AN: This chapter put up a fight like hell. I lost the will to write it three times and forced myself to go back to it every time because I didn't want to leave my readers hanging for a conclusion to the alien invasion. I am aware some parts may be rushed and even convoluted but in all honesty this is the best I can do without wanting to delete everything.

Also, I still get comments about Lola kissing Amai Mask and how people didn't like it but... I kinda grew to like how I wrote it. I still give reason to those who don't like it and who said how they felt, I can perfectly see why it's my most criticized chapter but, at this point in time, I don't feel the need to change it.

When Lola and Kaiyo passed through the Association's doors it was as if they'd entered a completely new reality.

The scenario was worse than anyone could have pictured it. Not one building remained untouched or even a semblance of recognizable, everything had been torn down upon the impact of the alien artillery and even charred with the intense heat that was generated. Roads once bustling with movement were no longer there, buried beneath all the wreckage, all the noise and action having ceased in a single swoop.

"I can't believe it, they really tore up the whole city." Lola whispered; her eyes wide in disbelief. She knew certain monsters could bring swift destruction in their wake with ease but not in the scale of an entire city within mere seconds.

Kaiyo brushed his eyes across the horizon line and the landscape was a warzone as far as he could see. The man presiding the meeting had said it was a 99.98% destruction rate but the number didn't have as much impact as looking at the scenario itself. When looking to the right he caught sight of a large monster with multiple heads facing down what looked like a knight and a man running from that direction with a child in his arms.

"Mom, look over there!" He pointed.

"We need help!" The man shouted as he arrived at the only remaining building in A-City, before kneeling down in exhaustion at Lola and Kaiyo's feet.

The monster-woman knelt down and put her hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't worry, you're safe now."

"You two, take the kids inside and ask for help from the staff while we go and take care of that thing." Atomic Samurai stated as he walked past them, a hand clutching the hilt of his katana, and took off in a sprint towards his disciple.

Metal Bat and Puri Puri Prisoner came out of the building and followed after him, taking no time to even acknowledge the civilians, leaving behind a certain martial arts master.

Bang paused and bent down to look Lola in the eyes. "Do as he say and let us take care of this. Saitama is very likely already on the alien ship as we speak, so there is no need to worry as much." And, with that, he was off to help out his comrades against the monster that had descended from the ship.

Tearing her eyes from the departing hero, Lola looked back at the man who was still panting as if he'd just run a marathon. It was obvious he was very much in shock over the destruction of the city and, worse than that, over the people he'd likely lost in the alien attack. The child he was carrying didn't attempt to form a single word, his sobs blocking out any coherent speech as he desperately clung to his father's shirt in search of comfort.

"Can you stand?" She asked.

"I… I think so."

Putting her hands on the man's waist, she helped him up and steady on his feet. "Go inside and ask for help from the Hero Association. Can you do that?"

A breath in and another out. Repeat. And repeat. A pause. "…Yes."

Lola slowly let the man go and watched him go past the doors. The two would be safe enough inside but there could be more out there. The mere thought of what could have happened if her son had been caught in the bombardment gripped her heart like a vice, feeling as if the organ was twice as heavy in her chest. And what if she'd chosen to wait outside and had to face the explosion? In either scenario would have caused so much pain to the family. It would have been a nightmare.

There could be people out there facing their version of that nightmare.

"I'm going to look for survivors. I might be able to feel if someone's stuck under all this rubble."

"Wait! I thought you said you weren't as powerful as grandma to sense a regular person's energy." Kaiyo remembered he'd asked once if his mother was as powerful as his grandmother. The answer had been a no, mainly because Nephila had many years of indiscriminate use and experience to back her up while har daughter was discouraged from using her abilities on other people while growing up.

"If I concentrate hard enough I'm able to pinpoint someone's location." And with all the powerful people in the vicinity it would be harder, but she Lola chose not to mention that.

"I'll go too!" His response was immediate before he switched to a pleading tone. "Please."

"…Alright. But you're not getting out of my sight."

"And dad?"

"Bang said he was heading to the ship. No doubt he's already causing some damage while looking for the alien boss." She looked up briefly. "There's definitely some powerful aliens up there. Oh, one just disappeared." Saitama was definitely inside the alien vessel. "Let's go, I can definitely sense that thing over there is able to split up into multiple bodies and I don't want to find out what is like to fight one."

