Sonic leaped down toward him, sword in hand.
"You think my arms are gone, you idiot?"
Gouketsu sneered. In the blink of an eye, his arms regenerated. He swung a fist at the descending Sonic.
"Watch out!"
Genos shouted in alarm.
"You're the real idiot!"
The moment the punch landed—
Poof!
The Sonic that was hit exploded into a puff of white smoke.
Gouketsu's expression froze in confusion.
In an instant, several more flashes of steel streaked through the air, slashing at his legs, knees, abdomen, chest—all vital points.
Each strike landed. Gouketsu couldn't react in time.
Then, from the shadows of the ruins, the real Sonic emerged.
The one that got hit? Just a Shadow Clone.
Drenched in blood, Gouketsu roared in fury and charged at Sonic.
"Is brute force all you've got since becoming a monster?"
"Not an ounce of strategy!"
"How disappointing!"
A kunai suddenly appeared in Sonic's hand, its end wrapped in fine silver threads.
With a sharp tug—
A dense web of silver wires tightened around Gouketsu, slicing through his body like a hot knife through tofu.
Yet, even after being cut into several pieces, Gouketsu refused to die.
His severed body parts twitched and moved, trying to reassemble themselves.
Sonic swiftly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A wave of high-temperature flames engulfed Gouketsu's body.
The smell of roasting meat filled the air—rich and tantalizing.
The fire was far beyond Gouketsu's expectations. He could only watch helplessly as his body burned to a crisp.
"Do you know why I'm not killing you?"
Sonic stepped on Gouketsu's head, rummaging through his upper body before pulling out several squirming purple "flesh masses."
Monster cells.
Seeing the monster cells still writhing in his hand, Sonic grinned. His master's mission was now complete.
Now, Gouketsu could be taken back as a test subject.
"The final match is about to start. If you hurry, you can still make it!"
In a rare moment of kindness, Sonic reminded Genos.
"Oh, thanks!"
Genos snapped out of his daze and hurried toward the martial arts arena.
"You'll regret this. The Monster Association won't let you off!" Gouketsu threatened.
"The Monster Association? Lots of monsters there?"
Sonic's eyes lit up, his expression brimming with excitement.
"There are plenty stronger than me!"
Gouketsu sneered, thinking he could intimidate Sonic.
To his shock, Sonic only got more excited!
"Can you tell me the address? Since you're dying anyway, consider it your good deed for the day!"
Sonic looked at him with genuine sincerity.
Gouketsu was dumbfounded. "Are you not afraid? I just told you there are stronger monsters than me!"
"Of course I'm scared! Can't you see me shaking?" Sonic wiped the drool from his mouth.
Brother, you look more excited than scared…
Gouketsu swallowed nervously, suddenly realizing he had messed with the wrong person.
"You don't have to talk now."
"Once we get back, you'll be more cooperative!"
Sonic grinned wickedly, slinging the half-burnt Gouketsu over his shoulder and heading home with excitement.
There was no need to worry about him regenerating.
For the House of Evolution, monsters with strong regenerative abilities are the best kind of monsters!
With the defeat of Hero Hunter, the Monster Association received alarming news—mechanized armies had emerged across various cities, crushing countless monsters under their command.
The tide of battle shifted in an instant.
Even the few remaining elite monsters were swiftly eliminated by a girl whose lower body was entirely mechanical.
Thus, the citywide crisis was resolved.
The heroes barely had a chance to intervene.
Meanwhile, watching from the shadows, the Evil Eye received updates from Phoenix Man and immediately set its sights on the House of Evolution.
"We've finally pushed the Hero Association to the brink. I won't allow another human faction to rise!"
With that, the Evil Eye got up and headed toward Monster King Orochi's chamber.
---
By the time Genos returned to the spectator stands, Saitama and Suiryu's final match had just begun.
This time, in order to properly display his moves, Saitama was unusually patient, allowing Suiryu to attack first. He didn't even counter.
From the audience's perspective, it was a completely one-sided fight—Saitama seemed utterly helpless.
Until…
Saitama stated that he was a hero, and Suiryu responded with a sneer, openly mocking the hero profession.
In an instant, Saitama's expression turned serious.
"You've been fighting for quite a while. It should be my turn now."
"Sunlight Straight Punch."
Saitama's fists rained down on Suiryu's face like a rapid-fire machine gun.
One second later—
Suiryu was already unconscious, still standing but completely out cold.
---
The tournament organizers discovered that Saitama was wearing a wig, leading to his disqualification.
With Suiryu battered and unconscious, they had no choice but to pose him with the championship trophy and medal for the victory photo.
If this image were displayed in the Martial Arts Tournament's Hall of Fame, it would be a social death sentence.
Having finally executed a full set of punches, Saitama felt refreshed. He also came to a profound realization—aside from Chu Yang, every other martial artist was probably trash.
"Other martial arts don't seem that interesting… and I can't learn Yang's techniques anyway. Forget it."
Thus, Saitama's martial arts journey ended prematurely. He decided to go home and play video games instead.
---
At the same time, the Monster Association issued a formal challenge to the Hero Association.
In the previous battle in City S, Metal Bat and Metal Knight were both defeated. In return, the monsters successfully kidnapped a high-ranking Hero Association executive—someone responsible for 80% of the organization's funding, their undisputed financial backer.
