The heavy alloy door slid open silently, and Kaito stepped into the S-Class Heroes' exclusive meeting room, with Tatsumaki floating close behind him.
Four S-Class Heroes had already arrived and taken their spots in the wide chamber.
Kaito's calm gaze swept across them before he gave a polite nod in greeting.
Zombieman leaned against a leather sofa in the corner, his brown trench coat draped casually over his shoulders. Under the dim light, his pale face looked especially grim. He gave Kaito a slight nod in return.
Pig God's enormous frame nearly covered two seats. He was busy shoving monster-meat hamburgers into his mouth, grease dripping down his chin. When he noticed Kaito's glance, he grinned sheepishly, then went back to chewing.
Superalloy Darkshine stood proudly by the window, his muscles gleaming like polished steel under the lights. He flexed, striking bodybuilding poses against the glass, admiring his own flawless reflection with intoxicated satisfaction.
Watchdog Man sat quietly at the conference table, his furry paws resting neatly on his knees. His cartoonish face—eerily similar to Saitama's—remained blank, his head tilted slightly in bored silence.
Without a word, Kaito pulled out a chair and sat down. Tatsumaki huffed in irritation at the heroes who had ignored her, then floated to the seat beside Kaito, arms crossed, short legs swinging as she settled in with a pout.
Over the next thirty minutes, the door opened again and again as the rest of the S-Class gathered.
Among them, the one Kaito paid most attention to was the Child Emperor.
The boy had heavy dark circles under his eyes, his hair sticking out like a bird's nest.
"King! King!" the Child Emperor called, jogging eagerly toward Kaito. "Look! I rushed and rushed, and finally finished it before the meeting!"
He carefully produced a pair of holographic glasses from his bag and held them out, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"That function you asked me to add—it's complete! I even upgraded it further, embedding the latest battlefield environment perception AI and a neural feedback system!"
Kaito looked at the boy's bloodshot eyes and weary face. He immediately understood—Child Emperor had pulled another all-nighter for this.
Smiling gently, Kaito accepted the glasses and ruffled the boy's messy hair. "You've worked hard. I'm very pleased with your effort—and the result."
"Hehe, it's nothing! For Mr. King, everything is worth it!" Child Emperor's little face lit up in a proud grin.
Tatsumaki leaned closer, poking at the high-tech device with one finger. "Hey, brat, what kind of flashy new toy is this supposed to be?"
"This isn't just some toy!" Child Emperor puffed out his chest, planting his fists on his hips. "It's a groundbreaking invention—an ultimate creation that will make those monsters tremble in absolute fear!"
With that, he launched into a lecture, spouting dense technical jargon at machine-gun speed. His voice was brimming with pride as if declaring to the world: I am a genius.
At first, Tatsumaki tried to follow along, eyes narrowing in concentration. But soon her emerald eyes swirled in confusion, her head tilting back as if she were asking the heavens, Who am I? Where am I? What is he even talking about?
"Stop, stop, stop! You're so noisy!" she snapped, waving a hand. "What's with all this chaotic… module array nonsense? I don't care! Don't bother me with this junk!"
Child Emperor froze, then reluctantly closed his mouth. A few seconds later, he collapsed onto the table, already fast asleep.
Kaito shook his head fondly and draped his jacket over the boy to keep him from catching cold.
Just then, the door opened once more.
Saitama, Bang, and Genos entered.
Saitama scratched his bald head lazily as his eyes wandered across the luxurious chamber. Bang's expression was stern, while Genos scanned the room sharply before lowering his gaze respectfully toward Kaito.
Seeing them arrive, Kaito's lips curved into a warm smile.
"Brother Saitama, old man Bang, Genos," he greeted brightly. "You've come too."
With the exception of the mysterious Blast—ranked first—and Metal Knight, ranked sixth, who never appeared in person, every contactable S-Class Hero was now gathered.
Within the meeting room, the most powerful individuals on Earth sat together. Their presences clashed and mingled, pressing down on the air with the tension of an oncoming storm.
Moments later, heavy footsteps echoed against the floor. Agoni, the Association Chairman, entered surrounded by a cluster of grim-faced staff.
"Everyone, I apologize for the delay," Agoni began, his voice carrying the weight of urgency. "Metal Knight and Blast remain unreachable. We cannot wait any longer—this emergency meeting begins now."
He strode directly to the central seat, hands pressing against the polished table as his gaze swept across the heroes before him—the strongest warriors humanity had to offer.
"I, Agoni, will explain the situation without delay. Let's get straight to the point."
Taking a deep breath, he drew a sheet of paper from his jacket and held it up for all to see. Across it, written in large, uneven characters, were the words:
Earth is in danger.
Agoni's tone grew sharper. "According to the prophecy of Madam Shibabawa—and intelligence provided in advance by Kaito—a group of space pirates will soon descend upon Earth, most likely targeting A-City. The estimated threat level is…"
He paused, his words ringing out like a hammer.
"Dragon-level… or higher!"
His voice rose, echoing off the walls. "The reason we've summoned the top heroes of the Association is simple: we need you to protect Earth!"
"Boom!"
The announcement detonated like a bombshell. The atmosphere erupted as the S-Class Heroes broke into uproar.
"Aliens?!" Superalloy Darkshine shot up from his seat, muscles trembling. "That's impossible!"
"Interesting." Flashy Flash smoothed back his radiant hair, a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. "I wonder what color alien blood runs."
Pig God froze mid-bite, cheeks puffed with food. "Aliens…?" He swallowed hard. "Are they tasty?"
Atomic Samurai bit straight through the wooden stick in his mouth with a sharp crunch. "Tch. Doesn't matter what they are. If they come, I'll cut them down."
Tatsumaki crossed her arms, hovering higher in the air. "Hmph! Just a bunch of alien small fry. I can take care of them myself."
The Child Emperor jerked awake from his nap, rubbing his eyes blearily. "Huh? Aliens?"
His pupils shrank in shock. Without hesitation, he yanked open his laptop and began hammering at the keyboard, calculations flashing across his screen.
Aliens—once confined to the realm of science fiction—were now a confirmed Dragon-level disaster. One by one, the same thought struck the heroes:
If they can cross the cosmos and reach Earth, how advanced must their technology be?
Humanity had barely launched satellites into orbit. To build starships capable of traversing space was still only a distant dream.
Agoni's voice cut back through the noise.
"According to the intelligence provided by Kaito, these aliens call themselves the Dark Matter Thieves. Their leader is Boros, the so-called Dominator of the Universe. He possesses the strength to wipe entire planetary surfaces clean."
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