The moment Louis stepped into the conference room, every eye turned to him.
Many S-class heroes froze for a few seconds, each one lost in their own thoughts:
So this is the mysterious Emperor…
This is the strongest man on Earth…
If I could challenge him one day…
What kind of power does he really have?
Who is stronger… him or Blast?
Louis's calm gaze moved slowly around the circle of S-class heroes, as if he could read every thought in the room.
The president stepped forward with a polite smile and pointed to the top seat:
"Mr. Emperor, this is your place… please have a seat."
The seat was at the highest position on the side of the table, directly in front of Tatsumaki.
Louis gave a light smile, walked over calmly, and sat down. All eyes followed him until he settled in his chair.
As soon as he sat—
"Hmph!!"
He heard a cold snort beside him.
Of course, he didn't need to look to know who it was.
Tatsumaki.
He knew it instantly, ignored her completely, and focused on the president, who began to speak.
The president looked around the room and said in an official tone:
"I apologize for making you all wait. Since we don't know where Mr. Blast is, it's impossible to contact him, and we can't afford to wait any longer… so we will start this emergency meeting now."
His expression slowly grew more serious as he continued:
"In this meeting, I will explain the situation to you myself. Without wasting time… the reason I invited you here today, you outstanding heroes, is…"
He paused for a moment, then said clearly:
"To defend the Earth!!"
When they heard those words, everyone's expression turned completely serious.
The president went on:
"This disaster is not a normal crisis. It is a disaster that threatens all of humanity. Even the strongest among you might die in it."
He looked at the faces around the table, then said honestly:
"So… if any of you does not wish to participate, I will respect that decision. There will be no punishment."
As expected… no one said a word.
As S-class heroes, each of them had their pride.
How could they run away before the battle even began?
When the president saw that everyone stayed silent and no one objected, his face relaxed a little, and he continued:
"This disaster comes from the spaceship in the sky."
Some of them remembered the scene they had seen on their way to the headquarters.
The president continued:
"The great prophet once said that Earth would face a world-ending disaster within a year… and it is very likely that this event is related to that prophecy."
"So, heroes… I ask you to do your best to protect our planet."
When he heard the word prophecy, Genos immediately remembered what the Emperor had said earlier during his fight with Saitama, when he mentioned something similar.
He opened his mouth to ask for more details…
But a rough voice cut him off.
Tok!
"Metal Bat" — the 16th S-class hero — hit the floor with his bat to get everyone's attention, then spoke in a direct tone:
"You said a lot… but do you actually have any real information about the enemy?"
The president didn't seem annoyed by his attitude and answered seriously:
"Since this is the first time we face an enemy like this, our information about them is very limited."
He paused, then added:
"However, based on our research… it's likely that the enemy is some kind of powerful wandering alien race."
Louis almost lifted an eyebrow in sarcasm.
Really…?
A spaceship in the sky, and you say 'likely aliens'?
This level of 'analysis' didn't deserve a comment.
At that moment, Louis decided it was time to leave a deeper impression on the other heroes…
So that no one would think about testing his limits or trying to uncover his weaknesses during the remaining days he had in this world.
He raised his voice calmly:
"I know the owner of that spaceship."
Just as he expected, every head in the room turned toward him in the same instant.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment before he continued:
"The owner of that ship is called Boros. He is a cosmic ruler who loves traveling through the universe and challenging the strongest fighters from different civilizations."
"And when he can't find a worthy opponent… he destroys that civilization completely."
The name Boros passed through the hall and left behind a wave of shock.
"Boros…?"
"A cosmic ruler…?"
Tatsumaki lifted her head slightly and stared at Louis.
"Wait… since you know him, does that mean you fought him before?"
Louis answered without hesitation, his face calm:
"Yes. A few years ago, when I was traveling through the universe to sharpen my strength… I met him on a distant planet."
— Of course… a lie.
"At that time, both of us were still at the beginning of our paths, and our fight was wild and full of mistakes. After a battle that lasted several hours, our fight ended in a draw."
— And another lie.
"But if we want to estimate his current power… he should be at least at Dragon level… if not higher."
That part… was true.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Traveling through the universe to train…
Dragon level or higher…
The shock was obvious on many faces.
Some of the heroes swallowed nervously.
At that moment—
"Eeeh, are there a lot of strong guys in space? Can I fight them too?"
Saitama's excited voice shattered everyone's train of thought.
For the first time, many of them really looked properly at the bald man who had entered with Emperor earlier, still wearing his simple yellow jumpsuit.
Louis smiled faintly:
"Of course. If you want, I can take you on a tour between planets one day."
His eyes shone a little, as if drawing an impossible picture of the future.
"Oooh, that sounds awesome! When do we go?"
"Hm… now is not the right time." Louis thought for a second, then smoothly created another lie:
"Each trip through space takes a long time… and Blast is currently investigating an enemy of 'God-level' somewhere in the universe. I agreed with him that I would stay here to protect our planet until he finishes his investigation."
And yet another lie…
"Oh… that's disappointing." Saitama sighed in mild frustration. He didn't seem to care much about the reason, only about the fact that they weren't going right now.
But after two or three seconds…
The room suddenly exploded with questions:
"Wait, did you just say you met Blast?!"
"Are you saying he's investigating a God-level enemy?!"
"So he really isn't on Earth right now?!"
"What kind of enemy is this, for Blast himself to investigate it?!"
If some of them had doubted Louis's words at first, before he mentioned Blast…
After the name became part of the story, their doubts turned into almost complete belief.
Who is Blast?
He is the number one S-class hero, the unseen legend.
If he really was off-planet investigating a "God-level" enemy, that was more proof of his unimaginable strength — and of how dangerous the situation could become.
The idea that Louis might be making this up… barely crossed anyone's mind.
After all, if Blast returned one day, he could explain everything himself.
So why would Emperor risk lying to everyone in a meeting like this?
Louis spoke again, in a slightly apologetic tone:
"Sorry, I can't explain more details than that. When Blast returns… he will explain everything to you himself."
Inside, he thought coldly:
' I already have a general idea about the system's Main Quest 3. If it really is what I suspect… then by the time Blast comes back, I'll be long gone from this world.'
While everyone was still trying to digest Louis's words…
"BOOOOM!!"
A violent explosion suddenly shook the entire building.
The floor trembled beneath their feet, and the lights on the ceiling swung wildly from side to side.