Chapter 4: Because He's King
"Tsk! They weren't even enough for a warmup. Which hero should I go hunting for next..." Garou said aloud, walking out of the Heroes Association headquarters. After brutalizing everyone in the room where that one Heroes Association executive attempted to hire those worthless excuses for 'villains', he had to leave immediately before the other S-Class heroes appeared.
While he was confident in his ability to take down any other hero, the S-Class Heroes were a little beyond him right now. While meatheads like Tank-Top Master or Puri-Puri Prisoner wouldn't pose that much of a threat, other heroes like Atomic Samurai, Flashy Flash, Darkshine... and that old geezer would beat him into the tar. Not to mention their heavy hitters like Tatsumaki and King. He wouldn't even know how he died if he fought them now.
Well, he'd at least have a semblance of an idea of how he died if he fought Tatsumaki. There were plenty of videos of Tatsumaki doing her 'daily routine', squashing monsters that even he would have a tough time with faster than the blink of an eye. Then she'd fly off to do the same thing with another poor monster. But for the other one...
"The Heroes Association's number one fighter, King..."
There wasn't much- if any battle data to look at. In a fight where King took action- even being near the fight itself would be detrimental to one's health. No idiot would attempt to see how King fought; if the aftermath of said fights was like if every natural disaster combined happened in one spot. Ten times over.
However, there were plenty of videos where King happened across some weak monsters. And doing the smart thing, they surrendered. While they cockily announced their 'power' and desire to rule the world- the instant King came into view, they immediately started shaking, crying, and begging to be let off. Not even bothering to do anything about it, King would simply leave- while the monsters would either pass out from fear; or continue to fearfully grovel at that same spot until another hero came along to pick them up.
There were also accounts of some monsters that were so blinded by their power to the point they somehow thought that they could take down King. However, the most infuriating part of those accounts were...
...that King didn't even take action in any of them. In all of them, another A or B-Class hero just happened to be nearby and offered to take on the monster in place of King, who simply shrugged, and walked away.
Right now, he was watching a video of King standing in front of some reptilian mysterious being that immediately prostrated onto the ground, stammering its apologies as King merely looked down on it.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, Garou was about to turn off his phone when he saw something in the recommended list of videos.
"'King's true power... the aura of King', Huh?" Reading out the title, Garou tapped on the video.
"I said I came here to kill you!" A large cyclopean robot said, pulling out a sword from its back. "This is a test of my combat A.I., I cannot gather information if I catch you off guard! So fight me at full strength!"
"Sigh...Fine." King said, looking at the large robot without a hint of worry.
"Then here I come!"
"KNEEL."
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...
...
"Jackpot." Garou wolfishly grinned. Finally, he had something to go off of. Still, King had some kind of bullshit power. Just by vocalizing the word 'kneel', an invisible pressure seemed to exert onto the robot, damaging the ground beneath it. Not to mention, King leisurely walked towards it, not even affected by the pressure. After taking off the robot's crown- which just seemed like showing off at that point- King stamped the robot's head into the ground, seemingly neutralizing it.
"Hmm, so I'll need to get him before he can even speak," Garou said to himself, a hand on his chin. While he would like to announce himself before he hunted a hero; letting King use that horsecrap power was like letting Pig God eat you without resistance. It was essentially suicide.
"Hm? The video's not over?" Garou noticed that the video was still going on. As King dusted his hands off, another S-Class hero, Genos appeared on the scene. After some conversation he couldn't hear, Genos seemed to go on alert, as the remains of the robot suddenly erupted, with a smaller robot coming out of it. The robot then opened up to show off some cool laser weaponry, but then-
"...Holy shit."
He couldn't even see anything. One second ago, King was standing next to Genos. The next, King suddenly appeared behind the robot, as it was bisected in half. Rewinding the video frame by frame, Garou concluded that...
King was fast. While the video was recorded on some random guy's phone, the video recorder probably still had a 24 FPS framerate at the very least. Despite that, when King took action- it took just one frame for King to appear behind that robot and dust his hands off like he just finished feeding the fishes, watering the plants, or some other menial task. Didn't that mean King took less than a twentieth of a second to finish off the smaller robot? With ease? That was almost comparable to Flashy Flash- the hero known for his speed!
Turning off the video as the crowd started cheering for King, Garou smiled, continuing on his merry way to hunt some more heroes. An outside observer (had there been one) might even say there was a skip in his step, but Garou would sooner force that individual to kiss asphalt than admit that he, the Hero Hunter, the Absolute Evil, had butterflies in his stomach thinking about King.
...thinking about fighting King, that is.
