City Z - The Fubuki Group HQ
Time: Planning Phase
"We need the robot," Fubuki slammed her hand on the table.
Her subordinates, Eyelashes and Mountain Ape, jumped.
"Uh... Miss Fubuki?" Eyelashes adjusted his curler. "Demon Cyborg is S-Class. We can't just... conscript him. He follows the bald guy."
"Exactly!" Fubuki's coat flared with psychic irritation. "And the bald guy follows his stomach!"
She pulled out a crumbled napkin. On it, written in hasty royal calligraphy (faxed across dimensions via Genos's glitchy TV), were the words: BUY HIM BEEF = ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE.
"I received intel from a 'King' in another dimension," Fubuki declared seriously. "This is the key. We bring the highest quality beef to Saitama's apartment. While he is distracted eating, we... borrow the Cyborg's new book."
"The tablet-book?" Mountain Ape scratched his head. "Why?"
"Because," Fubuki narrowed her eyes. "That book projected a dragon made of math and fire. If I can learn that 'Spell'... I can finally surpass her. I can beat Tatsumaki."
City Z - Saitama's Apartment
Event: Hotpot Night (Invasion Edition)
The apartment smelled like cheap broth.
Saitama, Genos, and King (who was hiding from a fan club) were staring at a boiling pot of water with nothing but cabbage in it.
"Bleak," King noted.
"The budget is tight," Saitama admitted, dipping his chopsticks into the water to taste nothingness. "We spent the gold money on Genos's new batteries."
"Master, high-output Rune Cores are expensive," Genos apologized.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened.
Fubuki stood there. She looked like a mafia boss. Behind her, Mountain Ape carried a cooler.
"Saitama," Fubuki flipped her hair. "I brought dinner."
Mountain Ape opened the cooler. Dry ice smoke curled out. Inside sat a slab of marbled, A5 Wagyu Beef. It glowed with fatty majesty.
Saitama's pupils vanished. His face became the Serious Face.
"Genos," Saitama ordered. "Get the good plates."
The Hero Hunter
Outside on the street, the shadows moved.
Garou, the Hero Hunter, was prowling. He was bruised, bandaged, and hungry. He had just hunted Tanktop Vegetarian. It wasn't satisfying.
"Weak," Garou spat blood onto the pavement. "They're all weak. Just costumes and egos."
He looked up at the balcony of a run-down apartment building. He heard voices.
"THE MARBLING! LOOK AT THE MARBLING!"
"Class B... Caped Baldy," Garou smirked. "And Class S... Demon Cyborg. Two birds."
He needed to hunt. He needed to become the ultimate monster. And S-Class meat was the best way to evolve.
Garou jumped.
The Apartment - Chaos
"Don't touch the meat yet!" Fubuki slapped Saitama's hand away with telekinesis. "Listen to my proposal first! Join the Fubuki Group, and you get—"
CRASH.
The balcony glass shattered.
Garou landed in the middle of the living room, kicking the hotpot table.
"I am the Hunter!" Garou roared, striking a pose. "And you act as my pre—"
He froze.
The hotpot was flying through the air. The boiling broth was splashing everywhere.
And the Beef. The A5 Wagyu. It was tumbling toward the carpet.
"NO!" Saitama moved faster than light.
He caught the beef in mid-air with his chopsticks. Precision level: God.
Genos moved next. "Incineration Shield!"
He deployed a localized heat shield to vaporize the splashing broth before it stained the rug.
Fubuki used psychic waves to catch the pot.
King dove behind the couch.
The room settled. The meat was safe.
Saitama held the beef slice like a newborn baby. He looked at Garou.
The vein on Saitama's forehead pulsed.
"You..." Saitama hissed. "You kicked the table."
Garou grinned. "Nice reflexes, Baldy. But are you fast enough to handle this?"
Garou lunged. Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
A flurry of martial arts strikes aimed at Genos.
"Rune-Cyborg," Garou analyzed. "Mechanical joints. Predictable."
Garou's hand chopped Genos's arm, intending to break the servo.
CLANG.
It didn't break. It felt like hitting a magical barrier.
Genos's arm glowed blue.
