King vs. Atomic Samurai

The best way to get a true measure of your skill would be like this, don't you think? Pretend I'm a monster, and come at me.

King vs. Atomic Samurai is the encounter between the two S-Class heroes King and Atomic Samurai.

Prelude
Deep in the mountains of G-City, Nichirin talks to Atomic Samurai about Bang's retirement from hero work and how it was originally a way for Atomic Samurai to compete with Bang. Though his priorities have changed, Atomic Samurai also mentions among the top heroes there is a man (King), whose true power seems unfathomable to him. He states that whether or not he will continue to work as a hero depends on his appraisal of that man.

Atomic Samurai travels to M-City with his all three of his disciples in search for King. They start by going to his apartment and ringing on the complex's intercom. Though, it turns out that King isn't home, and in disappointment, the four of them go to the city's Mouse Sushi branch while they wait for King to return home. Inside the restaurant Mouse Sushi, they are all prepared to have a meal. Iaian wants the sushi that shows up on the conveyor belt, but it gets taken by someone in the booth next to them. Next, when a Mayo Corn shows up on the conveyor belt, Okamaitachi wants to try it for the first time, but again this gets taken by someone in the booth next to them. Finally, when a big fatty tuna shows up on the conveyor belt, Atomic Samurai asks his disciples to secure it for him, but once again this gets taken by someone in the booth next to them. In rage, Atomic Samurai stands up looking behind him, into the next booth to confront who it is!

Atomic Samurai soon realises that it is none other than the man he is looking for, King. He approaches the famous fellow S-Class hero, though very quickly the rumbling of King Engine actives and this gets the attention of Atomic Samurai and his disciples. Atomic Samurai tells King to step outside unless he'd rather settle things inside. King then chokes on his food in a panic, holding up his chopsticks by mistake, though Atomic Samurai takes this as a challenge, assuming King can defeat him with just chopsticks. Atomic Samurai then slices an apple in front of King with his katana demonstrating his mastery of swordsmanship, before telling him to once again step outside.

Battle
Both combatants go outside and face off in a wide place with a lawn and trees surrounding them. King is shaking with minute twitches and has many openings while Atomic Samurai stands ready and focused on the calm breeze with his katana. Though before any action can start, King tries to bluff his way out by spewing nonsense and attempting to walk away. Atomic Samurai somehow buys his words and calls off the fight but asks King to cut an apple for him. He states that by watching someone cut an object with a sword, he can see what sort of life they have been going through.

Aftermath
Atomic Samurai hands over the apple and one of his katanas to King before closely watching him together with his three disciples. King then sits into seiza, with the apple sitting in front of him. He readies the katana in its sheath, poses a striking stance, and holds the stance still for over two minutes, before simply putting the sword down, standing up, and walking away without saying a thing. Atomic Samurai and three of his disciples watch as King walks away. When leaving, King thinks to himself how holding the striking pose alone pushed his arms to the limit and that he could not even unsheathe the sword. Meanwhile, the three disciples are confused and ask their master why King left without doing anything. Atomic Samurai becomes terrified and in his mind, assumes (incorrectly) that King has indeed sliced the apple, his movements being so fast that they could not be seen by him. He asserts that King has performed a supernatural feat of "slicing the blade through gaps between the cells" and that the apple does not even realise it has been cut. He likens King's technique to that of Nichirin before further adding that in King's case, the blade itself has also not realised it was unsheathed.

Afterwards, Atomic Samurai is ashamed and tells his three disciples he will redo his training from scratch. He asks them if they still want to follow him as his disciples, even when knowing that a lot of hardships may be awaiting them, to which they still energetically say yes.