AN: Hey guys, welcome back! No super long wait needed this time around! No pre-spoilers for this chapter either! You want to see what happens? Read on! Thanks for the review, if you left one last time! Please do so again, because I love hearing what you guys have to say as the story moves along! Thanks for the support, and please enjoy the next chapter!

Due to a majority consensus, the formatting has been fixed!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.

"Wow," Lightning Max muttered as he peered up at the main battle through a periscope. "It's like the end of the world."

Behind him, Sneck watched silently as the sky above twisted and morphed with psychic energy. There were massive orbs sparking with power, bright beams shooting in all directions, and floating boulders that circled the massive form of Psychos like the rings of Saturn. To add to the already disastrous situation, Elder Centipede was rampaging around the barrier looking for an escape. The end of the world was a fair comparison. Especially to those of them stuck in the line of fire.

There were dozens of other lower-ranked heroes standing around them. There was a silent desperation that flooded the area. No one was panicked seeing that Tatusumaki was still fighting, but to be trapped so close to the action was daunting. Humbling to those who had made leaps and bounds in their training just to end up a liability in such a desperate situation.

"The Tornado of terror, huh?" Sneck mulled aloud. "... You think she can really do this by herself?"

Lightning Max shrugged as he continued watching in interest. "I don't know... maybe... hopefully..."

Sneck flinched at the sound of a distant blast. The fight was so massive that nowhere within the barrier felt safe from a wayward attack. "... You think they'll evacuate us?"

Lightning Max gently shook his head before wiping a bead of sweat that trickled down his cheek. "... I don't know..."

Tatsumaki zoomed around the big bad as fast as she could, hiding amongst the debris of her twisting boulders. This was already dragging on too long, but there were too many things to focus on. Maintaining the barrier, dodging attacks, and deflecting the stray shots directed toward the clusters of lower-ranks; it was a little overwhelming, even for her. The only reason this wasn't over in a flash was that annoying unbreakable barrier that surrounded Psychos. None of her attacks could penetrate it, and the more power she absorbed through those roots, the more troublesome it would become. Luckily, she had a plan. All she had to do was put it into action, and wait for the perfect opportunity.

Psychos continued her barrage of endless blasts as her extra set of hands, weilding long, ethereal-looking black blades, chopped and swiped at the debris clogging her view of the annoying little Esper. She couldn't visually track her, but the potency of her power gave her away every time she tried hiding in the rubble. Psychos knew that this was a battle of attrition, and the advantage was hers. No matter how long Tatsumaki wanted to play this game of cat and mouse, the odds would only continue to tilt in her favor.

"Ha-ha-ha! Come on, Number 1 Hero!" she arrogantly bellowed out. "You plan on running the whole time!? Make this fun for me!" It didn't matter where she tried to hide, Psychos had her locked. "You can't hide! I can sense your power! And pinpoint your exact move!" True to her words, her eyes tracked the movement of the Esper's power no matter where she went, and with a precise and devastating blast from one of her dragon heads, she finally got a hit, blowing the boulder and Tatsumaki to hell! "Ha! Heh-HA! I got her! I finally got her!"

Her joy was short-lived, however, as the debris of the blast fell away. It wasn't Tatsumaki she had shot down, but a cluster of rocks psychically held together in a crude humanoid shape, filled with Tatsumaki's power.

'A decoy!?'

"Ha ha! You sure fell for that!"

Psychos snapped her head in every direction, trying to find the source of the mocking voice, but it seemed to come from everyone all at once! Where was she!? "... Uh!" she gasped when she felt a pressure within her right breast. When she looked down, she realized what was going on. Somehow the hero was inside her!

"These are surprisingly empty inside," Tatsumaki quipped from within.

"Huh!?"

"See ya, bubble boobs!"

Without hesitation, Psychos's massive form twisted and mangled completely, just as many other creatures who stood before the Terrible Tornado! Her plan was simple enough: use a decoy to hold Psychos's attention while she disguised herself as a beam of energy being absorbed through one of her flesh roots. Anti-climatic maybe, but it got the job done.

"Now," she huffed out through an exhausted sigh. Her steel gaze shifted to the still rampaging Elder Centipede. "Your tur-.." with a gasp, she spun around to defend herself when she felt a spike of energy behind her. It was too late. Before she could get a barrier up, her left hand was impaled by one of the ethereal-black blades held in the grip of the quickly reforming monster. "AHHH! Ngh!" With her other hand, she tried to send another attack. Her other hand was swiftly impaled before she could. With no hesitation, a jolt of power was sent searing through her body. "KYAAAAAGH!"

"You bitch!" Psychos growled as her face quickly began to reform. "That was a clever little trick, but you didn't follow through! Let your guard down when you saw me bleed!" She didn't relent in her attack.

Waves of weaponized psychic energy traveled through Tatsumaki's body with no remorse. She had never felt such tremendous pain. It was excruciating. Her head rolled back, and through the side of her eye, she could see Elder Centipede ram into the side of her barrier, cracking it just a bit.

"I'll kill you! And that little sister of yours!" Psychos' body suddenly split in two, and in its place, a spark that suddenly grew into an orb of concentrated power. A mini sun poised and aimed at the defenseless hero left dangling on the black blades. "Now, SUFFER!"

Tatsumaki watched the ball of light hopelessly. Then, her eyes dropped down below when another beam of energy came roaring up. It collided with her attack, completely redirecting the blast up to the top of the barrier.

