Chapter 193: Damn It All!!
Bang watched Garou's face—which currently looked like he was suffering from severe constipation—and couldn't stop himself from chuckling. The wrinkles on the old man's face stacked up like waves.
"It's fine. Even if the current S-Class Rank 1 is the Strongest Man on Earth, King, it doesn't change anything. You have to learn to believe in yourself, my boy."
Garou: "......"
This isn't a matter of 'believing in myself' anymore, okay?!
After witnessing the Battle of the Sun with his own eyes, Garou had internally deified King. He viewed the man as a terrifying, absolute existence that could never be surpassed.
And now he was being told that to achieve his dream of Absolute Evil, the first hurdle was to somehow defeat King?!
Seeing Garou's dejected state, Bang stroked his beard again and smiled.
"However... you don't need to worry too much. King won't stay in the Rank 1 spot for very long."
Hearing this, Garou looked up, confused.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Bang thought of that tall, golden-haired silhouette. A flash of "the youth shall surpass the old" sentiment crossed his eyes as he spoke unhurriedly:
"You must understand, a great existence like King—someone who has surpassed all of humanity—cannot be shackled by something as small as the Hero Association forever.
"If what you said is true, and King already possesses the strength to physically traverse the vacuum of space, his future stage will inevitably be the stars, not just this single planet."
As a martial arts grandmaster, Bang saw the truth clearly. When a man's power far exceeds the level he is currently in, he will eventually move upward; he won't stay stagnant forever.
Garou's eyes gradually brightened as he grasped Bang's logic.
"So you're saying... I just need to become an S-Class hero first, and once King moves on to a higher cosmic stage, I'll naturally become the new Rank 1?"
Bang nodded. The kid's comprehension was as sharp as ever; he picked things up fast.
"Exactly. Even if you can't match him now, as long as you keep training under me, the day King leaves the Association, you will be the logical successor for Rank 1."
This statement was about 90% truth and 10% lie. Bang couldn't help but smirk internally.
The logic was sound, but the lie lay in the timing: he had no idea when King would decide to stop being a hero. For all he knew, King might find it interesting and stay Rank 1 for the next hundred years.
But this was for the best. It gave Garou a goal to chase, a reason to keep moving forward.
Youth is truly wonderful...
Seeing Garou fired up again, Bang looked down at his own aged, withered palms and shook his head helplessly.
I'm old. This era belongs to the young. Old relics like me just need to support them from the shadows. That is enough.
Two weeks passed slowly.
During this time, the lives of the S-Class heroes underwent significant changes, while some things remained exactly the same.
Metal Bat remained an ultimate sis-con. However, after his two recent brushes with death, he cherished his little sister even more than before.
After all, if you're dead, you can't see the things you value most.
But if a disaster threatening human extinction ever appeared again, Metal Bat would still charge onto the battlefield without a second thought, despite his reluctance to leave her. The reason was simple: his sister was part of humanity too.
Watchdog Man returned to City Q. He resumed his role as the city's guardian deity, lying lazily atop his pedestal in the central plaza, soaking up the sun.
Pig God continued his endless eating and drinking. But unlike before, there was a sense of urgency in his heart. After facing a disaster that left him feeling powerless, he wanted to stack even more fat reserves to ensure his "Ultimate Move" would be powerful enough to protect humanity.
Metal Knight (Bofoi) was summoned by the Association's higher-ups after the City Z disaster. However, the cowardly executives didn't dare to actually scold him; they just politely asked him to "put in a bit more effort" in the future.
Tatsumaki remained S-Class Rank 2. She continued to be the public's most active hero, dealing with various monsters and disasters daily. Even as the Queen of ESP, she felt exhausted and irritable at times. But whenever she thought of a certain golden-haired Scarface sitting above her in the rankings, she was instantly refilled with motivation.
Atomic Samurai felt like a new man after his enlightenment, yet in some ways, he hadn't changed at all. In the past, he was arrogant, only shaking hands with the strong and drawing his blade at the slightest insult. Now, he was like a still lake. No matter how much the outside world prodded him, his heart remained calm. He wasn't emotionless; he was simply more grounded, his aura becoming steady and reliable.
Drive Knight managed to repair his mechanical body. He even added several extra components he'd salvaged, increasing his overall firepower by another tier.
Tanktop Master, since the City Z disaster, had been stuck as a one-meter-tall dwarf—and a freakishly muscular one at that. To avoid being laughed at and to rebuild his authority among the Tanktop Army, he became a shut-in. He spent every day consuming massive amounts of protein and training like a demon. After three weeks of effort, he finally grew ten centimeters. He was now a 1.1-meter-tall dwarf.
Superalloy Darkshine's muscles became even more brilliant. Attentive observers would notice that he had undergone a total metamorphosis from the inside out. He used to hide cowardice behind a mask of confidence, but now, he possessed genuine, unshakeable faith in his own muscles.
Zombieman, after witnessing the power displayed by King and Saitama, revisited a certain theory. He resolutely tracked down Dr. Genus, who was currently busy running a takoyaki stand. After hearing Zombieman's thoughts on the Limiter, Dr. Genus finally decided to temporarily put down the octopus flour and dedicate himself to helping Zombieman break his own biological limits.
Puri-Puri Prisoner, once his wounds healed, rushed back to the prison with a heart full of joy to find his "harem." But the moment he arrived, his subordinates tremblingly informed him that his "Second-in-Command" Garou and his "Most Graceful Darling" Sonic-chan had both escaped. In that moment, Prisoner's heart died.
Bang suspended all hero activities. Unless the world was ending, he refused to show his face. He spent every waking hour at the new dojo, carefully guiding the top disciple he had finally brought home: Garou. (On a side note, when Charanko returned from the evacuation and saw Garou, he nearly fainted from pure terror).
Child Emperor still didn't get along with Metal Knight. After seeing Bofoi contribute nothing to the Great War, the boy was convinced the man was a traitor to the species. However, the war had provided Child Emperor with a massive amount of inspiration, leading to a wave of technological innovations that took his gear to the next level.
Flashy Flash realized after the war that his speed was not the absolute peak of the world. Seeing others who could move even faster—or even suppress him entirely—he dug out his old ninja scrolls and began practicing like a man possessed, determined to reclaim his title as the fastest.
Whether it's that flame-monster, One Punch Man, or King... I will surpass them all!!
As for Blast, he vanished again after his public speech, disappearing from the public eye. Most assumed he had reunited with his specialized team to continue their war against GOD in the shadows.
Meanwhile, inside a certain bald man's home.
"DAMN IT ALL!!!"