What happened?
That spacecraft, which looked anything but ordinary, just exploded like that?
Was it just for show?
Where did that pitch-black slash come from? Was it a hero?
Various questions arose within the hearts of the many S-Class heroes in the meeting room.
"This..." Sitch looked at the screen, unsure of what to say.
"Sir, I've found the source of the attack!" Guqi shouted at that moment.
"Show it, quickly!" Sitch ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
The holographic recording screen shifted, changing into a real-time surveillance feed.
The image displayed was the rooftop of an office building several kilometers away.
There stood a man with black hair and black clothing, his expression indifferent, holding a black blade while perched on the railing at the edge of the roof.
He gazed up at the fireworks of the exploding spacecraft, his entire being radiating a gloomy aura that warned others to stay away.
"Is it this person?" Bang asked.
"He looks human; we probably don't have anything to worry about." Child Emperor took another lick of his lollipop.
"This person... is not weak." Atomic Samurai stared at the figure on the screen, his expression grim.
As a fellow swordsman, even through a screen, he could clearly feel the man's overwhelming, all-conquering blade intent.
"Is he a hero?" Tornado looked toward Sitch.
"No," Sitch shook his head.
Among the heroes registered with the Association, there was no such person.
"Hey! That guy is looking over here!" Metal Bat suddenly shouted, noticing the man on the screen look down and shift his gaze toward them.
"He's raising his blade?" Bang frowned.
On the screen, the man raised the black blade in his hand, then let it fall.
Just like before, a thick, pitch-black vertical slash manifested, approaching the Association building at extreme speed and expanding rapidly along the way.
In an instant, it swallowed every building in its path.
"The attack! It's coming!" Guqi cried out.
"Dammit! It's a monster!" Metal Bat's face was full of displeasure, his bat resting on his shoulder as if he were ready to beat someone up.
"Honestly... how nonsensical!" Tornado was already suppressing a surge of anger with no outlet, and this incident only made her more irritated.
"Prepare to defend against the attack," Drive Knight reminded them.
"Don't worry, this building was constructed by Metal Knight; it's incredibly sturdy!" Sitch muttered. "An attack like this shouldn't—"
Vroom...
Before he could finish, the pitch-black slash arrived, emitting a piercing hum as it struck the Association building.
The so-called sturdy building barely resisted for a single second before it began to disintegrate under the erosion of the massive slash.
The slash was steadily approaching the meeting room!
"What a piece of junk! You call this sturdy?" Tornado cursed.
"Let me blow you away!" The hot-tempered Metal Bat leaped out, raising his bat high and swinging it fiercely at the incoming slash.
Sizzle.
A faint sound echoed.
The bat that touched the slash was instantly reduced to nearly nothing.
"Huh?" Metal Bat retreated at top speed, avoiding the slash's reach.
His bat being destroyed like this was something he never could have imagined.
"Honestly... every single one of you is so useless!" Seeing Metal Bat's failure to stop it, Tornado couldn't stand it anymore.
Surrounded by a green glow, her curly hair fluttering, her petite body floated into the air.
"Get lost!" With a sharp shout, a violent surge of psychokinesis erupted, sweeping toward the slash.
However, in the next moment, her expression shifted drastically.
She felt that her psychokinetic shroud didn't diminish the slash in the slightest; instead, her own power was gradually dissipating as the slash advanced.
Although she had slowed the slash's progress, that was the extent of her success.
"It's useless. I suggest moving out of the way," Lexon suddenly spoke up.
He recognized this slash; it was exactly like the one that had come from within Crane Lady's body.
It possessed an annihilative property even more profound than that of a Truth-Seeking Orb.
'It was a terrifying strike capable of leaving white marks even on me!'
'With the level of these S-Class heroes, they shouldn't be able to resist it.'
But just as he finished speaking, the slash suddenly vanished.
As if it had been shattered by something.
'He made his move.'
Lexon glanced out of the corner of his eye at Saitama, who had already lowered his hand.
"You successfully blocked it? Tornado, well done!" Sitch, seeing the attack disappear and assuming it was Tornado's doing, praised her.
"..." Tornado only furrowed her beautiful brows and remained silent.
In her perception, the slash had simply vanished out of nowhere.
"The attack is gone, but what about that guy?" Atomic Samurai looked toward the end of the ravine carved by the slash, at the figure walking slowly.
"That's a monster. It must be killed." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the doorway of the meeting room.
Lexon looked back.
It was Sweet Mask, whom he had seen before.
"He has already caused immense damage. Even if he looks human, he should be treated as a monster and eliminated!"
Sharp words spilled from Sweet Mask's mouth, and veins bulged on his handsome face, making him look somewhat ghoulish.
After a moment's thought, Sitch also spoke, "It's highly likely that individual is the source of the prophesied crisis. Therefore, I hope you heroes can eliminate him!"
"I don't need you to tell me that. I'm going to take him down. That bastard broke my bat," Metal Bat said irritably.
The aura around him seemed to surge as his anger rose.
Thump, thump, thump... A heavy sound, like a sledgehammer striking a drum, echoed through the room.
It was the sound of King's exclusive ability, the King Engine.
"Is King's fighting spirit surging?" Bang glanced at the resolute-looking King.
"Since Mr. King has also decided, let's all work together to eliminate him." Child Emperor held the Strongest Man on Earth in regard.
However...
In reality, this was just a manifestation of the ordinary man King being overly nervous.
The so-called King Engine was nothing more than his heartbeat racing because he was terrified.
'Are they really going to fight?'
Lexon watched the group, who were basically about to offer themselves up as sacrifices, with a relaxed expression.
That's right, sacrifices.
In his eyes, almost none of these S-Class heroes would be a match for the man across from them—the Blade Demon.
Of everyone present, only he and Saitama had the strength to defeat him.
Of course, among the S-Class heroes present, there was one whose strength remained unclear.
That was the S-Class Rank 12 hero, Watchdog Man.
Before his transmigration, the unfinished One Punch Man series he had followed hadn't fully revealed the true power of this character who shared a similar art style with Saitama.
Therefore, he temporarily left this person out of the equation.
Because it seemed the expressionless Watchdog Man was still sitting in his chair, with no intention of making a move.
And at this moment, Lexon himself had no intention of acting either.
In fact, he even kept Genos, Saitama, and the others seated, pulling cola and popcorn from his spatial ring and handing some to Saitama and the rest, looking like he was just there to enjoy the show.
After all...
Based on the anime and their performance just now...
These S-Class heroes were all arrogant individuals who were extremely confident in themselves.
Why not let a powerful opponent crush their spirits a little?
If he didn't do that, how could he find a proper reason to sign in on them more effectively?
"Wait, something's not right!"
Just as the S-Class heroes were about to move, they suddenly saw a shimmering meteor plummeting from the clear daylight sky, crashing toward the figure who had launched the slash.
'Boros?'
With his ultimate dynamic vision, Lexon clearly identified what that meteor was.
It was Boros, having already discarded his armor and entered his released state!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]