"Spade Kingdom Defense Protocol: Bone Reinforcement."
Genos didn't use metal. He manifested Magic Bones (data copied from Zenon Zogratis) over his plating.
"What?" Garou's hand vibrated from the impact. "That's not steel!"
"I am no longer purely mechanical," Genos whirred. His Cyber-Grimoire floated up, turning pages digitally.
"Machine Magic: Gravity Singularity - Miniature."
Genos pointed a finger. A black orb—Dante's magic copied and miniaturized—shot at Garou.
"Gravity?" Garou twisted his body, water-stream flowing around the orb. "You call that an attack? I'll deflect it!"
Garou parried the black orb.
WHOOOOM.
The moment he touched it, his hand got heavier. 50 times heavier.
"Ugh?!" Garou stumbled, his right arm dragging on the floor. "He... he increased the weight of my arm?!"
"Adaptation," Genos logged. "Target relies on flow. Disrupt flow with environmental anomalies."
Fubuki watched, wide-eyed. "He used gravity magic? The robot learned gravity?!"
Garou ripped his arm free, panting. His evolution kicked in. Heavy gravity... adjust muscle tension. Done.
"You're full of tricks," Garou laughed, eyes glowing yellow. "But tricks don't work on a Monster!"
He aimed for the weak link. The Bald Guy holding the meat.
"You die first!"
Garou closed the distance.
Saitama still held the beef in his chopsticks. He couldn't punch, or he'd squash the meat. He couldn't dodge too fast, or the G-force would tear the meat.
He had one hand free.
He grabbed the handle of the Black Katana at his waist.
"Leave."
Saitama pulled the scabbard (sheath) halfway out of his belt and thrust the pommel forward.
BONK.
He hit Garou in the stomach with the sword handle.
It wasn't just a hit.
The sword reacted. Yami's Ki sensed the "Human Monster" and thought: Looks like a devil.
The rusty sword bit. Dark Magic (Ki) flared purple, wrapping around Garou's chest.
"Gah!" Garou flew backwards, crashing through the wall, through the hallway, and into the neighbor's apartment.
Garou lay in a pile of drywall. He coughed.
"That wasn't... a punch," Garou gasped. "That wasn't martial arts. What was that heavy aura? It felt like... smoke?"
Garou stood up, shaky. He looked at the hole in the wall. He saw Saitama gently placing the beef back into the pot.
"Monster?" Saitama called out. "Kid, go home. You're playing dress-up. I've fought real devils. One of them didn't have a face."
Garou's pride shattered. Dress up?
"I... I will evolve," Garou hissed. "Next time... I won't just kick the table. I'll break the bowl!"
Garou leaped out the window, fleeing into the night.
The Aftermath - Dinner is Served
Back in the apartment.
Genos repaired the wall using "Earth Magic: Drywall Construction."
Fubuki sat down, stunned.
"Saitama," Fubuki whispered. "That boy... that was the Hero Hunter. He's crippled A-Class heroes. You... poked him with a stick?"
"It's a sword," Saitama dipped the beef into the sauce. "Yami gave it to me. It's useful for swatting flies."
Saitama took a bite of the beef.
His eyes sparkled. The galaxies aligned. The debt of the Clover Kingdom washed away.
"So good," Saitama mumbled. "Tender."
Fubuki leaned in. "So? Do you agree? Join my group?"
Saitama looked at the empty plate.
"Do you have seconds?"
Fubuki smirked. She pulled out a second tray of beef.
"I knew Augustus was a genius," Fubuki thought.
"Genos," Saitama said. "Clear a spot for the Blizzard lady. She's buying."
In the corner, the Cyber-Grimoire beeped softly.
New Data Acquired: Human Monster. Copying Martial Arts Movements to Database...
Genos's eyes glowed red for a split second.
"Combat update: Fist of Flowing Water... installing to 3D Printer."
Saitama didn't notice. He was eating.
But in the reflection of Yami's blade leaning against the wall, a shadow lingered. The shadow of the Vice-Captain Nacht, grinning from another dimension.
"Keep growing, blank slate," the shadow seemed to say. "The universe isn't done with you yet."