Lightning Max was not a person to be considered weak, he was a Class A hero after all, but he also knew his limits, and he knew that he could do nothing against the creature in front of him. He knew this the moment he tried to do his preliminary research before jumping into action.

In the first few minutes since it had appeared with an explosion, the monster had destroyed part of the city with a barrage of destructive energy balls. But even though he knew he couldn't win, he could buy time, hopefully people would flee and some S-class hero would show up to solve the problem. Maybe he wouldn't be alive by then, but that was the job of a hero.

With that in mind, he made sure his shoes were at maximum destructive power and charged forward, hoping to catch the threat off guard. From the other side, Smile Man also rushed at the monster with his weapon raised.

The purple monster glared at them with what seemed to be an eternally contemptuous expression.

"Lightning Kick!"

He leapt into the air, twisting his body in an attempt to apply as much force as possible, and managed to deliver the most powerful kick he could remember to date, but just as he was about to connect the kick, his target simply disappeared from sight, and a moment later, Smile Man was knocked out in a crater with debris on top of him. The purple thing standing over him moments later gave Max a sideways glance before waving his hand contemptuously and sending him flying backwards, thanks to the wind generated by that simple movement.

Max felt a stabbing pain in his back moments after opening his eyes, surely thanks to the sharp debris where he had fallen, but he just ignored it and stood up, getting into a fighting stance, ready to jump back into action

"Mankind is stubborn." The monster spoke for the first time since all this destruction began, "That is why Mother Earth sent me to destroy you. You simply refuse to go away." With those words, the monster began walking toward Lightning Max, ready to finish him off once and for all.

'Heh, at least he forgot about Smile Man,' Max thought with a smile.

His breathing was heavy, even though he had not done much, even though he was a hero, apparently the fear of death still weighed on him. But he did not flee, after all, he was no coward.

Without further ado, the monster raised his hand and several energy balls manifested, crackling with destructive energy. Pointing them in Max's direction, the monster stretched out his arm and the destruction flew.

His vision darkened.

However, it was not because he had died or anything like that, when he opened his eyes, he was not in the place where he should be, but rather he was far away from the monster, looking at a man in a gray and black suit as it left him destroyed on the ground.

"Huh? You are different from the others." With these words, the purple monster raised his hand and formed another ball of sizzling energy with surprising speed.

But this time, before he could throw it, a high-pitched sound was heard, and before Max knew it, the newcomer was shooting lasers with his eyes at the monster, causing it to lose control of its energy and explode.

The resulting explosion kicked up a cloud of dust and left a ringing in Max's ear, but he didn't mind because he knew there were only a few people who could have that kind of power.

An S-Class Hero

And this one was fresh in his mind because he had seen it on the news the other day. The newest addition to the Hero Association, "Force".

"Can you still move?" Force's slightly muffled voice snapped Lightning Max out of his thoughts.

"Yes!" With someone so powerful at his side, the weariness he had felt before was replaced by the excitement of being useful.

"Right." Even though the monster was in front of him, somewhere behind the cloud of dust, he glanced over his shoulder. "Get all the wounded out of the area, I'll take care of him."

Before he could answer in the affirmative, Force disappeared from his sight, only to reappear for a second in the sky directly above him with a loud shockwave that split the dust and left a clear view. He looked up as the shockwaves and flashes of both appeared, purple and red energy flashing in the sky from time to time with high pitched and explosive sounds, leaving a trail of smoke that seemed to be the only clue as to how the battle was going.

"I-I can't see anything."

A girl's scream brought Max out of his reverie and he immediately turned his gaze from the battle to the destruction the monster had wrought in just a few minutes. He looked worriedly at the sky again, he didn't know the new hero very well, but he hoped that he would come out of this battle victorious.

With a nervous exhale, he ran to look for survivors.

(***)

"Miss Tatsumaki!"

Tornado of Terror, who was currently eliminating a weak monster with a simple squeeze of her hands, responded in annoyance to the association's call.

"What?! I'm busy!"

"M-Miss Tatsumaki, a dragon level monster is in city A! Force is currently fighting it, your assistance is requested!"

"Force?" Tatsumaki stopped prolonging the battle against her monster and quickly killed it, only to rise up into the sky and stare into the distance.

