"What? You're saying Jovian already went ahead?"
When the S-Class heroes gathered at the Hero Association again, and heard from the executives that Jovian had already left for the Monster Association, they all stiffened in shock.
"Why wasn't I told something this important in advance?" Tatsumaki folded her arms, and a terrifying wave of psychic pressure burst out of her, crashing down on the executives to show exactly how unhappy she was.
"Because we still didn't know the enemy's true danger level," Sitch said, forcing himself to speak under that pressure. "We couldn't accurately measure the gap between us and them. We couldn't be sure you wouldn't lose contact with us the way Metal Knight did, so we decided to keep quiet about Jovian leaving early."
"Huh?" Metal Bat snapped, gripping his bat and pointing it at Sitch. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You're saying we're not as good as Jovian? That something that might get us killed can't do anything to him?"
"Who do you think I am? Don't underestimate my backbone!"
"Heh…"
The S-Class heroes around him all let out cold laughs.
Compared to Jovian, they weren't even playing the same sport. He was a being operating on a completely different level.
"No," Sitch said firmly. "We can't confirm there isn't something in there that could defeat Jovian."
"But if the strongest hero on Earth falls… then the Hero Association—no, all of humanity on the surface—will be left to the people in this room to protect."
"In other words, all of you are humanity's last line of defense."
"…"
For a moment, the entire conference room went quiet. The pressure hit all at once.
If even the strongest hero on Earth—Godslayer Jovian—could fall… then what could they possibly do against an enemy capable of defeating him?
Maybe Earth really would be finished.
That kind of pressure started spreading through everyone's chest like a slow leak that turned into a flood.
Chomp… chomp… chomp…
While the S-Class heroes wrestled with that nightmare scenario, a bald guy sitting in Genos's usual seat was chewing gum loud enough to be obnoxious, making constant choppy clicking noises.
"Hey! Shut up for a minute!" Tatsumaki barked at Saitama. "You're being insanely loud. Can't you see everyone's trying to think?"
"Oh no… Saitama is butting heads with Tatsumaki again," King thought, sweating internally. "This is bad. If those two actually fight, the whole Association is going to vanish."
"So what have you all been worrying about this whole time?" Saitama said, slumped over the table, bored out of his mind as he blew a bubble.
"How is Jovian supposed to lose?"
"If I'd known Jovian already went to the Monster Association and we were just going to sit here waiting for him to come back, I wouldn't have shown up."
"This is stupidly boring…"
"Hmph." Tatsumaki glanced at him, and for once, the baldy seemed… slightly less annoying. "You're kind of dumb, and you've got zero hair, but at least you've got a little sense."
"Careful," Saitama said, his eyes sharpening. "That's the kind of thing that makes me mad."
"Like the baldy said," Tatsumaki declared, ignoring him and smiling at the others, "how could Jovian possibly lose? That idea doesn't even make sense."
"Jovian is invincible. The strongest hero can't be defeated by monsters."
"R-right…" Superalloy Darkshine nodded hard, fully on board. After witnessing Jovian's godlike fight with Boros, Jovian had basically become a myth in his head. He genuinely believed nothing in this world could be stronger than him.
"Yeah… fair," others murmured, nodding along. Even Metal Bat didn't argue. He talked tough, but ever since Jovian beat Boros, he'd known the gap was real.
After all, Boros was the kind of enemy who nearly destroyed Earth with shockwaves alone. You don't beat that with "backbone."
BOOM!
Right as the room buzzed with discussion, a thunderous blast erupted overhead.
The entire Hero Association base trembled.
Then the ceiling exploded open. Dust poured down, and two figures landed directly on the table where the S-Class heroes had been meeting.
"Enemy attack?" the S-Class heroes jolted, instantly thinking the same two words.
After all, they'd just been talking about what would happen if Jovian lost.
Bang moved first, planting his feet.
"Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!" he snapped, adopting his stance. Even if the enemy was impossible, he'd still gamble his life.
"Hmph." Tatsumaki's psychic power flared in vivid green light. She wanted to see what kind of idiot dared break into the Hero Association right in front of her.
The rest of the S-Class heroes tensed, ready to swarm if anything went wrong.
"It's me," a voice said.
The dust cleared, revealing a white fur-lined coat, a powerfully built body, and a handsome face.
"Jovian?!" everyone blurted.
The room relaxed instantly. Once they realized it was Jovian who'd blown through the ceiling, they finally exhaled.
