Chapter 75: The Strongest Monster vs. Serious Saitama |
Silence reigned over the battlefield.
The gazes of all the S-Class heroes were pinned on Pain.
'I don't really understand the essence of what's happening, but if all the monsters were absorbed by that One-Eyed God, then we just need to take him down,' Zombieman thought as he tightened his grip on the handle of his axe.
Bad lifted his steel bat, resting it against his shoulder. "So, we only have one monster left to handle before I can finally go see my little sister?"
Child Emperor spoke up, his voice heavy with caution. "Don't rush in! I'm afraid that after absorbing all those monsters, the power of the One-Eyed God has surpassed our wildest imaginations!"
"You might be right..." Atomic Samurai remarked, pulling a long straw from his mouth. "But we don't have any other opponents left."
Bang approached Atomic Samurai and shook his head. "I've heard about your previous encounter with him..."
"That failure is in the past," Flashy Flash declared with newfound confidence. "I have become much stronger since that shameful defeat."
Puri-Puri Prisoner struck a graceful pose, flaunting his massive muscles. "I have deepened my understanding of the Angel Style. I won't lose so easily to this monster again."
Tanktop Master took a decisive step toward Pain, and without hesitation, he was followed by Superalloy Darkshine, Puri-Puri Prisoner, Flashy Flash, Atomic Samurai, and the rest of the S-Class heroes. Only Genos, the Demon Cyborg, remained behind, thoughtfully watching the distant, thunderous battle between Yeruashi and Lilith.
A few seconds passed.
Pain was soon surrounded by the strongest heroes of humanity.
"I wouldn't advise doing that, guys..." Saitama said, turning his head and shaking it as soon as he noticed the S-Class heroes moving in.
Atomic Samurai smirked confidently. "Could we even call ourselves heroes if we forced you to fight the final boss all alone?"
"We'll try to help you," Zombieman said calmly. "It's our duty as heroes."
None of the S-Class heroes discarded the idea of entering the fray against Pain, despite Saitama's warning.
Yes, they had suffered a crushing defeat on that ill-fated day, but since then, every single one of them had shed a massive amount of blood and sweat in the hope of becoming even a little bit stronger.
Atomic Samurai and the other S-Class heroes recognized that they couldn't stand against this monster in a one-on-one duel, but they believed they could play a significant role by joining forces—even if they ultimately suffered another crushing defeat, just like before.
However, Pain simply looked at Saitama across from him, paying no attention whatsoever to the approaching S-Class heroes.
Saitama looked back at Pain and grinned. "Finally, we've reached the final scene of your production, haven't we?"
"Production?" Child Emperor, standing not far from Saitama, asked in a puzzled tone.
Saitama folded his arms over his chest and continued to watch Pain. "Playing the role of the strongest monster, only to eliminate all the other monsters. This play should be nearing its finale now."
Saitama's view of monsters differed significantly from that of others in this world. For instance, when the entire world viewed Sweet Mask as a terrifying monster who had infiltrated the Hero Association with sinister intent, Saitama continued to see him as a qualified hero. To him, the criteria for judging monsters and humans were not appearances, but actions and essence.
From Saitama's perspective, Pain could not be recognized as a monster. Pain might not be a hero, but he could certainly be classified as a human playing the role of a monster.
"Mr. Saitama, you shouldn't talk like that! This is the most dangerous of all the monsters!" Child Emperor exclaimed, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Zombieman shook his head. "Mr. Saitama, you must be mistaken..."
The S-Class heroes halted and turned their heads, looking at Saitama in bewilderment. They couldn't believe his words; such a thing seemed too strange and fantastical.
Saitama's expression darkened as he felt the gazes of the S-Class heroes on him. "Do you think I'm completely blind? Everything is as clear as day..."
Just then, Pain, who had been staring at his clenched fists, raised his head. He spoke calmly, completely ignoring the S-Class heroes. "Too noisy."
Child Emperor and the other S-Class heroes looked at Pain, a dark and ominous premonition washing over them.
Following Pain's words, the atmosphere became incredibly heavy and suffocating, and the sky above the S-Class heroes turned dark.
Pain himself remained perfectly still, but a mysterious, blood-red pattern bloomed in his lone eye. With its appearance, a terrifying and oppressive pulse surged toward the S-Class heroes.
Whirrrr!
This impulse, radiating in all directions from Pain's body, compressed and distorted the air. It was formed by combining spiritual energy and Dojutsu power with Conqueror's Haki, making it partially physical and tangible.
