"Damn it... Why are there more and more of them…"
Stinger finally managed to pierce through one of the Sea People monsters with his beloved spear "Bamboo Shoot," only to be sent flying by another Sea Person's whip-like tentacle.
"Die, human! How dare you kill my brethren!"
"Don't let him die so easily—throw him on the beach and let the sun cook him to death!"
"Ohoho, such a terrifying punishment…"
…
The Sea People monsters surrounded Stinger.
Though they claimed to be avenging their comrades, their demeanor was more like cats toying with a cornered mouse.
To them, Stinger was nothing more than prey with nowhere to run.
"Only four left… No way I'm going down now! Witness my ultimate move—Mega Spiral Venom Sting!"
Battered and bruised, Stinger roared as he launched a desperate counterattack.
As it turned out, the Hero Association's classification system wasn't without merit—there was good reason the Sea People invasion had been rated a Tiger-level disaster.
All four vicious-looking Sea People monsters were slain by Stinger.
Just as he began to celebrate handling the crisis on his own, a massive, powerful figure appeared behind him.
"You dare kill my soldiers? Would you kindly die for me?"
Before him stood a monstrously tall and muscular creature wearing a crown, grinning wickedly at Poison Sting.
Unlike the previously grotesque Sea People, this one looked much more human in appearance—but the overwhelming pressure it exuded made Poison Sting feel fear like never before.
"Tch! So I beat all the small fries, and now the boss shows up? Doesn't matter if it's a minion or a big boss—you're all going down!"
Even under intense pressure, Stinger charged forward without hesitation.
Meanwhile, less than 30 kilometers from City J, a group of over ten heroes were sprinting along a mountain road at over 50 kilometers per hour.
It was a speed far beyond the limits of ordinary humans, yet for these heroes—hardened by brutal training—it was nothing extraordinary.
"Pick up the pace! You're all A- and B-class heroes, yet you're running slower than C-class. Have you no shame?"
Kizaru shouted mockingly through a megaphone as he walked alongside the heroes.
Everyone except for the shameless Flashy Flash—who had hitched a ride on the helicopter with Kizaru—was now running along the mountain path.
The other fourteen heroes who signed up to assist City J had no choice but to hoof it.
Despite their grumbling, none of the heroes dared talk back—especially since some of them were barely keeping pace with Mumen Rider, or even lagging behind him.
"Emergency evacuation alert! The Sea People invasion in City J has officially been upgraded to a Demon-level disaster!"
"Residents in City J, please evacuate immediately. Coastal areas may face extremely dangerous monsters…"
"Heroes near City J, proceed to the scene for support without delay!"
…
Just then, a flurry of urgent alerts came through the helicopter's comms system.
The Hero Association HQ also issued a direct communication request.
The sudden escalation by the Sea People had caught the Association completely off guard.
Stinger and several other A-Class heroes had been soundly defeated by a monster calling itself the Deep Sea King.
Even more unsettling—the Deep Sea King didn't resemble those mindless monsters driven only to destroy.
After defeating all the heroes who tried to stop it, it began heading straight for the evacuation shelter.
Given the brutality already demonstrated by the Sea People, if the shelter were to fall, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Lord Swift Flash, the Sea People attack in City J has officially been designated a Demon-level disaster. HQ requests that you deploy immediately to assist in the defense of City J…"
Just after Kizaru approved the request, a familiar face from the Hero Association HQ appeared on the screen.
Kizaru recognized him—he was the guy at HQ who always had the most forced smile.
However, that executive from headquarters was now in a complete panic—like someone enjoying dinner at home only to suddenly see a bull charge through the door.
The Hero Association had been founded by the wealthy tycoon Agoni, and most of its upper management were also rich elites. Clearly, this executive had major business interests in City J.
Although City J wasn't nearly as important as City A, where the Hero Association was headquartered, if the Deep Sea King continued his rampage, this executive might not only go bankrupt—the reputation of the Hero Association would also take a huge hit.
After all, people held the Association in such high regard because they believed heroes would protect them. But now, with a monster so close, not a single hero had stepped up in this critical moment.
Even the most loyal supporters of the Association and its heroes would begin to lose faith.
"Hmm, sounds like a pretty serious situation… You there, Shiny Wallace or whatever, you go handle it."
Kizaru frowned slightly. He had originally wanted to let the heroes-in-training get some practice in, but with the crisis escalating, he had no choice but to let them run for nothing.
At the end of the day, Kizaru wasn't like Sakazuki, who completed missions regardless of civilian casualties.
"It's Flashy Flash! Flashy! Flash!"
Flashy Flash, who had been quietly resting nearby, was nearly driven to cursing by Kizaru's casual misnaming.
He took great pride in his title—and wouldn't have picked a fight with Kizaru earlier if he wasn't so annoyed by their similar nicknames.
If he hadn't been fully aware that he couldn't beat Kizaru, the proud Flashy Flash would never have let it go so easily.
"Even reporters run faster than you, and you're throwing shade at 'Wallace'?"
Kizaru gave Flashy Flash a calm, sidelong glance—his slightly mocking expression made the S-Class hero's eye twitch uncontrollably.
Flashy Flash had to remind himself again and again: You can't beat him. Don't pick a fight you'll lose!
"I'll go assist City J!"
Just as it looked like Kizaru was about to say more, Flashy Flash leapt out of the helicopter, landing lightly like a falling leaf, before rocketing off toward City J.
For an S-Class hero—especially one as speed-focused as Flashy Flash—running faster than a helicopter wasn't unheard of, especially since Kizaru was riding in a relatively slow one.
