"What did you say? Metal Bat has lost contact?"
"Yes, Elder Centipede is now heading toward the other side of the city."
"How could this happen! Could it be that Metal Bat met with an accident?"
Jess's eyes were filled with worry, and then he spoke again, "Can you find the location of Narinki-san and Waganma?"
Maria reported, "According to the news just received, C-Class Mohican and B-Class Pineapple are leading their evacuation. A... B-Class Dark Mask is currently engaged in battle with a monster."
"This is bad! Elder Centipede must be heading in their direction! Notify the nearby S-Class Heroes to provide backup immediately! We must ensure the safety of Narinki-san and Waganma at all costs!"
"If they really fall into the hands of the Monster Association, we will be at a severe disadvantage when the final battle comes."
Jess looked out at the chaotic S-City, his thoughts unknown.
"You must come back alive."
—
In the forest outside S-City, Elder Centipede's massive body swayed continuously in the air, as if trying to shake something off.
"Get down!"
Boom... Boom...
Countless punches rained down on Elder Centipede's face, the intense pain causing him to struggle violently.
"You damn human!"
Bang!
The giant mandibles clamped firmly onto King, and Elder Centipede opened his mouth to swallow him whole.
"I'll digest you right now!!!"
Sizzle...
King slid down Elder Centipede's esophagus. Suddenly, the space around him constricted rapidly, and countless green secretions began to corrode his body.
Angel Bristle Armor!
Countless black hairs instantly grew over King's body, temporarily resisting the corrosive slime.
"Like swallowing me? I'll just swim inside your body!"
Angel Crawl!
King's hands tore through the flesh walls, and he began to swim through Elder Centipede's body as smoothly as a fish.
"You damn thing!"
Waves of sharp pain radiated from within, but Elder Centipede still had no intention of spitting King out. Instead, he accelerated the secretion of corrosive slime, attempting to wear King down and kill him inside.
'This won't work! Even Angel Bristle Armor can't withstand such strong acid for long. My only choice is to bet everything on attacking the weakest part and breaking out.'
King estimated his position was about right, and his Fighting Spirit rose to its peak.
Dark Angel Rush!
Elder Centipede suddenly felt a sharp pain in his tail. Before he could react, a beam of light burst out from his rear end.
"Ptooey... Finally out. Seriously, man, is your digestion that bad? It stinks like hell."
King had a look of pure disgust on his face, but the battle was far from over.
"Die!!!"
"Elder Centipede! The mission is complete. Retreat immediately!" A loud voice echoed from the distance.
King looked closely and saw a giant bird flying in the sky, its talons clutching a human.
"Oh no! Waganma!"
King thought to himself that things looked bad, but right now, Elder Centipede was charging at him aggressively, determined to take his life.
Bang!
King was sent flying by the impact.
Immediately after, Elder Centipede's massive body began to spin like a top.
Splat!
Without any suspense, King's upper body was ground to pieces. Seeing this, Elder Centipede dove into the ground and vanished.
"Cough, cough... The mission failed after all. The power gap is just too large."
King's body slowly regenerated. He was incredibly weak now because breaking out of Elder Centipede's body had exhausted his accumulated Fighting Spirit.
However, even if he could have defeated Elder Centipede, the Monster Association had other executives at Dragon-level ready to act, so the outcome was inevitable.
This showed how much importance Gyoro Gyoro placed on this plan. Poor King had been beaten until only a pair of floral underwear remained, though fortunately, his mask was still on.
—
"Found him! He's over here!"
At the Hero Association headquarters, through the footage from a drone, Jess saw King sitting on the ground. Seeing that his life wasn't in danger, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, he's okay."
"But... why is he only wearing a pair of floral underwear?" Maria was a bit curious.
What kind of fight was this that his clothes were taken by the opponent?
"It seems his title on the official website will have to be changed. Let's call him Underwear Mask." A staff member joked, taking a commemorative photo of the historic moment.
"That's enough. Dispatch personnel to clean up the scene immediately. I'm going to report to the other executives."
"Although Narinki-san is safe, his son Waganma has fallen into the hands of the Monster Association. I'm afraid we must formulate a rescue plan immediately."
Jess walked out of the command room full of worry. He could already imagine Narinki flying into a rage once he woke up.
Just as he expected, a short while later in the conference hall of the Hero Headquarters, Narinki was hysterically berating the association's top brass.
"I've paid so much money, and you can't even protect my son!"
"A bunch of useless trash! If my son suffers even the slightest harm, I will withdraw my funding immediately!"
"Narinki-san, please don't be so upset. This was our oversight."
"Child Emperor has already pinpointed the location of the Monster Association. We will immediately formulate a battle plan to ensure your son is rescued unharmed."
Sitch spoke with full confidence.
At that moment, a man in a suit slowly stepped into the conference room.
"Sekingar? Why are you here?"
"To deal with the Monster Association, of course."
"What did you say?" Sitch showed a look of confusion.
"I am taking full charge of the crusade against the Monster Association and the hostage rescue mission. Sitch, you can just stay here and manage the headquarters."
A mocking smile appeared on Sekingar's face.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Sitch was furious.
He naturally wouldn't easily give up the position of commander for such an important operation.
"Sitch, this is our collective decision. Your performance lately has been disappointing. We're handing the operation against the Monster Association over to Sekingar."
"Just consider it a vacation for yourself. I believe that with the strength of the S-Class Heroes and Sekingar's command, the operation will proceed smoothly."
"You guys... Fine, I understand."
A sudden wave of sorrow washed over Sitch, and he turned to leave in silence.
Jess watched his departing back but ultimately said nothing. For now, the most important thing was the crusade against the Monster Association and rescuing the hostage.
—
In M-City, King returned home. Looking at the photo and title displayed in the hero list on his computer, he felt as if his world had collapsed.
"Under... Underwear Mask..."