Chapter 830: Stuffing You with a Big Surprise

Amid the bustling, prosperous clamor of the Star Gate Spaceport, Saitama stood out like a sore thumb. With his conspicuous bald head and drooping eyes, he wore a bright yellow superhero bodysuit with a white cape—an outfit that contrasted sharply against the meticulously tailored uniforms of the Imperial military personnel accompanying him. He looked around in open curiosity.

On the opposite side of the docking platform, having arrived almost simultaneously with their group, stood another procession.

Some carried cumbersome staffs crowned with burning flames. Others held smoking censers, or thick metal-bound tomes strapped with iron chains and fitted with heavy metal rams at the corners. Scrolls were plastered across exposed skin and clothing alike. Many had even carved scriptures directly into their own faces. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"A—13 Central Direct-Control Grand Sector Governorate (Warhammer 40K) Ecclesiarchy pilgrimage fleet," the port guide said with a shrug. "They come here every so often to pay homage to the Divine Empress."

"But they are devout, aren’t they? Religious ritual is like breathing to them—rooted in their souls and daily lives."

"Tsk... Fanatics to the extreme. If Her Majesty ordered them all to die, they probably wouldn’t hesitate..."

Unable to understand High Gothic and not yet proficient in Imperial Common, Saitama didn’t dwell long on the pilgrims. With his lifeless, dead-fish eyes, he followed the group forward.

"Whoa! That’s incredible... It’s huge..."

"Genos, look! It’s way bigger than the giant I ran into in City B..." he said excitedly.

"An axe and a scepter... Sensei, that statue should be the Empress," Genos said in a low, serious tone.

Aside from Saitama, who seemed completely unaffected, that single thought occupied the minds of all the S-Class heroes.

With Blast, the Rank 1 hero, remaining on their home planet to handle the aftermath, she was currently the strongest S-Class hero present—particularly as an esper with the sharpest perception.

A bone-piercing chill. A pain like her soul had been skewered.

As if it had been nothing but an illusion.

Her face pale, Tatsumaki exhaled silently and looked ahead toward the transfer hub entrance of the spaceport, where pennants fluttered and crowds flowed densely. On the elevated battlements of the structure stood radiant golden figures—silent and unmoving, holding halberds. Were it not for the red tassels swaying in the wind, they might have been mistaken for statues.

Along the way, Imperial officers marched with resounding steps, exuding a chilling aura powerful enough to inspire despair. Their sheer numbers, density, and immaculate order shattered the last remnants of pride among the S-Class heroes.

"You are B-Class Rank 63 of the Hero Association—Caped Baldy, Saitama?" The palace attendant stopped before the most distinctive figure in the group.

Which bastard came up with that stupid name?! It’s reached the Sacred Selene Empire’s capital?! Once the Empress says it aloud, doesn’t that mean it’s permanently fixed?

"Yes..."

Did you people even take the hero registration process seriously back then?!

The palace attendant ignored the issue of his hero name. After confirming he was the person Her Majesty had summoned, he gestured and signaled to his colleagues to handle the rest.

The S-Class heroes had obtained the opportunity to come to the Imperial Capital only because the B-Class Rank 63 bald caped hero had been summoned—tagging along in his wake.

Genos, Tatsumaki, S-Class Rank 6 Metal Knight, S-Class Rank 8 Zombieman, and S-Class Rank 9 Drive Knight were selected by operatives of the Bureau of Science.

One more note.

As for S-Class Rank 7 King... the Imperial military did not draft him.

"That bald man is the one Your Majesty values?"

"Ordinary is precisely the point." Selene gazed appreciatively at the holographic projection showing Saitama following the palace attendants through a teleportation anchor into the outer court plaza of Schönbrunn Palace, her lips curving into a radiant smile.

"But who ever said a superhuman must be tall and imposing, with ’I’m strong, don’t mess with me’ written all over his face?" Selene laughed softly. "Look carefully, Esdeath... the heroic qualities in him."

Very quickly, she accessed all available data on Saitama through her authority—Hero Association internal files included, along with unofficial records.

When she came across the reports of petty thugs slandering and insulting Saitama after the meteor incident, even smearing him with false accusations, killing intent flickered across her face.

If such trash dared behave so brazenly before her, she would have long since minced them into paste with ice blades.

"So, Your Majesty... I am merely the prize?"

When it came to maneuvering within Marvel, you were always going to be the prize.

Saitama followed the path of pure physicality. He had no flashy energy projection techniques. Yet that very purity—of desire, of obsession, of ability—combined with the world’s inherent traits, the favor of its laws, and countless unique coincidences layered atop one another, was what forged him.

The moment Saitama entered the Honkai dimension, he had in fact already been branded with Selene’s mark.

"As a template. As a wedge... provide me with insight and data, Saitama..."

She was experimenting.

Knock, knock.

Hearing the chamberlain solemnly and ceremoniously announce the hero’s title, Selene and Esdeath exchanged a tacit glance.

"Admit him."

"Uh... Your Majesty, if my hometown, City Z, is part of your domain, then I guess that makes me your subject. Should I kneel?"

"Insolence—"

Just as the winged attendant was about to erupt, Selene’s light voice drifted across the hall.

"Huh? Oh... okay!"

"Uh, thanks... So, Your Majesty, why did you summon me?"

"A mission."

Oaths of fealty were meaningless. So long as she had not committed atrocities in his homeland, and as the highest ruler of the land of his birth, Saitama would not betray her.

"A mission?" Saitama blinked.

With a wave of her hand, Selene delivered a dossier—translated into Japanese specifically for him—into Saitama’s grasp.

"Mm. Okay. When do we start?"

"A friendly reminder. The mission is arduous. You will face unprecedented enemies. You may die. You may never return," Selene added calmly.

For the first time in a long while, passion ignited within Saitama’s lifeless eyes. The hot-blooded drive of justice rekindled.

"Very good."

All that remained was to have him roll once through the primordial essence of the Marvel multiverse’s early genesis—let him gain proper registration there.

...

Xandar. A noisy bar. Afternoon.

"Now, it’s time for the second half of the commission. Mr. Quill—Earth is your homeworld. Do you have connections there?"

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