"Revival… is that your ability?" A spark of delight flashed in Saitama's eyes.
After all, if the opponent didn't have some kind of resurrection, he'd never be able to stomach even one punch from him. But if they could keep coming back and fight him over and over… that was a different story!
His face lit up with childlike excitement. "If that's the case, then we can fight!"
Phoenix Man froze. By rank he was only Demon-level, yet within the Monster Association he stood above most cadres. Reason was simple: his resurrection ability—or, more precisely, his power to resurrect other monsters. Be it Monster King Orochi, Elder-class threats, or other Dragon-level monsters—so long as there was a corpse, he could bring it back.
Functionally unrivaled, survival second to none.
Most enemies, upon learning this, didn't keep fighting—they ran. After all, who could keep up a battle against a creature that could revive without limit?
So why did this bald guy look… happy?
Happy like he'd just spotted a supermodel?
"Then let's fight!" Saitama cheered, and rushed in.
"Hidari Fukku (left hook)!"
He used maybe one percent of his strength. Phoenix Man smacked the wall with a wet "splat," turned into paste…
Uh…
Saitama glanced at his own fist, expression blank and lifeless.
So, this again?
"Hey! Phoenix Man, hurry up and revive!"
Sure enough, this again.
"Hurry up and revive!"
"Hurry up and revive!"
One minute later, a golden glow flared over Phoenix Man's remains. He had barely stood for three seconds when—"smack!"—he made intimate contact with the wall again…
Another minute. Smack.
Another minute. Smack.
And so it went, for thirty straight minutes…
"Aaaah!!!" When Phoenix Man reappeared this time, his speed was clearly faster than before. Saitama had already noticed: with each resurrection, Phoenix Man did indeed grow stronger. Case in point—when Saitama threw a punch similar to his earlier one, Phoenix Man could now slip it with ease.
Proof enough.
"Oh? So you really are getting stronger." Saitama's lips curled in a smile.
This guy…
Cold sweat drenched Phoenix Man's back. Thirty minutes. He'd been killed thirty times. What a joke!
This man had to be an S-Class hero.
A top-tier one at that.
Except…
Wait—bald?
Could he be the man Gyoro Gyoro mentioned?
Phoenix Man frantically sifted through what intel he had.
"Saitama! You're Saitama!" he shouted. They had no detailed dossier—just one note: the target was a bald man.
At first he hadn't connected this dopey-looking guy to the Saitama Gyoro Gyoro claimed could rival Monster King Orochi. Now he realized he'd been careless.
Far too careless!
But… no matter. Since things had come to this, he, one of the only two who might defeat Saitama, would finish him here.
"Foolish human, you've made a fatal mistake." Phoenix Man widened the distance, wary even though Saitama didn't seem ready to attack again.
"What do you mean?" Saitama blinked.
"It's simple. You let me die ninety-nine times. Before meeting you, I'd already died more than sixty times. Thanks to you, I've died thirty-odd more. That brings me to ninety-nine—evolution's pinnacle." Phoenix Man laughed wildly. "Do you know what that means?"
"Huh? What?"
"It means I will enter my next perfect state! Open your eyes and witness it—Tensei (rebirth)! Phoenix Man!"
Flames swallowed Phoenix Man whole. Within them, a towering silhouette slowly took shape…
Meanwhile, Waganma sat in a cell, dead-eyed. Two days of "monster baptism" had turned his brain to mush.
Could anything be worse than this?
A human kid, alone in a prison full of monsters… and guarded by four Tiger-level brutes. Looking at those thick-muscled, not-so-bright monsters, he felt like his life had reached its end.
Just then, a dark shape pounced. Before he could react, something sticky slapped across his face.
"Mmmff—mmf mmf mmf!" Waganma screamed on instinct.
All four jailer monsters snapped their gazes toward him. "Hey, what's going on? Why's the kid yowling?"
"Human brat, what are you trying to pull? Draw our attention so we notice how tasty you look?" A female monster licked her lips, grinning.
"I say we eat him. The heroes have already invaded our turf. We've achieved what we wanted, right? What use does the kid have now?" trumpeted a monster with an elephant's head, thrilled.
It was true—the kidnapping had been to pressure Waganma's father into pushing the Hero Association to enter the monsters' home ground. That way, they could more easily wipe out the heroes' fighting strength.
Which meant the hostage value was gone.
"Let's eat him. We've been starving a whole day anyway."
"Mmm… mmm…" Only then did Waganma realize what covered his face—a frog! Why was there a frog…?
At the same time, smoke was already billowing into the room.
The watching monsters' faces changed in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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