The World Needs Heroes

Satoru Gojo was lifted straight off the ground. Cracks began to form in the surrounding space, and his expression changed. At that moment, he truly began to realize just how terrifying Tatsumaki’s power was.

Before this, he had merely seen her casually crush the person capable of deploying a Domain Expansion and hypnotizing his host into slumber.

The overwhelming power she exuded with every gesture made him place her on the same level as himself and Uchiha Madara.

Thus, when he saw that bald man in a ridiculous costume actually arguing with someone of such strength, he found it absurd.

The weak could not comprehend what the strong were capable of, just as ants could not understand that a human could crush them simply by lifting a foot.

What amused him even more was that the powerful girl actually seemed to be angry.

Yet he had never expected that the true purpose behind his attempt to "break up the fight" would go completely unnoticed by the others. The girl lashed out for no reason, and the power she displayed was overwhelmingly terrifying.

Satoru Gojo had never experienced such extreme power before. There were no elaborate techniques, no battle of wits, and no feints or disguises.

She merely clenched her hand, and the entire space fell under her control. His Limitless was being compressed by sheer brute force.

Suddenly, Satoru Gojo felt a powerful pull. Before he could struggle much, his spirit body turned into a black shadow, instantly sank into the ground, and then slipped into Bai Cangshu’s body.

Uchiha Madara, who had been standing with his arms folded as he observed Tatsumaki through his Sharingan, likewise turned into a black streak and entered Bai Cangshu’s body.

Strange flesh buds began twitching across that battered body, making Tatsumaki disgustedly avert her gaze.

She had already figured it out. Those two spirit bodies, whose strength was passable enough, had both been summoned by this strange man.

Not only did he possess a special ability that made her sense danger, he also had the power to control spirit bodies.

"Sensei, it’s that guy!"

As Bai Cangshu’s body rapidly recovered, his appearance was revealed: a heroic face, a muscular physique, and that… thick head of hair.

Clearly, he was the Hero for Fun reported in J City.

Saitama finally pulled himself away from the earlier scuffle and looked at the man before him.

The moment Bai Cangshu stood up, his gaze likewise instinctively settled on Saitama.

This bald man was probably the strongest person he had encountered thus far. Even though the Black King had displayed overwhelming strength in the One Piece world and possessed a vast number of Devil Fruit abilities—

In Bai Cangshu’s eyes, none of that was as pure or absolute as this man’s strength.

Unfortunately, neither the Transparent World nor Mantra could detect anything from Saitama.

Within the Transparent World’s perception, Saitama was no different from an ordinary person who happened to be a little sturdier. Even the number and shape of his muscles showed nothing unusual.

Mantra’s perception was even more completely blank.

Unlike Tatsumaki, whose thoughts Mantra could not read at all, there was no obstruction when he listened for Saitama’s inner voice. Yet there was… nothing in the other man’s heart.

If he had not known the plot, Bai Cangshu probably would not have realized how special and powerful Saitama was.

"You’re that Nameless Hero… You…"

Saitama scratched his head. Perhaps he had been alone for too long; he no longer quite knew how to talk to people.

Nor did he really understand what he wanted to ask.

Saitama began to drift off. What exactly was wrong with him? Was it really because monsters had begun disappearing after he defeated that so-called god, leaving him bored and lost?

Genos, meanwhile, interpreted his teacher’s thoughts in his own way and asked,

"Sensei wants to ask you: is being a hero fun?"

He did not embellish anything, simply repeating Saitama’s earlier words in full.

Although Tatsumaki was displeased that Satoru Gojo had immediately acknowledged her strength, she was even more annoyed by Bai Cangshu’s apparent disregard for her.

"Listen, Fubuki was attacked when she was with you, right? In the end, weaklings like you shouldn’t be out here playing at being heroes. Weaklings should just hide in a studio and act like clowns to entertain those idiots…"

Tatsumaki’s venomous words made Fubuki’s face turn livid. Her chest heaved violently as she stepped forward.

