AN: Hello guys! Welcome back! It feels so great doing an author's note again! I honestly never thought I'd return to this, but here I am, and it feels great! Once again, I am beyond thankful to everyone who has kept this story and I in mind. I am truly humbled by the support, honestly.
For those who took the time to go and follow me on Wattpad, I thank you for your patience! I promised a chapter before the end of March which didn't end up happening, and then I gave myself a two week time frame which again I ended up missing. I actually have a reasonable excuse aside from laziness this time lol! I was actually in my first car accident about a week and a half ago. Nothing too serious, both I and the other driver were fine aside from a few bumps and bruises. Both cars were totaled though, and it was my fault, unfortunately. But, I am slowly getting over it and getting back on track. So, again, thank you for your patience! I hope this extra-long chapter can make up for it!
As for the chapter you're about to read, I have taken the time to catch up on the manga, so if you're an anime-only fan... I don't know haha, maybe don't read to avoid spoilers! If you've also caught up with the manga then you should notice a few encounters you're about to read about. I tried staying a little close to the actual arc, but there are a lot of changes.
A big difference you will notice is that I have omitted a few of the filler storylines/battles. This story is centric to Tatsumaki and Saitama, so if the battle doesn't involve them (either directly or indirectly) it may only be mentioned or hinted at, something I've been doing the whole story, so hopefully, you're already used to that.
And lastly, as for the rest of this story, I will only be piggybacking off the canon storyline up until the end of the Monster Organization arc. Everything after will be completely self-scripted. This means new original heroes, new original villains, and new original arcs! Of course, I will try my best to tie everything together though, to make the story flow well together. I don't know how long it will be, but I'm shooting for anywhere between 25 to 30 chapters. It could be longer depending on what the canon story has to offer, or it could be shorter if I find a comfortable ending point. And as far as future uploads go, I honestly don't have a time frame. I have returned to work, and there is quite a bit going on in my personal life, but I am trying to become more consistent with my writing. My goal is to write something every day. If all goes well there could be a new chapter every two weeks. Not to pressure you guys or anything, but I really do feed on feedback. Good or bad, doesn't matter. Just please let me know what you think in a review if you have the time.
Due to a majority consensus, the formatting has been fixed!
Now that all of that is out of the way, without further ado, please enjoy the rest of the story! Love you guys!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.
"That IDIOT!" Tatsumaki yelled, confusing the strange little monster she held in her psychic grip right before it combusted with a flick of her wrist. 'Where the hell is he!?'
Her frustration was visible and, alone, deterred many of the creatures that were waiting for a hero to swoop through the tunnel. They hid in whatever nook or cranny they could find and held their breath as she passed. Of course, she was aware, but most of them were ridiculous creatures anyways; canon fodder better left to the weaker heroes. Tatsumaki was on her way to the big dogs. Hopefully towards something that would feed her rage.
The bald idiot couldn't even manage to show up for his first official mission with the S-Class! Every other member was in attendance except for him!
With a wave of her hand, she flattened another monster that clogged the way.
How the hell was this gonna look to the others? Bang and Saitama's little robo-disciple knew enough to still have her back, but the others wouldn't stand for this. Placing herself in their shoes, she could see how it looked already. If things were to get really bad out here there would obviously be questions about why their new recruit is a no-show. Especially after she herself vouched for his entrance.
She wanted to stop Demon Cyborg before they split ways and demand he tell her where he is, but doing so would have only drawn further attention to the fact that Saitama wasn't there. She had hoped no one noticed, but there were a few questioning glances thrown her way from Metal Bat, Atomic Samurai, and the piece-of-shit, snobby, rich boy Amai Mask. How that good-for-nothing weasel always seemed to snake his way into the business of the S-Class was beyond her. If that bald idiot didn't show his face soon, there would be trouble when this is all over.
As far as she was concerned, there was only one option to avoid the hassle. Get in and get the job done as fast as possible. These monster freaks want this to be some big world-changing event, but if she could diminish it, get in and wipe the board on her own, no one would even the missing piece.
"Just make it quick," she muttered, crushing the body of another creature on her way by. There was an incredible presence that seemed to flood every inch of the cavern, and the closer she got, the more potent it felt. Regardless, there was only one thing on her mind. "Just make it quick."
"Achoo!" Saitama sneezed, wiping at his nose with his finger.
The old man reviewing his paperwork stopped his slow gliding finger and peered up at him over the brim of his glasses. "h-what?"
"Huh? I didn't say anything."
"Oh... alright then..." The old man visibly seemed to lose his train of thought for a second before continuing on.
After a moment, a yawn cracked the silence of the room and Saitama wiped a stray tear from his eye as he continued to watch him read. Why he had to read the whole thing was still confusing, but he was already halfway done, so Saitama refrained from asking him anything. God forbid he starts over again. He peeked at the clock above the old man's head to see he was already late by a good thirty minutes. Hopefully, there would still be monsters left by the time he made it. As it stood, all he could do was hope and wait.
With a crash, Genos was thrown through a wall, his momentum only halting when he was halfway through the next. He pulled himself out the hole, his motor still heated and steaming, and his eyes tracking the heat signature of the creature he was locked in battle with. It stalked its way out of the smoke of the debris. A massive canine-like creature, the size of a bus (or two), with six eyes on top of its large head. Its menacing growl traveled through the very ground beneath them, and with every step it took Genos could feel it to his core.
[Overgrown Pochi / Threat Level:Dragon]
The S-Class hero snarled back at the beast and prepared his next attack.
"No, wait, Demon Cyborg!"
From further down the hall he was thrown into, Child Emperor appeared alongside some kind of robotic humanoid k-9 that had a lesser creature pinned to the ground. With a blast from its palm, the creature's head popped like an overfilled water balloon.
"Don't level the place!" the young genius instructed. "We still haven't located the hostage!"
"Understood!" Genos growled, charging back towards the beast with an engine-propelled dropkick. He was successful in jamming his boot into one of its eyes which only enraged it more. With a wild whip of its head, Genos was again tossed into a wall. He watched the monster thrash about and realized its weakness.
It took him a moment to regroup, and before he did, a decapitated monster head rolled passed him followed closely by the casual footsteps of Metal Bat. He strolled along with his bat leaning on his shoulder and his free hand shoved in his pocket, only stopping when he caught sight of the downed cyborg.
"Ah, thought I saw somethin' shiny fly by," he quipped before holding his bat out for him to grab. Genos took hold and pulled himself from the rubble. "This mutt a handful?"
They stood side by side and watched it continuously thrash its head around in pain.
