Chapter 72

1.

I opened my eyes in pain.

– Thud…

As I moved my body, fragments and debris tumbled down.

Only after the dust settled on my face did I realize the situation I was in.

A collapsed building, shattered debris everywhere, and a crushing pressure. No matter how much strength I exerted, my body wouldn’t budge.

The weight pressing on my back, waist, and shoulders told me I was buried under the rubble.

“…Ha.”

Every slight movement caused the debris to press down, bringing waves of pain. Despite this, an involuntary laugh escaped me.

This situation was oddly familiar. One of my favorite heroes had been in a similar predicament once.

And he managed to overcome it. How did he do it again?

“…”

Through willpower.

Through conviction.

And through the heart of a hero.

He reaffirmed his identity and fought back.

The hallucinations I’d seen moments ago—perhaps just a strange dream—still lingered faintly.

It was shocking yet infuriating at the same time. What? You want me to do my job? Why, you…

What even is it? At least tell me before you leave.

“Spouting all that crap and disappearing? You piece of–”

I steadied my confused mind.

Perhaps those scenes in the hallucination were the truth.

Maybe they showed me those things to warn me since I’ve been acting too recklessly.

But, but…

“If you know me so well…!”

You must know how I’d react in a situation like this.

Putting aside the noble mask of a hero, I responded as purely ‘Nanashi Hiiro,’ a person.

“Leave me alone! I’ll decide what I need to do!”

I hated anyone interfering with my life. It was horrifying to have the form of life I pursued manipulated by others.

Because of that, I considered all such entities my enemies, those who meddle with me and my surroundings.

And thus, I could look at everyone in that vision with intense will and emotion.

Namely, the form known as ‘rage.’

Crunch-

The sound of tearing muscles echoed in my ears.

“Aaaargh!”

As I forcibly pumped strength to rise, my whole body screamed in protest. My body was protesting, saying this was impossible. But I didn’t stop. I exerted every ounce of strength to lift the rubble off my shoulders.

Crash-

Rumble-

Spider-Man awakened through belief and willpower, didn’t he?

But, for me—a novice hero still far from mastery—this wasn’t fuel I could rely on.

So I…

Infused something similar yet fundamentally different.

Hatred for someone, longing for someone else, and anger directed at myself.

“Go and do what you want me to? Stop messing with me. Who the hell do you think you are, deciding what I should do?”

This time, I’ll live as I want. That was my original intention.

Shake me with a measly hallucination?

You’ve lost your mind.

Crash-

In the distance, the monstrous scream of Binah and the sound of gunfire echoed. The noise of something collapsing, shattering, and fierce battle resonated beyond.

It was noise filled with endless conflict and violence that I despised. However, it was also a place I had to reach.

Why? Because I aim to be a hero, and I’ll go there to cut it all off.

Silent calm and peace. That’s my goal.

Not the idealistic fantasies shown in those visions but the silence in the harsh reality I face—that’s my true utopia.

The light, sand, and sounds approached me.

“So!!!”

Thud. Thud.

Blood dripped to the floor.

My already wounded body was reopening its injuries and bleeding due to exertion.

I didn’t care and poured more strength into it, determined to break free from the weight pressing down on my shoulders.

“LEAVE ME ALONE—!!!!!!”

With an outcry filled with anger, I pushed against the rubble with all the strength I could muster.

KABOOM!

An explosion-like sound and a powerful shockwave followed.

The largest piece of rubble that had been pressing on me toppled to the side. At that moment, I swept away the remaining debris and stood up.

“Huh. What a mess. My body, the surroundings.”

It hurt, but it wasn’t fatal.

Rather, it seemed I’d narrowly escaped death and gotten better. Apparently, my healing power had grown.

Before, it would have taken twice as long for my wounds to heal, but now I could see several of my injuries healing.

Also—

“Trying to get ahead for what worldly luxury?”

Was it an aftereffect of almost dying? Or was it a reward for the vision I’d seen?

Apparently, not just my healing but other aspects of my abilities were growing as well—excluding extrasensory perception.

“Tch.”

No, it felt different from growth.

It was a strangely familiar sensation, like recovering something I’d forgotten.

As if there was an unknown past I didn’t remember, meaning there were also powers I had lost.

…

I still don’t understand it well.

I set aside my thoughts and evaluated my current situation.

“Tch. Everything’s destroyed.”

Web shooter? Gone. All the solution capsules too. Only the one on my left arm remained but with little capacity left.

Infinity? Its form remained but functions halted.

Tom Ford Suit? Disappeared without a trace.

Most other equipment was destroyed.

All that remained was the mask barely keeping its shape and my hero suit.

Heh. The situation naturally brought out a bitter laugh.

Why did it come to this?

“…Because I made a damn stupid decision.”

100,000 volts to subdue Binah? Facing her alone?

Fuck, is she called the “Total War” boss for no reason?

The premise of fighting her alone was stupid. Apparently, I’ve developed some bad habits from pretending to be a hero too often. That needs to be corrected.

“Seriously, I almost died…”

I muttered while crawling out from the debris.

Without my healing ability and other factors, I would have surely died. Maybe I even died and came back to life.

This experience taught me something.

I’m not a god, nor an entity capable of defeating everything.

Didn’t the vision show me that I’d eventually face despair because of something obstructing my path? Is that what this is leading to?

“No.”

Of course, I must learn from this.

Thus—

“I’ll find a way to win. No, a way to kill.”

