Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

Just like before, without the opinions of others, perhaps no one would consider Saitama to be a so-called strongman.

That's all Yan Ming admires.

That's probably why he was so eager to chat with Saitama, just like he was earlier.

“…My Demon King.”

Staring intently at Yan Ming, Woz couldn't help but ask a question.

"Could it be that you don't actually want to be king at all?"

If that's really the case—

If the man in front of you disliked your talents from the very beginning.

"...At least I know what I should do."

He paused slightly before continuing.

"These things that have befallen me are inevitable. You also told me that I will eventually become king."

"But I don't believe this is the result of fate. It's because I must protect the people around me and I want to protect those who are suffering. That's why I'm willing to embark on this journey with you, gain power, and then... become the Demon King."

"If I have no power, if I am not king, then in this present time, who can resolve the evils that lie before us?"

This was the answer from Shilun Yanming, the man.

But Wozniak knew very well what those words meant.

He only became king because someone had emerged who was disrupting the peace.

If nothing happened, if everyone lived peaceful lives—

Yan Ming didn't want these powers; he wanted to live a normal life.

That's why... he said he 'envies' Saitama.

'Such a thing…'

The various pieces of information seemed to shock Wozniak.

'I never imagined my Demon King would have such thoughts…'

"Zi-O, you..."

"Alright, it's just casual conversation, don't take it to heart."

After turning on the lights in the room, Yan Ming calmly smiled at the two of them.

"Right now, we just need to do what we're supposed to do now."

This demon king might have some fantasies about the so-called daily life.

…but we will never ignore the current situation or reject our identity and the things we need to do because of this.

The Demon King is a being who shows no mercy to anything.

The same applies to him personally.

This new principle was thus recorded in Wozniak's book.

Volume 10, One-Punch Man: Chapter 462 The Unstoppable Silver Locust

"...How is that possible?"

A few people remained in the meeting room.

These people are all important official figures in the Hero Association, and the fact that they have all gathered together proves that what they are discussing is absolutely very important.

Now, those important figures all wore expressions of disbelief.

"What do you mean by 'even the action itself has been eliminated'? Explain it clearly!"

"So, what I mean is..."

The official responsible for explaining was also sweating profusely as he pointed at the content on the big screen.

“We reviewed all the CCTV footage from the day of the incident in City A, collected all the footage, and investigated it. That’s how we discovered this incident.”

"...The strange man in the footage, known as the Vaccine Man, did not record any of his actions from the moment he appeared until he disappeared, and the camera timer showed that it was correct."

"But look at the next scene."

One second ago, the big screen showed images of vaccine recipients standing inside a crater.

But the next second—

If we compare it to other content shot from a distance—

The entire video feed felt unnatural, like a forced cut in. Not only had the vaccine recipient and the massive crater disappeared, but—

The destroyed city of A, and the people who had disappeared from the original place, all returned to where they were.

But what truly caught the attention of these important figures was the content at the very bottom of the videos.

Time instantly rewound to a few minutes earlier.

"this…?!"

"Hey! Why is the videotape's timeline rewinding? Is the camera clapping?"

"...No, according to our official investigation, all the cameras on that day were working perfectly, and the footage showed absolutely no signs of being manipulated."

The official's answer left all these important figures deeply shocked, because—it meant one thing.

Even the videotape's timeline suddenly rewound to just a few minutes earlier, and the destroyed city became exactly the same as it had been a few minutes before...

"Time...reversal?"

One of them couldn't help but voice this possibility.

"How is that possible? You mean, someone reversed time without our knowledge and erased the existence of the vaccine humans and the cities they destroyed?!"

"No... This is just my guess. I think the other side first eliminated the vaccine man by unknown means, and then reversed time to restore City A, which was damaged by the vaccine man, to its original state."

However, the other party did not realize that this act of reversing time would also affect the cameras placed nearby.

The affected footage was also delivered to their Hero Association intact.

"After analysis by official personnel, it was found that the other party... is very likely to be an entity capable of manipulating time."

"...A hero who manipulates time?"

