Bang Gu had elevated his essence, spirit, and mind to an unprecedented peak.
His calloused hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the extreme concentration of power.
He decided to risk his life to carve out one last glimmer of hope for the city.
"A-Bang…"
A soft call, laden with unspoken words.
Bomb stood behind Bang Gu, covered in blood, his breathing ragged, yet his aged eyes remained sharp.
He understood that Bang Gu was ready to die, and as his elder brother, he couldn't fall behind.
The game, it seemed, was truly coming to an end.
Elder Centipede's grotesque giant face loomed over them like a dark cloud.
Its six crimson eyes gazed down at the three figures below, filled with mockery and cruelty.
Destruction was but a second away.
However, just as this silence and despair reached their peak,
A calm voice, without warning, drifted from afar, echoing clearly in every corner of the battlefield.
"Hey, big bug."
The voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to possess a magical power that pierced through everything, instantly overpowering Elder Centipede's roar and the heavy heartbeats of the Bang Gu brothers.
"Blast is here. Come if you dare."
"!?"
Every being on the battlefield—whether it was Elder Centipede, about to deliver a fatal blow, or Bang Gu, preparing to fight to the death, or the exhausted Bomb and Genos—all froze abruptly at this moment.
Blast!
That name, like a clap of thunder, exploded in their minds!
The Hero Association's S-Class Rank 1, the man who was like a legend, appearing and disappearing like a dragon!
Elder Centipede's head, which was about to descend, abruptly stopped mid-air.
Its six crimson eyes instantly turned in the direction of the voice, its previously mocking gaze replaced for the first time by "astonishment" and "dread."
In the distance, a figure stood, though it was unclear when he had arrived.
The man wore an ordinary plaid shirt, completely out of place in this apocalyptic scene.
His golden hair swayed slightly in the wind, and the three prominent scars on his face appeared particularly stern in the faint light.
He simply stood there quietly, without an astonishing aura, without outward energy, yet he seemed to be the center of the entire world.
"Dong… dong dong… dong dong dong…"
A drum-like sound resonated across the entire ruin, accompanied by intense pressure that almost materialized.
KING!
The Strongest Man on Earth!
Bang Gu, Bomb, and Genos, upon seeing that figure, simultaneously felt an indescribable surge of ecstasy and relief.
It was him! He had come!
Then, there was still hope for everything!
Elder Centipede's reaction, however, was even more intense.
It stared intently at the figure, its massive body even shrinking back slightly.
KING's name, in the Monster Association's internal intelligence, was synonymous with "invincible" and "encounter equals annihilation."
But what shocked it even more was the name from KING's mouth—Blast!
"Blast… Blast…"
On Elder Centipede's giant face, a human-like expression of towering hatred emerged.
Deep within its memory, a painful experience was instantly reawakened by that name.
Long ago, when it had not yet grown to its current immense size, it had encountered a human.
That man had shattered its proud carapace, bringing it to the brink of death, forcing it to flee shamefully underground, where it recuperated for several years before recovering.
That man's name was Blast!
It was the only, unforgettable defeat in its life!
It was the eternal nightmare in its heart!
"Blast… you finally… appeared!!!"
New and old grudges completely ignited Elder Centipede's rationality at this moment.
Its massive body abruptly turned, completely abandoning the "little bugs" in front of it who were no longer a threat.
It locked all its killing intent and fury onto the golden-haired man in the distance!
"I will kill you!!!"
"Roar—!!!"
Accompanied by a roar that shook heaven and earth, Elder Centipede's mountain-like body sped towards KING's location with a speed completely unsuited to its size.
The ground beneath its movement cracked and collapsed wildly, carrying an momentum capable of crushing everything.
On top of the tall building, Lin Mo looked at the colossal figure that was overwhelming them, his face still maintaining that unperturbed expression.
Of course, he wasn't Blast. Having read the original work, he also knew that Elder Centipede had a grudge with the real Blast.
However, judging by Elder Centipede's almost frenzied and out-of-control reaction, it must have hated Blast to the extreme.
"Hey, KING."
Behind him, a familiar voice sounded.
Lin Mo didn't even need to turn around to know who the newcomer was.
Saitama's figure appeared beside him. He wore his iconic yellow battle suit, and looking at the colossal centipede rushing straight towards them, his face showed clear displeasure.
"What did you just say about Blast? Who is that guy?"
"Just a hero's name," Lin Mo replied calmly, his gaze still fixed on the rapidly approaching Elder Centipede.
"Oh…" Saitama responded, then complained discontentedly.
"I'm telling you, don't steal my kill! This guy, he's mine!"
After losing at games all night, he was brimming with frustration with nowhere to vent.
This giant guy in front of him was the perfect target for his anger.
But KING's single sentence had drawn all the target's aggro, making him feel as though his "finishing move," which he had been preparing for ages, had been wasted.
Lin Mo turned his head and glanced at the bald man beside him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
"I wasn't planning to intervene," he said. "I just thought, making it run faster would save you the time of chasing it."
"Huh? You… you…"
Saitama paused, then immediately understood KING's meaning. The displeasure on his face instantly vanished, and he grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth.
"That's great!"
Before his words finished, his eyes changed.
The somewhat childish expression he had earlier due to the game completely disappeared.
It was replaced by an extremely rare "serious face."
"Perfect, I'm full of pent-up anger."
He slowly clenched his right fist, his body sinking slightly, adopting the simplest punching stance.
"I'll just… take it out on you."
At this moment, Elder Centipede had already charged close.
Its gigantic face filled the entire field of vision, bringing with it a pressure sufficient to make any hero lose the will to fight.
Facing this world-destroying attack, Saitama merely slowly swung his red-gloved fist forward.
The moment his fist made contact with Elder Centipede's massive face—
The world, it seemed, was muted.
Immediately following, a pure force erupted violently from Saitama's fist!
"Killer Move: Serious Series…"
"Serious Punch."