The two then set off to try and find some civilians in need of help.

Someone was bound to have been lucky enough to have survived… Right?

"Can you feel anything?"

"… Not yet."

"How can we not have found any survivors yet?!" Kaiyo exploded. "Out of everyone who lived here some must have made it out alive!"

The pair had walked a considerable distance from their starting point, both keeping their senses keen to anything that might indicate someone was still alive out there, but so far had come up empty-handed.

"Humans aren't as durable as monsters, especially civilians." Or maybe she'd just sat on her skills long enough for them to lose their edge… She had to focus… Give it all she had… Yes! There! "Wait! It's faint but I can feel something!" Latching onto that little light in her mind's eye, Lola's feet moved on their own until they stopped in front of half of a broken sign for a convenience store. "Here! Help me dig through the rubble but be careful!"

In an instant several of the monster-boy's dreads came to life, morphing into long stands of kelp. They were his best strength, tentacles that were stronger than steel and but weighted as much as hydrated kelp, powerful enough to defeat some A-Class heroes but also able to perform more delicate movements. Carefully, they began picking up chunks of the rubble that sat on top of some poor soul that had gotten caught up in the alien assault, tossing them away almost as if they were weightless.

It was a slow process filled with anxiety. Whatever pocket of air the debris sat over could collapse at any given time, not to mention the danger of encountering electric lines or gas leaks. Not to mention that neither of the two were doctors, ambulance workers, firefighters or had any knowledge of engineering, which put whoever was trapped in more danger, but the threat of further attacks was too great to leave the person to their luck.

Finally, a voice was heard, signaling for the kelp tentacles to retreat and Lola to take over the remaining digging by hand. Then, there was a tiny hand grabbing hers.

"Hey there." The woman whispered as she hoisted up from the hole a little girl that was no older than a toddler. "You're safe now, don't worry."

"Mama! Papa!" Those were the first words heard by her rescuers, shouted out into the skies in a desperate cry for her loved ones. "I want my mama and papa!"

It was a state no child ever should be in. The girl was all scraped and bruised, one of her pigtails undone and the other barely held up by a butterfly rubber band. Her once navy-blue dress was beyond repair, covered in dirt, gashes and even some blood, and her socks peeking from under a pair of cute brown shoes no longer sported a pristine white color, but a dull grey with frayed spots.

"Do you…?" Kaiyo didn't have to finish those words for his mother to understand them.

Lola was sure she already knew the answer, but she took a deep breath and concentrated has hard as she could past the cries of the child held against her chest.

A few seconds went by.

Then some more.

A full minute ticked by.

…Nothing.

It was as she'd thought. She let her head hand and shook it, but still got up and motioned for her son to follow along the second after. Beyond the superficial wounds it looked like there weren't any broken bones or any other serious injuries, but it would be best for the little girl to be taken to get professional medical help as fast as possible. There was no need for two lives lost to become three.

"No! I want my mama and papa!"

"Calm down." Lola placed her hand on the girl's cheek and, almost immediately, the toddler began settling down. "Shhh, that's it. Deep breath in and out. I bet you're very tired. You should go to sleep for bit. You are very tired and really want to sleep. Don't you?"

"I… I…" Her eyes began feeling heavier and heavier until she couldn't keep them open anymore and, in seconds, she was pulled into a dreamless sleep.

"Alright, Kaiyo, let's keep going."

The mother and son began walking back to the Hero Association HQ, a heavy silence reigning among them, neither attempting to look at each other.

It wasn't just about the display of Lola's abilities as a monster, but more concerning that someone so young lost two important people to them and how it would be attributed to a large-scale monster attack.

There were many types of monsters out in the world, mysterious beings as some scientists called them, and the majority weren't exactly nice. Heck, they caused so much trouble that certain people dedicated their careers to trying and stop them from harming humans. What was there to stop heroes if someone ever found out two monsters disguised themselves as something they were not and blended into society? It wouldn't matter if they'd done good if all fingers pointed accusatorily at them. And Saitama couldn't always be at his son or wife's side, what would happen if something went wrong?