Force was a familiar name to her, someone who was an exception to the S-class. She was curious, but if he needed reinforcements in his first battle, she couldn't help but think he was unreliable.

"Hmp! I'll go over there, I can't believe the new guy is so useless."

"Thank you Miss Tatsumaki!"

Ignoring the relieved girl's words, he charged towards A-City. How unreliable the heroes could be. Only she, King, and Blast should have been in S-Class.

(***)

Captain Mizuki ran through the destroyed and burning city, skillfully dodging debris and trying to save as many wounded as possible. She could hear various voices of different heroes in the area and could see Lightning Max running and helping civilians get out of the area.

Another boom and a building in the distance collapsed. Then the high-pitched screeching sound of a laser was heard, and the red flash in the sky shot across the city to the building.

There was silence for a few moments before the energy condensed into balls and shot towards the black dot in the air, chasing it like missiles towards an enemy fighter.

Her eyes couldn't follow them for long, but the thunder of the impact echoed after a few seconds and Captain Mizuki couldn't help but swallow and run back to try to evacuate the injured.

As she ran forward, something crashed in front of her, stopping her abruptly.

"Shit, being close to the earth makes it more powerful."

"S-sir! Are you all right?" Although she knew she was not versed in medicinal skills, she could try to help.

However, when the dust flared, she didn't see the injured and battered figure she expected to see, rather, yes he was injured, but they were minor injuries, most of the damage had been sustained by his suit.

"I'm fine, I just need to keep him off the Earth."

With his suit torn in some parts he stood up and rose into the air, she looked at him worried, if he lost...

"Don't worry," the hero began, as if reading her thoughts. "I already won this." He craned his neck and soared into the sky becoming a blur to her sight.

After her disappearance, the shockwave pushed her back.

The rumbling became distant and again the battle resumed, only this time, they seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

(***)

I grabbed Vaccine Man's neck and used my heat vision to burn his eyes before I punched him in the chin, sending him closer to space, just as I wanted.

I realized something while we were fighting close to the ground, Vaccine Man depended heavily on being close to the ground for his strength, when I knocked him to the ground before, I did practically nothing to him, instead when I took him to the sky in an aerial battle, I drew purple blood and his attacks seemed less powerful. Now, I was taking him into space while beating him.

He was already on the defensive most of the time, taking my blows with resignation, as if he knew what I was doing.

I sank my fist into his stomach and the line between heaven and space blurred until I pulled him out into the cold of space. Vaccine Man's movements stopped almost completely, maybe because of the coldness of space, he just stopped as he grunted in annoyance.

"You won this time, but don't rejoice, Mother Earth is all powerful, she will send more like me, rest assured."

I looked at him slightly as he lifted his chin in anticipation of my final blow.

"I will try to make humanity better."

Right after I said that, I struck him with all my might and his body exploded into frozen fragments.

[Dragon level monster defeated! +6% Kryptonian blood]

Sighing, I turned to face the sun. The minor bruises were healing at a visible rate and I couldn't help but stretch out my arms as I received all the comforting light from the sun.

"I thought I was stronger..."

I couldn't help but think that after defeating him. I wasn't weak, but I expected more from the Kryptonian blood, maybe the system gave me a weakened version or something...? That was the only explanation I could come up with.

I looked down and decided it was time to go back. So I quickly descended. With my enhanced vision I looked around the city and some class A and B heroes were helping the victims, the press was down there, while I had an acceptable desire for attention, it became annoying when they kept asking me personal questions. Maybe I should go somewhere to eat…

My alert senses were triggered and I unconsciously turned around with my heat vision ready to fire, the object I sensed slowed as it saw me ready to attack.

The petite green-haired girl hovered in front of me, a bright green aura visible around her and a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I couldn't sense you until you were very close." With those words, I stopped preparing my heat vision and waited for Tatsumaki to say something.

She just snorted and looked me up and down before looking at the destruction below. "So you beat it?" She asked rhetorically as she crossed her arms, her green hair fluttering in the wind.

"Yes?"

"Hmph," she turned and flew back the way she had come. "At least you're not as weak as you look." With those last words, she accelerated and disappeared into the distance like a green rocket.

"She's fast."

