Chapter 339: Chapter 40: Sweet Mask on the Move
BOOM!
Flames erupted sky-high from the explosion of the metal robot.
King stood frozen in his punching stance, eyes wide and face blank with disbelief.
Beside him, Genos’s expression was grim. "To take down such an opponent in a single blow... So this is the power of King."
Saitama nodded in agreement. "As expected, he’s really strong."
Only King knew the truth.
It had absolutely nothing to do with him. It was that guy who made the move.
"Thank goodness... I’m saved..."
King let out a breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
And then—
A short, stubby figure burst out of the flames.
"You shattered my armor in an instant?!"
"King, you bastard... what the hell did you do?!"
The tiny core body of the robot roared furiously. In the blink of an eye, it unleashed countless laser beams, firing straight at King.
King hadn’t even had time to react.
He was about to be vaporized when—
His figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
The lasers struck the ground, triggering a chain of explosions that lit up the area with blazing fire.
The short robot let out a scream of terror.
"W-What is this?!"
Under the astonished gazes of Saitama and Genos, the robot that had claimed to be G4—armed with devastating firepower and advanced intelligence—was suddenly pierced by something unseen.
Cracks spread out from the hole in its head like a spiderweb, and brilliant light began to leak from the fractures, making the machine resemble a shattered porcelain doll.
"King!!"
With one final, desperate shriek, the powerful mechanical body exploded in a blinding flash. The shockwave shattered the windows of every building within a hundred-meter radius.
Genos stood speechless.
"Sensei, did you see what just happened? What exactly did King do?"
"No clue. I didn’t catch it either."
"Even you didn’t see it... He really is the strongest man on Earth."
Genos muttered with deep awe.
Saitama scratched his cheek, a bit confused himself.
...
[Emergency alert: A giant monster bird has appeared over City M. All civilians are advised to evacuate immediately. I repeat—]
In a narrow alleyway—
"Huff... huff..."
King was on his knees, gasping for breath, still rattled from what had just happened.
Ron, wearing sunglasses and sipping milk tea, leaned casually against the wall with a grin. "Didn’t expect a disaster to come charging straight at you. Not sure if that makes you lucky... or very unlucky."
"Obviously unlucky!"
King dropped to the ground with a thud, grabbing his head with both hands. "Every single time something terrifying like this happens—I’m sick of it!"
Ron took another sip and said calmly, "Well, you’re still alive, aren’t you? If it were anyone else, they’d be dead by now."
"Y-You’ve got a point."
King looked up at Ron, face full of gratitude. "Anyway... thanks for saving me this time."
"It was nothing. Even if I didn’t step in, you probably wouldn’t have died."
Ron turned and began walking out of the alley.
King got up and followed, puzzled by Ron’s remark. "What do you mean by that?"
"Because the S-class hero, the Demon Cyborg, was also nearby."
"Genos-kun?" King was surprised.
"Yeah. He probably held back because he wanted to observe your strength. After what he just saw, he must think you’re insanely powerful."
"Ehh?! That’s... that’s not good at all!"
"Don’t panic. You’ve been bluffing them this long. It’d be more awkward to explain now. Might as well let the misunderstanding go even deeper."
"...I’m so sorry."
The two walked out of the alley and strolled down the deserted street.
Suddenly—
The sky darkened.
King paused, confused, and looked up.
A massive monster bird was diving toward them at breakneck speed.
"AHHH!!"
King shrieked and fell backward in terror, landing squarely on his butt.
Ron calmly raised a hand.
THUD!
The bird’s enormous head collided directly with Ron’s palm.
BOOM!
A shockwave burst from beneath Ron’s feet, rippling outwards.
Despite being dwarfed by the creature, Ron didn’t budge an inch. His slender figure stood perfectly still, like an unshakable pillar.
Behind his sunglasses, a glint of frost flashed in his odd-colored eyes.
"Stupid beast."
"Die."
In the next instant—
The giant bird’s body swelled violently before exploding like an overinflated balloon.
A rain of blood poured down from the sky.
But not a single drop touched Ron—an invisible force blocked them all.
"Ron...sir..."
King sat on the ground, staring blankly at the silver-haired youth before him.
Amid the bloody downpour, he could once again see that vision from the hallucination world—that terrifying demon lord seated upon a throne of white bones.
Ron turned back with a radiant smile. "C’mon, let’s go to your place and play video games."
......
In a forested mountain area—
"Wind Blade Kick!"
With a sharp cry, a blade of wind sliced through several trees.
They toppled cleanly, their trunks cut with surgical precision.
Sonic, dressed in his ninja battle gear, landed gracefully on the ground. He sheathed his blade in one fluid motion.
His eyes snapped open, cold and focused.
"After all this training... it’s finally time."
He looked toward a large tree, where a crude, abstract sketch of a person was pinned to the trunk.
"Blade Master—this time, I’ll defeat you!"
...
Back in the abandoned zone of City Z—
Sweet Mask returned, sporting a new hairstyle.
It was here that he had met that man—and tasted bitter defeat.
Since then, he’d tracked down Spring Mustachio and interviewed heroes who’d been present at the J-City incident. Based on their accounts, he’d finally identified the man who had stood beside Hellish Blizzard that day.
"There’s no doubt about it. That guy is the Swordmaster"
"Fubuki knew his identity but didn’t report it to the Hero Association. What is she planning?"
As Sweet Mask walked through the deserted streets, his mind was racing.
"Does Tornado know about this?"
As he pondered—
Up ahead, on the other end of the street, Genos and Saitama were walking back with bags of groceries.
Sweet Mask spotted them.
The Demon Cyborg and... that new B-class hero?
An S-class buddying up with a B-class...
His eyes narrowed, his gaze turning sharp and cold as he approached.
"Do we really need this much, Sensei?"
"Of course. Today’s a big sale."
"But it’s way too much. It’ll take us days to finish all this."
"No problem. Eating seaweed is good for your hair."
Genos glanced at Saitama’s shiny bald head.
"...Genos, what was that look just now?"
"N-Nothing..."
"Genos."
A voice interrupted them.
Both Saitama and Genos turned—and saw Sweet Mask blocking their path.
"You again? What do you want this time?"
Genos spoke coldly.
"You’ve clearly ignored my warning."
Sweet Mask’s voice was ice. "As an S-class hero, you should carry yourself like one—powerful and beautiful. Not loitering around with some B-class wannabe."
He pointed directly at Genos, eyes full of disdain. "If you can’t meet that standard... I’ll kick you out of S-class myself."
"Sensei, hold this."
Genos handed the bags to Saitama.
Clenching his fists, he shot Sweet Mask a sidelong glare. "Perfect. I’ve had it with you for a long time. Try it if you think you can."