"That, erm… That was the first time I saw you do that." The monster-boy whispered in an attempt to try and soften the mood. He was still thinking about how easily his mother was able to calm down the human girl. "Will she remember anything?"

"Unfortunately, she will still remember what happened today, removing or altering memories is a delicate procedure with several ramifications and side-effects to it, but on why she went to sleep all that will remain is her feeling very tired." As far as she recalled children's brains were easier to meddle with but, so far, all her "subjects" had been fully grown and never had their memories tampered with, putting her knowledge in only the theoretical field. "Also, since I used skin-to-skin contact it didn't have the same mental impact as just using my words. Not to mention it's easier to get control of the person this way."

"Well, that's- Oh shit!"

"What?"

"Look up!"

The alien ship's underside was being covered in violet lights, casting a strong, almost blinding glow over the entire city. Soon after, several artillery shells were deployed, likely a follow-up to the initial attack to try and eliminate the heroes fighting against the invaders and whoever else had managed to survive the destruction of A-City.

"Crap! We're going get blown up!" Lola was lost on what to do as taking cover wasn't a viable option, until the shells stopped mid-air enveloped by a green glow. "What… What happened? Why did they stop mid-air?"

"Tatsumaki! The Tornado of Terror!" Kaiyo remembered the green-haired child-like woman had been present for the meeting. For someone so unassuming to carry so much power… She was rank 2 for a reason but... Wow! "She's a really powerful ESPer that was at the hero meeting, it's got to be her doing this."

The projectiles began moving, but not in their original direction. They changed directions and were sent up back to where they'd came from, striking the ship, causing multiple explosions and, very likely, some heavy damage to the vessel.

"Kudos to her but we better hurry back to the Hero Association HQ in case that thing starts coming down on our heads."

"Hey, what's that?" Kaiyo pointed a what looked like a military vehicle parked in the middle of the destruction with a couple of people near it. "Hey! Over here!" He shouted.

Satoru, more known as Mumen Rider, had arrived to what remained of A-City as soon as he'd heard the reports of untold damage and destruction through the television after the hero communication network went down. There hadn't been any hesitation on his part to participate in the rescue operation, even if he was fearful of what kind of monsters he could encounter while saving the civilians that had managed to survive the attack.

"No one expects much…" Everything hurt, all of his nerves were on fire, his body begging to shut down, but Mumen Rider still found the energy to slowly get back up. "…from me." He was on his knees now. It was more than certain he wouldn't make it out alive, nevertheless he wouldn't give up. Not while people were still in danger. "They think a C-Class Hero won't be much help. I know that better than anyone!" It hurt to breathe, to speak, or to do anything else. "I'm not good enough for B-class. I'm weak, I know that much! No one has to tell me I have no chances of defeating you. I already know that!" Finally, he was standing back up in front of the beast. He was a hero, and heroes protected everyone regardless of the consequences!

After what had happened of the Dee Sea King some had expected him to quit and leave his hearo duties behind, but all that had happened was a reinvigorated sense of doing better to overcome whatever opponents he may encounter in the future. Mumen Rider had meant what he'd said to the hulk of a beast and, if anything, his sense of selflessness towards the community had only grown more reinvigorated and pushing him to doing better for others who depended on him.

The Hero Association, upon earning of his arrival, partnered him up with Stinger and Lighting Max and sent the three out into the ruins to rescue anyone who'd escaped with their lives. So far there were a handful of people already inside the armored truck provided, and a couple more already with medical task forces back at the HQ, and they were rescuing their last victim before returning.

"Alright, this is the last of the reported survivors." Stinger helped the injured woman stand up and slowly made their way towards the vehicle.

"Hey! Over here!" Two people were running towards the heroes. It was a boy and a woman.

"More survivors?" Lighting Max wondered.

When the two arrived the heroes were able to see that the woman was also carrying a small bruised child in her arms, but herself and the boy were looking like they didn't have a scratch on them.

"Could you give us a lift?" Kaiyo asked.

"Of course! Let's get you three out of here."

Mumen Rider approached the woman, his eyes wide behind his goggles. "You are…"

"Hello again." Lola gave a tired smile.

"Mumen! Don't just stand there and help out!" Lightning Max shouted.

