Chapter 147: Meeting the devil himself
That day marked an unprecedented moment in mankind's history.
One of the major cities, A-City, was completely wiped out by an alien attack. The destruction was catastrophic, leaving countless deaths behind. The world fell silent when the news broke.
Some people survived, but they made up only 1% of A-City's population. No one spoke about it. Even the Hero Association remained quiet, offering only their condolences to the families of the victims.
But out of the darkness came light. The destruction of A-City gave the Hero Association new opportunities.
Especially after Metal Knight got his hands on the alien battleship. The technology they found was beyond anything they'd ever seen. It changed everything for them.
With that technology, they turned what used to be a bustling city into a fortress.
Thanks to Metal Knight's robots, the construction moved quickly. The Hero Association Headquarters was now connected to the entire country. All A-rank heroes and above were offered a place to live there, so they could respond to emergencies faster.
Tsuna was offered a place too, but he declined.
But there was a misunderstanding.
Everyone thought Tsuna had killed the alien leader and brought down the battleship. He tried to explain that it was Saitama who did it, but no one listened. Maybe it was Saitama's plot armor, or maybe it was his own. He wasn't sure.
Yet somehow, he went from being the lowest-ranked S-class hero to being ranked just below Tatsumaki. The fourth strongest S-class hero. Even he thought it was ridiculous. They even got him a hero name that he barely remembered. What mattered was his mission completed and he finally got to sleep on his own bed.
In Z city...
"Is this really the place, Lady Blizzard?"
A surprised voice broke the silence.
It belonged to a man in a suit with a small goatee, his light brown hair tied in a low ponytail. He was Eyelashes, the current second-ranked B-Class hero.
Beside him stood a very tall man with an unusually large chin, Mountain Ape, ranked third in the B-Class. He stared at the rundown section of Z-City, known as the Ghost Town, before glancing at the rusted gate in front of them. The gate had several warning signs plastered on it.
"A B-Class hero is living in a place like this?" he mumbled.
"There's a saying that the most dangerous place is sometimes the safest," A young woman behind them responded.
She was Fubuki, the Blizzard of Hell, currently the number one B-Class hero and, more importantly, Tatsumaki's younger sister.
She had a curvy figure and short black hair styled in a bob with a neat fringe. Fubuki motioned for Mountain Ape to push the gate open, and the three of them walked through the entrance.
"Bald Cape is now a B-Class hero ranked 7," she continued. "According to the data we have on him, he broke every physical stat record. That should give him the confidence to live here."
"Is that really true?" Eyelashes asked, his voice skeptical. "I heard he might've cheated. The Blizzard Group can't have someone like that ruining our reputation."
All three of them were there to recruit Saitama into their faction, the Blizzard Group—a B-Class hero faction led by Fubuki. It was one of the largest factions within the Hero Association, with a considerable number of members and significant influence over B-Class heroes.
"That's why I'm here," Fubuki replied firmly. "If the rumors are true and he really cheated, I'll know."
Fubuki was confident in her ability to recognize talent. In fact, she believed Saitama should be honored that she had come personally. Her presence alone should have been the luckiest moment of his life.
Their walk was uninterrupted.
The town was empty, with desolate buildings overgrown with plants, a clear sign that no one had cared for the area in years. As they approached the building where Saitama lived, they noticed a massive creature lying on the street, covered in deep cuts.
Mountain Ape's eyes widened as he muttered, "P-Penis?"
Both he and Eyelashes glanced nervously at Fubuki, whose cheeks flushed red. She cleared her throat, trying to maintain her composure.
"Ahem, remember why we're here. Let's go upstairs."
"Yes, my lady!"
The rest of the walk was awkward, with no one daring to speak about what they had just seen. Finally, they reached Saitama's apartment. They stood in front of the door for a moment, silent.
Eyelashes stepped forward, "Lady Blizzard, please allow me..."
"Class B Rank 7...Hmm?"
He raised his hand to knock, but before he could, the door suddenly burst open.
All three of them gasped, their eyes widening in shock. A figure stumbled out, barely making it through the doorway before collapsing onto the floor. His face was twisted in agony, as if he had just endured unimaginable pain.
Fubuki's voice trembled as she recognized him. "...D-Demon Cyborg, Genos!?"
"Huh, we have guests?"
A casual voice echoed from inside the apartment.
The trio's eyes widened even more. They immediately recognized the young man stepping forward. After all, who wouldn't? He was the one who had taken down the alien leader that decimated A-City.
"Class S Rank 4, Catastrophe Crusher, Tsunayoshi Ito!?"
Fubuki exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief. Her eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Why were two S-Class heroes here in the first place? She was sure her Blizzard Group's intelligence was among the best in the Hero Association. This should definitely be Saitama's apartment.
But why were two of the newest S-Class rookies here? It didn't make sense.
"Cata-what?" Tsuna mumbled, confused. Then it clicked. "Oh, right. I got a hero name too. Is that really what they're calling me? It sounds so corny."
'No, that's not the issue here...' Fubuki gulped, her mind racing.
She could feel the tension building. Her two subordinates, Eyelashes and Mountain Ape, stood frozen, their faces pale with fear.
Their eyes were all locked on Tsuna's hand.
He was holding a pair of chopsticks, gripping something that was blurred and... unsettling. Her gaze shifted to the dark container in his other hand. It was likely full of whatever that blurry thing was.
Fubuki swallowed hard, her heart pounding, 'W-what on earth is that... thing?'
Before she could even process what was happening, the door swung wide open. Another figure appeared, crawling at Tsuna's feet.
"E-Even King...?"
Eyelashes and Mountain Ape couldn't hold it any longer before both fainted, mumbling their last words,
"T-Tsuna... please... s-spare me..." King begged, his voice trembling as he lay on the floor.
Fubuki collapsed, landing on the ground with a thud. Her legs gave out as all the color drained from her face.
What was happening? Even the strongest human was begging for his life?
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Tsuna's smirk, dark and twisted, looked like it came straight from the devil himself. He leaned down, forcing King's mouth open, and fed him the horrifying, blurred thing with the chopsticks.
"#&%$!"
A choking, garbled sound escaped King's mouth before he passed out, just like Genos. Seeing even S-Class heroes collapse like this, Fubuki realized that Saitama might have shared the same fate.
She turned her wide, horrified eyes up at Tsuna and stammered, "C-Catastrophe Crusher, wh-what are you doing to them? Aren't we on the same side?"
Tsuna didn't bother to answer. He stepped closer, his presence looming over her, and Fubuki instinctively scrambled back on her hands, desperately trying to get away.
She hit the wall across the apartment door and froze as Tsuna grinned.
"Just in time," he said softly, "I need another volunteer to try my new recipe..."
He lifted the blurry thing again with his chopsticks. Fubuki's body trembled uncontrollably.
She couldn't stop herself from letting out a small whimper, her face going pale as her vision blurred. Fubuki looked up at Tsuna one last time before her eyes rolled back, leaving her unconscious on the floor.
"What? She didn't even get to try it yet, though?"
Tsuna scratched his head awkwardly, looking down at his creation, and mumbled, "Is it really that bad?"