Spider-Man and The Esper

35. Absolute Carnage

On the same night the search for Garou was a little harder than Spider-man could ever admit, this was just simply one man fighting off many heroes for the fun of it. Yet, during his time in New York, finding criminals was easy probably because that New York was his personal home. Yet going all over the cities was such a hassle.

Currently watching the City-R, kneeling over an apartment building couching on the edge, things were pretty quiet.

"This may be more difficult than I thought." Spider-man said to himself up until a voice interrupted his train of thought.

Amai Mask greeted. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

Spider-man stands up to look down at the balcony to see the popular top ranked Class-A hero Amai Mask, "For the record I didn't know you live here." Spider-man replies as he jumps down to stand in front of the blue haired hero.

Amai Mask nodded. "The media and many of the Class-A and lower heroes are suspicious of how you have climbed the ranks of the Class-A so quickly. It will not be long before you break the top ten. The heroes of Class-A perceive you as a threat to their rank. The media does not appear to like you. Many outlets are calling for your demotion, or even expulsion from the Hero Association. I have been working to counteract these ideas, but I believe the best way to fully dispel the rumors would be to join me on a talk show."

"Nope," Spider-man replied. "I'd rather not make a big deal about it."

"It's already a big deal," Amai Mask countered. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. This could be disastrous for your career as a hero."

Spider-man just shrugged. "I was a hero before this association, I'll still continue to be one regardless."

"If this issue is not dealt with, it may not only affect your career but your personal life," Amai Mask warned. "If the police start investigating you for fraud, it may become a hassle for you."

"The police? Why would they get involved with a Hero Association matter?" Spider-man asked.

"If they believe you blackmailed anyone for your position, they may start looking into your history to see if you have committed any crimes in the past," Amai Mask explained.

"Ah. I see," Spider-man said, "Good thing I have nothing to hide because I have nothing left in my personal life. All that's left is my hero persona."

Amai Mask growled and gritted his teeth. "I strongly urge you to reconsider."

"No," Spider-man said. "A hero shouldn't care about what people think of them. A hero does what's right in the face of adversity. You of all people should know that by now Amai Mask, considering that you say that heroes should be symbols of justice and peace and yet most of the heroes I've encountered are just in it for fame and money and that just makes me sick to my stomach, the people that I've been around all the time are nothing like that. Heroes in general should be more like One Punch Man, Mumen Rider, and me. Heroes should fight to their last breaths, giving it their all to save the weak. But that's only because being a superhero isn't all it's cracked up to be. Every day, you go out there and risk your life just so other people can live peaceful lives. To sacrifice so much blood and sweat while making sure you don't lose too much of both. I know I sound like one of those jokey superheroes, but I know when to drop the funny guy act. This superhero stuff, it's not a game. It's never a game for me when I first wore this mask 10 years ago. It's a responsibility, and I have to use the power I have to hold up to all that responsibility no matter what. With great power, comes great responsibility. No matter what power we have, be it a super power or a job position, we have to take it seriously. We can't just take it for granted. Believe me, I've made that mistake before I even started all this."

Amai Mask blinked and chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me with the amount of hero work and determination you do. Very well. However, this issue still needs to be straightened out. Would you allow me to speak on your behalf at a press conference?"

"No, I would rather do it myself, in a way for the people to like me more if I just keep doing what I'm doing." Spider-man said.

"Oh there was another subject. Is it true that you and Hellish Blizzard are together?"

"Yes."

"How did you do it?"

"It just happened. We've been hanging out for a while after the incident with the Meteorite that was about to obliterate City-Z. After that, I've been teaching about the values of what it means to be a real hero. You've seen the many good deeds she has done on the news. I take it, she's starting to learn a lot by helping out others."

"Indeed. I must say, it is quite beautiful that heroes can become real life partners in a way because they know what they are getting themselves into."

"I felt the same way about it as well. It scared me at first. Still to be very honest. She's one of the few people who know the real me underneath this mask."

"Does she? Do you not reveal your identity to the public?"

"I mean, people don't know I am. But I just can't take this mask off. I'm not ready for the public life while going out as a normal guy with people knowing what I look like, the other heroes in the Association are accustomed to that but that's not something I want to do. The best I can do is show as much of my true self as I can and that's saving others whether they like or hate me."

"Very well," Amai Mask said, "Should you change your mind by sorting out the media and their claims of you, you know how to reach me."

Spider-man nodded as flips off the balcony web swinging away with a bit of acrobatics to the mix while Amai Mask watches with a smirk, "With great power, comes great responsibility. What an interesting hero you are, Spider-man."

~~~

The next day, Tatsumaki knocked on his door. She heard a bit of shuffling before the door opened. "Hey Saitama, I-what the hell are you wearing?"

"Huh? Oh, well you see there's this martial arts tournament and I was gonna join," Saitama said.

"No! That thing on your head!" Tatsumaki said.

"This? It's my disguise," Saitama said, patting the wig on his head.

"I thought you were having a midlife crisis, is there something we need to talk about" Tatsumaki said trying to contain her laughter.

"Hey! That's not nice, it's not like I didn't ask for my hair to fall out." Saitama said.

"Why do you need a disguise anyway," Tatsumaki asked.

"Well, it's Charanko's ticket, but with getting beat up last night by the hero hunter, I'm entering his place in the fighting tournament to see if Garou will be there,'' Saitama explained, "Plus I thought about helping the kid out, helping him and Bang get some recognition for their dojo. I'm actually not doing it for the money anymore since I'm already getting paid by the Hero Association. Class-S get a lot of salaries."

"Damn right." Tatsumaki said while placing a finger on her chin, "Mind if I tag along."

"No, I wouldn't mind. Oi, Genos let's get going."

"Yes, Master."

~~~

While the Heroes were heading out for the Super Fight tournament in City-C, the Hero Hunter stirred in the streets of City-R. After getting hit by Saitama's love tap, Garou had finally woken up. He found himself laid out on a pile of trash bags, surrounded by crows.

Quickly, Garou sat up and thought aloud, "Huh?! The Hell am I doing here?" Rubbing his neck in pain, he asked himself, "What happened last night? Everything is so fuzzy."