"If you're here, Jovian," Bang said, hands behind his back, eyebrow lifting, "then that means…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but nobody needed him to. Everyone understood.
"Yeah," Jovian said, expression flat. "The Monster Association has been completely wiped out."
"Hiss…"
The room collectively sucked in a breath.
"That Monster Association Metal Knight said had at least seven Dragon-level monsters… and might even be hiding something beyond Dragon capable of destroying Earth…" one executive muttered in disbelief. "You erased it in under half an hour?"
Jovian's fight with Boros had happened in space, and for the executives it had always felt distant—spectacular, sure, but hard to feel as real.
This, though?
This made it real.
Jovian didn't waste time on their shock. He turned and tossed the unconscious Psykos off his shoulder toward Tatsumaki.
"Tatsumaki, you're in charge of keeping her locked down. Don't let her out of your sight."
Tatsumaki lifted a hand, and Psykos floated in midair.
"Huh? Who is she?" Tatsumaki frowned. Psykos looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"She's the mastermind behind the Monster Association," Jovian said. "A powerful esper."
"That's why she's your problem. In this building, only you—the strongest psychic on Earth—can keep her contained."
Tatsumaki ignored everything except the part she liked.
"Ugh, fine," she said, delighted anyway, patting her flat chest like she'd been given a medal. "Leave her to me. I'll straighten out this idiot who thinks she can do whatever she wants just because she has powers."
"Sitch," Jovian said, turning to him, "use this moment to inform the S-Class heroes about the Hero Association expansion plan."
"I understand," Sitch said with a quick nod.
"One more thing," Jovian added, looking at Genos and Child Emperor. "You two—contact Dr. Kuseno and Dr. Bofoi. You should be able to reach them, right?"
"I already informed Dr. Kuseno," Genos said. "He said if you want to meet him, he's available anytime. He's looking forward to meeting you."
Jovian shifted his gaze. "Child Emperor?"
"Uh…" Child Emperor looked frustrated. "I notified Dr. Bofoi, but I can't guarantee he'll respond. Even though I used to be his assistant, getting in touch with him is still really hard. So… please wait a moment."
Jovian nodded once. He was willing to give Bofoi five seconds. If Bofoi didn't value the opportunity, then Jovian would drop the idea of recruiting him.
Five seconds later…
Just as Jovian's patience hit zero, Child Emperor's device pinged.
"Dr. Bofoi said he agrees to speak with you," Child Emperor reported. "But he can't come in person. He wants to communicate through a video call."
"Fine," Jovian said. "Have him contact Dr. Kuseno. The three of us will hold a meeting."
"Okay," Child Emperor nodded quickly.
Another five seconds passed.
"Dr. Bofoi agreed," Child Emperor said, giving Jovian a strange look. "He'll notify Dr. Kuseno himself, and he wants to start the meeting in ten minutes."
It was the first time Child Emperor had ever seen Bofoi respond this fast—or follow anyone else's suggestion.
"Mm," Jovian acknowledged.
"Jovian, this is for you," Child Emperor said, handing him a tablet. "Dr. Bofoi will use this to connect with you."
"Alright." Jovian took it.
Then, holding the tablet in one hand and the dog in the other, he faced the stunned heroes.
"Now," Jovian said, "I'm going to explain the Hero Association expansion plan."
He turned his head slightly.
"Phoenix Man—sit down and listen too. You'll want to hear this."
"Uh… okay." Phoenix Man nodded and hopped down from the table, finding an empty seat.
"Listen carefully," Jovian said. "After you hear what I'm about to say, I want everyone to stay rational. Don't panic. Don't lose your heads."
"The Earth we live on is only one of countless Earths in the multiverse."
"That means that beyond our universe, there are countless parallel worlds similar to ours. Most of them run alongside each other without interference… but exceptions can happen."
"I am that exception."
"My power has caused universes that would never have met to overlap. In other words, the doors between universes—between Earths—won't stay locked anymore."
"They'll be wide open."
"And when those doors open, worlds can exchange opportunities up close… but it also means truly evil forces can bring disasters that threaten the entire multiverse."
"To deal with those future disasters, I'm going to create a larger Hero Association under my command—one that unites humanity across the multiverse to confront every threat we may face."
Jovian looked at the heroes whose mouths were hanging open and asked, calmly and cleanly:
"All in favor? Anyone opposed?"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 10 extra free chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810.