As the impulse spread, a web of long cracks stretched across the ground in every direction from Pain's feet.
"I can't move..."
"How..."
"What is this madness..."
They were completely suppressed by an overwhelming power.
Whether it was Atomic Samurai, Superalloy Darkshine, Puri-Puri Prisoner, or the other S-Class heroes surrounding Pain, all of them—save for Saitama—were thrown back by that strange shockwave like autumn leaves in a gale. As they flew, they felt a profound sense of suffocation, unable to move at all, as if an unbearable mountain had been placed upon their bodies and even their souls.
Within moments, all the ruins of the Monster Association headquarters within a radius of more than half a mile were completely pulverized and swept away. The S-Class heroes who had been in those ruins were hurled several miles back.
Thud! Thud! Crash!
The weaker S-Class heroes, like Puri-Puri Prisoner, were knocked unconscious by the debris of the headquarters. More resilient ones, like Superalloy Darkshine, struggled to keep their feet.
The S-Class heroes, lying or standing with difficulty amidst the massive pile of debris, looked in shock and awe at the distant figure of Pain, who stood in the middle of a cleared area.
'How could this happen...'
'Just an impulse...'
When Child Emperor, lying atop the ruins, struggled to lift his head to look at Pain in the distance, his eyes were already filled with dread.
In the past, the One-Eyed God had delivered a crushing defeat to many S-Class heroes, but back then, they at least had the qualification to enter the battle. But now...
Now, they had all been completely suppressed by a single impulse, without any chance to offer even the slightest resistance.
What a frightening and insurmountable power!
In that moment, the S-Class heroes began to realize a terrifying fact—when Pain absorbed the Dragon-level monsters, their powers didn't just add up; they allowed him to transcend to the next level entirely.
It was like a monster evolving from Tiger to Demon, or from Demon to Dragon-level threat.
Then...
What if a Divine-level monster went through such an evolution?!
Child Emperor and the other S-Class heroes couldn't help but feel a deep fear, their bodies trembling at the thought of the threat the entire world was about to face.
It seemed that this time, they were truly in for massive trouble!
But then, their attention turned to the figure who hadn't been pushed back by Pain's terrifying impulse.
Saitama's white cape fluttered violently behind him, but he hadn't moved an inch.
Saitama glanced at the fallen S-Class heroes out of the corner of his eye, then said with interest, "Oh, this looks like fun! You've perfectly recreated the atmosphere of a final boss. In that case... I'll be the final hero to stop you."
"You can try," Pain said impassively, then immediately launched a punch.
In terms of raw power, the current Pain was in no way inferior to Yeruashi in his Ten-Tails form, but the difference was that his power was under complete control.
Pain's body was comparable in strength to the original, and under Yeruashi's direct control, his strength was manifested with maximum efficiency. Therefore, the strongest blows of the current Pain were comparable to Yeruashi's own serious attacks.
As Pain's fist moved, it seemed as if everything on the planet—the sky, the earth, the sea, every living creature, and even their souls—shuddered.
At that moment, for the first time since the battle began, Saitama became completely serious and threw a punch to meet Pain's fist.
Based on the movement of his entire body and the look in his eyes, it was perfectly clear—this was a Serious Punch!
The distance between Saitama and Pain was about ten yards, and their fists didn't even touch each other.
A silence might have followed those strikes if the surrounding wind had remained calm, but such a thing was, of course, impossible.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion roared, far beyond what a normal person's eardrums could withstand. A blinding shockwave, formed from air compressed to an unimaginable degree, swept across the sky and the earth.
The clouds split apart, and the ground crumbled.
Superalloy Darkshine and the other S-Class heroes, who were several miles away from the collision, were caught and swept even further by the shockwave.
"Aaaaahhh!"
None of them, just like before, could keep their footing.
Whoosh!
At the same time, a bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky at an altitude of several hundred yards, stopping far from the battlefield to reveal the figures of Yeruashi and Tatsumaki.
After Tatsumaki had been moved out of the range of the clash between Pain and Saitama, Yeruashi removed his hand from her waist and folded his arms, calmly observing the thunderous collision from a safe distance.
Before him, the clouds across the entire sky split apart toward the horizon, while a massive mushroom cloud rose over the point of impact, as if a nuclear explosion had just occurred.
Tatsumaki was stunned, her mouth hanging open in shock. Looking closely, one could even see her body trembling slightly.
"What terrifying power..." she whispered. "Can that baldy really handle such a monster?"
Yeruashi spoke calmly, his gaze piercing through the thick clouds of dust to the center of the clash. "Of course he can."