Climbing to his feet, Garou rolled his neck and continued, "Whatever. I'm sure it'll come back to me later if it matters. Better make my way back to the shack." With his mind made up, the Hero Hunter trudged back to his make-shift residents in order to decide which Heroes to target next.

~~~

"Why. the hell. am I here." S class hero Metal Bat thought to himself, as he simply stared at the wall.

As an S class hero you'd think that you'd get to do whatever you want right, that if you wanted to take some time off or simply not respond to a certain threat then you'd be able to just do it. And while there were in fact members of S class who could do such a thing such as Tornado, mostly because of her immense power and the fact that many people were intimidated or flat out scared by her, a surprising majority of the heroes in S class had a sort of honor that they carried with them that compelled them to always act if they were truly needed. This is exactly how Metal Bat was coaxed from spending his day off shopping with his little sister to protect an executive of the association, as from how the dispatcher had relayed the "Mission" to him, they made it seem like it was something of absolute urgency. But now as he sat within a restaurant watching said executive along with his son comment on how cheap and basic the food looked as it went by on a conveyor belt, Metal Bat found himself gripping his weapon's handle tighter and tighter trying to control his irritation.

"Zenko is not going to be happy about this..." He thought with a sigh as he closed his eyes ''But a mission, a mission, even if it's something as pointless and ridiculous as this, I mean, I can see why King rejected it.' He wondered.

"Oh look papa! they have pudding in a cup!" The boy exclaimed with true excitement, causing his father to laugh.

"I don't think you should have it soon! we don't even know what kind of pudding it is!" He replied.

"...God, I wanna die." Metal Bat thought as he gripped his weapon even tighter.

"Aren't you going to have a Metal Bat?" The man asked, causing him to open his eyes "I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to be our bodyguard, so if you want to eat by all means have whatever you want!" He offered.

"Er, thanks." Metal Bat replied, doing his best to force a smile "But I'm just here to keep you safe, plus I had a big breakfast so I'm not that hungry."

Just then though as if things couldn't get any worse, his cellphone began to ring causing a wave of dread to wash over him.

"Can...you excuse me for just a moment?" He asked, receiving a nod in response.

"But of course! take all the time you need." The man answered.

Nodding in turn as well to show his appreciation, Metal Bat hurried from the stool he sat on into the men's bathroom to take his call, and the moment he answered he was met with the shouting voice of his sister.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" She asked in such a volume that he had to move his phone away by a few inches.

"I'm working at Zenko, something important came up!" He told her, hoping that she would just accept that and hang up.

"Oh really? something important?" She questioned in a clearly doubtful tone "Then where are you hm? busy fighting a monster?"

Even though his brain screamed at him to lie to her just this ONCE, as her big brother he couldn't bring himself to deceive her even if it was just a harmless white lie.

"I'm...at mouse sushi." He answered hesitantly, preemptively wincing from the shouting he knew was going to follow after.

Sadly his sister would not respond with another outburst of anger but instead with a sniffle, showing how upset she really was.

"So having sushi is more important than keeping a promise huh?" She asked.

"Hey! you know that's not true! I swear it's an important mission! you know I'd never break a promise unless I had to!" He insisted on not wanting her to cry "Look, I have to get back to the mission now, I swear I'll explain everything later, and if you want we can even go see a movie in addition to shopping later okay?" He offered before he ended the call.

Letting out a sigh, Metal Bat couldn't keep himself from hitting the bathroom wall, not enough to do any kind of damage of course but just so he could let out some of his frustration.

"You don't break a promise, even if you really REALLY want to..." He thought as his mind began to reminisce of a particular memory "I wonder if he knew there'd be missions like this one though?..." He wondered.

Letting out another sigh Metal Bat hoisted his weapon back onto his shoulder and was about to head back to the restaurant, when suddenly a violent earth shaking tremor erupted throughout the entire building, followed by the terrified screaming of the executive and his son. Racing out of the restroom Metal Bat was met with the sight of two monsters standing in what was once the middle of the restaurant, one of them seemed to be some kind of plant like creature while the other was a massive centipede, and within a pair of it's legs the boy was being held captive.

"Metal bat! Please, you have to do something!" The executive pleaded as he ran up beside him "Th-that monster has my son!"

"Hang on a second." He told him as he reached down to the floor.

Grabbing onto a part of his jacket as it had been buried in the rubble, with a few good pulls he was able to rip it from the debris and in a quick flawless fashion he put it on.

"Alright you freaks." He said as he readied his weapon "You want to pick a fight? then let's go!" He shouted as he pointed the bat in their direction.

"All we had to do was get the executive, we don't have to-" The plant like monster was saying to the other, only to be interrupted as a swift yet incredibly powerful strike was dealt to its skull.

A green blood-like substance then splashed out in all directions as Metal Bat drove the weapon as far and deep as possible into its head, catching not only the executive and his son off guard from how fast he had moved but also the other monster.

"You basta-" It began to say as it was ready to retaliate, only to be interrupted as Metal Bat swung his weapon in a wide horizontal arc which connected with its body.

Feeling an immense wave of pain surge throughout every fiber of its being, the centipede couldn't keep its hold on the boy after that, causing it to release him and upon doing so he ran to his father's side. With the boy now safely out of harm's way Metal Bat had no reason to be careful with his strikes, and so before the monster could recover from his last attack he began to unleash a torrent of violent blows against it, similar to how a hyperactive child would treat a pinata. Swing after swing he kept going until nearly all of the creature's legs were broken off and its body was horribly mangled, and once he was absolutely certain that it would not get up he allowed himself to finally take a breath and relax.

"Incredible Metal Bat!" The executive cheered on as both him and his son now looked on at the scene with expressions of pure excitement and joy "That is exactly why you are S class no doubt!"

"Papa, we should take a picture!" The boy suggested.

"No, what you two need to do is get out of here and get somewhere safe." Metal Bat told them as he sat down on the corpse of the monster "There's no telling if these two are the only monsters they're gonna show up, so you need to leave now."

Almost as if the universe had been listening to him the ground once more began to shake, starting off small it soon escalated into an even bigger tremor than before. But now since he was on alert Metal Bat was not about to be caught off guard a second time, he quickly grabbed hold of both the executive and his son and ran with them out of the building, which would prove to be the only reason they wouldn't die just then. As they ran out from the building and into the street the former restaurant exploded into several different pieces of debris, as another centipede like creature who was far more massive than the last shot up from the ground and towered above them.

"I shall avenge you Kohai!" It shouted in anger as it looked down at them, its pointed spear-like legs all readying to attack.

To make matters even worse however, as Metal Bat readied himself by entering a stance a sudden purple smog also appeared quickly filling the air, and upon taking one whiff of it he immediately clamped his nose shut with one hand.

"Hey! don't breathe in the air!" He shouted as he turned to look back at the executive and his son.

Sadly his warning fell on already sleeping ears as both the man and his son were currently slumbering on the street, the gas having made quick work of them both.

"Hue hue hue, impressive Metal Bat." A voice cackled from somewhere, as several vines began to sprout up from a nearby manhole. "Then again it would be rather strange for an S class hero like you to fall so quickly." The voice continued on, as soon another plant-like creature sprouted from the hole, though this one much like the centipede was bigger than the last.

"Do monsters travel in pairs now or something?" Metal Bat asked as he gestured to both of them with his weapon, making sure to keep a hand on his nose as he did. "Or are you guys like their mommies or something?" He taunted, hoping to annoy them so they might let something slip.

Instead of replying with words the monsters chose to do so with action, as the plant-like creature sent forth all of its vines in a serpentine maneuver, hoping to overwhelm him with the sheer number and speed. But much like before Metal Bat was just as quick if not more so, even with one hand still being occupied by keeping the smog from entering his nostrils he was able to deliver another wide horizontal arc swing in front of him, quickly destroying every vine that attempted to get close. Sadly as he was focused on dealing with the vines the centipede managed to close the distance between them, forcing him to immediately go on the defensive as he was assaulted by all of its legs at once as it spiraled around him.

"Centipede Parade!" It shouted out as it swarmed around his person, doing everything it could to land at least one fatal strike.

No longer able to keep one hand on his nose as he needed it for both defense as well as to increase his swing's power, Metal Bat gripped his weapon's handle before doing a full spin in place, effectively knocking the monster back.

"Impressive, no wonder he gave our Kohai trouble." The Centipede commented as it moved to be beside the plant monster "That's the power of an S class hero for sure." It added.

"What the hell do you freaks want?" Metal Bat asked as he was starting to get annoyed "Why do a couple of monsters want an executive and his son?"

"Hue Hue Hue, tell you what Metal Bat, if you are able to defeat us perhaps we will tell you." The Plant monster mused.

Just then a wave of exhaustion overcame Metal Bat causing his knees to slightly buckle, forcing him to shift his focus from them to simply keeping his balance.

"Oh? What's the matter with Metal Bat? Did you forget about something?" The Plant asked him, as the smog that had been filling the air was quickly getting denser.

"Sh-Shit..." He muttered beneath his breath, as by the second it was becoming harder to even keep his eyes open let alone stand.

Not wasting such a perfect opportunity the centipede pounced on him in his weakened state, proceeding to whip him violently back and forth with its antennae, each strike becoming more vicious and damaging than the last. Unable to even lift his arm to defend himself against the barrage all Metal Bat could do was continue to take the beating. But as it continued on, his face and body being assaulted relentlessly by the other, the memory that he had thought of before in the restaurant flashed clearly in his mind for a moment, along with the voice of the person he respected more than any.

"If people can't rely on heroes to save them, then who can they rely on?"

Feeling a sudden surge of strength erupt within him, Metal Bat just as the centipede reared back to deliver a final blow brought his weapon forward and delivered a blow so powerful to his own head that the sound exploded outward all around him.

"What the hell?" The centipede questioned as both it and its partner were stunned by what they just witnessed "Have you actually lost your mind?"

Feeling a small trickle of blood begin to fall from his forehead down his face, Metal Bat regained his footing and stood upright, which only shocked them further.

"No, that's impossible! he shouldn't be able to stand!" The Plant exclaimed.

Unsure as to what he was doing the centipede quickly snapped out of its stunned state as it knew there wouldn't be another chance like this to end the fight, so lunging forward it readied its legs to skewer him completely. But before it could even reach him Metal Bat swung outward with a precise and deadly strike, that one swing being strong enough to completely break off one of its front legs and embed it in a nearby building.

"Alright, I'm done with this." Metal Bat told them as he rested his weapon on his shoulder "It's been a while since someone's made me get pumped like this, not bad for a couple of freaks."

"H-How is this possible?!" Centipede questioned as he slowly began to approach them "Y-You were just about to pass out a second ago! you shouldn't even be able to move!" It insisted.

"Tsk, shows how much you know about heroes then." Metal Bat said as his expression intensified "People rely on us to keep 'em safe, so of course we aren't gonna lose to a couple of monsters who look like they stepped out of some cheap horror movie." He explained "But I'm a pretty nice guy, so I'll be sure to end you both in one strike, just like he would." He told them as he raised his weapon high into the air behind him.

Staying true to his word Metal Bat then delivered a single strike to both his opponents, causing each of them to violently explode into several different pieces and a massive amount of blood, and that was solely from the incredible shock wave that each blow created from having made contact. Letting out a breath of relief that this whole thing was finally at its end, Metal Bat rested his bloodstained weapon on his shoulders as he walked away.

"Been a while since I've been that pumped up for a fight." He said, only to stop immediately in his tracks as a realization dawned on him "Wait, I forgot to ask them why they wanted the guy and his kid!" He exclaimed as he looked over at the still slumbering pair that laid in the street "Though, I guess since they're alright that it doesn't really matter..." He reasoned.

However, as he was about to walk over to them and prod them with his bat to try and wake them from their sleep, the sound of running footsteps caught his attention causing him to look up the street.

"Hey Metal Bat!" Class-Bhero Pineapple called out as he approached with a Class-C hero known as Mohican, "We're here to lend you a hand!"

"Eh?" Metal Bat sounded as they reached him "Sorry guys are a little late, I kinda already killed the monsters." He told them.

"Wait, seriously?" Mohican asked "But, that thing was huge! We saw it from the other side of the city!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah well, it was still just a bug, so I squashed it." Metal Bat said casually.

Awestruck by the power of an S class hero, Pineapple and Mohican were about to give him praise for his victory but were cut off by yet another tremor. But unlike the first or the second tremor, this one was immediately powerful, causing not only the ground to shake but also all of the nearby cars and light poles that were on the street.

"What the hell?!" Metal Bat asked aloud as he readied himself for another fight.

Watching in disbelief as the very ground beneath their feet began to crack and break apart, a third centipede monster began shooting out from all around them plowing through countless buildings as it went into the sky, but unlike the first or even the second centipede this one was truly deserving to be called a monster, as but even one of its legs was big enough to fill an entire city block.

"I-It can't be..." Pineapple muttered, as he and Mohican stared horrified at what they were seeing.

Soon the whole of the sky around them was taken up by a massive purple centipede body, the total length and size of the creature though unknown as much of it was still within the earth, was still from what they could see large enough to take nearly half of the city's space for itself. To make matters even more hellish than they were as the creature continued to surface soon its head could be seen looking down at them, more specifically at the executive and his child.

"You two, grab that guy and his kid and get out of here!" Metal Bat ordered as he readied himself into a stance.

"Wait what? you can't seriously think you can fight that thing Metal Bat!?" Mohican questioned.

"Yeah! we need to fall back and call for more help! like from Tornado or even One Punch Man!" Pineapple insisted.

Instead of replying with words though Metal Bat swung his weapon into the ground creating a small crater as he did.

"That wasn't a suggestion, TAKE THEM AND GO." He repeated to them, but this time far more sternly and with a look of absolute seriousness present on his face.

Knowing better than to test his patience any further the two heroes simply listened to his instruction and lifted the executive and his son from the ground, then proceeded to run as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

"Alright you freak, now it's just you and me!" Metal Bat shouted as he pointed his weapon towards it "Give me all you got you overgrown pest!"