"This guy may be weak, but he’s far more steadfast than you are!"

"Who got dead drunk when everyone needed you most? Who has done nothing for the past two years? Who desperately wants recognition because she’s lonely, yet arrogantly shuts everyone out?"

Bai Cangshu watched the psychic sisters argue with cold detachment, seeming less like someone involved in the incident than a bystander. He knew that Fubuki was not this angry on his behalf.

She had merely been hurt by Tatsumaki’s claim that weak people should not become heroes. As Tatsumaki’s younger sister, Fubuki had carried a unique inferiority complex ever since childhood.

Tatsumaki, meanwhile, had also been wounded by her sister’s words. The strongest Supernatural Ability User in the world had been imprisoned and experimented on by an evil psychic organization in her childhood, leaving her with a deep-rooted distrust of everyone.

When she had needed help most, no one had come except Blast, who appeared in the end. Thus, she only trusted her own absolute strength. As the Hero Association’s former trump card, she did not truly believe in that nonsense about calling for heroes.

Moreover, because Tatsumaki’s destructive power was too great, people within the Hero Association, including Metal Knight, secretly monitored her and considered her a potential "Dragon-level or higher threat."

Saitama paid no attention to the argument. He merely watched Bai Cangshu’s expression and realized that this man was as indifferent as he himself had become.

He suddenly felt disappointed. He had not expected much to begin with, but perhaps this man was not the answer he wanted…

"Because… someone called for help…"

At that moment, a timid voice sounded out. Tatsumaki, burning with rage; Saitama, detached to the point of seeming cold; and Mercenary Tao, whose expression had once again become cruel and indifferent as his body recovered, all turned toward the speaker.

Under those gazes, Lilith nearly collapsed.

But in the end, she gritted her teeth and shouted,

"Because someone called for help, heroes appeared!"

She recalled that bizarre hospital, where strange filthy things lurked all around. A Ki Blast fired from nowhere had pierced through her waist and abdomen, while her teammates had bizarrely abandoned her.

She had been utterly desperate, crying out in her heart countless times.

"Anyone at all, please save me!"

Then, when that terrifying demihuman’s Black Ghost had nearly cut her in half with one blow and missiles came screaming toward her, she had likewise wailed in terror.

"Anyone at all, can someone save me?!"

She clutched her heart as though reliving those terrifying moments. Of course, in quite a few of them, the source of her fear had been Mercenary Tao himself.

But Lilith knew very well that, in Loka’s temporary team, she had absolutely been among the weakest. Yet those more outstanding, more powerful people who had adapted better to dimensional space had all died in that bizarre place, while she was still alive and well.

Mercenary Tao had injured her, but he had also saved her…

At the same time, she knew that the child Mercenary Tao had saved, and the ordinary spirit body that had watched helplessly as a cursed spirit gripped their child’s head, must both have cried out in their hearts:

"Anyone at all, heroes, gods, buddhas, save me. Save my child!"

"I don’t know whether being a hero is fun, but I do know that when weak people like me have no other options, all we can do is… call for heroes…"

Tears streamed down Lilith’s face as she became the most disappointing Reincarnator in Bai Cangshu’s eyes.

Yet Saitama stared blankly at this snot-and-tear-covered person.

For no reason, he suddenly remembered a monster. It had been a monster with a bright red crab shell covering its upper body, waving two pincers. To his current self, it would probably have been pathetically weak.

But back then, that boy had cried out in despair before the crab monster. Saitama had stepped forward to fight it fiercely and defeated it at the cost of injuring his forehead.

Had that crying boy been calling for the arrival of a hero…?

Saitama sank into thought and memory.

The furious Tatsumaki and indignant Fubuki also looked toward Bai Cangshu, their expressions easing slightly.

Fubuki even nodded, then looked provocatively at her sister again.

After all, in her rage, she had "spoken without thinking" and praised this Nameless Hero—of whom she had only read a few reports—as being even better than Tatsumaki the Terror. She felt a little guilty herself.

