Just moments ago, Sweet Mask had been the picture of elegance and charm. Now, he lay sprawled out on the ground like a dead dog, his suit in tatters, his body covered in blood, several teeth knocked out against the floor. He passed out on the spot.
Psychic power.
In the Hero Association, it was hailed as an unbeatable force.
You only had to look at the arrogant personality of S-Class Rank 2 Tatsumaki to understand— even the Association president had to coax her. She didn't have to give anyone face.
"Too weak!"
Hellish Blizzard glanced down at the defeated Sweet Mask from above, clapped her hands lightly, and let a playful, smug smile curl her lips. Then she noticed Saitama in the distance, yawning and walking away, and quickly chased after him.
"Wait for me, Saitama!"
Association staff: "…"
Pro heroes: "…"
Everyone stared in shock at Hellish Blizzard leaving, then looked at Sweet Mask lying crushed like a dead dog.
Suddenly, an absurd thought popped into their minds.
"That baldy really hit the jackpot! Freeloader! He's got such a strong, beautiful girlfriend! Damn it!"
Z-City Apartment.
A delicious aroma drifted from the kitchen.
"Genos, I want raw egg over rice, and also seaweed egg drop soup—make sure you use two eggs!"
As soon as he entered, Saitama casually stripped off his hero suit and changed into his blue-and-white striped loungewear, ready to watch some soap operas. After all, his "official partner" Genos was great at cooking.
"And my portion too—don't forget."
Hellish Blizzard followed right in, acting as if she were at home. She kicked off her heels, her long legs in black stockings making for a stunning sight on the floor.
"Huh? Sensei, you're back? And this is… B-Class Rank 1 Hellish Blizzard, younger sister of Terrible Tornado?"
Genos poked his head out from the kitchen, apron on, his cybernetic eye scanning and analyzing them.
"Please don't put the prefix 'Tornado's little sister' before my name, thank you."
Her tone was pure threat, and Genos suddenly realized his body wasn't responding properly—his armor even made slight cracking sounds. The shock hit him hard. Since when… had Saitama-sensei found another woman this strong… a girlfriend?
Lunch went smoothly.
Weakling Genos was instantly demoted, while Hellish Blizzard took the dominant spot—second only to Saitama in decision-making.
After all, in the One Punch Man world, the one with the biggest fist was the one who was right.
"Genos, here, take this."
With a clang, something like a pot lid landed in Genos' hands. Fubuki hadn't even noticed where Saitama had pulled it from.
"A shield?"
Genos stared in confusion at the shield painted with the American stars and stripes. It was so light he wondered if it was made of plastic.
"Good stuff. Vibranium shield. Supposedly it absorbs kinetic energy. In theory, it should be able to withstand a nuclear-level impact."
Saitama spoke between mouthfuls of rice, just reciting what the data said.
"Withstand a nuclear impact?!"
Genos and Blizzard almost spat out their food.
In the One Punch Man world, countless pro heroes and monsters dominated most global discussions. But whether it was the Hero Association or world leaders, they were almost all ordinary people.
The reason? Nuclear weapons.
Nukes were enough to intimidate any hero, monster, or beast.
In this world, there was no armor or hero known to survive a nuke—or at least none discovered so far.
"Sensei! How can you give me something so valuable? You must have gone to great lengths to get this!"
As a model student, Genos never doubted anything Saitama said. He even took notes on the way his teacher ate and slept. His trust was absolute.
"There's no way a metal like this could exist in the world, not even in theory."
Hellish Blizzard was stunned. She wasn't ignorant—on the contrary, her weaker psychic powers had pushed her to develop a knowledge base far beyond that of her loudmouth sister Tatsumaki.
"Found it on the road. It's yours, Genos. Don't waste it—you might need it someday." Saitama didn't even look up, still focused on his food.
"Sir!"
With a sharp salute, Genos dropped his bowl and left immediately. "I have to take this to Dr. Kuseno!"
The now-empty room had only Saitama and Blizzard. The beautiful, black-stockinged woman sat obediently beside him, stealing glances at the baldy "King of Couch Potatoes." The air between them carried a faint tension.
Elsewhere—
Crash!
A limited-edition crystal glass shattered on the floor, scattering shards as crimson wine spilled across the carpet.
Wrapped head to toe in bandages, Sweet Mask roared like a beast. His once-handsome face was now twisted and contorted with rage. The table in front of him was covered in the latest headlines.
"Handsome Hero Confession Ends in Humiliation!"
"Popular Hero Sweet Mask Brutally Beaten—But Why?"
"Powerful Newcomer Hellish Blizzard—Strength Suspected to Rival S-Class!"
"Shocking! S-Class Rank 2 Tornado's Sister Secretly~~"
"Freeloader King Saitama! The Rise of a Grassroots C-Class Hero!"
The reputation he had painstakingly built collapsed overnight. Sweet Mask's popularity had plummeted to unprecedented lows—while the bald man named Saitama had become a household name.
"Damn it! Someone get me Atomic Samurai. Tell him I'm cashing in that favor he owes me!" Sweet Mask growled, his nails digging into his flesh without him even noticing.
(End of Chapter)
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