Since they needed to have a hard-fought battle, Bang and Bomb set the duel location in the outskirts of Z-City.
After ending the call with Lynn, Bang looked to the side.
"Brother, Lynn said he's in A-City and needs some time to get here."
"It's fine. We'll wait here for a while."
Bomb stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the slightly dilapidated, deserted street below.
For some reason, after coming to the Z-City suburbs, he could always feel a faint, elusive sense of threat.
It was as if within this already abandoned area, some terrifying Monster was hidden in the shadows.
However, after scanning the area with his gaze, he couldn't find anything, as if it were just an illusion.
"Bang, do you feel it?"
"Of course, I do."
Bang walked over from behind: "Actually, there have always been various strange rumors about this area. The most exaggerated version is that the Z-City suburbs are the headquarters of the Monsters."
"However, the Hero Association sent people to investigate the situation a few times, but ultimately found nothing. Since no problems arose, they temporarily shelved the matter."
Unlike other cities, Z-City had the S-Class third-ranked Bang stationed there, so its safety rating was still very high.
As long as no major incidents occurred, the Hero Association would focus more energy on other cities.
For example, the gigantic Monster that appeared in D-City not long ago. Because D-City had no S-Class Hero guarding it, the Monster caused tens of thousands of people to vanish within a minute of appearing.
If it weren't for the timely arrival of S-Class seventh-ranked KING, D-City might have even been erased from the map by that Monster, and several surrounding cities would have been affected.
To reduce the occurrence of such incidents, the Hero Association would focus more energy on cities with insufficient combat power.
For a city like Z-City, which had an S-Class Hero stationed there and its safety rating maxed out, even if there were problems, they would be dealt with later.
"The Monster disasters have become increasingly severe in recent years. No wonder the Hero Association doesn't have the energy to investigate."
After hearing Bang's explanation, Bomb also understood why the Z-City suburbs, despite clearly having problems, hadn't been investigated.
Ultimately, it was due to a lack of manpower.
"By the way, Bang. I remember you mentioning before that Lynn's home is in this suburban area, right?"
"Mm, he said it's safer here."
"Safer?"
"Yeah, he said his neighbor is very strong. Living close to him gives a sense of security."
"..."
What kind of strange reason is that?
A strong neighbor? No matter how strong, could he possibly be stronger than Bang?
A flicker of doubt arose in Bomb's mind.
But before he could continue his inquiry, a thunderous boom sounded from behind them.
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
Bang and Bomb both paused in surprise.
Simultaneously halting their conversation, they turned to look behind them.
"Lynn, this is the right place, isn't it?"
"Correct, your navigation was spot on."
The dust slowly settled, revealing two figures walking out from within.
"Master, Uncle Bomb, I'm here."
Lynn greeted the two elders, then gestured with his hand towards the large bald man beside him.
"This is my neighbor, Saitama. I was just accompanying him to A-City for his Hero Association entrance exam."
"Hero Association exam?"
Bang couldn't help but give Saitama another look.
He hadn't expected the very subject of their discussion to appear right before his eyes the next second.
"How did it go? The results should be out by now."
"Mm, C-Class, rank 388."
"Hah?"
Bang's train of thought came to an abrupt halt.
You mean to say, a powerhouse so fast that even he couldn't react in time, is a C-Class Hero?
"Saitama didn't do too well on the written test."
Lynn succinctly added.
"Ah, I see."
Bang glanced at Saitama once more.
As a renowned martial arts grandmaster, Bang had been directly invited to join the Hero Association.
Precisely because of that, he couldn't fathom just how poorly one would have to perform on the written test to end up as a C-Class Hero.
"Never mind, let's get to the main business."
Suppressing his stirring curiosity, Bang gestured towards Bomb standing beside him.
"Lynn, you should be familiar with the Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist, right?"
"Of course. It's the fist technique created by Uncle Bomb, said to rival the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist in power."
"Correct. That is precisely why I called you here."
Bang didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
"Lynn, a true grandmaster of fist techniques must assimilate the essence of a hundred schools into one body, discarding the dross and retaining the essence to create a technique truly their own."
"As for the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist, you have already reached the limit of its conventional form. Now is the time to advance further, to learn the Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist from my elder brother."
As his words fell, Bomb stepped forward, a sharp aura emanating from him.
"Lynn, are you willing to learn the Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist from me?"
"Of course, I am."
Lynn also stepped forward.
With a top-tier fist technique being offered, there was naturally no reason to refuse.
"Since you chose this location for the meeting, the first lesson is a practical assessment to gauge my current level, right?"
"Correct. I need to understand your current strength to formulate a suitable training plan."
Bomb raised his fist. "I've heard you've already become an S-Class Hero. Show me your full power."
The next instant, Bomb took the initiative to attack. In a flicker, he appeared directly in front of Lynn.
His right hand formed into a hook-like claw, striking from Lynn's blind spot like an antelope hanging its horn, whipping up a fierce gale.
But at the same moment, golden lightning flickered. Lynn raised his left hand and precisely blocked Bomb's attack.
BOOM——!
A deafening roar erupted. Lynn channeled the force of the blow into his feet, causing the entire building to collapse.
"Huh?"
Saitama, not far away, blinked.
Watching the ground rapidly approaching beneath his feet, he crossed his arms, pondering whether to change his position.
But just then, a hand reached out from beside him, grabbing Saitama and pulling him onto the roof of the neighboring building.
"Let's watch from here. The angle is better."
"Oh, it really is."
Saitama nodded in agreement.
After destroying their original footing, Lynn and Bomb did not relocate the battlefield.
Using the debris of the building floating in mid-air as footholds, the two turned into afterimages, continuously clashing.
In just an instant, they had exchanged dozens of blows, the commotion immense and astonishing.
After standing and watching for a few seconds, he retracted his gaze and looked towards Bang, who had brought him up.
"Old man, is this the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist and Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes. Any thoughts?"
"Seems pretty average."
Saitama replied honestly.
Although Lynn and Bomb were moving fast, in his eyes, it wasn't much different from a snail's pace.
And with all the movements slowed down, the exquisite fist techniques just looked like ordinary punches to him.
One punch from you, one punch from me, occasionally adding some lightning for special effects... not even as interesting as watching Lynn cook.
"Average?"
On the other side, Bang was somewhat taken aback by Saitama's reply.
Accustomed to praise from his peers, hearing such an evaluation was quite a surprise.
However, being a martial arts grandmaster, Bang wouldn't get angry over a single comment. Instead, a flicker of curiosity appeared.
"Young friend, what exactly do you find average about the Flowing Water Crushing Rock Fist and the Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist?"
"They're just... average."
Saitama replied as if it were obvious.
Seeing this, Bang's curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and he proactively extended an invitation.
"Since you find them average, young friend, and we have nothing else pressing, how about sparring with me for a bit?"
...