~~~

As Saitama went to register for the tournament, Genos and Tatsumaki found seats in the stadium. The matches weren't starting for another half an hour. Great. She got to sit with metalhead all day. Wow, just my day.

As they found their seats, Tatsumaki could hear people whispering behind them. They were talking about Genos. Tatsumaki snuck a glance at him. He didn't look like he was bothered by it. Tch, idiot. Didn't he care that people were sneering behind his back?

Whatever. His loss, not hers. As more people started pooling in, she wondered how Saitama was doing.

The bald man in question was currently trying to avoid scrutiny from a dude with a really Sour Face. Seriously, couldn't he relax in this room by himself for five minutes without someone coming to bother him? Whatever. At least he had some info about Garou.

But man, did he really have to keep on blabbering?

"You never were one for fighting Charanko," Sourface said. "What're you even doing at the Super Fight Tournament? Didn't you know only big shots enter tournaments like this one?" Sourface winked at him. "Oh, I get it. You're here to make a name for yourself. Well don't worry. With any luck you'll lose early on before you can get really hurt."

"Nah, I'm here so I can experience other kinds of martial arts," Saitama said truthfully.

"Don't worry about that, there will be plenty of different styles on display here," Sourface said. "But you won't get to experience any from a hospital bed. You should sit this one out and find yourself a place in the stands. That way you won't get hurt."

"I'd rather have the firsthand experience, ya know?" Saitama said.

"Haha! You got guts, I'll give you that Charanko," Sourface laughed. "But seriously. Get out of the tournament while you still can."

"I'll take my chances here," Saitama replied.

"Hmph. Have it your way. Speaking of guts, I hear you're calling yourself Master Bang's top disciple. You know, if I hadn't quit when Garou went berserk, I'd be Master Bang's top disciple right now," Sourface said.

"Huh. Good for you," Saitama said.

Sourface grit his teeth. "What I'm saying is, you shouldn't be so cocky. There are a lot of tough people out there."

"I'm counting on it," Saitama said.

"And when I win this tournament, I'm going to prove that I'm the best martial artist! With my confidence returned, I'll hunt down Garou and make him pay for making me quit," Sourface exclaimed.

"I thought you chose to quit?" Saitama asked.

"That was before I knew Master Bang was going to expel him," Sourface said, waving a hand.

"But still, you quit," Saitama said. "I stayed after everyone else quit. And fought Garou alone and lost. And when I'm done here, I'm going to hunt down Garou and beat him up."

"Hmph. Bold words. We'll see if you can back them up with your fists." Sourface stood and headed towards the door. "And Charanko? I'm gonna kick your ass out there."

When the door closed, Saitama breathed a sigh of relief. Finally that dude was gone. Saitama tugged at his wig. Maybe gluing it wasn't such a good idea. It was kinda itchy.

So this Garou fella had been making trouble for a while, huh? Attacking old man Bang's dojo, beating up a tournament dude and wearing his mask, and now this. Saitama almost hoped that Bang wouldn't find him. I mean, who just calls themselves a monster out of nowhere? It was like when he started calling himself a hero. Saitama hoped this guy'd get strong.

Saitama checked the time. He had another five minutes until he had to go out and do some presentation thingy. Hopefully he didn't really have to do anything.

~~~

Garou had returned to the park where he had met Tareo, the young boy from yesterday.

Garou was sitting on the backrest of the bench, listening as the boy read, "Watchdog Man operates in City-Q. He usually sits atop his own special lookout. The location of his lookout is called Watchdog Plaza and has become a famous meeting spot. Many fans go there to take photographs. Anyone may meet him there, but he refuses autographs."

After hearing all this, Garou internally pondered, "So, he's ranked twelve in S-Class. Does that mean he's not just some furry cosplayer? Guess I'll have to go find out. Maybe another S-Class victory will finally shake this shitty gut feeling I've had since yesterday." A terrible grin formed on Garou's face as those last thoughts passed through his mind.

"Well, looks like my next stop is Watchdog Man," the Hero Hunter chimed.

"What? You're gonna go see him? Cool! Can I come?" Tareo asked.

However, before Garou could give an answer, the Hero Association's sirens suddenly started blaring.

This was followed by a female voice announcing, "Warning! Warning! Monsters have appeared in the shopping district of City-S! Threat Level Demon! Metal Bat is on the scene! If you are outside, please head indoors! All citizens should remain indoors until the threat has passed!"

Getting up to walk away, Garou ordered the kid, "Didn't you hear her, brat? Go get indoors." In his words, Tareo ran off.

With the boy gone, Garou began sprinting in leaps and bounds towards the sight of the disaster using the speed he only obtained yesterday, 'It honestly feels good to move like this again, but still, Blizzard really did a number on me with that last minute attack. I was lucky just to get away in time. Damn her. I'll get payback the next time I see her.'

~~~

Despite these monsters having fled from the battle, other members of this Monster Association were only beginning to rampage throughout the world's cities.

In City-W, the A-Class Hero, Heavy Kong, was struggling to fight a monster called Martial Gorilla. This thing was a combat knife-wielding, cigar-smoking gorilla in military attire.

Heavy Kong was getting cheered on by the civilians around him but was only getting covered in more cuts as the fight went on. This was especially concerning, as he had made a call for backup over fifteen minutes ago.

As he continued to bleed, the Hero realized in despair that backup wasn't coming.

In City-D, Lightning Genji was head-on charging against a giant catfish with a battery symbol on its body, as well as Human arms and legs on its sides. This creature was named Electric Catfish Man, a Tiger-Level Threat.

As the two collided, Genji attempted to hit the monster with his stun batons, but the electricity in them did nothing to the creature. In retaliation, Electric Catfish Man attempted to send Lightning Genji flying with a headbutt, but the Hero spun around the blow on his skates and hit the monster with another backhanded bash from his batons before having his skates go in reverse to gain some distance.

