"Haha, let's skip the unnecessary formalities. We've come here today because we have more important matters to discuss."
After Gawain clasped his hands in greeting to Bang, he and Bang walked into his reception room together.
Sitting on the tatami mat, Bang asked Gawain and his group with interest about their purpose.
After learning Agoni's true purpose.
Bang fell completely silent.
Meeting Agoni's expectant gaze, Bang nodded slowly after much deliberation.
"Do you want to form an association centered around heroes who voluntarily uphold justice and save civilians?"
That's definitely a good idea!
"As long as... as long as you guarantee that the Commercial Alliance will not control the Hero Association, then I will bring all my disciples of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist to join your association!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a smile returned to Bang's face.
He continued speaking to the two of them while laughing.
"Justice should not be forgotten by the world. In the past, I did indeed somewhat disregard the sacrifices of those who uphold justice."
Yes, not everyone who is willing to help others is an absolute powerhouse like you and me.
Agoni, I never expected that you, my old rival, would be willing to help a weak hero.
Since even you have made this choice, how could I possibly disagree?
Bang easily agreed to join the association.
Indeed, it's true that Bang is one of the most deserving of the title of hero in the world.
In his youth, he tore countless Monster apart with his fists, laying the foundation for his status as a grandmaster.
Even as he grew older, Bang devoted himself to training successors. Even during the later part of the story, when the aging Bang discovered some more hidden gems, his first thought was still to cultivate more talent for the Hero Association.
Such a person would certainly not refuse the Hero Association's invitation.
Therefore, if Gawain hadn't been involved, Bang would probably have been the first hero to join the Hero Association.
This is probably why Bang has been able to consistently hold the No. 3 spot.
As for Tanktop Master, this kind-hearted big guy probably rejected Agoni's invitation initially because of his distrust of the Commercial Alliance.
As a result, even though Tanktop Master's strength was comparable to that of Superalloy Darkshine or Puri-Puri Prisoner, these people were not that different.
But his ranking was always a little lower than those people.
However, he wouldn't care about those rankings anyway; the Tanktop Master is also a rather pure person.
Agoni is shrewd and calculating; his primary targets are always those who are easily invited.
Thus, Gawain and his companion sat in the dojo for less than half an hour before continuing their mission with Bang.
They need to rush to B City to invite Atomic Samurai, the chief swordsman of the Atomic Samurai Council of Swordmasters, who has recently been wandering in B City!
On the road, I watched the scenery flash by.
Bang leisurely sipped his tea, then spoke softly.
There are countless powerful people in this world, and I am not as powerful as you all praise me for.
Especially compared to those with superpowers, whether it's myself, Gawain, or even the Atomic Samurai we plan to invite next.
We are, after all, just ordinary people.
If you want to protect this world, you still have to look to superpowered individuals with devastating abilities, such as Blast or the recently emerged Tornado of Terror.
However, those people are indeed not easy to invite.
"Agoni, do you have any plans?"
"Well..."
Agoni rolled his eyes after hearing Bang's words.
"Mr. Gawain is also a superhuman, and he may even be the strongest Gawain, surpassing Blast."
"Bang, you've misjudged me this time!"
"What???"
Upon hearing this, Bang perked up immediately. He quickly grabbed Gawain's wrist and asked in surprise.
"This can't be true, young man!"
I can see your abilities through your body. Even if you don't have superpowers, you at least possess strength comparable to mine!
Whether it's your demeanor when walking, sitting, or lying down, or the muscular strength you hold back, your energy is like the sun, constantly influencing the surrounding air, just like this old man!
So, in addition to possessing such martial arts skills, you also have superpowers?
Tornado of Terror has telekinesis, Blast has a spatial ability that's good for both offense and defense, so what about you?
"I'm suddenly looking forward to it. As long as you don't possess some kind of weird superpower, I'm afraid I'll be able to truly see just how powerful a martial arts master with superpowers really is!"
At this point, Bang looked at Gawain with great anticipation.
At the same time, Agoni's eyes widened in shock.
"Gawain is actually a martial arts master?"
"It's truly... a stroke of good fortune for this old man to have met Mr. Gawain!"
Having known Bang, a martial arts master, for a long time, Agoni knew very well that the first thing one needed to become a martial arts master was a resolute mind as clear as a mirror.
In an instant, he felt even more at ease with Gawain and couldn't wait to take Gawain to shoot the advertisement.
And Gawain.
He said to Bang with a smile.
"My superpowers are quite diverse; in short, there are quite a few."
On one hand, I can transform into lightning and manipulate magnetic fields, which is also my main ability.
On the other hand, I can do quite a lot of things: fire, storms, controlling the earth, controlling trees, and so on.
Bang has excellent eyesight; he recognized my martial arts strength at a glance.
"By the way, Agoni, I haven't told you about my past yet, have I?"
Gawain patted Agoni on the shoulder and fabricated a life for himself.
"Twenty-five years ago in my life, as a young child, I may have lost my family in an attack by Monster."
At that time, I was adopted by a martial artist who lived in seclusion in the wilderness and only occasionally went to the city to buy things.
That's right, that martial artist is my master.
Bang, you don't need to recall my master's identity. He wasn't a strongman at all; he was just an old man who had no ship left to carry him on his voyages.
To save me, even though he defeated that Monster, my master was severely injured and left with an incurable illness.
And so, at the beginning of this year, my master finally left this world.
As for the Life Return Style I mentioned, it is a unique martial art developed by my master to cure his own illness, combining all of his understanding of martial arts.
Unfortunately, although the master successfully created this skill, he himself no longer had the physical body to cultivate it.
After losing my master, the intense pain Awakening my superpowers.
He is both a martial artist and a superhuman.
I eventually left the jungle of my upbringing and came to the city.