The heroes on the ground looked confused when they saw Flashy Flash suddenly jump down. But before they could ask what was going on, they saw him tearing toward City J at breakneck speed.
"What are you all standing around for? Get moving! Whoever manages to keep up with that Wallace guy, I'll teach you a variant of my Tempest Kick technique…"
As soon as Kizaru finished speaking, the heroes' eyes lit up. Even though the move he had demonstrated earlier was pretty underwhelming, the heroes—who didn't know any better—treated it like some rare, powerful secret technique.
After all, if they could master it, they might secure an A-Class ranking and a flashy title like "Storm Warrior."
Flashy Flash had barely run a few kilometers at normal speed when he sensed a mob of heroes desperately chasing after him like mad dogs.
"…Tch."
He didn't know what these second-rate nobodies were thinking, but the fact that they were clearly trying to catch up to him annoyed him.
You think you can keep up with me?
A rare sense of competitiveness flared in Flashy Flash's heart, and his speed suddenly exploded—vanishing from the pursuing heroes' view in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it! Don't run so fast!"
"Chase him! I don't care if I break my legs today—I'm catching up!"
"Let's goooo!"
…
The heroes, fired up by Kizaru's promise—and boosted by their training camp progress—charged after him with reckless determination.
Even the usually cold and aloof "Blue Flame" wanted to test the gap between himself and an S-Class hero.
Seeing Flashy Flash accelerate, they all pushed themselves to the limit, trying desperately to keep up.
For ordinary people, covering 20 or 30 kilometers would take hours. Even for athletes, it would take at least half an hour. But for these physically enhanced heroes, it was just a matter of minutes.
Within just three minutes, Flashy Flash—now taking things more seriously—had already reached City J.
Two minutes after that, the fastest among the group, like Blue Flame, arrived one after another.
The arrival of this new reinforcements brought hope to the nearly despairing Hero Association, which quickly directed them toward the evacuation shelter.
The monster calling itself the Deep Sea King had already reached the outer edge of the final defensive line—and could break into the shelter housing thousands of innocent civilians at any moment.
"Oho… more lambs for the slaughter. Did you come here to entertain me?"
The monster known as the Deep Sea King was already standing at the gate of the evacuation shelter when yet another group of heroes appeared before him.
Rather than feeling nervous or angry, he spoke with amused interest.
He relished this game of advancing step by step, watching the weak humans sink into despair.
Especially those who called themselves "heroes"—seeing them struggle bitterly in front of him only to accept their fate in the end was more addictive than devouring the juiciest prey.
"Th-This is great! An S-Class hero!"
"That's Flashy Flash! And there are so many A-Class heroes too!"
"We're saved!"
…
Inside the shelter, people who had just been trembling in fear were now cheering excitedly.
Though the Deep Sea King had already defeated many powerful heroes, no A-Class or B-Class hero could compare to the S-Class standing before them!
"Be careful—this monster already defeated Puri-Puri Prisoner!"
A battered hero lying on the ground struggled to lift his head—it was Snakebite Snek, ranked 37th among A-Class heroes.
Snek, known for his tenacity and grappling skills, had been easily defeated by the Deep Sea King.
Although he appeared to be a Demon-level monster on the surface, the Deep Sea King's true strength approached Dragon-level. Even some S-Class heroes would have trouble dealing with him.
When they heard Snek's warning, the newly arrived heroes turned grim.
After witnessing the strength of Kizaru, Terrible Tornado, and especially their earlier high-speed race with Flashy Flash, they had developed a kind of mysterious reverence for S-Class heroes.
Even if Puri-Puri Prisoner was at the bottom of the S-Class rankings, he was still leagues above them.
The news that he'd been defeated made the heroes nervous—but not to the point of retreat.
Thankfully, they quickly reassured themselves: sure, beating S-Class Rank 17 was impressive, but they had Flashy Flash, Rank 14, right here.
And before long, Swift Flash—Rank 9—would be arriving too. What was there to worry about?
"I'm not interested in such a weak opponent. You all can deal with him."
Just as the heroes were gearing up to follow Flashy Flash into battle, they were stunned to see him glance at the Deep Sea King and respond with visible disinterest.
Although Flashy Flash wasn't ranked especially high among the S-Class, his actual combat strength was far above what the ranking suggested.
Normally, he would have disposed of a monster like the Deep Sea King with ease, but he knew that Swift had brought these other heroes along to test how much they'd improved.
Given that, there was no reason for him to waste time. Honestly, fighting a thick-skinned brute like this was a bit of a chore. He'd rather spend that energy reflecting on the intricacies of the Rankyaku.
Even though he was the first—and still the only—hero in the training camp to master the Tempest Kick, Flashy Flash hadn't let himself slack off.
"Heh heh heh… You don't want to fight me, or you don't dare to?"
The Deep Sea King laughed arrogantly, thinking he had seen through Flashy Flash's hesitation.
But even when provoked, Flashy Flash didn't respond. Arms folded, he simply stood there calmly, waiting for Kizaru to arrive.
A tiger need not waste its time on a starving wolf. This kind of opponent was beneath his attention—not even worthy of testing the power of his Tempest Kick.
"This isn't good… If Flashy Flash won't fight…"
"What are you scared of? There's a bunch of us here!"
"Let's go! Take it down!"
…
At first, the heroes from the training camp panicked a little when they realized Flashy Flash wouldn't engage.
But then, they calmed—and even grew excited.
What better target could there be to test the results of their intense training than a monster capable of defeating an S-Class hero?
One-on-one might be risky, but with strength in numbers, how hard could it be to beat one Deep Sea King?
°°°
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