"No, if such a person really existed, wouldn't our association have already registered them?"

"So that means someone who hasn't appeared before us so far, or someone who's been active simply as a freedom hero?"

"But, if that's the case! Why has he only shown up recently? Before that, why didn't we hear a single rumor about something like this?!"

The whole thing started to feel like an abyss.

The more you agonize over something, the deeper you sink; the more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

No one knows who the other party is, no one knows where someone who can manipulate time and even easily defeat a dragon-level being came from.

Ultimately—

Is the other party actually manipulating time? Or is it possible that they are using a more powerful force, such as manipulating cause and effect...? What should we do then?

Moreover, the other party is not a hero in the association at all.

The fact that such a powerful being is not under official control means that no one can predict its next move.

"We should be grateful that the unknown entity is helping us deal with the monster and save the city."

At this moment, when all the officials were silent, one of them stood up and spoke seriously.

"If the other party is an eccentric, and possesses this kind of ability and strength..."

"Regarding this, we... seem to have discovered many noteworthy points."

"what?"

"Then why don't you speak up sooner?" — That was the question they originally intended to ask the other party, but now all the officials were looking at the commentator with great tension.

Then he released more images and videos.

"What is this? A flying machine?"

"And three people came out of there...? Were they aliens?!"

"A tunnel that opened up in the sky... could it be a wormhole or something similar to a time-space jump?"

Now, these important figures became extremely anxious again.

The commentator continued explaining to them.

"Moreover, the day after that, the House of Evolution, which we were closely monitoring, and its location seemed to have been completely destroyed."

"What, what did you say?!"

"Nearby cameras also captured photos of the same group of people, but only two of them appeared; the whereabouts of the third person are currently unknown."

Among the photos that were presented, there were images of two huge machines flying in the sky and landing in the square, three people walking out of them, and a man in a coat following another dark-haired man in the nearby streets and mountains...

Now that things have come to this point, it's clear to everyone what really happened.

"...Has the current location of those three people been investigated?"

"They... seem to be traveling to and from Z City frequently lately, so they might be living there."

"Then send official personnel to Z City immediately! We have to get them to join the Hero Association no matter what... Oh right! Bring along A-rank... no! S-rank heroes! Anyone capable of doing that kind of thing must be an S-rank to handle!"

"Is this a good idea?! What if bringing a hero along causes trouble? That hero could potentially manipulate time, and could even defeat a Dragon-level monster!"

"Ah...yes, that's right."

Seriously, what are these old fogies in the associations thinking?! The most conscientious person in charge is in a very difficult position.

"Then let's leave the matter of the mysterious free heroes at that for now. Tomorrow morning, we'll immediately send a few officials there to explain the situation to them... Remember, try your best to avoid causing any conflict!"

"Understood!"

"So, is there anything else to discuss? While this matter requires our careful attention, we can't be too cautious, or it might backfire on the other side—"

"Report! Report!"

Bang! At that moment, the door was suddenly opened, and someone rushed in, looking very nervous.

He said with a look of panic.

"The Silver Masked Man has been spotted near City A! Currently... several S-class heroes are engaged in battle with him in the area!"

"What did you say?!"

————————————————————

The bustling city of A begins to quiet down as the night deepens.

However… that is not the case today.

boom--!!

That wasn't the sound of an explosion.

It was the sound of a human body being blasted away.

It sounded as exaggerated as a sonic boom, and the person who was blasted away fell to the ground, but still stubbornly got back up.

"whispering sound…"

This is a man who looks like a delinquent teenager.

He was holding a very sturdy metal baseball bat, dressed in high school uniform, and his appearance... was clearly that of a street thug.

But this man is wielding a baseball bat, fighting against something far more exaggerated.

whoosh-

In an instant, a silver flash appeared in the air.

"It's over there!"

Metal Bat… The S-Class Hero of the Hero Association picked up his weapon and leaped into the air.

In an instant, he reached a height of nearly ten meters.

Staring intently at the silver figure before him, he couldn't help but spit out his saliva and channel all his power into his wrist.