Unfortunately, only one "Slime Monster" was still alive. If they had gotten leverage on Kizaru earlier, maybe all three alien officers could've been captured.
"Lord Swift Flash, are you sure the alien leader has been completely eliminated?"
Madam Perus put on a kind and gentle expression, trying to probe Kizaru for information.
Although Boros had been "defeated" in front of everyone, he had already demonstrated an extraordinary regenerative ability.
Aside from Flash himself, no one could be sure whether that cosmic overlord was truly dead.
"He should be dead, probably. That was my first time using that move, so I'm not entirely sure it's lethal. Why don't you guys try it out and see?"
Kizaru feigned a joking tone as he made a veiled threat. Madam Perus's smile froze slightly. She thought she had already humbled herself enough to speak respectfully with Flash, yet he still refused to give her face.
She hadn't heard such openly hostile provocation in years. Even with all her composure, she couldn't help cursing him in her heart.
The more viciously she cursed inside, the more the corners of Kizaru's mouth lifted into a smirk.
With their vast difference in power, and at this close range, the effect of malice perception was at its peak.
Now, Madam Perus had no secrets in front of Kizaru. If he wanted, he could even find out the sizes of her "boy toys."
'Tsk, this old woman's assets aren't bad. I can use them to help fund Fubuki's B-Class Fan Club later…'
'Oh? So you were involved in capturing Tatsumaki and Fubuki for study? I'll make sure to tell Tatsumaki about that…'
'So you were Metal Knight's old flame, huh? Dr. Bofoi, right? I'll raze your whole hideout later…'
'Transhuman Project, Immortality Plan, Monsterification Plan…'
'And you dare say you're not a villain…'
...
The two stood face-to-face, exchanging small talk on the surface, while their inner monologues ran wild.
If someone had mind-reading abilities, they'd be totally overwhelmed right now.
After rambling on for a while, Madam Perus was left unsettled by the meaningful look in Kizaru's eyes. She felt a deep, inexplicable unease.
In the end, she awkwardly said a few polite remarks before trying to order the Hero Association staff to pack up and remove the valuable research materials.
"Hold up. I'm taking that one," Kizaru said, pointing at the Slime Monster, Groribas.
He wasn't actually interested in Groribas. Sure, it could take a hit, but that wasn't enough to get Kizaru genuinely excited.
But since Madam Perus seemed to want it so badly, Kizaru didn't mind taking it away as a bit of advance interest.
"What?"
The exclamations came from both Madam Perus and Groribas—though their emotions were completely opposite.
Groribas was one of the few alien warriors who could go toe-to-toe with multiple S-Class heroes. If not for Tatsumaki's psychic powers being a hard counter, Groribas might not have even lost.
Among all the research material the Hero Association had collected so far, Groribas was top-tier. Many elite research labs had already reserved it in advance.
Now Kizaru suddenly wanted to take it away? That was outrageous!
'Yes! Yes! I get to live!'
Groribas quivered with joy. Nothing sounded better than not dying.
Sure, the one who saved it was Boros's enemy, but cosmic pirates had no concept of loyalty. If the warrior from the prophecy was stronger than Boros, then it only made sense to follow the prophecy's warrior instead.
"Lord Swift, may I ask what you intend to do with this alien?"
Zombie Man sensed the tension and quickly stepped in to mediate. If it was just Kizaru making the request, none of the S-Class heroes would object.
After all, Swift Flash was the acknowledged savior of Earth. Without him, no one was confident they could've taken down the alien leader.
But now that the Association's staff also wanted to take Groribas away, Zombie Man stepped up to try and prevent a possible conflict.
"Oh, I just thought this guy seems really durable. Figured I'd take him back to the training camp so everyone could practice on him. A punching bag this sturdy should last quite a while, right?"
Kizaru said it with a straight face, but the horrifying implication made Groribas, who had just been excited, tremble in fear.
It wasn't the idea of being a punching bag that scared it—just the traumatic memory of being used for warm-up drills by Lord Boros.
"I'm in favor."
As a member of the training camp, Flashy Flash agreed instantly. A practice dummy that couldn't be broken and could give feedback? Perfect training gear.
"That actually sounds kind of nice…"
Even Genos was starting to feel interested.
As the main damage dealer who took down Groribas, no one understood better than Kizaru just how tough that alien was.
But Genos wasn't trying to keep him for himself—he mainly wanted to bring the creature back for Saitama-sensei to take a look. Maybe this guy could actually survive a punch from Sensei?
"Wait a sec! You're not the one who captured this thing—why do you get to take it?"
At that moment, Metal Bat stepped forward indignantly. He'd only thought of it after Kizaru had "reminded" him—but he wanted a piece of this living punching bag too.
"Oh? So you're saying that next time there's a crisis, I should just hang back and let others do the work—then swoop in and claim the spoils?"
Kizaru let out a cold laugh. Whether by credit or by logic, he had every right to take Groribas.
Worst case, he could just call Boros over and have him officially confirm Groribas' ownership.
"Bastard! Who are you calling a coward who hides behind others?!"
Furious at the implied insult, Metal Bat roared—only to be restrained from behind in a surprise hold by Superalloy Darkshine. All he could do was swing his bat from a distance at Kizaru in frustration.
"Lord Swift Flash, this alien is highly dangerous. If you take him to a training facility packed with people… What if it escapes?"
Lady Perus tried once more to argue. Even a dragon-level monster corpse had immense research value—let alone a live one like Groribas.
