Chapter 131

The clash between Psykos and Tatsumaki carries on. Tatsumaki pins Psykos with psychic force and lifts her into the air, but Psykos catches hold of the hero in turn and drags her downward, sending both rushing at each other. Psykos bursts through the floor where Saitama, Flashy Flash, and Manako are moving and collides with Tatsumaki, who demands to know where the other child they have been hunting is hidden.

In a different part of the base, Tareo comes across King and dashes toward him in relief. Sure that the boy is another shapeshifter in disguise, King barks at him to freeze and accuses him on the spot. Behind Tareo, a genuinely invisible monster panics and flees, convinced its cover has been blown, while King simply takes the boy's hand and leads him off.

The escaping invisible monster is abruptly caught and smothered by a wall of slime in a corridor. That slime is Orochi's surviving heart, soaking up monster blood to regrow itself. Feeling the two espers battle nearby, he reaches out toward them. Psykos keeps up her attacks, yet Tatsumaki bats her down with ease, forces the answers she needs from her, and reaches the other heroes through her locator. Only Sweet Mask replies, giving his own situation before the two exchange sharp words. Then Orochi, regrown enough to circle the base's opening with dragon heads, opens fire from all sides, ripping Tatsumaki's sleeves, scratching her, and snapping her hold on Psykos. Psykos laughs wildly and drops toward Orochi to absorb his power.

Tatsumaki outclasses Psykos and wrings out the second child's location. Tareo finds a distrustful King, and the two leave as a hidden monster flees. Orochi's regenerating heart devours a monster and blasts both espers with dragon heads, breaking Tatsumaki's grip and letting Psykos plunge to drain his energy.

Part of the Monster Association Arc, this Volume 26 chapter released on February 22, 2020 and draws partly on webcomic chapter 70. Tatsumaki and Psykos appear on the cover, and the chapter corresponds to Tonari serialization number 171. The earlier Tonari printing showed Tareo carrying the Hero Association Catalog when he met King, even though Garou had already discarded the book while sending the boy away from Royal Ripper and Bug God; this inconsistency was corrected for the Volume 26 edition, where Tareo no longer holds the catalog.