When the Hero Association's expansion announcement—and a portion of the multiverse concept—reached the heroes and the public, the entire world erupted.
"Another world…?"
"That's actually interesting."
A man with sharp, white V-shaped hair looked at the recruitment ad printed in the newspaper and smiled.
"Guess I'll adjust the original plan. I'll figure out what this 'other world' is first… then I'll start my hero hunt."
He folded the paper neatly and placed it into the arms of a hero in a combat suit who'd been beaten to a swollen, unrecognizable mess and was barely conscious.
"Thanks for the newspaper, hero."
The man pulled a cloth from his pocket, wiped the fresh red off his hands, then casually flicked the rag into the air. Wearing black cloth shoes that looked like old-school canvas slip-ons, he walked off into the distance.
"Another world?!"
"Sounds fun."
"Now that I think about it, that martial arts tournament suddenly seems… boring."
"Alright. Strategy change. I'll drop the tournament and go see this other world."
A handsome man in a martial arts uniform, long hair tied back, looked at the paper and immediately decided to withdraw from the tournament he'd signed up for that morning.
To him, the tournament would be pointless—he'd win anyway. Much better to be among the first to "eat the crab" and see what this so-called other world was really like.
He wasn't interested in Hero Association missions at all. He just wanted to see a new world.
His sense of adventure had been lit on fire.
People like him—driven by curiosity—and others driven by darker motives… all began gathering.
The moment the door to the multiverse opened, countless people with ulterior motives—those hoping to strike it rich in another world, or fulfill hidden goals—swarmed toward the Hero Association.
All of them planned to use Jovian's power to get what they wanted.
But Jovian wasn't someone you "used."
He gave the Hero Association three full days to mobilize.
When the three days ended and Jovian arrived, he found more than a hundred "strong people" who believed they had the right to follow him into another world.
"Looks like you're all ready," Jovian said, sweeping his gaze across their faces.
"Mm." The gathered heroes nodded as one, showing their resolve.
"Then…" Jovian said.
"Follow me."
A door appeared behind him—standing upright in midair inside the hall.
No walls around it.
No room behind it.
Just a door standing there, impossibly.
And when Jovian opened it—
On the other side was an endless white glow, so bright it erased direction itself.
"Anyone with real courage," Jovian said flatly, "come with me."
Then he stepped through without hesitation.
A final test.
"Uh…"
"He just went in?"
"That's really a new world?"
"What if it's a trap?"
The heroes stared at the ordinary-looking door, hesitating. Even now, some still believed the whole "multiverse" thing might be a scam.
"How embarrassing," Tatsumaki said coldly, her voice dripping with disdain.
The heroes flinched. They wanted to argue… but she was Tatsumaki.
They didn't have the guts.
"I'll go first," Tatsumaki said. "I'll see what's on the other side."
"And you cowards can stay here like turtles and shake."
She flew through the door.
"Let's move," the S-Class heroes followed immediately, one after another.
Soon the S-Class heroes vanished into the glowing doorway.
"Alright…" others murmured.
"The S-Class went in. If anything goes wrong, they'll be the ones holding up the sky. We're already here—no point freaking out now."
And with that, the rest of the heroes—and people who'd passed the Association's screening through other channels, each carrying their own motives—walked into the shining passage.
When they emerged…
They stood on a massive metallic plaza packed with futuristic design and hard sci-fi atmosphere.
"So this is the new world?"
"This is insane…"
"This place is… interesting."
The heroes looked around, taking it all in.
"Welcome to my world."
A surround-sound voice boomed from all directions.
Above them, behind a glass wall, Jovian stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching them.
Behind him stood four scientists in white coats:
Jack, Dr. Genus, Dr. Bofoi, and Dr. Kuseno.
"From today on," Jovian said, "you are members of the Multiverse Hero Association."
"I expect you to follow its rules."
Meaning: my rules.
"Our goal is simple—build an ultimate universe where humanity rules, and all humans can live in peace and security."
"I'll answer the questions you're about to ask before you ask them."
"First: to execute the world-peace plan efficiently, your actions will be managed as a unified force."
"In other words, independent operations are over."
"Second: coming here doesn't mean you'll never go back to your original world. We'll assign each hero a reasonable amount of return time."
"That time is based on rank. Higher rank means more rights. Lower rank means fewer rights."
"S-Class heroes—except when you're forcibly summoned or handling special operations—are not allowed to travel to other worlds without approval."
"Otherwise, we won't restrict your freedom."
