When Gustave was standing on the balcony admiring the view, Saitama suddenly shouted:
"Hey, Gustave! The TV is reporting that a monster appeared!"
"A monster appeared? Where?"
Gustave hurried into the living room.
"In City A," Saitama said, pointing at the urgent news report on the television.
On screen, reporters were frantically broadcasting that City A had suffered a massive attack, with entire sections of buildings collapsing and explosions erupting everywhere.
"Everyone, as you can see, the disaster caused by this monster is expanding to an unprecedented scale. We've just received word that the Hero Association is currently determining the disaster level..."
This reporter possessed remarkable courage. Massive explosions continued erupting behind him, yet he stood his ground reporting with only a small yellow safety helmet for protection. His professionalism was genuinely admirable.
Suddenly, tremendous noise erupted on the television broadcast. The brave reporter might have just died.
"Saitama, I'm heading there now!"
Although Gustave didn't know exactly how powerful the monster causing this destruction was, he had a strong hunch it must be extraordinarily strong—perhaps even someone whose strength wasn't much different from his own.
After speaking, thunder roared across the sky and Gustave vanished from Saitama's apartment.
Gustave actually didn't know where City A was located, but given the commotion this monster was causing, he'd definitely be able to find it by circling the planet if necessary.
"Hey, wait for me..."
Saitama hadn't expected Gustave to be more anxious and faster than himself. Before he could even stand up, Gustave had already disappeared.
"I'd better go check it out too."
Saitama could sense that Gustave was very strong, but that strength was relative to others. For Saitama personally, the current Gustave could be dealt with using at most one serious punch—but the prerequisite was actually landing that hit. After all, Gustave was incredibly difficult to strike once he'd transformed into lightning. Although Saitama's attack power was overwhelming, his offensive options were somewhat limited.
While Gustave flew through the air, he was simultaneously hacking into this world's network. He wanted to determine the specific strength level of this monster.
"A-Class heroes Spring Mustachio, Crescent Eyebroll, and Stinger have all been defeated! Lightning Max and Smile Man are en route!"
"Lightning Max and Smile Man have been defeated!"
"All thirty-one heroes who rushed to the scene have been defeated!"
After infiltrating the network, Gustave heard an anxious female voice making frantic reports.
"We've contacted four S-Class heroes including Atomic Samurai, Tank-Top Master, Metal Bat, and Pig God! They're on their way to the scene!"
"That may not be enough. Judging from the extent of damage caused so far, the monster that appeared this time is preliminarily estimated to be Dragon-level!"
"Request that one of the top four S-Class heroes be dispatched to accompany them!"
"Interesting. It seems the monster that appeared this time is quite powerful indeed."
After listening to the Hero Association staff's conversation, Gustave knew he'd come to the right place. Although he didn't know his exact strength rating, Gustave felt confident that if he joined the Hero Association, he would at least rank among the upper S-Class heroes.
Fortunately, Gustave found City A without needing to circle the entire planet. During his flight, he discovered that nearly all humans on this Earth lived on a single supercontinent. This arrangement probably facilitated rapid support during monster attacks.
When Gustave arrived at the scene, he saw numerous heroes lying unconscious on the ground. A naked, dark-skinned monster with two antennae protruding from his head—resembling a grotesque version of Piccolo—was laughing maniacally while approaching a little girl crying on the spot.
"Hehehehe!"
The monster smiled and extended his hand toward the little girl. His opened hand was larger than her entire body. His muscles bulged as he prepared to crush her.
Just as the little girl was about to die, thunder cracked, and the crying child was instantly transferred to safety by Gustave.
"What are you?"
The monster held his head high with an expression suggesting he was already looking at a corpse.
"I'm your father."
"Damn it!"
Gustave had only been concerned with verbally getting the upper hand, and only after finishing did he realize he'd embarrassed himself. How desperate would Gustave have to be to produce such an ugly son?
"Just based on you? You want to be my father?"
Unexpectedly, this monster actually continued along the lines of what Gustave had said.
"Humans have repeatedly destroyed the environment, so I came into being! I am Vaccine Man—Son of Nature!"
Vaccine Man introduced himself loudly, patting his chest dramatically.
"Are you really that eager to clarify our relationship? You want to acknowledge me as your father, but I don't want to acknowledge you as my son!"
Gustave roared back indignantly. If this was just a competition of who could shout louder, he wouldn't lose!
"Tough talk!"
Gustave didn't understand why Vaccine Man seemed so eager to acknowledge him as his father, but when this creature attacked, Gustave had to teach him a lesson.
Facing Vaccine Man's incoming slap, Gustave countered with his right fist. When fist and palm collided, a massive explosion erupted with the two combatants at its center. The ground instantly caved in, then a devastating shockwave centered on them blasted outward in all directions.
While engaging Vaccine Man head-on, Gustave waved his left hand. The crying little girl and all the heroes lying unconscious on the ground were enveloped in electromagnetic shields and carried to safety.
"You're still thinking about saving people at a time like this? You don't even take me, Vaccine Man, seriously!"
Vaccine Man roared furiously, and his mouth began splitting open grotesquely. His entire body continuously grew larger and larger. Bone spurs erupted across his skin, sharp claws extended from his hands, and two tusk-like protrusions emerged from his mouth. A terrifying giant monster now towered over the city.
"Today, I—the Apostle of Earth—will represent nature's will and wipe out all you virus-like humans!"
As he spoke, a sphere of concentrated energy formed in Vaccine Man's mouth.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted. The ground within dozens of kilometers sank dramatically. A bottomless crater appeared where Vaccine Man's energy sphere had struck.
"Hahaha! Even ants dare to challenge nature!"
Vaccine Man laughed wildly, seemingly delighted to have eliminated Gustave, that annoying pest.
"Hey, don't you know the 'No Smoke, No Injury' rule?"
"What?!"
Vaccine Man was shocked. He'd clearly sensed no trace of Gustave's presence just moments ago, so why was he still speaking? Was he haunted?!
No—he, Vaccine Man, was born from Earth's will itself. No demon or ghost dared act presumptuously before him. For such creatures, Vaccine Man was the God who ruled over them!
"I really made the right decision coming to this world. It's only my first day, and I've already met someone worth fighting seriously!"
CRACK!
Suddenly, lightning struck from the previously calm sky. A thunder giant as massive as Vaccine Man himself rose up from the devastation.