Chapter 346: Chapter 47 – Violation of the Rules, Death!
On the arena stage, the intense clash between a towering monster and a silver-haired youth continued, both figures flickering about at blistering speed, every exchange thunderous and sharp.
The watching heroes all had solemn expressions.
"To think that monster can go toe-to-toe with Bang... He’s no ordinary creature."
"Yeah. That thing’s strong."
"Bang’s martial arts are incredibly effective against humans, but against monsters... not so much."
"Who’s going to win this?"
...
Boom!
A figure was suddenly blasted away.
Everyone’s gaze snapped to the spot—and saw that it was Bang!
He had been knocked all the way to the edge of the ring.
"Not good. Falling off the stage counts as a loss," Atomic Samurai exclaimed, eyes widening.
The rest of the heroes were equally on edge.
Metal Bat clenched the grip of his bat, teeth grinding. "Are we seriously just supposed to stand here and do nothing?! Damn it!"
Genos kept his eyes fixed on the silver-haired boy floating in midair, brows tightly furrowed.
The more he watched, the more he felt that this person named Ron was becoming an enigma.
Is he a friend... or an enemy?
Saitama, the bald caped demon king with dead-fish eyes, stared at the stage with mild curiosity.
"So this is martial arts, huh... I see."
Tatsumaki crossed her arms and stood beside Fubuki, watching the scene unfold. She curled her lips in disdain.
"Bang’s supposed to be the third-ranked S-Class hero, and this is the best he can do? Seriously? That kind of monster should be down in two or three moves."
"Big Sis..." Fubuki gave a helpless smile.
Even she could clearly feel the overwhelming presence of the monster named Hero—a Dragon-level threat, capable of leveling multiple cities solo.
And among Dragon-level monsters, this one was clearly an elite.
Normally, a threat like this would require several S-Class heroes working together to take it down. But now...
Her beautiful eyes glanced at the silver-haired youth floating calmly in the air.
Since he made this decision... he must have had a reason.
...
Elsewhere
This fierce battle was being broadcast across the globe, thanks to the TV station’s live feed.
On the massive screens in cities worldwide, the image of the floating arena and the intense showdown lit up for all to see.
"Oh? A tournament ring?"
In City Z, Garou—currently hunting heroes—looked up at the screen with widened eyes.
"Is that... Master? Bang is fighting a monster on that arena?"
A feral grin spread across Garou’s face.
"A hero and a monster, battling one-on-one in a tournament setting... how fair! How just!"
"This is what the clash between good and evil should look like!"
"Interesting!!"
Without hesitation, Garou dashed toward the arena’s direction.
...
Elsewhere, A-Class Rank 1 Sweet Mask also caught sight of the broadcast. After confirming with the Hero Association that the footage wasn’t authorized by them—but rather the TV station acting on its own—he crushed his communicator in rage.
Staring at the screen, watching Silver Fang being pressed back by the monster, veins bulged across his forehead.
"The media’s number one job is to reinforce the strength and beauty of heroes! And now they’re broadcasting this disgraceful image to the world?! Damn those fools at the TV station..."
"Silver Fang... As an S-Class hero, and you can’t even take care of one monster cleanly? Hah... You really are old."
"...No helping it, then."
Sweet Mask slicked back his hair, put on his sunglasses, got in a luxury sports car, and sped off toward the deserted zones of City Z.
...
Meanwhile, Speed-o’-Sound Sonic, fresh from his training and currently scouring the city for the man who once humiliated him, also spotted the broadcast on a public screen.
He had little interest in hero vs monster battles.
But that flickering silver-haired figure that zipped across the screen made his eyes widen in shock.
"That’s...!"
The figure looked different in both body and face. But that aura—it was all too familiar.
That man who had once crushed him effortlessly!
"No doubt about it! I’ve found him at last!"
"Sword Master, just wait! I, Speed-o’-Sound Sonic, am coming for my revenge!"
With that, Sonic vanished in a blur from the street.
...
Elsewhere, King also saw the broadcast.
But unlike everyone else, he just glanced at the screen once or twice before looking away and plopping back down in front of his video game.
His hero communicator rang insistently nearby, ignored.
"With Ron there, those monsters’ll get taken care of in no time. I’d just get in the way anyway," he muttered, picking up his controller. "Let’s just pretend I didn’t see anything."
...
Back on the arena.
"It’s over!"
Hero raised his massive leg and brought it down in a devastating axe kick, aiming to crush Bang where he stood.
A howling shockwave burst outward, enough force to split a mountain.
But at that very moment—
Bang’s body trembled, his shirt bursting apart, revealing his densely packed, battle-scarred muscles, hardened through a lifetime of training. The overwhelming presence of a true martial arts grandmaster erupted forth.
"Awakening Breath Style!"
His eyes glowed white. Both arms snapped upward and flowed like twin serpents, each strike slicing through the air like living streams of water.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Hundreds of flawless punches struck Hero’s descending leg in rapid succession, dispersing the force of the blow bit by bit until the attack completely missed.
"Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist!"
With a thunderous roar, Bang’s knee crashed into Hero’s chin, stunning the beast momentarily.
Without pause, Bang became a blur of martial power, his strikes turning fluid and untraceable. He spun around the massive monster’s body, neutralizing its strength and redirecting its weight.
Before anyone could react, he flipped Hero entirely off the stage.
BOOM!
The monster’s giant body slammed into the ground, carving out a huge crater.
"Winner: Hero Side – Silver Fang, Bang."
Hovering in midair, the silver-haired youth snapped his fingers casually. Instantly, Bang was enveloped in a green light—his injuries healing within seconds.
Another round of gasps rippled through the crowd.
From the crater, Choze clambered up, eyes blazing with fury.
"You dare use cheap tricks like that?! Damn humans!!"
Rage and bloodlust surged within him. With a roar, he pushed off the ground and leapt toward the arena again.
"I haven’t lost!!"
"Choze, stop!!"
From afar, Gyoro Gyoro tried to warn him with a mental transmission.
But in his rage-fueled state, Hero heard nothing.
As he soared toward the ring—
CRASH!
An overwhelming force of gravity descended upon him, slamming him straight down to the earth.
Pinned under that crushing weight, Choze was completely immobilized.
His eyes shrank in terror. He couldn’t believe it.
Floating above, the silver-haired boy with his eerie, beautiful face and heterochromatic slit-pupil eyes looked down at him, sneering.
As if gazing at an ant.
"You violated the rules. Die."
In the next instant, the gravity surged—ten times heavier.
Choze didn’t even get the chance to scream.
Under the immense pressure, his entire body was pulverized, flattened, and crushed to dust.
A deep, dark pit now marred the ground where he had stood.