Like a dormant primordial beast revealing its savage fangs, Tatsumaki's heart tightened, her emerald pupils shrinking to the size of needlepoints.
For the first time, she felt a life-and-death crisis accompanied by an unprecedented, chilling fear.
"Stop!!"
Her emerald-green psychic power no longer held back as building after building of rubble was hurled at Saitama in an attempt to stop him.
Bang—
With no flourish at all, the red glove swung out. The incoming buildings shattered into dust, and Saitama's steps did not slow in the slightest—his breathing was calm to the point of terror.
The distance between them closed rapidly. The back of Tatsumaki's dress was already soaked in cold sweat. Her proud psychic power had no effect on Saitama, not even enough to stir a ripple.
"Kid, now it's my turn to hit you. Are you ready?"
Grinning with a hint of menace, Saitama revealed a row of white teeth.
Run!
That word had never appeared in Tatsumaki's mind before, but as Saitama drew closer, the fear growing wildly within her made her body instinctively react.
With the aid of her psychic power, she easily broke the sound barrier, her speed surpassing even S-class heroes who specialized in swiftness.
Psychic power was undeniably a cheat-level ability—boosting strength, speed, and defense, all perfectly and without flaws.
"Baldy Saitama! Just you wait, I'll settle this score sooner or later…"
The petite Tatsumaki puffed out her cheeks as she retreated, already noting this debt in her mind.
"Oh? Were you calling me?"
Suddenly—
Saitama's voice sounded right beside her. Tatsumaki froze, and to her horror, she saw Saitama running alongside her at supersonic speed, matching her stride for stride.
"Your speed…"
Normal Punch!
A simple, almost sloppy fist, full of openings, was thrown straight at her.
Boom—
Her startled cry was drowned out by an earth-shattering explosion as the red fist crashed forward without mercy.
In a rush, she unleashed her psychic power, forming a massive solid barrier. But the moment it met his fist, Tatsumaki regretted it.
The terrifying force roared like a dragon from the sea, and her psychic shield shattered into countless fragments in less than a second.
The S-class Rank 2, the so-called secret weapon of the Hero Association, screamed, coughing up a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying like a sandbag.
She smashed through countless buildings before finally stopping.
As the dust slowly cleared—
The once-arrogant Tatsumaki now knelt on one knee in extreme disarray. The sleeves of her dress had completely torn away, exposing her pale arms marked with traces of blood. Her pretty face had gone pale, her eyes showing rare traces of fear.
Step, step, step—
Boots crunched over rubble. From within the smoke, a gleaming bald head emerged, clad in a yellow jumpsuit and white cape. Sunlight fell over Saitama's head, his face shadowed as he slowly approached Tatsumaki.
"Your power… is definitely not C-class!!"
Tatsumaki was utterly shaken. Her right arm was completely numb—she was sure her bones had cracked. If not for her psychic barrier, she suspected that one punch would have reduced her body to dust just like the buildings.
This was strength that completely surpassed the physical limits of the human body!
Why… why was this bald man still only C-class?!
"Oh, I agree the Association's ranking is messed up. Why am I only C-class?"
Saitama looked dissatisfied. Back then… he had forgotten to take the sparring exam, got a perfect score in the physical test, and a zero in sparring—so he ended up C-class.
"But now's not the time to discuss that, hehe."
Grinning again, under Tatsumaki's furious and frightened gaze, Saitama's fist slowly rose once more.
In the distance—
Child Emperor was already inside his Invincible Giant mech, with Atomic Samurai and the arriving S-class Rank 3 master Bang standing on its shoulders.
Beside the mech, Genos and Fubuki flew at top speed. The group was rushing toward Saitama's location.
"We're almost there. Good thing this is a ruined area—if Tatsumaki went on a rampage elsewhere, who knows how big the disaster would be! I just hope that baldy isn't already dead," Atomic Samurai frowned.
"Saitama, huh? Let's hope we're not too late. But… I don't think he's as weak as you imagine."
The silver-haired, slightly stooped elder Bang said seriously.
"Saitama-sensei will not lose!" Genos declared with absolute confidence.
"That's Tatsumaki we're talking about! Her true power exceeds even S-class!" Atomic Samurai corrected.
His answer was the fiery exhaust of Genos speeding ahead.
…
Looking at Saitama's slowly raised fist, Tatsumaki's heart sank into despair.
No one would believe it if they heard—the mighty S-class Rank 2, the secret weapon of the Association, couldn't even withstand a single punch from him. Her internal organs burned with pain, her psychic power was completely drained, and even standing had become nearly impossible.
That suffocating, terrifying pressure descended again. Tatsumaki stared at Saitama, watching that fist draw closer, her emerald eyes filled with heartbreaking despair.
(End of Chapter)
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