"Th-The Mysterious Being is here!"
"Oh my God!"
"Run!"
"Dad!"
"Quick! Come here!"
Screams filled the disaster shelter.
Fear, terror, panic- those emotions seized everyone at once, sending the crowd fleeing in a frenzy.
The Deep Sea King watched the tiny humans scatter without the slightest trace of sympathy or mercy. There had only ever been cruelty in his eyes.
"Run?" His mocking voice echoed throughout the shelter. "Not one of you is getting away!"
Muscles bulged across his enormous body, far beyond anything a human could possess, with thick veins writhing beneath his skin.
What would happen next was obvious. The Deep Sea King was about to hunt down every human in the shelter. The moment they turned their backs to flee, death would catch up to them.
There would be no lucky survivors. Their screams would last only a few seconds.
And when it was over, only two things would remain.
Corpses.
And blood.
That was reality, a reality they had no power to change. Humans were simply too weak compared to the ruler of the sea standing before them. No matter how many gathered together, ordinary humans still couldn't withstand a threat on the level of a nuclear bomb.
And now, a threat comparable to one was right here. A cold, merciless monster without even the concept of compassion.
Unless someone stopped him, this could only end in a one-sided massacre.
"Oh?" The Deep Sea King suddenly sounded surprised. He looked ahead with interest. "You people aren't running?"
Indeed, a number of people had remained standing in front of him. Some were well-built; others clearly had combat training. But faced with overwhelming power, their hands and legs trembled. Their faces twitched, and some could barely stay on their feet.
They were terrified.
Even so, they hadn't run. No matter how afraid they were, no matter how badly their legs shook, they still raised their fists and weapons to face the monster head-on.
Because...
"W-We're Heroes!"
That's right. They were Heroes. Professional Heroes.
Most of the Heroes who had taken shelter here were only C-Class or B-Class, along with a few weaker A-Class Heroes. But they were still Professional Heroes.
"If we run now... what kind of Heroes would we be?!"
"Exactly!"
"We have to stop him here!"
"At least buy some time!"
"Lady Diva said it herself! That person has to be nearby!"
"Stop him!"
"Hold him here!"
The Heroes roared one after another, using their own voices to drive away their fear and steel their resolve.
But...
"There really are a lot of stupid humans eager to die."
With that single sentence, their determination was crushed.
'Whoosh!'
The Deep Sea King's arm tore through the air like a steel pillar, whipping up a violent gust as it swept across the Heroes in front of him.
'BOOM!'
With a heavy impact, the group was sent flying.
"Guh!"
"Ugh!"
"Aah!"
Several pained cries rang out as the Heroes were blasted through the air like bullets, slamming into the outer wall of the shelter. Then they all collapsed at once.
None of them got back up. Silence returned to the shelter.
"There." The Deep Sea King acted as though he had merely swatted away a few flies. His dead-fish eyes turned back toward the civilians. "Now it's your turn."
It was a declaration of death. The people could only stare as despair slowly swallowed them whole.
"It's over..." The adults went pale.
"Waaah..." Children began to cry.
Nearly all of J-City's residents had gathered in this shelter. Now they stood frozen before the monster who had just announced their deaths. Running was no longer an option.
Then, suddenly, a shout rang out.
"Someone like you... Someone like you...!" It was the voice of a little girl. "A Hero will definitely come and beat someone like you!"
Her childish shout echoed through the disaster shelter. And she wasn't the only one.
"Y-Yeah!"
"A Hero will definitely come save us!"
"Big Sister Diva said so too!"
"So... so...!"
"A Hero will definitely beat you!"
One child after another gathered around the little girl, shouting at the Deep Sea King with everything they had. Their young voices were like rays of light piercing through the despair in the adults' hearts.
And with them, the words of that peerless Diva resurfaced in everyone's minds.
That's right. Hadn't she told them?
'"If you're ever in danger, just shout as loudly as you can. When you do, a Hero will definitely come."'
And there was no need to explain who that Hero was. If it was someone close to that Diva, then there was only one person who could sweep away their despair and save everyone here.
"Rakshasa..." A faint voice rose from the crowd.
"Rakshasa!" Someone said it louder.
"Rakshasa!" Another person shouted.
"Rakshasa!" Then several voices called out together.
And courage began to spread.
"Rakshasa! Rakshasa! Rakshasa! Rakshasa!"
One person after another joined in until the chants fell into a rhythm, rolling through the shelter like waves.
"Rakshasa!"
"Rakshasa!"
"Rakshasa!"
Even the children seemed to understand which Hero was coming, shouting his name at the top of their lungs. In that moment, hope replaced despair.
The entire shelter was filled with one name. People raised their fists and called for him again and again.
The sight made the self-proclaimed King of the Deep Sea's eyes slowly turn bloodshot. As the chants thundered in from every direction, irritation and murderous rage surged inside him.
"Looks like you're all in a hurry to die." The Deep Sea King grinned. "Fine. Then I'll start killing."
The moment he finished speaking...
'BANG!'
The Deep Sea King shot forward with crushing force and appeared directly in front of the crowd, right in front of the children who had started the chant.
"Die!"
His fist screamed through the air, driven by terrifying power, straight toward the children.
They hadn't even noticed the attack. They were still shouting that name.
"RAKSHASA...!!!"
Their loudest cry yet was answered by a deafening sound that tore through the air.
'WHOOSH...!'
At the exact instant the piercing sonic boom erupted, a meteor seemed to fall from the sky, crashing straight onto the Deep Sea King.
'BOOM...!'
The entire disaster shelter shook violently from the impact.
(End of Chapter)
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