When I came outside the scene that greeted me required several seconds of processing before my systems could generate a coherent tactical response. City A had ceased to exist as an urban concept. What stretched to the horizon was a surface of rubble with no recognizable point of reference, and above that surface a ship of proportions that had no precedent in any threat record I had consulted was overflying with calm, with decidedly unfavorable intentions.
—This is a nuisance. —said Child Emperor with a lollipop in his mouth and his eyes fixed on one of his monitors—. There's an alien on the ground. Silver Fang, Metal Bat, Atomic Samurai and Puri-Puri-Prisoner are enough to contain it, though it won't be simple. The real problem is the ship. Any attempt at direct approach from here could create a situation considerably worse than what we already have.
—King. —said Superalloy Darkshine with a smile—. I'd like to hear the opinion of the strongest fighter of Class S.
I directed my attention toward him. Class S rank 7. The strongest man on Earth according to all available records. Respected even by the other members of his class without exception. It would be good to hear what he had to offer in this situation.
—I can't do anything. —he said with absolute seriousness while the characteristic sound of his engine resonated with an intensity that corresponded to the gravity of the situation—. The ship is too far away. I can't reach it from here. What I can say is that it seems inactive for the moment. It would be prudent to contact Commissioner Saitama before that changes.
—You are truly pathetic!! You have absolutely no idea how to do anything!! —Mrs. Tatsumaki's voice arrived with an irritation that made no effort to contain itself, and King's engine began to sound noticeably louder in response.
—Calm down, Tornado. If you provoke King he could kill you —Superalloy Darkshine started, attempting to lower the temperature.
—Everyone shut up, you useless bunch! I'd rather contact Commissioner Saitama or just do everything myself before depending on any of you!
—I'm not certain it would be wise to expose a civilian to this zone. —said Superalloy Darkshine with what appeared to be genuine concern. For a moment I caught a glance from Mrs. Tatsumaki that disappeared almost before I could register it. That presaged nothing good—. He is a police commissioner, not a registered hero. And he doesn't have powerful abdominals. Even if he has a certain combat capability, facing something of this scale is completely different. Perhaps it would be better for us to attempt to… huh?
He didn't finish because a green aura was already enveloping him completely. Despite being one of the most heavily built men I had ever seen, Mrs. Tatsumaki lifted him from the ground without any visible effort, and with a minimal movement of her fingers sent him from the rooftop at a speed that left no time for any reaction. The impact in the rubble of City A raised a cloud of dust in the distance.
—I have no interest in disrespectful idiots —she said with a calm that was more intimidating than if she had shouted—. And as for you, King…
King's engine rose another level of intensity. I recognized the signal, and according to everything I had recorded about him that meant the situation could escalate toward something that would unnecessarily complicate the panorama. I was already evaluating whether I should intervene to…
—Calm down, you metal idiot. Even though I'd love to fight King, I choose to respect him. He was part of the wedding with my husband and has a friendship with him that I value, even if it costs me to admit it. —she finished with a grimace that made clear how much it cost her.
That surprised me more than I expected. Not so much the decision itself, but the fact that sensei had a close friendship with someone of King's level without my having had any indication of it. I began to consider whether sensei was secretly responsible for…
—Don't go making false theories, tin boy.
The voice arrived from the hole in the ceiling before Fubuki finished coming through it, landing with her usual composure. Arrogant and powerful. What bothered me was not the interruption but the fact that she had entered my head without any warning or permission, something she apparently considered completely normal. This woman was dangerous in ways that continued to surprise me.
After landing she moved toward King and gave him a brief glance that he received with a small inclination of his head. The two stood looking at the ship in silence. It wasn't difficult to deduce that they were talking, just not with words. Fubuki was probably coordinating with him telepathically, working out the most efficient way to approach the ship before its behavior changed. It was exactly what she would do.
What I did notice, and couldn't help mentally noting, was that King's engine had dropped to its usual level from the moment she positioned herself at his side. As if Fubuki's presence were information sufficient for something in him to recalculate the entire situation.
What were they talking about?
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"You really are good at creating problems, King. Your luck is surprisingly blessed."
"I absolutely hate every single bit of this, Mrs. Fubuki. I nearly wet myself with fear. It's a good thing I got there in time."
King was truly one of the most enigmatic people I knew — partly a walking disaster and partly the most fortunate being on the entire planet, depending on how one looked at the specific situation. He had the fortune of maintaining that serious expression at all times, which helped considerably in sustaining his reputation, and the unconscious aura of danger he generated meant that most psychics preferred not to approach his mind without a real reason to do so. I, of course, had discovered his secret by accident, thanks to a slip near my Darling, and for a brief and delicious instant I seriously considered ending him for having stolen so many of my Darling's merits without the world knowing. My Darling intervened before I could do anything irreversible, and in that I discovered something far better in keeping that fraud alive — in retrospect I understood that keeping that secret gave me a considerably more strategic advantage against Oneesan than any momentary satisfaction could. Some cards are played better in silence, and I would keep this one for now.
—Well, let's stop looking at that thing without doing anything. —I said with the authority the situation required—. Isamu, I know my Darling made this hole, and from the movements the ship is making I already have a general idea of where he is inside it. What I need is the exact location. I don't want to generate another devastating explosion.
—That is exactly what I've been trying to resolve for the past few minutes. —Isamu replied without taking his eyes off the monitor—. I don't know what that ship has but I can't pick up any radio or communication signal on any frequency. I can't even establish contact with Oniisan. Damn it!
