Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Popcorn and Cola
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Should I call this good luck or bad luck?
"Wait there!"
"Damn it! Why the hell is White Knight acting like that?!"
"First, evacuate the civilians! Evacuating the citizens will be handled by [Hive Master] and [Ice Queen]! Meanwhile, [Ether], [Pierrot], and [Wind Line]—you're with me to calm White Knight down!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hmm~ What should I do?"
"[Flame Witch], you block White Knight's shockwaves! Securing civilian safety is our top priority!"
"Guess that means I have to protect Ice Queen? Hmm~ I hate it. But with things being what they are, no helping it."
In the distance, I could see countless heroes rushing toward us. Every single one radiated an extraordinary presence.
A-rank heroes. And S-rank heroes, too.
'How did they know about this place?'
I mulled it over for a moment before realizing the obvious answer and letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Ha. Of course. It'd be weirder if they didn't know."
Flashes of spectators filming my battle with White Knight on their phones without a care in the world crossed my mind.
Those videos hit SNS in real time. And if any of them were personal streamers? People back home got a live feed of the fight.
No way the Hero Association missed something that obvious.
They were probably in total chaos right now. Their so-called strongest hero, White Knight, had been beaten black and blue by me. And that wasn't even the half of it—the nutcase was now blasting shockwaves everywhere.
Casualties and property damage piling up by the second.
To cut the losses, they'd mobilized a ton of heroes on standby. Had to be.
'Aqua Girl... looks like she's fine.'
A massive ice wall had gone up in front of Aqua Girl, who'd barely shielded the baby and mom behind her with her water protection skill. The handiwork of Ice Queen—one of my marked harem candidates and an A-rank hero.
Truth be told, I hadn't seen Ice Queen since that run-in at the Francesco Hotel, so I'd dug up some intel on her.
Rumor had it she was talented enough for S-rank promotion any day now.
Igloo
Ice barrier deployment / Continuous repair / High durability
As expected from someone on the cusp of S-rank, her ice wall shrugged off White Knight's shockwaves with ease—ones that Aqua Girl had struggled to hold back.
Sure, they shattered and crumbled under the blasts, but fresh ice filled the gaps instantly. Not a single wave made it through.
On top of that, four heroes were closing in to subdue White Knight. If the guy I'd thrashed was their "strongest," these ones were probably S-ranks too.
No matter how top-tier he was, four S-ranks ought to wrap this up quick. Meaning no need for me to stick my neck out.
"Time to bail... wait, hold up?"
Aqua Girl was safe now too. I'd been set to ghost, but I thought better of it.
Sooner or later, if I kept playing villain, I'd clash with those heroes anyway.
Why not stick around and spectate their moves? Plus, I could use my superpower analyst ability to scope out the S-ranks' powers and traits.
"Lemme see... Convenience store sell popcorn?"
Decision made, I hit the nearest store, snagged some popcorn and cola. Place was deserted—everyone had bolted.
Dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the counter and headed to the rooftop of a tall building nearby.
Spectating? Pure bliss!
The middle-aged man in the black battlesuit—S-rank hero [Hive Master]—turned to Ice Queen.
"Ice Queen. Can you hold back White Knight's shockwaves?"
"I'll do my best!"
"Direct hit would take out even an A-rank. Regular civilians don't stand a chance. We have to block them."
"Understood!"
Ice Queen stepped forward, thrust both arms out, and shouted.
"Igloo!"
⟨ Igloo ⟩
Her skill kicked in, and a massive ice wall erupted in front of her. It towered over ten meters high, curving inward to form a gigantic bunker.
Bam!Bam!BOOM!
"Ngh! Urk!"
White Knight's shockwaves slammed into the igloo Ice Queen had conjured. The blasts were so ferocious that ice shattered with every hit.
And the full shockwave rebounded straight to Ice Queen, who'd shaped it with her own power.
Each impact rattled her guts like a car crash, but she clenched her teeth through the agony and poured more energy in to patch the breaches.
"Water Protection! Water Pro..."
"That's enough now."
"Huh... Eh? Ehhh?"
Aqua Girl—who'd been oblivious to the new barrier shielding them—snapped to at the sound of Hive Master patting her shoulder.
"You must be Aqua Girl, freshly promoted to B-rank."
"Uh... Y-Yes? H-Hive Master, sir?! At attention! Yes, that's me, sir!"
"Haha, this isn't the army—no need for salutes. Impressive work, though. Holding off White Knight's shockwave like that. And..."
Hive Master's gaze warmed as it landed on the woman clutching her trembling baby behind Aqua Girl.
"You held out to protect them?"
"Uh? Yes, that's right."
"A fine hero. You saved those two lives today."
"I..."
"You did. Now get to safety—you look beat. We'll take it from here."
"But..."
Aqua Girl instinctively glanced ahead. Ice Queen's wall was transparent from inside, giving a clear view outside.
Seeing the civilians yet to evacuate stirred her heroic instincts.
"I'll help too."
"Heh. The Hero Association's future looks bright."
"Sir?"
