Chapter 235 : Even heroes need rest.
The scenes of memory did not end there.
After personally witnessing Mumen Rider's tragic yet glorious battle, Darkshine found the answer: "Protection."
But another question followed immediatelywas he worthy of the word "Protection"?
Did a person who ran away from a fight out of fear, a person who betrayed his own power, truly have the right to protect others?
This new doubt pressed down on his heart like another massive boulder.
He continued his aimless wandering, roaming the corners of various cities.
In Q-City, he once watched Watchdog Man fight from the shadows of a tall building.
There were no complex tactics, no flashy moves, only a sense of responsibility that was almost instinctive.
There was no confusion in Watchdog Man's eyes; his world was simple and pureif an enemy appeared, he drove it out.
Darkshine watched him, a wave of envy rising in his heart, envying that unwavering resolve that required no thought.
In A-City, the sky was torn open, and a green psychic storm swept across the entire city.
That was Terrible Tornado fighting a Monster.
Her small body contained world-shattering power, and her face was etched with undisguised arrogance.
But Darkshine saw through that arrogance to an extreme loneliness.
She was powerful because she carried everything she protected on her own shoulders; she trusted no one, only her own strength.
That belief, though different from his, was equally indestructible.
In J-City, he witnessed the battle between Hundred-Eyes Octopus and Flashy Flash.
Flashy Flash's fighting style pursued ultimate speed and perfect technique, an art of ending everything in an instant.
His belief was a dedication to cultivating "strength" itself to the extreme.
They were all true powerhouses, the elite among the S-Class Heroes.
This made him feel even more ashamed; as an S-Class Hero, he had actually run away from a fight.
During his journey, he even encountered Sexy Prisoner, who had just "escaped" from prison to carry out a Hero mission.
Upon seeing Darkshine's depressed demeanor, the man became uncharacteristically serious.
He heavily patted Darkshine's shoulder with his thick arm, his eyes full of sincerity:
"Little Dark, no matter what happened, you must embrace your muscles with love and let them recover!"
Then one day, outside a community gym, a vibrant voice called out to him.
"Excuse me... Are you Superalloy Darkshine, sir?"
Darkshine turned at the sound and saw a muscular young man looking at him with excitement and a hint of uncertainty.
Darkshine recognized him.
He was the C-Class Hero, "Protein Shake Cup," a newcomer who had made a name for himself in Hero activities, known for his excellent physique and fanaticism for fitness.
"That's me." Darkshine nodded, his voice slightly hoarse.
"It really is you! Oh my gosh! I'm so excited!"
Protein Shake Cup's face instantly lit up with ecstasy. He rushed over to Darkshine, his eyes glittering with admiration.
"Mr. Darkshine! I... I joined the Hero Association and became a Hero because I idolized you!"
"Your perfect physique is the goal of my life!"
He talked non-stop about his admiration for Darkshine, his love for muscles, and his various experiences after becoming a Hero.
Darkshine just listened quietly, without interrupting.
Finally, Protein Shake Cup seemed to notice the unusual atmosphere. He scratched his head and asked somewhat awkwardly:
"Um... Mr. Darkshine, I heard you've been on leave recently and haven't been participating in Hero activities. Did something happen?"
"Everyone really misses your shining presence on the battlefield!"
Hearing this question, Darkshine's eyes instantly dimmed.
He remained silent for a long time, so long that Protein Shake Cup started feeling flustered, thinking he had said something wrong.
"I..." Darkshine finally spoke, his voice filled with deep shame and self-denial.
"Perhaps... I am no longer worthy to be a Hero."
"WhWhat?!"
Protein Shake Cup was shocked, completely unable to understand why the powerful idol in his heart would say such a thing.
"Just recently."
Darkshine didn't look at him; he only stared down at his handshands he had once been proud of, but which now felt incredibly heavy.
"In battle, facing an enemy that could harm me, I was terrified, I hesitated, and I... I actually ran away."
When he said the words "ran away," it was as if he used up all his strength.
"A guy who abandons his beliefs and forsakes his own power in battle has no right to be called a Hero, much less the right to protect anyone."
Darkshine's tone was filled with self-loathing.
Protein Shake Cup was stunned.
Looking at Darkshine's dejected appearance and his dull eyes, he felt no disappointment; instead, a strong sense of empathy welled up within him.
He took a deep breath and said in a seriousness he had never shown before: "Mr. Darkshine, you are wrong."
"Huh?" Darkshine raised his head and looked at the man.
"You didn't abandon your power, nor are you unworthy to be a Hero."
Protein Shake Cup's eyes were incredibly sincere. "You are just... too tired, and you needed rest, that's all."
"Rest?"
"Yes! Rest!" Protein Shake Cup nodded emphatically. "What is the most important part of bodybuilding? It's not training, it's not diet, it's rest!"
"Only with sufficient rest and recovery can muscles tear and regenerate, becoming even stronger than before!
"If you blindly engage in high-intensity training without giving your body time to rest, you will only accumulate fatigue, eventually leading to muscle strain or even collapse!"
He pointed at Darkshine, then pointed at his own chest.
"A Hero's belief and spirit are just like our muscles!"
"You have always stood at the forefront of Hero activities, enduring the greatest pressure and engaging in the highest intensity battles.
"Your spirit is like a muscle constantly under extreme trainingit got fatigued, it needed rest. Isn't that perfectly normal?"
Protein Shake Cup's words left Darkshine completely dumbfounded.
Was that it?
Did his spirit need rest?
"Look," Protein Shake Cup pointed at Darkshine's body, his eyes shining again. "Haven't you rested very well now?"
"Although you are wearing loose clothes, I can still feel ityour body is radiating light!
"It's a light more dazzling than ever before! This! This is the proof of super-recovery!"
Darkshine subconsciously looked down at his body.
Only then did he realize that, at some unknown point, the muscles hidden beneath his clothes were indeed emitting a faint layer of radiance.
That light was no longer flashy and external like before; instead, it had become more restrained and profound.
After his spirit had received "rest," his body had also evolved to a new level!
His power... had never left him.
It was merely waiting for its master to rediscover the indestructible heart required to wield it.
"Rest... is for better fighting..." Darkshine murmured... The scenes of memory receded like a tide.
Darkshine's consciousness returned to the dim stone chamber.
His gaze fell once again upon the figure before himGarou.
Looking at Garou's obsessive eyes, Darkshine understood everything.
"Garou..."
Superalloy Darkshine spoke slowly, his voice calm and steady, carrying an unprecedented firmness.
"You want to be a Hero, don't you? A Monster couldn't possibly have eyes like that."
Garou's fierce fighting spirit suddenly stalled because of Darkshine's unexpected words.
His pupils contracted imperceptibly.
"A Hero?"
The next second, he let out a scornful laugh, as if he had heard the world's greatest joke.
"That kind of thing..."
Before he could finish speaking, Darkshine nodded, as if he had received the answer he wanted.
"I understand."
Darkshine's voice became incredibly resolute.
He slightly bent his knees, and the muscles that had been dormant for so long erupted with brilliant light!
A sense of oppression more powerful than ever before instantly enveloped Garou!
"Your current condition can no longer support you continuing to fight. Your body and your spirit both need rest."
Darkshine looked at the stunned Garou and said solemnly:
"Therefore, I will knock you unconscious, and then, I will take you out of here."
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100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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