"Tch," Psychos grit her teeth, intent on discovering who it was that spoiled her victory.

Genos came sprinting, wrapping around the tower faster than the eye could see. He was moving so fast, to all the onlookers, it was little more than a streak of lightning crawling up the structure until he leaped into the air, preparing another blast. " PIERCING LIGHTNING CANNON!" he shouted, shooting off another massive beam of energy.

Psychos shot one back. The two attacks engaged in a brief power struggle before her attack overwhelmed his.

Genos managed to dodge the aftermath, just barely. "She overpowered me!"

Before he could recover, Psychos had a plethora of dragon heads firing beams his way. Genos wasn't going down that easily, as he evaded a few and countered the rest with blasts of his own.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing!?" Tatsumaki demanded, now free from the hold of the blades. "I don't need your help! Where's Saitama!?"

"Master had a housing issue to deal with, but I am sure he's on his way! Until he gets here, as his pupil, I must assist! I can handle her beams! You focus on her!"

Tatsumaki: "A HOUSING ISSUE!?"

"YOU INSOLENT FOOLS!" Psychos shouted. Her form was shifting again! This time, her face formed within the opening of her humanoid body. "I'LL TEACH YOU THE POWER OF ULTIMATE INTELLECT!"

Saitama and Mizuki both had their hands cupped up against the dense barrier trying to see what was going on inside. Sekingar was patching his wounds behind them, trying to come up with a plan of action.

"Wow... It's looking really bad in there," the athletic woman mulled.

"Is it? It's kinda hard to see." Everything just looked like a blurry mess.

"Yeah, but do you feel these tremors? That boss must be pretty strong."

He considered it for a moment, but there have been many situations where he's thought that himself based on the tremors, but it wasn't always the case... in fact, it almost never was. "... yeah, maybe..."

"Maybe!?" she shouted, her gaze snapping toward him. "Are you kidding? Even Tornado is having a hard time... again..."

Saitama didn't say anything. He just kept his hands cupped on the barrier, trying to see through. If he looked hard enough, he almost thought he could see Genos zipping around.

"Do you think monsters are getting stronger?"

Her question was sudden, and he almost didn't hear it. "Hm?" He turned toward her to see she was again pressed against the barrier.

"I mean, you remember that Sea King, right?"

Saitama thought it over for a moment."... No. Not really."

"What!?" Again, her gaze snapped toward him. "That was like the biggest news when it happened!"

"Really?"

"Yeah... well, until that alien invasion thing happened... I don't know. It just seems like monsters keep getting stronger... I mean, a while back, Tornado used to finish fights in a single move! Now, it's like she's barely winning... it's pretty scary to think about, is all."

The bald hero pondered her words in his head. '... a single move, huh...'

"You shouldn't worry about Tornado." They both turned around to see Sekingar more or less patched up. "She's the number 1 hero for a reason. The fact that that barrier is still standing means she's still fighting. And if she's still fighting, that means there is still hope... Don't squander it by losing faith."

"o-Oh! Of course not! I wasn't saying I don't think she can do it! I love Tornado! She's... actually the reason I became a hero." Mizuki looked back up at the barrier, still in awe at its scale. "I just... always found it amazing how a girl so small could be so strong... I don't know, it just makes me want to give it my all too!"

Sekingar let a small grin slip. "She inspires many. Never lose that drive. One can never be too strong."

Saitama scratched his chin in thought. "... well-"

"Hey!" A voice in the distance drew their attention.

To their surprise, a man on a bicycle came peddling toward them.

[Mumen Rider / Class-C / Rank 1]

"Mumen Rider?" Sekingar muttered.

He was nearly out of breath by the time he made it over. "I came to help! What's going on!?"

"Cool bike," Saitama uttered, going unheard.

"There's an attack going on. We can't do much because of this barrier, though," Mizuki briefly explained.

Mumen Rider kicked his kickstand down and hopped off his bike. "Was anyone injured? I can't do much, but I can help gather wounded."

"We don't know yet," Sekingar chimed in. "We have no communication from anyone inside."

"Hey, your hand! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Sekingar waved him off. "For now, just sit tight. We might just need you when the barrier falls. Thanks for coming."

"Oh wow..." he muttered, looking up at the massive barrier. "I never thought it'd get this bad."

"So, your name's Mumen Rider? Hi, I'm Captain Mizuki, but you can just call me Mizuki!" she said, introducing herself with a handshake.

"Oh, hi! It's nice to meet you!"

"Like-wise!" the bubbly woman chimed back. "So, what class are you?"

"Class-C, Rank-1!" he stated with pride. "And you?"

"I'm Class-B, Rank-71!"

"Oh, nice!" he said. "You must be strong!"

"Well, kind of. I'm training every day to become stronger, but I'm not quite where I want to be yet."

Mumen Rider waved her off. "Well, that's okay. Same with me! I'm always working to improve myself, wherever I can!"

"Heck yeah! That's what being a hero is all about!"

"Yeah!" he agreed before thinking it over a little. "Well... kind of..."

Saitama watched their back and forth with little interest. 'Is this some kind of meet and greet?'

Eventually, Mumen Rider took note of him. "Oh! Sorry about that, I'm Mumen Rider! What's your hero name?"

"Oh yeah!" Mizuki exclaimed, "I never asked you that!"

