At the Hero Association headquarters, Sitch and several executives were sitting in the conference hall.
Sitch reported in detail, "Recently, the movements of the monsters have become increasingly frequent. Moreover, based on King's warning, we have already dispatched heroes to explore Z-City."
"According to the intelligence sent by Child Emperor, the Monster Association should be underground in Z-City, but the specific details are still under investigation."
He then added, "In addition, we received a call from Sweet Mask. He encountered King in the Ghost Town."
"King? Why was he there?"
"According to the intelligence provided by Sweet Mask, King was engaged in battle with a powerful monster at the time and achieved victory with ease. The threat level is estimated to be at least Demon-level or higher."
"As expected of King. However, have you asked him for detailed information? Since he fought the monster, he should know something about the situation there, right?"
"According to King's intelligence, the enemy should possess more than one Dragon-level Monster, so we must take this matter seriously. Otherwise, humanity may truly be in danger of extinction."
"Facing several Dragon-level Monsters and still escaping unscathed? Where exactly does King's limit lie? Fortunately, he is on our side."
"Indeed. If it weren't for his low activity level, his strength would be more than enough to rank him in the top three of S-Class."
"In short, once Child Emperor finds the exact location of the Monster Association, we will assemble all the S-Class Heroes to eliminate them in one fell swoop."
"This battle concerns not only the survival of the Hero Association but also the future of all humanity. We must not lose." Sitch looked serious.
The current situation was extremely dire. If left unchecked, the power of the Monster Association would only grow stronger.
—
"Master, you're back. You are... King?"
Genos looked at King, who had returned with Saitama, with a confused expression.
"I just went out to buy groceries and happened to run into him." Saitama said with a smile.
"Sorry to intrude." King nodded slightly.
He had originally wanted to rest for a while and wait until he had fully recovered before trying to see if he could encounter other monsters. He waited until dawn, but didn't find any monsters. Instead, he ran into Saitama, and the two returned to the house together.
"S-Class Rank 7... King?"
Fubuki, sitting in the living room, saw King's arrival, her eyes filled with nervousness and shock.
"Why are you still here?" Saitama frowned.
Ever since their last fight, Fubuki had been visiting every day, trying every possible way to persuade him to join the Blizzard Group.
'How is this possible? Saitama is merely a B-Class, yet not only does he have an S-Class student, but he also knows the S-Class Rank 7 Hero, known as the strongest man on Earth.'
Fubuki was shocked, but this only strengthened her resolve to recruit Saitama.
"King, have you encountered any trouble recently?"
Saitama's sudden, nonsensical question left King puzzled.
"Did something happen?"
Saitama amswered, "It is said that recently, a human calling himself a monster has been hunting heroes."
Genos nodded. "Master is right. I heard that the S-Class Rank 15 Hero Tanktop Master and the C-Class Rank 1 Hero Mumen Rider have both been defeated."
King suddenly realized. He didn't expect Garou to start acting again so soon.
"I haven't encountered him yet, but it wouldn't be bad to see him." King smiled slightly.
He still had to complete the mission issued by the system. However, this time, Garou should have gone through another growth spurt and become harder to deal with.
"Ah! Bang's eldest disciple was also implicated. It is said that Garou seems to be using a martial arts, specifically targeting the weaknesses of heroes."
"I also got tickets to the Super Fight Tournament and am planning to go see it. Want to come along?"
Saitama sincerely extended an invitation, reminding King of something.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't go. But I will watch the tournament when I have time." King declined with a smile.
...
Afterward, everyone chatted for a few moments, and he left Saitama's house.
'The Super Fight Tournament is starting, the Monster Association will definitely make a move. I need to hurry.'
King put on a black mask and quickly left Z-City.
—
In the Monster Association, countless monsters gathered together, seemingly waiting for something.
"The time has come. We are about to have a decisive battle with the Hero Association. Although our strength is superior to theirs, we cannot be careless."
"This time, your mission is to spread the monster cells, cause powerful humans to undergo monsterization, and then have them fill the current vacancies among the association's executives."
"Go, wreak havoc to your heart's content. I await your good news."
Gyoro Gyoro's words made countless monsters excited, their cheers shaking the surroundings.
Shortly after, figures swarmed out from the underground of the Ghost Town and headed outside Z-City.
—
In M-City, King was in a hurry. He knew that according to the current situation, the Monster Association would definitely take action and attack the Super Fight Tournament venue.
However, with Saitama there, there was no need to worry, but the monsters causing trouble outside would need other heroes to clean them up. For King, this was the perfect opportunity to complete the Monster Slaughter Order.
'This time, the Monster Association will definitely dispatch Dragon-level Monsters. I'll take them all out in one go.' King was full of confidence.
This was also to reduce the burden for the future decisive battle.
"Damn Watchdog Man, I was almost killed by him."
"Absolute speed and power, huh? As expected, martial arts targeting humans don't work against him."
Garou's familiar figure appeared on the street. However, this time he looked exceptionally disheveled, covered in wounds from head to toe, but his fighting spirit remained strong.
"Interesting. I didn't expect to run into him so soon." The corners of King's lips curled up slightly.
"It's you again! This time, I will crush you!"
When Garou saw King, he was stunned for a moment, and then his blood began to boil.
'The wounds don't hurt anymore, and my body can still move. I'll take him out right now.' A wicked smile appeared on the corner of Garou's lips and he lunged at King.
Boom!
King punched Garou, sending him flying and bringing him back to reality.
'How could his strength have increased so much?'
At the last moment, Garou blocked with his arms, but the piercing pain forced him to face reality: Dark Mask's strength had already surpassed his.
'Has the transformation begun?'
Seeing Garou's terrifying healing ability, King's eyes became serious. The growth potential of Garou at every stage was extremely high and could not be ignored.
'I must use absolute combat power to defeat him quickly, otherwise, he will just keep growing.'