The Hero Association Headquarters, located in the heavily guarded steel fortress in the center of A-City.
Inside the circular strategy room on the top floor, the atmosphere was so heavy it could almost drip.
Around the massive circular conference table sat a group of high-ranking association executives, all in suits and with serious expressions.
Each of them wielded immense power, enough to influence the world's geopolitical landscape.
But at this moment, their faces were, without exception, filled with disbelief and deep confusion.
On the holographic projection in the center of the conference room, a series of satellite images from the Z-City ruins district were being replayed.
The initial image showed the Elder Centipede's colossal body, blotting out the sky, and the desperate sight of three S-Class Heroes – Silver Fang, Bomb, and Genos – before it.
Immediately after, two new figures appeared in the image—Mr. KING and Caped Baldy, Saitama.
Mr. KING's appearance made several of the executives present instinctively straighten their backs, a habitual reaction of reliance and trust.
And while Saitama was also an S-Class Hero, his attire always made it easy for people to overlook him.
Then, after a mere few frames of footage, before any of the high-ranking executives could even react...
That catastrophic giant, which even Blast had only severely wounded, simply... vanished.
Yes, it vanished.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no flash of clashing energy.
Elder Centipede's massive body was completely erased from this world, leaving no trace, not even wreckage.
..."That concludes all the video footage of the Elder Centipede subjugation battle in Z-City."
The man in the suit, responsible for the report, finished his summary with a dry voice, then silently stepped aside.
A long silence fell over the conference room.
You could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Sitch, the highest-ranking official of the association, seated at the head of the table, slowly took off his glasses and pressed his fingers against his tired brow.
"Technical department," his voice was hoarse and low, "are the analysis results out yet?"
A technical supervisor wearing black-rimmed glasses immediately stood up, took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and then reported:
"Report, sir... the analysis... cannot be performed."
"What do you mean, 'cannot be performed'?" demanded a hawk-nosed executive next to Sitch, clearly displeased.
"Because..." Cold sweat broke out on the technical supervisor's forehead.
"All of our detection equipment, at that very instant, collectively malfunctioned because they captured energy exceeding their limits..."
"..."
"Power beyond limits, huh..." Sitch murmured to himself, feeling a headache coming on.
"What about Mr. KING?" Sitch spoke again, a hint of barely perceptible hope in his voice.
How he wished that it was once again The Strongest Man on Earth who had created a new legend.
"Regarding that," the reporting man in the suit stepped forward again, his expression extremely peculiar.
"Afterward, as per usual, we communicated with Mr. KING for confirmation."
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
"Mr. KING... personally informed us that the primary credit for this subjugation of Elder Centipede was not his."
"Not his?" The hawk-nosed executive gasped in surprise, his voice sharp and somewhat distorted.
"How is that possible! Besides Mr. KING, who else could possibly..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because, involuntarily, the image of the other S-Class Hero, standing beside Mr. KING, with a blank expression and simple art style, flashed in his mind.
The man in the suit nodded and spoke the name that struck everyone as absurd.
"Yes. According to Mr. KING's statement, and the joint testimony of the two S-Class Heroes present—Silver Fang and Demon Cyborg..."
"The one who personally annihilated Elder Centipede was S-Class Rank 18 Hero..."
"Caped Baldy, Saitama."
The moment the name "Saitama" was uttered, the entire conference room was as if a depth charge had been dropped into it.
"What!?"
"It was him? That S-Class newcomer?"
"Are you kidding me! What makes him capable of that?"
"This must be a mistake! Mr. KING must have intentionally given him the credit to mentor a newcomer, or for some strategic consideration we're unaware of!"
Questions and murmurs rose and fell.
Most of the high-ranking officials present could not accept this fact, as Saitama's track record was simply too limited.
"Silence!"
Sitch slammed his hand on the table, his authoritative voice instantly quelling all the commotion.
He slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.
"I know this sounds bizarre, even absurd," his voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power.
"However, we are the Hero Association. Our basis for judging a hero is not our feelings, but facts!"
"The fact is, Elder Centipede was eliminated. The fact is, three S-Class Heroes, including Mr. KING, all jointly identified Saitama as the one who delivered the final, fatal blow!"
"Whether you believe it or not, this is the battle report!"
Sitch's gaze finally fell on the supervisor responsible for hero grading and ranking.
"Now, what we need to discuss is not the truth or falsehood of this matter."
Sitch spoke each word distinctly, every word like a nail driven into the hearts of everyone present.
"But rather... the grading and ranking of S-Class Rank 18, Caped Baldy, Saitama."
The supervisor immediately stood up, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
"Sir... according to the association's regulations, a hero who independently subjugates a Dragon-level disaster will have their grading and ranking significantly increased."
"Moreover... this time the target was an existence of Elder Centipede's caliber..."
His voice grew softer and softer, almost inaudible if one didn't listen carefully.
"Continue." Sitch's expression remained unchanged, but that very calmness was a tremendous pressure.
"Yes!" The supervisor took a deep breath and said, bracing himself. "Overall assessment, Caped Baldy Saitama's contribution to this incident was immense."
"Therefore, the evaluation committee recommends... a leapfrog promotion in his ranking!"
"Promoted to what rank?" the hawk-nosed executive pressed, everyone's eyes fixed on the supervisor.
"We... we believe," the supervisor wiped the sweat from his forehead, stating the relatively "conservative" number reached after repeated discussions.
"At least, he should be above his comrade in this incident, Demon Cyborg Genos. That is... tentatively, S-Class Rank 14."