Using this method to completely eliminate Psykos' ability to resist was merely a spur-of-the-moment idea for Zuke.
However, after Zuke spent some effort whipping Psykos until she was nearly unconscious—left limp and lying on the sofa—it unexpectedly seemed to have a genuine effect.
That's right. After disciplining Psykos with his "big stick," Zuke discovered that he could indeed absorb the Monster Association into his "King's Army."
Now, the underground Monster Association had become part of Zuke's "King's Army," and he could enter the One Punch Man world at any time.
"It actually worked… I really didn't have much hope for this."
Feeling that the Monster Association had been bound to his "King's Army," Zuke's expression turned somewhat strange.
He glanced at Psykos, then couldn't help but think about the other factions he planned to incorporate into the "King's Army."
Well… other factions probably wouldn't work like this.
The Hero Association's authority wasn't concentrated in a single person but distributed among many high-ranking officials—both men and women—so Zuke couldn't handle them the same way.
As for the Saiyans from the Dragon Ball world or the Security Force Police from the Yu-Gi-Oh! card lore world, their leaders were also male, making this method inapplicable.
Only the Monster Association, with its power held solely by Psykos, allowed this method to work by breaking her will to resist.
"Now that the Monster Association has been absorbed into the 'King's Army'… it's time to test the loyalty of its members."
With his goal achieved, Zuke began contemplating his next move.
Although he had indirectly taken control of the Monster Association by subduing Psykos, the fact remained that most of the monsters in the association had never even seen Zuke.
Now that these monsters had become part of the "King's Army," would they obey Zuke's orders?
Just as Zuke was considering which monster to test for loyalty, he suddenly sensed two "energies" rapidly approaching.
A thought flashed through his mind—he already knew who to use for the test.
---
"Damn it! Why is Tatsumaki here!?"
Homeless Emperor's body plummeted through the air, his face filled with terror.
He had just been brought back to the entrance of the Monster Association by Phoenix Man when he immediately encountered Tatsumaki, who had been stationed there under Zuke's orders.
As someone who despised the Hero Association, Homeless Emperor naturally attacked without hesitation.
But the result was nothing like what he expected—the energy spheres he fired using his "Divine Power" couldn't even break through Tatsumaki's defenses.
On the contrary, Tatsumaki's psychic abilities easily shattered his defensive spheres and struck his body directly.
Homeless Emperor had once been an ordinary office worker before being fired over trivial matters and becoming a drifter.
During his time as a homeless man, he was fortunate enough to gain the favor of a "god," who granted him a power called "Divine Power," turning him into a monster.
The energy spheres he could unleash with "Divine Power" could instantly vaporize anything, making his threat level reach "Dragon."
But the problem was, while "Divine Power" granted him immense offensive capability, it did nothing to enhance his physical body.
His durability was no different from that of an ordinary human, so when his attacks failed to penetrate Tatsumaki's defenses, his weakness was laid bare.
---
"What's wrong!? Is that all you've got!?"
Tatsumaki relentlessly bombarded the energy spheres around Homeless Emperor with her psychic power.
She could sense that these spheres contained tremendous energy, but their strength had limits.
Going all out, Tatsumaki destroyed every last one of Homeless Emperor's spheres, forcing him to plummet down the massive pit Zuke had created earlier.
Having been utterly helpless against Zuke, Tatsumaki finally had a chance to vent her frustrations on Homeless Emperor.
"Keep falling like this, and you'll die from the impact!!"
And she was right. Tatsumaki had already realized that Homeless Emperor's physical condition was no better than an average human's.
If he fell all the way down to the 1,500-meter-deep underground base, he would undoubtedly be reduced to a bloody pulp.
His energy spheres could be used for offense and defense, but they couldn't negate gravity's effect on his body.
As she chased after the rapidly descending Homeless Emperor, Tatsumaki let out a slightly maniacal laugh:
"It's over!"
The next moment, her telekinetic grip clamped down on Homeless Emperor's body—the terrifying force crushing him until he coughed up blood.
But thanks to Tatsumaki's psychic hold, he stopped just before smashing into the floor of Psykos' lab, narrowly avoiding death.
"......"
Homeless Emperor gasped for breath, his face pale with shock—he had truly believed he was about to die.
He had been thrown into this 1,500-meter-deep pit by Tatsumaki, and since his power came entirely from "Divine Power"—with no ability to fly—he could only freefall.
He had assumed Tatsumaki intended to kill him this way, but it seemed she had other plans.
"Hmph. If Zuke hadn't asked for you, I would've finished you off already."
After catching Homeless Emperor with her telekinesis, Tatsumaki slowly descended, dragging the floating man down into Psykos' laboratory.
Then, she unceremoniously dumped the pale-faced Homeless Emperor onto the ground and turned to Zuke:
"Alright, this is the Homeless Emperor you wanted, right? I brought him."
Even though Homeless Emperor was a Dragon-level threat, his abilities were too one-dimensional, and his power couldn't match Tatsumaki's. His capture was inevitable.
But after tossing Homeless Emperor aside, Tatsumaki scanned the lab—and immediately spotted Psykos lying nearly unconscious on the sofa.
Though Psykos was covered with a blanket, Tatsumaki only needed one look at her expression to guess what had happened.
Her triumphant smirk instantly fell.
"Hey! Zuke! What the hell did you just do with her!?"
Despite her petite stature, Tatsumaki was 28 years old—she wasn't so naive that she couldn't recognize Psykos' current state.
Though she had no personal experience in such matters, she was well aware of what they entailed.
But Zuke had no time to entertain Tatsumaki's outburst. He looked at Homeless Emperor, now lying before him, and nodded in satisfaction.
Though Homeless Emperor had joined the Monster Association for his own reasons, he was undeniably one of its members.
Which meant he was now part of the "King's Army."
So—would he obey the orders of his "King"?
To be continued…