Standing next to Electric Catfish Man was a creature that looked like a life-size figure of a geisha, with lightning bolt accessories in its hair, and drumsticks in its hands. On its back was a large metal ring with shime-daiko drums. This creature was known as Maikoplasma, another Tiger-Level Threat. As these two monsters stood together, one could easily tell that their connecting theme was electricity from all the lightning sparking off of them.

Realizing the poor situation he was in, Lightning Genji thought aloud, "My stun gear isn't gonna be as effective on you two. This is a bad match-up for me."

Laughing into the hand that held its drumsticks, Maikoplasma taunted, "Lightning Genji, you should consider yourself lucky. The other cities are having it much worse."

Instead of letting that get to him, Lightning Genji charged back in, hitting the catfish with a flurry of his baton swings while proclaiming, "I said it'd be less effective! I didn't say I was gonna lose!"

Fortunately for the monster, it had its beefy arms up during the entire assault, shielding it from any real damage.

However, Genji's attacks just wouldn't stop coming, and Electric Catfish eventually yelled at the Hero, "Argh! That's starting to hurt, you damn Human!" The monster then took a swing at the motorized Hero, but Lightning Genji actually managed to duck beneath the fist and strike Electric Catfish Man across its face with both of his batons at once, causing it to bleed a bit from its mouth.

Lightning Genji then tried to use his skates to back away once more. Unfortunately, Maikoplasma managed to trip him up by hitting one of its drums and sending a jolt of lightning at one of Genji's feet. This destroyed one of his skates and knocked him over.

After quickly getting back to his feet, Genji saw that he was down a set of wheels and began examining his other foot, which still had its skate. The two monsters began to chuckle at the awkward position the Hero found himself in but were both stunned silent when Lightning used one of his batons to smash the other set of wheels off on his own.

"Ever since I met Spider-man, I've been taking hits from Demons and working my ass off to get stronger with him! I'm not just my gear anymore! If you think that all there is to this Genji is Lightning, then you've got another thing coming! Now bring it on! I'll beat you two with my own brute strength and skill!" Exclaimed the determined Hero as electricity exploded from his batons.

Even though his speech was somewhat long-winded, the two monsters couldn't deny that there was an air of menace to Lightning Genji now that they hadn't felt up until this point.

Reacting to the Hero's challenge, Electric Catfish Man seemed to run away by digging a hole into the street. At the same time, Maikoplasma began to bang its drums more fiercely, sending a volley of electricity at Lightning Genji. Shockingly, he met this head-on by running forwards and dodging each blast before it could hit him. This surprised Maikoplasma, but its worries didn't last long, as Electric Catfish exploded from the ground beneath Genji with an uppercut that connected right into the Hero's jaw.

Turning back to look at Maikoplasma, Catfish gloated, "All that hot air added up to nothing after all. Looks like Gyoro Gyoro was right. All we need is the right match-ups to beat the higher-ranked Heroes."

Maikoplasma began to giggle at its partner's words, but suddenly stopped when it saw the Hero had gotten back up. It tried to warn its comrade of this but was too late, as Lightning Genji landed another double baton strike on the Electric Catfish.

This time the attack hit the fish creature in its side, centered squarely on its arm. This time, Genji actually managed to hit the monster with enough force to cause a crunching noise and send it rolling towards Maikoplasma's feet.

In response, Maikoplasma sent another bolt of electricity at Genji, hitting his chest as he was still somewhat dazed, and knocking him onto his back.

Maikoplasma then chuckled nervously, voicing its hope, "Looks like that second wind of his didn't last too long. Right, Electric Catfish Man?" However, when it turned to see its ally's arm slump lifelessly, that false bravado vanished quickly.

"I, uh... I think he actually broke my arm with that one," said Electric Catfish Man.

"He's tougher than we thought he'd be. But at least he's down for good this ti- Where did he go!?" Maikoplasma thought to itself as it noticed Lightning Genji was no longer lying on the ground.

When the shadow of a short man appeared above it, Maikoplasma realized that Genji had quickly gotten up, jumped at it, and was now coming down to land an attack. Before the monster could beat one of its drums in retaliation, Lightning Genji, with smoke billowing from his chest, bashed the creature's hand, knocking away the drumsticks and breaking its appendage.

That electricity show a second ago wasn't just to look cool. I drained my battery so that it would absorb as much of the punch as possible from you freaks' attacks.

Electric Catfish Man tried to hit Genji with another punch as soon as he had struck Maiko Plasma, but the Hero quickly counter-attacked by turning around and smashing the fish creature with a double baton bash across its face once more. The force of the Hero's attack was great enough that he very nearly broke the monster's jaw as it crashed into the ground.

In the next instance, he turned back to Maikoplasma and began pummeling it with a baton flurry attack. As blood began to fly, Genji finished the assault off with one last swing that broke Maikoplasma's neck.

With the first monster laying dead on the ground, Genji went over and put his foot on the heavily injured Catfish before mercilessly beating the beast until it stopped moving.

"I said I've been taking hits from Demons! What part of that made you disgusting freaks think you had what it took to bring me down...!? Aaagh!" The exhausted Hero yelled at the dead monsters.

Having to take off his mask to catch his breath, Lightning Genji thought through his pain, "Well, it wasn't the greatest fight I've had, but I won, and the neighborhood is safe..." At that last internal question, images of his friends, Stinger, Lightning Max, and Spider-man entered Genji's mind.

The electrified Hero's internal celebration couldn't last long, though, as Lightning Genji saw a massive explosion go off in the distance.

At this sight, he muttered in shock, "What the Hell is going on...? That geisha thing did say the other cities were having it worse... I need to get my suit fixed up and head back out to see if I can do anything about this... I'm gonna be in so much pain once the adrenaline wears off."

With those last words, Lightning Genji began to jog back to his workshop.

~~~

Garou looked up at the snaking centipede as it continued rampaging in the city. I easily eclipsed any structure around him and was destroying anything in its sight as it moved around. "I don't think Metal Bat can handle that," he said with disappointment as he realized he would miss out in fighting a new Class-S hero.

Suddenly something was hurled at an extremely fast speed as it landed right beside him and crashed into a building. Garou looked at what had fallen beside him with curiosity and saw Metal Bat himself lying a few feet from him. "Metal Bat!? But how did he fall from the sk-?" he paused as he looked at the hulking behemoth destroying the city in the distance, "oh I get it..."

He turned to look at Metal Bat before letting out a groan. "A monster besides me beat a Class-S hero? Well, this sucks... Anyway, my next target was Watchdo-"

"Ugh I better head back," complained Metal Bat as he walked past Garou. Garou looked at him in shock before squealing with excitement. "W-wait a second!"

"Huh?"

"You're alive! Haha! My second S-Class hero! Now you have to fight me," Garou hissed as he pointed at Metal Bat. He lowered his head and tensed his muscles. "I'm hunting you."

Metal Bat scoffed and looked at the monster in the distance. "Don't be dumb, go evacuate! Can't you see that centipede!?" he opened his eyes wide as he felt a sharp wind pressure behind him as he quickly swung his bat around and blocked a hit from the man he had just seen. He squinted with focus at the area where Garou had struck his bat as smoke emerged from the impact. He swung his bat as Garou jumped back in a martial artist stance as he prepared to pounce again.

Metal Bat glared at him before he realized who it was. "The hero hunter who claims to be a monster?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side. "You're the one who beat Tank Top Master?" he asked incredulously.

Meanwhile, Garou was moving his hands in a fluid motion, something common for the technique he was so fond of. He sneered as he looked at Metal Bat. "Yes...I am Garou."

The S-Class hero looked at Garou momentarily before looking back at the huge centipede in the distance, before focusing on Garou once again. He gripped his bed tightly as he got into his own stance. "I'm busy but...I'll bust that crazy head of yours!" he yelled menacingly as both "monster" and hero closed the distance in between them in an instant.

~~~

When Charanko's name was called, only two people in the stands clapped. He spared the two a glance. Genos and Tatsumaki, the latter with a too big hoodie pulled over her head. Saitama briefly wondered if she had looked at it before buying it. Probably not, considering what it said. Finally, the introduction part was over with. Now the real fights could start.

The first fight was between some dude named Max and a girl with bells in her hair. It ended pretty quickly, so Saitama didn't really get to see their techniques. Sourface explained what a reverse seed was, and then it was his turn to fight.

Saitama's opponent was a guy named Zakkos. Based on the reverse seed, he was also pretty weak. Saitama hoped he'd provide at least a bit of insight into martial arts before Saitama KO'd him.

