Chapter 1277

<Chapter 1277> 1277. Pheromone Monster

I ascended onto the rooftop, bracing against the cold night wind of New York.

Flap flap.

The crimson cape billowed dramatically in the wind.

Underneath the cape was light armor. Back in the day, spandex was all the rage for superhero costumes, but now fantasy-inspired light armor was trending.

I glanced at my right shoulder where a curved piece of metal encased it. On its surface was a lightning-bolt striking skull mark – the hastily made emblem of Jupiter from earlier today.

Sophia’s careful design process came to mind.

“A superhero must have a costume. And naturally, an emblem that represents you. A superhero without a costume isn’t really a superhero.”

She showed me countless Hunters active in America, from top-tier A Rank Hunters down to lowly E Rank ones, each sporting their own unique outfits.

Well, hunters from other countries also wear special gear when hunting monsters, so I couldn’t argue. When your life is on the line, armor is serious business. The Americans and Japanese are just particularly passionate about their costumes. Though the Japanese style does lean a bit differently.

I looked down at the city below. Cars zipped along the roads and people walked the streets.

“We don’t have time! We need swift action. That said, we can’t just kill anyone. If you kill criminals, American citizens will become curious about those dead criminals. Use that curiosity to target criminals related to corruption. Let the public discover the ugly truth about corruption themselves!”

Crackle.

Pale sparks erupted around me.

I raised my hand. Though I’m a Dark Hero, I shouldn’t operate completely unseen. To achieve our goals, I need to draw the public’s attention.

Hooooooong.

Mana drained out.

In an instant, the flow of air shifted as a thick bolt of lightning struck the building. The area brightened dramatically, followed shortly by a thunderous boom echoing around.

New Yorkers, confused by the sudden lightning in a cloudless sky, looked up at the building. Those with good eyesight spotted me atop the roof.

Flap flap.

I stood still, giving the citizens photo time. They need to record me and post it online to help me gain fame faster.

I summoned Stormbreaker, gripping the spear-like weapon in my right hand and raising it high.

Stormbreaker was more visually striking than Huolian Bidou.

Zzzt.

Blue electric arcs sparked from Stormbreaker.

The glowing current was eye-catching enough, but I felt something was missing. I summoned Huolian Bidou and merged it with Stormbreaker. Huolian Bidou slid smoothly into Stormbreaker. From the outside, it looked more like absorption than fusion.

Zzzzzzt!

Stormbre…


The blue current swirling around Ikkel turned red. Thanks to the effect of Warlink Blade, the lightning grew stronger as well.

I hurled a spear of crimson lightning towards the opposite building.

With a thunderous crash, it embedded itself into the building, and red currents spread over part of it. Pushing mana into my legs, I leaped toward the opposite building, successfully landing amidst its shattered remains after clearing a distance of at least 30 meters.

I looked straight ahead. A middle-aged man dressed in a suit, who had been sitting in a chair, rose with his bulky frame.

“Are you Jupiter?”

“Are you Bill Hyatt, the head of the Hytree Church?”

Hytree Church…

A cult associated with Judge Borsi. It’s said that with Judge Borsi becoming president this time, they’ve moved their base to New York.

I was about to kill him with Stormbreaker when I suddenly stopped—recognizing a familiar symbol on Bill Hyatt’s sleeve.

Five swirling droplets.

The mark of BrahmaSen, the malevolent spirit of the tattoo world.

My mind flashed. BrahmaSen, cults, Light Origin Sect… The keywords jumbled together, converging into one conclusion.

“…Remnants of the Light Origin Sect?”

Bill Hyatt’s eyes gleamed.

“Ho? You know of the Light Origin Sect? Seems like you’re connected to those bastards who destroyed them. I suppose you’ll have to tell me everything you know.”

Bill Hyatt spread out his arms. His arms turned pitch black and extended like tentacles. While sparks flew from my left hand and scattered around, the ground-running lightning latched onto Bill Hyatt’s arms.

But nothing happened. Unaffected by the electricity, he mocked me as he swung his arms like whips.

“Do you really think some measly static will harm me? It doesn’t even tickle!”

As his two arms coiled toward me simultaneously, I swung my halberd. Despite the blade radiating with sword qi, his arms weren’t cut at all. They wrapped tightly around both the weapon and my body.

‘What a nuisance.’

His arms felt neither entirely alive nor dead. Given that sword qi didn’t affect them, they seemed immune to physical force.

The grip tightened around my body, aiming to crush my bones.

BOOM.

I activated True Step. A crimson bolt erupted from my toes, racing along the ground and striking Bill Hyatt directly.

“How many times do I need to tell you—it’s useless!”

Bill Hyatt burst into laughter.

