Chapter 78: The Standing Vegetable Roll
"Huh?"
King looked with confusion at Tatsumaki, who was shooting toward him like a meteor.
"That's... S-Class Hero, Rank 2—Terrible Tornado!?"
The citizens who were cheering for King stared blankly at Tatsumaki, who now stood between King and the Aberrant Dragon. For a moment, they were completely silent.
"Hmph!"
After steadying herself, Tatsumaki crossed her arms, snorted haughtily, and said, "What's this? You call yourself the Strongest Man, King, but you've been here for so long and haven't killed the Dragon-level monster. Instead, you're just having a standoff with it. Hey, hey, your strength doesn't seem to be as great as people say." She pointed at King and declared, "The winner of this bet is destined to be me—Terrible Tornado!"
"Huh? A bet?"
King thought for a moment before recalling that he and Tatsumaki did seem to have made a bet. "Ah, I remember now. We did have a bet. Whoever kills a Dragon-level monster first wins, right?"
"'Right?' You're asking me 'right?' You bastard! So you didn't even take our bet seriously." Tatsumaki clenched her small fists, her eyes wide and round, and fumed, "What gives? To win this bet, I've been hunting for Dragon-level monsters day and night, and you... you almost forgot about it? King, you've gone too far!"
The citizens stared blankly at the two confronting each other in mid-air. A bet? Whoever kills a Dragon-level monster first wins?
They had strange expressions on their faces, their eyes instinctively drifting to Hammond's body, which hadn't even gone completely cold yet. It looked like King had already won, right? Tatsumaki must have gotten the Dragon-level monster wrong. The monster she was fighting King over was just a Demon-level disaster!
Far away in A-City, Sitch couldn't help but slap his forehead when he saw this scene. Sending Tatsumaki to M-City was a huge mistake. With King there, no matter how chaotic M-City got or how strong the monsters were, as long as there was enough time, King could solve everything one by one. Sending Tatsumaki was just asking for trouble.
King's outstanding performance had already earned the citizens' cheers, which was very beneficial in dispelling the Hero Association's negative influence. However, Tatsumaki had completely ruined the good situation.
The viewers in front of their TVs curled their lips. "Hey lady, are you a three-year-old loli? The Dragon-level monster is already dead! That spineless coward who surrendered is just a useless Demon-level monster. Stop fighting over it and let King take care of it! We want to see King kill monsters!"
"Oh, so that's the monster that ran to M-City, huh?"
At the same time, Saitama, who had been searching for a monster for a long time, ran near the shelter and discovered the Aberrant Dragon standing rigidly in the large hole it had torn open. "Gotta deal with this monster quickly, I'm going to be late for the special sale!"
The Aberrant Dragon was nervously awaiting its final judgment when it suddenly noticed a bald head charging menacingly towards it. It snorted, looking at Saitama with disdain. Who does this little guy think he is? King? Hmph, if I weren't right under King's nose, I'd crush you to death with one sit of my ass.
"Uh."
In mid-air, King looked at Tatsumaki with some embarrassment. The last bet was purely something he said offhandedly to get rid of her pestering. He didn't expect Tatsumaki to be so serious, relentlessly trying to defeat him.
Tatsumaki put her hands on her hips, glaring at King. "Stinky King, whether you remember the bet or not, this time, the winner will definitely be me."
Boom!
However, just as Tatsumaki's proud words faded, a muffled thud suddenly came from behind her, followed by the successive pitter-patter sounds of scattered things hitting the ground.
"Alright, job's done. I can go to the supermarket sale now."
Saitama casually shook his gloves, glanced at King and Tatsumaki still facing off in mid-air, and then immediately dashed towards the M-City supermarket holding the special sale, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Tatsumaki froze. She turned and stared blankly at the Aberrant Dragon. By now, the Aberrant Dragon had already become a pile of mangled flesh. Its head was smashed to a pulp, completely unrecognizable. Its huge body fell with a thud, sending foul flesh and murky fluids flying everywhere. That Aberrant Dragon, who loved to think itself so clever, died without even letting out a scream.
Tatsumaki was stunned. King was stunned. The citizens were even more stunned.