"Its eyes are its weak point," Genos informed him, his body heating up once again, ready for another attack.
The delinquent hero never took his eyes off the target. "Yeah, I figured."
He flipped his bat and bounced the barrel off the back of his hand before grabbing the handle again. With his foot, he popped a piece of rubble up from the ground and stepped into a perfect form swing, rocketing the makeshift baseball towards one of the creature's other eyes. Again they watched it roar.
"So... couldn't help but notice we're missin' one."
Genos immediately deduced who he was talking about. He knew Metal Bat was among the more skeptical members when it came to Master Saitama. Understandably, considering he had never seen him in action. "Master Saitama had another matter to attend. He will arrive soon."
"Heh, you really call that guy Master, huh? Kinda took you for the lone wolf type."
Before Genos could respond, the creature roared loud enough to quake the walls around them. Then came a much deeper tremor as the beast began forming some kind of energy from its mouth. What was once a spark soon turned into an enormous mass of condensed power that tore the ground away on contact.
"Down boy," Metal Bat muttered, swinging his bat with a cool flourish. "Let's see if you can warm me up."
A loud rumble rocked the very foundation of the underground fortress, from the surface to one of the deeper reaches where the head strategist of the monster association lay in wait. A sluggish-looking creature with multiple antenna-like protrusions jutting out of its head and a single eye that seemed to be peaking through the very walls around it.
[Gyoro Gyoro / Threat Level: Dragon]
"Sounds like Pochi found something to play with..." the monster mulled allowed.
"Worried?"
The creature snapped its gaze toward the intruding voice. Tatsumaki came floating down with her arms crossed, oozing with an aura of power and sheer confidence.
"Oh my... You came to me..."
"Yup," she replied, her gaze half-lidded and uninterested. She touched down on the ground and set her hands on her hips. "Now, are you the head honcho around here?"
"Heh..." The creature rose from its seat and hovered closer before dropping to the ground in an obvious attempt to intimidate. "Welcome... to my abode. I've been looking forward to facing you myself... The 'self-proclaimed' strongest telepath in the world... Terrible Tornado!" it spat her name.
Tatsumaki was no more interested than she was a few minutes ago when she was mindlessly wiping the walls with lesser vermin.
"I am Gyoro Gyoro, lead strategist for the association, and the sole creator of the new world. A world ruled by monsters!"
"Uhuh, so you are head honcho."
"Die!" The creature muttered, enraged by her lack of concern. It surrounded itself with a protective barrier and, with no warning, the entirety of the cavern around them collapsed into a ball with Tatsumaki at its core. With its hands held out, the monster continued to condense the ball as much as possible, shaking from the sheer effort. "Rrrrgh... Rrrrrgh!"
(BOOM)
With an aggressive blast, the ball of stone was blown apart with little effort, the Esper at its center completely unharmed and uninterested.
"Is that all you got? Yawn," she chided. With a swift point of her finger, the pieces of falling rubble were sent rocketing toward the slug-like swine. With no resistance, the glowing projectiles ripped directly through the barrier tearing off what she guessed would be its shoulder.
'She... she tore through my barrier!' The creature caught its footing and eyed the little woman down. "Heh... fair enough. I guess I won't hold back either!" The creature began to grow in size with eyes beginning to protrude from everywhere on its slimy skin.
Tatsumaki simply watched and waited for it to be done. She wasn't any more scared than before, but it was gross to look at.
"Mwahaha!" The beast cackled in a very cliche way. "Now, do you see, Tornado!? Look upon me, and tremble before a true psychic! SUPER RAGING WAVES OF GRAVITY! GRAVITY TIMES 300! I'll flatten you!"
Tatsumaki dropped like a stone in a pond until her feet hit the ground. It almost made her laugh. It was the same technique that had subdued her against that octopus freak, only nowhere near as strong. She could still pretty much walk like normal.
"Not bad. Could you do it a little harder though? Been feeling kind of stiff lately."
"RARGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Before it got the chance to deliver another attack, Tatsumaki grew bored of the skirmish altogether. With a flick of her wrist, the creature's body tore itself apart, twisting, tearing, and mangling itself until it was nothing more than a lump of meat on the floor.
With its remains scattered about, the creature still retained some level of consciousness. Its main eye, dislodged and lying in a pool of blood, seemed to track the small Esper as she hovered towards it.
'Sh-... she really is strong! Her sister doesn't compare at ALL! How could I have miscalculated!?'
Tatsumaki touched back down before it and examined her work.
"Enough..." the creature somehow spoke despite it having little to no remains. "You're strong... I get it."
Tatsumaki didn't reply, her gaze shifting around the cave with an irritated expression.
"Are you always so brutal? You've definitely got a mean temper on your hands, Terrible Tornado."
"Shut up," she muttered with no malice. "I don't have time to fight any more of your stupid flesh puppets. I'll just draw out the real you so we can get this over with."
'Oh no! She... she knew! How could she have known!? She's way too strong for me!' The creature watched her hand curl into a claw as she focused her power. 'That's it then... only one option now!'
"LORD OROCHIII!"
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Tatsumaki smirked, "Oh right, I did hear that name. Another henchman?"
"I told you, I am merely the strategist. Monster King Orochi is our leader! Not even I, his creator, can fathom his current power!"
Tatsumaki remained uninterested. "Uhuh, why don't you call him again, I don't think he heard y-"
(boom)
The softest of thuds caught her ears and if the decimated creature before her had any kind of mouth or face, she was sure it would be grinning, right now.
"Thus the final bell tolls!" the creature mocked with a giddy tone. Its words were accented by the growing rumbles that seemed to get faster and louder all at once. "Closer and closer, forever marching toward the light of the surface! In the dark no more..."
Tatsumaki looked beneath her feet and immediately cast a barrier for herself as something massive broke through the very ground she stood on. A cluster of massive dragon heads came bursting up, pushing her and the remains of Gyoro Gyoro through the roof and far beyond that.
Her barrier held up well enough to breach the surface as she was tossed into the air above the abandoned City-Z. She righted herself and examined this creature that pulled itself from the hole it created. It wasn't the biggest creature she had ever seen, by far, but it was a decent size and everything about it screamed danger.
[Monster King Orochi / Threat Level: Dragon]
Tatsumaki huffed more so in irritation at this whole ordeal dragging on further. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Make it quick."