"Nothing. Seriously, fall back. You can't muster more powers, can you?"
"Well..."
Hive Master had her condition pegged. Decades as a hero showed.
She was bone-dry on water points—couldn't generate a drop.
"Or stick around and watch how your seniors handle things."
"Sir?"
Hive Master gazed beyond the ice wall and activated his power. His brown eyes went pitch black—even the whites.
The people outside followed suit, their eyes turning black as they froze in blank stares, even those huddled and shaking behind cover.
"Come here."
At his command, they shuffled toward him like zombies.
"Ice Queen?"
"Yes!"
Ice Queen carved a door into the wall's base while holding the line. The people filed in slowly.
"Ah! Danger...!"
Aqua Girl spotted a shockwave barreling toward the evacuees. Hive Master just smiled as he herded the crowd.
"No worries. There are other S-ranks here besides me."
WHOOSH!
As if on cue, massive flames roared up and devoured the incoming blast.
Flame Witch—an S-rank hero—had conjured it from beyond the ice wall.
"Hmm~"
Flame Witch casually wove her flames to intercept White Knight's shockwaves.
"Where's the villain who messed with my darling?"
She hummed to herself, eyeing White Knight in the distance. The two were lovers, after all.
The man who'd never lost his cool was going feral. And she knew the culprit was Steel Armor—the supposed A-rank.
How could she not? The internet was live-streaming him getting dog-walked.
"I'd love to make him pay for pissing off my man... Hmm~"
She murmured while leisurely blocking waves with fire. Oddly, her face lit up with delight—totally at odds with her words.
While S-rank heroes Hive Master and Flame Witch, plus A-rank Ice Queen, handled civilian evac in the back, four S-ranks charged White Knight up front.
[Ether], wielder of the power dubbed "dimensional force."
[Pierrot], always in full clown getup.
[Wind Line], master of wind powers.
And [Tough Guy], handed full command of the op by the Valencia Association President.
All four S-ranks closed in on White Knight.
"Wind Line!"
"Got it! Careful out there!"
Wind Line swung his hand. Invisible winds—visible only to him—wrapped around Tough Guy and whisked him away.
Dodging shockwaves like a rollercoaster, the winds deposited Tough Guy right behind White Knight.
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
"Snap out of it, White Knight!"
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
"Damn! Sorry, man!"
Tough Guy tanked a shockwave with his body, then bear-hugged White Knight with an apology.
"URRRAAAAAH!"
He hoisted White Knight up and slammed a German Suplex.
BOOM!
"Ngh?! Grrrr... Foes! I forgive no foes! The strongest hero never yields!"
ZIIIIING!
"What the hell?!"
The head-first crash sparked pain that partially snapped White Knight out of it. But not fully—he couldn't even recognize ally Tough Guy and marked him enemy on the spot.
Laser fired from his eyes.
"Uncle!"
"Thanks, Wind Line!"
Wind Line's quick wind-lift saved him from the laser. But the danger lingered.
The beam chased Tough Guy riding the winds. Head-turning outpaced the gusts.
"Now, now~ Time for good boys to sleeeeep!"
POP!
Pierrot—sneaking in like an assassin—burst a bag over White Knight's head. Purple powder billowed, seeping into his breaths.
"I won't yield!"
"Eeeeeek?! Mercy! Spaaare meeee!"
"Damn it!"
Pierrot pulled aggro—the laser quit chasing Tough Guy. But now Pierrot was in the crosshairs.
White Knight swung a fist. Wind Line tried reeling him back, but White Knight connected first.
THUNK!
"Guh... Hack...!"
The punch pierced clean through his chest—right at heart level. Thick forearm impaled, blood spraying White Knight's face.
Pierrot's head drooped.
"Uncle!"
"Pierrot!"
The two S-ranks gaped in horror—but too late—
"Surpr iiiiiise~!"
POP!
Pierrot—thought skewered—jerked his head up with a yell. His body ballooned and burst in a shower of colorful confetti.
Squirt squirt!
"Damn! My ass is soaked!"
Pierrot respawned behind White Knight, crouched and blasting his butt with a water gun.
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
POP!
Furious kick sent him bursting again. He reappeared at Wind Line's feet.
"Scared ya, Uncle!"
"Hahaha! Scaring folks is Pierrot's job~!"
"Pierrot! How long we gotta stall?!"
"One minute!"
"Roger! Wind Line—launch me!"
"Yup! Hold on tight!"
Wind Line hurled Tough Guy back at White Knight.
ZIIIIING!
Laser lanced toward the incoming Tough Guy—but midway, a massive void yawned open, sucking the beam in.
"Nice assist, Ether!"
"..."
Ether's power at work.
Dodging thanks to the timely save, Tough Guy uncoiled midair above White Knight and bellowed.
"Five Star Frog Suplex!"
"The strongest hero never yiel—mmph?!"
The burly Tough Guy crashed down on him.
The five heroes' razor-edge skirmish dragged not one minute, but five—until White Knight, robbed of full reason and power, finally blacked out.