A heavy silence settled over the conference room as every eye locked onto the note in Sitch's hand.
Even while choking on a lozenge, Shibabawa had forced herself to write a final message.
Sitch placed the note on the table and projected it for everyone to see.
"The future she saw with absolute certainty… it's this."
Five unsteady words appeared before the gathered heroes.
The Earth is doomed.
"What?" Metal Bat shot to his feet. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Puri-Puri Prisoner muttered under his breath, "That old lady's prophecies have never been wrong…"
Zombieman calmly lit a cigarette. "Then this isn't just another disaster."
King stood frozen, the low rumble of his Emperor Engine echoing through the room as sweat formed on his forehead.
Child Emperor frowned, his lollipop losing all appeal. "This is boring. I've got tutoring, can I leave?" He pointed at himself, trying to slip away unnoticed.
"Child Emperor," Sitch said flatly, "you're a genius, but if you can't grasp the scale of this, then you're still just a child."
"What did you say?!" Child Emperor snapped, jumping to his feet, face flushed.
Sitch raised a hand, silencing the room.
"Listen carefully. Shibabawa's predictions have always been accurate. She has foreseen countless disasters, many of which led to enormous casualties."
He paused, his expression grim.
"But she has never used the word 'doomed' before. That alone tells us this threat surpasses even a Dragon-level disaster."
A bead of sweat ran down his temple.
"And it will happen within six months."
"I get that," Watchdog Man said without emotion, "but that doesn't tell us when."
Flashy Flash crossed his arms. "So what's the plan?"
"For now, prepare yourselves. The battle could happen at any moment."
"Within six months means it could be today," a voice cut in.
The door opened, and Saitama and Genos stepped inside.
Sitch frowned. "And you two are?"
"We were sent by Sol-senpai," Genos replied.
Saitama scratched his head. "Guess I showed up at a good time."
Before anyone could respond, the entire building shook violently. The chandelier above them swung wildly.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The Hero Association headquarters trembled.
"An attack?" Genos instantly went on alert.
"Impossible," Superalloy Darkshine said firmly. "This is headquarters."
Outside, civilians stared up in terror.
High above, a monster hovered in the sky.
Another explosion slammed into the building.
"Pretty sturdy, aren't you?" the creature muttered.
It had red skin, white hair, and a golden crown resting on its head. Massive black wings stretched behind it, each feather gleaming coldly.
"Hahaha, let's charge in!" several smaller monsters gathered behind him, baring sharp teeth.
"Hawk, Igor, Falcon, Kate… once the heroes are gone, the surface is ours! Move out, follow me!"
The Sky King dove toward the building.
Then he stopped.
"…Boss, look up there."
"Huh?"
His body froze midair.
"I, the mighty Sky King… reduced to an insect…"
Sweat poured down his face, his eyes wide with fear.
A flash of white light cut through the sky.
His body split cleanly in two.
"Who…?"
His remains fell, lifeless.
Floating above the Hero Association was another figure.
Melzargard.
His massive body resembled layered stone, grotesque muscles stacked together. Five heads protruded unevenly from his shoulders, each with dark, hollow eye sockets that seemed to swallow light itself.
Vein-like patterns twisted across his faces, pulsing faintly.
His wings spread wide behind him, and the axe formed from his arm dripped with fresh blood.
"What was that?"
"No idea."
"It came near, so I killed it."
"Seems fine."
"Mission: protect the spaceship."
His five heads spoke over each other, voices overlapping in unsettling harmony.
Above City A, a vast shadow began to swallow the sky.
A colossal spaceship descended.
Its massive hull, scarred and weathered, blocked out the sun completely. Purple lightning flickered along its sides, gathering slowly.
Below, the city looked insignificant, like a fragile model.
Inside the headquarters, red emergency lights flickered on.
"Activating emergency power system," a mechanical voice announced.
Moments later, the lights stabilized.
"What just happened?" Sitch demanded. "Report!"
"All external communication is down," Okamoto replied. "No signals are getting through."
The heroes turned—
The conference room door was broken.
Sol was gone.
Only a note remained on the table.
Saitama, you two evacuate the citizens of City A immediately. Minimize casualties.
Tatsumaki's green hair whipped around her as she stood up abruptly. "Where did that idiot run off to?"
Metal Bat grinned, resting his bat on his shoulder. "Looks like the rookie beat us to it."
Bang stroked his beard, concern flickering in his eyes. "That boy… always the first to move."
Above the city, the massive ship loomed.
On top of a tall building, Sol Mirek stood against the wind, his black hair shifting as he stared up at it.
His eyes were sharp, focused.
"I have to stop that energy wave before it fires."
His fingers tightened slightly.
His communicator buzzed.
"Rookie! Where are you?" Tatsumaki's voice snapped through. "Get back here, now!"
Sol smirked faintly. "Miss me already?"
"Don't play around!"
"Alright, listen," he said, his tone sharpening just a little. "That ship is about to fire a large-scale energy blast. If it goes off, City A is finished. Evacuate everyone. Now."
A pause.
"How do you know that?" Tatsumaki asked, suspicion clear in her voice.
"No time to explain. Just trust me."
"…If you're wrong, I'll personally throw you out of the sky."
Sol chuckled. "Relax, I'll come back in one piece."
He crushed the communicator in his hand.
Then, without hesitation, he launched himself toward the spaceship.
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