—Fubuki, can't you locate him with your mental tracking? —asked my Oneesan with an exasperation that sounded like someone who has just noticed the obvious too late. How presumptuous, as if I hadn't thought of that before anyone else on this rooftop.
—I already tried a while ago, Oneesan. It surprises me that the supposedly strongest psychic in the entire organization didn't consider it first, or better yet had done it herself already. Since she's "so" capable.
The look she gave me after that was completely worth it. I continued without giving her time to respond.
—The problem is that Darling blocked his own mind by reflex, which means there's something inside that ship with a certain psychic capacity. Not strong enough to enter other minds, but enough for my Darling to react instinctively. There's a considerable energy in there, and I don't like not being able to quantify it precisely.
—It's just a weakling of no importance! I'LL DO IT MYSELF! —Oneesan shouted with a fury I knew perfectly well, the same one that appeared every time something got between her and my Darling—. I'll go straight to that ship and if I have to split it in half to find him, I'll do it without thinking twice.
She didn't like being out of communication with him. That was something both of us shared without needing to say it out loud.
—Wait. I'll go with you. —said Genos with a seriousness that admitted no discussion—. I don't know how effective I can be in this scenario, but as sensei's disciple I have the obligation to offer everything I have.
Oneesan went completely silent for a second. Then she exploded.
—ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID I'D DO IT ALONE, YOU PIECE OF TIN! —and without waiting for any response, she shot toward the ship at a speed that left a visible trail in the sky.
—Wait, Mrs. Tatsumaki, we need you to take out the main ship and…
—Don't worry, Isamu. —I said, positioning myself before him with the calm of someone who already has everything calculated, looking down toward the ground where small smoke explosions kept appearing in the distance with every movement of the remaining combatants—. Between the two of us it's more than enough to deal with that thing. And along the way it'll be good to lend a hand to that group of incompetents who hadn't made any progress with the regenerating alien. Wait… alien, huh?
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An explosion of proportions that hadn't been registered throughout the entire operation shook the ship from within. The walls of the control room vibrated with an intensity that caused several secondary systems to fail simultaneously, and on the monitors the image that appeared left Geryuganshoop completely still for several seconds: a massive hole in the hull of the eastern section, and protruding from it, the lifeless half of Groribas's body.
—Damn it! Groribas was one of our three elite combatants. Eliminated in a single punch. ONE SINGLE PUNCH! The only ones that remain operational are Melzargard on the exterior and myself here. What options do I really have?
—Geryuganshoop. What is happening?
Geryuganshoop turned immediately.
Lord Boros was at the entrance to the control room. The leader of the Dark Matter Thieves, the most powerful being to have traversed the known universe, was looking at him with a calm that contrasted completely with the state of everything around him. There was no urgency in his posture. No alarm. Only a direct question that expected an equally direct answer.
—Lord Boros. My most sincere apologies. —Geryuganshoop attempted to maintain composure while speaking—. One of the planet's inhabitants has entered the ship. In only 4 minutes he has annihilated approximately forty percent of the internal structure, rendering those sections inoperative. I have attempted to locate him with my psychic capabilities but he generates a mental block I cannot penetrate. I cannot track him, I cannot anticipate his position without using the monitors and I cannot communicate with the combatants we sent because every one of them stopped responding instantly. Groribas has just died, and with him an entire section of the hull has vanished. The cannons remain operational, but so far they have proven ineffective.
Boros didn't respond immediately. He directed his gaze toward the monitors where the image of the intruder kept appearing among the internal rubble of the ship: a human in a completely ordinary-looking uniform, perhaps someone responsible for the planet's security, and a cap covering his bald head, destroying every section he passed through without modifying his rhythm or expression. The vibrations arriving through the floor of the control room corresponded to those impacts. Boros felt them from where he was without needing to look at the monitors.
Something in his expression changed as he watched. It wasn't alarm. It was something closer to recognition, though not the kind based on prior information but the kind that appears when something fits an expectation that one has been waiting a long time to confirm.
Perhaps that human was…
A new alarm interrupted the thought. The signal came directly from the throne room, where the central energy sphere was located that kept the entire ship in operation. He looked through the external cameras and saw a kind of human woman, small and green-haired, who with a kind of drill was penetrating from beneath the ship, destroying it, and returning missiles without difficulty. Boros looked away from the monitors.
—Don't stress yourself, Geryuganshoop. I'll take care of what's trying to enter the throne room. You deal with the intruder. I expect it to be resolved before I return.
He didn't wait for a response. He left the control room with the same presence with which he had entered, without visible haste, without any sign that the situation was affecting him in any measurable way.
Geryuganshoop was left alone before the monitors, looking at the figure of the uniformed human who continued advancing through the internal corridors, and processed the situation with the information he had available. The intruder had not gone to the throne room. He had not sought out the ship's most critical point nor had he demonstrated any particular interest in the systems that kept it operational. He had entered and destroyed everything he found in his path, without any apparent strategic direction.
Which meant that the real objective had already arrived by another route.
Someone had used the uniformed human as a distraction so that the real operative could reach the point that truly mattered while the ship's entire attention was concentrated on the corridors. And now Lord Boros was going to encounter that in the throne room.
Geryuganshoop looked at the monitors for a moment longer and then turned his gaze toward the screen where the intruder continued advancing and gave him a smile.
—Foolish humans, they truly believe that with this they'll defeat us. When our great Lord Boros finishes off the other intruder in an instant, no one on this planet will be able to defeat us.