M-City was alive with its usual noise — crowded streets, car engines roaring, vendors shouting, and music spilling from small shops.
In the middle of that chaos, Louis walked quietly, his eyes slowly scanning the faces around him as he thought.
He wasn't searching for a thing, but for someone.
He had thought the time had passed and the chance was lost. Yet, when he began digging for information and found nothing about that person, he felt relieved.
At first, he had searched for Saitama in Z-City. When he discovered that Saitama had only just started acting as a hero, Louis decided to speed up his search for the other man.
His plan was simple:
Join the Hero Association, become an S-Class hero, and do it without lifting a finger — without taking their tests or revealing his real power.
For that, he needed an identity — someone lucky enough to be called a hero despite being just an ordinary man.
He stepped into a small game café hidden between tall buildings.
Inside, the air was calm, filled with the soft clicking of buttons and the faint scent of old coffee. The lighting was dim, giving the place a warm, sleepy glow.
Across the room, a man in his late twenties sat alone, focused on his game. His face was calm, but his eyes showed quiet exhaustion, like someone tired of life itself.
On the glowing screen beside him was his gamer tag: "King."
Louis watched him silently for a while — the man's hands trembled a little every time the game sound got loud.
He didn't look like someone who would one day be known as the strongest man alive.
He just looked like… a man who liked games.
Louis approached him with quiet steps and said with a faint smile,
"Your in-game name is interesting… King, right?"
The man turned shyly, startled.
"Huh? Ah… yeah. It's just a name. Doesn't mean anything."
Louis sat across from him.
"Oh, it has meaning. It's a name for someone who wants to seem strong… even if he isn't."
King went silent for a moment, then gave a small, nervous laugh.
"Maybe you're right."
He looked back at Louis with slight hesitation.
"Are you a regular here? I haven't seen you before."
Louis slid a coin into the machine beside him and said calmly,
"You could say I'm just passing by. I heard there's a top player here who beats everyone every week — thought I'd try my luck."
King smiled faintly.
"Well, I don't mind. Let's see what you've got."
They started playing together, and somehow, they clicked almost immediately.
Louis had a calm voice and an easy way of talking that made others feel comfortable.
Even though he wasn't great at the game yet, his determination caught King's attention, and King began giving him advice from time to time.
Louis didn't refuse — after all, mastering the game was part of his plan too.
Days turned into weeks. They met regularly to play and talk.
But Louis wasn't wasting his time. He was studying King — his expressions, tone, habits, every detail he would need later.
Then one day, as Louis walked toward the café, an explosion shook the street.
Smoke rose from across the road, and people screamed in panic.
"Monster! There's a monster in the park!"
Louis looked up calmly. In the distance, he saw a giant, turtle-like creature crushing cars as it moved through the street.
People were running in every direction — but Louis noticed someone standing frozen near the corner.
It was King.
His whole body was trembling. His eyes were wide, unable to decide whether to run or hide.
At that moment, Louis saw someone else — a bald man in a yellow suit walking straight toward the monster.
No one seemed to notice him, but seconds later, another explosion thundered through the street.
When the smoke cleared, the monster lay dead, its massive body torn apart.
People stared in shock, unable to believe what they saw.
Louis watched quietly. Saitama had already vanished, leaving the scene without a word — and the only person left standing nearby was King, still shaking in fear.
"This is what I've been waiting for," Louis murmured.
He activated his teleportation and appeared right in front of King.
"Are you okay?" Louis asked calmly.
King froze in shock at the sudden appearance. He almost fainted, falling to his knees.
When he looked up and saw Louis — the man he'd been playing games with every day — his voice stuttered in terror.
"Y-y-you… y-you're the one w-w-who k-k-killed that m-m-monster, right?"
Louis smirked slightly.
"Who else do you think did it?"
King's eyes filled with tears as he grabbed Louis's leg, shouting,
"Emperor-san!! You saved me!!"
As the smoke faded, the crowd finally noticed the two figures standing in the middle of the destruction.
They saw King clinging to Louis's leg, crying with relief.
Naturally, everyone's eyes turned toward the calm man standing silently, covered in dust and ash.
For a moment, the entire street went quiet — then the first shout broke out:
"He's the one who defeated the monster!"
"He said his name is Emperor, right?"
"Emperor saved us!"
More and more voices joined in, cheering his name.
Before long, a group of heroes rushed to the scene.
When one of them saw Louis, his eyes widened in recognition.
"You… you're that guy— Emperor!!"
Louis smiled. "We meet again."
It was the same C-Class hero he had helped during the cockroach monster incident days ago.
Another hero stepped forward. "Wait, this is the Emperor you mentioned before? So he's the one who killed this monster too?"
Before they could question him further, Louis raised a hand and said calmly,
"Sorry, but I'm busy. Let's talk later."
"Wait—!" the hero tried to stop him, but Louis had already vanished — teleporting away before anyone could react.
The heroes looked at each other, confused, then turned toward King, who was still standing there, pale and trembling.
He had just survived a monster attack… and now found himself surrounded by heroes and attention he never wanted.
His heart pounded so loudly it echoed in the air —
the sound that, one day, people it was supposed to call the "King Engine."