Extending both arms, she tried to grip it with her telekinesis with no effect. Much like a certain baldy, this creature was strong enough to overpower her psychic grasp. Before it could fully emerge from its hole, she utilized her newly learned gravity manipulation to crumble the area around it. The creature's dragon heads flailed about, trying to stay upright before it was devoured by the pit. Simultaneously, there were areas of the crumbling surface that seemed to bubble and boil before bursting like pimples spewing Tatsumaki's orbs of protection. She couldn't be sure who was who exactly, so anything with a beating heart within range of her attack was pulled to the surface. Or as many as she could find, anyways. She was sure the other heroes would find some way to survive.
"Huh?" A spike of pressure flashed through her mind. 'That's Fubuki's power. What the hell is she doing here? I forbade her from coming.'
Fubuki held her barrier up for a moment more, shielding Genos, Metal Bat, Bang, and Bomb from the blast spewed from the mouth of the same canine creature they've been trying to kill. Even with the appearance of the elderly martial arts masters they couldn't deal enough damage. 'This is crazy! How is this monster so strong!?'
"Heh, so you're Tornado's sister," Metal Bat mulled as he stood back to his feet. He looked exhausted and pummeled, yet his intense gaze was still locked on the creature before them through the flickering barrier. "Nice work."
"Thanks," she replied through her labored breaths, "but, I can't do that again."
Fubuki tried to steel her features, but she was more than frightened at this point. This creature seemed to only grow more and more ferocious as time went on. Plus, she is currently in the company of three S-Class heroes. She and all that remained of her group had come at the request of Sekingal for back-up, but after guarding one of the entrances for so long with no action, she decided to come in. Her organization would always be a joke unless they proved themselves useful. What a mistake that was as she stumbled upon this ridiculously high-level battle. 'I should've just stayed where I was...'
"It's attacking!" Genos shouted, crouching down into a stance of his own. The others followed suit, but before any of them could jump into action, they were all surrounded by a familiar green aura. The canine creature roared its ball of energy but could not breach as he had the previous barrier.
"Oh great," Fubuki muttered as they all began their ascent to the surface, tunneling through everything in their path. Fubuki looked down to see that the monster wasn't prepared to let them escape so easily. It clawed and ripped away at the falling debris hot on their heels before it was buried in the rubble. Then, they broke through an area that allowed a good bit of light. That's when she saw it, crumbling through the underground fortress in the opposite direction. The head of a dragon snapped its jaws at her before the weight of its massive falling body snatched it away. A monster unlike any she had ever seen. Its glowing eyes, though bare, almost seemed to be peering right through her very soul for that split second she saw them. Just as quickly as it happened, it was over yet her heart was racing in terror. 'This is bigger than I thought!'
Before she noticed, they popped through the surface of a very different-looking City-Z. The others were carelessly dropped from their bubbles of protection almost immediately, but hers continued rising until she was before her elder sister who looked far from pleased.
"Fubuki! What'd I tell you?" Tatsumaki demanded with her arms crossed before her like a stern parent.
"What was that thing!?" Fubuki shouted back. At this altitude, it was kind of hard to hear each other.
"I said don't come! You could've been hurt!"
"I was requested for back-up by the association!"
'Looks like Sekingal didn't understand me last time,' Tatsumaki thought, making a mental note to adjust this issue later. Even so, she pulled Fubuki closer to further scold her. "Then you shouldn't have been inside. There are all kinds of monsters in there that I don't think you could handle. You know you're not invincible, right? And I didn't even know you were in there!"
"I know... but I'm fine. I was with my group. We actually took down a Threat Level Demon!" She said this with a hopeful smile for some reason. It was a bad habit of hers. She had long passed the days of desperately trying and failing to impress her elder sister. Yet, every time she impressed herself, she couldn't help but try one more time. Even if it was a stretch. There were only two members of her original group left after fighting that Super-S creature, and they didn't go inside. The "members" she referred to were Bang and Bomb. Neither actually accepted her proposal, but they didn't say no either! And she really didn't help them fight the creature they killed either, just fortified their elderly bodies.
"Pfft, big deal! You shouldn't need a whole group for that!"
Fubuki remained hovering there in the sky, even after the barrier around her flickered out along with any hope she had of approval. She really shouldn't have been surprised considering it was her sister.
"You need to either get stronger or stay home. It's too dangerous out here for you to just play around." Just as she said this, an enormous roar followed Monster King Orochi as he again tried to claw his way out of the trench. "Monsters don't care that you tried your best. You either win, or you die... and to be a good hero, you have to win." Tatsumaki charged up her power until she was a little condensed ball of light.
With a visible concussive blast that pushed Fubuki back a bit, she rocketed straight for the emerging beast. Like a beam of pure energy, she tore through the dragon heads the creature spewed from its mouth with ease and eventually ripped a hole straight through the monster.
'And to be the best... you have to do more than win,' she finished her train of thought as her foresight finally caught onto what was happening. Her eyes shot wide open and she peered down into the pit before her. "There you are," she muttered.
Within the furthest depth of the Monster Association hideout sat a curvaceous, blue-haired woman who was shocked beyond belief.
[Psychos / Threat Level: DRAGON]
The room she resided in was filled with advanced-looking, high-tech equipment, including large tubes that housed lifeless, monstrous, creatures suspended in a green liquid. "No way!" she shouted, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. 'She couldn't possibly have snuffed me out! Not even the monsters know where I am! But... she's watching me... This is bad... this is really bad... but it isn't over yet! I have more tricks up my sleeve, Number 1 hero!'
Tatsumaki gazed into the abyss of her self-made pit and was preparing to make her move toward the real mastermind before a screech from behind her caught her attention.
"Look out!" Fubuki shouted.
When she turned around, the monster she was sure she had killed was clinging to the sides of the hole with tendrils from its head, one of the said extensions was shooting straight towards her, almost too fast to avoid. Without a second to spare, a glowing blue orb appeared and knocked it off its course. Tatsumaki turned to face the so-called leader, planning on ending it as quickly as possible, but a roar from beneath her held her in place. For a moment a slow rumble began building until the encroaching beast appeared in the light. Just what she had been hoping to see, though maybe not at this moment. The horrifying face of Elder Centipede came charging from the dark. Tatsumaki prepared to attack, but before she could, yet another sound caught her attention. To her right, crouched within one of the exposed tunnels was some kind of canine monster charging an attack from its snout and aiming right at her.
