Fubuki looked at the fallen Golden Ball and Spring Mustachio—two A-Class heroes. Her red lips parted slightly in disbelief.
They weren't nobodies.
Golden Ball's precise and bizarre slingshot techniques, and Spring Mustachio's beard thrust—powerful enough to shatter rock—had earned them illustrious battle records among A-Class heroes. Their lower rankings were more a result of their low-profile behavior than any lack of strength.
But now… both were covered in blood. Their tattered clothes and the grotesque bruises swelling on their heads clearly showed they'd suffered devastating injuries. Neither moved.
A chill crept up Fubuki's spine.
To defeat two capable and experienced A-Class heroes this easily…
The strange being standing before her, cloaked in black with writhing, seaweed-like hair—its strength had likely already reached Demon-Level.
"Hey~! You two are heroes, right?"
The monster's playful voice shattered the silence.
"I am the monster who will become the new legend of this ghost town—Infinite Seaweed!"
He shook the mass of snake-like tentacles on his head, pointing at Kaito and Fubuki.
"I hope you two are tougher than them. Don't make this lord too bored."
Fear, like icy vines, wrapped around Fubuki's heart. Her legs felt rooted to the ground.
Just then, a warm, steady hand gently rested on her shoulder.
"Don't be afraid."
Kaito's deep, magnetic voice brushed past her ear, carrying with it a calming strength.
Fubuki looked up. King's sharply defined profile appeared especially resolute under the moonlight. His three scars, accentuated by the dim streetlamp glow, lent a chilling gravitas to his otherwise calm and composed expression.
It was as if the monster who had just flattened two A-Class heroes was no more than a roadside pebble in his eyes.
What made Fubuki's heart skip was the fleeting softness she saw in Kaito's gaze. It wasn't just calm—it was… tender?
"I'm here."
Three simple words.
Yet they were enough to melt the fear in her chest.
Yes. Standing beside her was the Strongest Man on Earth—King!
The man whose very presence could make Tiger-Level monsters collapse in fear.
Thinking this, Fubuki unconsciously straightened her back. Her curves became more pronounced with the motion as her confidence surged.
She leaned in slightly, close enough to catch a faint whiff of his cologne.
Kaito maintained King's characteristic stern demeanor, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Seaweed Monster like a cold blade.
In his mind, he quickly recalled the relevant data:
Infinite Seaweed — Peak Tiger-Level, strength bordering on Demon-Level. Among the most dangerous Tiger-Level monsters in the original work. His seaweed tentacles were notoriously tough, and his attack methods bizarre and unpredictable.
Of course, Kaito also "remembered" how this guy eventually met his end—ambushed by Saitama returning from grocery shopping, only to have his "hair" plucked clean and boiled into seaweed soup.
"Tsk! How dare you ignore this lord?!" Infinite Seaweed roared, enraged by Kaito's complete indifference.
More than anything, he despised being underestimated.
From the shadows, several dark green tentacles slithered along the roadside drain—stealthy and precise. They coiled behind Kaito and Fubuki, targeting Kaito's back.
The sharp sound of air being torn sliced through the silence.
"King-sama, be careful!" Fubuki cried out.
She hadn't even fully seen the attack. A cold, fishy wind brushed against her cheek. Her instincts screamed of impending death—her hair stood on end.
But Kaito was faster.
The Emperor Engine's unique danger detection mechanism had already activated in his mind.
Thump! Thump!
The origin and trajectory of the attack became crystal clear to his senses.
At the exact moment Fubuki shouted, Kaito moved!
He didn't counter head-on.
Instead, in one smooth motion, he reached out and pulled Fubuki into his arms—firm, decisive, and controlled. His strong arm wrapped around her slender waist, lifting her effortlessly.
Fubuki barely had time to process it. A wave of warmth and masculine scent surrounded her. The power in his embrace made her heart race.
Whoosh—!
Several steel-like tentacles missed her by a hair's breadth. They slammed into the concrete wall behind with a bone-jarring thud, sending shards of gravel flying.
The powerful impact sent spiderweb-like cracks splintering across the concrete wall.
Fubuki, still trembling, leaned into Kaito's firm embrace, her heart pounding like a war drum.
Cold sweat soaked her back.
Only now did she fully comprehend the danger of that sneak attack.
Had King not been there… the consequences were unthinkable.
She looked up at Kaito's profile, her gaze filled with lingering fear—and a deeper, more instinctive reliance.
Gratitude bloomed in her chest.
"Bastard! You dodged pretty fast!" Infinite Seaweed roared, his fury flaring.
The writhing seaweed on his head lashed wildly, like a swarm of demonic serpents.
In a flash, they twisted into a deadly green web—surging in from all directions.
Above.
Below.
Left.
Right.
With a shrill howl that cut through the night, the tentacles descended upon them, sealing off every possible escape.
Fubuki instinctively began to channel her psychic power, but Kaito gently pressed his hand against her wrist.
"Don't move."
Still holding her close, Kaito moved—like a ghost.
With smooth, effortless agility, he danced between the attacks, slipping through the lethal net as if time itself had slowed for him.
His 18 points in agility enabled him to evade with precision, even while carrying someone.
Tentacles pierced walls and tore through pavement, but not a single one managed to so much as brush their clothes.
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
Infinite Seaweed's rage boiled over. Black aura surged from his body as he unleashed a flurry of increasingly wild attacks.
And yet—he still couldn't land a hit.
It was like trying to catch a shadow in a storm.
He let out a shrill, furious roar, veins bulging across his form.
"Mere heroes! Is running all you know?! Face me like a man and take one of my strikes head-on!!!"
Kaito's lips curled into a cold, disdainful smile.
"Since that's the case… as you wish."
THUMP—!!!!
A deep, resounding heartbeat—like an ancient war drum—exploded through the night.
The quiet street trembled under its weight.
Emperor Engine · Great Perfection—Activated.
This wasn't the low hum of warning from before.
It was a full-power release.
An invisible pressure surged out from Kaito like a tidal wave—dense, suffocating, and utterly unstoppable.
A dark red aura, thick with murderous intent, erupted around him like rising hellfire.
He no longer looked like a man.
He looked like a demon god—a celestial reaper standing beneath the moonlight.
Infinite Seaweed, caught in the epicenter, felt the full force of that aura crash into him.
His thoughts seized.
His soul trembled.
Even the dark energy that made up his very existence was seized in a death grip.
The rage in his eyes shattered, replaced instantly by pure terror.
The world spun.
Kaito's figure dissolved—replaced by an immense shadow looming in the night.
A terrible, monstrous silhouette oozing with ocean stench and oppressive might.
The one thing Infinite Seaweed feared most in the deepest parts of his subconscious:
The Deep Sea King.
The overlord of the oceanic abyss.
The apex predator of marine monsters.
The incarnation of sea-born death.
"No… don't… my seaweed… my power…!"
Infinite Seaweed shrieked in horror.
His body trembled violently, reduced to a quivering mess.
Inside the hallucination born of fear, he was bound—paralyzed.
No struggle. No escape.
He could only watch in despair as the colossal Deep Sea King reached down, casually gripped his body, and shoved him into a gaping, monstrous maw.
"Crunch… crunch…"
The sound of chewing echoed, horrifyingly crisp.
It wasn't just physical—it echoed in his soul.
Each bite felt like it was tearing away his being.
Every chew carried a cruel, methodical satisfaction—like enjoying a fine delicacy.
He could almost feel the agony of his flesh being crushed… the acidic sting of digestive fluids melting his limbs away.
Ding! Successfully intimidated Infinite Seaweed (Peak Tiger-Level). Intimidation Points +200!
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