“What is it…? Uh, how did you know?”
“I could feel it.”
“Ah, this isn’t the time! Hurry, to the shelter….”
The police officer, who still seemed to have some alcohol in his system, fumbled as he got up and tried to run toward the shelter but stopped.
“Hold on, aren’t you coming? If you’re going, we need to go together! Ah! Are you going to fight? Against the monsters? They’re ranked as Crushers! And there are multiple, right?!”
“I’m not planning to fight. Just go.”
“What then?!”
Honestly, I don’t even care about monsters of that level. If I wait, a hero will surely come. So I just planned to hide properly or dodge them.
However, even if someone is a high-tier superhuman, fighting multiple Crusher-class monsters alone is difficult.
The police officer seemed to be worried about me, knowing this fact.
“No, well, even if I don’t know exactly, you’re either a recently awakened superhuman or someone with an incomplete ability, right? You might die if you stay here.”
“I’m not going to die. Don’t waste time…”
“Hey! What are you doing?! Don’t you hear the sirens?!”
“Uncle Garbage! Hurry! Hurry!”
“Kids! Don’t go there!”
At that moment, the children from the apartment building came running toward the park.
Behind them were the mothers, especially those who frequented the park with their children.
It seemed the mothers wanted to head to the shelter with the children, knowing that I was a superhuman, but the children had suddenly broken away and come here.
Then, the iron gate at the entrance of the apartment building came down.
“Aaaah! What do we do? What do we do?!”
“What can we do?! It shouldn’t close this early!”
The door leading to the shelter in the basement of the apartment had been sealed.
That meant the monsters were getting close.
I stood up and walked toward the children.
“Hey! Stay here and you’re going to be in big trouble! The monsters are coming!”
“Mom, why are you like this? Hurry, let’s go! The trash collector’s there!”
“Uaaaaah! The shelter already closed?! Why? Why?!”
“What can we do…! The phone, the phone doesn’t….”
“Where’s the hero?! Hasn’t the hero come?!”
The mothers and the police officer were in confusion, while the children appeared relaxed as if they thought everything was fine.
I gestured to the police officer and indicated the children.
“These guys need a good smack on the head. They’re unruly little brats.”
“Is now really the time for that?! The shelter door is closed!”
“We just have to wait until the hero comes, then.”
“Wait, that’s right! This person is a superhuman!”
“Do you really think you can handle it?! These aren’t just one or two Crusher-class monsters…”
I nodded silently.
Without Monster Transformation, my strength and destructive power lie somewhere between Killer-class and Crusher-class.
On the other hand, my body’s durability is the same as when I am transformed.
Although it might be difficult to kill the monsters, I should be able to hold out until the hero arrives.
“Everyone gather in one place. Give these unruly kids a good smack on the head, and hold onto them tightly.”
“Ow! Why are you hitting us!”
“Stay still! How can you not listen to your mom and run off like that!”
“You too! If your friend runs off, you follow?!”
“The trash collector sleeps outside anyway!”
“You won’t get candy for a whole week!”
“As if! No candy?!”
After emphasizing that the kids should get one more smack, the moms, now slightly relieved, each hit their kids on the head and pulled their ears as punishment.
Then, the distant sky began to ripple.
“They’re coming.”
“H, Hi… Crusher-class monsters are said to be hardly affected by bullets…!”
“Focus on aiming carefully, one shot at a time.”
“Are you serious?! Now?!”
The police officer drew his gun from his waist, and I heightened my perception without activating my core.
The monsters, sensing their prey close by, revealed their forms by shedding whatever was hiding them.
I recognized the shape…a Crusher-class monster, the Phantom Dog.
Phantom Dogs are tricky because they alternate between materialization and dematerialization, but even in their intangible state, they are partially grounded in reality, so they can still be affected by powerful impacts.
While I can’t kill them in my current state, disabling them temporarily should be possible.
But… completely blocking them will be rather challenging.
“The hero needs to come soon.”
“Kyaay!”
For the first time in a long while, I pushed off from the ground without controlling my strength.
The ground beneath me crumpled as I shot forward, and I could clearly see the look of surprise on the faces of the phantom dogs at the shortened distance.
A punch with a full stride— the quickly materializing form of the phantom dog became distorted.
Though they all came rushing at me together, my body was far from fragile enough to be injured at this level.
Apparently, their teeth hurt as they let go immediately. Targeting their jaws with punches, my fist again went through the air as they turned intangible.
It felt like stirring my arms underwater. I wish these phantom dogs would keep focusing on me alone…
“Uaaaaaaah!”
Bang, bang—the sound of gunfire echoed into the sky.
Monsters aren’t stupid.
When faced with a strong enemy, they can choose to run away, join forces with their kind, or sometimes ignore the stronger being and go after the weaker prey instead.
Their purpose isn’t the extinction of humanity—it’s simply to eat humans.
There’s no need to eat the strongest necessarily.
They go for the weak, the soft and tender flesh.
“Kyaayaaaah!”
“Kyaahi!”
Pushing off the ground again, I took care of two phantom dogs charging toward a child and a mother at once.
When biting, they inevitably materialize, so my punches did connect, though the strike wasn’t strong enough.