Saitama watched the old man who was finally on the last page of his documents. He took note of the many rumbles and quakes that seemed to be getting more and more aggressive as time went on. It was ferocious enough to shake a few of the old man's pictures loose on the walls, but he seemed not to notice or care. Not the typical civilian reaction, but Saitama figured he was used to it by now, being so old and all. As long as he didn't start over again, he was fine with it. It wasn't like he was really in a rush considering no one has called him on the transponder he was given. He made it a point to check every few minutes, but it was just a black screen. Though, it could just be because he's the last rank in the S-Class. 'I really hope there are still monsters left when I get there...'
Tatsumaki weaved in and out of the fast-flying tendrils from the Monster King as she focused a few lackluster blasts at the massive Centipede that zipped around the quickly changing terrain of City-Z. Before she could continue her pursuit, she had to maneuver through the snapping jaws of one of the dragon heads. She zipped around its body, switching her focus to the creature that seemed intent on facing her specifically. It had long since abandoned its humanoid form, morphing into a truly monstrous being completely constructed out of serpent-like creatures and demonic faces. Like something ripped from a madman's nightmare.
"Damn it! This is taking too long!" she shouted, again attempting to get some kind of a psychic grip on its massive form. Oddly enough, this time she could. It was as if the creature had lost some of its previous strength somehow. Rather than figuring out how she took it as it was; an opportunity to finish it. "rrragh!" she growled, swiping her hands in front of her. In a beautiful display of overwhelming strength, the body of the creature juked and twisted before it combusted much like the meat puppet from before. It's lumps of skin and innards scattered and sprayed the many levels of the underground fortress exposed by the destructive battle.
"Okay." Tatsumaki turned her attention toward the much bigger threat. "Now you," she growled.
Unbeknownst to her, Monster King Orochi's heart was still intact and somehow maintained a certain level of consciousness. Reduced to a clump of flesh and innards with a face, it still lived, moaning over and over again, "Blood... blood... need more blood..." An unfortunate little monster came running through the hall, almost right by it before it was snagged and consumed, the blob of goo grew in size.
Tatsumaki's attack only expedited the process as every lump of the monster's flesh, which she so graciously scattered across the many levels, began consuming the creatures unfortunate enough to be in range.
Psychos was getting very nervous now. "Even Lord Orochi..." She thoughtlessly let her wine glass slip from her hand. The shatter snapped her from her stupor, and she scrambled to think of a course of action. 'She's a monster! I can't believe my calculations were so far off! I don't think even Elder Centipede has a chance! She'll tear him to shreds and then...'
Psychos abruptly shot to her feet with a menacing glint in her eyes. 'No... She's already seen me. If I wait here, I'm next.' She strutted toward one of her lab tables. 'She may have spotted me, but she has no idea how powerful I truly am.' An odd-looking vial floated from the table and into her waiting palm. "None of them do!" Without further hesitation, she consumed whatever the mysterious liquid was with one drink. "GGGGRRAAAHHH!" she howled in pain, clutching at her face as her body exploded with a bright blue aura of power. The hysterics of her evolution lasted but a moment, but when it was over, she floated with a new air of evil to her. 'That bag of flesh Gyoro Gyoro was nothing! I'll teach them to fear the power of Psychos!'
She stared through the ceiling above her and could visibly see Tatsumaki, just as she had watched her. The green-haired hero had stopped her pursuit of Elder Centipede when she felt the burst of energy. The two psychics eyed each other down as if they were ten feet away from each other.
"Tornado!" a shout from nearby drew Tatsumaki's attention. She was a moment away from being swallowed by the Canine monster before it was hammered down by a massive hit from Metal Bat. She flew higher into the air and yanked the delinquent-looking hero out the way of a beam of energy from Elder Centipede that split the ground.
"Would you hurry up with that mutt already!?" She shouted in irritation, not at all thankful for the save.
Metal Bat pulled himself off the ground with the help of his weapon and spit out a glob of blood and he watched as Genos, Bang, Bomb, and Fubuki continued pestering the ferocious creature with all they had. "We got it! Why don't you do something about that damn bug!?"
"Shut up! I don't take orders from you!"
"What? Don't tell me you're just waitin' to impress your new boyfriend. Hey, where is he by the way?"
Before she could execute him on the spot, he readied his bat just as a blue dome appeared around him that was hit and nearly shattered by the canine's blast. She looked across the field of debris to see Fubuki still fighting alongside her colleagues. She was bloodied and bruised and didn't seem like she had much left in the tank. 'I told her to go home! Why is she still here!?'
The dog was all they'd been fighting for the past few minutes. With a sigh, Tatsumaki prepared to go ahead and bail them out, but before she could, her body was suddenly gripped by an incredible force, and before she realized it, she was being dragged down into the pit.
She again stared into the abyss and locked eyes with her fellow Esper. "Finally done cowering away, huh?" she casually mocked. "Well, this is my fight, not yours! You come to me!"
Psychos was shocked when she too began rocketing up and through the remaining levels of tunnels that still separated them. The two were on a collision course headed right toward one another. Everything unfortunate enough to be in their path was paste by the time they passed. When the two finally collided, it was in a power struggle between their barriers. The amount of energy being released sent sparks flying in every direction, further destroying the underground structure. With a final push from both of them, they were thrown back by the force of the blast, but both managed to catch themselves.
At last, the two were face to face, and Psychos was only further irritated by the casual look to her opponent. While she huffed and puffed from the sheer amount of effort all of that took, Tatsumaki just hovered above her with her arms crossed. It was disgusting to look at.
"Tornado! Today will be your last day as a hero! You shouldn't have flushed me out!"
"Uh huh," Tatsumaki passively replied. "Where's the other kid? We know there was another one."
"Heh, who knows? It's an awfully dangerous place in these tunnels. Any number of things could've happened to him. But you shouldn't worry about that, right now. You probably realized it by now, but I'm a hell of a lot stronger. See, having power is one thing, but having the intellect needed to draw out that powers full capability is what it takes to stand on top! Through years of extensive research, I've-.."
"Okay, already!" Tatsumaki shouted before she continued any further. "Can we just get to it? Or what?"
"I'll KILL YOU!"
The remains of Monster King Orochi had grown in size. Not enough to form its original shape, but enough that it made feeding on lesser creatures increasingly less effective. It needed more power behind its meal. Something to bolster the process and make its evolution more worth it. That's when it sensed the battle above. The battle of the psychics was too tempting not to notice. "Need more... blood..."
Psychos charged a blast of energy from her eyes that was powerful enough to blow a crater through a mountain, yet against Tatsumaki's barrier, it was useless. Simply split right down the middle with little effort.
"Hurgh," Tatsumaki grumbled. "I don't have time for this!" She put her other hand out and drew it back towards herself.
