With the addition of the S-Class heroes, the efficiency of the civilian evacuation improved significantly, even if not every hero was focused solely on that task.
Tatsumaki, in particular, was an absolute powerhouse; she could effortlessly lift and evacuate tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye.
Even though she had to recite words of reverence for Madam Herta under the gaze of those thousands every single time she used her psychic powers, the sheer repetition had turned her praises into something akin to a "slogan."
By now, it was so well-known that Tatsumaki had actually grown accustomed to it.
However, this battle—which appeared to be a fairly balanced exchange of offense and defense—was not unfolding according to the script everyone had expected.
"What is that!?"
The S-Class heroes, who had been keeping a watchful eye on the alien warship, suddenly noticed something amiss.
It seemed that after failing to make headway in the standoff against the ship, the aliens had chosen a different way to "compete" with Earth.
Countless aerial units burst from the ship's hatches, and many ground units were dropped from the sky as well.
Those ground units were enveloped in a blue-black glow, signaling to everyone that the enemy had psychic users of their own.
Tatsumaki's brow furrowed slightly. Without hesitation, she reached a hand out toward the incoming ground units.
The power she wielded—enough to easily crush a Dragon-level monster—struck the ground units instantly. However, that intangible blue-black light acted like a barrier, dampening her force to a negligible level.
The enemy's psychic power was not half bad.
"They're touching down!"
"All S-Class heroes! Cease the evacuation missions! Intercept the enemy combat troops immediately!" The Hero Association's broadcast echoed through every corner of A-City.
"Can't break through, so you've decided to try boarding tactics with us, huh?" Standing on the roof of the Hero Association building, Atomic Samurai curled his lips into a battle-hungry smirk.
His weathered, sharp features were filled with disdain for the enemy's chosen tactic.
A few heroes had remained behind, as not everyone was suited for the evacuation work.
"The aerial units are mine."
Metal Knight, who stood alongside them, spoke as his entire mechanical frame took flight into the sky.
"I'll assist him." Drive Knight followed suit, stepping forward before leaping off the building, transforming into a jet to intercept the alien air force.
The remaining heroes had no effective way to engage the aerial units, so they followed the Association's orders and headed out to deal with the enemy's ground forces.
Tatsumaki was growing anxious. She knew how much of an impact a powerful psychic could have on the battlefield, but the evacuation task couldn't function without her.
The sooner the city was empty, the sooner they could let loose.
"Let's go too, Genos."
Saitama looked toward Genos and said, "Alice seems to be over there evacuating civilians. Let's help her clear out the enemies early."
"Understood!"
Alice was unaware of their intentions. She knew she wasn't particularly outstanding at evacuation duty, so once she spotted the enemies descending from the sky, she handed the task over to a nearby B-Class hero.
The air battle was not going well, and Alice knew that everything happening so far was just a small scuffle.
The true threat was singular: Boros, still aboard the ship.
No one could be certain how long he intended to stay on that vessel. The current situation had already tipped Alice off—if even Boros grew tired of this endless standoff, he might decide to descend to Earth himself.
That would be the most troublesome scenario of all.
With that thought in mind, Alice tossed her Sword of Light in front of her. As the nanomachines whirred to life, the blade transformed into a hovering board capable of carrying her.
It felt a bit like a certain "Judas" flight mode, but that didn't matter.
"Alice is going to launch a direct assault on the interior of the ship!"
Though it wasn't strictly necessary, Alice, now perched on her board, notified everyone via her phone.
Without waiting for a response, the girl shot straight toward the warship.
The flight speed of the Sword of Light's board mode was no slower than a fighter jet. The thousands of meters of altitude were nothing more than a few seconds of travel for her.
As a blue light flared, the front of the board unleashed a railgun blast powerful enough to pierce the ship's hull. Following the hole she had blown open, she dove inside without a second's hesitation.
Ignoring the pressure differential between the inside and outside, the moment she entered the ship, Alice reverted the sword to its original form and activated its energy detection feature.
There were three powerful energy signatures within the ship, and the distance between them wasn't great.
If Alice's guess was correct, one was the ship's power source, another was Boros, and the third was that octopus psychic alien—whose name she couldn't quite remember.
Without a moment of indecision, Alice headed toward the strongest energy signature.
After all, she had come here precisely because she feared Boros would get impatient and leave the ship; naturally, she had to get there as fast as possible.
GeRyuuganshoop, currently in the ship's command center, naturally noticed the little mouse that had snuck in after breaking through the hull. He was just about to make things difficult for her when he heard Boros's voice.
"She is coming straight toward me."
Seated in the empty, vast hall, Boros looked into the dark distance, as if seeing the intruder through countless obstacles.
"Whether she is a fool who arrived before me out of mere brute courage upon sensing my strength, or a true master with power and a spirit equal to my own... let me taste it myself."
His voice was calm and indifferent, yet it faintly stirred a long-dormant expectation.
No... expectation was fine, wasn't it?
The warrior from the prophecy, the opponent who could actually give him a fight, was on this very planet. That was exactly why he had come.
So, it was alright to be expectant, wasn't it?
BOOM—!!!
A blue beam of light swept across Boros's cheek, leaving behind a scorch mark and lingering heat that thrilled him.
Though a wound of that magnitude would heal within two seconds, the anticipation rising in his heart could no longer be contained.
His lips pulled back, revealing sharp, menacing teeth that hinted at his nature as a predator. His massive, solitary eye—which dominated a third of his face—looked toward the source of the blast.
The grand door of the hall now had a jagged hole in it; orange-yellow molten metal still clung to the edges, dripping as the high heat caused the ship's frame to liquefy.
Walking through the breach was a petite figure, different from what Boros had imagined, but... it didn't matter!
He could feel it—the immense energy radiating from her.
"Come before me, warrior!"
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL