Hero Association Headquarters, Meeting Room.
The S-Class heroes, department heads, and the seven Titled Heroes were gathered for an important meeting convened by Aomori.
"Hmph, calling us here so suddenly, what is this all about?" Tatsumaki looked at Aomori, who sat in the center, with a look of extreme annoyance.
"Looking at this lineup, it's clearly something big. Shut your mouth and listen," Flashy Flash said bluntly.
"What did you say?!"
"Alright, settle down," Aomori said, intervening before a conflict could erupt. "Everyone except Blast is here, so let's begin. We have several items on the agenda today. The first is regarding promotions to A-Class. Miss Fujiwara, please explain the situation to everyone."
"Yes!"
"Everyone, please look at the screen." Miss Fujiwara stood up and pointed to the images on the large side-display. "These are the seven B-Class heroes who meet the criteria and seek promotion."
Mumen Rider's eyes lit up. As expected, he saw photos of himself, Saitama, Glasses, and Fubuki. In addition to the four of them, there were Iaian (Atomic Samurai's top disciple), Genos (who had easily neutralized Demon-level threats with his new equipment), and Watchdog Man, who remained low-profile despite a long string of victories.
"On display are their introductions and their verified track records. Each meets our requirements perfectly, and they have received the endorsement of Chairman Aomori and multiple A-Class heroes. Therefore, we have decided to promote them to A-Class. If anyone present has any objections, you may raise them now."
"They're just A-Class heroes; promote them if you want," Tatsumaki said, propping up her chin and rolling her eyes.
Damn sister, your own sibling is on that list! Fubuki, her hair reaching her shoulders, bit her lip in resentment.
"I agree. Let such trifles be decided as you wish," Flashy Flash added, sharing Tatsumaki's sentiment for once. "Hurry up and get to the main point."
Miss Fujiwara maintained a professional smile. After glancing around, she said, "Since there are no objections, it is settled. As of tomorrow, these seven are A-Class heroes." She sat down and exhaled a long breath, calming her nerves. These S-Class heroes were not only terrifyingly powerful but also quite sharp-tongued.
"I will handle the next item," Mr. Oomoto said, standing up. "It concerns the arrangements for the Year-End Summary Gala. We are planning a banquet for all staff and heroes, featuring performances and a lucky draw..."
Next came Child Emperor's introduction of the Digital Space. This innovative "black tech" finally piqued the interest of the attendees. However, by the time the department heads finished discussing their various administrative tasks, most people, including the initially enthusiastic Mumen Rider, were starting to feel drowsy.
"There is one final item on the agenda, and I will present it myself," Aomori said, slowly standing up and drawing everyone's attention.
"Finally going to say it?" Tatsumaki stretched and yawned.
"I saved this for last because I was worried you wouldn't want to hear anything else once you knew," Aomori said with a slight smile. He clicked a PPT on his laptop, displaying several images on the screen.
The images showed dark corridors and swarms of monsters, precious photos provided by the gold-medal photographer, Darkrai.
"So many monsters?" Everyone was shocked.
"And they seem to be gathering with a clear purpose," Atomic Samurai muttered.
"Where is this?" Bang straightened his back.
"Deep beneath City Z," Aomori revealed. "According to reliable intelligence, a massive horde of monsters has gathered there. They have formed an organization called the Monster Association."
"Monster Association?" Flashy Flash sneered. "Those fools think they can stand against us."
"Moreover, it's not just City Z; monsters are gathering beneath other cities as well." Aomori slapped the table. "What we need to do is wipe them out in one fell swoop before they can react!"
"Simple," Tatsumaki smiled. "I can take care of those scraps by myself."
"No, you can't," Aomori said, pouring cold water on her confidence. "Observation shows there are many Dragon-level monsters inside. The strength of their leader isn't far behind yours. This time, we need our entire heroic force to face the enemy!"
"Hmph," Tatsumaki huffed. "As long as they don't get in my way."
"Is there a specific plan?" Superalloy Darkshine raised his hand.
"Of course." Aomori snapped his fingers, and Miss Fujiwara handed a copy of the plan to everyone.