Psychos' attack slowly faded out when she realized she couldn't move a muscle, and before she knew it, she was zipping toward her opponent. Tatsumaki held her in place just slightly beneath her eye level as if mockingly informing her of who was on top here.
"Now," the smaller esper began, "answer my questions."
On the surface, the other heroes found themselves struggling against a plethora of strong creatures. Many of the more melee-capable heroes were focusing on the creatures they could actually do some damage against. The more destructive of the bunch were following the lead of Metal Knight and Drive Knight as they targeted the unfathomable force that was Elder Centipede. The two cybernetic heroes were zipping through the sky in amazing tactical machines throwing all the firepower they could at the impenetrable shell with little to no success.
Genos, Metal Bat, Bang, and Bomb had finally defeated the Canine creature after a long and hard-fought battle. Now they were all just trying to find some information about what else was happening, and for whatever reason, their transponders weren't responding. Luckily for them, Fubuki always came prepared, as a true leader should (in her own words). She scoured the online news websites for updates on the catastrophe. How they always had the scoop was beyond her.
"Zombie-Man killed a vampire, huh?" Metal Bat asked, his bat slung across his shoulder. "Guess that settles that debate."
"Looks like there are still a few major threats that could use some help," Fubuki said, drawing everyone's attention. "There's well... the obvious," she said, gesturing toward the massive body of Elder Centipede still ravaging the grounds. "But there's also... a creature that can multiply, some kind of super ugly monster, some... homeless man that says he received power from God, and... the hero hunter, Garou."
"Hurghp!" Bang groaned as he stretched out his back, still impressed by how youthful he felt with Fubuki's body fortification. "Well, what do you say, Bomb? While we're still young?"
"I'm by your side, brother."
"Uh-! Hold on!" Fubuki said as they started to walk away.
"Whelp-!" Metal Bat groaned through a stretch. "Guess I could go a couple more rounds with this stupid bug."
"Wait!" Fubuki tried again.
"Demon Cyborg, you in?"
Genos stepped toward him, his engine slowly heating up again. "I am. My Master would want me to give it all I've got."
Metal Bat side-eyed him with an unamused look in his eye. "Right... whatever."
Fubuki watched helplessly as they went their own way. "Hey! No one's listening to me!"
"I... don't know!" Psychos shouted, still held firm in the unreasonably strong grip of Tatsumaki. "The second kid was captured by one of the monsters! I don't know where he is!"
"Anyone else hear that?" Tatsumaki asked as her transponder hovered next to her. "Hello!" she shouted into it when nobody responded. "Does anyone even use these things?"
"I c-... copy... t-This is Amai Mask, and... regarding the mercenaries... I couldn't save them. They were definitely not themselves. I knew that, but they tried to kill me and-"
"Hey," Tatsumaki stopped his rambling short. "... you messed up. Clearly, this mission is above your class. You should have stayed above ground."
"No one could've saved them! They were already gone!"
"Should've called someone stronger," her snarky reply.
"They were crazy. None of them were afraid to die... And we couldn't risk pulling heroes from their mission."
Tatsumaki rolled her eyes, annoyed by his voice.
"And... besides, I'm currently facing a big shot... and I need immediate backup!"
"For one little big shot? Are you serious? If you can't win on your own, you shouldn't have come."
"I don't have time to argue! I need backup!"
"We can't risk pulling heroes from their mission, sorry."
"Tornado is no help! Someone else! Please respond! I need assistance!"
Psychos watched from her captured state in disgust. The audacity of these foolish heroes to argue in the middle of something like this! Tatsumaki especially. Psychos watched her turn her back to her. The arrogance! 'You think it's that easy? You think you've already won?' A sudden chill traveled down her back, and she turned her head enough to see down in the pit. 'Impossible...'
(BOOM!)
A sudden blast from below came roaring through, loosening Tatsumaki's psychic grip on her captive. Psychos free fell toward the unfathomable darkness, attempting to hide amongst the falling debris before the hero could snatch her again. As Tatsumaki tried to right herself, three more blasts came roaring from below. The flash from the source was just enough for her to realize what it was. The dragon heads from Monster King Orochi, now partially reformed within the glob of jello-like flesh scattered about.
"OROCHIIII!" Psychos shouted in glee as she fell toward her savior. "You're ALIVE! Come to me, and we can FUSE! The energy stored in your massive body will AMPLIFY MY PSYCHIC POWER!"
Tatsumaki attempted to stop her, but the many blasting dragon heads obscured her view.
"She won't stand a CHANCE! WE'LL KILL HER!"
Tatsumaki gave chase, but before she could get very far, there was another glob of that liquidy flesh scattered within a few levels right next to her. This section had also began to regenerate a good amount of the blasting dragon heads. They all shot at once, trying to bombard her, but she caught every stream and funneled it inward along with the goopy substance and a few of the surrounding levels, for good measure. 'How the hell do I kill that thing?'
She looked back down to see the clump of flesh that Pyschos fell into changing its shape. Was it an escape attempt?
"Hold it, right there!" she shouted, extending her arm. Before she could attack, a few sections of the goop suddenly grew faces that had the same blasting ability as the dragon heads, forcing her to dodge. "Urgh, this'll take forever!" With a sigh, she righted herself and blocked a few blasts with her forcefield. 'I can't believe that jackass isn't here yet!'
Back with Saitama, he watched as the old man slowly worked his way back and forth along the final paragraph, at this point he was getting nervous, evident by his bouncing knee. The rumbling had only gotten louder as time went on. He was eager to take out at least one of the big monsters before the mission ended. Maybe that way, no one would care if he was a little late... or a lot late.
(bang-bang-bang)
Someone knocked on the door, and Saitama's heart dropped to his stomach fearing he would lose his place on the page. Luckily, the old man didn't seem to hear it.
(bang-bang-bang)
("Dad! Hey, open the door!")
To Saitama's horror, the old man looked up from the page just as he slid his finger to the first word of the last sentence.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Uh-.."
"Dad!" Saitama was cut off when a middle-aged man came barging through the door. "What are you doing!? You don't feel that!? Come on, we have to get to a bunker, now!"
"Oh, son! What are you doin' here?"
The son ignored his question for a moment, and quickly tried to get him up, only glancing at Saitama. "I'm here to get you, come on! We gotta go!"
"Oh- no, hold on," the old man protested. "I've some business to finish here with an old tenant."
"No-no-no, we gotta go, come on," the son hurried him. "We can't stay here."
"But, Mr. Saitama has been waiting for some time, now-"
"Dad, there's an attack! We have to go!"
