Chapter 165: No Monster a Meteorite Can't Solve
"Withdraw!"
Tanktop Master smashed the Giant's thigh with a punch, then turned and shouted to the Tanktop Army, "I'll hold him off! You all leave quickly! Report the situation to the Hero Association and request reinforcements!"
"Master, be careful!"
Tank-top Black Hole fled in a hurry. Tanktop Girl and the others hesitated for a moment before also choosing to retreat. Tanktop Ranger and Tanktop Vegetarian brought up the rear, covering the other members' escape.
However, as Tanktop Ranger was about to leave the battlefield, he suddenly noticed Tanktop Vegetarian was still standing his ground. He yelled, "Vegetarian, hurry up and leave!"
"Leave? You mean run away, don't you?!" Tanktop Vegetarian clenched his fists, biting his lip hard. "Can a hero run away? No! How can a hero stand by and do nothing while a monster rampages?"
Tanktop Ranger shouted anxiously, "Vegetarian, don't be a fool! When facing an unstoppable monster, heroes are allowed to retreat. That's a rule set by the Hero Association! There's nothing wrong with us running away. We need to preserve our strength to better protect the world!"
"What does everyone say about our Tanktop Army? They call us thugs, a bunch of hooligans! They say we don't deserve to be heroes! But... but I just want to be a hero! A great hero who would rather die than retreat from a monster! A great hero admired by thousands!" Tanktop Vegetarian turned to look at Tanktop Ranger, his eyes welling with tears as he gritted his teeth. "The hero I believe in... doesn't run away!"
*Boom!*
The Giant's fist hammered down, instantly smashing Tanktop Vegetarian into the ground.
"Vegetarian!"
Tanktop Ranger and Tanktop Master stared, their eyes wide with horror.
"Cough, cough!"
A few weak coughs came from under the Giant's iron fist.
*Creaak...*
With a groan, Tanktop Vegetarian slowly lifted the massive fist, revealing his blood-covered body. His gray tank top was in tatters, revealing his bulging, powerful muscles. His gaze was resolute as he gritted his teeth. "The hero I want to be... will never run away!"
Tanktop Master and Tanktop Ranger trembled, their expressions complex as they watched Tanktop Vegetarian cling to his conviction.
"God has spoken. Ants should obediently die!"
The Giant said indifferently, looking at the blood-stained Tanktop Vegetarian. It raised its massive fist, forming a hammer, and brought it down like an iron sledge.
"Vegetarian, look out!"
Tanktop Master and Tanktop Ranger's hearts leaped into their throats as they watched in horror, unable to do anything as the Giant's hammer-like fist descended upon the exhausted Tanktop Vegetarian!
*BOOM!*
However, for some unknown reason, the Giant's descending fist and arm seemed to have been thrust into an invisible blender. From the fist all the way to the shoulder, it was pulverized inch by inch. In moments, its entire arm had been shredded into countless fragments.
"Huh?"
Tanktop Master and the other two stared at the unexpected scene in astonishment.
"Hey, hey. Why are you three grown men crying like little brats? Seriously, it's embarrassing to be called a hero alongside you. If I were you, I'd just quit the Hero Association. What's the point of being a hero if you're not strong enough?"
A sharp, heart-piercing voice floated down from the sky, as crisp as a jade bell. They looked up to see Tatsumaki, the Terrible Tornado, hovering in mid-air with her arms crossed. She said haughtily, "Honestly. I still had to come in the end. Hmph! If you'd called me earlier, it wouldn't have been this much trouble."
"The Terrible Tornado? Did you receive the distress signal?"
Seeing Tatsumaki, Tanktop Master relaxed slightly. As the Hero Association's ultimate weapon, the Terrible Tornado's power was terrifying. Although he didn't believe he would lose to her, as an esper, she might have a way to deal with a monster with such rapid regeneration.
In the brief moment they spoke, the Giant's arm had already regenerated completely. It looked at Tatsumaki, who was hovering at its eye level, and said flatly, "God has spoken. Ants should go to hell."
"Ant? Are you calling me short?"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the Terrible Tornado instantly bristled. She glared furiously at the Giant, seething, "You muscle-bound oaf! You're just as detestable as a certain other man! You both deserve to die!"
"Tatsumaki, let's work together..." Tanktop Master said grimly.
"No need. I'm more than enough to kill it by myself." The Terrible Tornado waved her hand, shooing them away impatiently. "Hurry up and get out of here. Don't stay and get in my way."
Tanktop Vegetarian said in a low voice, "As a hero, I will never—"
"Get lost!"
Before he could finish, the utterly impatient Tatsumaki waved her hand. A fierce wind howled, and Tanktop Vegetarian was instantly swept up and blown away to who-knows-where.
"Let's go."
Seeing how rude Tatsumaki was, Tanktop Master frowned slightly. With a cold snort, he led Tanktop Ranger away from the battlefield, leaving the fight in her hands.
Tatsumaki glared viciously at the Giant, her dark green dress fluttering and snapping in the wind. She held out a delicate white hand, made a grasping motion in the air, then flicked her slender fingers to point at the Giant. "Anyone who dares call me small... is absolutely unforgivable!"
The Giant looked at Tatsumaki impassively and threw a massive punch that tore through the air with a piercing shriek.
Tatsumaki simply crossed her arms and watched contemptuously, completely ignoring the incoming fist.
"God has spoken... hmm?"
The Giant suddenly sensed something was wrong. It looked up and saw a meteorite the size of a car plummeting from the sky, blazing with a dazzling light and leaving a brilliant trail in its wake. Down below, countless star-crossed lovers made eternal vows to this meteor of death, promises they would break the very next day.
*BOOM!*
The meteorite slammed into the Giant with unstoppable force. Flesh and fire flew in all directions. In an instant, a massive crater was left in the street, and the Giant had been reduced to a pile of meat paste.
The members of the Tanktop Army, who were already far away, watched the impact in utter horror. It was like an atomic bomb detonation, complete with a rising mushroom cloud. When the dust settled, the entire area was nothing but ruins.
Is this the power of Tatsumaki, the Terrible Tornado, S-Class Rank 2? It's horrifying!
They all sucked in sharp breaths of cold air.
Tatsumaki dusted off her hands and said haughtily, "There isn't a monster in the world that a single meteorite can't solve."
"God has spoken. The earth is the mother that nurtures all life. Humans are parasites latched onto the earth. They must be killed!"
However, just when she thought it was over, the Giant's murmur once again echoed through the world. The pile of meat paste began to coalesce under some mysterious power, and the Giant made another grand entrance. Just as it had said, as long as the world existed, it was immortal.
*Smack!*
Tatsumaki felt as if King himself had just slapped her across the face. It stung. She glared at the Giant, which seemed to be mocking her for her overconfidence, and ground her teeth in frustration. "If one meteorite can't solve you, then I'll use two!"
She raised her delicate hand toward the heavens and pulled. Far out in space, a meteorite, seemingly compelled by an irresistible force, broke from its orderly orbit and shot toward the azure planet at incredible speed.
*Rumble!*
The impact was as spectacular as a planet collision, and the Giant was once again obliterated into dust.
"God has spoken—"
"Will you ever shut up!?"
(end of chapter)