Bang~ As Mumen Rider, covered in blood, collapsed in the pouring rain, the people in the shelter fell into complete despair.
"It's over. All the heroes have been defeated. Who can save us now?"
"What kind of trash did the Hero Association recruit? So many heroes, and they couldn't even defeat a single monster!"
"The monster was right. These heroes are nothing but trash."
"Why don't we try to curry favor with the monster? Isn't he hunting heroes? He probably won't do anything to us, right?"
"There's no other way. We need to send a representative to negotiate with the monster. He can deal with these heroes however he wants, as long as he lets us live."
A commotion broke out among the crowd. The humans revealing their ugly true faces stood in stark contrast to the heroes lying in pools of blood.
"No! They risked their lives for us! How can you betray them? Heroes are the best!"
A childish voice rang out. Most people lowered their heads. How could they not know what the heroes had done? But their desire to live forced them to act this way.
"What does a little brat like you know? Say another word and I'll throw you out there for the monster to eat first!"
A young man with dyed blond hair and freckles all over his face stepped forward and spat on the fallen heroes.
"You bunch of trash! Mr. Monster, these heroes are yours to deal with! Please spare our lives!"
The blond man wore a fawning expression, while Deep Sea King revealed an amused smile.
"Humans truly are a pathetic species! That's why, from the very beginning, I wanted to crush every last one of you ants!"
"What?!"
Terror appeared on the blond man's face. Faced with such a powerful monster, everyone fell into despair.
"Who can save us?!"
"Heroes! Only heroes can save us!"
"Hmph~ You're counting on that bunch of trash?"
"The big brothers aren't trash. They're the best!"
The little boy argued back fiercely. The heroes' willingness to charge forward one after another to protect everyone had deeply moved his young heart.
"Not trash? Fine, then let the heroes you keep talking about protect everyone now!"
Thump, thump, thump~ At that moment, a deafening sound echoed across the sky, and Deep Sea King sensed an unusual presence as well.
"Oh? A new soldier boy? He looks a little different from the other trash."
Looking at the kingly aura emanating from the man before him, Deep Sea King felt a bloodthirsty urge to fight well up within him.
"He... he is!"
Someone in the crowd had already recognized the newcomer. A tall, imposing frame, three terrifying scars on his cold face, and an engine that sounded like an emperor's heartbeat.
"KING! The Strongest Man on Earth!!!"
"Great, we're saved!"
"But so many heroes were defeated by that monster. Even KING might not..."
Under Wu Di's icy gaze, the blond man felt an overwhelming killing intent and wisely shut his mouth.
"KING!"
Mumen Rider forced his eyes open and looked through the curtain of rain at KING's imposing back.
"You did well! Leave the rest to me."
Wu Di's voice clearly reached Mumen Rider's ears. A faint smile appeared on his lips before he lost consciousness.
"Hey, Genos, are you okay?"
"Saitama... Sensei..."
Genos barely lifted his head. Saitama was crouching in front of him, and seeing that he was still alive, Saitama breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew~ Good thing you're alive. Don't worry, I'll beat up this stinking fish right now."
Saitama's words made Wu Di's heart skip a beat. He knew that if Saitama made a move, Deep Sea King would definitely be instantly killed.
"No, I have to strike before Saitama does. Peak Demon-level monsters aren't easy to come by."
Wu Di secretly gathered his strength, mobilizing all his aura. The surging airflow around him split the torrential rain apart.
"The aura I've built up probably isn't enough to take out Deep Sea King. I can only wait for an opening."
"You ants actually think you can oppose me! I come from the deep sea. I am the king of the ocean! The sea is the source of all things, and I stand at the top of the pyramid. If you wish to resist me..."
"Mm-hmm, got it. It's raining, so hurry up and come at me!"
"Die!"
Deep Sea King's terrifying fist came crashing down. Everyone held their breath, while Wu Di's aura had risen to its peak.
Boom~ The instant Saitama threw his punch, Wu Di's aura suddenly erupted. The terrifying force of his punch pierced straight through Deep Sea King's body, scattering the rain around them in an instant.
Thud~ Deep Sea King's corpse crashed heavily to the ground, and a pool of green blood slowly spread outward.
"Huh???"
"Long live!!!"
After a brief silence, deafening cheers erupted from the shelter.
"Did I get it?"
Wu Di remained expressionless on the surface, but his heart pounded wildly. After all, Saitama's punch had been far too terrifying.
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, for killing a Peak Demon-level monster. Reward: 3,000 Talent Points and one random trial card."
"Monster Slayer Order completion: Below Demon-level monsters, fifteen. Demon-level monsters, three. Dragon-level monsters, zero."
"Great, I got it."
Hearing the system notification, Wu Di finally breathed a sigh of relief. His previously empty supply of Talent Points had unknowingly reached 14,400.
"Are you a hero too?"
Saitama's question startled Wu Di. After all, he had just interfered in the battle without permission, but Saitama did not seem to care.
"My name is KING. Nice to meet you!"
Wu Di forced out a smile, but unexpectedly, Saitama immediately became interested.
"Oh! So you're KING. I often see your merchandise and figurines in stores. Strange, this is clearly our first meeting, so why do I keep feeling like you seem familiar?"
"Ahem~ I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."
Leaving behind Saitama, who was still carefully trying to remember, Wu Di hurried away. Not long after leaving the scene, he received a call from the Hero Association.
"Mr. KING, thank you for stepping in to defeat the Deep Sea monster and save the citizens of J City."
"You've got it wrong. I hadn't had time to make a move. The one who defeated the monster was C-Class Saitama."
Beep, beep, beep~ The familiar busy tone sounded again, leaving Jace completely dumbfounded.
"Why Saitama again? Why does KING always give him the credit?"
"Director Jace, come take a look at this!"
Maria's voice called out. The surveillance footage had captured every detail of Deep Sea King's defeat.
From this angle, although the two had attacked at the same time, the slow-motion footage clearly showed that Saitama's attack had pierced Deep Sea King's body first. KING had not lied.
"Second C-Class Hero, Saitama. Are you just lucky, or do you truly have what it takes?"
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