"Just wait one second. I just have one more sentence to read, here."
The middle-aged man sighed in irritation. "Dad! I told you this morning you only had to sign it when he got here! Me and you read this whole thing already!"
"Oh... yes, but I thought that I also had to read it to him, too."
Saitama watched with a blank stare. 'He was reading in his head.'
"No, dad. Here, just sign that, right there." His dad took the pen and did as instructed. The son finally fully acknowledged the other person in the room. "Sorry about that. I was gonna be here to help him, but I had something to do, and then the attack broke out and..." Slowly, realization washed over him, and he was suddenly furious. "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you!? Are you even a hero!? You hear all this commotion and you don't go out and help!?"
"..." Saitama stood there in a stupor. "Uh-.."
"Or at least take my dad to a bunker!? Impersonating a hero is a crime now, buddy!"
"But, I am a hero."
"It says you sign here," the old man said, holding the pen out for Saitama to take.
The son looked him up and down, visibly scrutinizing his claim. "You don't look familiar to me. What class are you?"
"Class-S." Saitama took the pen and wrote his name on the designated line.
"Yeah, right! I know all of the S-Class heroes! You don't look like none of em! When did you start, yesterday?"
"No, today is my first day... I'm actually pretty late." He set the pen down and stood there awkwardly for a moment.
The son was helping his dad to his feet, still looking unimpressed by Saitama's get-up until something clicked in his mind. "Hey..." Saitama watched his eyes traverse up and down his outfit in a squint. "Are you the one that beat that Space Pirate thing?"
"Space Pirate?" Saitama questioned.
(BOOM!)
There was a big blast that shook the very walls around them, accented by flickering lights and dust drizzling from the ceiling. The son took his father under his arm and rushed him to the door, completely forgetting about the stranger in his panic. "Come on, dad! We have to go!"
Saitama watched them leave before he looked back to the document on the desk. Did that count as a finalized deal? He didn't even make him a copy or anything. Regardless, he was finally free, and he had wasted enough time. Those rumbles gave him hope that there were still some good monsters out. All he needed was one of the big ones.
"Ahhhh, yesss!" Psychos moaned as she sunk deeper into the mass of Monster King Orochi. "Give me your fleshhh! GIVE ME YOUR P-.. GUH!" Suddenly, she was losing control, slowly becoming engulfed by the overwhelming force of her own creation. "Orochiii! When... when did you become so strong!? w-... Were you hiding this true power!?" Her vision began to blur, and through her slowly shutting eyes, she could see it in the far distance. The woman she had been hoping to defeat. Tatsumaki fended off the attacks from Orochi at all angles as she tried to close in. That was the goal she had been trying to reach, and it seemed even further than ever at this very moment. '... he's eating at my soul... this is it...'
"Psychos..." the booming voice of Orochi shouted within her mind. "Thank you for gathering everything I needed to stimulate my growth."
She couldn't believe it. Never did she consider just how ruthless he had become.
"Now, you are my next sacrifice."
The flesh around her started working overtime to completely engulf her. "Herghnn!" she groaned as she felt the surge of energy. "AAAARGGGHHH!" It was happening. She was soon to be absorbed completely unless she did something here and now. "NO!" A massive surge of energy blasted from her mind, momentarily halting the monstrous transformation. A brief struggle later, and there was a new change taking shape. "You... must obey... MEEE!"
Another blast of energy shook the entire battlefield. Every encounter halted in suspense. Even Tatsumaki stopped her attempt to breach the defenses.
"You're... merely a vessel to magnify MY POWER! I AM THE MASTER, AND YOU WILL OBEY MEEE!" Psychos roared.
"Uh-!" Tatsumaki gasped as she bore witness to the final transformation. The spike of psychic energy was like nothing she had ever felt before. That tentacled freak from the alien invasion couldn't compare! Even so, her shock was only momentary. She watched the monstrosity morph into a few different forms before the top half of Psychos popped through. "Hmph. Finally decided to show your true form, huh?"
"Heh," Psychos chuckled to herself. "Heh, heh... I did it... I forced him back! His power is mine! Now, I can do it!" Her eyes shot up until she was staring daggers at her opponent. "Now, I can kill her!"
With no warning, blasts from the still scattered flesh shot toward Tatsumaki. She quickly raised a barrier and deflected them as she charged forward. Her forcefield eventually collided with the much bigger barrier of Psychos, and the two engaged in a power struggle that quaked the ground around them.
"Whoa," Tatsumaki muttered. "That barrier is strong." Her eyes narrowed when she felt a pressure start to weigh her down. "Gravity manipulation won't work on me!"
Psychos only smirked at her arrogance, and before Tatsumaki could realize it, she pulled a new technique from her bag of tricks.
Suddenly, the pressure within her ball of protection was increasing by the second. It was closing in and getting harder and harder to breathe! 'What did she do!?'
A section of the creature seemed to liquify as it morphed into something else. A new Psychos appeared, completely reforming and resizing her humanoid form from mid-thigh up. Below that were the serpent-like features reminiscent of Monster King Orochi.
"Mhmmm," she hummed in pleasure. "I've turned your barrier inside out."
Tatsumaki coughed up a glob of blood as she struggled to catch a breath. "It's... eating at me! I can't... break free!"
Psychos cradled the ball of energy between her fingers. "Heh heh heh! You should probably drop your barrier before your own power and the energy I'm fusing into it crushes you! Though, I suppose it doesn't matter, either way!"
Inside the slowly condensing ball of death, Tatsumaki listened to the low ethereal hum of the power around her. For a moment it was all she could hear. Then, a crack of static focused her attention on her transponder that was still nearby. Someone was trying to call in. Hopefully with some good news.
["Hello, to any of the remaining S-Class heroes, this is an urgent message from Sitch. The other hostage has been recovered. I repeat both hostages have been recovered. It is imperative that we get someone to handle Elder-Centipede. Demon Cyborg, Tank-Top Master, and Metal Bat are not fairing well. I fear with no assitance-"]
"I got it," Tatsumaki cut him off. Someone finally found the other hostage. 'Heh... good. Now I can stop holding back!' Her fiery gaze shot up to the mocking eyes of Psychos. Her monstrous grin fell when she started to lose control of the barrier. It imploded for a brief moment before it was completely blown to bits, blasting her and Tatsumaki apart.
"Heh! You actually blew yourself up!" Psychos mocked. "You must be so desperate!"
