The executive board was nearly unanimous: they couldn't tolerate a hero—essentially a weapon or tool in their eyes—daring to threaten the Hero Association.
If they gave in now, what if more heroes tried the same tactic later?
No compromise. Especially not under threat—that quickly became the prevailing stance among the board members.
"William, you absolutely mustn't cave in to Swift Flash. That would weaken the Association's authority! As executives, our job is to guide heroes to follow orders—not let them dictate what we do!"
A stern-looking old woman addressed the chubby executive directly.
She was the representative of billionaire Agni at the Hero Association headquarters, and one of the most influential figures on the board. Her personality left her with no patience for the freewheeling, undisciplined nature of most heroes—let alone ones trying to "ride over" the Association.
"But Swift Flash's threat isn't exactly empty… if he really does take down Metal Knight…"
William, the chubby executive, clearly lacked confidence.
Compared to the other board members, he didn't have as deep roots or financial security.
After the Deep Sea King's attack on City J, even though the threat had been neutralized, the city's tourism industry had taken a major hit—nobody wanted to visit a city that had just been ravaged by monsters.
As a local power in City J, William was already overwhelmed. Because of his previous dealings with Kizaru, he'd been pushed forward to handle this mess—and it was proving to be a nightmare.
"S-Class heroes don't die that easily. And we don't even know Metal Knight's true body or where it's hidden. Swift Flash's threats—if you break them down—aren't that solid."
The old woman's tone was laced with disdain. Many board members shared this view: they feared the heroes' power, but still looked down on them as individuals who once had far lower status and influence.
If Kizaru weren't an S-Class hero himself, and didn't have other S-Class allies backing him, this meeting likely wouldn't have even been convened.
"Exactly. If you ask me, Flashy Flash is all bark. He's only number nine—Metal Knight's number six!"
Another board member, currently on vacation in the mountains and joining via video, scoffed. Not all executives were deeply invested in Association affairs.
Even though they knew the topic beforehand, those who hadn't personally experienced Kizaru's power couldn't grasp how different he was from the average S-Class.
"Don't be so quick to dismiss him. Flashy Flash has several S-Class allies backing him… If you ask me, we should keep this from escalating. He just wants some kind of justice, right? Just allocate some money and treat it as compensation from Metal Knight."
Another exec, who looked visibly troubled, sighed. But the moment he said that, complaints erupted from the others.
Same old reasons: the annual budget was already overextended, hero bonuses and monster clean-up operations all demanded major funding.
They were crying poverty—while also sneaking glances at the old woman, the one clearly least in need of money among them.
"Fine. I'll cover the cost…"
"William, just make sure Swift Flash doesn't do anything reckless."
The old woman furrowed her brow ever so slightly, barely noticeable, but she didn't refuse to provide the funding. She only reminded the higher-ups at the Association again and again to persuade Kizaru.
While the meeting among the Association's top brass was just wrapping up, Bofoi—better known as Metal Knight—had already received the inside scoop from one of his informants.
"Damn it! That bastard... Got it. Thanks for the heads-up—pass along my thanks to Lady Perus."
Dr. Bofoi gritted his teeth as he modified a new unit. He turned and stepped into the lab's private elevator, descending to the very bottom of his underground base.
This was the heart of his operations—his core research facility, stocked with the most advanced weaponry. It was the culmination of his life's work.
"…I knew it. Back then, the way that guy looked at me—I knew he was targeting me!"
Bofoi marched up to a towering humanoid mech over three meters tall. His face twisted in fury as he activated what was, without a doubt, his strongest war machine to date.
Just as Kizaru considered eliminating Metal Knight as a preventative measure, Bofoi was also the type who solved problems by erasing his enemies at the source—physically.
The difference was, unlike Kizaru, who had absolute confidence in his own strength, Bofoi was just an ordinary man. All his power lay in the weaponry he engineered.
"Go! Wipe out that reckless bastard!"
