After wiping out the alien warship, Jovian didn't waste a second. He immediately opened a Spacetime Gate.
"Jovian, it looks like you already know exactly what you're going to do next," Dr. Genus said with a smile when he saw the unwavering certainty in Jovian's eyes. He firmly believed that a Jovian who kept moving forward was the key to guiding all of humanity's evolution.
"Of course."
Jovian turned slightly to look at Dr. Genus. After those two short words, his figure vanished from the room.
"So Jovian is gone?"
"This kind of spacetime travel is insanely strange… my equipment can't capture any spacetime distortion frequency at all."
Jack fiddled with the instrument in his hands. Seeing that it had collected absolutely no data, he couldn't help but feel stunned by Jovian's ability.
"Don't try to analyze things you can't even reach," Dr. Genus said, glancing at him as he lectured. "Study more, think more—about what you can reach. Jack, you still have a lot to learn."
"I understand, Dr. Genus."
Jack put away his black-tech detector and nodded.
In the One-Punch world.
Several days had passed since the God-level alien Boros attacked Earth.
"That bastard still hasn't shown up?"
"And there still hasn't been a Dragon-level monster that actually needs me?"
"Staying on standby in a room is so damn boring…"
Tatsumaki sat in a standby room at Hero Association headquarters, bored out of her mind, using her psychic powers to stack blocks.
Under her glowing green telekinesis, the wooden blocks floated gently, assembling into a tiny cabin piece by piece.
When Tatsumaki was bored, she'd build with blocks or do puzzles—training the precision of her psychic control so that when she unleashed power on a massive scale, she wouldn't hurt innocent people by accident.
"Tatsumaki, a Dragon-level monster just appeared in Z-City. We need you to deploy."
A senior Hero Association executive entered the room. He'd come personally to request her help—because Tatsumaki was their most temperamental ace. They couldn't afford to offend her, and they had to make her feel like the Association treated her with the importance she deserved.
"Finally my turn?"
A flicker of excitement flashed across Tatsumaki's face. Finally, she wouldn't have to sit inside this miserable Hero Association building on standby.
Ever since Boros invaded Earth, the Association's leadership had been scared witless. Every time they remembered what could've happened if Jovian hadn't been at headquarters that day, they didn't even dare imagine the level of destruction Earth would've suffered…
After the Boros incident ended, the Hero Association tried to contact Jovian to discuss the future of the Association—and, more importantly, the future of humanity and Earth itself.
But no matter how many times they called, Jovian was just… gone.
That threw the entire Association into panic.
Jovian hadn't informed anyone. He had simply vanished from the world. That was a world-ending level event in their eyes.
And Tatsumaki, of course, hadn't told the leadership that Jovian had seen her before leaving. She enjoyed watching them run around like headless chickens.
In the end, unable to find Jovian and unable to reach Blast either, the executives practically begged her on their knees to stay at headquarters.
They told her that with Jovian and Blast both absent, Tatsumaki was humanity's last hope.
She couldn't stand their constant pleading. And while Tatsumaki acted tough, she was softer than anyone when it came to being worn down.
So she stayed.
And she'd been stuck on standby for days.
Now that she finally heard she could go out, an eager smile immediately appeared.
"Report!"
Just as Tatsumaki was about to show off and use a Dragon-level monster as her warm-up, another Hero Association staffer came running into the room.
"What is it?" Tatsumaki snapped, annoyed by the panic in the staffer's face.
"The Dragon-level monster in Z-City has been eliminated."
The staffer bowed slightly and spoke respectfully.
"What?"
Tatsumaki froze for a split second—then her temper exploded. The one Dragon-level monster she'd been waiting for, the one chance to finally get outside, was already gone.
"Damn it—who killed the prey I picked out?! King? Bang?"
"Whoever it was, I'm not letting the person who stole my prey get away with it!"
Tatsumaki roared. Under the pressure of her surging psychic power, even the puzzle pieces, the Rubik's cube, and the blocks she used to pass time shattered into countless fragments.
"Which hero defeated the Dragon-level monster?"
The executive beside her pulled out a handkerchief and wiped sweat from his forehead as he asked the staffer. He wanted to know: with Jovian and Blast gone, and Tatsumaki stuck on standby at headquarters, who else could possibly have the overwhelming power to kill a Dragon-level monster that quickly?
"Uh…"
"It was Freedom. After defeating the disaster that threatened Earth, he showed up again—and casually destroyed the Dragon-level monster that was rampaging through Z-City."
The staffer reported it to the executive.
"What?!"
"Jovian?! He's back—he finally showed himself again?!"
"Where is he right now?! Hurry—get me in contact with him!"
The executive was so excited he could barely contain himself. He grabbed the staffer's shoulders with both hands and practically screeched, his voice jumping three octaves.
"Uh…"
"When I came to report, Mr. Jovian hadn't left Z-City. But I can't be sure whether he'll leave."
The staffer thought for a moment and answered.
"Good. Get me a car immediately. I'm going to personally welcome Jovian and bring him to Hero Association headquarters for a meeting. I'm sure Mr. Jovian can give us effective guidance for Earth's future…"
The executive nodded rapidly, already preparing to go meet him.
"WHOOM!"
Before he could finish, a violent gust whipped up beside the executive and the staffer.
Tatsumaki—who had been "on standby" a second ago—was already gone the moment she heard Jovian had reappeared.
"Mr. Sitch… is it really okay to just let Tatsumaki go like that?"
The staffer stared at the empty space where she'd vanished and hurriedly asked the executive.
"It's fine. Let her go. We can't stop her anyway."
"And remember this: never stick your hands into things that are outside your ability to handle."
The executive waved him off, completely unconcerned about Tatsumaki leaving on her own.
Unlike certain staffers, he was very clear-headed. He understood that heroes with overwhelming individual power listened to "normal people" like the Association not because the Association was strong, but because those heroes had enough moral discipline to tolerate them.
And the Association's leadership had better not cross the line—touching heroes' boundaries or private affairs.
Tatsumaki going to find Jovian was obviously personal business.
And that meant it wasn't their place to interfere.
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