"This is a photo of the B-Class Hero, Saitama." A man with long eyelashes said, passing a photo of the bald hero to a young woman wearing a form-fitting dark green dress with a long white fur coat.
"He's only joined the Heroes Association 6 weeks ago, yet he's managed to jump from dead last in C-Class to Rank 7 B-Class. His accomplishments include the apprehension of S-Class criminal Speed-O-Sound Sonic, assisting in the destruction of the giant meteor in City Z with S-Class Hero Genos, now known as Demon Cyborg, and S-Class Hero Metal Knight, taking down the leader of the Sea-Folk, the Deep Sea King, and various other mysterious beings ranging from Tiger to Demon."
"He's also reputed to be a fraud, seemingly breaking all records in the physical test, but people say that he simply bribed the people in charge of the test."
"That's all the information we have on him. Do you think he's worthy of joining the Blizzard Group, Miss Fubuki?" The man with long eyelashes asked his superior.
"Of course. While the video of him admitting that he simply attacked the Deep Sea King after the other heroes had weakened it enough for him to defeat him in one punch does paint him in the light as a fraudster, it doesn't change the fact that he's approaching my position- all the while not being in our group. If he's indeed a fraud, then we'll just have to teach him a lesson ourselves; that there's no place for frauds in the Heroes Association."
"However, if he turns out to be the real deal, then we'll have to get him into the Blizzard Group. If he still refuses... then we'll just have to show him the harsh reality- that without people to back him, he is nothing before the Blizzard Group."
" "Yes! Miss Fubuki!" "
"Well then, let's leave after we have lunch. Lily, what's on today's menu?"
"Today should be Konbu chicken soup, fish & chips, and steamed king crab." A young girl with a white lily flower on her head answered Fubuki.
"King crab? When did we get king crab?"
"Remember the lobster mysterious being that we defeated some time ago? Apparently, before we got to it, it appeared in front of a seafood stall selling king crab. According to the owner, the lobster mysterious being had intended to destroy the stall and kill the owner, but we managed to chase it away before it managed to do anything."
"As thanks, he sent us a large shipment of king crab as thanks for saving him."
"Huh... well, isn't that nice. Anyway, shall we-"
"Woah, that's awesome!"
"Hmm?" Turning around, Fubuki saw Eyelashes with a surprised reaction, looking at his phone.
"Oh! Sorry about that, Miss Fubuki. Glasses sent me a clip of King fighting a robot. Let's go to the cafeteria, then-"
"Let me see."
"Eh?"
"King rarely needs to take action against weak enemies. Not to mention, no one has ever really seen him fight, either. Show me the clip."
"Y-Yes, Miss Fubuki!" Eyelashes immediately re-opened the video, allowing Fubuki (as well as Mountain Ape and Lily) to watch the video.
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...
...
"That's amazing... King somehow restrained the robot with a word and stomped it into the ground without any resistance!" Lily said, in awe of King's display of might.
"Was King psychic this whole time? Why did my sister never tell me?" Fubuki asked aloud.
"Well... are we sure it's psychic power? It's King, after all. It might be some other kind of power, like some ancient curse technique, or some alien technology that increases gravity at a certain point." Eyelashes commented.
"That might also be true. Still, come to think of it, I wonder why only now is there footage of King fighting an enemy. Before this, there was an incredible lack of battle data on him to begin with." Fubuki said. "I once tried to research how King fights, but after nights of scouring the internet and the Heroes Association's official databooks, there hasn't been any relevant data to pull from, other than the fact he has a technique he revealed to the world, being his 'King Style: Qigong'."
"Hmm... maybe it's all part of King's plan? After all, the more people know about his abilities, the more they can plan around it to try and find a weak spot. Maybe King himself takes down any evidence of his battle data on the internet?" Lily proposed.
"That... might be a reasonable answer." Fubuki's eyes widened. "So that's why we don't see any battle data on King! He's actively taking down any evidence of how he fights! Truly, a meticulous man!"
Fubuki turned to Eyelashes. "Quick, download the video! If we have a copy of the video that King actively wants to be scrubbed, we might be able to sell it to the Heroes Association for a pretty penny! A rare video of King taking action... those executives would love it!"
"B-but won't that make us an enemy of King?" Eyelashes said nervously. "Even if we're fellow heroes, he might not forgive us..."
"Don't worry- I have a few channels for this. Even if King were to catch wind of it- he wouldn't be able to tell it was us, anyway!"
"I-If you say so, Miss Fubuki..." Eyelashes said, downloading the video.
Still, a part of him was nervous.
"There has to be a reason why there isn't a single video out there on King's fights. Even if Miss Fubuki is confident... I'm not so sure. It's King, after all."
