Chapter 316: Chapter 17: A Single Sword Quells the Storm
The rain in J-City was getting heavier by the minute.
All the other Deep Sea Tribe members who had made landfall had already been wiped out by several dispatched A-Class heroes. Only the Deep Sea King remained undefeated.
Sonic, who was unarmed and unequipped, had clashed with the Deep Sea King, whose strength had grown even more terrifying in the rain. Finding himself at a disadvantage, he chose to retreat for now.
"He ran away? Whatever. Small fry like him aren’t worth my time."
The Deep Sea King turned his gaze toward the large, dome-shaped disaster shelter in the distance.
"I can feel it... so many auras, all coming from over there."
"So many delicious human scents~~"
He licked his lips, a bloodthirsty grin stretching across his face.
The Deep Sea King bent his legs slightly, then suddenly pushed off with explosive force—cracking the ground beneath him.
With that tremendous burst of power, his massive body launched high into the air, soaring toward the disaster shelter a hundred meters away.
At that moment, Genos had just arrived nearby. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the shelter ahead.
"So many life signs... is that the shelter?"
A slightly anxious voice crackled through the earpiece from a Hero Association staff member.
"Genos-kun, the monster known as the Deep Sea King has already entered the disaster shelter in front of you! Several heroes are trying to stall it, but they likely won’t last much longer. Please hurry!"
"Understood. Let’s hope I make it in time."
With a blast from his feet, Genos activated his boosters, accelerating rapidly toward the shelter.
...
Elsewhere—
The rain-drenched streets were eerily empty.
The Unlicensed Rider pedaled his bicycle through the downpour, with Saitama riding on the back.
"I was just getting lost and didn’t know what to do. You showing up really saved me a ton of trouble," Saitama said gratefully.
"Don’t mention it, Saitama-kun. We’re both Class C heroes, after all—it’s natural we help each other out," the Unlicensed Rider replied with a smile. "And to be honest, knowing someone else is heading there to lend a hand too... it really lifts my spirits."
Saitama scratched his cheek. "That so?"
Whoosh!
A figure darted past them at a speed far too fast for the eye to follow, vanishing in a blur.
Saitama turned his head, puzzled. "Huh? Who was that just now...?"
"What’s wrong?" the Unlicensed Rider asked, having seen nothing at all.
Saitama jumped off the bike.
"Pretty sure some naked pervert just ran past us. He might be fighting one of those monsters up ahead—maybe he knows something. I’ll go ask him real quick and be right back."
Before the Unlicensed Rider could stop him, Saitama had already bolted into the distance.
Following Sonic’s retreating silhouette, Saitama arrived at an empty intersection.
Standing in the pouring rain, he looked around. Not a soul in sight.
He scratched his shiny bald head. "Weird... I definitely saw someone. Where’d he go?"
Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky, landing right in front of him.
Saitama blinked in surprise, then lit up with joy. "Ron-kun? You’re here too?"
Ron gave a nod. "I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d swing by."
Saitama looked at him with open admiration—Ron stood untouched by the rain, as if an invisible force field three feet around his body repelled every drop, keeping him spotless. "Whoa, is that your psychic power? That’s awesome, Ron."
Ron glanced up at the dark, rain-filled sky, then looked back at the drenched, slightly disheveled bald demon lord in front of him and chuckled. "With your strength, I imagine dispersing this storm would be easy for you, right?"
"Maybe," Saitama replied, rubbing his cheek, "But I think it’s better to use strength to protect others. That’s what being a hero means, doesn’t it?"
"To devote all your power to protecting others... so that’s what a hero is, huh..."
Ron gave him a deep, thoughtful look. "Then I guess I really don’t want to be a hero."
"Ron, have you seen Genos?"
"No, but I know where he is. Want to go together?"
"Yeah."
The two of them walked side by side toward the disaster shelter.
"That monster this time... strong?"
"For most people, sure. But for the two of us? It’s weak."
"Got it..."
Whoosh!
A powerful blast of flame erupted from the direction of the shelter, roaring toward them like a blazing arrow.
Saitama casually swung his fist.
With just the shockwave of his punch, he completely dispersed the intense attack.
"That’s one of Genos’ moves," Saitama said, instantly recognizing it.
Ron looked toward the source of the blast. "Looks like the fight’s already started."
"Think Genos is gonna be okay?"
Saitama sounded slightly concerned.
"I’ll go check first."
And with that, Ron vanished from sight in an instant.
...
Inside the disaster shelter.
Several A-Class, B-Class, and C-Class heroes had already been swatted aside like flies by the Deep Sea King and were now unconscious on the ground.
Thankfully, Genos had arrived in time, immediately engaging the monster.
After being thoroughly thrashed by Ron previously, Genos had upgraded his equipment once more. His strength had improved significantly. Against the powered-up Deep Sea King—who now ranked somewhere in the "Demon" threat level—Genos could hold his own.
But with so many civilians present, he couldn’t unleash his full destructive arsenal. Left with no choice, he fought using only his fists, and was slowly being pushed back.
Inside the shelter, the terrified civilians watched anxiously as the two figures clashed again and again.
Boom!
