it hadn't left its spot, Platinum Sperm put its hands on its hips and stated, "Your followers shall be quiet. I am aware, King, that you just wish for nothing more than to have a one-on-one battle against my perfectly flawless fifty-four trillion cell form. Well then, unleash your Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Canon! And in that same instance, I shall take your head with a perfect chop from my antenna!"
Gotta get on my knees. That's all I can do... Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Canon. What a load of crap! That's just something my fans made up online! I'm just a normal loser pretending to be strong! Please don't kill me! King thought as sweat poured down his face and the King Engine reached its pinnacle.
Extending his arms, desperate to save himself and all those who were depending on him, King shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ul- Ult- Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Canon!"
Just then, in an instant, an eruption of white and gray flames went off in front of King, splattering Evil Natural Water once more and sending Platinum Sperm flying. Falling on his butt in shock, King was utterly floored by what he'd just done and began examining his hands.
Nearby, Metal Bat watched events unfold alongside Spring Mustachio and Amahare.
Smiling with relief, Metal Bat clenched his fist and told the two beside him, "King... He did it!"
Just then, coming to a screeching halt as if they'd been running, Garou and Shunshi appeared between Metal Bat's entourage and King.
"That hair...? The Hero Hunter...?! And who's that with him...?" Metal Bat whispered to himself
Cracking his neck, Garou exclaimed, "There. The monsters are dead, and all the other Heroes are down for the count. Now, can you focus on ending this proper...?! Old man?"
Looking at where the Hero Hunter's eyes had drifted, Monster Mask saw Silver Fang laying next to Iaian, Blizzard, and Atomic Samurai.
"Silver Fang-Sensei! Fubuki...! Everyone!" Shunshi muttered in despair.
At that moment, just a few dozen feet from the inhumanly powerful martial artists, an orb of pure darkness that warped the space around it appeared from thin air. And falling out of the ball was three figures. The S-Class Hero, Flashy Flash, a potato-shaped monster with two small horns and a single large eye, and the B-Class Hero, the Caped Baldy.
Rubbing his head as he and the other two stood up, Saitama remarked, "Oh. We got out."
Seeing his Master appear before him, as if a gift from God, Shunshi couldn't stop himself from smiling and thinking, Master...! Heh... Sorry, Garou. We can finish our grudge match, but this battle's been decided regardless of which of us wins there.