Bofoi shouted as the war mech roared to life. If he wanted, he could unleash an army of robots comparable to a full-scale military force.
But doing so would be far too conspicuous. Unless he intended to openly declare war on the Hero Association, there was no way he could get away with such a direct strike against a fellow hero.
Without Lady Perus's support, he wouldn't even have the budget to keep his research running.
Besides, Swift Flash was absurdly fast—regular robots wouldn't even pose a threat. Better to send in the most advanced war machine he'd ever built.
Conveniently, this unit hadn't been exposed to the outside world yet. In previous test runs, he had taken care to eliminate all witnesses.
Though, regrettably, one had slipped through. Still, they hadn't managed to trace anything back to him.
The only downside was that after taking out Swift, the mech couldn't be seen or connected to him for a while. Otherwise, he'd become a prime target of suspicion.
"Hmph. Blame yourself for picking a fight with the wrong person…"
Bofoi scoffed coldly and vanished into the shadows of the underground base.
What he didn't know, however, was that at that exact moment—while he was deploying his war mech—Kizaru, who had been cracking jokes to amuse Tatsumaki and Fubuki, suddenly curled his lips into a dangerous smile.
"Gotcha…"
Kizaru's eyes glinted as he looked toward the northeastern part of the training grounds.
If Bofoi had still been secretly observing at that moment, he would've been horrified—because the exact spot Kizaru was looking at was the same hiding place Bofoi had just relocated to.
Maybe the first time Bofoi spied on him, his malicious intent wasn't strong enough. Back then, Kizaru's specialized Observation Haki only let him sense the animosity and "see" Bofoi's image.
But this time, the hatred was fully directed at Kizaru—triggering a complete reaction. Not only did Kizaru see Bofoi's actions, he also precisely locked onto his location.
It was practically like having X-ray vision. Once someone's hostility toward Kizaru reached a certain threshold, there were no more secrets—they were laid bare before him.
"Why'd you stop talking?" Tatsumaki had been enjoying the joke, only for Kizaru to suddenly go quiet and smirk at some distant point. She followed his gaze but didn't see anything.
"Something's on its way to give me trouble… Hm. Not bad—it's moving pretty fast."
Kizaru's specialized Observation Haki not only detected ill intent, but could also "attach" itself to the person or object in question.
Even though Bofoi and his war machine were well beyond the normal range of Kizaru's sensory abilities, it didn't matter—once the connection was made, the lock-on was permanent.
Unless someone with far superior Observation Haki intervened to sever that link, Bofoi would never be able to hide from Kizaru.
Through this strange bond, Kizaru could not only perceive the mech's location but also judge its incoming speed by tracking its movement.
"Metal Knight? That guy actually has the guts to come looking for trouble?"
Tatsumaki's brows shot up. She had initially thought Kizaru was overreacting—but now it seemed there really were some fools with no sense of self-preservation.
Kizaru hadn't even gone looking for Metal Knight yet, and here he was showing up on his own. It was like he didn't even care that she was the #2 S-Class hero!
What Tatsumaki didn't know was… she was actually misjudging Bofoi just a little.
Because he'd been spooked by the look in Kizaru's eyes earlier, Dr. Bofoi had already given up on spying and hadn't contacted his mole in the training facility since—completely unaware that Tatsumaki was currently right at Kizaru's side.
Adding to the confusion, the Hero Association hadn't expected Metal Knight to retaliate, so they never bothered warning Dr. Bofoi. That's how this strange misunderstanding came about.
In Dr. Bofoi's mind, the only "problem" currently around Kizaru was Flashy Flash.
But he had a plan in place. Once his War Mech reached City B, he'd find a way to lure Flashy Flash away.
Then it would be one-on-one: Swift Flash versus his War Mech.
Dr. Bofoi had full confidence in his creation. Taking down a newly promoted S-Class hero? Not even a challenge.
