After the dust settled and the ground stopped shaking, the tension in the air slowly faded.
Louis stood calmly in his place, while Saitama stood in front of him. Saitama's expression went back to almost normal… but the spark of excitement in his eyes had not completely disappeared.
Saitama looked at his fist, then at Louis, as if replaying everything that had just happened, before letting out a small sigh and saying very simply:
"Well… it seems I still have a lot to work on."
There was no shame or frustration in his voice.
He said it like a small fact, not very important.
Louis smiled quietly, while thinking to himself:
If this were a real fight… I wouldn't last until the end of the first round.
Before the silence became awkward, Genos took a step forward, his eyes shining with seriousness and curiosity.
He bowed slightly with respect and said:
"Mr. Emperor, I have a question."
Louis turned to him with a calm look.
"What is it?"
Genos spoke without hesitation:
"Mr. Emperor, you showed more than one great power during this challenge.
As far as I know, normally most people only have one type of great power."
He paused for a moment, then continued in an analytical tone:
" Mr. Emperor, why do you have more than one type of power?"
In that moment… Louis felt an urge to cover his face with his hand.
Shouldn't you be depressed right now because your teacher lost the challenge?
Why are you so curious at a time like this?
A short silence passed.
"Well…" Louis muttered, trying to quickly find an excuse.
He lifted his eyes slightly toward the sky, then spoke in a deliberately mysterious tone:
"Maybe… because of that prophecy. The concept of power has started to change in this era."
Genos raised his eyebrows a little.
"Prophecy??"
Louis waved his hand casually, as if he didn't want to talk about it too much:
"No need to think too much about it. I'm sure the Hero Association already knows about this, and they will tell all the heroes when the time is right."
Saitama, seeing that Genos was about to continue asking questions, scratched his ear and said:
"Is that so? If they'll tell us later anyway, then there's no need to worry, right, Genos?"
Genos nodded immediately:
"If that is the teacher's answer, then there is no need to worry."
Inside, Louis thought with a slight sarcasm:
Good… I got away this time.
Then he quickly used the chance to change the topic.
He looked directly at Saitama and spoke in a more serious tone this time:
"Alright, Saitama… I acknowledge your strength. I will officially recommend you for a re-evaluation of your hero rank."
Saitama raised his head a little. His expression didn't change much, but he said:
"Oh… that might be useful, I guess."
Louis then turned to Genos:
"And you, you have a full recording of the challenge that just happened, right?"
Genos answered at once, confidently:
"Yes, I have a detailed recording from the beginning of the fight until now."
Louis continued:
"Good. You can submit a recommendation as well. With three recommendations from S-Class heroes, the Hero Association won't be able to refuse his re-evaluation… even if they want to."
Genos nodded at first, agreeing with enthusiasm:
"That makes perfect sense. With a recommendation from the Emperor, and one from me, then—"
He suddenly stopped, frowning:
"Three recommendations from S-Class heroes?"
He stared at Louis in mild confusion:
"If you are the first, and I am the second… then who is the third hero?"
At that moment, a small smile appeared on Louis' face, carrying a feeling that he already knew the answer.
He shifted his gaze away from the two of them and looked toward one of the nearby mountains, then said in a calm but sharp voice:
"Little girl… how long do you plan to keep spying on us?"
Genos froze for a moment, while Saitama slowly turned his head in the same direction, his eyes half-open as usual.
In the sky, behind a hidden psychic barrier, Tatsumaki's body trembled slightly.
When… did he notice me?
As for "Golden Sun", who was still near her, he felt cold sweat running down his forehead.