The night was as dark as ink. The abandoned industrial area was filled with the stench of rust and decay.
Scattered streetlights in the distance cast a dim glow, outlining twisted steel skeletons and shattered glass windows.
This was the scarred edge of the city, and also the favorite stage for the 'hunter'.
Mumen Rider pushed his modified bicycle, weaving through the rubble.
"I need to hurry back... there's community patrol tomorrow morning..." As he pondered, a tangible sense of malice locked onto him without warning.
He looked up sharply and saw a young man with a silver hedgehog hairstyle, wearing a black bodysuit, standing not far away.
"You're a Hero, right?" the man asked directly.
"That's right. I am Mumen Rider." Mumen Rider nodded.
"I'm going to hunt you!" The silver-haired man stated succinctly.
"Hunt me? Why?" Mumen Rider was confused.
"To help me become a complete monster!"
Mumen Rider thought of a certain rumor and asked solemnly, "Are you Garou, the one who wants to become a human monster?"
"Correct. But no prize." Garou sneered, his figure suddenly blurring.
'So fast!'
Mumen Rider didn't even see how he moved, only felt a violent gust of wind rushing toward him.
With a dull thud, Mumen Rider slid backward several meters, bike and all, his back slamming heavily into a steel pillar, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Just one casual collision had caused him severe internal injuries.
"Too weak." Garou stood still, seemingly disappointed. "Not even a warm-up. Looks like I'll be going home empty-handed tonight..."
He waved dismissively, turning as if to leave and find more valuable 'prey'.
But just then.
"Garou! Found you at last!"
An excited roar came from another rubble-strewn passage.
Accompanied by heavy footsteps, three figures in tank tops rushed out, forming a triangular formation loosely surrounding Garou.
"Hmm?" Garou stopped, his gaze sweeping over the three. "The Tank Topper Army? You're looking for me?"
"Exactly!" Tanktop Vegetarian snarled. "We've been looking for you a long time. Today, we'll use you to prove the Tank Topper Army's reformation!"
Garou sneered, "Looks like I'm lucky. Even when I'm not hunting, Heroes come to me."
"Attack!"
At Tanktop Vegetarian's command, the three simultaneously unleashed their full power, pouncing at Garou from three directions.
Fists whistled through the air with ferocious momentum.
Though their character was questionable, their rank in B-Class and A-Class meant they weren't weak, and now they fought with a desperate intensity.
A red glint flashed in Garou's eyes. He advanced instead of retreating.
His figure blurred again, using speed far exceeding theirs and uncanny footwork to slip into the gaps in their attack.
Three dull thuds in rapid succession, and Tanktop Vegetarian and the others flew backward faster than they had arrived.
"Boring." Garou shook his wrist. "What a waste of time."
"Bastard!" With a roar, a burly figure crashed through obstructing rubble, descending with overwhelming fury… it was Tanktop Master.
Seeing who it was, Garou's eyes gleamed. "S-Class! Haha, a big catch!"
"Die!" Tanktop Master roared, wasting no words. The ground beneath him exploded.
He charged like a human war machine, crushing toward Garou with raw, berserk power.
Before his fist even landed, the wind pressure had already kicked up surrounding rubble and dust.
Thud!
Their fists collided for the first time, a visible shockwave rippling outward.
Initially, Tanktop Master, leveraging his brute force and size advantage, boosted by his fury, did suppress Garou, forcing him back step by step, each step leaving a deep imprint on the ground.
"Hahaha! Is this all S-Class amounts to?" Though Garou was retreating and his blocking arm was numb, the excited red glow in his eyes only intensified.
"Harder! Hit harder! Otherwise, this won't satisfy me!"
"Your wish!" Tanktop Master roared, his attacks growing even more frantic. His fists and feet were like hammers, each strike capable of smashing stone.
However, after about a dozen moves, a strange smirk curled at the corner of Garou's mouth.
"Warm-up... is over."
As his words fell, his fist techniques, footwork, and even his entire aura suddenly changed.
No longer head-on clashes, his movements became fluid and effortless.
His fists flowed like water, finding any gap. His steps were like a gentle breeze, leaving no trace.
The seemingly soft, elusive moves contained a terrifying hidden force that could penetrate any defense and directly strike internal weaknesses.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!
"What?" Tanktop Master's expression changed. He felt his heavy punches land as if in cotton, their force strangely deflected and redirected.
And the opponent's seemingly light attacks, upon landing, felt like drills boring straight through his organs.
Ribs cracked. Hits landed on his chest and abdomen.
Tanktop Master spat out a mouthful of blood, his massive body staggering backward.
Garou pressed his advantage, closing in like a ghost, turning into a dizzying array of afterimages, unleashing a storm of attacks on Tanktop Master.
A rapid series of dull thuds, too fast to count.
Tanktop Master was beaten relentlessly, ultimately sent flying by a tricky upward palm strike to the chin, crashing heavily into a collapsed wall.
"Phew..." Garou relaxed, exhaling deeply, a satisfied look mixed with lingering regret on his face.
"S-Class, that's all there is to it." He shook his head, a wave of emptiness and irritation washing over him.
He shook it off, pushing aside these inexplicable emotions, and turned to leave the ruins.
"Wait... wait..." Tanktop Master struggled to his feet. "The fight's not over yet!"
Garou paused, sneering, "Teaching you a lesson is enough. I'm not like you Heroes, always wanting to exterminate everyone."
Just as he was about to leave, a calm, gentle voice spoke.
"Saying something like that shows that deep down, you still admire Heroes, doesn't it?"
"Who?" Garou spun around sharply to see a young man with a nearly perfect face standing there.
Setsuna said calmly, "You just think that today's Heroes don't match your ideal image. You believe they've defiled this noble symbol."
"So you want to defeat them, to shatter people's illusions about them."
Garou's body trembled, then he burst out laughing. "Admire Heroes? Don't make me laugh!"
He flung his hand toward the distant Hero Association's Headquarters. "Look at what that so-called Hero Association has done. When crisis came, just because they were short-handed, they recruited criminals and murderers."
"As long as they're willing to work for the Association, they become 'provisional Heroes'. Their past transgressions are wiped clean. Hah, ridiculous."
"If scum like that can be called Heroes, then I'd rather be a monster! A true 'monster'... that tears apart all these hypocritical 'Heroes'!"