Modern cities stood tall beneath the sky, rows of skyscrapers arranged in cold symmetry. Steel and concrete roads were packed with honking cars, crowds moving through their ordinary lives without the slightest hint of the disaster about to unfold.
Then a small mushroom cloud erupted.
The explosion tore through the peaceful afternoon, shockwaves ripping outward as air pressure crushed buildings and shattered glass across multiple blocks. Screams and desperate wails echoed everywhere. When the dust settled, a crater several hundred meters wide dominated the center of the city.
Blood stained the ruins.
Dismembered limbs and scattered organs lay among the rubble. At least a thousand lives were erased in an instant.
At the center of the devastation, dust swirled as a tall figure slowly straightened.
He was 1.93 meters in height, broad-shouldered and imposing even in casual clothes. His amethyst eyes glowed faintly beneath strands of dark hair. Lucien hovered slightly above the fractured ground, expression unreadable.
"Whoosh…"
Energy projectiles screamed through the air like guided missiles, streaking across the skyline before detonating into blazing spheres. Mushroom clouds rose one after another, reshaping the terrain within tens of thousands of meters. Entire districts vanished beneath fire and pressure.
Laughter distorted the sky.
"Haha~"
"I am the Vaccine Man, born from humanity's endless pollution. The Earth is alive, and you humans are viruses eroding its life. To erase humanity and your poisonous civilization, I have been born by the will of the planet itself!"
The monstrous declaration rolled across the burning city.
High above, Lucien's palm faced forward. A massive sphere of condensed energy gathered between his hands, bright blue light swallowing the horizon.
At the same time, deep within the headquarters of the Hero Association, alarms blared.
"Alert! Alert! Energy reading exceeds Dragon-level!"
Technicians stared at the screen in horror, sweat soaking through their uniforms.
"If that detonates, the entire city is finished!"
"The output is still rising!"
"Notify all nearby heroes!"
"It is useless. This has surpassed Dragon-level. It might even qualify as God-level!"
Panic spread through the command center as the energy meter climbed to an impossible value.
Then suddenly.
"Wait… it is decreasing!"
"Dragon-level… Ghost-level…"
"It has disappeared."
A collective breath was released. No one understood what had happened, but for now, annihilation had been avoided.
Back in the ruins, the energy sphere in Lucien's hands faded away. He lowered his arms and glanced around at the flaming wreckage before fixing his gaze on the green-skinned monster in the distance.
Recognition flickered in his eyes.
The One Punch Man world.
And the creature before him was the opening villain.
Vaccine Man.
Lucien's lips curved slightly. So this was how the timeline began.
Across from him, Vaccine Man's grotesque muscles bulged. His sharp fangs glistened with saliva. Up close, however, his legs trembled faintly.
That attack earlier had chilled him to the bone.
This human was not someone he could provoke.
"Human hero…"
His tone was ferocious, yet his heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Lucien's gaze sharpened. If this truly was the beginning of the story, then the bald anomaly would appear at any moment.
Saitama.
The Child of Destiny.
Lucien did not fear easily, but even he understood the danger of a being who broke logic itself.
If things went poorly, he could be reduced to mist with a single punch.
"Damn it. I will spare humanity today…"
Vaccine Man suddenly vanished, his body tearing through the air at several times the speed of sound.
He did not intend to die here.
Golden lightning flashed.
Crack.
In the next instant, Vaccine Man's body twisted midair as if struck by an invisible hammer. He shot diagonally into the earth. The ruins flipped over from the impact, and a crater spanning tens of thousands of meters erupted outward.
When the dust cleared, Vaccine Man lay in the pit, drenched in blood, terror filling his eyes.
Lucien descended slowly, stopping three feet above the broken ground.
"So weak."
His voice carried disappointment.
In this world, monsters were categorized by disaster levels: Wolf, Tiger, Ghost, Dragon, God.
Wolf signified local danger.
Tiger meant heavy casualties.
Ghost could paralyze or destroy a town.
Dragon threatened multiple cities.
God implied extinction.
Vaccine Man was classified as Dragon-level.
Yet before Lucien, he was pitiful.
If placed in the world of One Piece, this monster would at least rival a Marine Admiral. The comparison only proved one thing.
Lucien was stronger.
Without another word, Lucien raised a finger.
Boom.
The explosion swallowed Vaccine Man whole. Flesh disintegrated into a red mist that rained across the crater. Bone fragments evaporated before they could touch the ground.
Lucien extended his right hand, soul power wrapping around his arm like an invisible current. From the dissipating remains, a faint essence emerged. He pulled it in and absorbed it effortlessly.
He did not hesitate.
He did not feel remorse.
He was not a hero.
He was worse.
"Hmm? Already resolved?"
A lazy voice echoed nearby.
Lucien turned.
Standing among the rubble was a bald man in a yellow jumpsuit and white cape. His blank expression was almost comical. He picked his nose casually, completely unfazed by the devastation.
Saitama.
Lucien narrowed his amethyst eyes.
The aura around the bald man was unfathomable, like staring into a bottomless abyss. Calm. Empty. Absolute.
No enemy could withstand one punch.
If one punch failed, then a Serious Punch.
If that failed, then another.
Pure, overwhelming strength without limit.
Many argued about his true scale of power. Super Saiyan 2 level. Conceptual strength. Infinite growth.
Lucien did not care about theories.
He cared about survival.
Direct confrontation now would be suicide.
But that did not mean retreat.
Ever since his battle with Imu, he had not experienced a proper fight. The woman with the axe earlier did not count. That exchange had been too brief.
Lucien landed harmlessly before Saitama, the ground cracking beneath his sandals.
"Saitama, how about I treat you to hot pot?"
Saitama blinked.
"Do you know me?"
He flicked away what he had been digging from his nose and tilted his head.
Lucien's expression was calm.
"Yes. I want to make friends with you."
Saitama's dull eyes suddenly brightened.
"You are really treating me to hot pot?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"You are really treating me to hot pot?"
He repeated it again, as if the concept required confirmation.
Lucien nodded.
He understood protagonists like this. Carefree. Naive. Simple in desire.
Easy to approach.
Easy to manipulate.
And far more dangerous than they appeared.
A slow smile spread across Lucien's face as the city burned behind them.
He would not challenge the strongest man alive.
Not yet.
But he would get close.
Very close.
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