"Looking for the Hero Association's higher-ups?"
Upon hearing Zuke's words, Tatsumaki couldn't help but frown.
Though she was the Hero Association's ace, she held no goodwill toward its executives. Those higher-ups squandered money recklessly and treated heroes with little respect—Tatsumaki had long been fed up with them.
However, displeasure aside, if anything happened to those executives, the Hero Association would fall into chaos. Naturally, Tatsumaki wouldn't bring a complete stranger to meet them.
In the air.
"You... don't tell me you're that so-called 'Hero Hunter'?"
"Huh? Has the 'Hero Hunter's' reputation already spread?"
Zuke was taken aback. Though he had seen news about City A's reconstruction in old newspapers, confirming that some time had passed since Boros' invasion, he wasn't entirely sure how far the plot had progressed. He had planned to gather information by talking with Tatsumaki first.
But now, it seemed the timeline had reached the point where Garou had already made a name for himself as the "Hero Hunter." Garou, under that moniker, had been hunting professional heroes, defeating many well-known figures and leaving the hero community on edge.
Since Zuke had immediately asked to meet the Hero Association's higher-ups, Tatsumaki suspected he might be the "Hero Hunter."
At this point, the Hero Association still couldn't determine the "Hero Hunter's" motives, so they speculated that it was someone with a grudge against the organization targeting heroes. If that were the case, it would make sense for such a person to go after the executives.
The Hero Association had distributed Garou's photo to heroes so they could recognize him on sight. But Tatsumaki never paid much attention to small fry, so she didn't remember Garou's face—leading her to mistake Zuke for the "Hero Hunter."
"Whatever... I'll just capture you first and ask questions later."
Tatsumaki frowned slightly. Though she wasn't entirely sure if Zuke was the "Hero Hunter," she had never been one to hold back.
As long as she ensured minimal collateral damage, she didn't care how much destruction she caused—the Hero Association would handle the cleanup.
Having made up her mind, Tatsumaki immediately took action. The next moment, terrifying telekinetic force erupted beneath Zuke, hurling him into the air along with a storm of shattered rubble.
"If you're not the 'Hero Hunter,' then surrender quietly. I'll let you go after I verify your identity."
Countless fragments of rubble began pressing toward Zuke's body. It seemed Tatsumaki intended to reassemble the debris to imprison him—somewhat akin to Planetary Devastation from another universe.
However, the moment the rubble made contact with Zuke's body, an anomaly occurred.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying surge of "ki" erupted from Zuke's body, instantly repelling all the rubble. Even Tatsumaki's telekinesis couldn't maintain control over them.
"What?!"
Tatsumaki was shocked—this was the first time she had ever seen something like this.
The power bursting from Zuke's body defied resistance, scattering the rubble with overwhelming force. Tatsumaki tried to recapture the debris with her telekinesis but found it impossible.
"This level of power... Even the Dragon-level monsters I've fought before were nowhere close!"
And this wasn't even a direct attack—Zuke hadn't moved. The sheer pressure of his "ki" alone had generated such terrifying force.
"Couldn't we have resolved this through peaceful conversation? Why resort to violence?"
Having repelled the rubble with his explosive aura, Zuke hovered midair, facing Tatsumaki from a distance, and sighed helplessly.
Tatsumaki was undoubtedly powerful in this world, but with Zuke's battle power exceeding 300 million, he found it hard to feel excited about fighting her.
He hadn't planned on fighting—he just wanted her to show him the way.
But Tatsumaki had mistaken him for the "Hero Hunter" and attacked without hesitation.
Zuke wasn't the type to remain passive after being attacked.
"The nature of our conversation has changed, Tatsumaki."
Zuke's voice cut through the debris and wind pressure, reaching Tatsumaki's ears as if completely unaffected by the environment.
"Originally, this was supposed to be a peaceful discussion. But now, you'll have to talk to me as a prisoner of war."
"You...! Talking big like that—!"
Hearing Zuke's words, the proud Tatsumaki couldn't tolerate it. A vein bulged on her forehead as she angrily raised her hand, unleashing her full telekinetic power.
A crushing force instantly bore down on Zuke—even a massive block of steel would have been compressed into a lump the size of a fingernail under this pressure.
Knowing that Zuke was no ordinary opponent—far stronger than even Dragon-level threats—Tatsumaki held nothing back. This was her full power.
Yet, to her horror, her telekinesis had no effect on Zuke.
Well, not entirely—his clothes were completely obliterated, reduced to particles invisible to the naked eye.
But beyond that? Zuke's body didn't even flinch, as if her telekinetic onslaught was nothing more than a breeze.
"This... How is this possible?!"
Tatsumaki couldn't believe it. She had attacked with the intent to severely injure him, yet it accomplished nothing.
"Not bad. That level of force could shatter the planet's surface."
Zuke remained unmoved, calmly assessing Tatsumaki's telekinetic power. Having absorbed the energy of multiple planets and witnessed celestial destruction, he could accurately gauge the impact of her abilities on Earth.
But the next moment—
Zuke's body appeared right in front of Tatsumaki.
She hadn't even seen him move.
This wasn't time-stop or teleportation—against Tatsumaki, such abilities were unnecessary. It was pure, unadulterated speed.
"Y-You...! What are you—?!"
With Zuke suddenly standing before her—completely naked—Tatsumaki was stunned into a daze. Instinctively, she blurted out words that sounded like a defeated foe's last plea.
SMACK!
Then, without the slightest regard for her pride or the fact that she was a (physically) young girl, Zuke raised his hand and slapped the back of her head.
"Guh—!"
Just like that, Tatsumaki was knocked unconscious, her body going limp midair.
To be continued…
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