Chapter 71 |
'The Bald God is far too strong...'
Psykos, racing through a dark corridor in the depths of the Monster Association headquarters alongside Saman, felt the sheer force of the collision between Saitama and Pain.
Although her psychic abilities didn't allow her to peer directly over long distances without a puppet, her perception was sharp enough to grasp the general situation on the battlefield where Saitama and Pain clashed.
The Bald God was invincible!
'Now I understand why Pain was so obsessed with absorbing monster cells and evolving... it was all to defeat this man!'
Psykos took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling with a look of profound concern.
Below was the Bald God, and above was the Thunder God!
She had no idea which of the two was stronger, but there was no doubt that both possessed power reaching the Divine level!
The situation on the battlefield felt far too precarious and uncertain. Even though many Dragon-level monsters were currently gaining the upper hand over the S-Class heroes, victory against the subordinates was meaningless as long as the Monster Association couldn't handle the Bald God and the Thunder God!
In the gloom of the corridor, directly in her path, a human figure materialized.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
The figure wasn't particularly tall or muscular and made no sudden movements, yet every step was accompanied by an oppressive pressure and a terrifying, rhythmic thumping.
Psykos's eyes widened in shock.
King!
The strongest man on the planet!
'He walked straight toward the hostage, bypassing every ambush in his path... as expected of the strongest man on Earth...'
'This was my miscalculation.'
Psykos let out a shaky breath.
She had been so hyper-focused on the Bald God and the Thunder God that she had completely overlooked King! How could she have forgotten the man hailed as the strongest on the planet?!
But Psykos could never have guessed that King's back, though he appeared to look at her with stoic confidence, was currently drenched in cold sweat. While he looked perfectly composed on the outside, his heart was actually hammering against his ribs in a state of absolute terror!
If this world had a status system, King's data would look something like this:
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 5]
[Endurance: 4]
[Spirit: 5]
....
[Luck: ??? (Undeterminable)]
[Combat Power: ??? (Undeterminable)]
[Note: The average attribute for a normal adult human is five units.]
Exactly.
King's physical attributes were either that of a perfectly ordinary person or slightly below average.
King himself was painfully aware of this, which was why he felt a soul-crushing fear whenever he crossed paths with a monster.
However, despite his lack of actual combat strength, his battle potential was impossible to measure because his luck was effectively infinite. Once a certain threshold of influence is reached, luck itself can be considered a formidable power!
It was a power that could reshape the future!!
The future held countless possibilities, and luck ensured that reality bent toward the outcome most favorable to King!
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Psykos froze, staring intently at the approaching hero as that sinister, rhythmic drumming grew louder. "Is this King's famous engine? But don't you forget, I have a hostage, King!!"
At that moment, Saman regained his senses. Seeing King, he felt a surge of hope and began to wail for rescue: "Please save me! Mr. King!!"
King remained indifferent, ignoring Saman's desperate face. "...Someone will be taking care of this for me shortly," he declared calmly.
'A woman holding a hostage in a place like this is obviously a monster. I'm a dead man if I try to play hero... I have to stall for time!'
Saman stopped screaming, looking confused by the cold response. "...King? Mr. King?"
But.
Right at that moment.
Boom!!
The wall to Saman's left suddenly buckled and shattered into a thousand pieces. Amidst the swirling debris of the ruined wall, a magnificent, naked figure came hurtling through!
Whoosh!
The figure swept Saman into an embrace and leapt aside, pulling him to safety.
Puri-Puri Prisoner!
The final S-Class hero had struck at the most critical juncture!
Psykos's face twisted into a scowl. 'Damn it... I was too distracted by King...'
King's earlier words had clearly been a hint; he had intentionally diverted her attention so another hero could swoop in and rescue the hostage! It was exactly what one would expect from the strongest man on the planet!!
Now, Psykos became even more guarded and reserved. Having lost her leverage and now facing Puri-Puri Prisoner, her position had become significantly more dangerous.
"Mr. King, please ensure the hostage's safety, I beg you!"
Puri-Puri Prisoner handed Saman over to King without a moment's hesitation, his eyes never leaving Psykos for a second. "While the other S-Class heroes are locked in a desperate struggle with Dragon-level monsters, only Mr. King can truly guarantee a hostage's protection! Get him to a secure location as fast as possible so Miss Tatsumaki can move on to the next phase of the operation!"
"...Fine."
King nodded with stoic resolve and began to run back down the gloomy corridor, escorting Saman away.
Psykos knew full well that engaging two S-Class heroes at once would be a nightmare—especially with King involved—but she also understood that the Monster Association couldn't afford to let their hostage slip away so easily!
But.
Just as Psykos's body began to glow with telekinetic power and her hair drifted upward, a cataclysmic explosion thundered in the distance.
Rumble!!!
In the next breath, the shockwaves from that blast tore through the space right behind King, leaving a colossal black tunnel carved through the very heart of the Monster Association headquarters!
The cause of this devastation was the clash between Saitama and Pain.
Saitama had naturally tried to control his output to focus solely on his opponent, but Pain had managed to deflect a portion of the strike using the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, resulting in massive collateral damage to the base!
"That's Mr. Bald God and the One-Eyed God..."
Puri-Puri Prisoner sighed, gazing into the depths of the immense, dark tunnel.
Saitama's blow had, with perfect precision and timing, separated King from Psykos!
Whether it was a calculated move or a stroke of blind luck didn't matter; the result was perfect!
Meanwhile.
On the surface.
Tatsumaki, hovering dozens of meters in the air, smirked and slowly spread her arms wide, as if she could see every detail unfolding deep within the subterranean base.
"Excellent work."
"Now, it's my turn."
Hummmm!!!
With a single movement of Tatsumaki's hands, a staggering amount of telekinetic energy erupted from her petite frame. It plunged hundreds of meters into the earth, enveloping the entirety of the Monster Association headquarters.