Inside the J-City shelter.
The crowd was buzzing with noise.
Most of the people were anxious and overcome with panic.
The sound of the torrential rain pounding outside the shelter only exacerbated the situation.
"I heard S-Class heroes went to provide backup... so this crisis should be resolved soon..." muttered a man in a tracksuit with slicked-back hair.
He was the Hero Association's C-rank hero, All Back-Man.
A low-level hero.
Because his strength was insufficient to face such a crisis, he was hiding here along with the civilians.
However, in response to All Back-Man's optimistic words, Snek—an A-Class hero wearing a colorful patterned suit—responded gloomily, "The S-Class hero who arrived is a newcomer... before I escaped, he had already fallen into a complete disadvantage. His defeat is only a matter of time... the leader of those monsters is irrationally strong."
"Then what should we do?" Jet Nice Guy, a B-rank cyborg hero, asked as sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Facing an opponent like that... heroes of our rank are no match, no matter how many of us try." Snek's tone was pessimistic. "The Association's backup has already been requested. For now, we can only stay in the shelter; there is nothing we can do."
These realistic words caused All Back-Man and Jet Nice Guy to lower their heads together.
With their meager strength...
They were heroes... but right now, they were no different from the civilians.
"Don't be so discouraged!" Just as they were sinking into despondency, a clear and passionate voice rang out.
The source of the voice was a young man wearing a green helmet and large goggles.
Water was still dripping from his body, and the bicycle propped up beside him was dripping as well.
Clearly, he had traveled quite a distance through the rain and had only just arrived.
His identity was the Rank 1 C-rank hero:
Mumen Rider.
"We are heroes... the ones the people place their faith in, the guardians who protect the civilians. We must have confidence to set an example and help everyone calm their hearts." Mumen Rider offered his perspective.
Seeing the people in the shelter were so terrified, he wanted the other heroes to join him in instilling some confidence.
At least to make everyone feel a little less somber and dejected.
However, although Mumen Rider's words were well-intentioned, they sounded grating to Snek's ears.
In his eyes, how could a C-rank hero be qualified to tell an A-Class hero what to do?
It was important to remember that Snek was no saint.
In the original story, when he saw the extraordinary potential of Genos and Saitama, he had actively tried to suppress them.
Though the outcome was being flattened by one of Saitama's punches.
"I don't need a C-rank hero lecturing me here," Snek said coldly. "Nothing you do will change the current situation. What if you have confidence? What if they're in a good mood? Will that destroy the monster? Hmph, it's all meaningless... in the end, we have to wait for the Association's backup to arrive for the situation to truly change."
"..." Regarding a philosophy that stood in direct opposition to his own, Mumen Rider knew he couldn't change Snek's mind in a moment, so he said nothing more. He simply shook the rain off himself, parked his bike, and walked toward the crowd.
"There's a reason your rank never goes up," Snek sneered, watching Mumen Rider as he tried his best to make funny faces to soothe a crying child.
Jet Nice Guy and All Back-Man had no objections to Mumen Rider's behavior and remained silent.
And so, Mumen Rider moved through the crowd, working hard to ease the people's anxiety.
As the Rank 1 C-rank hero who usually handled minor daily issues and was quite popular, Mumen Rider's presence did indeed shift the somber atmosphere among the shelter's occupants.
Many people went from pessimistic to optimistic, and smiles gradually returned to their faces, believing that this crisis would be peacefully resolved with the heroes' help.
"Here, it's a puppy," Mumen Rider said with a smile, handing a balloon dog he had tied to the little boy in front of him.
"Wow... it really is a puppy..." The little boy looked pleasantly surprised.
"Quick, thank the big brother," the boy's mother said from the side.
"Thank you, big brother!" the little boy said happily, his face beaming.
"No need for thanks, this is a hero's du—"
"BOOM!!!"
Just as Mumen Rider was about to speak confidently with his thumb pointed at himself, a sudden, explosive roar erupted.
Everyone in the shelter's expression shifted as they instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
What they saw...
Was a wide hole torn through the shelter's outer shell, amidst a cloud of heavy dust.
However, that dust was quickly swept away by the torrential rain and the fierce winds that accompanied it.
Revealed within the gap was a terrifying figure that made children freeze in horror and adults tremble uncontrollably.
"I've... found... you all..." Deep Sea King's fish-like face twisted into a massive, mocking grin as he spoke in a cheerful yet eerie tone.
"A monster!!!"
"Aaaaaah!!"
"Help! Help!"
"Heroes! Heroes! Help! Protect us!!"
In an instant, the fear within the civilians was fully reignited by Deep Sea King, and they began backing up against the walls in a panicked frenzy.
Some were even shoved to the ground and trampled underfoot.
If Mumen Rider hadn't been quick to pull several people back up, some lives might have been lost right then and there.
"Damn it..." As the strongest hero in the shelter, Snek felt his courage to fight draining away as he sensed the sheer aura emanating from Deep Sea King.
Too strong... way too strong...
If I attack, I'll die! If I'm hit, I'll die!
An overwhelming premonition of death surged in his heart.
"We... we surrender!" Drenched in cold sweat as if he'd just stepped out of the ocean, All Back-Man stepped forward with his hands raised high, his voice trembling.
"Surrender?" Deep Sea King's voice was tinged with confusion.
"Yes... surrender... we won't resist, we won't fight back. I just hope you won't harm us," All Back-Man explained.
"Oh?" Deep Sea King scanned the other humans.
He found that almost all of them had their heads bowed and remained silent, clearly supporting the words of the human before him.
But...
He didn't care about surrendering at all.
He... was simply here to enjoy the thrill of a massacre!
Therefore, Deep Sea King's bloodthirsty mouth split open into a loud laugh.
"Hahahaha... it doesn't matter whether you surrender or not... I'm just here for the joy of killing, to enjoy the sensation of tearing you lowly humans to pieces!"
As soon as he spoke, the people in the shelter felt as though they had been plunged into an ice cellar, their bodies shivering with cold.
The atmosphere of fear grew even denser.
"We..."
All Back-Man wanted to say something more, but Deep Sea King gave him no such opportunity.
In an instant, the massive figure appeared beside All Back-Man before he could even react.
A fist like a giant sledgehammer swung horizontally.
'I'm done for...'
The terrified All Back-Man only had time to form that single thought.
In the next moment, his body was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing directly into the shelter wall.
He was wedged deep inside, his fate unknown.
The people inside the shelter fell into a deathly silence, not even daring to breathe.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]