The guy immediately lunged for him, a fist aimed at his head. Saitama allowed the strike to land. The other guy blanched, and retreated.

"Oh! What's this? Competitor Zakkos' strike had no effect! Is he really that weak?" The announcer called.

"Tch, I'm planning on proposing to my girlfriend after I win this tournament," Zakkos snarled. "If you think some cheap haired amateur is gonna make me look bad, you got another thing coming!"

Shit, Saitama sweatdropped as he dodged the next punch the guy threw at him. I can't let this guy look bad in front of his girlfriend. So Saitama ducked and weaved, avoiding his opponents' attacks. The hard part was making it look like he cared. Was this martial arts? Why would anyone want this? Then again, Bang liked martial arts and he wasn't nearly this week.

At the same time, Genos and Tatsumaki's Hero Association phones started to buzz as they were sent numerous threats of monsters around the area and other cities. Looks like they have no choice but to leave and do what matters most. Saitama would most likely have his hands full at the moment besides, in case monsters show up in this tournament he'll take it.

~~~

Fubuki was laying on the hospital bed, bored out of her mind when her thoughts drifted to her fight with Garou. Turning on the news, the announcements were going off like crazy which were making Fubuki worried. All cities were being attacked.

Fubuki clenched her fists while gritting her teeth, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing, that's not something heroes would do at all. Fubuki gets up from her bed only to stumble a little bit before standing up straight, Mumen Rider calls out to her as he was able to sit up straight, "Fubuki, you shouldn't be getting up, I know you want to continue to say lives but you can't put yourself at risk. Who knows how many strong monsters you'll come across."

"I know Mumen. But I'm not standing by while innocents are paying the price while the rest of the other heroes are struggling out there putting their lives on the line. I'm going and there's nothing you can do to change my mind. Besides, someone else may need this bed more than me." Fubuki replied as she entered the bathroom to change, preparing to take her leave, she received a call from Lily, "Lily, if you are wondering where I am, I'm at one of the hospitals located at the outskirts of City-Z. I take it that you saw the alerts around the cities. It's crazy but we have to save as many lives as we can."

There was a static coming in which made Fubuki cringe, putting the phone away from her ear, "Hello? Lily?

"Hahahahahahahaha! " A maniacal laughter was heard on the other side of the line, "Can the Blizzard come out to play?"

Fubuki clenched her fist, "....Where are you?"

~~~

"It's their job, yet heroes boast about good deeds and justice! People like that will never save the world," declared Suiryu as he faced Saitama. After defeating the entire roster of competitors, he and Saitama had the chance to fight in the final match. Suiryo shook his head in disappointment as he stared at Saitama, who he knew as "Charanko" in the martial arts tournament. "Charanko" was so strong, and Suiryu was enjoying his fight against him until learning the disappointing fact that he was a hero. "Relying on them is pointless," he continued, "Noble aspirations...Fine thoughts...Lofty ethics...Heroic justice...Those aren't necessary for a fun life, they're just contaminants."

Suiryu looked at Saitama as he continued expressing his disappointment and disgust of the heroes. "You're strong, you shouldn't waste your time on something so boring!" As he waited for a response, waited for "Charanko" to say something, but he saw that his face was in the shadows as he held back anger. Suiryu laughed, "Uh-oh...did I bum you out? I'm just telling you the truth because I respect your strength. Take this as advice from the one who lives the easy life!" shouted Suiryu as he lunged forward.

Saitama, who had been listening to the entire time, chastised himself in his own mind. This whole tournament had been a waste of time. While trying to experience martial arts, he didn't meet anyone who could challenge him or even show the potential of the so-called fighting style. And now this guy was dissing heroes in front of him...

As Suiryu raised his leg in a sweeping high kick towards Saitama's head, he let himself take the hit, sending the wig that had concealed his identity flying off in the air. As the impact solidly connected, every spectator, martial artists, and the announcer looked in shock as they saw that the kick had no impact.

Saitama, who had been taking all of Suiryu's complaints towards the heroes, finally looked up as he faced his opponent. His serious face was a testament to how Suiryo had challenged his ideals as a hero. "What you just called contaminants...those things don't even matter at all. You said your name was Suiryu right?" Saitama's head smoked from where Suiryu had struck him. "You're not the only one doing what you want. Now I have some advice for you." Saitama raised his arm back as he prepared a punch, his face now showing blank dismissal. "If you wanna have fun...you should avoid getting any stronger."

As his fist flew towards Suiryu's face, he could do nothing as it got closer. Saitama stopped his blow a foot from Suiryu's face, and as he did, the shock wave from his massive punch tore through his opponent's clothes and blew the audience back into their seats. Suiryu felt his blood thumping in his ears as adrenaline began to flow through his body. This man was a serious threat, and his punch was no joke...He looked down at his torn clothes and looked at "Charanko'' once again.

Both Saitama and Suiryu looked up as they heard a whistle blow.

"CHARANKO IS DISQUALIFIED FOR THE USE OF HEADWEAR WHICH CONCEALS HIS IDENTITY"

Saitama looked at the referees in disappointment.

"AND THE VICTOR IS...SUIRYU!"

As Suiryu heard the announcement he let out a breath of disappointment, echoing the audience's anger at not being allowed to see an epic fight unfold. As Suiryu looked down at his clothes, he grabbed the rags that remained and tore them off his muscular frame. "Playtime is over...now the real fight begins!"

"Hm?" said Saitama before seeing Suiryu rush towards him, to the horror of the refs.

With a thunderclap of noise, Suiryu smashed his fist to the side of Saitama's head, causing an explosion of air and dust. "I don't care who you are! I still haven't shown you how strong I am!" Suiryu raised his arm with sheer speed and brought it back down where Saitama had been just a second earlier, breaking the entire fighting ring in half. The audience and announcer stared in shock as they saw just how strong Suiryu was, watching the paranormal event as Suiryu stomped on the floor, causing it to rise up.

Saitama watched Suiryu with a face void of emotion as he was flung into the sky and smacking against the raised half of the ring after Suiryu had stomped on it. As Suiryu jumped up with his powerful legs, the floor cracked underneath him, sending him flying upwards unto Saitama. "Graaaaaagh!" screamed Suiryu as he unleashed a series of powerful blows onto Saitama's face before sending him down to the floor. Saitama had barely landed before a stomp connected with his stomach, shattering the fighting ring even further.

The referees were looking around desperately as they tried to find a way to stop the fight. But as they continued spectating with pale faces, they knew they couldn't do anything. As Suiryu continued dumping everything he had onto Saitama, he was surprised as he saw a completely lax and bored expression. "Is this not affecting him at all?"

"Pay attention...as I demonstrate TRUE MARTIAL ARTS!" screamed Suiryu as he continued launching attack after attack unto Saitama, who smiled with hope at the mention of "true martial arts.

Mis expression quickly faded as he realized nothing had changed before hearing, "Dark Body Dragon Flying Fist!" As a small tornado was formed and rocks began flying everywhere, Suiryu continued launching rapid punches and kicks before noticing that Saitama still had a bored expression. "Then how about this!" As he flipped back in the air and stomped the floor as he landed, the entirety of what was left of the ring shattered. "Dark Body Quake Fist!" shouted Suiryu as he began using a technique with footwork to stomp his way towards Saitama.

"That's some seriously weird footwork for just stomping!"

"Firm footwork can increase power, but I've never seen it at this level!"

As the audience stared in shock, Suiryu raised his fist as the air began to rapidly form around it. With a punch that deafened everyone, Suiryu connected with Saitama's stomach, creating an explosion of air and shock waves. Saitama was sent flying a few feet before staring at Saitama with an unimpressed face.

"So this is martial arts...okay I get it!"

An exerted Suiryu looked at Saitama while catching his breath. "You've finally realized what martial arts are!?"

"So...martial arts...are fighting moves that make you look awesome."

Suiryu stared, absolutely baffled and sweating as he saw that Saitama was completely unimpressed or affected by martial arts. "This all he got from my attacks?" As he saw Saitama mimicking martial art moves by slowly spinning, he lunged forward with fury. "Take this seriously-"

As Saitama slowly spun and Suiryu jumped forward to attack him, Saitama's hip "gently" struck Suiryu but sent him rocketing towards the spectating area. The impact pulverized what little remained of the arena as Suiryu crashed against the stands. As Saitama watched, his pants suddenly fell down, revealing his heart-filled boxers to the public. As he pulled them up, he noticed that the referees were running towards him to seize him for hiding his identity.