Now that the two chatterboxes were focused on him, he wasn't sure what to say. More importantly, he didn't really have a hero name yet. He never got that far during his first go at the Hero Association. "Uh... I'm Saitama. Nice to meet you."

The bike-riding hero looked at him curiously. "Saitama? Is that just your name? Are you new?"

"Well-.."

BOOM!

Something smacked into the barrier right behind them, returning their attention to the issue at hand.

"GRAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" the booming voice of Elder Centipede grumbled.

They still couldn't see too well, but the massive smudge that towered up toward the top of the barrier was telling enough. He truly was a colossal threat. Mizuki, Mumen Rider, and Sekingar could only feel relief that they weren't stuck inside. Saitama hadn't even turned around to look yet.

"Whoa..." the C-Class hero muttered, backing away from the big smudge looming over them.

Mizuki was stuck in place. Her feet felt like they were glued to the concrete. "He... he's bigger than I thought..."

"Hm?" Saitama muttered as he finally turned around. By then, the massive creature was already scurrying along the side of the barrier, looking for a soft spot in the dome.

"BOMB!" Bang shouted as the two approached the giant centipede's midsection.

"YEAH!"

With a leap, Bang jumped at it, his movements already poised for the attack. "FLOWING WATER!"

Bomb came not too far behind. "WHIRLING WIND!"

In unison, they roared the name of their combination. "FIST OF ROARING KI, RENDING AIR!"

Together, they struck a massive blow right into the monster's tough exoskeleton, momentarily pinning him against the barrier. They watched their attack ripple through the massive being in the form of cracks spreading from the point of impact.

"RAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!" the beast roared, its body thrashing about so violently, that it threw the two elderly men back a few yards.

The brothers gathered themselves as soon as they could and watched the full effect of their attack play out.

Bomb rubbed at his sore chin with the back of his hand. "Heh, the shock is coursing through his body! Now, explode you foul monster!"

Fubuki came floating down a moment after, awestricken by just how powerful the two truly were. She admittedly didn't expect much from mere martial artists, but together they truly packed a punch! "Whoa! Are you guys okay!?"

Bang stood back to his feet, his steel-like gaze still tracking the head of Elder Centipede. "Yeah! Thanks to you!"

Fubuki watched the plethora of explosions popping and blowing chunks of the hard exoskeleton to bits. "Thanks to me?"

Bomb climbed back to his feet as well. "Yeah! Normally, we're too old to do that attack more than once, but with your body fortification, I think we could go again! If need be!"

"If need be!?" she asked. "There's no way that thing survives that! Its entire body is falling apart!"

"Don't be too sure!" Bang shouted back. His eyes narrowed as he saw the creature taking action. It wasn't trying to heal as it had their other less severe injuries. Instead, it was shedding its outer layer completely. Molting and simultaneously evolving right before their eyes. They thought it was massive before, but now it was even bigger. He then looked to the spot on the barrier where the creature collided slowly mending. "We have to keep its focus! We can't let it damage the barrier any further, or else Tatsumaki will have to continue to split her focus!"

"GET BACK!" Bomb shouted as he scooped Fubuki from her stupor and leaped away before the back half of the massive creature flattened the area they stood on. The force of the impact blasted a shockwave that threw them tumbling away.

Fubuki used a barrier to cushion the blow, but the force they were thrown was too much for her to right herself along the way as Bang and Bomb had when the latter lost his grip on her. She skipped a few times before her back smacked against the side of a collapsed building's remains. "ARGH!" she yelled at the pain. Her vision went blurry and her mind was swimming in a daze. The world around her was out of focus, and the rumblings of the battles were muffled to her ringing ears. She could vaguely see the forms of Bang and Bomb shouting back at her, but her focus found its way to her sister's barrier. Maybe it was just her vision returning, but she could swear it was growing more and more transparent. '... t-... Tatsumaki...'

"FUBUKI!"

The unusually panicked voice of the second-ranked hero finally snapped her from the daze, and everything around her sharpened all at once. Namely the form of Elder Centipede who seemed to have abandoned its previous goal of escape. Now, from a mile away, she could see its angry scowl roaring right at them. They finally got its attention, but was that a good thing?

Tatsumaki watched her younger sister get scooped up in the arms of Bang as they scrambled away from the charging monster. 'Damn it, Fubuki! I told you to go home!' Her gaze snapped back toward the much bigger Elder Centipede just as it collided with her barrier, cracking it again. She quickly aimed her arms at the damage and mended it.

"WATCH OUT!" Genos shouted.

Before she could turn to defend herself, Psychos had already prepared another big blast. Tatsumaki's eyes widened in a panic until Demon Cyborg skid to a halt in front of her, countering with a massive blast from his chest.

"TRUE SPIRAL INCINERATION CANON!"

Tatsumaki watched from behind him as the two attacks connected, and much to her shock, the usually useless cyborg was actually holding his own if even a little.

"Heh! You can't overpower me, boy! You're just in the way!"

Genos wasn't ready to admit defeat, even as he witnessed her attack slowly engulf his blast. "Grr..." he let out a small grunt of effort. 'Master Saitama... am I... am I getting any stronger?' He clenched his hands shut, and drew out as much strength as he could possibly muster. "Grr... GRAAAAAHHH!"

Amazingly, his attack began drilling right through the bigger blast!

"Uh-!" Psychos gasped in shock. "He split my blast!?"

It wasn't enough to completely break through, but it was impressive, nonetheless. Impressive enough that even Tatsumaki was watching the power struggle in interest.

