Dust and fragments of stones fell from the ceiling above Boros as the wide hall rocked from aftershocks coming from above.
"You have arrived..."
Boros, noticing the two women in front of him about to fall over, pulled them each into one of his arms.
"Hey!"
"Unhand me intruder!"
One man who had long, wavy light-colored hair raised his chin and pointed toward Boros. "Reptera, Raptora, so, you two have joined sides with the intruder?"
"We haven't!" The green-toned reptilian woman, snug in his left arm, shouted.
Boros did his best to calm her. "There is no need to lie to this man, Raptora."
"My name is Reptera!"
"You two traitors will perish alongside him." The other man clasped the white hilt of his blade but released it when the shaking surged.
The two men's gazes darted around, then upward — faces paling. In one fluid motion, they dissolved into smoke, leaving only wood stumps behind.
Boros pressed both women against his chest, leaping backward before whirling to face the opposing direction.
A blink later, an incredulous force screamed through the ceiling where the two men had stood, effacing everything in its path.
Raptora shivered. "W-What was that?"
"Do you enjoy holding us? Set us down." Commanded Reptera.
Boros set them down and nodded. "Yes, holding the two of you allowed me to discern a sensation I found enjoyable."
Turning back, his eye wandered to the massive gaping holes above and below.
Reptera's obsidian dagger shot toward his neck, but stopped right before coming in contact.
"I should kill you twice over for your words and for making us traitors to the Monster Association."
Raptora gasped and positioned her body between him and Reptera.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"He protected us. And how do you expect to escape when we're forever marked as traitors? Even if his words earlier angered me… I know how he can earn my forgiveness." Raptora spun around, squishing herself against his golden armor before gazing up at him. "You'll take responsibility and look after us, right…?"
"Little sister, your judgement is clouded," said Reptera as she retracted her dagger and sighed.
"My judgement is clouded? Your instincts also tell you to be with him."
"They do not!"
Reptera and Raptora. Their appearances, their scents, their behaviors...
Boros blinked, then bared his razor-sharp teeth in a grin. "Consider yourselves mine."
¤ ¤ ¤
Mosquito Girl watched C-City shrink as Gouketsu's kick launched her into the heavens.
The attack left her unharmed, but fury drowned all else. Even if Caspian couldn't lose, anyone threatening him with a genuine intent of doing so earned annihilation.
A sensation palpitated in her, reminding her of the day she became consumed by bloodlust. The same day she met Caspian, when he kissed and spanked her for the first time.
For him, for all he held dear. For herself, for all the new sisters and friends she desired to protect. She reached into the raging source of power behind her navel and unleashed it.
Her ascent slowed as her eyes blazed crimson. "Hehheh!" Frenzied laughter cut through the howling winds.
An overbearing power burst free from her, unveiling a wrathful crimson inferno of aura that wrapped around her before expanding outward for an untold distance.
Mosquito Girl plummeted earthward, a crimson meteor roaring toward the expanding cityscape.
Right now, there were two goals consuming her mind: exterminate Gouketsu, then breed with Caspian for seven days straight.
The reason?
She had entered... 'Carnage Mode.'
¤ ¤ ¤
A figure clad head-to-toe in purple ninja garb darted through C-City's deserted streets, weaving toward the Homeric Hotel as emergency sirens wailed.
Had I left on schedule, I'd have avoided this chaos.
The A-Class Rank 32 Hero Shadow Ring neared the main road leading to the hotel within minutes — no surprise, given her habit of pre-mapping optimal routes and exits for every major landmark whenever she traveled to a new location.
She had no choice but to confront whatever monsters were assailing the city. On the off chance that someone spotted her and was to report that she fled the city, she would draw unnecessary attention to herself.
Despite training in stealth since childhood, she wouldn't let overconfidence jeopardize her first undercover mission with the Abandoned Masses.
Shadow Ring winded through a sprawling line of abandoned vehicles before reaching the voluminous main road and making a right.
Off in the distance, straight ahead of her, she spotted the Homeric Hotel. Down further on the road stood a massive humanoid monster.
A Demon-level Threat? I need to plan my attack and wait until more heroes arrive. It's standing there staring into the sky. Wait…
Her eyes flicked upward where she spotted a sight which made her stop in her tracks.
Something's in the center.
A colossal crimson comet of energy plummeted. Inside the transparent firestorm, a dark speck pulsed at its core.
Cold sweat graced her neck as the massive monster materialized in the sky and hurled a punch toward the comet. The sonic boom of its movement hit her seconds later.
Then, abruptly, the comet of crimson energy flared — its width doubling in an instant. The black martial-robed monster couldn't withstand the force. And blurred downward before it crashed back into the road, asphalt exploding upward in giant chunks as tremors rippled through nearby buildings.
The crimson comet didn't cease its descent.
I-I didn't even see it move. Dragon-level. No way I can fight against opponents like these.
The massive monster's silhouette rose from the swirling debris, only to vanish once more; their battle unfinished. Crimson and darkness clashed again, trading blows that sent thunderous detonations echoing like artillery fire across the landscape.
One moment, the crimson comet and darkness appeared in the northeast — then suddenly reappeared in the southwest. This back-and-forth continued until, at last, the pair vanished beyond her sight.
Only the Dowager could defeat monsters of this caliber.
Gritting her teeth, she charged forward. As the dust on the main road cleared, she saw a figure crawling across the cracked and cratered pavement.
Even an S-Class Hero failed.