How did the Aberrant Dragon die? Who killed it?
Looking at the wound on the Aberrant Dragon's head, it was obvious it had been smashed by a heavy object. This kind of injury looked particularly familiar, very much like how King usually blew monsters apart with a single punch.
In an instant, the citizens' gazes once again focused on King, their eyes gradually becoming fanatical. They stared intently at King, but their naked eyes couldn't even catch the afterimage of his move. He killed the Aberrant Dragon without a sound or a trace. This was King! A King whose strength and speed were both supreme! The undisputed Strongest Man in the world—King!
B-City.
Flashy Flash stared intently at the television screen, his expression grave. *King... such incredible speed. Not only could no one else catch a trace of his figure, but even I, renowned for my speed, couldn't see any sign that he had moved. Just how fast is that? To strike and kill the monster in an instant, and return to his original spot in another instant... The round trip took less than a breath. If the monster hadn't suddenly died, I'm afraid no one would have known King had moved at all. Such terrifying speed! I originally thought that while King may be the Strongest Man, I could still completely beat him when it came to speed. But looking at it now, it seems my speed is inferior to King's!*
*King, for the sake of my pride, we must have an official battle of speed! Let's see who is truly the king of speed!*
"Ahhh... ahhh... ahhhhh!"
Tatsumaki glared angrily at King and shouted, "King, you're despicable! You killed the monster while I was distracted! You cheated! This bet doesn't count."
"Huh?" King was taken aback, pointing to himself. "I killed it?" He was just as clueless about the Aberrant Dragon's death. He had first assumed Tatsumaki killed it with her psychic powers, but judging from her reaction, it seemed someone else was the culprit.
Saitama?
A thought struck him, and he quickly scanned the area around the Aberrant Dragon. He didn't see that reflective bald head, but he did see an interesting flyer—a supermarket special sale flyer!
It really was Saitama.
He thought with some amusement, *This guy didn't just kill the Aberrant Dragon on his way to the supermarket sale, did he?*
"Hey, King! You're ignoring me again! I'm going to duel you!"
Tatsumaki was going crazy. To think she actually lost the bet! Ahh, she failed to pull King down from his spot as the strongest. How frustrating!
"I refuse."
King pursed his lips. *As if I have time to duel you.*
Tatsumaki put her hands on her hips and glared at King. "Stinky King, you're a coward, a chicken, you have no backbone..."
"Huh?"
King glanced at the citizens and their strange expressions, then curled his lip. "Hey, Tatsumaki, how about we make another bet?" What was one more bet if it would get her off his back?
"Fine! It's a deal! This time, the winner will definitely be me... Terrible Tornado."
Tatsumaki pointed at King and said haughtily, "However, you proposed the victory condition last time, so this time I get to decide the contest. This time, we'll compete in... psychic power!"
"Psychic power?" King froze, spreading his hands. "I don't know anything about that."
Tatsumaki looked at King standing in mid-air, clenching her small fists. She wished she could pull down a meteorite to smash this Stinky King to death. She took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and snorted coldly. "Hmph, also, if you lose this time, you're not allowed to call yourself King anymore. You have to be called Stinky King!"
"Huh?" King was speechless. "Then if you lose, does that mean you can't be called Terrible Tornado anymore, but have to be called the Standing Vegetable Roll?"
"Who are you calling a vegetable roll?" Tatsumaki glared at King, then immediately turned her little head away. "Hmph, I'll let you off this time. Also, I haven't thought about the specifics of the psychic power competition yet. I'll notify you when I do. You'd better be ready to fight at any time."
King said helplessly, "Huh? I really don't know anything about psychic power."
Tatsumaki clenched her little fists tightly, forcibly suppressing the urge to beat King up. She turned, and with a *whoosh*, a streak of green light shot across the sky, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Uh, she left so fast?" King watched Tatsumaki's disappearing figure and sighed softly. "I forgot to tell you, the monster you were 'protecting' just now was only a Demon-level. The Dragon-level monster already died mysteriously."
Something terrible is about to happen. I have to go back to two chapters a day, or even make up for lost chapters (Yep, just bragging).
(end of chapter)