"What a strange human."
The Deep Sea King spoke, but he didn't turn back to slaughter the civilians. Instead, he walked toward the two S-Class heroes who had come to deliver themselves like side dishes.
After all, they had traveled all this way just to die...
The Deep Sea King felt he should at least satisfy them.
In any case, the humans in the shelter couldn't run away. It was better to first take out the guys who might actually have the ability to escape.
Thinking this, the Deep Sea King flickered through the rain, his movement trajectory flashing as he quickly arrived before the heavily injured Genos and Puri-Puri Prisoner.
"I didn't expect you two humans to actually come back to die. How foolish..." The Deep Sea King leaned down to look at the battered Genos and his companion, mocking them.
Puri-Puri Prisoner, who had just managed to steady himself before being severely injured again, glared at the Deep Sea King.
Genos, however, simply stared at the Deep Sea King with a cold gaze. Though silent on the outside, his thoughts were racing.
'This monster's strength has become much greater than before...'
'I can't track his movements at all...'
'That's why I was defeated in a single strike.'
'This time wasn't carelessness; it was a total gap in power.'
Genos was very clear about the reason for his failure.
This time, he hadn't even had a chance to face the enemy head-on before being powerfully crushed. This gave Genos a clear idea of what to do.
'Then... the only option left is self-destruction.'
'I hope the power of the explosion can cause at least a little damage to it.'
'If the damage isn't enough... I can only hope Lord Lexon and Saitama-sensei arrive soon.'
'Only with the power of Lord Lexon and Saitama-sensei can this unprecedentedly powerful monster be dealt with.'
With his final thought, the power core in the center of Genos's chest began to rotate rapidly, gradually emitting an intimidating and dazzling light...
'Lord Lexon... Saitama-sensei... I'll leave the rest to you.'
Genos was prepared for his own annihilation.
But in the next moment, a voice interrupted his self-destruction.
"Justice Tackle!!!"
A spirited cry rang out.
A figure with a cracked helmet, shattered goggles, blood seeping from his forehead, and clothes covered in scuff marks stood behind the Deep Sea King. Without hesitation, he spread his arms wide and lunged forward, desperately gripping the Deep Sea King's waist.
"Arghhhhhh!!!"
The figure let out a high-pitched roar, seemingly trying to make his attack effective.
The muscles in his arms bulged, and his veins stood out.
Every muscle in his body was straining. His will and spirit reached their peak along with his shout.
However... his shallow strength ultimately failed to move the Deep Sea King even an inch.
It was completely useless.
To the Deep Sea King, such an attack was less significant than a mosquito bite.
Mumen Rider, the Rank 1 C-Class hero?
Genos identified the figure based on the hero registry.
C-Class strength... it's not enough...
His courage is commendable, but he still can't resist this powerful Deep Sea King.
Genos made his judgment.
But he didn't rush to self-destruct.
In his heart, a faint hope for a miracle flickered.
Perhaps Mumen Rider is like Lord Lexon and Saitama-sensei—a hero who is powerful but doesn't care about hero rankings?
"What do you think you're doing?" The Deep Sea King turned his head to look at the heavily injured Mumen Rider behind him, asking in confusion.
Before Mumen Rider could respond, the Deep Sea King swung his arm back, swatting Mumen Rider away like a mosquito once again.
This result caused the last shred of hope in Genos's heart to vanish.
"Cough!"
Mumen Rider traced a curve through the air and slammed hard onto the concrete ground, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
"I... I... I can't give up... I'm a hero... Behind me... are the people I must protect..."
Stuttering, slowly and word by word, Mumen Rider relied on his will to stubbornly prop himself up and stagger to his feet.
Every internal organ in his body screamed with the pain of being overburdened. The figure of the monster in his vision became blurred due to his injuries, and even his arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably.
Mumen Rider felt like he was going to die.
It was painful.
It was miserable.
His entire body was in pain, crying out.
He was almost at his limit.
This feeling.
"I can't give up... I can't give up..."
As blood blurred his vision and dripped onto the ground to be washed away by the rain... relying on his whispered words, he finally suppressed those negative thoughts and once again assumed a fighting stance.
"Not dead yet? I really don't get it. You're a lowly human who knows how weak you are and knows you'll lose, so why keep doing these meaningless things?" There was deep incomprehension in the Deep Sea King's tone.
As a member of the Seafolk, it couldn't understand the thoughts of weak humans, so it wasted a few words.
"I know I'm weak... I understand that better than anyone! As a C-Class hero... I'm not likely to accomplish anything, and nothing is expected of me... From beginning to end... I know better than anyone... that I can't defeat you... I can't possibly defeat a powerful monster..."
Mumen Rider tried his best to stop his limbs from trembling, gritting his teeth as he spoke to the Deep Sea King.
"But!"
He raised his voice and shouted, "Right here, right now, I have to be the one to stand here!"
"It's the only thing I can do! It's what I should do!!
This isn't about whether I can win or not!!!