"TORNADO!" Genos shouted, snagging her focus. "DO IT! I'M OVERHEATING!"

Wasting no time, she utilized her small window of opportunity to at the very least do something about the beast still avidly chasing her sister and the two elderly martial artists. She turned her attention completely towards its scurrying form, and with a sharp aim of both her hands, she stopped it just before it closed in on the group of three.

Before she could do anything damaging, however, "GUH!" Genos gasped. He had reached his limit. Sparks and steam were pouring out of every crevis on his mechanical form.

"HEH! Stupid boy! Looks like he's all outta batteries!" Immediately, the massive dragon head spat another blast, just as devastating as the last. "No more shield, Tornado! Now, DIE!"

Tatsumaki had to release her hold on Elder Centipede to protect them. She slipped her arms beneath Genos's armpits holding him up as she blocked the blast. As she forced the attack back, she glanced toward the big insect once again to see it ramming her barrier. It was cracking even more, but luckily her sister's group was finally able to lose it.

"Damn it," she grumbled beneath her breath.

"... I'm sorry..." Genos muttered.

Tatsumaki glanced at the side of his face and saw the disappointment in his eyes. "... Good job, Demon Cyborg. Thanks to you, I was able to protect my sister." When Psychos' blast finally dissipated, the Tornado of Terror eyed her down from across the sky. "Now, I have to finish this..." She let him slip from her arms and free-fall toward the ground. Catching him before too long, she gently laid him down. "Hey you!" she shouted toward her opponent. "Your name... its Psychos, or whatever, right?"

Psychos was smirking for a brief moment until she made a shocking revelation. "Ngh!" She couldn't move. Not again! Even after all of the power Lord Orochi's flesh roots absorbed!? How could she be this strong!?

"You said something earlier..."

'How can ANYONE be this strong!?'

Tatsumaki suddenly got a terrifying look in her eye. "... you threatened my sister!"

"Garou?" A naked Zombieman asked Superalloy Darkshine who sat on his butt hugging his knees to his chest. "The hero hunter guy? He defeated you?"

A just as naked Puri-puri prisoner knelt down in front of him. "He defeated you!? In hand-to-hand combat!?"

'How is that even possible?' Zombie Man wondered.

"He's alive," Darkshine muttered, "so, he'll reappear soon... I don't think anyone can stop him... I... I don't get it... No matter what you do, he just gets right back up... stronger and better than before!"

The two stark naked S-Class heroes watched as he broke down completely. Never had they seen this from the 9th-ranked hero. He was definitely the physically strongest of the entire group. So, how was it he was reduced to this sobbing mess before them? How strong was this Garou guy, really?

"I... I'm a loser..."

"Darkshine..." Puri-puri Prisoner tried to soothe him, but no words came to mind.

"I am... I'm a total los-... Whoa..." he looked up at the main battle in wonder, slowly drawing everyone else's gaze.

"Is that Bang!?" Lightning Max shouted as he and Snek watched the group of three land right next to them.

Bang set Fubuki down on her feet and immediately looked to see where the colossal centipede was at. "Fubuki! Are you alright!?"

She huffed and puffed, more so out of fear than exhaustion. "Yeah!... Yeah, I'm f-!" Fubuki cut her words short when a spike of pressure ran through her body. Immediately, her eyes shot toward her sister, drawing everyone else's gaze to the main battle as well.

"Whoa," Bomb muttered staring up at the battle. "The power is increasing!"

They could see the clouds above the barrier begin to twist.

Even as the second-ranked hero in the association, Bang could hardly believe his eyes. "Is her psychic power limitless?"

It always seemed like that, but Fubuki knew better than anyone that it wasn't. '... she intends to finish it... but...' her eyes then traveled to the barrier that was gradually becoming more and more transparent until it was damn near invisible. She was using too much energy. "... Tatsumaki..."

"WHOA!" Mizuki shouted as she, Mumen Rider, Sekingar, and Saitama all gazed up at the main battle that they could finally see clear as day. "Look at the clouds!" They were starting to twist and contort with Psychos as the center focus.

"Not just the clouds!" Mumen Rider shouted. "Look!" he pointed at the ground just on the other side of the nearly invisible barrier. Everything was sliding counterclockwise.

Sekingar's usual stoic gaze was stuck in disbelief. "She... she's twisting the entire city!"

None of them even grasped the possible reason for why they could finally see through the impenetrable barrier. They were all too awestricken by the unbelievable display of power.

Saitama didn't look impressed at face value, but even he had his eyes on the woman in the sky. "... wow."

"You... you still had more power in reserve!? You're-! y-You're a monster!"

Tatsumaki held her hands out in front of her as if she were holding an invisible wet hand towel. Slowly but surely, she began ringing it out, and as she did, Psychos' body began twisting and contorting into a long tube of knotty flesh.

"GUAAAAAGHGHGHGHGH!" the monstrosity squealed in agony. "MY ROOTS!" Every inch of the creature was being absolutely decimated.

Tatsumaki only smirked through the immense effort. Even though it felt like she were moments away from dropping. "Old rags like this one really can absorb a lot, so... you gotta-... wring it-all-out!"

'She's... she's a monster! a-... A freak of nature! She's-!' Psychos finally took note of her surroundings and the fact that the barrier was disappearing. 'She's losing focus!'

"ELDER CENTIPEDE!" she called out to the beast that was also watching the spectacle in fear. "THE BARRIER!"

