One-Punch Man: Boros, the Universe Overlord

"Self-destruct? You think you can self-destruct in front of me?"

Boros's voice remained cold. Before he finished speaking, just like before, no one saw him make a move. There was a loud "boom," and the robot that was flashing red light wildly instantly disintegrated, turning into metal fragments and sparks flying everywhere.

As the dust settled, Boros remained motionless, but a round metal core emitting a faint blue light appeared between his slender fingers. He glanced down at this intricate creation.

"The Machine God series? I remember that all of these were created by Kusno, right?" he thought to himself, his fingertips gently stroking the cold metal.

"If I were to go and kill him right now, Genos would probably hate me to death, right? Tsk, what a hassle. Oh well, the outcome is the same anyway, I'll just wait for him to reveal himself before dealing with him. As for this thing... I'll just take it back to Genos for now."

Within seconds, the battle was over. The lingering air currents hadn't subsided, and the onlookers remained stunned, their minds completely unable to process what had just happened.

After a deathly silence of seven or eight seconds, as if the world had been paused, a thunderous roar of cheers and screams suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"That's incredible! Absolutely unbelievable! That terrifying monster was completely wiped out in the blink of an eye!"

"Hey, hey, hey, did you guys even see who made the move? I was watching King and Boros the whole time, and they didn't even seem to lift a finger, and that robot monster just inexplicably collapsed!"

"Is this the absolute difference in strength? It's a complete one-sided crushing defeat. No, this can't even be called a battle! The S-class heroes truly live up to their name!"

"King and Boros are clearly the strongest! The other S-class heroes are powerful too, but they're not this exaggerated, are they?"

As the discussion grew, more and more survivors excitedly gathered around, surrounding King and Boros. Flashbulbs went off wildly, and voices of worship and pleas rose and fell.

"Lord King! Lord Boros! Please, please give me your autograph! I beg you!"

A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses squeezed to the front, holding a crumpled notebook in both hands, his eyes fixed on Boros with a fanatical gaze.

"Hey! Don't you know any rules?!"

A middle-aged man in a suit next to him immediately gave him a push and turned to give the two heroes a fawning smile.

"Don't just strike up a conversation with Mr. King and Mr. Boros; it's very impolite."

The young man who was shoved stumbled and quickly waved his hand awkwardly in apology.

"Ah? Ah! I'm so sorry, I got too excited, I'm so sorry..."

"Lord Boros, may I touch you? I really like you!"

Another girl with a camera squeezed out of the crowd and shouted loudly despite the obstruction of others.

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos, with requests for photos, autographs, and even contact information rising and falling, and the crowd surged forward like a tide.

At this moment, King stood in the center of the crowd, his expression calm. He slowly raised his hand, lightly brushing away non-existent dust from his black cowboy hat, as if the battle just now and the commotion before him had nothing to do with him.

Then, he raised his head, his deep, cold eyes sweeping over the excited crowd. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority:

"We're very busy and on our way to the next battlefield. Could you please make way?"

That icy tone was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fervent emotions of the crowd. The previously noisy people fell silent, and the once congested passageway immediately cleared into a wide avenue.

"Sorry! Disperse! Disperse! Don't block the hero's path!" A panicked voice came from the crowd.

"Phew... I'm saved."

After getting away from the group of enthusiastic fans, King breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Boros beside him and couldn't help but ask:

"Boros, just how strong are you and Saitama? I know you're both very strong, but just how strong are you?"

Boros stopped and thought for a moment before saying:

"In this universe, there are probably two heroes stronger than me... including Saitama. You might not have a good grasp of that. To give you an idea, if I got serious, I could easily crush all the S-class heroes in the Hero Association in less than a minute."

He paused slightly at this point and then continued:

"As for Saitama... he is invincible. There is no concept of how strong he is; he is infinitely strong."

"That's so exaggerated..."

The two chatted idly, and before they knew it, the familiar, dilapidated apartment building came into view.

Pushing open the creaking door, a spotless room came into view. Boros casually asked:

"Eh? Genos, you're here too. Didn't you go to Bang-sensei's dojo for training today?"

Genos, who was wiping the coffee table with a cloth, turned around upon hearing the sound and replied:

"Master Boros, Mr. King, you're back? Master Bang said he might have some personal matters to attend to recently, and asked me not to go to the dojo for the time being."

"Oh, I see."

Boros nodded thoughtfully, then, as if remembering something, casually pulled out the round core that was still emitting a faint blue light from his pocket. "Perfect, this is for you."

With a "snap," Genos instinctively reached out and caught the heavy metal sphere with both hands. He looked down and carefully examined the intricate structure in his hands, asking, "Professor Boros, what is this?"

Boros said casually, "I blew up a robot while I was passing by, and this is a core component that came off. I thought the structure was quite sophisticated and might be useful to someone like you, so I took it."

"Thank you, Professor Boros." Genos bowed deeply in gratitude.

"It's nothing!" Boros waved his hand.

"Oh dear, we've finished all the Coke at home?"

"I'll go out and buy it right away, teacher!"

………………

Meanwhile, inside the Hero Association headquarters building, a sudden upheaval spread like a plague, completely shattering the usual order.

I wonder what's going on in the heads of those association leaders? Faced with the recent explosive increase in the number of strange monsters, they made a decision that can only be described as brain-dead.

They openly gathered a group of notorious fugitives, cold-blooded killers, and various antisocial and dangerous individuals.

In the main conference hall, which was spacious enough to hold a thousand people, these usually notorious villains were making a ruckus and even fighting without restraint, as if this place was not a temple for upholding justice, but a lawless carnival paradise for them.

Standing on the high platform, Sich was pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he still tried to use grand words to cover up his inner panic.

He loudly proclaimed that all past criminal records would be wiped clean if these thugs were willing to join the Hero Association.

This is utterly ridiculous. The Hero Association actually wants to recruit these scoundrels who treat human life like dirt, to clothe them in the guise of righteous heroes, and to fight monsters together. Doesn't it consider that if people like this can join the association, does the Hero Association still deserve the name "heroes"? What will the public think then?

It's unclear who came up with this brilliant idea, but what's even more astonishing is that it was inexplicably approved in a high-level vote.

That was truly a breathtaking operation.

Not only did they abandon all shame, but they also blatantly exposed that the Hero Association was already extremely corrupt, with its higher-ups being nothing but incompetent vagrants. This once glorious organization was now in decline and not far from collapse.

However, this absurd farce of being offered amnesty did not last long.

Because Bang's former disciple, "Garou," had appeared. Without any unnecessary words, he spent only a few minutes beating the rabble, along with the three A-rank heroes responsible for maintaining order, leaving them half-dead and collapsed on the ground.

After leaving behind a mess, he calmly departed, calling himself a hero hunter before leaving and saying that he would officially begin hunting heroes in the future.

Thus, the Hero Association's plan became a complete joke, leaving them in a sorry state.

This is absolutely infuriating...