It's that I must stand in your way!
I must stand in your way!!
As a hero! I must stand in your way! I can't... I can't let you... let you hurt the people behind me!!!"
His high-pitched, desperate roar couldn't be drowned out even by the pouring rain. It pierced straight into the hearts of everyone present.
Whether it was the heavily injured Genos and Puri-Puri Prisoner, the other heroes lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious... or the people peering out from the hole in the shelter...
Everyone's heart was deeply touched by these words.
Mumen Rider, the Rank 1 C-Class hero, wasn't even as strong as most other C-Class heroes.
His top ranking was merely the result of accumulated contributions.
He had experienced the feeling of powerlessness too many times.
He understood his own weakness profoundly.
That was why he could speak such heart-wrenching and sincere words.
"I really don't know what you're talking about." The Deep Sea King's voice was incredibly cold, his eyes and expression showing signs of boredom.
It was starting to feel bored.
"The logic of lowly, weak humans is truly incomprehensible. Just hurry up and die."
The Deep Sea King began to step forward.
"Go for it!"
At that moment, a clear child's voice rang out from the shelter.
The sound pierced through the rain, reaching Mumen Rider's ears clearly.
Mumen Rider looked back, moved.
"Mumen Rider! Go for it!!"
At the broken hole, a boy held tightly in his mother's arms, clutching a dog balloon, shouted with tears in his eyes.
"Bicycle-riding big brother! The big brother who gave me a balloon! Go for it!! Go for it!!!"
"Don't lose to that monster! Beat him! Big brother!!!"
The boy's voice was strikingly clear amidst the pitter-patter of the rain.
"That's right! Go for it, Mumen Rider!"
"Take down the Seafolk!"
"We're counting on you! Mumen Rider! Take that monster down!"
"Go for it! Mumen Rider! You can do it!"
The boy's encouragement was like a stone casting ripples across a pond, sparking a wave of supportive voices.
In an instant, everyone inside the shelter raised their arms and cheered for Mumen Rider.
"Everyone..." Mumen Rider's expression was full of emotion.
'Even though I'm just a C-Class hero... even though I'm so weak...'
'I still have the expectations of so many people...'
"Arghhhhhh!!!"
Mumen Rider gave a spirited shout. With everyone's encouragement, his spirit and will reached an unprecedented peak.
He turned back to face the Deep Sea King.
But what greeted his eyes was a massive fist that nearly filled his entire field of vision.
"This is nonsense." Along with the whistling sound of the fist came the Deep Sea King's indifferent voice.
Because it felt it was pointless and the constant chatter was too annoying, the Deep Sea King put almost all its power into this punch.
A full-power punch from the Deep Sea King in this state could even turn an S-Class hero like Genos into scrap metal.
For a mere C-Class hero like Mumen Rider, who was barely stronger than an average person...
If this punch connected...
Perhaps... being turned into meat paste would be the most ideal outcome.
'I'm going to die...'
Mumen Rider watched the fist that filled his vision; time seemed to slow down.
He clearly realized that once the Deep Sea King's punch landed...
Death was certain.
This was a result he couldn't avoid or escape.
Because his own strength was insufficient.
'I... really am too weak...'
'No matter how much I resist... how hard I try... how stubborn I am...'
'The predetermined outcome cannot be changed...'
'I will die.'
'Right now.'
'I'm sorry, everyone...'
'I'm too weak...'
'I couldn't defeat this monster...'
'I don't have the power to protect you...'
'I'm sorry...'
'I'm sorry...'
'I'm sorry... everyone...'
'I didn't fulfill my duty as a hero.'
'I am not a worthy hero.'
The wind pressure from the fist completely shattered Mumen Rider's goggles, his helmet flew off, and his hair blew back.
The focus in Mumen Rider's eyes began to fade.
He was about to die.
Right now.
Genos and Puri-Puri Prisoner dragged their mangled bodies, hoping to move enough to block the punch for Mumen Rider.
The heroes pretending to be unconscious also stood up, watching the scene anxiously, forcing their weak bodies to run toward Mumen Rider.
The people in the shelter who had noticed the fist hadn't even had time for their expressions of encouragement to turn into panic.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
"Mist Breathing, Eleventh Form: Descending Heaven's Pure Mist."
In that instant, a voice like that of a god suddenly rang out from above the dark clouds in the heavens.
Instantly, the dark clouds in the sky seemed to be pierced through, scattering with a boom.
The rain stopped.
A hazy white pillar of light suddenly descended.
It landed right where the Deep Sea King was.
Just as the Deep Sea King's fist was about to touch Mumen Rider's face...
Its entire body vanished in an instant.
Gone without a trace.
The rainy day turned into a sunny one.
A beautiful rainbow appeared not far away in the sky.
Perhaps because of the rain, or perhaps for some other reason...
Everything after the rain seemed to give off a fresh scent.
The hazy white pillar had completely dissipated, leaving behind only a bottomless pit.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]