"Warning: Deep Sea race threat level has been upgraded to Tiger-level. All nearby C-class heroes, assist with evacuation! B- and A-class heroes, proceed to the target location immediately!"
"Warning: Deep Sea race threat level has been upgraded to Tiger-level. All nearby C-class heroes, assist with evacuation! B- and A-class heroes, proceed to the target location immediately!"
At the Hero Association HQ, operators frantically relayed evacuation notices and target data.
On the giant screens, live footage flickered from multiple angles—one could see the Deep Sea creatures surfacing from the ocean, storming onto the beach.
"Any other A-class heroes nearby?"
The commander frowned, voice heavy with concern.
Several C- and B-class heroes had already been taken down, and more Deep Sea monsters were still emerging.
If this situation wasn't brought under control soon, the damage would escalate rapidly.
The operator checked the database and quickly responded.
"A-class Hero Rank 11, Stinger, arriving at the scene!"
"A-class Hero Rank 20, Lightning Max, en route!"
"Also, B-class Rank 1, Blizzard of Hell and her Blizzard Group are in the area!"
"Blizzard of Hell…"
The commander's eyes flickered.
With A-rank strength and a whole team of recruited B-class heroes, Blizzard and her group had considerable firepower.
"A-class hero Stinger has arrived!"
"Stinger just took down three monsters!"
"As expected of an A-rank hero—he's strong!"
Hearing the good news from the operator team, the commander finally relaxed.
"Three A-class heroes and a team of B-ranks should be enough to temporarily stabilize things."
But just as that thought formed—
"Commander Zekinger! Stinger's been defeated!!"
"What?!"
The commander spun around, bewildered.
"He was just dominating a second ago—what happened?!"
"A monster named Deep Sea King has appeared… he took down Stinger in one hit…"
Zekinger's face turned grim.
To defeat A-class Rank 11 in a single blow—there was no doubt. This monster had already surpassed Tiger-level. It was Demon-level.
"Contact the nearest S-class heroes!"
"Escalate the disaster level and broadcast immediately!"
..........
"Warning: Threat upgraded to Demon-level. B-class heroes, assist with evacuation. A- and S-class heroes, proceed to the target!"
A blaring alarm echoed across the beach.
Most civilians had already fled.
Only bloodied limbs and the last surviving members of the Blizzard Group remained, barely holding on.
"Blizzard-sama, it's Demon-level now—we should retreat!"
Lily of the Three Batons, Mountain Ape, and Eyelashes were struggling against a massive lobster-headed monster as they spoke.
At that moment, a figure in a tight-fitting green tracksuit charged in.
Flames burst from his high-tech shoes, propelling him forward at max speed.
"That's… A-rank No. 20, Lightning Max!"
The three members of the Blizzard Group lit up with hope.
With an A-class hero joining, maybe the tides could turn…
"Lightning Kick!"
Boom!
"Useless."
With a flick of his shoulder, Deep Sea King—wearing a grotesque crown atop his head—swatted Max aside like a fly.
The three Blizzard members watched in horror as the powerful A-class hero was instantly knocked unconscious.
Panic seized them.
This was not an opponent they could possibly face.
Further up the battlefield, Blizzard herself fought off three Deep Sea monsters alone.
Her beautiful eyes widened in shock as she watched Max fall.
Just one glance at the menacing Deep Sea King was enough to force her to look away.
That presence—it wasn't something she could resist.
It was on par with S-class monsters.
She had no hope of victory.
Even if they managed to defeat the remaining monsters, they couldn't possibly beat Deep Sea King.
And worse—
Blizzard looked toward the ocean.
Her scalp tingle.
At least ten more Deep Sea monsters were surfacing, heading for the shore.
At this point, they would need at least two S-class heroes to contain this Demon-level threat.
Unless—
A certain small but overpowering figure flickered through her mind.
"Retreat!"
"We have to wait for an S-class hero to arrive!"
She barked the order, then narrowed her eyes and activated her strongest technique.
"Hellstorm!"
A spiraling storm of stones and debris whipped around, battering the Deep Sea monsters and leaving cuts all over their grotesque bodies.
Blizzard seized the chance to lead her team back over a hundred meters.
As the Hellstorm dissipated, the monsters bled blue from their wounds.
Only the Deep Sea King patted his flawless body disdainfully—completely unharmed.
Blizzard's heart sank.
Even her full-power strike hadn't left a single scratch.
"Running away?"
Deep Sea King tilted his head, his grotesque smile full of malice.
His glowing green eyes locked onto Blizzard.
A chilling sense of death surged up her spine.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
Only one thought filled her mind:
I'm screwed…
Shing!
Suddenly, a flicker of sword light caught her eye, and in the next second—a thunderous, black-flashing slash tore through the battlefield, cleaving Deep Sea King and the other monsters cleanly in half!
Blood sprayed as their upper bodies slammed to the ground.
"What… was that…"
It wasn't until now that Deep Sea King and Blizzard heard the sonic boom from the sword slash—the air finally catching up to the speed of the blade.
The slash didn't stop.
It kept going, slicing through several buildings in the distance before finally plunging into the ocean, leaving behind a massive trench that disappeared beneath the waves.
RUMBLE…
The buildings collapsed.
Blizzard finally snapped out of it.
"That was… sword energy?"
"One slash just bisected a Demon-level monster strong enough to rival an S-class hero?!"
Her Hellstorm couldn't even tickle Deep Sea King.
Yet this slash had split him in two like paper.
Too much was happening.
Her brain couldn't process it all fast enough.
"Blizzard-sama! Look at the ocean!"
Lily and the others pointed with trembling hands.
Blizzard followed their gaze and gasped.
The other Deep Sea monsters—at least a dozen—were all belly-up, floating unconscious.
"They're… knocked out?"
Lily muttered, stunned.
Blizzard recalled the sword slash from earlier.
"It was the pressure… The aura from that sword energy knocked them all out cold."
She was shaken by her own realization.
Each of those monsters had at least Wolf or Tiger-level strength.
And they were rendered unconscious just by the presence of that slash?
"If that had been aimed at us instead…"
Blizzard glanced at Deep Sea King's neatly severed corpse.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"Who… who on Earth has such terrifying power?!"
She looked around, trying to find the direction the slash came from.
..........
Meanwhile, Kuzeha had already taken Busujima Saeko far from the shore.
Overhead, loudspeakers echoed with the update that the Demon-level monster had been defeated.
But Saeko still looked dazed,
as if the sword she'd just witnessed had rewritten her entire understanding of power.
"You wanna learn?"
Kuzeha smiled at the stunned Saeko.
She blinked in disbelief.
"Me? Learn something like that?"
"Can I even… reach such a godlike level?"
Having witnessed his might firsthand, she couldn't imagine herself ever reaching that realm.
But Kuzeha gave her a look up and down and encouraged her.
"Mmm… If Saeko-senpai prepares enough outfits and trains with me regularly, you might have a shot!"
Kendo training was like that.
Saeko just needed to switch outfits—he had a lot more to deal with.
And sure enough, right beside him, Busujima Saeko was already deep in thought, wondering—
What should I wear next time...?