"Step one: Evacuation. This will be handled by the Logistics Department and the majority of C-Class heroes. We will coordinate with the government to move residents of that area to safe shelters, gradually expanding to all citizens of City Z. Safety is our priority; we can leave nothing to chance."
"All citizens of City Z?" The Head of Logistics took a deep breath and nodded. "Understood!"
"Step two: Concentrated bombardment. This will be handled by the R&D Department and the A-Class hero, Metal Knight. Child Emperor, you will lead this. We'll start with a missile carpet-bombing to force them to the surface for a decisive battle!"
"Can do," Child Emperor said around his lollipop. "But I'll need to probe their base first to find its exact location for a precision strike."
"Handle that as you see fit."
"Alright."
"Step three, the final step. I will lead this personally, with all S-Class heroes and a select group of A-Class heroes participating. Our goal is to leave not a single monster alive, every remnant that survives the bombardment must be executed!"
Aomori flipped through several pages of the plan and pointed to the back. "Here is intel on specific Monster Association executives. Based on their traits, I will assign your opponents."
"First: The leader of the Monster Association, Monster King Orochi. He possesses the potential for infinite evolution, an enormous body, and staggering output. Tatsumaki, you will be the one to deal with him."
"The leader? You have good taste; that suits me perfectly," Tatsumaki said, smiling happily.
"Second: The strategist, Gyoro Gyoro. He is a master of psychokinesis, nearly on par with Tatsumaki. A troublesome foe. Fubuki and I will handle him."
"Eh? Me?" Fubuki pointed to herself, unsure. Could she really participate in a battle of this level?
"Yes. Any objections?"
"No, no objections at all!" Fubuki said quickly. She was only worried about being a burden, but since Aomori had asked, she chose to believe in him.
"If you two can't handle it, you can leave it to me," Tatsumaki interjected.
"No need. As you know, I am best at dealing with enemies who use psychokinesis," Aomori replied with a grin.
"What do you mean by that?! You want to fight me again?!"
Aomori ignored the fuming Tatsumaki and continued with the assignments. "Black Sperm can split into trillions of individuals, making him a perfect target for heroes with area-of-effect attacks. He will be handled by Child Emperor and the newly promoted A-Class hero, Genos. Child Emperor, how many Gundams have you built?"
"Three. But I can only control one myself. Another can be given to Kayaba, which leaves one spare," Child Emperor said, counting on his fingers.
"Need a pilot? I have a candidate in mind," Aomori said. "I'll talk to him later."
"Okay."
Next, Aomori assigned Goketsu to Flashy Flash, Gums to Bang, Fuhrer Ugly to Atomic Samurai, and Evil Natural Water to Superalloy Darkshine.
As for Overgrown Rover, whose upper limits were unknown, Aomori assigned him to Saitama.
Apart from Homeless Emperor, who had not yet appeared and might not even exist yet, the remaining minor characters like Nyan and Bug God were left to Mumen Rider and the other A-Class heroes. It remained to be seen how many would survive the initial bombardment.
"A portion of B-Class heroes will establish a perimeter, while the rest, led by an A-Class hero, will sweep the Monster Association branches in other cities."
Aomori slammed his hand on the table and said forcefully, "The operation is set for the morning three days from now. During these three days, you must be fully prepared. Everyone, this is a war, a brutal one! But we must win. Otherwise, humanity faces extinction. Let us give our all to secure victory for the human race!"
"Yes!"
…
Coincidentally, the Monster Association was also holding a meeting. The topic: capturing an S-Class hero and bringing them back to the base.
"Based on my analysis, these two are the easiest to catch." Gyoro Gyoro displayed two photos: Atomic Samurai and Bang. "They both have fixed dojos, making their movements easier to track than others. Furthermore, they have many disciples, which gives us the perfect opportunity to use hostages to threaten them."
"I get the logic, but why are we bothering to capture them?" Black Sperm asked with a cocky expression. "If we're declaring total war, wouldn't it be better to just kill them?"
"Heh, that's because you don't understand humans," Gyoro Gyoro smiled. "Dead people only inspire them to unite in hatred; living hostages make them hesitate."
