"How are you here?" Psykos's voice trembled uncontrollably as she instinctively hid the petri dish behind her back.
Sol did not answer immediately.
He simply walked toward her at an unhurried pace.
With every step he took, Psykos felt the atmosphere around her grow heavier.
His crimson eyes shone clearly within the darkness, making it impossible for her to look away.
Sol's gaze shifted toward the petri dish in her hand.
"I only told you to research Monster Cells."
Psykos forced herself to remain composed.
"As your collaborator, understanding your body structure will help improve the Monsterfication process."
Sol suddenly moved.
Before Psykos could react, the petri dish was already in his hand.
The dark red drop of blood floated above his fingertip, rotating slowly.
"Collaboration requires trust," Sol said casually, though the authority in his voice was impossible to ignore. "And yet you were secretly investigating me."
A suffocating pressure filled the laboratory.
Psykos immediately tried activating her psychic powers, but the moment she did, her abilities vanished without response, like stones sinking into the ocean.
"Don't bother," Sol said indifferently. "Your powers won't work on me."
Only then did Psykos fully understand how terrifying the man standing before her truly was.
She clenched her teeth.
"What exactly do you want?"
The blood hovering over Sol's fingertip suddenly split into two separate droplets.
One of them slowly floated toward Psykos.
"Drink it," Sol ordered. "That's your only option."
Psykos stared at the drop of blood suspended before her.
Her thoughts descended into chaos.
She could sense the overwhelming energy hidden inside it.
And she also understood what accepting it would mean.
"What if I refuse?" she asked with difficulty.
Sol's expression did not change.
"Then you'll lose the chance to witness the birth of the perfect Monster," he replied. "And I'll simply find another collaborator."
There was no threat in his tone.
Just certainty.
Psykos inhaled deeply before finally opening her mouth.
The drop of blood entered her throat.
The moment it did, scorching energy exploded throughout her entire body.
Psykos collapsed to her knees as intense pain consumed her.
Every cell inside her body felt as if it were being reconstructed.
At the same time, an overwhelming will buried itself deep inside her consciousness, impossible to resist.
Several minutes later, the pain slowly subsided.
Psykos rose unsteadily to her feet.
The hesitation and resistance in her eyes had disappeared completely.
Only obedience remained.
"Lord Sol," she said respectfully while lowering her head.
Sol reabsorbed the remaining drop of blood into his body.
"From now on, you will follow my orders at all times."
"Yes."
"Accelerate the research," Sol continued. "I want perfect Monsterfication completed as soon as possible."
"Yes."
Psykos immediately returned to the control panel and restarted the laboratory systems.
The lights flickered back on.
The machines resumed operating normally.
"The Hero Association has already noticed our movements," Sol said. "Once the research is complete, we'll begin our offensive."
Excitement flashed across Psykos's face.
"Are we finally declaring war on the Hero Association?"
Sol gave no direct answer.
He simply looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"Focus on your work. Report every development to me immediately."
The moment his words ended, his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Psykos remained standing silently in place.
She could feel the new power flowing throughout her body.
And even more clearly, she could sense that betraying Sol would mean death.
Without wasting another second, she quickly resumed her research and began a deeper analysis of Sol's blood.
Hero Association Headquarters, conference room.
The heavy alloy doors slowly shut, sealing away all outside noise.
Cold white lights illuminated the solemn faces inside the room.
Around the large oval table sat nearly every active S-Class Hero.
An oppressive atmosphere filled the entire conference hall.
Sitch sat at the head of the table with a pale expression while his fingers tapped anxiously against the surface.
The holographic projection screen repeatedly replayed the battle footage from Z-City Stadium.
The recording of Sol fighting against ten S-Class Heroes alone continued looping in slow motion.
Particularly the final punch that shattered the stadium dome.
Each replay only made the atmosphere heavier.
"Are we seriously still watching this?" Metal Bat finally snapped, slamming his bat against the floor with a loud thud. "I've seen this footage enough times already. Did you drag us here just so we could watch that monster beat the hell out of us again?"
His tone was rough and irritated, but hidden beneath it was faint unease regarding Sol's strength.
"Watch your mouth, Metal Bat," Superalloy Darkshine said deeply.
He sat with his arms folded while his bronze muscles reflected the cold lighting.
Despite his composed posture, the tension in his body was obvious.
Even he wasn't fully confident his muscles could withstand power on that level.
"He has a point," Drive Knight stated in his emotionless mechanical voice. "Target Sol has displayed physical capabilities, energy output, and combat adaptability beyond anything currently recorded in Hero Association data."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Including Boros."
The room instantly became colder.
"The energy released during his final attack was estimated to be capable of instantly vaporizing one-third of Z-City," Drive Knight continued. "More importantly, evidence suggests he was still holding back during previous encounters."
Several heroes unconsciously stiffened.
Child Emperor adjusted his glasses, his young face unusually serious.
"The bigger problem is his growth rate," he said. "Based on the footage, Sol was actively learning and optimizing techniques during combat itself."
"Silver Fang's martial arts, Atomic Samurai's swordsmanship principles, Flashy Flash's movement techniques. He even analyzed and corrected Tatsumaki's psychic control."
Child Emperor's voice grew heavier.
"His learning ability might be more dangerous than his raw power."
The heroes mentioned remained silent.
Silver Fang calmly stroked his beard while quietly thinking.
Atomic Samurai clicked his tongue irritably, his hand resting on the hilt of his spare sword.
Flashy Flash's expression remained cold, though being singled out in front of everyone clearly annoyed him.
Tatsumaki floated in the air with her green curls drifting slightly.
She glared at Sol's image on the screen.
"That arrogant idiot," she muttered.
But there was noticeably more concern in her voice than anger.
"So what exactly is the Hero Association planning to do?" Zombieman asked while lighting a cigarette.
The smoke drifted lazily through the room.
"Raise his threat level again? Or finally admit that none of us can handle him alone anymore?"
His blunt words exposed the reality everyone already understood.
Sitch exhaled slowly before speaking.
"That is precisely why all of you were called here."
"The Hero Association has concluded that independent operations against Sol are no longer realistic. We need an entirely new response strategy."
He paused while scanning the room.
"And we also need to reconsider our stance regarding Muzan and the demons."
Several heroes narrowed their eyes.
"During the Z-City incident, the demons showed restraint and even assisted civilians with evacuation efforts. Their behavior directly conflicted with Sol's actions."
Sitch folded his hands together.
"At the moment, the Association believes they may not be allied with Sol."
A heavy silence spread throughout the room.
"The Association is considering recruiting them as additional combat power," Sitch continued. "What are your thoughts?"