Still holding her grip, Tatsumaki's eyes shot toward the creature to see it try to scurry its way toward the edge of the city. Its head hit the barrier that remained, and it roared in frustration. It turned around completely and began an all-out sprint toward the other side, cutting right through the city as it quickly picked up speed. Tatsumaki tried her best to reinforce her barrier, but every time she tried, she could feel her control slip over the still squirming tube of flesh.

Fubuki saw what was happening and peered back at the barrier. "It's not gonna hold!"

Bang followed her line of sight. "It's gonna break through toward the city!" The second-ranked hero flinched when a drop of liquid hit his cheek.

Lightning Max looked up into the sky in wonder. "It's raining... blood?"

Everyone's attention was again drawn to the main conflict and they could see the massive tower of twisting flesh begin to spurt like a fountain of death. Tatsumaki was putting her all into the attack. She was trying to finish it fast enough to restore the barrier, but Fubuki knew. "... she's not gonna make it!"

"Come on-!" Tatsumaki snarled, trying for all she was worth to squeeze every ounce of life from the monstrous combination. "Come on! COME O- Guh!" Her eyes shot wide open. She slapped a hand over her mouth in a dry heave, then blood came spitting from her mouth, and leaking from her eyes.

"THE BARRIER!" Bomb shouted, drawing his brother's attention back to the situation with Elder Centipede.

"IT'S GONE!"

Fubuki stared up at her sister with worry written on her face. 'Tatsumaki...'

Psychos snapped her gaze toward the small Esper in a panic. "She let up!? This is my chance!" The tower of flesh suddenly grew a giant boil, and when it burst the tip of the construct was covered in a cloud of thick smoke. A large lump of flesh from within the cover suddenly disconnected and began to morph taking the shape of an alien-looking jet that shot off, trying to escape the radius of Tatsumaki's barrier before she could reestablish it.

"Uh-ha! Hah! I escaped! Now, I'll suck blood from the other cities and regain my power! I have to be quick!"

Tatsumaki quickly whisked the smoke away so she could see and spotted both Elder Centipede and Psychos headed in opposite directions. She didn't have much left in the tank to stop the big charging monster, but the barrier would hold up against Psychos' little flesh jet. She quickly threw it back up and tried for all she was worth to make it strong enough to stop them both. At this point, she could only pray it was good enough.

Everyone on the battlefield, everyone watching the broadcast through Metal Knight's stream, and everyone fortunate enough to have been left outside the barrier had their eyes on the charging Elder Centipede, all praying the barrier that reappeared would be strong enough to contain it. But... somehow, everyone knew that it wasn't.

Mumen Rider stumbled back before tripping on his own feet. Still, his horrified gaze was locked on the charging monstrosity. "Tha-... That thing is coming right for us!"

Mizuki held her ground with shaking legs. "That barrier's not gonna hold! What do we do!?"

"We have to get clear!" Sekingar shouted.

Mumen Rider scrambled back to his feet and ran for his bike, but before he made it, he fully realized their predicament. "It's gonna bust through to the city! What about the people in the bunkers!?"

It was a valid point. There was one four blocks away from them. If the beast didn't change directions, it would trample them before any of them could make it out.

Sekingar looked down the road at the building in question. There was no way it was gonna hold. Even so... "There's nothing we can do! We have to move!"

Mumen Rider glanced at the bunker before glancing back at the charging beast. "But... all those people..."

Sure enough, they heard a commotion from behind them, and far in the distance, the civilians that were huddled down in that bunker were scrambling out, seeing the incoming danger through the broadcast. It was a massive hoard that piled out all at once, a few clusters tripping over each other along the way.

"Everyone! We have to go! Now!" Sekingar, again shouted as Mizuki slung his arm over her shoulder, ready to run.

"I gotcha coach!" Mizuki shouted, hooking his good arm over her shoulders. "Let's go!"

Saitama stared directly at the charging beast with a plain expression even as the others ran by him.

Mumen Rider rubbed his shoulder on the way by and stopped in his tracks.

"Saitama! The barrier's not gonna..." his words faded out when he saw that the bald man was now walking forward.

Mizuki stopped too, turning her and Sekingar around wondering why they weren't following. "Come on, guys!"

"Saitama!" Sekingar barked, fearing they were running out of time. It would be like trying to stop an oversized train running full speed. "There is nothing we can-.."

"Nah, it's cool," the bald hero cut him off. "I can take this one. I'm actually glad... I was starting to think I wouldn't get to fight any monsters at all."

The three behind him were stunned by such a lackluster proclamation, but Mizuki was the one to protest. "Are you joking!? That thing is huge! You can't fight that alone!"

Sekingar's heart was beating in his chest. At this point, it didn't even seem like running was a viable option anymore. They had wasted their only opportunity to escape. His eyes locked onto the white cape of their newest S-Rank in anticipation. Briefly, the conversation he had with Tornado came to mind. She claimed he was strong. Even said he was leagues above Darkshine and Tank-Top Master. He was hoping to see it for himself from a safer position, but he no longer had that luxury. So, now he was really REALLY hoping it wasn't another King situation. Tatsumaki admired him at one point too.

Mumen Rider was locked in place too. More so because he saw the look in his eyes as he passed. This unknown hero wasn't afraid... not in the slightest. Replaying the moment in his mind, he could've sworn he saw him yawn... Such confidence in a situation like this? Who is this guy? "Saitama... what's your power!?"