Tatsumaki caught herself before she hit the wall. The right sleeve of her outfit was ashes in the wind, and her head was ringing from the blast. If there was any other way out, she would have taken it. Regardless, the damage was minimal, and she had another job to handle. She couldn't fight that centipede from underground, and there was no guarantee Pyschos would give chase if she ran. There was only one option, then.
She stared the feminine beast down with a mocking glint in her eyes, and with a raise of her arms, the entire structure began to rumble. That rumble soon became a quake, and from a quake to a tremor that was ripping chunks from the walls around them.
Genos continued his endless pursuit of the unstoppable force that was Elder Centipede. He was frustrated by his inability to conjure enough firepower. As if he hadn't grown at all. All he could do was pester it away from the big groups of lower-class heroes having their own battles. The only meaningful attack he landed was an all-or-nothing blast that actually managed to tear off two of its legs. Only two though, out of God knows how many. Now, his core was overheating at a very rapid pace. Time was running out for all of them. Something needed to be done, and he could only hope Master Saitama was on his way.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, his sensors picked up on a massive spike of energy. So dense and compact, it pulsated from its origin in waves of ethereal gusts as if the energy itself were searching for something. Then, before his very eyes, the ground began to shatter. In a matter of moments, the entire underground headquarters was being uprooted completely. Even Elder Centipede gazed at the unfathomable spectacle along his path of destruction. Everyone watching knew without a shred of doubt that the only creature on this battlefield capable of such unfathomable power was the number 1 hero, the Tornado of Terror.
Stuck in his amazement, Genos lost sight of his surroundings, and before he realized it, Elder Centipede changed directions, his massive body knocking the cyborg from his flight path.
Fubuki watched her sister rearrange the battlefield alongside Bang and Bomb. They had been searching for Garou with no success. Despite the many reports that Fubuki tried to track on her phone, their search was in vain. Then, just as everyone else, they couldn't help but watch in awe.
"That sister of yours is truly something amazing, isn't she?" Bomb said aloud.
Bang had to agree, even though he wasn't new to seeing her in action. "She is the number 1 hero, after all."
Fubuki couldn't respond. While the others saw immeasurable power, she saw just how far her older sister was pushing herself. Maybe too far...
When the underground fortress fully emerged, Tatsumaki came shooting out of the top of the tower that now stood high in the center of the unrecognizable City-Z. Immediately, her gaze tracked the fast-moving form of Elder Centipede. They locked eyes for the briefest of moments before a high screeching sound returned her attention to the top of the tower. Four beams of light came swirling outward, completely destroying the top of the stone structure. When the dust settled, the towering fusion of Psychos and Orochi remained settled within the rubble.
"Mhm. You do put on a good show, don't you?" The giant woman mocked. "Breaking the earth's crust to raise the hideout? What, are you trying to show off your power because you have no technique? Heh, I'm SO impressed!"
Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the size of her. 'Did she get bigger?'
"So? What happens now, number 1 hero?"
The hero in question continued to examine her before her gaze fell to the base of the structure. That gooey substance was still scattered through every level of the now exposed tower of caverns, like vines weaving through a pile of dirt. 'She must be absorbing energy through those roots... if I sever them, I can win... but...' Her gaze traveled back toward Elder Centipede who was laying waste to everything in sight and completely ignoring the pestering blasts from Drive Knight's alien-like craft and Metal Knight's army of bots. 'I have to win it all!'
"See, what you don't understand, is..."
Tatsumaki returned her gaze to Psychos who was already preparing an attack.
"I am already stronger than you!"
Saitama was running toward City-Z, nearly there, when a flash of light stopped him for a moment. That flash of light suddenly burst like a giant flash bang that he had to shield his eyes a bit to see. Soon, the blast followed and shook every building, lamp, or sign around him. The blast came in waves that grew stronger and stronger until he could visibly see the shockwave nearly lifting cars from the street. He was still a little ways away, so a blast like that only made him slightly more interested than he was. 'Wow... this might actually be kind of fun.'
Genos finally pulled himself from the rubble he was buried beneath after being tail whipped by Elder Centipede. He staggered a bit but tried to gain his bearings. When the blast hit, he had to brace himself completely. The shockwave nearly took him off his feet, and his readings were going haywire. "Energy level unmeasurable?" he muttered in amazement. "What was that..." He pulled his transponder from his pocket to see that it still wasn't operating. 'Master... please, come soon...'
Tatsumaki was reeling from the attack. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It tore right through her barrier like nothing, and the area of effect was massive. There was no way that she had gained this power from simply fusing with a monster. Where on earth did it come from?
Psychos started saying something, but before she could really tune in to hear her, a roar from behind caught her focus. It was Elder Centipede. He was apparently too massive to avoid the range of her attack, and his back half seemed damaged. The monster was trying to flee. Perhaps she would have let him go for now, but he was trying to head for the other cities. That she couldn't allow.
"I awoke to my destiny. That I would use this power to absorb all living creatures through these roots and fuse their spirits into a single entity! I will become the Ultimate Lifeform! The very-"
Before she finished, Tatsumaki made her move. With a stiff raise of her arms, a massive barrier appeared around City-Z, trapping Elder Centipede who averted just before it hit the glowing green wall. It wasn't just any barrier. It was a double barrier, that way the psychopathic telekinetic monster couldn't pull the same trick as before. Even if she reversed the barrier, there would be no effect. It was the best idea she had. Sure, she would've liked to evacuate a few of the weaker heroes who would only get in the way (namely her sister), but it wasn't like she had all the time in the world. It wouldn't be easy, but she could do this.
"You were saying?" Tatsumaki mocked with a challenging glint in her eye. Clearly, Psychos was the bigger threat here. If all she could do for the moment was contain Elder Centipede, then it would have to be enough. Holding the barrier was going to be hard enough as it was. She had to make quick work of this.
Psychos returned her arrogant grin. "Hmhm... you fool."
"Oh my! This is getting intense!" Bomb shouted over the rumble of the big-scale battle that ensued. Beams of light and massive blasts rocked the top of the barrier in droves with Tatsumaki weaving through the danger with grace and fluidity.
"What is she doing!?" Fubuki cried, clear worry written on her face.
Bang noticed her desperation and did his best to calm her. "Have faith, Fubuki! Your sister is the number 1 hero, after all!"
"I know that!" She shouted back, never taking her eyes off the green streak zooming through the sky. "But..." Her head snapped around to the sound of an approaching engine.
It was Genos who swooped down looking as stoic as ever. "What's going on!?"
Bomb spared him a glance before squinting at the happenings in the far distance. "Looks like this is the final confrontation!"
"Tornado is planning on fighting both of the major threats!" Bang added.