Your actions have earned Fubuki's appreciation. Your reputation with Fubuki has increased. Current status: Friendly (42/100)

Your actions have earned Tatsumaki's appreciation. Your reputation with Tatsumaki has increased. Current status: Friendly (1/100)

Your actions have earned Saitama's appreciation. Your reputation with Saitama has increased. Current status: Friendly (15/100)

Bai Cangshu looked at the weak, disappointing Reincarnator with tears and snot running down her face. His brow twitched. For a moment, he could not tell whether she was shrewd enough to understand the personalities of those Plot Characters so thoroughly, or whether she had simply happened to be this innocent.

Thud, thud, thud, thud…

Only then did enormous footsteps sound from the distance. The towering Tree Herder, accompanied by the Flower Immortal wearing a despairing expression, slowly entered everyone’s field of vision.

Bai Cangshu immediately spotted that pale face. It was precisely the target Luoxi had entrusted to him.

A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"Miss Tatsumaki, didn’t you want to know who was trying to frame me by assassinating Miss Fubuki?"

Tatsumaki’s hair moved without wind as she revealed an equally cold and cruel expression.

She was indeed a hero, but her methods were more terrifying than those of many monsters.

When Sela saw this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He wanted to stop Mercenary Tao. Dragging Tatsumaki and Saitama into the affairs of the Reincarnators was extremely dangerous.

Once those two realized that a special group called Reincarnators existed, and that the things this group did were no different from what monsters did—sometimes even more cruel—

Who knew what would happen to the Reincarnators of this world…

"Mercenary Tao, you…"

Sela had barely opened his mouth before Tatsumaki’s gaze scared him into silence.

But Bai Cangshu was not done. He did not care about any Iron Rule. He… did whatever he wanted!

"There’s a group of special Ability Users stirring up trouble all over this world. The changes in hero society three years ago, the emergence of The Great Cataclysm half a year ago… Heh, they were probably all the work of this group."

Sela’s face instantly turned pale as paper. Inwardly, he cursed Mercenary Tao as a madman. In his view, those words had directly pointed at the Reincarnators.

Sure enough, when he heard that it involved the changes in hero society and The Great Cataclysm, Saitama looked over as well.

He was trying to find that feeling of his heart stirring again.

"Ha~ You really do have your ways, Mercenary Tao. I didn’t expect you to capture both Chaos Sage’s Red Dust and Sela, one of Tree Herder’s subordinates?"

A female voice overflowing with wickedness appeared. Sela turned to look around but found no one. Short hair and the others felt chills run through their hearts as that familiar Spiritual Perception warned them that something filthy had appeared…

Only Saitama and Tatsumaki noticed the cloaked girl immediately.

For some reason, Saitama felt that she was somewhat similar to the thing he had encountered in the Spirit World Infested Zone earlier.

Genos had said those things were dangerous?

Tatsumaki had no interest in such petty tricks of hiding oneself and merely asked impatiently,

"Where are those people?"

She did not fully believe Bai Cangshu, but whether it was true or false, once she found them, everything would become clear.

"This has the Sage and Tang Sanzang written all over it…"

"The Sage loves Cognitive Interference most of all. Tang Sanzang is a disgusting bastard who enjoys manipulating people’s hearts. Shigeo Kageyama has probably suffered badly…"

Bai Cangshu did not know whether the Heart Demon truly had intelligence or was deliberately smearing others, but she clearly spoke with confidence.

You have triggered the Side Mission: Hero's Demise. Accept?

Mission Description: Former S-Class Hero Tatsumaki the Terror, former B-Class Hero Hellish Blizzard, and Saitama wish to investigate the truth behind the secret manipulation of public opinion that led to the decline of heroes. Give them the truth.

Mission Reward: Greatly increase reputation with the Hero faction and unlock the Hero faction Reputation Shop.

Warning: This mission involves the special Plot Character Saitama. Do not reveal the existence of the space in any form. Violators will face punishment and Cognitive Interference.