Chapter 73: I Am the Rainbow Pony Rider.
....
Flandre Scarlet possesses the terrifying ability to destroy anything that exists.
Much like how Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can see the "lines of death" in all things, Flandre can perceive a singular point that represents the destruction of any object.
That point is called a "core" (目 / me).
She can move that "core" into her hand…and crush it.
The moment it shatters—so does the object itself.
At first, Kihara never understood why the second daughter of the Scarlet Devil Mansion loved crushing things with her ability so much.
Now he did.
Because crushing a "core"… felt exactly like popping bubble wrap.
Incredibly satisfying.
[Obtained: Aberrant Monster Core ×1]
After killing monsters for so long, this was the first time Kihara actually got a drop.
It seemed the loot system—like in Stardew Valley—hadn't disappeared after all.
It was just… ridiculously rare.
Genos crawled out of the crater in a battered state—only to witness Kihara casually crushing Oni-Snake into a pulp.
Even his high-performance combat processor… froze for a full two seconds.
"Ki… Kihara… Sir… you're… this strong too?!"
"Interesting… Is that some kind of psychic power?"
It was the first time Saitama had seen Kihara fight.
Even he felt… a faint sense of danger in that instant.
Kihara smiled faintly.
"Genos, let me tell you something about Saitama's strength."
"P-Please do!"
He clasped his hands behind his back, putting on an air of profound wisdom.
"Stats… are the reason one becomes a king."
"St… stats?"
Genos didn't fully understand the term—but immediately logged it into his core database.
If Kihara said it… it must be important.
The three of them gathered their scattered ingredients and returned to Saitama's apartment for hot pot.
As Kihara and Saitama fought over slices of beef, he continued explaining.
"You know how, in extreme situations, humans can break past their limits and unleash incredible strength?"
"Like a mother lifting a car to save her child… or surviving insane conditions."
"That power normally can't be used—because of something called a limiter."
"It restricts your strength to protect your body."
He glanced at Saitama.
"But him… he broke that limiter."
"After that, every heartbeat… every breath… made him stronger."
"That's how he became what he is now."
"Absolute power."
Genos' eyes lit up.
"I see! Thank you for enlightening me, Kihara!"
"…Wait, that's how I got strong?"
Saitama scratched his bald head, looking completely clueless.
Genos fell silent.
"…So if I want to become as strong as Sensei… I should increase my firepower?"
"That's one way," Kihara replied.
"But there's something more important you should learn from him."
He set down his chopsticks.
His tone turned serious.
"Genos… what do you think a hero is?"
"A hero…?"
Genos hesitated.
"…Someone registered with the Hero Association?"
"Wrong. Completely wrong."
Kihara shook his head.
"You're still lacking in that regard."
Genos immediately straightened up.
"Please correct me, Kihara!"
"That's not something I can just tell you."
"Stay with Saitama… and learn it yourself."
He stood up.
"I'll be leaving the Hero Association soon."
"I'm going to travel with my girlfriend."
Saitama frowned.
"Kihara… you in trouble or something?"
"No."
"I only became a hero to investigate something."
"Now that it's done… I just want to live a normal life with her."
"…I haven't been much of a boyfriend lately."
"…I see."
Saitama nodded.
"Then come hang out sometimes."
"I will."
Meanwhile…
Upon hearing that Oni-Snake had been crushed into pulp, Shijia clicked his tongue.
"That idiot… did he seriously think he could take on an S-Class hero?"
His original plan had been to let Oni-Snake absorb four monster cores—creating the ultimate creature for their human extinction plan.
Now… it had failed before it even began.
"…Guess I'll have to do it myself."
He stared at the writhing monster cell in his hand—but didn't eat it immediately.
Instead, he headed to Z-City… to recover Oni-Snake's remains.
Just as expected—
The corpse had been left behind.
A charred battlefield. Ruins everywhere.
"This scorched hellscape… must be the work of that new S-Class hero—Genos."
He stepped forward and examined the remains.
The once-mangled flesh was slowly regenerating into a rough humanoid shape.
"As expected… monsterization improves regeneration."
"Too bad Oni-Snake himself is gone."
"…But as fusion material—this is perfect."
Without hesitation, he devoured the monster cell.
Then—
Like a starving beast.
He began eating Oni-Snake's corpse.
Power surged through every vein.
But it wasn't enough.
He pulled out four Monster Cores.
Encased in amber-like crystals, they looked harmless.
But once activated, they could become skyscraper-sized monsters.
He swallowed all four.
His body twisted.
Expanded.
Mutated.
He was no longer human.
He looked like something straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare—a being that would give any normal person a week of nightmares just from a glance.
"Ghh… hss… humans…"
"I will become a demon… and bring about your complete destruction…"
"Say that again, idiot."
A voice cut through the air.
Kihara appeared instantly—like a hunter who had been waiting all along.
"I, the Rainbow Pony Rider, am here to end you."
He reached out—
Grasped the remaining "cores" within Shijia's body.
And crushed them.
.....
Thank you for reading.