"King, how on earth did you escape? Blast clearly said you were already..."
Genos confirmed that the person in front of him was King and was immediately overcome with excitement. Aside from Saitama, King was the person who had helped him the most in reaching his current level of growth.
"It's a long story. But have this many monsters been appearing on Earth since I left?" King frowned slightly.
He had thought that by taking away 101, he had solved the problem of monsters constantly appearing on Earth. But now, it seemed different from what he had imagined. The scale and level of the disaster in M-City were far greater than before.
"Unfortunately, after you left, Monster disasters became more frequent, and most of them are Demon-level or higher." Genos showed a helpless expression.
As King's close friend, he greatly admired the other party's actions. It was a pity, though. Although God had disappeared, monsters continued to appear.
King thought for a moment and said, "I understand. You guys head back first. I'll go to the Hero Association headquarters to see you in a bit."
He probably understood the reason why disasters kept appearing on Earth, because there was still a familiar aura here.
"You're not coming back with us?" Genos was somewhat surprised.
After all, King's return from the dead was definitely a major event. If the members of the Hero Association learned this news, they would surely all come rushing over.
What everyone cared about most was definitely how King had escaped death, as well as the fact that the morale of human society was very low due to the constant disasters.
If the Hero Association announced the return of the Strongest Man on Earth at this time, the entirety of human society would be greatly encouraged.
King used facts to prove to all of humanity that even God was not invincible.
"I'll go say hello to Psykos first, then I'll head to the headquarters to meet up with you." King smiled slightly.
As soon as he stepped onto Earth, he had felt the auras of Psykos and Sweet Mask. However, a huge energy fluctuation had suddenly appeared in M-City, so he came to check it out, not expecting to run into Genos and Tatsumaki.
"Alright, we'll be waiting for you. Saitama-sensei will definitely be very happy to know you're back."
Genos expressed his understanding. He decided to tell everyone this heartening news: that man was back.
"Hmph! Do whatever you want. We'll be at the Hero Association. Don't go disappearing for no reason this time." Tatsumaki's tone was still full of tsundere-ness, but anyone could see she was in a particularly good mood at the moment.
Hum!
King stepped into the portal, and his figure vanished.
Ring ring!
A phone rang, catching Tatsumaki's attention.
"It must be a call from headquarters. I'll leave it to you to handle."
Whoosh!
Within a few seconds, Tatsumaki's figure disappeared from sight.
A slight smile appeared at the corners of Genos's lips. "Hello, this is Genos."
"How's the situation?" Jess's voice came through the phone, his tone revealing nervousness and anticipation.
"Confirmed. It's King himself. He's back."
"That's great!!!"
The Hero Association headquarters instantly erupted in deafening cheers. Many staff members hugged each other, weeping with joy.
There was a time when the news of King's sacrifice had made all the members of the Hero Association feel as if they had been cast into an abyss, and everyone's chest felt as though it were being crushed by a giant boulder, making it hard to breathe.
The reason was that the man known as the strongest actually couldn't defeat God either, and in the end, he had to perish together with God just to barely protect humanity's last hope.
But now everything had changed. That man was back.
"Jess-san."
Maria wiped away her tears and looked at the nearby Jess with an inquiring gaze. "So where is King-san now?"
Through the surveillance in M-City, Jess could see that King had not returned to headquarters with Tatsumaki.
"King said he wants to see Psykos first, and then he'll head to the Hero headquarters to meet up with us." Genos spoke truthfully.
King's return was definitely a major event, and the Hero Association would certainly publicize it heavily.
"I see. Thank you for your hard work. Next, the Hero Association will hold an emergency meeting for all members. You should hurry back as well."
"I understand."
Jess hung up the phone.
Just as he had calmed his excitement, a hurried figure burst into the command room.
"Jess, is the news just now true?" Sitch looked at Jess with an expectant face.
"Yes, according to Genos's report, it is indeed King himself without a doubt. He's currently heading to Psykos's place and will report to headquarters afterward."
"Wonderful! This is the best news in such a long time."
Sitch slapped the table excitedly and then issued orders with a serious face.
"Immediately summon all S-Class heroes. King must have grasped important intelligence about God this time. Perhaps we can solve the constantly occurring disaster events from the root."
"Then announce the news of King's return to all of human society."
Sitch also seemed to have lost his usual calmness. Although they had Genos's personal confirmation, they hadn't actually seen King themselves yet.
"Minister Sitch, isn't this too early?" Jess was somewhat hesitant.
After all, King's identity hadn't been 100% confirmed yet. If this turned out to be false, it would be a devastating blow to the Hero Association's reputation.
"No matter. Everyone needs this heartening news far too much." Sitch waved his hand.
Now, everyone in human society was in a state of constant anxiety. The news of King's return would undoubtedly be a bombshell, bringing hope to everyone.
"Yes. I will broadcast this news on loop in all major cities right now." Jess smiled slightly.
He didn't know how long it had been since he'd seen Sitch so uncomposed. The Hero Association had been suppressed for too long.
...
On the other side, after Genos finished his call with the Hero Association, he immediately dialed Saitama's number.
"Hello? Genos?"
"It's me, Saitama-sensei."
"Didn't you go to deal with a monster? Did it go smoothly? Do you need me to step in?"
On the other end of the phone, Saitama's lazy voice came through.
"The monster has been dealt with. I have another more important matter to tell you, Saitama-sensei."
"Something more important? Could it be... is today a special sale day at the supermarket over there?" Saitama's voice suddenly became excited.
"I'll go check in a moment, but besides that, there's a piece of bombshell news." Genos replied.
"Bombshell news? Could it be something like free Premium Wagyu Beef?"
"Saitama-sensei, King is back."