With that in mind, I carved out my resolve.

I distinguished between the moments when I’m a hero and when I’m not.

Right now, I need to become a hunter.

So I’ll find it.

Binah. A way to submerge that snake. I won’t stop until I’ve driven it back.

I’ll kill it. I’ll completely shut down its function and end it.

That way, there’ll be no future trouble.

While brushing the dust from my hair, I thought.

“What tools can I use? What’s possible? How can I strike this thing?”

Charge in with bare fists?

High chances my fists will break first.

A weapon. I need a sturdy weapon.

As I moved forward, something caught my eye.

“…”

Apparently, I’m about to do something reckless again.

2.

[i[Kraaaaaaa──!!!]

Silk appeared, and Binah greeted her with a roar.

Shaking its body and moving slowly, it seemed the shock Silk delivered earlier had a significant impact.

With a smile, Silk approached.

Fixing her loose mask, her eyes lit up.

Like a flickering flame, a chilling aura flowed from beyond the mask.

Both Binah, the teachers, and other students felt a shiver run down their spines.

Instinctively, they sensed it.

Silk’s atmosphere was different from usual.

It’s hard to describe. If she used to be mysterious, now that mystery had turned somewhat menacing.

“Now, let’s finally end it.”

With that, Silk raised her right hand.

There was something unusual in it.

What’s that? Is it a metal rod? A rebar?

What’s she going to do with that? As that thought crossed people’s minds—

Twang-!

Silk disappeared from sight.

Moving faster and heavier than before.

Even the strongest students from other academies would have difficulty keeping up with her speed.

In her hand, she still held the object—whether a rebar or a metal rod, unclear.

Binah, not understanding what the formidable opponent was about to do, opened its mouth in instinctive fear.

Activating its “Ray of Achilles,” energy began to coalesce in its mouth.

Yui and Hoshino, recognizing the danger, shouted.

“Silk! It’s dangerous! That pattern—”

“Shouldn’t confront it head-on…!”

Ignoring their cries, Silk pressed on directly, raising her right arm.

Did she not hear? Or does she have another plan?

With these questions lingering, Silk suddenly started an unknown chant.

“Throwing a spear is a timeless hunting method for humanity. An ancient technique that uses power and speed to subdue the enemy.”

As Binah’s tail was about to strike within reach, Silk bent her knees into a sprinting stance.

And immediately,

BOOOM-!!

Silk pushed off her foot with such force that the concrete cracked.

She leaped, as if flying into the sky, and crossed the height of a building in a single ‘jump,’ landing on Binah’s body and reaching its head.

Everyone could only gape in awe at her seemingly superhuman feat.

Had she transcended humanity?

As people thought this, Silk spoke again.

“Are you truly prey or, as you claim, a prophet? I will prove it now.”

Raising the metal rod in her right hand, she fired a web from her left and rapidly approached Binah.

Swinging her arm like she was throwing a spear, she attacked with all her might.

With full force.

In an instant, the rod Silk had been holding left her hand and hurled toward Binah.

And then,

Screeeech──!!!

It shattered Binah’s face and pierced through its palate.

Without stopping there, Silk pulled out another rod.

“Well, let’s see you endure this.”

Even the Venom counterpart couldn’t withstand the Spider-Man’s rod attack.

Indeed, can a self-proclaimed prophet like you withstand this attack?

Technically, it was sound pressure that did the damage, but hitting it with the rod produced the sound too, so it still qualified as sound pressure.

I was curious.

Venom and Binah.

Which one would last longer?

It was quite an intriguing topic, don’t you think?

Of course, comparing the two is unfair due to their differing abilities, characteristics, and weaknesses, but that’s beyond my concern.

“You’re moving quite slowly. You must be very tired, Binah.”

What’s important now is at what level of attack the so-called prophet will meet its demise.

Malicious intent flickered in Silk’s eyes, transforming into ominous energy around her gaze.

Seeing the exhausted appearance of Binah, she smiled.

To an outside observer, her demeanor now resembled that of a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

Unbeknownst to Silk herself,

3.

The fight between the hero cloaked in ominous blue light flying in the sky,

and the monster of steel sweeping across the ground resumed.

Now joined by teachers and students, and the strongest duo from Abidos and Gehenna,

the audience could only focus on one figure.

The small monstrosity glowing with sinister blue light, determined to kill the large monster with metal rods.

Their hero now displayed strength far beyond what could be called human.

“Insane.”

There were no cheers or exclamations of amazement.

Just pure shock.

The bizarre battle style and overwhelming power Silk showcased left the audience speechless.

Blocking artillery shots from Binah with her body,

and placing rods in desired positions with superhuman physical abilities.

On the ground, Binah was pressured with sheer volume and firepower,

and in the air, Silk anticipated every move and struck with rods, delivering powerful shocks.

What had been the terrifying monster Bi-na now resembled a beast hunted down to extinction since Silk’s intervention.

That’s what the audience saw.

“It’s insane… seriously.”

Thus, they experienced a different kind of shock than before.

Not the heroic Silk they were used to, but a ruthless predator hunting down beasts.

Though startled,

“Damn she’s cool.”

“Silk, take me now!”

“Wow, check out that figure.”

Many people who were already captivated by Silk rejoiced at the gap she displayed.

While it wasn’t her intention, the dark hero image of Silk resonated with Kiburatos.

To put it simply, it was the ‘Dark Mode Silk Hype.’

---