The charging beast was nearly there roaring the entire way.

Saitama continued walking, his uninterested gaze never leaving the ugly creature scurrying toward them. "Hm? ... My power?"

With a war cry, Elder Centipede was a breath away from bursting through.

Saitama casually slid his right leg back and got into a lazy punching stance. "I guess... I'm just kinda strong..."

(PSHHH!)

"GRAAAAAAARGH!" Elder Centipede busted right through the barrier, shattering it like it were a flimsy piece of glass.

"... Serious Series..."

Within that blink-and-you'd-miss-it moment, it was like the entire world stopped for everyone watching. As if there had never been a heavier silence that followed the display they witnessed. Seeing was believing, and yet, what they saw, not a single person could believe. From those who had never even seen the man's face to those who knew him very well, no one could fathom how a single punch could produce such devastating power. Not only did he stop the creature in its tracks, he completely obliterated it. From the point of impact to the monster's tail miles away, every piece of him began disintegrating in the most beautiful display of salvation they had ever seen. It was like the colossal beast was simply erased from existence. Ashes flying in the wind from a single lackluster punch. Between Tatsumaki twisting an entire city and this, there was no question which was more impressive.

Many of the heroes who were further inside the barrier didn't witness the punch, but the aftermath was visible to all, and to many, it left them confused.

"What... in the world?" Bomb muttered, watching as Elder Centipede's mile-long body faded into the wind.

His brother let out a long exhausted sigh as he stretched. "-and I thought for a moment there that he wouldn't show. Saitama-boy sure has impeccable timing."

Fubuki was just as shocked as everyone else. She knew he was strong, but... this strong? Was this even humanly possible?

Up on a ridge, Sneck watched the massive creature's body blowing away with the wind in confusion. "What was that!? ... Max! What was that!?"

Lightning Max had been watching the head of the beast through his telescope the entire way. Now, he was locked on the shattered hole with his mouth agape.

"Max!" Sneck shouted, desperate to find out who could've done something so amazing. "... Max!"

"uh-.. I-..." Even watching through his telescope, he had no idea what he just witnessed.

Flashy Flash stood atop a piece of rubble, further back from the group, watching as well. His gaze fell upon the small yellow dot in the far distance in wonder. "So... this is your power, huh..."

Psychos swerved to avoid hitting the barrier a second before Elder Centipede made contact, so she missed the initial hit. That made watching the aftermath all the more confusing. "What the hell!?"

"Oh my," Puri-puri prisoner muttered as he, Darkshine, and Zombieman stood right next to the back end of the beast, watching it disappear for good.

Zombie-Man voiced the group's collective thought aloud. "... What the hell was that?"

Tatsumaki saw it out the side of her eye and let slip a small grin of satisfaction. Now, they would all see. 'Finally...'

In the bunkers, the only clear shot they had was from within the barrier, so many of the onlookers were left just as confused as the heroes inside. All they saw was the creature suddenly erased from existence. Who's power was that?

Sekingar, Mizuki, and Mumen Rider had all fallen back from the force of the initial blast, and they all three were stunned in silence looking at the back of the bald man who held his steaming fist up by his face. Even as close as they were, they couldn't believe what just happened. It just flat out didn't make sense. Maybe it flew over the heads of the lower-ranked heroes, but Sekingar took note of one little detail there. Saitama definitely didn't put his all into that punch.

Saitama stood there for a moment, looking at his steaming glove in disappointment. "Huh... thought that'd be a little more fun..." His gaze finally landed on something in the distance. "Oh-! Genos! Hey, I made it!" he said, jogging in, all but forgetting about the three behind him.

Even battered as he was, Genos could do nothing but marvel at the strength of the man he called his master. Every time he felt as though he was closing the gap, it seemed to widen that much further. For so long he had waited for this day. The day that everyone would witness the greatness he saw. He had played the unsung hero for all these years, and now, everyone saw him... and yet, Genos got the sense that, to Saitama, it didn't matter either way.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, squatting down next to him. "You look pretty beat up."

"... m-... Master... you came..."

"Yeah, that old guy took forever."

"Saitama!" Fubuki shouted as she, Bang, and Bomb came floating down beside them.

"Oh, heyyy... It's uh... you," he said, clearly having forgotten her name.

"You... you came!" she shouted.

He raised an eyebrow at her excitement. She seemed relieved. "Yeah. I got here a little late." He cupped a hand against his mouth as if to whisper. "Hopefully, no one noticed."

"It doesn't matter, Saitama-boy," Bang chimed in. "The good thing is you're here, and we are all grateful for that. We could really use your help."

Saitama stared at him for a long moment with a plain look on his face. "..."

"It's... it's Bang..."

"... Oh, yeah. Bang. Hey, it's cool man. I'm glad I made it." He looked up toward the top of the barrier to see two alien-like fighter jets zipping around, shooting at each other. "So, was that the big boss or something?"

Bang sighed and followed his gaze. "No, that would be that fleshy-looking jet up there. Tatsumaki has worn it down quite a bit, so I fear it simply may be harder for you to catch than defeat at this point."

"Ah, okay..." After a moment, his eyes shot open in realization. "Oh, Genos! Hey, I forgot, do you need some ice or something?"

The cyborg struggled up to his feet as best he could, and when he stumbled, Saitama held him steady. "m-Master... I'm fine. Right now, we have to help Tornado."

"... Who?"

