Chapter 178: Secret Intel

Stung by the collapse of his robotic defense line, Bofoi digs into who was responsible and lands on A-Class Rank 39, the Caped Baldy known as Saitama. Searching the Hero Association records, he notices how fast this hero climbed the ranks and that he now holds the top mark on the physical evaluations. Given the ease with which his machines were torn apart, Bofoi concludes the man likely outclasses even the S-Class tier, and he sets out to keep watch over him.

The narrative rewinds two days to a tightly restricted gathering attended only by Genos, Flashy Flash, Sweet Mask, Zombieman, Sekingar, and Sitch. Sitch ties the strange occurrences from the Monster Association crisis to the warning that the planet faces catastrophe, and he asks that nothing spoken here leave the room. Zombieman opens by recalling that Homeless Emperor uttered the word God with his dying breath. The name unsettles several present, and Flashy Flash admits that a voice once reached into his mind offering him strength. Sweet Mask guesses God was merely a Monster Association figurehead, which Flashy Flash rejects outright.

Sitch then discloses that Blast and his allies spent two decades hunting a peculiar cube that let its holder speak with God. During a clash with Elder Centipede two years earlier, Blast met the being face to face, turned down its offer of power, and confronted it on his own. Genos insists Saitama could have resolved everything had the truth not been buried, and he recounts the fight between Saitama and the awakened Garou. His account stretches four hours, wearing everyone down, and Sweet Mask departs for his schedule. The listeners doubt the story and want Saitama to verify it, but Genos admits Saitama retains no memory of it. Flashy Flash brands the tale a fabrication, which infuriates the cyborg.

Closing the session, Sitch says Blast will resurface before long and stresses that heroes must stand united so that God cannot prey on any weakness of spirit. Genos disagrees, arguing the real priority is briefing Saitama, and he walks out. Zombieman connects Dr. Genus's remark about a person shedding their hair when a limiter is broken, suspecting it describes Saitama. Both Flashy Flash and Sweet Mask, struck by the cyborg's fierce loyalty, begin to wonder just how formidable the bald hero truly is.

Bofoi identifies Saitama as the destroyer of his robots and decides to track him. In flashback, Sitch convenes a secret council of top heroes. Zombieman reveals Homeless Emperor's mention of God, and Flashy Flash confirms a telepathic offer of power. Sitch recounts Blast's twenty-year search for the communication cube and his direct encounter with God. Genos relays the Saitama versus Garou battle over a grueling four-hour explanation, which the others dismiss as unverifiable.

This is the 178th chapter of the One-Punch Man manga, running in Volume 35 within the Psychic Sisters Arc, and it partially adapts webcomic Chapter 97. Genos, Flashy Flash, Sweet Mask, and Zombieman appear on the cover. Saitama has no recollection of the Garou fight, a point that fuels the council's skepticism. Zombieman's realization about the limiter and hair loss quietly points toward Saitama as its subject.