A heavy blow sent Genos crashing to the ground.
As the smoke cleared, everyone saw him lying there—one arm torn off, the mechanical parts on his face exposed.
The crowd went pale with fear.
"Even an S-Class hero... can’t beat that thing?!"
"How... how could this happen?"
"Don’t lose, Cyborg Demon!"
"Damn it! We’re completely helpless!"
Standing in front of the crowd, Genos stared at the Deep Sea King crawling out of the rubble, his voice low and steady:
"I might not be able to defeat this thing. But while I’m holding it off—get out of here, now!"
The crowd finally snapped out of their daze and bolted toward the exit.
"Hmm?"
The Deep Sea King let out a twisted grin. "Trying to run? Not a chance."
"None of you are getting away!"
With a shrill, maniacal laugh, it lunged straight at the panicking people.
Genos slammed his foot down, launching himself low across the ground. In a blink, he was under the beast, landing a powerful kick that sent it flying into the air.
"Lightning Eye!"
"Gatling Smash!"
A rapid exchange of blows followed.
Genos was sent crashing skyward, while the Deep Sea King took a direct punch that dented its shoulder inward.
Among the evacuees, a young girl being pulled along suddenly shouted out:
"Go—go get him, big brother!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Infuriated by the pain Genos had caused, the Deep Sea King roared and launched a mouthful of highly corrosive spit toward the girl.
"Watch out!" Genos’s eyes narrowed in alarm.
The girl hadn’t even realized what was happening yet.
The acid glob was already hurtling her way.
"Let the brat melt," the Deep Sea King sneered.
Hearing that cold, venomous voice, Genos immediately rushed toward her—but he was just a second too late.
At the very moment the girl was about to be struck—
A tall figure appeared out of thin air before her.
With a casual flick of his hand, the deadly spitball scattered before it could touch her, dissolving into the ground and instantly corroding it into pits of various sizes.
Genos came to a halt, his expression flickering with complexity as he stared at the figure.
"You..."
It was a tall, black-haired young man in casual clothes. He turned to the girl and smiled gently. "It’s okay now."
The little girl stood there, dazed and wide-eyed.
The others around them froze as well, staring in shock at the mysteriously handsome stranger.
"Who is that...?"
"Is he a hero too?"
"Never seen him before."
Veins bulged on the Deep Sea King’s face as its bloodshot eyes fixed on the newcomer. It bared its horrific fangs.
"Another one? Just how many heroes are there?! This is getting really annoying!"
"No."
All eyes turned to the mysterious young man as he strolled toward the Deep Sea King with a calm, almost lazy expression.
"I hate trouble. And being a hero... that’s about as troublesome as it gets."
"I don’t get what you’re saying. Doesn’t matter." The Deep Sea King raised its arm, its gaze filled with bloodlust as it swung viciously at Ron.
"In the end, you’re all dying here!"
As the terrifying beast charged the mysterious man, everyone around instinctively held their breath, tense and overwhelmed with dread.
Except Genos.
He slowly lowered his arms.
Because he knew exactly how powerful Ron was. Compared to him, this so-called Deep Sea King... wasn’t even worth mentioning.
BOOM!
Half of the Deep Sea King’s body disappeared.
It stared dumbly at Ron, who still held a calm punching stance. His outstretched right fist was laced with threads of crackling Haki.
The crowd fell into stunned silence, jaws slack and eyes wide.
"W-What just happened?"
"Just... one punch?"
"You’ve got to be kidding..."
"!!"
The Deep Sea King finally snapped back to reality. It looked at the empty space where the right half of its body had been. Then it looked again at the unassuming black-haired young man standing calmly before it.
Its savage reptilian pupils trembled violently.
An overwhelming sense of death surged through its mind like a tidal wave.
It was going to die.
This guy was a monster—there was no winning this fight!
It had to run. Run now!
RUN!!
The Deep Sea King finally moved. It slammed its legs into the ground and shot off like a meteor, darting through the gaping hole Genos had created earlier.
The people hadn’t even processed what had happened yet when the terrifying creature that had just brought them to the brink of despair fled for its life.
Outside the disaster shelter, Mumen Rider and Saitama had just arrived when they saw the half-missing Deep Sea King scrambling away in terror.
"You’re not getting away."
Standing calmly at the shelter’s entrance, Ron raised his right hand.
A blade of energy—ethereal and gleaming—materialized in his grip as he swung it downward without a hint of urgency.
A blinding crimson slash tore across the stormy skies like a lightning bolt.
The fleeing Deep Sea King was cleanly cut in half.
A thousand-meter-long crevice split the street from where it stood.
And high above, the dark clouds were ripped open by an enormous rift spanning ten thousand meters across the heavens, as if the sky itself had been sliced apart.
Rain stopped.
Brilliant sunlight streamed through the vast rupture in the clouds, casting golden beams across the drenched earth.
Heaven and earth turned radiant.
Genos, Mumen Rider, and everyone else who witnessed this scene stared in pure disbelief, eyes wide, minds blank.
Saitama, who hadn’t even gotten a chance to act, looked up at the crack in the sky.
He smiled.
"Looks like the weather cleared up."