"My sister!" Fubuki shouted, staring up at the floating woman who was doing all she could to maintain the barrier. "She needs help! She's at her limit and... I fear she may be unconscious!"

Saitama followed her gaze and immediately recognized her. 'Geez, how many names does she have?'

(tzz tzzzz)

"Come... co-.. in... Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Suddenly everyone's transponders began crackling, the voice of Sitch slowly fading in until they could hear again.

"Sitch, this is Bang. We hear you."

"Hello? Are we back?" the voice of Child Emperor crackled in.

Then, Flashy Flash, "What is it..."

"We hear you, loud and clear," said Zombie Man.

"Comms check," Sitch instructed. "I need everyone to respond."

Slowly, the voices of all of the remaining S-Class heroes (and Amai Mask) came ringing in, one after another. SuperAlloy Darkshine, Atomic Samurai, Drive Knight, Pig God, and Tank Top Master all chimed in.

"This is Demon Cyborg, checking in," Genos said as Saitama flagged down his attention. He waved his transponder at him urgently. The cyborg got the hint and turned the device on for him. "Just press that button there and talk into it," he whispered.

"Uh... Saitama here. How's it goin'?" Silence followed for a moment, so he thought he did it wrong. "Hello? This is Saitama?"

"We read you, Saitama," Sitch informed before quickly moving along, "Tornado, Metal Bat, Metal Knight, if you can hear me, please respond... I repeat, if you can hear me please re-.."

"Metal Knight, checking in."

"Good. Metal Bat, Tatsumaki, if you can hear this please respond."

"We fear Tatsumaki may be unconscious," Bang informed, peaking up at the woman in the sky with her hands up.

"Unconscious? But the barrier is still up... okay. Has anyone seen Metal Bat?"

Everyone replied, saying some version of 'no' or 'not for a while'.

"He was assisting in the contain of Elder Centipede for a moment," Bang informed, "but we lost track of him."

"Understood," the executive said, "do you remember where he was last seen?"

Bang looked around for a moment along with everyone else in the group. "Well, Tornado has sort of changed the terrain. I can't say for sure."

Saitama's gaze continued sweeping the area until he stopped on something in the air. "... hm?"

"Uh, hang on," Atomic Samurai cut in. "Anyone wanna tell me what the hell that was with the big bug?"

Immediately, the heroes who didn't see it all began to voice their agreements simultaneously.

"It was Master Saitama."

The chatter died down almost immediately following his proclamation.

"The new guy?" Atomic Samurai questioned, his tone clearly implying disbelief. "Uh... anyone else get eyes on that?"

"I didn't see it myself, but I'm sure it's the case," Bang stated.

"I meant anyone that was on the fence before. Not that I don't trust you. Just a little curious."

"I'm curious as well." Zombie Man chimed in. "Prisoner, Darkshine, and I were at the back half."

"I saw the whole thing! It was Master that-..!"

"Relax, Demon Cyborg," Sitch cut in. "It was already confirmed by Sekingar, and there is a cellphone recording currently trending on social media... There's proof this time."

A smile of gratitude slowly crept its way onto his usually stoic face and he looked to his Master only to realize he wasn't there.

"Saitama," Sitch began. "... I must admit I am beyond impressed. Not since Blast himself have I seen anything so miraculous... Upon this reveal, I've taken it upon myself to look further through your file, and I see that you had, in fact, taken the hero course before. On behalf of the Hero Association, allow me to apologize for your initial misplacement. From your results in the physical exam, it's clear we did not take careful consideration in our selection. We are glad you've -.."

"He's gone..." Bang said, cutting him off.

"... he's gone? Saitama? Where did you-.."

"-and he forgot his transponder..." Genos added, picking it up off the ground. It must have fallen out of his pocket.

Drive Knight zipped through the sky, masterfully outmaneuvering the blasts and attacks from the monsterized jet he was in pursuit of. He was loosely tuning in and out of the conversation over the transponders, but his focus remained on the objective. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much in the way of offense. It was hard enough trying to drive her away from the opening left in the barrier. From here, he could see it slowly mending, but it was still the focus of Psychos.

"RRRAGH!" she yelled from the cockpit of her flesh-jet. 'This bastard's persistent! I have to find a way to escape and recoup!' Finally, she gained a bit of breathing room that allowed her to fully survey the situation. Her gaze slowly floated across the battlefield until she spotted Tatsumaki. She was... unconscious? 'Perfect! That stubborn bitch is past her limit! She's wide open! I can kill her and escape!'

Drive knight tracked her flight path when she made a sharp cut. 'She seeks to destroy the barrier, and escape. Engaging counter measures.' He started firing blasts to disrupt her path, many of his bullets missing by mere inches.

'Don't rely on others to save you all the time...'

There it was again... that voice that always crept into Tatsumaki's thoughts at the worst possible moment. '... I know that...'

A high-pitched screaming caught her ear followed by loud whistles as something swooped right by her. Her eyes creaked open and through her blurry vision, she realized they were bullets by, a little too close for comfort. Her head snapped right and she saw the approaching aircraft far too late to do anything about it. With an involuntary gasp, she was suddenly tackled out of the way. Again, her vision blurred as she flipped and tumbled through the air for quite a while.

Saitama landed on his feet after gathering his bearings in their fall. "Oh, man. I almost didn't make it."

Tatsumaki's focus slowly faded when she realized she wasn't on the ground despite the fact that she wasn't flying. The light bouncing off the top of his head draw her attention.

