"Next... who will it be?" The Deep Sea King's tone was full of excitement, his terrifying gaze flickering back and forth.
Both the strike on All Back-Man and the Deep Sea King's aggressive gaze acted like depth charges, creating massive ripples of fear.
Screams of terror rang out continuously.
'Dammit, dammit, dammit...'
'I can't resist at all... I can't resist...'
Standing rooted to the spot, Snek was drenched in sweat, his clothes nearly soaked through.
'Should I hide in the crowd and run?'
'Should I do it? With my strength... I could run faster than any of them...'
'But would that really be okay?'
'I'm a hero, right?'
"Justice Crash!!" Just as Snek was hesitating, a figure charged from the crowd, accompanied by the sound of spinning wheels and a spirited, clear voice.
Mumen Rider rode his bicycle, charging toward the Deep Sea King without a hint of fear.
Just as he drew near, Mumen Rider leapt off his bike, letting the bicycle's momentum slam it hard into the Deep Sea King.
"What is this?" The Deep Sea King looked at the bicycle sliding off his chest, appearing somewhat perplexed.
What kind of attack was this? It didn't do any damage at all.
'It was useless...'
Seeing that his attack had no effect, Mumen Rider couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment.
Yet, he still stood resolutely at the front, taking a combat stance against the terrifying power of the Deep Sea King.
"What are you? Are you here for a laugh?" The Deep Sea King seemed to have absolute confidence; he was in a playful mood and believed none of the humans here were a threat, so he didn't strike immediately.
"I am the C-Class Rank 1 hero... Mumen Rider!" Mumen Rider's voice was firm and powerful.
"It's Mumen Rider!"
"Mumen Rider is here! We'll be okay!"
He was like a ray of light, illuminating the dark path in the hearts of the terrified people, making them feel a spark of courage.
Hearing the supportive voices of the people behind him, Mumen Rider's back straightened even further.
'Behind me... are the people I must protect!'
"Monster! I won't let you hurt anyone!" Even though he knew deep down that his strength was no match for the monster before him—who was powerful enough to make anyone tremble—Mumen Rider still spoke those words.
"How overconfident. You're clearly just a C-Class hero with pathetic power..."
A cold, mocking voice spoke up—it was Snek.
However, even as he spoke those words, he gradually stepped forward, standing beside Mumen Rider.
"I am Rank 38 of A-Class, after all. I can't let you show me up." Snek also took a combat stance, preparing for the Deep Sea King's attack.
As if inspired by the actions of these two, the heroes who had been hiding in the crowd stepped out one by one.
Although their ranks were low and their strength was weak...
Although their faces were full of tension and their hearts were gripped by fear...
In the end, they all stood side-by-side.
"The heroes...! The heroes are all standing up!"
"With so many heroes working together, they can definitely protect us and drive this monster away!"
"Go for it! Heroes!"
Seeing over twenty heroes standing together, the civilians in the shelter felt a surge of confidence and cheered them on.
"If there are this many heroes... maybe... it's actually possible!"
The heroes looked at one another, courage gradually rising within them.
"Is this a play?" The Deep Sea King scratched his head, watching the heroes take their combat stances with great interest.
Compared to the two humans he had encountered earlier, these humans were pitifully weak...
And they still dared to resist?
Truly strange behavior.
The Deep Sea King, who lived by the law of the jungle, couldn't understand it.
"Though... this is fine... I love destroying weak spirits just as much as I love tearing flesh apart."
An excited expression once again appeared on the Deep Sea King's fish-like face.
"Aaaah! Justice Punch!" Among the many heroes, Mumen Rider was the first to strike. Approaching the Deep Sea King, he threw a straight punch with all the strength in his body.
However, when the punch landed on the Deep Sea King, it was like a stone falling into the deep sea, failing to cause even a ripple.
"Thwack!"
The Deep Sea King simply gave a casual swing of his webbed palm.
Upon hitting Mumen Rider, the hero's body was sent flying like a broken doll, following in the footsteps of All Back-Man.
Only, the Deep Sea King had clearly used more force this time.
As a result, Mumen Rider smashed through the shelter wall and was sent flying outside.
The sight of Mumen Rider being instantly defeated caused the heroes, who were about to move with him, to freeze.
The fire in their hearts suddenly showed signs of being extinguished.
But the Deep Sea King didn't give these heroes a single chance to regret their decision. His figure flickered continuously.
With a sharp, joyful laugh, he delivered punch after punch.
In the few seconds before the civilians could even react, the twenty or so heroes who had been standing there had completely vanished.
The only thing left to remember them by were the holes punched into the shelter walls.
Total annihilation.
Even the strongest among them, Rank 38 A-Class hero Snek...
Met the same fate as the others.
He couldn't even withstand a single punch.
At this moment, the Deep Sea King was like a "One Punch Man" himself.
All the heroes' ambitions, all the civilians' courage and confidence...
In an instant, it all vanished.
Gone without a trace.
"No! No... Nooo!"
"Someone save us! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
"God... oh God... please save us..."
"Waaaaah..."
Panicked screams, cries for help, prayers, and weeping filled the air.
The state of mind of the civilians in the shelter was like a roller coaster.
In an instant, they had fallen from heaven to hell.
The Deep Sea King enjoyed the terrified expressions and screams of the lowly humans, walking toward them one step at a time.
He slowly closed in.
Intending to deliver the deepest despair.
But in the next moment, his gaze suddenly darted toward the hole he had entered from.
Someone else had arrived...
The Deep Sea King realized.
He sensed the surroundings again.
It was a familiar scent.
'The two humans from before?'
The Deep Sea King thought.
Sure enough, the sound of mechanical propulsion came from outside the hole.
The Deep Sea King's figure flickered, appearing above the entrance. His massive arm swung out violently, attacking the incoming humans with extreme speed.
Clearly, Genos and Puri-Puri Prisoner, who were moving at high speed, didn't realize the Deep Sea King's attack would come so fast and so hard.
In an instant, the two were smashed back.
At least three of Puri-Puri Prisoner's ribs were broken, and one of Genos's arms was completely shattered, with half his body catching fire as a result.
As if it were some sick joke, the two S-Class heroes who had come to provide backup were reduced to this state before they could even face their opponent.
It wasn't actually that the two were careless.
Rather, they had already fought the dehydrated Deep Sea King before and were not at their peak...
Moreover, because of the heavy rain, the Deep Sea King had completely recovered to his peak form.
The dehydrated Deep Sea King was enough to drive the two of them into a corner; let alone the Deep Sea King at full power.
A senseless slaughter.
They didn't even get the chance to fight.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]