"Uh-oh, I guess I better get out of here," he thought before running home to change into his hero outfit.

~~~

Fubuki stared at the Demon threat monster as she giggled happily. After having struck the Blizzard Group with her whip, they seemed to have gone into a trance-like state and were attacking their own boss. "You fell under her control!" she shouted as she jumped out of the way from an attack.

"You're cute when you're upset! But talking to them won't help," sneered Do-S as she looked down on Fubuki. "Is it so hard to believe? Did you think your bond with them was stronger?" The monster laughed at the incredulous idea, "I'm sorry but they're my slaves now!"

Fubuki grit her teeth as she kept dodging her subordinates and their attacks. She was getting desperate, at this rate they would suffer defeat... she looked at the monster, thinking of a way to beat it before being forced back as Eyelashes swiped at her.

"How does it feel to lose your minions?! Fight or Die! You can't hold back against your former team!" Do-S was dancing as she saw how helpless the psychic girl in front of her was, she couldn't do anything as her subordinates continued to attack her. By herself, she was probably a challenge, but having her group used against her made things so easy!

As Fubuki continued dodging, her back was forced to Do-S as she desperately tried to avoid getting hit by her team without hurting them. Do-S smiled as she brought her whip down on the now open Fubuki, only to have her whip stopped as Fubuki used her psychic abilities.

"That stings! I shouldn't underestimate it! But if I focus on it..." she barely managed to dodge as other mind-controlled heroes barely missed hitting her, "I can't defend against them! Never had my hands this full before! On top of that, if I was fully healed, I could've finished this monster easily."

Spider-man again appeared in her mind as she jumped back., "...You won't last long like this Blizzard, you'll only put your allies in danger or worse...The only way to become a strong hero is to learn how to survive on your own." He had been right about that, Fubuki's entire team was under Do-S control and there was nothing she could do about it. Right now, at this moment, his words had become true as her subordinates continued to attack her. What would he say? What would he think?

Fubuki felt a sudden surge of energy as she yelled, "Enough already!" She unleashed a wave of power that paralyzed and held her team in place as she stopped their attacks.

"Yes! Immobilizing them was your only choice! jeered Do-S as she danced in front of Fubuki. "I'm actually impressed you managed to stop all of them, but while you focus on them... my whip will feast on you!"

Fubuki only had a second to realize what Do-S was doing before using one hand to hold her group back with psychic energy, and the other to hold the whip. As she struggled and tried to catch her breath, she began to feel herself tiring as the Blizzard group and the whip began to inch towards her slowly.

As she grunted, Do-S lost her composure as she began to use her full power. "I'm gonna lash you to pieces!" With a surge of power, her whip broke past Fubuki's psychic grip and struck her back. As Fubuki fell forward, she felt her body go limp and start to tingle as she felt a foreign presence within her body. Before she could piece together what the weird sensation was, Do-S began to whip her at a rapid speed to prevent her from recovering. Her costume torn from the back, and her body bleeding, Fubuki fell forward onto her knees. "Spi...der-
..man" she gasped and she began losing her strength. Somehow through her struggle, even though she was probably going to die, she couldn't stop thinking of him.

The Blizzard Group lunged forward to finish her off, but Do-S stopped them. "Fools! Wait! She's mine, don't break her! My whip hit her, she's mine to control now!" She began to walk confidently towards Fubuki. "Hmmm, who is this Spider-man? Is he your lover? I wonder if he'd be able to recognize your body if I delivered them to him in pieces!" Do-S shook her head as a better idea came into mind. "Better yet, since you're Blizzard, one of the two Psychic sisters, why don't I use you to draw Tatsumaki out!" said Do-S as she patted Fubuki's head. "I guess I'll let you live a little bit longer, good things she's Class-S huh!"

Fubuki was releasing an insurmountable amount of psychic energy, catching Do-S off-guard as she was sent flying. Do-S caught herself by wrapping her whip on a telephone pole and landing on it. "She didn't fall under my control!?" she wondered.

She glared at Fubuki as she realized what must have happened. "She has a strong will...and I hate that! I can't wait to see your heart crumble!" she flinched back in surprise as Fubuki flew up to her position in an instant. Before being able to do anything, Fubuki raised her arms and pointed them at Do-S, sending her flying with numerous rocks following after her in a spiraling wind.

Do-S, having landed on her feet again, began giggling at the attacks before Fubuki sent a bigger current of energy towards her. "Hellstorm!" commanded Fubuki as a sudden storm of rapid winds, bone-crushing rock, and other debris surrounded Do-S. Meanwhile, as the storm dissipated, a cut and injured Do-S emerged. She looked roughed up, but she still seemed far from being rendered unable to fight.

As she grasped her whip and snapped it in front of her, she hissed at Fubuki. "That hurt, you bitch! I was going to use you as bait for your sister, but instead, I'm going to kill you!"

Fubuki, who was now calmer and collected after releasing her frustration, looked at Do-S. "Don't worry," she muttered, "big sis will come anyway."

As if on cue, the ground and buildings around them started shaking as Tatsumaki approached them. "Why is everything shaking!?" cried Do-S nervously.

Fubuki lowered her head and looked to her side as she realized that her sister was very close. "She must have sensed the damage done to me..."

A huge explosion went off near them as concrete, cars, and even trees were sent flying up into the sky. As something drew near them, the ground began shaking even more violently. Do-S, who realized her mistake and that Tatsumaki might be more than what she could handle, began to step back. Before she could move more than a few steps, monster blood and guts crashed against her. As a defeated and torn monster landed beside her, it noticed her.

"Is...is that D-Do-S? He-Help us! The heroes...have a monster. She-she suddenly...showed up and...killed us all."

Do-S opened her eyes wide in fear as she noticed Tatsumaki up in the sky. Fubuki, who noticed her as well, began to stutter in fear. "Big Sis! I-I still haven't lost yet!"

As Tatsumaki looked down in annoyance, she glared at Fubuki. "I leave you for 5 minutes and all of a sudden you think you're back in the game!"

Seeing the situation she was in, Do-S ordered the Blizzard Group and the other heroes she had controlled to distract Tatsumaki as she made her escape. As they all rushed towards Tatsumaki, she easily stopped them in the air. Fubuki was paralyzed for an instant before reaching out toward her sister and crying out, "Big Sis please don't attack them! They're my comrades!"

Tatsumaki stretched out her hand, sending the Blizzard Group crashing into the side of a nearby building. Fubuki, powerless, simply glanced at her sister.

"I told you not to attack!"

"Sorry I was simply trying to immobilize them but I guess I used too much power." replied Tatsumaki.

Fubuki stared at her older sister with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm pretty sure that counts as an attack."

Fubuki didn't listen as she scanned the area around her. "Hmph, she escaped," she commented to Tatsumaki as she saw that Do-S was gone.

"Anyway I don't have time for this, there are other monsters to fight! Go home Fubuki and keep recovering!" She began to float higher and higher as she looked back at her younger sister. "Tell your flunkies to take it easy next time and become stronger like you."

Tatsumaki had already disappeared, the only evidence of her ever being there was the monster that was letting out his last breath next to Fubuki. As she looked at where her team had gotten blown to. As she looked at them in sadness.

"Spider-man," mumbled Fubuki as she clutched her chest.

Fubuki's face turned bright red as the earlier event came back into her mind. The fresh memory of her struggling on her knees while Do-S had said "...who is this Spider-man? Is he your lover?" reappeared in her mind. As she nervously shook her head while holding it with both her hands, 'I sure hope you're ok, Spider-man.'

After a few minutes, Fubuki finally regained her composure before looking off at where she certainly had a lot to think about. Quickly calling an ambulance to the location of the heroes to be put in hospitals, she flies out to the skies like a jet.

~~~

Suiryu's heart was beating, beating harder than it ever did before. Every step he took was trying to escape death. He was chasing him. In the form of Goketsu. His two guardians, heroes Sneck and Lighting Max chose to fight the monster again.

Eyes wide and arms to his sides swung hasty along with his legs. Adrenaline and fear kept him going and he never looked back as blood dripped from his injured body.

This is my only chance! I gotta run, run and use the last of my strength to leap out of the stadium! He took a big breath and jumped high as if he reached into space.

A dark monstrous figure suddenly blocked him. His heart dropped as more fear rushed into him. The monster's face was familiar to him, devilish features. Spiky hair and goatee with bloodlust eyes. Sinister fangs grinning at him. He thought as he recognized his blood thirsty aura.

"WHERE YOU GOIN? THIS IS JUST GETTIN FUN!" Bakuzan burst and aerial smashed Suiryu down.

He crashed back into the arena face first. A tremble shook his helpless body as Bakuzan touched down behind him.

Goketsu analyzed Bakuzan and said, "You survived the Monster Cells?"

