Chapter 9: Unlucky King!

"I'll create something for you to jump on. Get ready!"

Tsuna shouted as he focused his mind on the connection he felt with the earth.

With a sharp stomp, he sent ripples of energy through the ground, causing small chunks of earth to levitate.

"Whoa! Brilliant idea, Tsuna!"

Saitama exclaimed, launching himself toward one of the platforms Tsuna had created.

The force of his leap left a deep impression on the ground, cracking it open.

Kyaaakkkkk....!!

The bird-like monster emitted a piercing shriek, flapping its wings with ferocity. A powerful gust of wind surged towards Saitama.

"Shit!"

Saitama cursed, feeling the sweat bead on his forehead.

Woooshh!!!

The force of the wind slammed into him, propelling him backward. He crashed into one of the nearby buildings.

Kyaaakkkkk....!!

The monster emitted another triumphant shriek before turning to find Tsuna to end him.

"...Kyak?"

However, it was taken aback to find Tsuna's figure nowhere in sight.

Crack...

A sharp cracking sound echoed through the air, drawing the monster's attention.

It turned just in time to see concrete debris tumbling to the ground.

"I'm right here, you fool!"

Tsuna's voice rang out.

Then, without warning, a massive boulder of earth hurtled toward it from behind, aimed directly at its head.

BAM!

The impact sent the creature reeling, causing it to lose its balance mid-air and crash into another building, demolishing it once more.

Its enraged gaze fixated on Tsuna, who had appeared on the opposite side of the destroyed structure.

"Grrrrr...."

The monster emitted a low growl as it struggled to regain its footing.

It was visibly furious, its eyes blazing with anger as it glared at Tsuna.

"...That only tickled the bird, huh?"

Tsuna muttered, his voice was filled with exhaustion.

His body felt heavy, the strain of using his earth-bending abilities pushing him to the brink of passing out.

However...

Despite this, he didn't seem to be fazed at all by the looming threat before him.

Seeing someone suddenly appear atop the building the bird crashed in, Tsuna couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Are you okay, Saitama?"

He called out to Saitama, who rolled his eyes.

Saitama's response was punctuated by the sight of his torn tracksuit and blood trickling down from a wound on his head.

"That freaking hurts, you stupid bird!"

He shouted while holding a sharp and lengthy rebar in hand as Saitama leaped toward the monstrous bird, swiftly puncturing its eyes with the rebar.

Kyaaakkkk...!!!

The bird let out a pained shrill, caught off guard by Saitama's sudden attack.

As it writhed in agony, its massive body thrashed about, wreaking further havoc in its panicked state.

Blinded and disoriented, the creature's movements became increasingly erratic.

"You gotta finish him off now!"

"You think I wasn't trying!?"

Saitama's frustration boiled over, a vein bulging out of his temple as he clung tightly to the rebar embedded in the thrashing bird.

He turned to Tsuna, who appeared nonchalant on the other side of the building as if merely spectating.

"What are you doing? Help me!"

"...I can't move my body," Tsuna admitted honestly, his strength fading fast.

"Huh?"

"I think I'm about to pass out..."

"Fuck!"

Saitama cursed as he struggled against the thrashing bird.

"Push that rebar, puncture its brain..."

"Wait a minute, you're right!?"

Saitama's eyes widened with sudden understanding, cursing himself for not realizing it sooner.

He narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Time to die, birdie. Be my food, I'm starving!"

Using the force of the panicking monster, Saitama swung his body, gripping the rebar with both hands.

He drove it deeper into the bird's head until it protruded from the other side.

Kyaaakkkk...!!!

The monster let out a mournful shriek before its movements slowed, and it collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As Tsuna observed the fallen creature, its head suddenly twitched.

Saitama emerged from under, rolling his eyes at the monster, "Damn, I thought I was a goner..."

"Tsuna, can you turn this into a delicacy?"

"Don't fret about that. My cooking skills are more reliable than my earth bending."

"Earth bending? Is that what you call your peculiar telekinetic power?"

Tsuna nodded, pausing to take a deep breath, "Yeah, just give me a moment. I need to gather a bit more energy to move around."

"Got it."

With that, Saitama waited patiently for Tsuna to replenish his energy.

BOOM!

Just as Tsuna was about to move, a deafening explosion reverberated through the air.

Both of them turned to the horizon, where they spotted a pink colored monster wreaking havoc.

"Damn it, that's where I left that stranger earlier!"

Saitama exclaimed, realizing the danger. Turning to Tsuna, he spoke, "Tsuna, you stay put. I'll handle this alone."

Knowing Tsuna was in no condition to fight, Saitama dashed toward the monstrous creature that had suddenly appeared.

"Got it," Tsuna nodded, moving toward the thigh of the monster, "I don't know what kind of bird you are, but your thighs should be as tender as any other bird's..."

Tsuna began to skin the meat and collect it in a plastic bag.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city...

"Arghhh, my eyes, my eyes!"

King writhed on the ground, clutching at his eyes where visible claw-like wounds marked his flesh. His screams echoed through the desolate streets.

Unaware of the sounds of battle that had now ceased, King continued to writhe, his cries mingling with the sounds of destruction.

"Hey, dude, are you okay? Relax, I've taken care of that monster for you..."

Tears mixed with blood streaked King's face as he looked up to see a man approaching.

"...Uh? You are... that guy from earlier..."

King's vision was slightly blurry, but he recognized the person who had saved him earlier, but now the man appeared battered and worn.

King lay still, the pain ebbing slightly now that the monster was no longer a threat.

"...You should go get some treatment soon."

Saitama glanced at King's injured form, feeling a twinge of guilt for his suffering, especially since he was the one who put him there.

Footsteps approached, and a voice broke the silence.

"Hmm, you seem to be injured. Are you alright?"

Saitama turned to Tsuna as he shook his head, "I'm good, that pink monster was surprisingly fast. Gave me a bit of a hard time..."

"What... are you guys, really?"

King's voice trembled with confusion as he looked at Tsuna, his expression bewildered.

"Oh, well, I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun," Saitama replied nonchalantly.

Tsuna shrugged and added, "And I'm just a cook..."

"Wh...what?"

King's confusion deepened, but he was too exhausted to press further.

"Well, since I've gathered enough meat, let's head to your place for a barbecue," Tsuna spoke to Saitama as he raised the meat in the plastic bag in his hand.

"Alright..."

Saitama looked at the plastic bag and nodded.

"..."

He then glanced at the defeated monster demon before turning to King, feeling a pang of guilt for King's situation.

"We're about to cook some bird meat. Want to join us? Just come to this place if you're interested..."

Saitama scratched his head awkwardly as he then gave King the address.

He left King, who was trembling in fear, without waiting for King's reply as he departed with Tsuna.

King looked at those two figures, tears still streaming down his face, as he muttered, "What are these two people?"

A guy who's a hero for fun? And a cook?

Who would believe such nonsense?

These two weird yet strong people were baffling to him.