"I need to make it…"
Sol Mirek tore through the sky, his body cutting a straight path toward the massive spaceship that blocked out the sun. A faint scarlet glow flickered in his eyes.
"If that cannon fires, City A is finished…"
Dark red energy leaked from his body, trailing behind him like a burning streak as he pushed his speed even further.
A sudden presence cut him off.
Melzargard appeared directly in his path. All five of his heads turned at once, and his axe-like arm rose high.
"Intruder, die."
Sol didn't slow down. Red markings spread across his body.
The axe came crashing down.
At the last instant, Sol shifted. Using the flowing redirection of Smashing Fist, he deflected the strike and drove his fist into Melzargard's abdomen.
Bang.
The impact sent Melzargard flying, but the monster quickly regained balance. His five heads twisted into grins.
"Interesting. This human has some skill."
Sol didn't waste time. He shot forward again toward the spaceship.
Then Melzargard's body split apart.
Five separate clones surrounded him instantly.
Sol exhaled lightly. "Yeah, that's annoying."
A psychic barrier formed around him as he was forced to halt.
Back at the Hero Association headquarters, alarms blared.
"All S-Class heroes, deploy immediately!" Sitch's voice echoed through the building. "City A is under attack. This is not a drill!"
Tatsumaki rose into the air, her power tearing open the ceiling above her. "I'm going ahead."
She vanished in a streak of green light.
Bang glanced at Genos. "Shall we move together?"
Genos nodded. "Of course, Silver Fang."
Saitama stretched slightly. "I'll help Sol handle things."
High above the city, Sol clashed with the five Melzargard clones.
Even outnumbered, he held the advantage. His movements were precise, his strikes clean. But every time he dealt damage, the monsters regenerated almost instantly.
His eyes flicked toward the underside of the spaceship.
Energy was gathering.
"I don't have time for this."
Dark armor spread across his body in an instant, black and red merging over him. His aura surged sharply.
The clones paused, their expressions tightening.
"This one isn't ordinary," one muttered.
Sol moved.
He launched himself forward like a fired shell, combining the redirection of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist with the explosive force of Exploding Heart Release Fist.
His punch slammed into a clone's chest.
Bang.
The body caved inward and was sent flying, but it began regenerating almost immediately.
"It's useless," another clone said, rushing him. "We can't be killed."
"We'll see."
The markings on his armor brightened, heat rising in the air around him.
He stopped holding back.
With Mark Mode and Demon Back fully active, his speed spiked again.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three heavy blows shattered three clones in quick succession.
Using the opening, Sol shot straight toward the bottom of the spaceship. The energy there was nearing its peak.
"Stop him!"
All five clones rushed him again.
Scarlet light flared in Sol's eyes as a burst of energy exploded outward from his armor, forcing them back just long enough.
He accelerated again, cutting through the sky like a black streak.
A green blur rose rapidly to meet him.
Tatsumaki.
Her psychic force surged outward, slamming into the pursuing clones and sending them flying.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
Sol didn't stop. "Busy saving your city."
Tatsumaki clicked her tongue. "Don't joke around."
"The ship's about to fire," he said, voice steady. "We stop it now or we're picking up pieces later."
She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"
"No time. Just trust me."
For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Then her expression hardened. "Fine. I'll back you up."
The two surged forward side by side toward the glowing underside of the ship. A deep purple light had already begun to form.
Melzargard's clones tried to intercept again, but Tatsumaki's psychic power crushed them back.
"Go," she said.
Sol nodded.
His armor flared as he pushed to full output, charging straight toward the energy core. He could feel it reaching its limit.
Almost there.
Energy gathered into his right fist.
At the same moment, Tatsumaki's psychic force condensed beside him.
They struck together.
A massive explosion tore through the air.
The spaceship shook violently. The energy cannon fired, but its trajectory twisted off course, the beam cutting across the sky and missing the heart of City A. It struck a distant mountain range instead, carving out a massive crater.
The city still took damage, but it survived.
Sol exhaled. "That worked."
Then his eyes shifted.
The ship reacted immediately. Alarms blared as more enemies poured out from inside.
Melzargard's clones broke free again, charging forward.
Sol rolled his shoulder slightly.
He glanced at Tatsumaki. "You handle tearing this thing apart. I'll clean up inside."
Without waiting, he moved toward the opening.
"Hey!" Tatsumaki snapped.
He paused just enough to glance back, a faint grin on his face. "Try not to miss me too much."
Then he disappeared into the ship.
Tatsumaki's expression tightened slightly before she looked away, focusing on the battle.
"If he comes back injured…" she muttered.
Her power surged violently.
She raised both hands, and a massive wave of psychic force slammed into the ship's hull.
The metal screamed as a huge section was torn open.
Enemy troops rushed out, only to be crushed instantly by her power.
Her communicator crackled.
"Tatsumaki! Where are you? We need backup!" Metal Bat's voice came through.
"Handle it yourself," she snapped, cutting the line.
Her gaze lingered on the opening Sol had entered.
"…Idiot."
She clenched her fist, green energy spiraling around her like a storm.
"Don't you dare come out of this in pieces."