"THE KID IS MINE TO KILL!" Bazukan rotated and flexed his new form at Goketsu. "IF YOU TRY TO STOP ME, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"I'll discipline you for your impudence later," Goketsu calmly said with his 4 eyes staring at him. "You're a splendid success! I bet you're a threat level Dragon like me..."

"GA, HAHAHA YOU BET I AM!" Bakuzan laughed. "AND STRONGER THAN A CLASS-S HERO!"

Bakuzan loomed over a slow standing Suiryu. He grinned again and said, "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT SUIRYU? TURNS OUT I'M STRONGER THAN YOU!"

He then leapt in the air. Ready to kill a rising Suiryu. "HUH? YOU'RE STILL TRYING TO STAND."

Bakuzan showed no mercy as he hit Suiryu's body. Numerous times punch after punch crushing, breaking, tearing his legs, arms, torso. Ruthless as he grinned and laughed at Suiryu's screams of pain.

Suiryu was face down but he leaned up hearing his bones painfully crack. His fighting spirit was broken.

"NO ONE'S GONNA SAVE YOU!" HAHAHA! Bazukan said ready to strike him again. "NOW-"

"Hey! new guy what's your name?" Goketsu interrupted. "I'm taking you to the monster association. Let's go!"

"HUH? Bakuzan glanced at Goketsu then glared at him. "NO ONE GIVES BAKUZAN ORDERS!"

Suddenly Bakuzan was barely able to dodge the punch that Goketsu threw at him as it destroyed a wall completely shattering it pieces.

"Listen up, Bakuzan monsterization doesn't make you omnipotent!" Goketsu warned. "There are stronger monsters. If you take that attitude with the Monster King he'll kill you in an instant."

"Monster King?"

"Seek us out in City-Z, you'll find the monster association there." With that Goketsu walks past Bakuzan walking out of the tournament heading for City-Z.

That's it, I quit. No more trying to become the strongest," Bakuzan lamented aloud as it nursed its wounds.

Glancing down with its remaining eye, Bakuzan then noticed Suiryu laid out next to it.

"I... Listen, Bakuzan. I don't wanna fight anymore, so just let me go, okay?" Suiryu pleaded with fear suffusing his entire being.

Grabbing Suiryu before he could react, Bakuzan began squeezing the younger fighter as one would squeeze a stress ball.

Grinning at Suiryu as he screamed in pain, Bakuzan psychotically explained, "After what I just went through, you think I don't need a way to let out my frustration? Besides, I'm the kind of guy who loves to torment anyone weaker than him! That's the only reason I ever sought strength!"

With the last of his power, Suiryu was able to pull one of his arms free. He had hoped to free himself entirely, but the strength just wasn't there anymore.

"Hehe, still got a spark of life in ya?" Bakuzan asked.

It was those words that genuinely sunk in the gravity of the situation that Suiryu found himself in.

"A spark? As in, once it's gone, I'm gonna die?" The youthful man muttered to himself in dread.

With no other hope for survival, Suiryu began screaming, "HELP MEEEEE! SOMEONE! ANYONE! THERE'S A MONSTER HERE! IT'S TRYING TO KILL ME! PLEASE, IT WON'T STOP UNTIL I'M DEAD! PLEASE! Is... IS THERE A HERO!? PLEASE, HEROES! I'M HERE! JUST FOLLOW THE SOUND OF MY VOICE! HEROES...! MONSTER MASK, COME BACK! HELP MEEEEE!"

Looking at the rubble of the arena floor, Suiryu saw Lightning Max and Sneck laying in pools of their own blood.

Reaching to them, the young man sobbed weakly, "Please... I need a Hero. Even if it's just for a second, please, get back up... I don't want to die."

In the grip of a killer monster, his life about to end, Suiryu realized, perhaps too late, the admirable value of Heroes.

'When a person finds themselves thrown into the deepest darkness, they search for a light. It doesn't matter how small it is or how faint. What matters is that it's there.'

As Suiryu finished his internal epiphany, Bakuzan crushed the two Heroes, and the girl laying next to them, under its massive foot.

"Nobody's coming. Give up, Suiryu." As Bakuzan told the young man this, it turned back to see the look of despair on Suiryu's face.

Bakuzan lifted his massive foot to find no one crushed, he looked ahead to see someone putting the heroes down.

"What the?" Bakuzan says in confusion, "Who the hell are you?"

"Me, you're friendly neighborhood Spider-man." The figure known as Spider-man stood up as he walked to the ring slowly walking past the martial artist, "I heard your call for help and I'm here to answer. You fought bravely on your own. Let me handle the rest."

Suiryu could only look at the hero in awe, he turned around to get a better view, yet in a flash of light, Spider-man sent a Cosmic strike to Bakuzan, his whole body blew apart. Rather than gore, a steady flow of white energy shot up into the air and created a fountain of star-shaped dust particles. Spider-man gave Bakuzan a more peaceful death in a way.

Suiryu's jaw dropped completely, he'd never witnessed great power such as this but he noticed that Spider-man looked empathetic when he unleashed that attack, 'His whole body language screams nothing but kindness.'

"W-who are you?" Suiryu asked.

Spider-man turned around to knee to Suiryu's level, "I'm Spider-man. A hero."

"A hero?"

"Yeah, I have a hard time believing it too. Sorry for not getting here sooner, I'll contact an ambulance for you and the others." Spider-man was about to pull out his phone and walk to another direction until Suiryu stops him.

"Wait, Spider-man. Please, you shouldn't go out there. There is a group raising hell, they call themselves the Monster Association and they're bad news."

"Wait really?" Spider-man said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, and what's worse is that they have the ability to transform people into monsters. That monster you just beat was one of them."

Spider-man looks back at the spot where he disintegrated Bakuzan, "I see."

"The point is, it's dangerous. I think it's best if we lay low. Goketsu is out there right now. We should avoid him."

"Goketsu?"

"Another monster that used to be human. I didn't stand a chance against him. That strength was horrific."

"Alright then I'm going."

"What!? Weren't you listening to what I just said?!" Suiryu shouted.

Standing up, Spider-man turned to the hole in the building and replied, "Yeah, I heard you. It'll be fine."

Grabbing Spider-man's leg, Suiryu pleaded, "I know you probably want to save more people. You'll only die too! Stay here!"

Dragging Suiryu a bit when he shuffled forward, Spider-man told him, "Hey, don't move around like that. You'll hurt yourself."

Gritting what was left of his teeth, Suiryu exclaimed, "I'm not letting go! I can't let you throw your life away! Not now that I owe you mine!"

"...I know. But it's a responsibility. One that I can't ignore." Spider-man said as Suiryu lost his grip, he watched the gray and black costumed hero walk towards the direction where Goketsu went.

Watching as the man who saved him marched on to meet his death, all Suiryu could do was cry, scream, and smash at the ground with his semi-good hand.

"Dammit! I just couldn't stop him!" Loud tremors erupted in the distance. Suiryu couldn't help but clench his good fist, "I finally understand now. I finally got to see what it means to be a true hero. And now he's going to throw his life away. Spider-man was such a strong Hero! He was supposed to go on to save so many more people!"

Suiryu looks up to the head of Goketsu and lands right in front of him as he stares in shock and awe. Spider-man appeared around the head and crouched to Suiryu, "Oh I never caught your name?"

"Huh? Oh, it's Suiryu."

