At the core, Phoenix Man's "fighting style" boiled down to one thing: resurrection. Revive himself, revive others—then screech and charge.
Couldn't be any simpler.
Not really his fault, though. He'd stayed at Demon-level for so long that most fights were either steamrolled by his base stats, or, when he met trouble, he just wore the enemy down with his undying body. Teaching him "technique"… might as well teach a pig to climb a tree.
Saitama had completely lost interest. Immortal body, huh? Think… Professor X once mentioned that if someone truly had limitless revival, the way to end it was to smash them down to—what—at least atomic structure?
So, not brute force alone, but…
Saitama's eyes snapped open.
At that exact instant, Reborn Phoenix felt a chill stab his core. He… would die?!
Boom!!!! Saitama threw a punch. Phoenix Man's body burst apart into quarters. Before the chunks could scatter, Saitama punched again—fist speed spiking to something monstrous. The already shattered meat became finer and finer, ground to drifting dust—then that dust was struck again in midair.
The whole chamber trembled.
Saitama didn't stop. Not until he was certain the target was completely finished.
Finally—
After more than ten minutes, Saitama halted. Nothing remained of Reborn Phoenix in the air. That should do it.
By Professor X's logic, even mutants with extreme regeneration were done for when reduced this far.
Saitama scratched his head. "Sigh… guess I still need to head up."
Elsewhere, Zombie Man trudged through a Monster Association corridor, studying a map.
He'd been mid–limiter-release procedures when the call-to-assemble hit. By the time he came to, the S-Class was already deployed. Annoying—but he still wanted in.
That was when Dr. Genus handed him something: this very map.
Back when Genus was plotting against Saitama, he'd investigated the area around Saitama's home and noticed… a mysterious organization underground. He hadn't cared then—Saitama was the only target. After his defeat, he'd left this place alone.
In hindsight, it was indeed strange.
Strange enough to interest Dr. Genus.
Zombie Man had barely stepped inside before running into plenty of monsters—mostly Tiger- and Demon-level. Not exactly powerful, but they were a pain.
His fighting style wasn't like other S-Class; he relied on ordinary weapons—think a very tough "normal human" with guns and axes. The difference was his regeneration: even minced, he'd recover.
Not as outrageous as Reborn Phoenix, of course.
"Genus said this was the safest route. This is 'safe'?" He lopped a monster's head off with his fire axe, scowl deepening.
Just as he bent to pick the axe back up, the wall beside him exploded. Thick tendrils slammed through his forearms, pinning him to the opposite wall.
"Foolish human! So careless! Now you die!"
The monster preened—right until Zombie Man twisted his wrist and let a pistol slide from his sleeve. Five shots barked. The tendril-spitter dropped, dead.
"Tch. 'Limiter released,' and all I get is better regen?" Zombie Man grumbled. "Great. My specialty is recon and intel, yet this path Genus picked is nothing but hassle."
He rolled his neck and kept walking—without even glancing back at the two hundred-plus monster corpses carpeting the tunnel.
"Hey, you up there," a voice snickered ahead, "interested in playing a game with us?"
"…What?" Zombie Man frowned. He looked up—and realized he was surrounded. Again. How many monsters existed in this world? Why wouldn't they run out?
"I asked if you want to play a game." The speaker's laugh was cold and greasy, the kind that raised goosebumps.
"What are you scheming? A monster inviting a human to play a game?" Zombie Man's brow knotted.
"Heheheh. You're a weird 'human' yourself, aren't you? Be honest—can you even confirm you're human? That recovery of yours isn't something people have. Don't worry—'monster becomes hero'—even if I say it out loud, no one would believe it." The voice pressed on while Zombie Man was a shade distracted. "Here's the game: there's a guy up ahead guarding a choke point. If you can take him down, you win. We won't block you any further."
"And if I refuse?" Zombie Man smirked. "Why would I cooperate with you?"
"Simple. He's sitting on a path you must cross. If you want to go forward, you'll have to pass that way. Well? Interested?"
He had to admit—the proposal was tempting.
(End of Chapter)
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