"Oh, sure! Here, give me the child. Is she hurt?"

The white-haired woman passed the sleeping toddler into the arms of the cyclist hero, making sure to jostle her as little as possible. "Not that I could see, but I'm afraid her parents didn't make it."

Everyone made it back inside the truck and sat down on the floor, glad that they could finally get to safety. Inside a few onlookers glanced at the newly-arrived passengers but didn't stare for too long, opting to lower their heads back down and focus on anything but the disaster that surrounded them.

Lola chose to sit in an isolated corner, letting out a long sigh of relief, and Mumen Rider sat down right next to her, the little sleeping girl still cradled in his lap.

"How did you two get away from that explosion? There isn't even a scratch that I can see." He asked.

"The Hero Association HQ. My son and I were inside when the aliens blew up A-City." She answered, choosing not to hide the fact.

"And you tow didn't think to remain inside?! You could have encountered dangerous creatures out here!"

"Did you?"

"That's not the point! You should have remained safe while letting the heroes handle this. It's our job to take those risks." Satoru couldn't decide if the woman was brave for venturing out to rescue people or insane for putting her son and herself in danger. Maybe she was both. "You shouldn't have needed put your life on the line, not now and not when the Sea King attacked."

The mention of the monster attack in J-City made Lola pause. It had almost slipped her mind what she'd come close to doing that day. "I didn't think you'd remember that."

"I actually met you husband after I was let out of the hospital. Bought him some dinner to thank him."

"He'd told me a guy bought him dinner when he was coming back from his promotion meeting but didn't say who exactly."

"When I asked Saitama if he knew why you'd put yourself between me and that monster he just assured me you were able to take care of yourself. Are you… like him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Strong." He'd realized from the start it had been only because of Saitama that the Deep Sea King was defeated and yet the man had let everyone else believe the opposite. All to maintain the people's belief in heroes. "There's no registered heroes with your description. I checked."

Her? A hero? It actually made her want to chuckle. "I can handle myself but I could never become a hero."

"We're here." The driver announced as the vehicle came to a full stop.

Medical teams approached to assist the injured survivors as they climbed out of the truck assisted by Lighting Max and Stinger, while one doctor came to pick up the little girl from Mumen Rider's arms and took her away to have her injuries examined.

Looking around the makeshift medical bay one could see just how little people had survived the alien invasion. Most were in stretchers and hooked up to machines in the far corners while medical personnel rushed between them to continuously monitor their vitals and administer care.

Out of the blue Lola felt the biggest of the foreign life energies die down before disappearing. Her husband's handiwork, most definitely. "We're not under the alien ship, are we?" She asked the Mumen Rider.

"Huh? No, why?"

"Just checking."

The ground began to shake violently, with almost as much intensity as when the first attack hit, generating chaos among the rescued populace and the medical staff looking after them. The building still showed no signs of collapsing but that fact didn't do much to reassure the people relying on it for shelter.

"What was that?!" "Another attack?!" "What's going on?" "I don't want to die!"

"Do not panic! The alien ship's crashing down! The S-Class have likely defeated whoever was controlling it." A Hero Association worker announced through the intercom system in an attempt to reassure everyone. "I repeat, do not panic! The alien ship has gone down."

"They did it!" "Yes!" "We're saved!" "I'm so glad!" "I knew the heroes would save us!" The shouts reverted from terrified to ecstatic, effectively providing a calming effect to spread through the makeshift medical bay.

Mumen Rider turned to Lola, his expression one of surprise. "How did you…?" How had she known the ship would be coming down? Did she have some sort of power that wasn't related to physical prowess?

"What? It was just a question." The monster-woman shrugged off the hero's implication. It wasn't like he could accuse her of anything without proof. "Anyway, we survived an alien invasion. Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd be saying. Can you believe it Ka-…" She looked around and noticed a certain someone wasn't to be seen anywhere nearby. "Kaiyo?"

How had she lost her son again?!

Kaiyo ran as fast as he could towards the crashed alien ship. He darted in-between the piles of rubble while employing his monster speed and endurance which, while rather limited due to his strength residing mainly in his kelp tentacles and not on his main body, gave him an edge superior to if he'd only been a regular human child.