She didn't reveal the whole truth. Ultimately, they were just in a partnership to fight humanity; in their hearts, they weren't necessarily devout to the so-called Lord God.
"So much trouble. Why not just start the war?" Black Sperm pointed at the surrounding executives. "With this lineup, we can easily crush them!"
"Black Sperm, I advise you not to look down on humans. Why do you think we've been hiding like rats underground?" Goketsu said in a booming voice, arms crossed.
Wasn't it because they couldn't win an open fight?
"Tch!"
"Back to the point." Gyoro Gyoro tapped Bang's photo. "His dojo is in City Z, making it easy to retreat back here. He is our primary target. However, to be safe, we should try to capture both. Any volunteers?"
"Don't count me in," Black Sperm said, disinterested.
"Me!" Fuhrer Ugly opened his large mouth, revealing a row of yellow teeth. "I've been wanting to kill someone for a long time."
"Woof!" Rover barked.
Gums patted his belly and let out a grunt.
Aside from those three, the other monsters remained unmoved. Gyoro Gyoro narrowed her eyes, dissatisfied.
"Count me in," Darkrai said calmly from a corner.
"Good." Gyoro Gyoro nodded. She looked around and said, "Four is enough. Fuhrer Ugly and Gums will deal with Atomic Samurai, do your best, and retreat if you can't win. Rover and the Dream God will go capture Bang. Dealing with one old man should be easy for the two of you."
"Understood," Darkrai nodded.
"Good. You have three days to prepare. When the time comes, we will strike a fatal blow!"
…
"You must be King, right?"
With the help of cameras across every street, Aomori quickly found his location and appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
King was panicking. He had just been heading to a store to buy a newly released galgame, how did he run into someone who looked so dangerous?
"W-Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"You don't recognize me?" Aomori was slightly surprised, but considering King's status as a shut-in, it wasn't that strange.
"Are you famous?"
"I suppose so." Aomori grabbed King's hand without a word. Noticing a crowd starting to gather, he said, "Never mind. Let's find a quiet place to talk in detail."
"Eh?" King was confused. He blinked, and the environment changed completely. He had been transported from a game store to what looked like a research facility. He rubbed his eyes hard, realizing it wasn't an illusion.
"Who exactly are you? Please don't do anything rash, or the heroes and police won't let you get away with it!" King stammered, his legs nearly giving way.
Simultaneously, a rhythmic thump-thump-thump of a heartbeat emanated from his chest.
So this is the King Engine. Truly remarkable. To make a sound like that, King's physical structure must be extraordinary. Aomori suppressed his curiosity and said with a smile, "Hello. I am Aomori, the Chairman of the Hero Association."
"The Chairman of the Hero Association?" King widened his eyes and looked closely at Aomori. He did look familiar; King had seen his portrait on the streets occasionally.
"I've brought you here to assist us with a research project. I've heard your gaming skills are second to none, that you are the 'King' of games."
"Oh, is that it?" Hearing that his life wasn't in danger, King sighed in relief. "What kind of research?"
"Full-immersion virtual combat."
Aomori called Child Emperor over, introduced them, and said, "I'll leave him to you. Let him get familiar with the controls."
"Can he really do it?" Child Emperor looked at the cowering King with doubt, but out of trust for Aomori, he agreed. "Alright."
…
As night fell in a remote mountain forest, a massive waterfall nearly thirty meters high cascaded down.
Beneath the waterfall, a stark-naked man sat enduring the impact of the fierce torrent. His hair, standing as stiff as bull horns, remained unyielded even when soaked. This was Garou, who had gone to the deep mountains to train after losing to Aomori.
After several months of training, it was unknown what level his strength had reached.
Suddenly, the moonlight seemed to brighten slightly, shining down upon him. Garou opened his eyes and saw a giant with a hollowed-out face.
"Garou, I know you are resentful. You want to prove you are right, don't you? But the man you wish to defeat possesses power far greater than yours. You cannot defeat him alone. So, come, accept my power."
Garou tilted his head and asked coldly, "Who the hell are you?"