The ground started to crack and rumble. The shockwaves created by the countless strikes reverberated through the crust, sending chills down Marcus's spine.
Soon, Marcus and Saitama found their foot submerged under the debris. As the time passed, their entire legs were dunked underground.
"Something is pulling us down," Marcus immediately shouted. "It's humungous!"
Within the blink of an eye, a giant centipede, about twenty feet in height, emerged from the cracked ground. Its body was smeared in bright red and its deadly claws painted in black.
"These humans look suspicious," It spoke, its voice overpowering that of thunder. "Threat."
It quickly noticed Saitama's bald, shining head and decided to finish him off first.
"I hate Baldies," It prepared to lunge. "Die!"
As soon as it insulted Saitama by calling him bald, Saitama effortlessly broke free from the debris and lunged at the speed of sound, shattering all the rubble surrounding him into countless pieces.
"Whom are you calling a baldy, huh!?" Saitama yelled as his face grew more intense.
BOOM!
BWOOSH!
The punch instantly killed the centipede, making its upper body vanish into thin air. It also completely destroyed the thunderclouds, revealing the sight of the dipping sun in an orange sky.
Marcus was left speechless by the immense display of power. His mouth hung wide open, practically inviting insects inside.
"That was awesome!" Marcus exclaimed, stealing a quick glance at his submerged body. "Bringing this vest was a great idea..."
He looked around the devastated place, overflowing from rocks and debris. "After observing this, I can somewhat imagine your fight with Zamezon."
Saitama approached Marcus with a straight face that tried to hide annoyance and asked. "Was that bald centipede from that suspicious group?"
"I want to think about this matter, but..." Marcus fixed his gaze on his lower body. "Perhaps you can save me first."
Saitama nodded and pulled him out with only one hand.
"That centipede is considered an A-ranked monster on this planet," Marcus explained as he brushed off dirt from his lower body. "And you destroyed it in one punch! That's so cool!"
Saitama smiled as his face turned detailed. "That bald insect asked for it."
Marcus walked towards the remains of the centipede. "Judging by its size, it's probably a pet of Arplesis."
"I'll take this back to confirm." He picked one of its giant claws. "Mister, you stay here and investigate. I'll be back before night falls."
Marcus pulled out a small disc from his vest pocket and pressed a large red button on it. It immediately expanded into a futuristic hoverboard covered in zebra-like stripes.
Marcus climbed on it and instantly began to float in the air. Saitama was amazed by the gadget.
Looking at Saitama's gaze, Marcus pointed at himself. "It's cool, right? But I can only use it for emergencies."
As soon as Marcus finished, he soared towards the city at a speed of 500 km/h.
After a few moments of gazing at the sky, Saitama leaped into the giant crater, hoping to find a stronger foe. He wandered around until he found a green gem as beautiful as pure emerald, crushed between the cracks of the ground.
Amused by its color and beauty, Saitama picked it up. However, as soon as he touched it, the ground started to shake violently, as if the planet was hit by a powerful quake.
The jewel self-destructed into countless pieces and a wave of unbearable stench reached Saitama. He quickly covered his nose and fled from the foul odor.
"Is some monster taking a dump?"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Saitama shattered into a million pieces, making him fly upwards. Two giant centipedes, who looked exactly like the previous one, emerged from the broken ground.
"You killed our brother," The one on the left roared. "We'll kill you, bald huma-"
Before it could finish, Saitama punched it in its eyes and shouted in anger. "You're the baldy here!"
Looking at its brother's instant death, the other centipede lunged at Saitama with its sharp claws facing towards Saitama's face.
BLAM!
Covered in the centipede's green blood, Saitama roared as he looked around with his clenched fists. "Any other baldy who wants to fight me?"
On his left side, he took notice of a moving tail and grinned in menace. "Found you..."
He swiftly lunged towards the tail, whose movements became sharper as it tried to escape. However, before it could completely submerge underground, Saitama grabbed it by its tail and pulled it upwards.
It was a centipede about half the size of Saitama's arm.
Looking at its meaningless struggles, he taunted. "Where do you think you're going?"
Even though centipedes cannot sweat, droplets of water started to fall from its small body, revealing its immense fear. In a futile attempt to escape, it wriggled aggressively but was swiftly met with a devastating punch.
Soon after, Marcus reached the crater and waved. "Mister, it has been confirmed."
He lowered his hoverboard and saw the ground painted in green. "Did I miss something?"
Saitama picked up an eyeball from the ground. "A few more came for revenge, but I killed them."
Amazed, Marcus raised an eyebrow. "It does look like it."
"Anyway," He cleared his throat. "We have to head back. The mayor will give us some instructions for tonight."
The ground beneath Marcus abruptly began to shake, gradually intensifying.
"What is happening again?" Marcus tried to maintain balance with his hands. "Don't tell me..."
Within a moment, the debris erupted.
BLAST!
BLAM!
"Ugh..." Marcus coughed blood as he launched into the air at a high speed. His eyes turned dead while his entire body spun in circles.
The next moment, a tremendous amount of sand and tiny particles of dust filled the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, Saitama remained unaffected by the sudden attack as his legs were firmly embedded in the ground.
As the smoke cleared, a colossal monster resembling an orc and three giant centipedes appeared before Saitama.
The green orc was as tall as a skyscraper, towering over the centipedes. It had a giant baseball bat in its right hand and two of its canines struck out of its mouth.
Its massive nostrils released plumes of steam like it was powered by a steam engine and ready to destroy its enemy.
TO BE CONTINUED...