"That's absolutely impossible!"
Gyoro Gyoro's expression darkened as it immediately rejected Zuke's demand.
It had begrudgingly accepted helping him find someone earlier, but the Monster Association was its foundation for opposing the Hero Association—there was no way it would just hand it over.
As for the difference in strength? Gyoro Gyoro chose to ignore it for now. Even if Zuke destroys this puppet body, so what?
After all, Gyoro Gyoro was just a puppet, not the true body. If Zuke's demands exceeded what it was willing to concede, then abandoning this vessel was an option.
Still, if possible, it would prefer to keep this body intact.
So after refusing Zuke, Gyoro Gyoro quickly added:
"And even if you control me, it's useless! If your goal isn't to attack the Hero Association, the other monsters won't obey you!"
This was the truth. Many monsters had joined the Monster Association precisely to participate in the assault on the Hero Association.
If Zuke took control of Gyoro Gyoro but didn't target the Hero Association, the monsters would eventually abandon the organization, leaving it an empty shell.
As for whether Zuke would actually oppose the Hero Association... Gyoro Gyoro glanced at Tatsumaki standing beside him and concluded that the likelihood was slim.
"That's not your concern."
Zuke narrowed his eyes, staring at Gyoro Gyoro.
He was well aware that maintaining long-term control over the Monster Association would be difficult—most monsters were inherently disobedient.
The fundamental difference between the Hero Association and the Monster Association was that heroes followed rules, while monsters didn't.
Controlling the Hero Association's leadership indirectly meant controlling all heroes. But controlling Gyoro Gyoro, the Monster Association's strategist, didn't equate to controlling all monsters.
Moreover, the biological structures of monsters varied wildly. Even if Zuke tried using "Black Bird: Lover" to manipulate their minds, it likely wouldn't work.
Monsters like Black Sperm or Evil Natural Water might not even have conventional brain structures.
But Zuke didn't need their obedience forever—just long enough for them to follow his orders for a certain period.
This was also a perfect opportunity to test something: if he integrated the Monster Association into "King's Army", what would happen if its members rebelled?
Would the Monster Association simply be ejected from "King's Army"?
Or would the monsters become incapable of betrayal once they were inside?
This was a good chance to find out.
"...So there's no room for negotiation, huh?"
Gyoro Gyoro narrowed its eye. Though it didn't know Zuke's exact motives for wanting control of the Monster Association, it had no intention of letting him succeed.
Even if this puppet body was destroyed, it didn't matter—a new one was already being crafted. It wouldn't take long before...
BOOM!
Before Gyoro Gyoro could finish its thought, Zuke suddenly raised his fist and slammed it into the ground.
A terrifying force instantly shattered the floor, tearing through the earth with unstoppable momentum.
The structure of the Monster Association—or rather, the former Underground Kingdom—resembled an ant colony, with layered subterranean levels.
Zuke's punch blasted through dozens of these layers in an instant, annihilating countless monsters in its wake.
And the force still hadn't dissipated—it kept going deeper!
"What are you doing?!"
Gyoro Gyoro's expression twisted as a dreadful realization struck.
But Zuke didn't answer. Instead, he leaped down, following the path his punch had carved.
Watching this, Gyoro Gyoro finally understood—Zuke had located its true body!
1,500 meters below the Monster Association lay a hidden laboratory where Psykos, Gyoro Gyoro's real form, resided.
Normally, Psykos remotely controlled Gyoro Gyoro through psychic waves, maintaining her anonymity. But now, that safety was gone.
"Dammit! How did he find me?!"
In the depths of the laboratory, Psykos bolted upright from her couch, her face pale with terror.
She could already feel the tremors from above—the aftermath of Zuke's punch in the Monster Association's main hall.
That single strike had shattered over a thousand meters of earth, and the force showed no signs of weakening.
Psykos even wondered if Zuke had held back—otherwise, that punch might have pierced straight through the planet.
"I need to escape—now! ...Huh?!"
Before she could react, a hand shot down from above, clamping around her throat like a steel vise.
"Got you."
Zuke's voice was calm as he emerged from the shattered ceiling, having burrowed through 1,500 meters of solid rock to reach her.
Despite deliberately restraining his descent's impact, the sheer force of his landing still pinned Psykos to the ground, leaving her helpless.
"Y-You bastard...!"
Psykos thrashed wildly, but Zuke's grip was unbreakable.
She unleashed her psychic powers in a desperate blast, trying to force him back—only for her attacks to vanish like stones dropped into an ocean.
The sensation was like a boxer punching tidal waves—utterly futile.
This powerlessness filled Psykos with dread. She had believed her psychic abilities could rival Tatsumaki's, that few in the world could challenge her.
But Zuke's monstrous strength shattered that illusion.
"So this is the puppet master? She's human?"
Tatsumaki finally descended, though not as swiftly as Zuke.
Seeing Psykos pinned beneath him, Tatsumaki frowned. She hadn't expected the Monster Association's leader to be human.
And that psychic attack just now... This woman was an esper too?
For some reason, Tatsumaki felt inexplicably irritated—perhaps because the idea of "another esper by Zuke's side" rubbed her the wrong way.
"Should we kill her, Zuke?"
"I told you to stop jumping to murder."
Zuke shot her a glance, unsure why Tatsumaki was so bloodthirsty.
True, Psykos's actions aligned with monsters, but that shouldn't warrant such intense hostility.
Still, as Tatsumaki had pointed out, Psykos was human at her core—which meant "Black Bird: Lover" would work on her.
"In that case, the next step is simple."
Zuke smirked as "Black Bird Requiem" materialized behind him, a small black crow splitting off from its form.
"Black Bird: Lover."
To be continued…