Saitama, utterly devastated, followed them off the stage.
Sitting in the crowd, Genos grew concerned.
He feared that Saitama was simply too strong to ever enjoy the true joy of martial arts.
Just then, he glanced down at his communicator.
It was filled with emergency distress signals—monsters were appearing near the tournament venue.
"I can't let them interrupt Master's match!"
After careful thought, Genos decided to go out and eliminate the monsters himself.
Stepping outside, he quickly cleared out four monsters based on the command center's guidance and headed straight for the last one.
Upon arriving at the location, Genos saw many heroes lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
He approached them and helped up one who was still conscious, lowering his voice to say, "Medics."
The shoulder plates on his mechanical arms lifted, and tiny firefly-like drones flew out.
These miniature machines, codenamed "Medics," swiftly landed on the wounded heroes, treating their injuries. Within moments, their breathing became much steadier.
"Watch out for that monster. Don't let it out of your sight."
The only conscious hero warned him.
Just as he finished speaking—
A monster resembling a cockroach appeared behind Genos. It seemed confident in itself and didn't immediately launch a sneak attack.
Remembering the warning, Genos softly muttered, "Scouts."
Another wave of nearly invisible drones flew out from his back, spreading throughout the area without the cockroach monster noticing.
With that done, Genos raised his hand and fired a cannon blast.
As expected, the cockroach monster dodged with ease.
"It's incredibly fast, and its movement pattern is unpredictable."
Data appeared on Genos's retinal display, calculating the monster's movement speed.
This was thanks to the combat system installed by Chu Yang, which was even more refined than the one Dr. Kuseno had originally designed.
Its core function was automatically adjusting Genos's mobility based on his opponent's agility—allowing him to keep up with most enemies.
The monster's extreme speed, coupled with its erratic movements, made it difficult to track. Previously, Genos's vision system wouldn't have been able to lock onto it.
But now—
The surrounding "Scouts" had already synchronized the monster's actions with Genos's visual system and successfully predicted its movements three seconds in advance.
Three seconds were more than enough!
Genos went all out, unleashing his Incineration Cannons in advance, covering the cockroach monster's landing spot.
A series of violent explosions erupted—
And the cockroach monster was reduced to ashes!
Genos was momentarily dazed.
"Senior Yang's modification technology is simply incredible!"
———
House of Evolution
On the central lab screen, live footage displayed cities under attack by monsters.
"Master, should we deploy our forces to assist the heroes in protecting the city?"
Dr. Genus was uncertain about Chu Yang's intentions, as the Hero Association had repeatedly shown hostility toward them.
The Bang incident was just one example.
"Has the Hero Association requested our help?"
"No word from them so far."
"Hah, a bunch of arrogant fools."
"So, should we take action, or wait?"
"Of course we're taking action! This is the perfect chance to steal their business!"
Chu Yang smirked. "Since we're destined to clash with them, we might as well strike first and make a name for the House of Evolution."
"The Hero Association isn't an official organization. Whatever they can do, we can do too."
"They're short on manpower, but we have more than enough!"
Only half of Boros's interstellar battleship had been dismantled, yet it had already supplied Chu Yang with nearly a thousand high-performance mechs. Under AI control, they could cover several cities.
If Chu Yang wanted, he could put a huge number of low-ranked heroes out of work instantly.
"Deploy 500 Mark-Alpha units first. Maintain numerical superiority in battle. Adjust the rest as needed. Remember—only target monsters below Dragon level."
"For Dragon-level threats, leave them to Mia."
Dr. Genus received the order and input the command into the control panel.
The next second—
The factory's ceiling opened.
Streams of dazzling light shot into the sky, leaving countless white trails across the heavens.
———
City C – Tournament Arena
Saitama had just returned from the restroom when his match was about to begin.
"Be careful. Your opponent this time is the previous champion, Bakuzan. He's on a completely different level than Zakos."
"He never shows mercy to weaker opponents. If you can't win, surrender immediately. Don't die in the ring!"
Sourface gave Saitama a stern warning before he stepped onto the stage.
Saitama nodded.
Not only Sourface—
The audience also began buzzing the moment Bakuzan appeared, all speaking poorly of him.
Standing in the ring, Saitama showed a bright, excited smile.
A former champion? He must be really strong!
That means I'll finally get to enjoy some real technique exchanges!
Bakuzan scowled at him.
"What the hell are you smiling at, brat?"
"I think you're probably really strong. That way, I'll have more chances to use my moves."
"Moves? You're dreaming. You won't get to throw a single punch."
Bakuzan grinned wickedly and approached Saitama, gesturing at his body.
"I'll break your legs first. My Devi Cry Low Kick will shatter your bones to dust, leaving you unable to stand again."
"Then comes your torso! My Bear Killer Mid Kick, combined with my Shura Straight Punch, will crush your arms and make your organs explode inside your body."
Saitama looked down at Bakuzan's fists against his stomach and suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right! The opening stance!"
Saitama lowered into a horse stance, leaned forward slightly, and extended a punch just as Chu Yang had taught him.
It was just a basic motion—
But Bakuzan happened to be right in front of him.
The punch connected.
Bakuzan was sent flying.
"Wait a minute!"
"That's not what I meant!"
"Hey!"
Saitama was devastated. He stared blankly at his fist.
All he wanted was to perform a full combo. Why was that so hard?!