Monster rarely appear in the forest. I never realized that the whole world was living in dire straits!
After moving to the city, the constant stream of Monster made my thoughts even clearer.
Since fate has given me, who was not weak to begin with, the power to do even more.
I think fate will support my decision, and my dream is to completely end this era of Monster.
So, as soon as I heard Mr. Agoni's invitation, I immediately decided to join the project.
This coincides with my decision, doesn't it?
I just don't know how many heroes will still stand by our side.
Hopefully, that number is enough to protect humanity's current twenty-six cities..."
At this point, Gawain took a expectant sip of wine.
Agoni and Bang both nodded in agreement.
"Life Return Style" sounds like a school of thought that is very good at controlling the body.
Your master was not only a reclusive grandmaster, but also a genius of unparalleled talent. What a pity.
If we have time, let's talk more.
I wish to learn your Life Return Style to broaden my understanding of martial arts.
In exchange, I will pass on the secrets of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist to you. I hope you will accept!
Bang made a solemn request to Gawain knew that it wasn't actually a request from Bang, but rather a gift from Bang.
After all, Bang was trading his known, proven world's number one martial art for a newly emerging style that had yet to be proven.
But that's part of Bang's charm; Bang really enjoys helping young people.
Although, his help bred a future disaster called Garou.
But there is only one Garou, while Bang's hero disciples are all over the world!
With that in mind, Gawain solemnly agreed and then began to communicate directly in the car.
Unexpectedly, just a few minutes after the two began talking, a roar that seemed to shake the very air suddenly erupted from the desolate wilderness far away from their car.
The moment he heard the roar, Bang frowned and looked in that direction.
After taking one look, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"This Monster didn't appear in the city, but it's quite powerful. Luckily, this is the wilderness."
"Yes, such a roar that can instill fear in this old man from a great distance must belong to at least a Demon-level Monster, right?"
Agoni swallowed hard; thankfully, he had two reassuring guys in his car.
Then, he looked expectantly at Gawain and Bang, silently wondering who would make a move.
Meeting Agoni's gaze, Gawain pushed open the car door.
"The exchange just now wasn't quite enough, Bang, let me personally demonstrate the techniques of the Life Return Style."
First, I will demonstrate the core technique of Seimei Kikan, the most important of the Rokushiki... Geppo!
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain jumped off the speeding car.
The moment he landed, he deliberately slowed his movements so that the two of them could see him more clearly.
Just as the car came to a sudden stop, Gawain continued to explain to the two people watching.
"In an instant, the foot stomps on the ground at least thirty-six times, and this instant doesn't just mean every second."
It might require stomping on the ground hundreds or even thousands of times per second!
If we stomp fast enough, we can use our mortal bodies to make the air our incredible foothold.
This is the core of Seimei Kikan: granting ordinary people the ability to ascend to the sky— Geppo!
At this point, the ground beneath Gawain's feet suddenly shattered, and then, he stomped through the air and disappeared into the sky in the blink of an eye.
Looking at Gawain's retreating figure, Bang narrowed his eyes in admiration.
"So it's a martial arts style that can conquer the sky? Maybe I'm the one who's actually getting the better deal."
"Agoni, grab my sleeve, and I'll take you to see Gawain's performance!"
"Wait, I don't... Aaaaaah!!!"
Without giving Agoni a chance to refuse, the poor old man clutched his heart as Bang dragged him a long way.
A moment later, nearly six kilometers away, Gawain stood high in the sky, watching the towering mud giant, as tall as a mountain range, gradually emerge from the earth.
The giant roared at Gawain as he pulled his lower body out of the ground.
"Foolish humans, corrupt humans, despicable humans!"
Those who continue to destroy nature will eventually be punished by nature. I am the messenger of nature, the Mud Lord!
I want to let the mud, so full of life, engulf the whole world, so that all the plants in the world can have the opportunity to grow strong!
You cut down trees, imprisoned flowers and grass, turned forests into deserts, and made rivers and seas no longer pure.
Now, the time has come for me to judge you!!!
Amidst today's roar, the Mud Man finally pulled himself out of the earth.
Suddenly, his height of nearly 800 meters made Agoni, who was in the distance, stare in amazement.
At the same time, Bang frowned slightly.
"Grandmaster Gawain's Geppo looks like a very violent style, but such a style is probably not so easy to deal with enemies like Mud who are not very resilient."
So, do we still need to use superpowers?
My own Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist is actually more suitable for dealing with semi-liquid enemies.
"Gawain, how are you going to deal with this?"
As Bang muttered to himself, Gawain gently raised his fist.
Although it was just wilderness, the Mud People had done too much damage to the terrain.
Admittedly, the muddy ground he left behind could indeed leave behind nutrient-rich black soil after it dries.
But don't forget, this is near a highway; if too much silt causes damage to the highway and railway...
Then people will have to spend more time on repairs.
Moreover, Monster of such enormous size as the Mud Man is indeed not suitable for demonstrating the other moves of the Rokushiki.
So, after a brief moment of gathering his strength, Gawain, as if drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, forcefully thrust out his fist!
Boom!!!
The intense wind pressure directly blew away the Mudman, and incidentally smashed the wilderness behind him into a broken corridor thousands of meters wide and tens of kilometers long.
Seeing the effect of that punch, Bang nodded in satisfaction.
"Even if I were to take action, this would probably be my limit."
Even without using superpowers, Gawain's martial arts skills are indeed comparable to mine, and perhaps even surpass mine!
And just as Bang was feeling sentimental...
On the shore of a lake further away.
Because she was never as strong as her older sister, Hellish Blizzard's training in the wilderness was interrupted...
Seeing the lake suddenly disappear before her, she was instantly captivated by... an unparalleled expressive face...