The Magus is dead, his regeneration ability had no effect; that bald man is probably Saitama.
The terrifying glimpse just now felt like a dream; Saitama merely threw a punch in retaliation because the Magus cast an overly powerful Illusion Spell, which instantly killed this somewhat famous Reincarnator.
The Reincarnators in the shop, three or four of them, escaped in that instant. Only the Magus, who had cast the Illusion Spell, was killed; the others, whether they fled directly or remained in place, were not attacked.
Mu Shuren rose from the table by the window. He subtly glanced at the barista, and the next moment, a tree root from beneath the ground directly pierced the barista's body.
"Uh… …"
The barista's mouth opened and closed, but he wasn't dead. His eyes bulged as if he was experiencing immense pain. The Reincarnators remaining in the coffee shop noticed this scene, but no one would become an enemy of Mu Shuren for an ordinary plot character.
Li Qingzi didn't even spare a glance. She merely frowned, leaning against the wall, the tension from before not yet completely subsided.
Saitama, the absolute ceiling-level being in the One-Punch Man World. That momentary eye contact earlier almost made her feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She had never felt such terrifying pressure. Even though the opponent didn't make a move, her Kenbunshoku Haki made her feel as if she was already on the edge of a cliff.
If she made a move, she would die.
But upon reflection, she clearly realized that this Saitama's state was not right.
In the original work, although Saitama possessed the ability to kill almost all enemies with one punch, he had a very peculiar personality. Due to his overly strong power, his human desires gradually faded, and he slowly lost interest in most things.
Only a few things, like supermarket sales on groceries and being an Interest-Driven Hero, could truly engage him.
Furthermore, Saitama was a hero who "didn't kill humans."
Even when Garou proclaimed himself a hero hunter and eventually underwent monsterization, becoming a monster stronger than almost all heroes, he still did not kill Garou.
However, the Saitama who appeared just now was not only indifferent to the human who died in the shop but also, when the Magus instinctively released an illusion spell to obscure his vision, Saitama unceremoniously blasted the Magus to death.
Both of these points are completely different from Saitama in the manga.
This means that something must have happened in this world that caused a change in Saitama's personality and his Logic for handling affairs.
"Heh, those who stayed behind seem to be intelligent people…"
Mu Shuren stood up and tidied his hair. He didn't hide his fear; as someone who sat by the window and directly faced Saitama, how could he not be afraid?
"Then you should all also realize that we should now gather information and grasp the root cause of this world's changes."
As he spoke, the barista, with a vacant expression, walked out of the coffee shop and disappeared into the flow of people outside, heading to an unknown destination.
Li Qingzi had heard of Mu Shuren's ability; he had an unparalleled advantage in terms of information gathering.
"How about it, is anyone willing to join my team in this world?"
Mu Shuren stood by the window, extending a hand, inviting the others.
The cross on his brow emitted a hazy glow. Seeing no one respond, he curled his lips. He could feel that these guys were wary of him.
Being wary of him also meant that these people feared him.
The arrogance in Mu Shuren's eyes was invisible to others. Even these Reincarnators, who were considered quite good among the 'Strong' tier, were merely weaklings in his eyes.
They were lambs he could herd at will.
"Don't worry, I can allow you to ask me to sign a contract, preventing us from attacking each other within this world."
Mu Shuren's voice carried a peculiar rhythm, allowing one to perceive his sincerity.
Clang!
The sound of a sword rang out, and a emerald green sword light instantly flared.
Mu Shuren turned his head and saw that the tall woman wearing a half-mask had already sheathed her sword. The entire wall behind the coffee shop then tilted and collapsed.
Sunlight streamed in completely, and the woman's black half-mask, under the sunlight, resembled a black lunar eclipse.
"My apologies, I plan to act alone."
Li Qingzi was extremely sensitive to that arrogant expression. She had lost count of how many times she had seen it in Bai Cangshu's eyes. Guys with such expressions must have absolutely no concept of teammates in their hearts.
She turned and left. Mu Shuren tapped his fingers in the air, contemplating whether to turn hostile with Eclipse and keep her here. He knew very well that this person, who called herself Eclipse, was very likely the Moon Demon in reality.
But he ultimately did not make a move. Saitama's sudden appearance had indeed made him a little wary. If he were to cause a commotion now and another powerful hero appeared, his abilities would be more easily mistaken for those of a monster.
Li Qingzi walked out of the coffee shop, and only then did the chill behind her completely disappear.
She walked onto the street, seamlessly blending into the crowd, and began to try and understand the current changes in this world.
This city was quite prosperous, completely unlike the dilapidated Z City where Saitama lived in the original work. Billboards were everywhere on the streets.
Most striking were the portraits of various heroes.
Heroes of all kinds were used as signs, erected on shops and buildings, accompanied by the names of various Hero Offices.
Li Qingzi suddenly stopped.
Hero Offices?
If she remembered correctly, in the One-Punch Man World, heroes should all be registered by the Hero Association.
She quickly entered a convenience store, and sure enough, even in such a shop, there were many advertisements for Hero Offices posted.
"These hero advertisements are really everywhere, aren't they?"
She spoke casually, and the proprietress, who was bowing her head at the cash register, naturally responded.
"Oh, who isn't saying that? When there's real trouble, no one can be reached. But when there are no monsters, there are heroes everywhere, bah!"
She clearly didn't want to put up these advertisements herself; she had a lot of resentment.
Li Qingzi picked out many items from the store and then continued to chat with her.
"Can anyone be a hero?"
She vaguely realized that she might have found a clue to the reason for Saitama's change.
The proprietress shook her head; she really missed the old days.
"Spend some money to register, then find someone to write some newspaper articles, and if you can hype it up, anyone can be a hero."
After she spoke, she looked at the poster on the wall. There hung a poster of a handsome man holding two silver revolvers, 'Dual-Wielding Cowboy'.
She tore down the poster and said,
"This hero, last week, he was supposedly robbed and beaten to death. Heroes…heh…"
—
Bai Cangshu and Lilith sat on the wooden floor. Ayase Hoshiko didn't have the habit of entertaining guests; bringing a few people back to sit was already because they claimed to know the truth of the great catastrophe half a year ago.
Continuing the previous conversation, Bai Cangshu revealed an interested smile.
"You can become a hero just by spending some money, huh? What a good deal~"
Reigen Arataka, sitting alone by the door, smoking with his back to everyone, heard Bai Cangshu's words and exhaled a puff of white smoke.
He sometimes wondered if his disciple was right; among Ability Users, villains were ultimately the majority.
Ability, this kind of thing, isn't necessarily a good thing.
Bai Cangshu looked at the others and said,
"How about I go and become a great hero first?"