"Attending this tournament was a waste. Training with Yang was way more fun…"
Feeling disheartened, Saitama thought about going home.
———
In the waiting area, Suiryu watched as Saitama walked toward him and raised an eyebrow.
"You won the match, so why do you look so unhappy? I was looking forward to sparring with you."
Saitama scratched his head. "It was fun at first, but then it got boring."
Suiryu laughed. "That's because you haven't fought me yet."
Saitama was about to reply when Sonic walked over, interrupting them.
"Why haven't any monsters shown up yet?! I was about to fall asleep in the waiting room!"
Sonic sighed.
"Oh, about that… I think Genos went out to clear them. I noticed he wasn't at his seat."
Sonic's eyes widened in shock. "Why wasn't I informed?!"
Saitama scratched his head. "Maybe they just didn't tell you."
Sonic's face darkened. "Those damn idiots! That was a mission from my master!"
With that, he vanished from their sight.
Suiryu was stunned. He rubbed his eyes and looked around—
A full-grown man had just disappeared right in front of him.
"Don't bother searching. He's already outside."
Saitama patted Suiryu's shoulder and turned to leave.
———
Meanwhile, on his way back, Genos suddenly detected a massive energy signature approaching rapidly.
Before he could react, his battle system activated preemptively, deploying an energy shield.
A massive fist—larger than a grown man—slammed into the barrier, causing the ground beneath Genos to cave in.
"A Dragon-level monster?"
Standing before him was a giant, martial artist-like monster, roughly 9 meters tall.
It had four vertical pupils on its forehead and hair standing on end like steel needles.
"Oh? You actually blocked that?"
The monster was surprised. It had full confidence in its strength.
That punch should have been enough to obliterate the mechanical warrior in front of it.
After a closer look, the monster noticed the faint blue barrier surrounding Genos.
"My name is Gouketsu. You're interesting. I'm going to take you back to the Monster Association as part of my collection!"
Gouketsu, the former champion of the first martial arts tournament, had chosen to consume a monster cell in his relentless pursuit of greater power, turning himself into a monster.
Genos didn't respond. He was staring blankly at the data displayed on his retinal interface.
The battle system calculated that Gouketsu's speed was over ten times that of the cockroach monster from earlier. Even with scout drones deployed everywhere, Genos's visual system couldn't capture his movements.
If not for Chu Yang's temporary modifications, the previous attack would have been enough to destroy his body.
"Are you too scared to move?"
Gouketsu narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Genos. If this guy was that easy to intimidate, he wasn't sure he wanted him in his collection anymore.
"Forget it. I might as well destroy you here."
Gouketsu suddenly threw a punch. The terrifying force of it whipped up a powerful gust of wind, carving cracks into the ground as it surged toward Genos.
Genos pressed his hands together. His arms unfolded, revealing multiple cannons, and he fired his full-power Incineration Cannons.
The two forces clashed violently.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Gouketsu's figure shot through the smoke at lightning speed, appearing directly in front of Genos.
"Damn!"
Genos had let his guard down. It was too late to dodge. His only option was to raise his arms and rely on his battle system's automatic defense.
A protective energy field materialized again.
But this time, Gouketsu was prepared. His fists moved like a raging storm, striking the same point repeatedly and shattering the energy field's defenses.
"The same trick won't work on me twice!"
Gouketsu laughed viciously.
If Chu Yang were here, he'd probably complain that Gouketsu was just copying Saint Seiya.
The force field was broken through brute strength. Just as Gouketsu's fist was about to land, a mysterious rune on Genos's chest suddenly lit up, and his body vanished.
It was a technique derived from Asgardian magic—one of the Destroyer's abilities.
Unfortunately, it was a one-time-use ability. Without a magical recharge, it was nothing more than an ordinary mark.
Genos had narrowly escaped.
But he knew he wasn't capable of dealing with this monster.
Too strong!
Because it was only a temporary modification, his upgrades were focused on defense and functionality rather than offensive power.
"Only Sensei can handle this guy now."
"Should I go ask Sensei for help?"
"But Sensei is still in the middle of his match..."
Genos hesitated. He knew he couldn't win, but he couldn't just leave.
"You've got time to space out?"
Gouketsu's eyes darkened. He'd wasted too much time on this cyborg kid. He couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
He raised his fist and slammed it into the ground!
The earth beneath them instantly split apart, shaking violently like a magnitude-nine earthquake.
Genos lost his footing and stumbled backward.
Gouketsu seized the opportunity, lunging forward and grabbing Genos in a crushing embrace. His arms tightened, and the sound of metal being crushed rang out.
"Die, cyborg!"
Gouketsu was exhilarated. This destructive feeling was the most addictive part of becoming a monster.
Despair flickered in Genos's eyes.
He had exhausted almost all his options...
"What an idiot! If you can't win, run! Just standing there and taking hits—what the hell are you thinking?!"
A voice filled with disdain suddenly sounded in Genos's ear.
A flash of steel.
Gouketsu's arms were severed cleanly.
Genos broke free and quickly retreated, putting distance between them.
"So fast! I couldn't see the movement at all!"
Gouketsu glanced at his now-empty wrists before scanning his surroundings for the attacker.
"Hey, big guy! I'm up here!"
Gouketsu looked up and saw Sonic standing atop a building.