"It's nice to meet you, Suiryu."

~~~

"So they just got up and left?" Saitama questioned a random hero who was knocked on the side of the streets in City-M

"Yeah...they got together and left about 30 minutes ago."

"So they arrived as a group, went crazy and then left at once?" Saitama asked himself, quickly calling in the Association to report a few beaten heroes at his location

After that he was entering his own state of mind as he began walking, 'What were they up to? Man, how did I miss such a huge disaster? The other heroes were out here fighting. What was I thinking? Crushing Monsters is my job right? Wait a second, I don't fight monsters just because I wanted a job. That's not it at all, I might have forgotten something important, like the reason I became a hero in the first place, I mean I started out just having fun but against Suiryu and the others, even against a monster who is a master martial artist, I didn't really feel anything. I didn't get anything out. But except that one time when Spider-man and I fought, most of my excitement was starting to come back a tiny bit but stopping at the last minute it faded away again. Could he really be the one person who could give me a real fight?'

A man on a bike turned to face the bald man himself.

"Saitama?" asked King as he removed a face mask and hat that revealed his identity (fans and monsters alike were very likely to follow him and invade his privacy if they recognized him.)

Saitama looked around in confusion after hearing his name before recognizing the King. "King?" he asked surprised, "oh yeah you live around here. Is it safe for you to be out with all the monster appearances?"

King scratched his head as he began walking next to Saitama. "Yeah, there was a warning but it's quiet now. I was gonna buy a new manga but all the stores are closed," he said in disappointment as he showed Saitama his empty hands. He raised his eyebrows after realizing that Saitama seemed to be deep in thought as he stared blankly ahead. "Why so down?"

"I'm-I'm just thinking...about stuff," replied Saitama with no emotion in his voice.

King looked at Saitama with shock and worry as he thought about what to say to his friend. He tried to find what was wrong but it was so obvious... He cleared his throat as he tried to catch Saitama's attention. "Well, don't get discouraged... You're still too young to give up! Don't abandon hope."

Saitama glanced at King, almost giving him the faintest of smiles as he realized he was trying to motivate him. "King..."

King continued, "Besides, it may still grow back! They're developing hair tonics all the time!"

A vein in Saitama's head bulged as he realized what King was referring to. "That's not what's bothering me!"

King went quiet as he held his chin and before Saitama could explain what was wrong, King coughed again as if to correct what he had said earlier. "Saitama, I understand you completely."

Saitama looked at him with a blank expression with a hint of surprise. "You do?"

King smiled as he looked at his friend. "Sure! You know, I used to be a young man too," he said as he laughed. "What you are going through is completely natural, it's completely normal for you to be interested in a woman."

Saitama stared back with a blank and confused expression as they continued walking. "I'm not interested in any woman."

This time it was King's turn to make a confused expression. "Wait...Saitama...are you into men? I thought you were into Tatsumaki! You always seem to act a little bit more cheered up from the few times I've seen you together."

The bald hero looked at the King with a face completely washed of color. "King, I do like women, I'm just not interested in women right now. And Tatsumaki...she's just an acquaintance."

"You hesitated when saying the part about Tatsumaki being an acquaintance."

"Ok knock it off!" Saitama shot back. "The problem is... I've become too strong!"

"Huh? What's wrong with that?"

Saitama stared ahead with almost sadness as he began to describe how he felt. "No matter who I fight I don't feel anything. Even when I see new moves I don't learn anything. There's nothing left for me to gain from others, so what 's the point?"

King looked at Saitama with confusion. He couldn't really understand what he was going through, but he had to at least try something. "But...isn't it great to be strong? Especially since you're a hero!"

"King, I've reached the limit, I won't ever get to enjoy the process of growing. Think about how you max out a character's level and strength in a video game. The game stops being fun once you do that. I have no rivals, and I don't struggle in a fight...I'm just bored inside."

"Saitama, you can still do side missions or quests to have some fun," added King.

Saitama looked at King, "King, life isn't a video game!"

"You brought up video games though..."

Saitama shook his head as he realized the conversation was pointless. "You know King, in a way, I envy you and Spider-man." Saitama looked down at his hand as he clenched it into a fist. "I've forgotten the thrill of victory. I'm losing all human emotion, I don't even feel joy or anger! In strength, I only feel loss... As a hero, I chose this path, but I feel...lonely... Spider-man is a broken hero who nearly lost his sanity but since gaining his new power he's able to turn it off and on whenever he chooses to. I try to make my punch as normal as possible against monsters but it never works."

As both of them remained quiet, only the wind could be heard as Saitama's words drifted off. King was sweating just by the effort of trying to find what to say.

"You know, maybe Tatsumaki can make you feel something. You said that fighting didn't make you feel fulfilled, but maybe she ," added King as he gave Saitama a wink.

"I don't think so..."

King sighed in frustration. "You know, you say you're so bored but you don't even want to try. You said that you're the strongest, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're the greatest hero. And just because you feel alone doesn't mean you actually have to be alone. What if you manage to train someone and make them as strong as you are?"

Saitama held his chin as he contemplated the idea. "Nah that sounds boring."

"Well there's no reset button to your strength, and that's the only option I could think of. Tell you what... if you're so bored, why don't you come to my house to play videogames?"

"Video Games? I'm not in the mood. I don't care if I win or lose," said Saitama as he tried to hide the fact that the King was getting to him.

"Come on, let's do it! You said you wanted to lose sometimes right? That's why I'll waste you!"

Saitama laughed without actually laughing. "Hahahaha, your trash talk won't change my min-"

"Then how about this?" asked King as he raised both of his index fingers, "I'll only play with two fingers while looking away from the screen."

The vein in Saitama's forehead completely bulged out as he looked at King as he fully fell for the bait. "Now you've done it, I'm gonna waste you!"

While dragging himself along the wall of a building, Garou lost his footing and slumped to the ground. While on his knees, the Human Monster grabbed at his jaw with both hands and pushed. As a cracking and crunching noise filled the air for a second or two, Garou rammed his dislocated jaw back into place.

Taking one deep breath after another, Garou thought to himself, 'Who would've thought that asshole in a furry suit woulda been so damn strong?! He stopped chasing me once I got a good distance from his plaza, but the bastard almost killed me...! Even so, I think I learned something. My fighting style is only meant for people, but that freak fought like an animal, and I could hardly touch him... Hehe. Haha! Now that I know this, I feel alive! I need to learn to adapt my fighting style for all body types. Next time, I'll be even stronger, and Watchdog Man won't stand a chance...!

After coming out of his thoughts, Garou realized he'd wandered into the middle of a street.

'Huh, wow. I really spaced out there,' the Human Monster thought as he observed his surroundings.

Once the Hero Hunter looked directly in front of himself, his breath was nearly taken away when he saw King on a bicycle, riding towards him. If it wasn't for the fact that King was talking to some other Hero with a bald head, then Humanity's mightiest defender might've noticed the Hero Hunter by now.

'Wait! King?! One Punch Man?! Two S-Class Heroes?! What should I do? I'm all beat up, but I'll never get another chance like this again... I can still move my body, and I'm not even in pain. In fact, I feel so stoaked right now! I'm full of strength! I'll do it! Prepare to be hunted!'

Visualizing every move King could possibly make from his current position, Garou rushed in.

'I can read you first, King! Prepare yourself!'

Just noticing the red-haired weirdo covered in blood rushing him, all King could get out was, "Huh?"

Before Garou could get in close enough for an attack, the bald nobody lightly kicked him in his side, sending the Hero Hunter through a wall.

Looking back to King, Saitama asked, "Do you know who that dude was?"

"I didn't get a good look at him, but I don't think so," King answered.

With a look that showed he was just ever so put out, Saitama complained, "Great. First, a monster invasion, and now random muggings are on the rise. Do you know what's causing all this? The Hero Association contact you or anything?"

"I got some calls asking me to be a bodyguard. Had to turn those down, obviously. Aside from that, I've heard mentions about some kind of new monster group. They probably caused all of this. On top of that, the Hero Hunter's still on the loose."

Looking at the sky, Saitama commented, "Hmm. I know Bang wants to take that guy down by himself, but I gotta admit, the Hero Hunter intrigues me. Kinda hope I find him first. He makes me think about my early days when I was first becoming a Hero. Makes me wanna look for him myself."

Surprised by that, King asked, "Really?"

"Yeah, he's the first Human going around calling himself a monster. It kinda makes me think about when I first went around calling myself a Hero. He actually Fubuki once, and Spider-man's also on the hunt for him after what he did to Fubuki, so he might be kinda strong, right? He might even be strong enough to give me a fight by the time I run into him," Saitama explained.

As the two walked away from the outline of Garou Saitama had left on the side of a building, King added, "Well if that's the case, I hope you find him soon."

~~~

Later on at night, Spider-man was in his apartment complex, after making sure the fighters at the Super Fight Tournament were safely arriving at the hospital Spider-man decided to take his leave and headed back home when things were starting to get pretty quiet. Drinking a glass of water he heard his phone, Spider-man asked a number of questions, "Hey, Stinger. What's going on? Are you okay? Were there any monsters where you were?"

From the other end of the line, Stinger's voice answered, "Hey, Web-head. Don't worry, I'm fine. A handful of monsters attacked my neck of the woods, but I took care of 'em pretty easily."

Hearing those proud words, Spider-man asked, "Oh, cool... I, uh... Well, What'd you call me for?"

"Right! Listen, Death Gatling says he spotted a guy he thinks might be the Hero Hunter."

The second he heard that, Spider-man almost reflexively crushed his phone. Fortunately, his phone was still intact enough to hear what Stinger said next, "And he says he's getting a squad of B and A-Class Heroes together to bring the punk down. Based on how I saw you fight with your strength, I recommended you to Death Gatling. I tried calling Genji too, but he says he got hurt in all the fighting and needs to fix his suit. So, are you in?"

Spider-man shook with anticipation and anger for a few seconds before answering bluntly, "Tell me where everyone's meeting. I actually have a bone to pick with the Hero Hunter for what he did to Fubuki."