"But the lowest-tier C-Class heroes will be managed like a military unit. Anything you do requires permission from your superior."
"Understood?"
"So everything comes down to strength?" a man with white V-shaped hair raised his hand and asked.
"Yes," Jovian answered. Two words. No extra.
"Good." The man smiled in satisfaction. "No further questions."
A world where the strong ruled and the weak obeyed—perfect.
Most of the others didn't say much either. Anyone who came this early believed they were strong enough. Many of them truly thought they wouldn't lose to S-Class heroes.
"How do we become S-Class?" someone asked loudly.
"We aren't officially ranked since we weren't originally in the Hero Association—but we don't think we're weaker than S-Class!"
"That's easy," Jovian said.
"Fight."
"I'm giving you one hour. Whoever is still standing at the end becomes S-Class."
"And don't try the childish trick where everyone stands still so you can all 'pass' together."
"If you do that, I'll mark every single one of you as unqualified and exclude you from S-Class."
"Here's the number: twenty."
"If more than twenty are still standing, then everyone is eliminated. That's it."
Jovian smiled lightly, turned around, and left.
"Hey—what?!"
"You're making us fight immediately?"
"That's insane!"
Some heroes shouted after him, furious.
"If you're 'heroes' who won't even fight," the white V-haired man laughed, "what are you going to do when you face real monsters?"
He clamped both hands on the back of two heroes' heads.
Then slammed their faces into the ground.
Two candidates eliminated in a single breath.
"If you're scared," he said cheerfully, "run away."
"You think the enemies we'll face later are going to be gentle?"
Tatsumaki floated with her arms crossed. A single glance—and several nearby competitors dropped like puppets with their strings cut.
"Hahaha," Atomic Samurai laughed, katana in hand, "this is exactly what I'd expect from Jovian. Right from the start, it's different. But it's fun."
He moved like a flash, cutting apart the equipment of several former A-Class heroes.
"Everyone move!" Tanktop Master, Superalloy Darkshine, and Puri-Puri Prisoner flexed like lunatics, pushing opponents away with brute presence and sheer force.
The other former S-Class heroes also displayed terrifying combat skill.
S-Class heroes weren't S-Class by accident.
…Okay. There was one exception.
Thump… thump… thump…
In the center of the battlefield, a man with long blond hair and three scars over his right eye stood with his arms crossed, completely still.
"Ha!" a man with hurricane-like speed grinned, staring at that man's back. "It's King. He's turned away from me—perfect chance!"
He intended to eliminate the strongest man on Earth first.
But as he moved in to strike, he heard it.
A sound like war drums.
Thump… thump… thump…
His body froze.
"That's—there's no mistake…"
"The King Engine!"
"That man… the strongest man… he entered combat mode?!"
"So he noticed me…"
"Of course he did. He's the strongest man alive."
"But if he noticed… why is he still showing me his back?"
"Unless…"
The attacker's face changed as the realization hit him.
"I get it… your power is too great, so you refuse to hurt me."
"That's why you activated the King Engine—to warn me."
"King… I'll admit it. I'm not on your level."
He clenched his fist, looked at King's back with respect, then vanished like wind to attack other heroes instead.
"Holy shit…"
"Why did they start fighting instantly?!"
"This is terrifying!"
Meanwhile, the King who inspired that deep respect was very close to pissing himself.
He stood frozen, not because he was confident—because his legs were so scared they wouldn't move.
But in everyone else's eyes, King's stillness became "mercy."
He refused to hurt them, so he let them fight it out themselves.
Explosions.
Impacts.
Screams.
In just half an hour, the fight was decided.
At the end, the twenty still standing were—
Tatsumaki, Atomic Samurai, Flashy Flash, Genos, King, Pig God, Drive Knight, Superalloy Darkshine, Puri-Puri Prisoner, Child Emperor, Tanktop Master, and Metal Knight's robot—every former S-Class hero advanced.
Saitama advanced without surprise, finally becoming an S-Class hero like he always wanted.
The martial artist Suiryu advanced.
The martial artist Garou advanced.
Psykos—who'd been hung up and "disciplined" by Tatsumaki for three straight days—advanced.
Fubuki, brought along to see the new world, advanced too—with Psykos's "help," and Tatsumaki quietly watching her back.
Phoenix Man advanced.
And Speed-o'-Sound Sonic—who chased Saitama here—advanced.
These were the new Hero Association's S-Class members.
"Damn it… I lost…" Choze—instantly one-shot by Garou—collapsed on the ground, filled with bitterness.
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