But I had a question in my head, she just came to see if I had done my job well or something?...or the association didn't have confidence in my abilities?...that bothered me a little.

"Whatever."

I took one last look at the city below and headed home, but not before I called in my victory. I didn't want King taking credit for his damn luck.

(***)

The TV was playing news of my fight with Vaccine Man, some reporters showing the destruction, others showing fragments of the fight and thanking me for defeating him.

"So he was strong?" Saitama spoke after seeing how the city was left after the attack.

As I lay on his couch eating a French fry, I replied with a yawn. "For me? Yes, for you, I don't think so."

Saitama nodded before I looked at the TV again, seeing me there on the screen while the strongest hero the world had to offer stared apathetically at the screen left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Saitama, why don't you study a little?"

He looked at me confused. "Why?

"To take the hero test, I know you'll pass the physical tests, but there's also a written test."

"Uh... no thanks, I'm not doing this hero thing for fame or anything..."

I looked at him for a moment and shook my head, I knew he wasn't doing this for fame, but I remembered that there was an event in the future that would make him realize that while fame was not a good thing to actively seek, it was necessary for every hero.

I shrugged my shoulders and let fate take its course; when the time came, I would at least help him not to start out as a C-class hero.

(***)

"Force, please autograph!"

I never thought in my life that I would get this kind of celebrity treatment. It wasn't all bad, but I basically had to fly everywhere if I didn't want to be mobbed by some fans.

Maybe I should get a job at a newspaper and wear glasses to go unnoticed?

Anyway, after signing his cap with a chibi version of me, I shook the boy's hair and then gently took off from the ground into the sky. There was something about flying and the freedom that came with it that always appealed to me.

Anyway, I headed back to Z City to patrol. I had noticed that Z City was the place with the highest density of monsters, and there were few heroes who had this city as their main point, so I took it upon myself to take care of it.

As I flew, I shot a few lightning bolts at some of the smaller monsters I came across until something caught my eye.

I descended into a nearby forest and saw the desiccated body of an animal. It seemed to have been drained of all its fluids, leaving only a shell...

I smiled and shot into the sky at full speed.

(***)

I looked around the city for any anomalies, and it wasn't too hard to find that something was wrong, just as I was heading towards the area with a large black cloud passing by, the alert message started to sound.

"Alert, please evacuate, threat level: Demon."

Demon? hmmm, well, I thought it was a dragon or something... anyway, I had to meet Genos, him being a student of Saitama would be quite useful for the future of both of us, I just wanted to change the course of action a bit, after all, a demon level did not appear every day and that helped me a lot with my strength!

Although I had to think of a way for Genos to remain Saitama's disciple after I killed the mosquito girl... hmmm, well, I think I know what to do.

I floated slightly in the air as I watched the mosquito girl... huh, writhing and moaning... why did she have to be so curvy?! this is too much fan service. Anyway, while she was moaning and saying some things, a cyborg guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Incinerate!"

Fire erupted from Genos' hands and charred everything in its path until it hit the mosquito barrier that the mosquito girl had hastily created to defend herself.

Hmm, that attack was powerful, Genos was still not perfect, but he was not weak.

I watched the battle for a while, it was not yet time to enter, Genos had not been defeated yet, so I waited a little longer... Saitama appeared running with an insecticide and I could not help but laugh at Genos' disbelieving face, I waited and watched a little longer until...

"Okay, she transformed, I have to hurry before Saitama kills her."

I immediately swooped down towards the mosquito girl, like a meteorite ready to end this in one fell swoop for greater impact on the scene.

(****)

Genos had let his guard down, he knew it, he should have ended this when he had the chance, now the mosquito monster could barely be detected by his systems, the only real clue he had to know its location was when his systems reported the damage to his body, but Genos knew it was all over.

He had failed everyone, his mission, the Dr.

An alarm went off in his system before a meteorite slammed into the mosquito girl.

He fell to the ground, but could see that the impact had pulverized the monster, leaving a crater.

"Who?" he barely managed to say before his sensors again detected a life form in the crater.

A figure flew out of the crater. His cape fluttered as he looked down at her mangled form from above, his suit stained with the blood of the mosquito girl.

"Oh, Dan, what's up, buddy, nice hit!" The bald man, who was naked for some reason, gave the figure a thumbs up.

