"King?"
King's expression froze, he only just realized that the previous battle had long since destroyed his mask.
"Ahem! It was just a coincidence. How is the situation inside the venue?"
"A few contestants turned into Monsters, but they've all been taken care of." Saitama said happily.
For some reason, he always felt a sense of familiarity whenever he saw King.
King said, "You're quite impressive. I'm afraid it won't be long before you're promoted to A-Class. You're really fast."
Saitama said smugly, "Hahaha! That's true. I have a friend named Kotaro who joined the Hero Association with me, and he's already been left far behind by me."
He basically didn't care about matters regarding the Hero Association, so he didn't know that Kotaro's ranking had already shot up to A-Class like a rocket.
"Oh, is that so? But from what I understand, Kotaro aka Dark Mask has already been promoted to A-Class and is currently ranked 35th in A-Class."
King wouldn't pass up this good opportunity to strike a blow at Saitama.
"Huh? That guy is quite capable, actually. He got promoted to A-Class so quickly. Genos was directly assigned to S-Class back then, too. In the end, my ranking is still the lowest."
Saitama's expression was somewhat helpless, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at King was a bit strange.
"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like you and Kotaro are especially alike."
"Ahem! It's probably because we both have a heart of justice. It's getting late, and I still have vermicelli stewing at home. I'm off." King coughed awkwardly and found an excuse to slip away.
It seemed his identity was starting to be suspected by others, he would have to be more careful in the future.
...
"I wonder how the other heroes are doing."
King put his mask back on and searched the city streets for remaining Monsters.
Just then, screams rang out ahead.
"Ah! There's a monster here!"
"Hero! Where is a hero? Is there anyone who can save us?!"
"Hmm? What's this?"
A humanoid hedgehog stood in the middle of the street, holding a sign that said "Free Hugs," while the people around it scattered and fled.
"Come! Let me give you a hug!"
Just as King was about to make a move, a sturdy figure arrived on the scene.
"You must be the A-Class Hero, Dark Mask, right? Don't worry, cute boys will be protected by me." Puri-Puri Prisoner said confidently.
"If it's alright, could you let me handle this? I'm working hard to become an S-Class Hero like you." King wiped away cold sweat.
He knew that Puri-Puri Prisoner had intentionally gone to prison just to take advantage of the male inmates, he definitely didn't want to be targeted.
"Alright, Dark Mask, as expected, you also possess a passionate heart. Go ahead and do it, I will stand guard by your side and not let you suffer any harm."
The look in Puri-Puri Prisoner's eyes as he gazed at King revealed a burning intensity, making him feel a chill down his spine as he instinctively protected his rear.
Vine Pierce!
Swish... Swish...
Several vines tightly wrapped around the hedgehog monster, then pierced into its body, continuously absorbing energy.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The hedgehog Monster struggled frantically but was unable to break free, eventually becoming a shriveled corpse.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing a High Demon-level Monster, obtained 800 Talent Points.]
"Dark Mask, is this your ability? When you have time, we can properly exchange combat experience."
Puri-Puri Prisoner was somewhat surprised. There were quite a few esper types in the Hero Association, but it was rare to see someone with strength as high as Dark Mask's.
"I have other business, I'm leaving."
King felt creeped out by the gaze and hurried away from the scene.
'Puri-Puri Prisoner broke out of prison, so the prison side must be…'
—
Just after leaving the city center, King headed straight in the direction of the prison where Puri-Puri Prisoner was held, that was also his last objective.
'Most of the inmates in the prison should have swallowed monster cells and headed to the Monster Association by now. However, that guy definitely wouldn't leave easily.'
King pondered.
Just then, before he could react, a cold gleam slashed across his chest, and blood sprayed out.
"Almost at the city center. I wonder if things are finished over at Gouketsu's side." A large humanoid cat yawned, not even glancing back to check on King's condition.
Monster Association, Dragon-level executive, Nyan!
King stumbled to his feet. Nyan was simply too fast, it had dealt him a fatal wound in an instant. If not for Undying Body, any other hero would likely have been unable to escape the fate of being instantly killed.
"Oh? You didn't die? You're quite capable."
Nyan was somewhat surprised.
The Dragon-level executives had all seen the files on S-Class Heroes, but Dark Mask was clearly not among them.
King smiled. "How lucky, it saves me the trouble of going to find you."
Swish... Swish...
Countless vines suddenly appeared from beneath Nyan's feet, binding him firmly in place.
Vine Pierce!
Before the vines could pierce into Nyan's body, its became like paper, easily slipping free from the vines' restraint.
"Your ability is not bad, but unfortunately it has no effect on me whatsoever. No matter what kind of gap it is, as long as it has a width of three millimeters, I can pass through it."
Nyan looked at King with interest.
He hadn't expected the Hero Association to still have a hero with this kind of ability hidden away. He decided to properly torture and kill Dark Mask.
Feline Retribution!
Nyan's sharp claws swiped at King, but they were blocked by a baseball bat he manifested.
"You're quite capable. I hope you can hold on for a while longer, I love slowly torturing and killing my opponents the most." A smile of excitement appeared on Nyan's face.
Bang... Bang...
Their figures were as fast as lightning, and in a few moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows.
Unfortunately, King couldn't keep up with Nyan's speed each time, and the injuries on his body became increasingly severe, but Nyan seemed to enjoy the process very much. Every one of uts strikes didn't aim for the kill. It was intentionally toying with King using its speed and power, just to see his look of despair and pain.
'This won't do. Its speed and power are far above mine. I must find a way to restrict it's movements.'
King was very helpless at this moment. He simply couldn't keep up with Nyan's speed. Although his Fighting Spirit was stacking up very quickly, he still had to be able to hit the target.
Moreover, the side effects from the battle with Gouketsu just now hadn't worn off yet. He was still in a weakened state, so his speed and power had naturally dropped quite a bit.
"That's enough. Let me give you a quick end, I still want to go play in the city."
Seeing that King was covered in blood but showed no signs of falling, and was instead getting more excited the more they fought, Nyan lost interest.
Super Feline Retribution!
Nyan rushed in front of King. It's pair of sharp claws turned into countless afterimages, enveloping King's body as bright red blood splattered everywhere.
'It's now!'
Savage Tornado!