Seeing Genos looking utterly devastated, King crouched down and patted his shoulder.
"It's fine—you still have plenty of room to grow. After this fight, I've got loads of pointers for you; I'll tell you all about them later."
Genos blinked; just as he lifted his head, King grabbed him by the collar and hurled him clean away.
He sailed through the air in bewilderment, the wind howling past while the words drifted precisely into his audio receptors.
"Next you'll feel what a real battle between powerhouses looks like. Better keep your distance—get brushed by the shockwave, and you're probably dead."
A clash of titans? Could it be…? Genos swept his gaze across the area—only two people remained besides himself.
KING-sensei, and the unfathomable S-Class Hero, Caped Baldy Saitama.
Was that why KING-sensei invited Mr. Saitama here today? Were the two of them about to fight?
Genos had heard that Tornado, the Hero Association's ace and number-two S-Class Hero—the ceiling of their combat strength—had been defeated by each of them in turn.
He realized the fight he was about to witness might be the ultimate showdown of the era's strongest warriors.
King planted his feet in the yellow sand and waved toward Saitama, who was still lounging on the mountaintop reading manga.
"We're good here—come on down."
"Oh."
Saitama bounded down in a single leap, landing right in front of Genos and shoving his manga into the cyborg's arms.
"Uh, Geno—Genos, hold onto this for me, okay? Don't wreck it; it's a limited edition."
Ever since becoming an S-Class Hero, Saitama's nest egg had exploded; he'd moved past pirated comics and even snagged the author-signed limited release.
Clutching the volume, Genos rocketed several kilometres away.
Even from that distance, his cybernetic eyes' long-range vision let him monitor the scene perfectly.
What would a battle of monsters look like? His recorder quietly activated; had he possessed a heart, it would have been racing.
In the swirling dust, King and Saitama faced each other.
"Saitama, remember what I told you?"
King spoke calmly; Saitama clenched his fists, his usual simple style suddenly sharpening into something serious.
"Of course: if I beat you in ten punches without using the Serious Punch, you'll buy me every new fighting game released next month—right?"
"Yup."
At King's confirmation, Saitama's motivation sky-rocketed.
Then what are we waiting for—let's go!
Seeing Saitama raring to go, King didn't dare slack; he opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates instantly.
White-blue steam erupted from his body, surging might into invisible shockwaves that swept the surroundings.
Even kilometres away, Genos could sense the domineering aura emanating from King.
Boom—boom-boom-boom-boom!
The King Engine thundered across the field, as though every atom in creation were pulsing to its rhythm.
Vast oceans of blood-qi rippled within King; Psychic Power layered over him, boosting speed and defense even further.
At the same time, formless ambient energy converged—not condensing into a sphere this time, but coating his body instead.
After absorbing energy for kilometres around, King's all-around stats climbed another notch.
His blond hair whipped like serpents; blood-qi spilled outward, the blue-white steam turning deep indigo and even tinged with crimson.
In this instant, King deployed every skill he possessed, reaching the strongest level he had attained since crossing into this world.
The suffocating wave of power tore through the clouds above, revealing an endless expanse of blue sky.
"Whoa, pretty cool."
Saitama couldn't help praising the spectacular effects.
"Looks like you're ready, KING—here I come."
The instant he finished, Saitama's monstrous leg muscles detonated with force; the ground beneath him cratered into an abyss as he vanished in a blur.
King flashed forward as well—one red streak, one yellow—colliding mid-air, invisible shockwaves instantly reshaping the terrain.
Several kilometres away, Genos felt every component rattling; fearing he'd be shattered by the aftershock, he withdrew another five or six kilometres.
Such terrifying strength… merely the shockwave nearly disabled me… So this is the true might of KING-sensei and Mr. Saitama?
…Hero Association.
"Report! Ultra-high energy signature detected 1,035 kilometres outside Z-City—levels exceed every Dragon-level Disaster on record!"
The staff member's panicked voice echoed through the control room, nearly everyone's heart leaping into their throat.
"What? Surpassing every Dragon Level? You've got to be joking!"
"Beyond all Dragon Levels… that would be the legendary God-level disaster—something that could wipe out humanity!"
Amid the rising dread, Sitch, seasoned by countless crises, forced himself to order despite the tension.
"Redirect the satellites to the energy epicentre—find out what's causing this outburst."
Moments later, the satellite feed flickered onto the main screen.
Violent energy interference made the image shaky and the audio crackle with static.
Yet through the distortion came a sound every person in the room knew by heart.
The roar of an engine, thunderous and unmistakable—the familiar King Engine reverberated throughout the control room.
Sitch froze.
The source of the energy outburst… was Mr. KING?!
...
(End of Chapter)
[Throw some stones]