The phantom dogs which flew far away and rolled on the ground quickly got up and disappeared again.
“When will the hero come?”
“Now, hold on! This is C2C! There’s an appearance of monsters at the apartment! When will the hero arrive?!”
“What? An apartment? Why are you there?”
“I was on patrol! Protecting the children and civilians! When is the hero coming?!”
“How are you protecting them?! The hero is still a bit away!”
“Why?!”
“Don’t know! They said it’ll take a bit! The shelter is a special shelter, isn’t it? Isn’t that why you’re there?!?”
“No, that’s why this is happening!”
“Ughhh! Why are you outside?!”
At that moment, two phantom dogs broke through my blockade.
One of the materialized monsters rushed at me, which I immediately sent flying, but… the other one.
With this strength alone, it’s not enough.
Without monster transformation, it doesn’t reach.
But.
If I transform now…
“Police Officer!”
“Cough, huff…!”
After a brief hesitation, the phantom dog bit into the police officer’s neck.
Regaining my senses, I lunged at the dog, pulling it off the officer.
The monster’s heightened sensitivity to the scent of human blood made the situation precarious.
It’s…a deep wound.
Although it narrowly grazed his neck towards his shoulder, it’s a fatal wound that could kill him instantly.
“Huff… Huff…”
“What do we do?! What do we do…! Ah, aaaah!”
“Why isn’t the hero coming…!”
“…Control the bleeding. Take off your shirts and tightly bind his neck.”
“Control bleeding…?”
“Cough, ugh, huff….”
I looked down at the bleeding police officer, leaning against one of the mothers, and directed her to apply pressure.
The mothers appeared shaken by the continuous flow of blood, restlessly fidgeting.
And I swallowed audibly.
…It smells delicious.
At the scent of human blood, my hunger rose.
Similarly, the phantom dogs, stimulated by the blood, grew more aggressive.
Those who were quietly observing while I fought began revealing their forms, slowly advancing.
Because of my brief hesitation, I put the police officer at risk of death.
Even knowing I’m no longer fully human, my desire to live like a human made me restrain from transformation.
My current strength lies between Killer-class and Crusher-class monsters.
Although durability is much higher, to protect everyone from these monsters…
I need monster power.
“It’s hard to suppress the hunger. Quickly.”
“Uh, everyone, take your shirts off! Quickly!”
“Make sure the children are held so they don’t run away.”
While confused by my nonsensical directions, recognizing there were more urgent matters than modesty, the mothers quickly removed their shirts to tightly bind the police officer’s neck and area below his shoulder.
Then, I turned my gaze to the monsters.
To completely eliminate all these monsters, I need the kind of destructive power and speed that can wipe everything out in one go.
No, doing that might overwhelm the children.
What’s necessary to keep these people safe until the hero arrives is a barrier that can cover a wide area, an ability that can obscure vision.
My rising murderous intent flips the shadows of human bodies.
A black panther’s growling body that swallows sound, harpy wings that control the wind, a tail that rules shadows belonging to a monster with abilities outside the norm.
The increasingly loud sirens resound noisily outside the apartment.
“Krrrrrr…”
“Hi, hi…?! A monster…?!”
Accompanied by the swelling shadows, I released the power of the monster.
[OOOOOOOOOO!]
The panther’s howl that conceals its traces, with wings unfolding that shroud everything in a gust of wind.
Dozens of tails absorb the shadows, settling the darkness around the vicinity.
The barrier of my abilities shields both material and immaterial forms. The presence announces that if they come any closer, they will be torn apart by a stronger monster.
The activated core sends out waves, warning the monsters.
If they approach any closer, all will perish.
Monsters flee from stronger monsters to avoid being devoured.
However, the phantom dogs didn’t run.
Monsters’ strongest instinct: to eat humans and grow stronger.
Among these instincts is the growth they seek, which makes them hostile even to their own kind.
Eating stronger monsters allows them to grow stronger.
When weakened by a hero’s attack or for other reasons, the strong become prey for weaker monsters.
The phantom dogs see before them a strong but unaggressive sickly monster, along with the smell of fresh blood from the police officer’s neck.
Still, having been transformed into a monster, the phantom dogs cannot approach me.
A standoff is formed where they can neither escape nor come closer.
“Appetite…are you a monster? Not some superpower that makes you look like a beast…”
Underneath my massive, monstrous frame, the police officer, staring at the sight of a monster, let out a weak voice.
“A superhuman…shouldn’t be registered without proper verification…”
Humans never fail to recognize monsters.
The core of monsters emits waves, stimulating human instincts with infrasonic vibrations.
And regardless of rank, monsters constantly radiate an oppressive aura that intimidates humans.
“Geez, I didn’t realize you were a giant cat…”
[No, not a cat.]
Monsters cannot speak human languages.
However, my current mind manipulates sounds and waves of ability.
By resonating around, I gave them a startle, surprising the children and the police officer.
“Monsters speaking…no, of course they could…”
Logically, monsters cannot speak human languages.
Communication is impossible, which is why humans have thoroughly treated monsters as adversaries.
After all, there’s no such thing as a human-shaped monster.
