The Cruel Staircase

Garou and Genos begin exchanging strikes, but with Genos back to full strength, the Hero Hunter can find no gap to answer and falls back on mimicking Watchdog Man's style to keep his opponent guessing. In another part of the city, King and Saitama stay glued to their video games until an emergency alert reaches King, who notes aloud that Genos has been absent. Uneasy, Saitama gets up and heads out.

Garou tears Genos' arm loose, yet the cyborg pilots the limb by remote and uses it to hurl him into a tree. Genos then pins him and readies his Incineration Cannon, but Garou breaks free by kicking through the trunk and dropping out of its grip. The Monster Association turns up to back the Hero Hunter and renews its offer for him to join, which he refuses. Before Genos can fire again, Bang arrives and boots Garou aside. As Bomb takes on the surrounding monsters, Bang squares off against his former student, and the two settle into their fighting stances.

Garou trades blows with the rebuilt Genos and adopts Watchdog Man's style to confuse him. Saitama leaves his game with King after sensing something is wrong with Genos. Garou escapes Genos' Incineration Cannon, declines the Monster Association's recruitment offer, and is then intercepted by Bang, who prepares to fight his former pupil while Bomb handles the monsters.

Part of the Monster Association Arc, the chapter was collected in Volume 16 and partly draws on webcomic Chapters 53 and 54, matching anime Episode 23. Genos is the featured cover character.