"Woah! Super cool! As expected of King, the Strongest Man on Earth!" Charanko said, looking at a video on his phone.
"Charanko, what are you doing?" Out of nowhere, Bang appeared, sneaking up on his 'top disciple'.
"AIHGSDFGKNDFGHGJDFGL?!" Charanko flailed around after the scare, nearly dropping his phone.
"What're you watching that made you unable to hear me calling for you, hmm?" Bang asked.
"O-Oh! It's nothing, Master Bang! I was just watching a video of King fighting a monster, that's all! What did you need me to do, master?" Charanko said, bowing deeply.
"Hm? A video of King fighting a monster? Let me see." Bang asked.
"Oh, of course, master!"
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...
...
"He's fast." Was all Bang had to say.
"W-wait, is that all you have to say, Master Bang? King just used some sort of power to press the giant robot into the ground! Isn't that much cooler?!"
"You say that, then you have young Miss Tatsumaki, who could turn monsters into bits of blood with just the power of her mind. King having the same sort of ability isn't that far-fetched." Bang remarked.
"On the other hand, King's speed is truly great. The video didn't even show a single moment between King moving and the robot being sliced in half." Bang said.
"Wait, really?! That's amazing! Assuming the camera was a 24 fps camera or even a 60 fps camera... it would mean that King..." Charanko closed his eyes, doing mental math.
"Woah! It'd mean he killed that monster in either less than a twentieth of a second or maybe even three times that!" Charanko said. "As expected of The Strongest Man on Earth!"
"Still, I don't think he was even exerting himself, there. He barely seems fazed." Bang said.
"I know, right?! He's so cool!" Charanko said, fanboying over it. "I wonder, what kind of awesome martial arts does he use?"
"Martial arts... who knows? As The Strongest Man on Earth, he's bound to have a few techniques under his belt."
"Obviously! The only move we've ever gotten from him is his 'King-Style Qigong', from the official Heroes Association data book, and that doesn't give us any other glimpse into what he's capable of! But now we know he also can use his voice to change the surroundings! As expected of King!"
"Yes, indeed. Speaking of techniques... come with me, Charanko."
"Oh, of course, Master Bang. What did you want from me?"
Bang said nothing, but Charanko noted that his face looked more solemn than usual.
"Charanko... what have you learned from me?"
"Eh?"
"Ahh... I can't wait. The Heroes Association's strongest fighter, the very symbol of heroism and this rotten 'justice' I'm fighting..." Garou thought, kicking a man wearing a red tank top with green leaf prints on it into a crate of bottles.
"What the fuck... what do you want from me? I'm an A-Class hero, why're you attacking me?!"
"Oh, yeah. I have to deal with this waste of space."
"Hmph. A-Class Rank 9, Tank Top Vegetarian. I ran into you by coincidence and thought you'd make a good hunt. But you're worthless." Garou spat.
"You bastard... you're making an enemy of the Tank Top Army- ack!" Garou interrupted Tank Top Vegetarian with a kick to his chest.
"Great. Bring as many of you as you can- that might be worth my time. If not- then screw off. I have to find worthy targets to sharpen my skills against so I can finally face King in battle."
"Fight... King?" Tank Top Vegetarian heard Garou, and started laughing.
Garou's expression turned sour, as he grabbed Tank Top Vegetarian by the hair and lifted him up slightly. "The fuck's so funny? Did I not hit you enough or something?"
"No, it's just hilarious that you think you can possibly fight King. I thought you were just some punk that thinks he's hot shit- but you're just a crazy bastard! You may as well jump off a cliff and save yourself the trouble- agh!"
Garou smashed Tank Top Vegetarian's head into the ground and walked away.
"I already know I'm not a match for him yet- but I just need some time to hone my skills further. No matter how strong he is, even the tallest tree can be cut down." Garou said. Still, Garou threw a few punches in the air and scoffed.
"I'm nowhere near King's level of speed yet... no matter. Nothing a bit more training can't fix. The moment I'm ready... King, 'The Strongest Man on Earth', you'll be my greatest hunt!"
At that exclamation, Garou drew a deep breath and continued walking.
"No, I shouldn't get too cocky yet. These loser heroes below S-Class aren't worth mentioning, but when it comes to King, there's no such thing as overpreparation."
Garou looked at his fist, trembling in excitement.
"Speed... power... technique... I'll need it all to stand a chance against King."
"And... sent." Fubuki said, as the video was sent through a burner phone, straight to the number of a Heroes Association employee.
"...Miss Fubuki, while I don't want to doubt your 'contact'... are you certain King won't be able to figure out it was us?" Eyelashes said, still nervous.