Someone he had not been able to defeat was defeated in a single blow...

Before Genos could speak, the person called Dan slowly descended to the ground and knelt in front of the bald and naked guy...!

"Thank you, Saitama-sensei."

"What?"

Although the bald guy looked confused, Genos scanned the bald guy again, he didn't look particularly strong, but if this guy was his disciple...

He made a desperate plea to the bald guy, no, his future mentor. "Please accept me as your student as well."

"Uh, sure," the guy said absently before turning to his other student, "but Dan, what the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing," he stood up immediately and walked over to the fallen and mangled figure of Genos.

"Don't get careless next time, one mistake and it's the end, okay?"

"YES! Dan-senpai!"

Dan froze for a moment before laughing. "We live in that building over there," he pointed, and Genos jotted down the address in his head.

"I'll be there, Dan-senpai!"

With the sound of his laughter, Dan soared up and disappeared into the sky...

"Dan was acting weird... Anyway, see you. "The bald man spoke again before he left.

As Genos watched them leave, he sent a signal for the drones to pick him up and take him to Dr. Kuseno's laboratory.

(***)

A few days after the meeting with Genos, Saitama and I decided to go out to eat in a restaurant. It was strange how no one seemed to recognize me, even though I hadn't tried to hide or anything.

Well, that worked in my favor. I took a bite of my burger while Saitama ate fries.

"So, how long has it been since you felt the thrill of a fight?"

I continued the conversation with Saitama, he was apathetic as usual, but a hint of sadness showed when I mentioned that topic.

"I don't know... a year? I don't really remember."

"Hmm."

"And it really doesn't help to be so strong, you know? Nothing in the world has changed, so it doesn't really matter."

I knew that this topic was a rather sad one for Saitama, so I let him talk his way out of it.

He sighed as he looked down at his half-eaten fried potato. "Crime hasn't gone down, nor have the monsters disappeared...so is there really any use for this power?"

I looked at him deeply. Even if I didn't know it, he had changed the world in many ways, not to mention saving it many times over. If Saitama had not been here, this world would have been wiped out sooner or later. For example, I don't think anyone would have been able to defeat Boros.

Maybe only Blast, but I didn't know anything about him, so my estimates were quite wrong. Boros was above Tatsumaki's level. Without Saitama, the world would have ended.

"If you've made a difference, Saitama, you've saved lives, isn't that what counts?"

"Well, you're right..."

As Saitama continued to eat, I noticed something at the edge of my vision. I couldn't help but laugh and when Saitama saw me with a strange look on my face, I just shook my head.

Genos had been watching us since yesterday and it was really funny how he took everything so seriously.

From following me as I flew around carrying Saitama, to going through our garbage and storing different types of food in a kind of capsule, he was on the other side of the street watching us in great detail, as if everything was an absolutely necessary clue to his investigation.

This time he was on the other side of the street, watching us in great detail, as if everything was an absolutely necessary clue to his investigation.

After we finished, we walked to another place, but I kept my attention on the restaurant.

Genos came in quickly and approached our table, when the waitress was about to remove the plates, he stepped in and took a chewed Saitama potato chip and put it into a zilpoc with great care, from my side he took my glass and put it away, then took out his phone and made a call.

I sharpened my hearing to hear what he said.

"Dr. Kuseno, yes, yes, I need more tests, I think I found out their secret this time. "He paused. "I'll be right there, thank you."

I couldn't help laughing at the way he was acting.

"What are you doing?"

"Ouch, shit!" I covered my ears, Saitama had spoken too close to me, and with my enhanced perception, it had hurt a lot. It even left me with a resonating beep and everything.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just my ear hurts a little."

"That's weird, you should go to the doctor, I think it's from a new virus or something..." Saitama took a few steps away from me.

I coughed falsely, "I think that's it... I heard it's very contagious and deadly..."

Saitama moved further away.

I smiled sinisterly.

"No."Saitama knew what I was going to do.

I coughed and tried to catch up with him, he sped away, I accelerated to my top speed and the world slowed down and Saitama sped away anyway, not even seeming surprised by my speed. That bald guy was really fast.

Coughing exaggeratedly, I chased Saitama through the city.