Genos looked up at the battle in wonder. "... we have to help her," he muttered, aghast at the scale of the fight. How daunting it was to watch. How could they help? What could they do? This was clearly beyond them, but...
Fubuki suddenly struggled to her feet. She stared up at the light show with nothing but fear written in her eyes. The three men watched her curiously.
"I... I have to help her!" She took a single half step forward, but it was enough for Genos to notice her shaking legs.
Bang and Bomb noticed too, evident by the knowing look they shared. The former held a hand out to her in an attempt to comfort. "Fubuki—"
"I know!" she cut him off. "... I'm not strong enough... I know I'll only get in the way, but... she's fighting alone!" Despite the conviction behind her words, her hands wouldn't stop shaking, and the only thought floating through her mind was, 'but, what can I do?' She took another shaky step. "She's... she's always alone... I have to help her!"
Before she took another step, there was a stray beam of energy that came shooting straight for them forcing her to put up a barrier. When it connected it was like the world slowed for a few moments when the beam tore right through her wall of energy. And in that split second, she saw the green of her sisters energy pop up in a flash, knocking the beam off its course. Fubuki fell back to her butt, her gaze connecting with the concerned look of her sister far in the distance. Even from way out here, she was already in the way.
"Fubuki! Are you alright!?" Bang shouted as he prepared to help her up.
From the ground, the scale of the battle seemed that much greater. Fubuki had never felt smaller in her life, and any shred of confidence that still resides in her vanished completely. No matter how much she wanted to help, some things were just too far out of reach. The only one who could help her now was...
Before she finished her thought, someone had draped a coat over her shoulders. She looked up to see that it was the usually stoic cyborg with his eyes still locked on the battle before them.
"You shouldn't worry," he said stepping in front of her on his way by. "I don't know where Master Saitama is... but I know that he is on his way... until he gets here, I shall help Tornado with everything I have!"
Fubuki was slack-jawed as she watched him take off. Why was that so heroic? She didn't know him too well, but he did seem kinda mean. Was that how all of the S-Class heroes are?
"I am a firm believer in Tatsumaki's strength," Bang began, "but I fear that this may be too much for even her to handle!" He stepped in front of Fubuki and held his hand out for her to grab. "I know you're probably nearing your limit, and it might be selfish to ask, but do you think you could fortify these old withered bodies just once more? My brother and I can't do much, but we can keep Elder Centipede busy until help arrives... but not without your help."
Saitama stood just outside the barrier; close enough to truly feel the magnitude of the situation. This was almost as big, or maybe even bigger, than that whole alien invasion thing. Why wasn't he getting any calls? Maybe that big green barrier was blocking communications.
'Hm... maybe I should punch it.'
He cocked his hand back, but before he struck, a voice from behind stopped him.
"Hey! What're you doing here!?"
"Hm?" When Saitama turned around, it was the familiar face of Sekingar that was speaking to him along with a muscular woman who liked like she was ready for a track meet. "Oh hey, you're that one guy. Sorry I was a little late, I had a housing issue I had to handle."
The man looked like he had been through one hell of a battle, as he hung his arm over the woman.
[Captain Mizuki / Class-B / Rank 71]
"Saitama," Sekingar muttered. "...it's just you."
"Are you okay? You look pretty beatup," The bald hero stupidly asked. He was way more than a little beatup; evident by the fact that he was missing a hand.
"It doesn't matter," he grumbled cooly. "I'm alive. That means the job's not done. I don't know where you've been, but I'm glad your here."
"Settling damage costs with my old landlord," he briefly explained again.
"Don't you just have to sign a paper?" Mizuki asked, still perplexed by how someone could be three hours late to such a big mission.
"It doesn't matter," Sekingar stopped her. "We have bigger problems."
Saitama followed his gaze toward the barrier. "Oh, this?" he questioned. "I was just gonna punch through it."
"You can't," Sekingar said, standing on his own. "That energy is Tatsumaki's, you'll never get through."
Saitama peaked back at the barrier, raising his eyebrow suspiciously. "... uh-"
"Why would she put a barrier up?" Mizuki asked before he could say anything.
Sekingar shook his head, "I don't know... I think she's planning on fighting the two major threats on her own. One of the creatures is blocking the radio transmissions on the transponders, so I don't have more information than that."
"Wait!" Mizuki shouted. "She's planning on fighting Elder Centipede and that big boss-looking creature on her own!?"
Sekingar pulled his phone from his pocket with his remaining hand. "Looks like it."
"Someone should help!"
"I agree," Sekingar murmured, "but there are many threats still on the board. Many of them Demon or greater."
Hearing that, Mizuki visibly lost faith in her words. "Oh..."
Saitama had his hands cupped against the barrier, trying to see through.
Sekingar shut his phone off and slipped it back into his pocket. "Don't worry, I'll never send any hero where I don't think they can win."
She reeled at his words before looking back to the barrier. "Well, that's... nice?"
"I could probably break through," Saitama muttered, going unheard with his face still cupped against the barrier.
"Don't take offense," the Hero Association executive said, quickly defusing her misinterpretation. "I don't mean it in a bad way. Let rocks be rocks, and diamonds be diamonds. Both can be vital when functioning in the right way in the right place. It's my job to make that happen. I can only ask you to trust me."
Mizuki stood in awe at his professionalism and his calmness under such immense pressure. For some reason, it was comforting. "Okay then, I trust you!"
Sekingar shut his eyes and relished the moment for only a second. That was always nice to hear. "And... as for you, Saitama. I must admit that I was not on board with your inclusion in the S-Class. I understand that Tornado, Bang, and Demon Cyborg all vouched for you, but after the King fiasco, I will not trust anything I haven't seen with my own eyes."
"Does that mean I have to meet that quota thing, again?"
"A quota?" Mizuki asked. "Like for Class-C's?"
"No, you will not have to meet a quota. Consider it a warning," he said. "If you truly wish to be a hero, I suggest you take things seriously. If you just got here that means you must have been out of range of the disruptive effects of the transponders."
"Hm? But I haven't gotten any messages or calls or anything," Saitama pulled it from his pocket to check again.
Sekingar stared at the device in his hand for a long moment before he spoke. "It's not turned on..."
AN: And there we go! One long and juicy chapter that I truly hope you enjoyed! I have big plans for this fic after this arc is out of the way, so if you're here for the mushy love side of the story, just wait a little longer! And if you're here to see Saitama gain the respect he so rightfully deserves? ... you may not have to wait too long! Till next time! Love you guys!