Ignoring him, I sent another surge of current through his body. CRACKLE, ZZZT. Red lightning danced across his form, accumulating within him.

‘This should be enough.’

Gripping my left fist tightly like a trigger,

Raitenryuu (Thunder Heaven Style) Ultimate Technique: Burst Shock Lightning.

KABOOM!

An explosion erupted inside Bill Hyatt’s body—not just once, but repeatedly, as the stored lightning detonated in a continuous chain reaction.

KABOOM! BOOM! KABOOOOOOM!

THUD. His arms, which had tightly bound me, fell limply to the ground. Irritated, I kicked his grotesque black limbs aside and approached him calmly.

Bill Hyatt knelt on the floor, barely conscious, blood gushing from his mouth, nose, and ears.

“Even after thirty explosions inside your body, you’re still holding your shape? That’s impressive.”

He glared at me, coughing up dark red blood.

“Bra…maSen…my lord…! Bestow upon this fiend the curse of death…”

“That guy can’t do anything.”

Changing Stormbreaker into a sword, I swung it cleanly, severing Bill Hyatt’s head, which rolled across the floor.

I picked up the notebook lying next to the desk. Though the screen was cracked, it was still operational, showing a password entry screen.

‘Hacking isn’t necessary. I’ll just take the laptop.’

After grabbing the laptop, I descended to the lower floor via the stairs. Ripping apart a firmly locked iron door with my sword, I entered the room beyond.

There, hundreds of men and women stood naked…


A figure was kneeling, praying towards someone with such devotion that they didn’t even notice my presence, continuing their prayer uninterrupted.

I frowned deeply at the sight of this utterly cultish scene. Memories of the Light Source Sect surfaced, sending my irritation through the roof.

Gritting my teeth, I resisted the urge to obliterate the nude men and women with a tidal wave of lightning and instead picked up my smartphone. Slowly circling around, I filmed this grotesque prayer meeting.

“Hmm… This girl is kinda cute?”

A beautiful woman was naked, fully immersed in her prayers. I desperately suppressed the rising lust within me. I didn’t have time to mess around with these crazy cult followers. Before the police arrived, an agent from the American Association needed to leave this place. And right now, I’m the Dark Hero.

After finishing the video recording, I tore up the teleportation spell while faint sirens echoed in the distance.

Jupiter.

The name of the new criminal set the internet ablaze.

Some called him a mad villain, while others hailed him as a Dark Hero. Public opinion heavily leaned toward the latter.

The three criminals I wiped out overnight were a child molester, the boss of a drug smuggling organization, and the leader of a cult religion.

Sophia and Bluecad manipulated public sentiment in the direction they wanted. It was easy since we had the evidence.

Sensing the crisis, the Boss Administration declared Dark Hero Jupiter a criminal and drastically increased the bounty on his head—30 million dollars hanging over mine.

After finishing my shower and sitting on the bed, I watched Sophia typing away on her computer keyboard. She wasn’t the disheartened person she’d been yesterday; her fingers danced lightly across the keys.

“Is everything going well?”

“Yes, it’s going smoothly. People are rejoicing that criminals devouring America are disappearing from this world. That joy quickly turned into praise for you, Jupiter.”

“What about the reaction from the Boss Administration?”

“They’re parroting condemnations against you. Other than that… nothing really. They know moving rashly will only backfire since all three criminals you judged were connected to Boss. Heh. Some articles I wrote long ago are starting to get attention. Honestly, it feels like someone is helping us behind the scenes because things are going so smoothly.”

“Bluecad must be quite powerful, huh?”

“It’s not Bluecad. Even Bluecad’s influence couldn’t stir up such a fierce reaction. There’s some other organization… Hmm.

But this is just my imagination, so I’ll keep quiet.”

“What about the American Hunter Association’s response?”

What worried me and Sophia the most was the American Hunter Association. If they got involved aggressively, it would make it tough for me to continue being a Dark Hero.

“The American Hunter Association criticized you. Claimed you’re not a Dark Hero but merely a criminal imposing private sanctions.”

“…Hmm. So what else?”

“That’s all.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no other reaction. The American Hunter Association is showing lukewarm attitudes towards this matter. While their true intentions are unclear… At least outwardly, they seem to be taking a step back.”

“Anyway, it’s good news for us.”

“Yes, everything is going well.”

Stretching, Sophia stood up. She turned to look at me, her face oddly flushed. With a seductive gait, she approached and sat next to me.

“Thank you. Without you, I…”

I cut her off mid-sentence, grabbing her cheek and kissing her. Her eyes widened momentarily before returning to normal.

Soon, the cramped workshop was filled with intense heat.

“Oh yeah! F*ck me! F*ck me!!”