Letting Kizaru drag this rare research subject off just to use as a punching bag? That was the definition of waste!
"Hmph! There's no way he'd escape with me around. And even if he did, Kizaru could take him down in a flash!"
Tatsumaki had floated over with Fubuki in tow. Though her face was still a little flushed from earlier, her expression toward anyone besides Kizaru and Fubuki was back to its usual proud and haughty self.
She had no interest in Groribas—this kind of low-grade lifeform that was completely helpless against psychic powers was, in her opinion, worthless.
But since Kizaru wanted him—even just as a punching bag—she'd make sure he got what he wanted.
"…Since Miss Tatsumaki insists, I'll leave it to Lord Swift Flash then."
Lady Perus had no counterargument. She could only force a strained, "kind" smile while suppressing the urge to grit her teeth.
Even the Hero Association would need Tatsumaki's powers to contain Geryuganshoop.
And now that Tatsumaki was siding with Kizaru, there was no point arguing further. If they tried, he could just ask how they planned to secure such a dangerous alien without her.
"No! No! Kill me! Just kill me already! I don't want to be a punching bag!"
Trapped inside a psychic cage Tatsumaki had formed, Groribas screamed in terror as Kizaru carried him like a pet.
He didn't know that the ones who'd be training with him were just the heroes from the facility. He thought it was Kizaru himself who was planning to use him as a sandbag.
Even Lord Boros, the ruler of the universe, hadn't been able to match the warrior from the prophecy.
In Groribas's terrified imagination, Kizaru had already evolved from a brave warrior fighting the demon king—into an ultimate demon king who crushed the previous one.
Just thinking about facing someone that terrifying made him want to be burned to death on the spot. Anything was better than the nightmare ahead.
"Hmm… poor guy looks kinda pitiful…"
Bang muttered while stretching his back, his expression a little odd.
At first, he'd thought Kizaru demanding Groribas was a bit much—but after seeing the alien's pathetic howling, he realized this was probably the best outcome possible.
"Stupid alien! Serves you right!"
Child Emperor stuck his tongue out at the caged Groribas, clearly enjoying the moment.
The alien had swallowed several of his gadgets during the battle, and now he'd have to stay up late fixing or replacing them.
He was still just a kid! Staying up late too often would stunt his growth!
"I'll carry it for you."
Seeing that Kizaru was holding the cage with one hand—leaving no room to carry Fubuki—Tatsumaki offered generously, taking the psychic cage with Groribas inside.
Then, without hesitation, she settled herself on Kizaru's shoulder.
Yep, this spot was still the most comfortable. And more importantly, from here, she was taller than him again!
"Fubuki?"
Feeling the soft pressure on his shoulder and the faint scent at the tip of his nose, Kizaru simply smiled—and reached out a hand toward Fubuki.
Now that the Dark Matter Thieves had been "eliminated," there was no reason to linger at Hero Association HQ.
Next up: drop the "punching bag" alien brand back off at the training camp—then pay a visit to Metal Knight's lair to "catch some rats."
Fubuki, still basking in the attention, blushed a little, but stepped forward on her own. In full view of the stunned heroes—most of whom nearly dropped their jaws—she was scooped up by Kizaru and soared into the sky.
"Gh… How the hell did that guy pull it off?"
Metal Bat muttered, half-stammering. His slow reflexes meant he was just now realizing how suspiciously close Flash and Tatsumaki were.
What was worse—Flash was somehow bold enough to two-time right in front of Tatsumaki… and the other girl was her sister?
It was hard to say if it was jealousy or disbelief—but damn, it hurt to watch!
"Young people these days… really are something else."
Bang sighed meaningfully, tapping his sore lower back with the hilt of his Silver Fang. Time to go drink tea with his brother.
"Wait, that's an option!? Sounds like I've still got a chance after all!"
Okamaitachi's eyes sparkled as she watched Kizaru fly off—but before she could dream any further, Atomic Samurai knocked her out cold with a clean karate chop.
"No, you don't. Pick this idiot up—we're going back to the dojo," Atomic Samurai grumbled.
No way in hell was he letting this idiot get involved and bring Tatsumaki—or Flash—storming down on them later.
These dumbass disciples were getting harder and harder to manage. That settled it—Okamaitachi's training was getting doubled starting tomorrow!
"I gotta hurry back to school too."
Child Emperor patted Drive Knight's arm and looked up at him seriously.
"..."
Drive Knight rubbed his temple silently, sighed, then transformed on the spot into a high-speed aerial transport and flew off with Child Emperor toward the school.
"Let me help clean up the wreckage!"
Superalloy Darkshine pounded his iron-hard chest. He felt like he hadn't contributed enough during the fight, so now was the time to make up for it.
"My boys and I can lend a hand too…"
Tanktop Master offered. While a lot of his Tanktop Squad weren't exactly model citizens—and he'd had trouble keeping them in line—there was no denying Tanktop Master himself was a real hero.
"Count me in too! Tanktop Boy! Superalloy Boy! Let's do our best together!"
Looking like he'd been through a meat grinder, Puri-Puri Prisoner struck his signature pose—only to be immediately dragged off by a team of medics.
Of all the S-Class heroes, he'd taken the worst beating by far. Meanwhile, Atomic Samurai's three students had been off slicing through grunts and came out nearly unscathed.
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel
Subscription should be made thru the web and never the ios app, it helps you and me.