Chapter 343: Chapter 44 – Descending from the Sky
A group of Dragon-level monsters stood at the center of the massive crater, staring up at the floating landmass above them.
"That’s seriously impressive. Who did this?"
"Seems like there are some decent heroes out there."
"Where’s the guy who killed Elder Centipede?"
On the edge of the floating ruins of the abandoned district, Genos stood motionless, staring down in shock.
"What in the world just happened...?"
"I’ll go check it out."
With a flap of his wings, Phoenix Man soared into the sky.
Genos caught sight of him, and a chill flashed across his cybernetic eyes.
"A monster? So this is the work of monsters?"
Just as he was about to strike, he sensed something above.
He turned his head.
A massive ice spear, as towering as a mountain, was falling from the sky, aimed directly at the bird-shaped monster.
Phoenix Man was startled and hurriedly veered off, flapping frantically to avoid it.
"How interesting!"
With a booming laugh, Gouketsu stomped the ground, launching himself like a cannonball. His fist collided with the giant ice spear, shattering it completely and blasting the glacier into icy rubble.
Genos’s eyes widened in astonishment.
"Another monster... and a powerful one at that!"
Chunks of ice, each the size of small meteors, rained down into the pit with explosive impacts.
Beep-beep-beep.
Genos activated his communicator.
The Association staff member’s face popped up, clearly panicked. "Genos-kun, where are you right now? This is bad—really bad! There’s a swarm of monsters emerging from underneath the abandoned district. It looks like their nest is down there!"
"I’m already here," Genos replied, glancing below.
"Really? Thank goodness. Listen, don’t engage them just yet. Wait for backup. Other S-Class heroes are already en route to your location."
With that, the call abruptly ended.
Genos turned his gaze downward. His mechanical eyes zoomed in and focused on the scene within the crater.
"One, two, three, four... plus the one in the air, that’s ten in total. Who would’ve thought there’d be this many monsters right under Sensei’s house?"
He clenched his fist.
I wonder how many I can take down myself.
Better wait for the others to arrive.
I should let Sensei know, too.
Without hesitation, Genos sprinted toward Saitama’s apartment.
At that moment, a wave of S-Class and A-Class heroes was converging from all directions.
Deep within the pit, following the command of Monster King Orochi, the monsters began to pour out in droves.
By the time Tatsumaki arrived at the scene with Fubuki, the crater—which was practically the size of an entire city—was already swarming with nearly a hundred monsters. In addition to Dragon-level threats like Black Sperm and Psykos, there were also over a dozen Demon-level monsters.
The sky itself seemed to darken under the sheer pressure of their presence.
"So many monsters... in Z-City, of all places," Fubuki whispered, her voice trembling as cold sweat rolled down her forehead. The sight of so many monsters emerging from the ground like ants made her feel sick to her stomach.
Tatsumaki floated with her arms crossed, glancing up at the floating abandoned district above. "Fubuki, the one who pulled that off... must be him, right?"
Fubuki nodded, certainty in her eyes. "No doubt about it."
The moment she saw the district levitate on TV, she instantly knew it was Ron’s doing. She had immediately called Tatsumaki and learned that a massive monster nest had been discovered underground, which led to her insisting they come here together.
"He’s always doing things that defy logic," Tatsumaki muttered, arms folded across her chest. "But I’ve gotta admit—thanks to him, we’ve found the monsters’ lair."
She glanced down into the crater.
"And the best part? There aren’t any civilians around... which means I don’t have to hold back."
She floated forward a little.
"Since the others aren’t here yet, I’ll go ahead and give them a warm-up."
She pointed a finger skyward and said lazily, "Let’s start with a meteor."
Her finger slid down—
A thunderous boom shook the sky.
A blazing meteor came into view, trailing fire as it tore through the heavens and raced toward the earth.
Even Fubuki saw it clearly—her eyes widened.
Deep underground, Orochi narrowed his large eyes. "Tch. Tatsumaki..."
The Demon-level monsters all looked up at the falling meteor, terror spreading across their faces.
But the Dragon-level monsters—Black Sperm and the others—remained calm and collected.
"A meteor, huh?"
"Hmph."
"Looks like someone’s underestimating us."
"Who’s going to handle it?"
Black Sperm scratched his head. "This kind of enemy really isn’t my thing."
"Then allow me."
Psykos raised a hand. Countless shimmering orbs of light materialized in the air and then transformed into a barrage of laser blasts, shooting upward like a thunderstorm of energy.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Thousands of energy blasts detonated upon the meteor, tearing it apart in a chain of roaring explosions until it was utterly vaporized.
"Ohh... not bad at all," Tatsumaki said, narrowing her eyes.
Just as she prepared to unleash something bigger, Fubuki quickly interjected, "Sis, maybe we should wait for the other S-Class heroes to arrive before escalating this..."
"No need," Tatsumaki replied haughtily. "I can wipe out all of them myself."
"Fubuki, don’t get in the way."
"Big Sis!"
Suddenly—
Tatsumaki halted and looked up.
Fubuki followed her gaze.
All the Dragon-level monsters below, including Orochi and Big-Eye King, also turned their attention skyward.
And then they saw it.
From the thick layer of storm clouds above, a circular rift opened—golden light poured through it like a heavenly spotlight.
And from within that light...
A figure descended slowly.
Bathed in divine radiance.
Majestic. Overwhelming. His mere presence sent a chill through the hearts of all who witnessed it.
"...That’s..."
Genos’s eyes narrowed.
Saitama tilted his head. "Isn’t that Ron-kun? What’s he doing up there?"
"Is that guy even human?" Psykos muttered, her tone serious.
The Grand President scratched his head dumbly. "Sure doesn’t look like one."
"That presence just now... that was him, wasn’t it?"
"No doubt about it," Phoenix Man said from the sky. "The one who tore apart the earth and killed Elder Centipede—it’s gotta be him."
Gouketsu’s expression turned grim. "Just what is that guy?"
Every instinct he had as a martial artist was screaming in warning.
And now, they all waited to see...
What would he do next?