At that moment, an invisible fear, like a materialized tsunami, instantly engulfed the entire conference room.
Crimson-gold aura surged, and faintly, a phantom of an Emperor seemed to appear behind Kaito.
Except for Agoni and a few other executives who supported Kaito, the color drained from the faces of the remaining high-ranking officials. Their pupils dilated and scattered in extreme terror.
They felt as though their souls were gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, then dragged into a boundless abyss of fear. There, they seemed to witness the ultimate vision of the universe's annihilation, their own bodies turning to dust.
Under the crushing pressure, some lost control of their bladders on the spot. Others collapsed to the ground like mud, and even more suffered complete mental breakdowns, letting out hysterical screams.
Just five seconds later, as the roar of the Emperor Engine slowly subsided, only heavy breathing and suppressed sobs remained in the conference room.
"Now," Kaito's voice was terrifyingly calm, "execute the A-City evacuation plan. Immediately. Right now."
All dissent vanished, leaving only bone-deep fear and absolute, unquestioning obedience to his words.
Thus, a large-scale civilian evacuation operation was swiftly launched under official guidance.
Of course, there were inevitably stubborn individuals unwilling to leave their homes, or scoffing at the so-called "alien invasion."
Regarding this, Kaito's mindset was clear: let go of the urge to help others—respect their fate. He had done what he should, fulfilling his benevolence and righteousness. Those destined to die could not be saved.
"Child Emperor."
Kaito walked behind the Child Emperor, who was engrossed in his design frenzy, and patted his small shoulder.
"Don't stay up too late. Tomorrow… there might be a 'tough battle' to watch."
The Child Emperor didn't turn his head. His small hands flew across the virtual screen, leaving streaks of afterimages.
"Don't worry, King! I'll definitely finish the core module tonight! You go rest first!"
Kaito nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the brightly lit laboratory.
From the perspective of the human camp, with Saitama facing Boros's space pirate crew in tomorrow's battle, others indeed only needed to be spectators.
But Kaito had many things to worry about.
He had to carefully plan how to let the bald great demon "leak" a few high-level monsters during the battle without expanding the scope of the disaster, so he could harvest enough deterrence points.
And to achieve this, he would also have to persuade other heroes to cooperate in the encirclement—already a headache just thinking about it.
The next morning, Hero Association Headquarters in A-City.
Kaito arrived at the headquarters building early.
The morning mist shrouded the city. Once-bustling streets now appeared unusually empty and quiet. Only sporadic transport vehicles and fully armed Association staff moved about, and the air was filled with tension and unease.
Agoni was already waiting at the main entrance.
This usually composed executive now had enormous dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was somewhat disheveled, clear evidence that he had been awake all night.
Upon seeing Kaito, he hurried forward, his face etched with unconcealed anxiety.
"King! Things have gotten worse! Grandma Shibabawa still choked to death on water this morning!"
"Choked… to death on water?" Kaito's brows furrowed.
He remembered in the original timeline, this old woman with powerful prophetic abilities died from a throat lozenge. To avoid this outcome, he had specifically reminded Agoni, requesting strengthened supervision—especially emphasizing no candies or snacks that might get stuck in her throat—to ensure her safety and allow her to issue the warning.
He thought changing the cause of death would change the outcome.
But the result? The candy was prevented, yet a glass of water was not.
What was this? Death's dark humor? Fate's forced convergence line?
"Yes… water… The guardians followed all your instructions, eliminating all solid snacks."
Agoni sighed heavily, frustration etched in every word. "Who would have thought… just when she took her first sip of water this morning… something went wrong. Sigh!"
"Forget it. What's done is done. Lamenting won't help."
Kaito's voice was calm, carrying a strange, reassuring weight.
"Agoni, make the final preparations according to the highest contingency plan."
Walking into the Association building, Kaito's first glance caught Atomic Samurai leaning casually against a prominent spot.
This S-Class Hero, ranked fourth, the Sword Saint, had a particularly eye-catching look today.
He wore an old, dark red ronin cloak, with an ancient katana at his waist and a newly replaced wooden stick in his mouth, radiating a sharp sword aura.
Clearly, he too had received the S-Class summons and rushed back after hastily ending his rigorous training. And the fact that he was waiting at the headquarters entrance instead of going to the conference room for morning tea was self-explanatory.
"King!"
Atomic Samurai's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing Kaito walk in.
His gaze swept over Kaito's entire body, pausing especially on the thick calluses on Kaito's right hand's tiger's mouth from frequent sword practice. A hint of realization flashed in his eyes.
"I sense your aura has become even more profound… It seems that while I was rigorously training to catch up to you, you weren't standing still either!"
"Atomic Samurai, long time no see." Kaito stepped forward to greet him.
But Atomic Samurai seemed completely absorbed in his own theatrics. He suddenly clenched one hand into a fist against his heart, pointed the other to the sky, and looked up with a tragic expression.
"Ah! It seems my rigorous training with my disciples cannot stop! King, one day I will approach your back! By then, let us have a fair and square duel!"
His exaggerated performance drew curious stares from the Association staff passing through the lobby.
Kaito's mouth twitched slightly.
When he read the original manga, how had he not noticed that Atomic Samurai was also such a drama queen? These chuunibyou-level lines and actions were even more exaggerated than the Child Emperor's.
Just as Kaito was wondering whether to play along, a charming green figure floated over from the elevator.
"King! Why are you only just arriving!"
Tatsumaki hovered in mid-air, hands on her hips, her small face full of dissatisfaction.
She wore her signature black high-slit cheongsam, revealing a pair of astonishingly long legs beneath the skirt. Her curly green hair floated as though alive.
"I specifically dealt with a disaster early and rushed back, I've been waiting for you for a while!"
She pouted, her voice carrying a clear childish petulance.
Kaito immediately understood that the "disaster" she spoke of was likely the Demon-Level monster, Ancient King, who had awakened from the glacier. In the original work, this so-called "Earth native," the leader of the dinosaur race, was indeed dealt with effortlessly by Tatsumaki.
"I heard you summoned a meteor and directly smashed Ancient King to death?" Kaito feigned surprise. "That's a strong enemy even I would find tricky to fight! Tatsumaki, your strength is truly remarkable."
This perfectly timed flattery made Tatsumaki's emerald eyes light up instantly.
What she couldn't resist most was recognition of her strength—especially from someone like King.
"Hmph! Th-those are just small fries!" She tried to suppress the urge to smile, waving her small hand while forcing herself to maintain an arrogant expression. "They're not tough at all! I just summoned a few meteors and dealt with them!"
Although she said this, before entering the conference room she secretly pulled Kaito's hand.
This subtle gesture left Atomic Samurai, who had been waiting for Bang to arrive and pull off another cool move, completely dumbfounded.
This hot-tempered young lady actually took someone else's hand voluntarily?
Tatsumaki herself didn't realize that whenever she was with Kaito, she felt an unprecedented sense of joy—both physically and mentally. It was like finding a kindred spirit, someone who both understood her and wasn't afraid of her power.
Her emerald-like eyes flickered slightly, and a bold idea suddenly popped into her mind.
She had heard that Fubuki recently moved next door to King… so should she also find a reason to "take care of her foolish sister" and move there?
As soon as this thought appeared, Tatsumaki's small face flushed red.
She quickly shook her head, trying to banish the "absurd" idea from her mind—but deep down, she had already quietly marked down this plan.
Patreon Rene_chan, support