Chapter 222: Go Hunt That Baldy
After a brief fall, Sonic landed at the bottom of the pit.
Several dark tunnels stretched out before him, each leading deeper beneath the Ghost Town.
He stared at them in silence for a moment.
"Asuramaru, which way?"
The answer came immediately.
"Take the tunnel on the far left."
Sonic rushed into it without hesitation.
The underground passages twisted and intersected like an enormous maze. Even Asuramaru could not immediately determine where the central headquarters was located.
For now, he could only guide Sonic toward the concentrations of Monster presences detected through his perception.
That was more than enough.
Sonic moved through the darkness with his sword in one hand.
Every Monster that crossed his path died.
Some barely managed to turn around before losing their heads. Others tried to flee, only to be cut apart before taking more than a few steps.
The deeper Sonic travelled, the more corpses he left behind.
Elsewhere beneath the Ghost Town, Saitama wandered through another underground passage at a leisurely pace.
Dim candles lined the walls, casting weak light across the narrow tunnel.
At the far end, he spotted a large group of figures.
Saitama initially considered asking them for directions.
As he drew closer, however, he realised that every one of them was a Monster.
Even then, he remained calm.
"Do any of you know what this place is?"
The Monsters turned toward the voice.
An upright lizard Monster stared at him with wide vertical pupils.
"Huh?"
It looked Saitama up and down.
"This guy is human. How did he get down here?"
A barnacle Monster beside it extended several wet tentacles.
"Who cares?"
Its mouth opened hungrily.
"We should eat him. I'm still hungry."
Another Monster pointed at Saitama's head.
"I want the bald part!"
The entire group began salivating.
None made any effort to conceal their hunger.
Saitama frowned.
"You people really don't listen when someone is talking."
He stepped forward and threw a punch.
The tunnel shook.
Every Monster ahead of him burst apart at once.
Blood and shredded flesh splattered across the ground and walls.
Saitama continued walking without looking back.
Anything that tried to stop him met the same end.
From two different directions, Sonic and Saitama advanced deeper into the Monster Association.
At the heart of the underground headquarters, Psykos observed the intruders through her psychic surveillance.
The moment she recognised one of them, her pupils contracted.
Sonic?
He had vanished together with Empty Void.
Yet now he had appeared inside their headquarters.
A chill ran through Psykos.
Had Empty Void already been killed?
She looked toward Monster King Orochi.
Could the being she had spent so long cultivating truly defeat Sonic as he was now?
Then she noticed the second intruder.
A bald man in a yellow suit and white cape was walking through another section of the headquarters, crushing every Monster in his path.
An unknown number had already died beneath his fists.
What disturbed her most was that the Monster Association possessed absolutely no intelligence on him.
After a moment of thought, Psykos made her decision.
She turned toward Orochi, who sat upon his throne.
"Lord Orochi, two intruders have entered the headquarters."
Her tone was grave.
"One is Sonic."
"The other is an unfamiliar bald man I have never seen before."
The moment she finished speaking, panic spread through the surrounding Monsters.
"That madman came down here?"
"We're finished. Just thinking about facing him is making me lose control of my bladder."
"Maybe we should escape while we still can."
"Keep your voice down. Do you want to die?"
The morale of the Monster Association began collapsing before Sonic had even reached them.
Orochi's patience snapped.
The tendrils growing from his head shot outward and pierced several Monsters who had spoken of escape.
He dragged them toward his throne and stuffed them into his mouth.
The wet sound of chewing echoed through the chamber.
"If anyone else attempts to flee, this will be their fate."
The remaining Monsters immediately fell silent.
None dared move.
Among the Executives, Black Sperm stepped forward.
His small black body and pale face looked almost ridiculous beside Orochi's enormous form, but no one present dared underestimate him.
The single tendril on his head swayed as he folded his arms.
"Stop pretending to be impressive."
He looked directly at Orochi.
"Sonic has already invaded the headquarters."
"Shouldn't the so called Monster King deal with him personally?"
Orochi glanced down at him.
Anger stirred in his eyes, but he restrained himself.
Black Sperm's strength was not something he could dismiss.
The tense silence lasted only a moment before Psykos stepped in.
"Given Sonic's current strength, attacking him individually would be foolish."
Her gaze swept across the assembled Executives.
"We should allow him to reach this chamber, then surround and kill him together."
"As for the bald intruder, we can send one Executive and a group of Monsters to eliminate him."
"He is only one man. It should not take long."
Orochi turned toward the Executives.
Only six of the original nine were present.
Fuhrer Ugly and Gouketsu had yet to return, though there was no time to investigate why.
"Which of you will deal with the bald man?"
"I'll go."
Black Sperm volunteered immediately.
He had no intention of remaining nearby when Sonic arrived.
That ninja's strength was clearly terrifying.
It was better to put as much distance between them as possible.
From one of the upper tunnels, Elder Centipede extended its enormous head into the chamber.
"Leave him to me."
The other Executives remained silent.
Of the four still present, only Homeless Emperor could speak clearly, and he had been ordered by God to seize Asuramaru.
He naturally had no intention of leaving.
After considering the options, Orochi chose Elder Centipede.
"You will go."
Black Sperm did not abandon the opportunity completely.
His body divided, producing a powerful clone composed of more than one point two nine trillion individual cells.
The clone joined Elder Centipede and the large force of Monsters selected for the hunt.
Those chosen to leave could barely hide their joy.
"Thank goodness. We don't have to stay here and face Sonic."
"I was chosen!"
"We might actually survive!"
The Monsters forced to remain behind looked as though they had swallowed something rotten.
As Elder Centipede led the hunting party away, silence returned to the central chamber.
The remaining Executives waited.
Their plan was simple.
Allow Sonic to enter.
Surround him.
Then bury him beneath the full strength of the Monster Association.
Sonic continued through the tunnels.
He had long since lost count of how many Monsters he had killed.
After advancing for some time, Asuramaru finally sensed a vast gathering of powerful auras ahead.
There was no doubt.
The Monster Association headquarters lay directly before them.
Monster King Orochi and the remaining Executives were all waiting there.
With Sonic's current strength, Asuramaru saw no reason to fear them.
If Sonic slaughtered everyone gathered ahead, the accumulated feedback might push him all the way to God level.
At that point, he might even possess enough power to fight Boros.
Asuramaru spoke.
"The headquarters is directly ahead."
"Every powerful Monster inside is waiting for you."
Sonic's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Waiting for me?"
His pace quickened.
"They're waiting for death."
Fear had never been one of Sonic's defining traits.
Confidence, however, certainly was.
Far away in another section of the underground maze, Elder Centipede led the Monster Association's main hunting force through the passages.
It did not take long for them to locate their target.
Saitama was still wandering aimlessly through the tunnels when the enormous centipede and the army of Monsters confidently blocked his path.
....
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