After leaving the Hero Association president's office, Louis teleported into one of his safe houses in Z-City.
The place was simple, clean, and well-secured. He had bought this house—along with several others in different cities—after converting a small amount of his "world points" into money in this world.
It wasn't luxurious, but it was safe, hidden, and most importantly… familiar.
And being familiar meant he could use Teleportation here.
Louis took a slow breath and sat down on the couch.
"Three times a day… five spiritual-power points each time," he muttered. "Annoying… but still the best skill I could choose."
Teleportation had limits.
He could only move to a place he already knew well.
Of course, he could only teleport within this world.
That was why these safe houses were so important—they acted as anchor points, escape routes he could use anytime things got dangerous.
But that wasn't the only reason.
Over the past two years, during training and testing his skill, Louis had discovered something… interesting.
Something the system never mentioned.
A hidden detail.
A possibility that could change everything.
And he planned to test it soon in a real fight.
He remembered a sentence he once read on the internet in his past life:
"The stronger your imagination is, the stronger your abilities become."
A cool breeze slipped through the narrow window gap and brushed against his face. The place was calm and peaceful—the exact opposite of the chaos inside the Hero Association headquarters.
But Louis couldn't relax.
He lifted his left hand and looked at the faint glow left behind—traces of using the Power Stone.
"Six seconds only… then a full minute of cooldown, while draining a lot of mental and physical strength each time."
He whispered.
Six seconds.
Only six.
In those few seconds, his strength could crush mountains.
But after they ended… he became no different from an ordinary human.
And in a direct fight, if someone discovered that…
He slowly closed his hand.
"I can't let any heroes—or anyone—know about this."
His reputation as "The Strongest Man on Earth" was a shield. But it was also a trap.
As long as everyone believed he was unbeatable, they would hesitate.
Fear him.
Think twice before challenging him.
That was exactly what he wanted when he stole King's identity.
Louis stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the quiet streets of Z-City.
People below moved through their daily lives, unaware of the monsters gathering in the dark, unaware of the Hero Association's flaws, unaware of his truth—the truth of "Emperor."
"One punch at a time… That was Saitama's strategy, but now it's mine too," he said with a faint, amused smile.
"I strike before anyone understands what happened… and vanish before they notice my weakness."
"This is the perfect combination of Teleportation and the Power Stone."
His eyes sharpened.
"And soon… I'll get the perfect chance to test everything."
*********
After spending a few days visiting the former Hero Association president and preparing for his next move, Louis finally went to Saitama's home. He stopped in front of the small apartment door and knocked lightly. A moment later, the door opened—and Genos froze the moment he saw who was standing there.
The cyborg's eyes widened, and his mechanical voice shook slightly:
"M,Mr. Emperor…?"
Louis smiled calmly.
"You must be Genos, the new S-Class hero, right?"
"Yes, that's me. But… why would someone as important as you come to a place like this?"
Genos suddenly thought of something. "Wait… could it be…?"
Louis kept smiling.
"Aren't you going to let me in?"
Before Genos could respond, a voice called from inside the house:
"Hey, Genos! Why are you taking so long at the door? Who is it?"
Genos didn't dare ask the Emperor why he had come—although he had a guess. He quickly composed himself and opened the door fully.
"Please, come in."
The moment Louis stepped inside, he saw a bald man in a yellow suit sitting on the floor, holding a video game controller.
Louis said,
"Hello. You must be Saitama, right?"
Saitama looked at Louis with half-open eyes, trying to remember who he was. But he didn't recognize him at all. After a moment of silence, he scratched his bald head and said:
"Uh… am I supposed to know who you are?"
Genos, who was watching nervously, quickly explained:
"Sensei, this is the Emperor… the King of Heroes and the strongest man on Earth."
"Ohh… is he really that strong?"
Saitama felt a small spark of interest. Ever since he became unbeatable, no one had lasted more than one punch against him.
Louis smiled calmly.
"That's exactly why I came. Two years ago, I ordered my students to gather information about potential S-Class candidates. Your report was very… interesting."
Of course, there was no report—just a believable excuse to explain his knowledge.
"I don't know why the Association ranked you as a C-Class hero, but I'm sure you deserve something higher."
Then Louis continued seriously:
"So I want to check for myself. What do you say, Saitama? If you accept my challenge and your power is really what the report claims, I might recommend you to the Association for a retest."
Genos immediately thought:
'As expected. Even after disappearing for two years, the Emperor left his students all over the world gathering information for him. Otherwise, how could he know about Saitama-sensei's power?'
Saitama didn't react much at first. "Recommendation" didn't sound important to him.
But Genos quickly spoke with excitement:
"Sensei! This is a great chance to show your power to the world! And with the Emperor's recommendation—and mine too—the Association can't ignore it. They'll have to give you a new test!"
Only then did Saitama look at Louis and say casually:
"Hmm… well, if Genos says so, then sure. I accept."
It was also a chance to fight the man called "the strongest in the world."
*********
A few hours earlier…
At the Hero Association HQ
Tatsumaki was still furious from the insult she had suffered before. The moment she learned through the Association's channels that Louis—the Emperor—had appeared in Z-City, she didn't hesitate. She shot through the sky like a green storm, determined to find him and get her revenge.
When she arrived near the area, she quickly sensed Louis's familiar aura. It felt the same as any ordinary person's, but remembering how he flicked her away with just a finger made her anger boil even more. She approached, biting her lip in frustration.
From the sky, she located him.
She saw the door of a house open… and a young man with blond hair and metal arms standing there.
'Isn't that the new S-Class hero? What was his name again?'
But she ignored him completely. Her target was only one person.
She lifted her hand as she flew forward, ready to crush the entire house with a single psychic blast—
But suddenly… she stopped.
She noticed a familiar silhouette hiding in a nearby alley, watching the house silently, as if waiting for something.
And this made Tatsumaki even more annoyed—because she recognized exactly who that person was.