"What did you say? Did King go off to fight a monster again? And at a time like this, of all times."
Inside the Hero Association headquarters in A-City.
Sekingar looked dejected. After all that effort to finally locate King, he hadn't expected him to go off and fight a monster halfway through.
"As expected of King, he is fighting a monster anytime and anywhere." A look of admiration appeared on Superalloy Darkshine's face.
"Hmph." Tatsumaki snorted with a hint of disdain on her face, though she didn't say anything more.
"Is King going to be alright? Do we still have to wait for him?" Atomic Samurai said with a mocking tone, a straw hanging from his mouth.
"Of course we have to wait. King-san is the main force for dealing with the Monster Association this time." Child Emperor's expression was very serious, which made the other S-Class Heroes somewhat dissatisfied.
"We don't need him. I can slaughter all the monsters by myself." Flashy Flash said with a face full of arrogance.
"Stop talking big. If you ask me, you should all just stay home. I'm enough to deal with the Monster Association." Tatsumaki immediately expressed her disagreement.
At that moment, Child Emperor displayed a photograph.
"This is?!"
Sekingar's face was full of shock, and the other heroes also looked toward Child Emperor.
"This is a photo taken by the robot I dispatched to scout the Monster Association in Z-City's Ghost Town."
"Ghost Town? Isn't the Monster Association's base right underneath there?"
"Why would King be there?"
"Could it be…"
Child Emperor looked around the room and then began to explain, "The day King appeared, a massive energy outburst was detected underground in Z-City, initially estimated to be peak Dragon-level."
"Peak Dragon-level? Inside the Monster Association?" Sekingar's pupils constricted.
Massive energy, the Monster Association, and King happened to be there.
Everything pointed to only one thing: King was fighting a monster at the time, and the location was inside the Monster Association.
"Therefore, I speculate that King very likely discovered the location of the Monster Association beforehand and engaged in a fierce battle with a monster there."
Child Emperor's eyes were calm, but in his heart, he was full of admiration for King. The Monster Association definitely contained more than one executive at Dragon-level, yet under such circumstances, King dared to break in all by himself.
Such courage and demeanor—who could compare? He was worthy of the title of the Strongest Man on Earth.
"King is like a beacon, always illuminating the path forward for us."
At this moment, flames of passion ignited in Superalloy Darkshine's eyes, he resolved to make King his goal.
Hearing Child Emperor's analysis, the many S-Class Heroes all fell silent.
Clatter!
Just then, the conference room door opened, and a handsome face appeared before everyone.
Sweet Mask demanded coldly, "Why wasn't I notified about such an important meeting?"
Child Emperor secretly thought, 'Not good. To consider the feelings of the other heroes, I didn't inform them about the reserve team.'
Child Emperor explained with an embarrassed expression, "Ahem! I didn't intentionally hide it, it's just that everyone has different roles. We will be the ones to storm the Monster Association and rescue the hostages."
"Your mission is to eliminate any monsters attempting to escape on the surface and escort the hostages to safety."
He knew what kind of temper Sweet Mask had.
"Are you equating me with that trash? I want to enter the Monster Association too." Sweet Mask was burning with rage.
He absolutely could not accept being treated as external support on the outside with a bunch of trash at A-Class or below, despite his powerful combat strength.
"Do you really have to make me spell it out? You're too weak, so just stay outside. Don't come in and get in our way." Flashy Flash said disdainfully.
He had absolutely no trust in A-Class heroes like Sweet Mask.
"Say that to me again?"
Veins popped out on Sweet Mask's forehead, and he looked like he might snap at any moment.
"Alright. In that case, I will assign you a relatively safe attack route." Child Emperor felt somewhat helpless.
With so many heroes gathered together, friction was inevitable. But with a big battle imminent, now was not the time for infighting.
"Good grief, not a single S-Class Hero is decent. By the way, where is King? Why hasn't he attended such an important meeting?" Sweet Mask scanned the room and asked with a frown.
"Could he have deserted before the battle?"
"Don't talk nonsense! King has been fighting monsters the entire time!"
Thump! Thump...
A powerful sound echoed as King and two staff members from the Hero Association walked in with large strides.
"King, you're finally here."
The moment Child Emperor saw King, he let out a sigh of relief. For this battle, King was absolutely indispensable.
"King-san, on behalf of the Hero Association and all the citizens, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you." Sekingar bowed sincerely, which left King feeling a bit confused.
'What the heck is this gratitude for?'
King looked around and noticed that a few S-Class Heroes had still not arrived.
'Because of Garou, was Silver Fang excluded? Even Genos is…' King thought silently to himself.
"King, did you enter the Monster Association alone?" Child Emperor asked.
Everyone's gaze focused on him.
"Hm? How did you know?"
King was a bit surprised, but then he realized that after fighting Orochi, he had come out of the ghost town, so it made sense.
"It really is true. King, even for you, breaking in alone is far too dangerous. Fortunately, you are alright."
Child Emperor had an "as I thought" expression, feeling both admiration and lingering fear. Fortunately, King had returned safely.
"King!"
Tatsumaki's angry voice rang out.
King glanced at her.
"You are too arrogant! To dare to break into the Monster Association by yourself, who do you think you are?"
"Don't end up getting yourself killed and needing us to save you! Are you listening to me or not!"
The exasperated Tatsumaki realized that King didn't seem to be listening to her at all, and she flew into a rage.
"Fighting all alone? Now that's what an S-Class Hero should look like." Sweet Mask wore an expression of satisfaction.
He recalled the first time he saw King in the ghost town. King had looked exactly like someone who had just finished a battle. Only someone like that was worthy of being called a hero and deserving of the title of the Strongest Man on Earth.
"Hmph. After all that, didn't you still get beaten out of there?" Tatsumaki looked disdainful, but King's next words shocked everyone.
"I advise you all to be careful—there is a monster in the Monster Association that exceeds Dragon-level."