"Of course. I told my contact that I had some 'valuable resources', and I would send them to 'a mutual friend'. It's vague enough that even if King had any suspicions, he wouldn't be able to pin it down to us definitively. The number I sent it to doesn't know who my contact is, and the most King'll be able to tell would be that a certain phone sent an employee a video of him using that ability, and that phone..."
The phone in Fubuki's hands was crushed into pieces with her psychic power.
"Doesn't exist anymore."
At that, Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief.
"Look, there's no need to worry. Come, let's go get lunch. Afterwards, Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, you two will come with me to meet this 'Saitama'."
" "Yes, Miss Fubuki!" " Mountain Ape and Eyelashes exclaimed with vigor.
As Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, and Lily walked toward the cafeteria, Fubuki followed behind them. Unbeknownst to her three underlings, Fubuki was actually the most nervous of the four of them earlier, and she still was right now, even though the phone was destroyed.
"Damn it, I let them walk ahead of me because I didn't want them to know I'm still nervous about it. King is clearly actively hiding his abilities from the public, so if he were to somehow catch wind of me doing it... forget the Blizzard Group, I don't know if I'll be able to escape him."
"I wonder... could big sister protect me from King?" At that thought, Fubuki shook her head. "No, no, you shouldn't keep thinking of big sis! You created the Blizzard Group to find a way to match up to her. Depending on her isn't what I became the leader for!"
Though she stopped thinking about whether or not her sister could protect her from King in the event King found out about her selling that video to the Heroes Association, she did wonder who would win... her sister, or King?
"Overwhelming psychic power versus supreme fighting ability..."
"I can't even begin to imagine my sister struggling in a fight, much less lose against anyone, but at the same time... I can't imagine King losing to anyone, either."
As Bang saw Charanko limp away down the steps of the mountain, part of his heart hurt to expel his last disciple. Still, it was for his protection. If Garou were to grow to the point where he would come back to the dojo to take revenge on him, he wasn't certain if Garou would not take Charanko hostage if he were to be at a disadvantage. So, to prevent putting himself in that position, what he had to do was to hunt down Garou himself... after saying goodbye to Charanko.
At least he only had one disciple to say goodbye to. His older brother had hundreds. Still, he was willing to come and help him settle his matter with Garou.
Breathing a sigh, Bang closed down his dojo and went on his way to see his older brother.
"Big brother's Whirlwind Iron-Cutting Fist would hurt Garou quite a bit, but he deserves it, after all. I thought he'd come to his senses someday after I beat him up and expelled him, but he only ended up hunting heroes instead. I always thought he was just a big fan of monsters in those comics and shows, but I should've guessed when I saw his expression after I joined the Heroes Association."
Even now, Bang could still remember the expression Garou had when he revealed to his disciples that he joined the Heroes Association and became an S-Class hero. At the time, he couldn't quite tell what Garou's reaction was, but now...
He now knew that expression was one of muted hatred. Whether it was hatred of him because he became a hero, or hatred towards heroes because he became one, he wasn't sure. All that mattered was that Garou needed to be stopped before he ended up challenging someone he shouldn't.
Sure, he knew Garou was capable enough to fight and maybe even defeat some S-Class heroes like Puri-Puri Prisoner, Tanktop Master, or maybe even Metal Bat, but there were also heroes like Flashy Flash, who definitely wouldn't hesitate to cut Garou down without mercy. Tatsumaki probably wouldn't even bother- maybe she'd just toss him into a wall, but if he pestered her enough... she might cripple him for life.
And then... there was King.
"While he's a fellow hero... I don't know the slightest about his personality. If Garou were to cross paths with him... there's no telling what would happen."
"Watching that video, King would have the ability to restrain Garou without even lifting a finger, but there's no telling if he would spare him after that." Remembering how King stomped on that robot's head, Bang couldn't bear to see his former disciple in the same position.
"There's also the matter of his speed. If he wanted to, King would be able to kill Garou without him even noticing it." King's speed was incredible- the video couldn't even see King in motion. Garou was not going to be able to react to that.
"You stupid boy... I hope you come to your senses soon. If you come across King... I don't think even I could help you there."
" " "After all, he's King." " "
" " "The Strongest Man on Earth." " "
[Some undisclosed location...]
"Well, that was fun," Saitama said, dusting himself off. "Nice fight, King!"
"Thanks, that was quite fun! I never thought I'd ever get to use those moves on anyone. Should we do this more often? I have quite a few more techniques and moves I want to try out. I'd never get the chance otherwise!" King said.
"Yeah! Same time tomorrow?"
"Hold on there- maybe not tomorrow." King raised a hand. "How about this weekend, instead?"
"That's fine by me!" Saitama gave King a thumbs up.