"Hey, did you know you were asleep just then?"

She blinked a few times and used the back of her hands to wipe the blood from her eyes. Slowly, her awareness returned and she fully realized what was happening.

"What? Let me go!" She struggled out of his grasp and floated up and away from him. Immediately, she threw the barrier back up before Psychos could escape before returning her attention to Saitama. "Where the hell have you been!?"

Saitama reeled at her sudden anger. "Oh... yeah, sorry bout that. I had a housing issue."

"A housing issue!? Are you an idiot!? This is your first mission and you show up late!?"

"Uh-.. yeah... well, actually I was here way earlier, but that one boss guy said I shouldn't try and break that barrier of yours."

"You should have said something over the transponder, you idiot!"

"... yeah. Mine wasn't working for some reason."

She took note of how he looked up and away and scratched the back of his head, obviously lying about something. With an irritated huff, she waved it off. "Whatever..."

Saitama stared at the side of her face and watched as she fiddled with her own transponder. "... Hey, that was a pretty cool move back there."

Tatsumaki glanced toward him quickly before looking back to her device. Was it damaged during the fight? "What?"

"... that little twisting move? Super cool..."

"Hello... can anyone hear me? What's going on?"

Saitama realized he was ignored and quickly lost interest. He paced around for a moment before squatting down next to a sign on the ground. 'Oh... hey, this must be that one grocery store that I lost 500 yen... fell right outta my pocket and that old lady just walked away with it... Even when I caught her, she just smiled and walked away... old ladies could rob anyone...'

"Damn it," Tatsumaki snarled. "Give me your transponder."

Saitama stood back to his feet, reaching for his pockets. "Oh, yeah, it's uh... huh... must've fell outta my pocket."

Tatsumaki rolled her eyes and before she could berate him for his carelessness, a voice finally cut through her own device.

"Tornado. Come in, this is Sitch, can you hear me?"

"Finally! What's going on? Where's my sister?"

"I'm fine, Tatsumaki!" Fubuki quickly scrambled through Genos's transponder. "I'm okay! Are you okay?"

She released a silent sigh of relief but maintained her stern tone of voice. "Sitch, I told you I didn't want her involved in this."

"Yes, I understand, but given the scale of the present situation, we couldn't afford to limit our options. As it stands, I'm glad she was there. She's been a big help."

"She's not ready for this type of mission. Next time, don't involve her, got it?"

"Understood..." Sitch said, immediately.

Fubuki's relief quickly melted into embarrassment at her sister's words and she timidly passed the device back to Demon Cyborg.

Genos, Bang, and Bomb all noticed the interaction, but they all knew it was a personal matter, so they didn't speak on it.

Tatsumaki eyed Saitama down as if she expected him to say something about the family matter, but he was looking elsewhere completely.

With another sigh, she ran a hand through her hair and got back to business. "So, what's the update?"

"We are currently aware of three other major threats still lurking about. A group of Class-A's are fighting a monster that calls itself President Ugly, another group is fighting a creature that multiplies..."

Saitama tuned out along his lengthy spiel, and in the silence he watched the two jets zooming across the top of the barrier. 'We must look like an interesting snowglobe right now...' When he lost interest in that as well, he turned back to the floating woman and finally noticed something. "Hey, are you alright?"

Tatsumaki looked his way with a confused look until she followed his gaze. She looked at her bleeding hands for a second before crossing her arms and looking away. "I'm fine..."

Saitama raised an eyebrow but didn't speak on it further.

"-and lastly, no one's seen Metal Bat in a while. So, if you all work together to defeat this Psychos, then we can prioritize his search. We must be quick and efficient. There are many lives at stake. Godspeed, S-Class."

In a more secluded section of the deformed city, a piece of the twisted street began pulsing following consecutive blasts that were getting louder and louder. Soon, the road was blown apart; popped like a bad pimple spewing out the missing S-Class delinquent hero. Gone was his shirt and jacket, and he looked as though he were out cold with his body rag-dolling through the air. Yet, when he landed, he struggled right back to his feet as he always did.

"Yeah-!" he snarled in a low growl. "Let's bring it to the surface you creep-!"

Out of the hole came crawling a humanoid creature. One bloodied claw after another until he dug his way out. With a twisted grin, he bared his fangs. The muscle of his hardened jet-black body rippled with every move he took. Glowing veins protruded from all around his form.

[Hero Hunter Garou/Threat Level: Dragon]

Metal Bat readjusted his grip and said nothing more. 'Okay... now I'm fired up!'

AN: Boom bang pop... pow! The reveal! Saitama hides within the shadow of convenience no more! Again, thanks to everyone who left a review! It means a lot to hear what you guys think as the story progresses! If you have the time, please do so again, yada-yada-yada... and also, I wanna bring back questions! My question this time around:

Do you think Saitama is a good main character?

It's kind of weird how relatable he can be for a literal unkillable being. I mean, I'm someone who usually loves to watch a character struggle their way toward success, so it baffles me to this day why I love Saitama so much! It's not that he's super relatable or... even all that funny. To me, I guess it's interesting to see the outcome of what we all want our favorite heroes to one day become. When you have all of that power, where could the story possibly go? What is left to search for? What is left to achieve? I don't know what draws me to a story like this, but throughout this fanfic (much like the main story) I will seek to answer that in my own way.

Thanks for reading! Till next time!