Even if Flashy Flash turned out to be stronger than expected, there was no way he could defeat the War Mech.
"Tsk, too bad he's not coming in person. At this rate, the mech'll get here in about two and a half hours… Hmm, looks like it could be a fun toy. Just don't go and break it, alright?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow. His Observation Haki could only sense living beings or warn him when danger was imminent, so he had no way of gauging how strong the incoming War Mech really was.
But if Metal Knight was feeling this confident, it probably wasn't just some rusted scrapheap.
Kizaru wasn't exactly a science guy—but he could imagine what kind of cutting-edge tech a genius like Vegapunk could cram into a machine like that.
Even someone like Tony—the so-called Iron Man—might find this advanced mech worth checking out. That's why Kizaru made a point of warning Tatsumaki not to interfere. If she broke it, its "value" would drop fast.
"Hmph! Like I'd lift a finger for you!"
Tatsumaki huffed loudly again, saying one thing while clearly meaning another.
This time, though, it wasn't just Kizaru and Fubuki who noticed—even Saitama could tell that she was just being shy.
"So there's an enemy incoming? Want me to help?"
Saitama threw a few slow punches at the air, each swing cutting through the atmosphere with a crisp whoosh.
"Nope. I actually need that thing to track down who's pulling the strings. You're not allowed to touch it either."
Kizaru rejected Saitama's offer without hesitation. If Tatsumaki might damage the mech, Saitama would probably just erase it from existence.
That guy's punches could blast through a mountain with just the shockwave. Even Kizaru had to put in some effort to pull off something like that.
Directly locking onto Metal Knight's location would raise too many questions, so Kizaru planned to capture the mech first—then "trace" it back to its origin.
That way, no one (except Metal Knight himself) would suspect anything unusual.
"'Kay."
Saitama responded honestly, his tone mild. Enemies he could one-shot didn't interest him much, and volunteering to help was mainly a way to earn some goodwill with Kizaru.
His hope was that once Kizaru came to see him as a friend, he could finally ask him for a proper fight.
Unfortunately, Saitama didn't realize that this plan was doomed from the start. Unless Kizaru ever reached a level where he could match Saitama blow for blow, there was no way he'd ever agree to a one-on-one.
"Should we contact Association HQ?"
Fubuki asked nervously. Conflicts between S-Class heroes were already rare—let alone one involving Kizaru and the elusive Metal Knight.
Even knowing Kizaru had the upper hand, Fubuki couldn't help but worry about the aftermath.
"Guess who tipped off Metal Knight that I was coming for him?"
Kizaru spread his hands with an innocent look, claiming he was the victim here. By any metric, he was the one being wronged—unfairly treated by the Hero Association itself.
Given that, wasn't a little retaliation totally reasonable? Surely, anyone with half a conscience wouldn't hold it against him.
Just then, the communication device on the table started buzzing again. As Fubuki's attentive assistant, Lily quickly checked the caller for him.
"It's from Hero Association HQ," she whispered, waiting for Kizaru's signal before accepting the video call.
On-screen appeared the same Association executive from earlier—William. But unlike his earlier timid demeanor, this time he seemed to be putting on a tougher front.
"Lord Kizaru… The Association's top brass cannot accept your demands. However, as compensation… we've negotiated with Metal Knight, and… he's agreed to pay you a sum as a form of restitution."
William tried his best to sound firm and authoritative.
But something about Kizaru just made him feel uneasy. Despite the fact they were only connected via a communication line, with hundreds of kilometers between them, William couldn't shake the sense that he was facing a predator.
His tone, which started out strict and unyielding, gradually softened—until by the end, he was practically groveling, as if Kizaru were the one in charge, and he was just some low-ranking employee.
"Is that so? Then let Metal Knight know—no need."
Kizaru replied lazily, clearly disinterested. He had already locked onto Metal Knight's position—there was no longer any need for the Association's help.
°°°
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