At a certain point he was able to pinpoint a group of some S-Class heroes, so he slowed down and opted to shift to a stealthier approach, eventually stopping near enough so he could hear their conversation. As far as he could see the ones present were Child Emperor, Puri Puri Prisoner (who was naked for some reason), Genos, Bang, Atomic Samurai, Metal Bat and a blond man missing an arm, Iaian his mother had called him.

"Care to explain, Metal Bat?" A soft-spoken man's voice made itself known with an edge of poison to it.

Who did that voice belong to? Kaiyo was sure he'd heard it somewhere, but it hadn't been at the previously interrupted meeting. Peering from behind his hiding spot he saw a classically handsome blue-haired man standing in front of Metal Bat with an accusatory glare. Amai Mask! What was the A-Class hero doing with the S-Class ones?

"Huh?" Was the not-so-articulated response given by the young S-Class hero.

"Explain so I can understand."

"Handsomely Masked Amai Mask… Where the hell did you pop up from?"

"I was filming a TV Drama in the next town. There was a roar and tremors, so I came and found A-City wiped out."

"Monsters with a huge-ass ship and attacked us. They fired artillery and caused all of the destruction. But we took care of it."

"'Took care of it', you say?" Amai Mask's voice dropped an octave, ringing with a dangerous tone, before going back to normal. "You call this victory?! Such incompetence! I'm completely appalled at all of you!"

"Hey! You didn't even get here in time, so quit actin' all big." Metal Bat pointed his weapon at the pop-idol/hero, a promised threat in his actions.

"it's true I didn't make it in time, but all of you were right here. You didn't save a single brick!"

"We were having a meeting inside the HQ building." Atomic Samurai stepped forward to explain before the teen could make the situation worse. "We went outside as soon as the enemy attacked, but the city was already in ruins."

"So what? You think if you tell them that, all of the media will let this show of incompetence go?"

"You… Whose side are you on?" Puri Puri Prisoner accused the A-Class hero with a low tone. The beautiful man didn't have any reason to start making accusations without having participated alongside them in the battle. "We did our best."

"I'm on the side of justice. Having S-Class heroes this pathetic… is an embarrassment." Amai Mask arrogantly claimed while casually brushing his hair to the side. "Anybody entirely this useless should voluntarily retire."

"Hey! Don't start talkin' crap with us!" Metal Bat got in the blue-haired man's face with a snarl. If the pompous bastard was going to start throwing insults around he would more than definitely fight back. "Who's gonna care about an idol lookin' like hell with his face all busted up?"

"Do you have any idea why I don't move up to S-Class? I remain rank 1 in A-Class so I can prevent weak, good-for-nothing pissants like you from moving up to S-Class."

Before any violent actions could take place between the two, a futuristic-looking capsule landed not far from the group of heroes, making everyone pause and divert their attentions to the new arrival.

Everyone already knew who it was.

A robot came out of the silver capsule and turned towards the alien ship, it's red optics not shifting away from it, paying no attention to everyone else present.

"Metal Knight, you skip the meeting for only now to show up?" Amai Mask criticized the S-Class rank 6 hero, but his words had no effect on him.

"This is… magnificent." A metallic voice came from the robot. Bofoi, more known his alias of Metal Knight, was a man who cared for very little apart from his work and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to study what laid beyond the stars that had came to his very doorstep. How thrilling!

"Metal Knight! What are you doing here? The battle is already over." Genos eyed the remote-controlled avatar of the recluse scientist with distrust.

'Metal Knight is your enemy' was what Drive Knight had told the cyborg when they were far away from prying ears. He couldn't stop wondering why his fellow hero would say something like that, although he already got that something was off about Bofoi when he'd retreated after his missiles to stop the giant meteor had failed. A whole city would have been destroyed if not for Saitama intervening, a city that was abandoned by Metal Knight who claimed was there only to 'field test his missiles'.

"Genos, right?"

"Do not tell me you have come to recover the spaceship. Are you here so you can create more powerful weapons with the alien technology?"

"Precisely. Powerful weapons are a necessity for the sake of peace."