A large-scale conflict between the two factions was now inevitable.
Upon hearing the news, Chu Yang thought he could reap the benefits from the sidelines. However, to his astonishment, the very next day, the Monster Association came knocking on his doorstep.
A centipede, thousands of meters long, coiled in the skies above the House of Evolution.
It was an awe-inspiring sight.
Chu Yang was utterly baffled.
"Shouldn't this guy be dealing with Garou?"
Elder Centipede was exceptionally powerful. Most S-Class heroes were no match for it—aside from Blast, the top hero, and Tornado at rank two, few could do anything against it.
In fact, aside from Boros, it was one of the only monsters that forced Saitama to use a "Serious Punch."
There weren't many in the Monster Association stronger than Elder Centipede.
But unfortunately for it, it had wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time.
At this very moment, the House of Evolution had—
Chu Yang.
Saitama.
And even Tornado, who just so happened to be visiting.
The three of them stood on the balcony, sipping tea as they casually watched Elder Centipede like it was part of the scenery.
"What does it want?"
"Lost its way?"
"Doesn't look like it."
"Blocking the sun like this is annoying. I just aired out my futon this morning."
"Mine probably needs some sun too."
"Why isn't it leaving…?"
"Is it looking for a fight?"
Tornado finally lost her patience and shouted, "Can't you tell it's here to pick a fight?!"
"The Monster Association issued a challenge to the Hero Association yesterday. I came here today to let you know."
Chu Yang looked completely bewildered. "They challenge the Hero Association but attack me? Their brains must be broken. Are they lost?"
After a moment's thought, Tornado said, "Maybe you've become too famous lately…"
"Ridiculous." Chu Yang rolled his eyes, then turned to Saitama. "Why don't you take care of it? I still need to air out my bedding."
Saitama stretched his shoulders and nodded. "Makes sense."
Tornado quickly stopped him and glared at Chu Yang. "Are you insane? That thing is a Dragon-level threat! He'll die if he goes!"
Who's dying?
Has this little girl been here this long and still can't tell who's the real boss?
Chu Yang didn't even bother arguing with her. But then he realized—if Saitama punched Elder Centipede, there'd be no corpse left. That meant no material for experiments.
"Forget it. Let Sonic and the others handle it. Go back to your game."
Chu Yang waved his hand dismissively.
"Are you sure? That thing looks pretty strong."
Saitama glanced at Elder Centipede.
Seeing how they were completely ignoring her, Tornado exploded, "Who do you think you're looking down on?! I'm the S-Class Rank 2 hero! I don't need anyone else!"
Chu Yang took a sip of tea, completely unfazed. "Fine, go ahead. Just keep the body intact."
Tornado shuddered. "I don't get why you keep collecting monster corpses. It's disgusting."
Still, she flew outside through the floor-to-ceiling window.
At that moment, Jarvis' voice rang out.
"Sir, there are large numbers of anomalous lifeforms gathering nearby. Should I deploy the army to eliminate them?"
Chu Yang nodded. "Since they're here, we might as well take them all."
With his approval, Jarvis immediately dispatched waves of Mark Alpha battle mechs to wipe out the surrounding monsters.
"Oh, and have Mia assist Tornado. Just in case."
"Understood, sir."
Saitama looked on enviously. "AI assistants are so cool. I want one too."
Chu Yang replied nonchalantly, "Jarvis is right here. Just call him anytime."
Excited, Saitama immediately asked, "Jarvis, can you help me air out my futon?"
Jarvis responded, "Mr. Saitama, one should handle their own chores. Hard work is honorable."
Saitama's face darkened as if he'd been punched in the gut.
That was not the answer he wanted!
And so, the bald-headed genius got into an argument with the AI.
Chu Yang happily listened in, completely unfazed by the chaos of battle outside.
---
Above the House of Evolution—
The moment Tornado flew out, Elder Centipede visibly stiffened. Its expression quickly turned grim.
As a psychic, Tornado excelled at dealing with massive creatures. She was practically its natural enemy.
With a single motion, a vibrant green glow enveloped Elder Centipede, rendering it immobile.
"Damn it! That guy said to keep the body intact—otherwise, I'd just crush it!"
Elder Centipede was far too massive. Normally, Tornado would just call down a meteor shower to obliterate it.
But this was the House of Evolution.
If a meteor landed here, Chu Yang would definitely punish her.
"I should've let them handle it. This is such a hassle."
Tornado regretted her decision. Restraining a Dragon-level monster was much harder than simply killing one.
Just as she was feeling overwhelmed, a familiar psychic force joined in, lightening the burden.
Tornado turned and saw a girl with a mechanical lower body.
"Hmph! Stay out of my way."
Mia simply smiled and didn't take offense.
To her, Tornado was just a little brat who'd been drained of two pints of blood. Not worth arguing with.
"What's with you guys?! You're too slow!"
Sonic leaped high into the air and slashed at Elder Centipede, but only sparks flew—his blades left no marks.
"Its outer shell is tougher than you think, and its regeneration is insane," Tornado sneered.
"The outside is tough, but the inside might not be."
With that, Sonic dove straight into Elder Centipede's mouth.
Tornado's jaw dropped.
"Is everyone here insane?"
She turned to Mia.
Mia thought for a moment.
Sonic, Genos, Lord Chu Yang, and even herself…
"Miss Tornado, I believe so."