Without addressing anyone else, the robot began walking away toward the crashed vessel. He didn't care who and even how many had died in the attack as long as he could get his hands on the otherworldly technology without too much trouble, some sacrifices would always need to be made in the name of progress. Why show compassion now when everything was over and if it wouldn't benefit him in the slightest? There were things out there, in the dark, lurking that were much more powerful than those aliens and, when they came, he would be ready.

"Even with powerful weapons, in the hands of heroes like this they'd be wasted." Amai Mask taunted the group with a haughty smirk.

Behind the idol/hero, Metal Bat's eye twitched and he tightened his grip on his weapon. "You're mine latter, pretty boy. Watch your ass." He murmured.

"Hey! I found some alien survivors!" Superalloy Darkshine shouted from a few yards away, drawing the attention of the S-Class ranks and the A-Class.

"I thought Lord Boros never lost." "Are we going to be killed?" "Maybe we can talk our way out of this." "Man, I'm so hungry." The aliens murmured among themselves.

"Shh, someone's coming!" The former charge of the long-range weapons division hushed his fellow crewmembers, prompting them to quiet down.

Amai Mask approached the last remnants of the alien crew and eyed them with distaste.

Everyone was wondering on what to do with the aliens until the A-Class hero took matters into his own hands and decapitated them all in one fell swoop, spilling green blood and entrails all over the floor and even some on himself.

Everyone was silent.

"Amai Mask! What the-" Superalloy Darkshine was the first to regain his bearings after the sudden action from his fellow hero.

"They did not deserve to live. They were evil. I swiftly implemented justice, that's all." He wiped some of the brood from his cheek, uncaring over what he'd just done, and turned to walk away, brushing the blond cyborg out of his way. "And Genos… I've seen you've been busy since the Seafolk incident… you've mostly been a disappointment."

Kaiyo's eyes had widened at the sight of the aliens being slaughtered and he took a step back, then another, another, and another before taking off at full speed. He had to get away!

He should have expected that fate to befall the monsters but to see it with his own eyes made him want to vomit!

All his life, the boy had been aware that humans didn't like monsters, despised them above all else, and if he wanted to have a good life that no one should know what he really was behind the human façade. It wasn't something he minded doing, pretending he was a human and mingle among them every day. At first it had been difficult, to not look over his shoulder every second of the day, to let go of the fear a hero would see through the layer of deceit and execute him on the spot, but after a while things settled down and he gained more confidence in himself to pass as just another regular human boy.

Had all that time looking nothing like his normal self made him complacent in his newfound place in society? He didn't look like a monster, so he'd never been treated as one, and the encounters between humans and monsters became so common-place they no longer bothered him when either of the sides lost a life; it was a part of a normal day at the end of it all. Monsters were cool from his childish perspective, outcasts and villains who did what they wanted when they wanted without answering to rules, but so were some heroes, strong and powerful people who got wealth and were adored for their accomplishments. Everything was akin to a manga or TV show because he never got a good look at the consequences.

After the Deep Sea King attack everything did a 180º. Suddenly everything was no longer 'just another day'. Loved ones could be lost in the blink of an eye and heroes weren't always strong enough to prevent collateral damage, people got hurt when crossing the path of a bloodthirsty beast that cared for nothing but itself and some even laid down their lives to protect innocent bystanders.

Monsters were no longer so cool as he'd thought them to be, but the connection between him being one and heroes hunting monsters didn't quite reach home until he saw Amai Mask execute the remainder of the alien crew without a care. There hadn't been much of an opposition to his actions from the other heroes and there would likely not be any repercussions for his actions. What if those monsters were forced to join the crew? What if they had families?

Was the fate of all monsters to be killed merely because of who they were?

Before the monster-boy knew it, he'd reached the Hero Association HQ and was darting in-between people, almost knocking some of the workers and medical staff over in his blind run to reach one of the people who could give him some semblance of comfort and safety.

"Kaiyo! There you are!" Lola exclaimed when she saw her son running full force toward her before crushing her waist into a vice-like grip. "I- Are you alright?"

"..."

Kaiyo didn't want to die, he didn't want his mother to die, but no matter how hard he tried they would always bleed a different color.

AN: I had to ask friends to help me with the ending because I got stuck and even now I realize it's not as I would like it but if I write more I'm afraid it could go on for too long and become repetitive.

Anyway, as usual I appreciate the feedback.