The muscular, rugged-looking Hamaka was the Chief of Z-City's Police Guard—a seemingly high-ranking position that nonetheless earned him scorn from many of his colleagues and citizens.
"Hey, Hamaka, we in the Criminal Division really envy you guys in the Police Guard. Every time you're deployed, it's just sweeping up and taking pictures. So relaxing."
"Chief Hamaka, I don't want to stay in the Police Guard anymore. Everyone says I'm just coasting, and the Heroes always steal the spotlight."
"It's bad enough that the Police Guard arrives late, but when you do arrive, you can't even defeat the Monster. What's the point of having you? My tax money would be better spent entirely on the Heroes."
"..."
Enough! All of you!
Is being slow to deploy our fault? No! Monsters appear randomly; how could the Police Guard possibly be there every time?
Is being unable to defeat the Monsters our fault? No! Our budget keeps getting slashed, our equipment isn't updated, and our team is shrinking. Of course, we can't defeat the Monsters.
Whose fault is it then?
It's the fault of those self-proclaimed Heroes! Especially that big star, Aomori!
They have nothing better to do than steal our work, making us look incompetent. If Monsters weren't without rights, I, Hamaka, would have arrested all those fake law enforcers and thrown them in jail long ago.
I, Hamaka, must prove to everyone that we, the legitimate forces, are not useless, and that Heroes are entirely unnecessary!
...
"Chief, the Monster calling itself 'Centipede Junior' is completely incapacitated!"
"Excellent work!" Hamaka praised, then commanded, "Use the white phosphorus rounds! Give it the final blow!"
"Sir!"
Bang!
The white phosphorus rounds fired by the Police Guard struck Centipede Junior dead center. Fierce flames burned on its body, making it shriek in agony.
"It hurts! Damn humans! My older brothers, older sisters, father, mother, uncles, aunts, grandpa, and grandma, they will all avenge me!"
"What kind of nonsense is it spouting?"
Most of the team members didn't take it seriously, but Hamaka's face changed drastically upon hearing it, cold sweat running down his temples. "Don't tell me..."
Suddenly, a powerful tremor came from underground. Then the ground broke open, and over a dozen centipedes of varying sizes burst out. The largest one straightened up, reaching the height of a five-story building.
It was Centipede Junior's older brothers, older sisters, father, mother, uncles, aunts, grandpa, and grandma, all attacking at once!
"Ahh! It's a Monster!" The surrounding crowd scattered in panic. Facing more than ten Monsters, the dozens of Police Guard members instantly lost their fighting spirit, and many fled with the crowd.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to die!"
"You idiots! Don't turn your backs on the enemy! Attack! Attack now!" Hamaka roared, frantically spraying bullets with his machine gun. The rounds ricocheted off the Monsters' bodies in showers of sparks, unable to penetrate their defenses.
A flash of blade light swept past, leaving a bloody wound that ran from the top of Hamaka's head down to his navel, sending him rolling on the ground in pain.
"Hmm? You weren't split in half? You must be the one who led the attack on my precious grandson."
A massive shadow covered Hamaka, plunging him into darkness.
Gazing up at the building-sized Centipede Monster, his teeth chattered. "Someone save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
"No one can save you! I said so! Centipede Great Rampage!" Centipede Grandpa bent down. Its hundreds of steel legs scraped and slid, instantly shattering the ground. It charged at Hamaka with the speed of a bullet train.
"No!" Hamaka closed his eyes in terror.
Bang!
A powerful shockwave radiated outward. Hamaka, who had rolled a few feet away, found that he was still alive. He looked in astonishment at the center of the collision, where stood a person he would recognize even if they were reduced to ash.
'It's him! Aomori! I was saved by the person I've always hated. It turns out that the ones who were never necessary... were us.' In despair, Hameka finally saw the truth. Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "Go, Aomori! Go, the big star who strives to be a Hero!"
"Sorry, I'm late. It took me a while to deal with those small fry." Aomori, grasping his blade Ryuko, held firm against Centipede Grandpa's gigantic mandibles.
"What?!" Centipede Grandpa straightened up, confirming that all his descendants were dead, even his mate, Centipede Grandma, had been sliced into pieces.
"No! I will tear you to shreds and kill ten thousand humans to bury with my family!" The aged face on Centipede Grandpa's head let out a mournful wail. It went berserk!
"Don't worry. The most important thing for a family is to be together, whole and neat. I'll send you to join them."
"Centipede Grand Charge!" Centipede Grandpa used its height advantage, repeatedly diving down at Aomori from above.
With such immense weight combined with speed that broke the sound barrier, even Aomori dared not resist head-on. He could only use his flexible footwork to continuously evade Centipede Grandpa's charges, luring it towards a less populated area.
Gazing at the receding cloud of dust, Ms. Fujiwara and Tomoko finally dared to drive their car to the spot where the Centipede Monster had burst out, helping to rescue the injured.
They had arrived earlier but were too afraid to get close, hiding to call the police and an ambulance.
Seeing the ground littered with the Monster's severed limbs, Tomoko licked her slightly dry lips, casting aside her usual refined demeanor. She said with an excited expression, "Your Aomori is such an incredible man. I really wish I could see his magnificent fighting posture."
Ms. Fujiwara was accustomed to her best friend's behavior. Though seemingly tranquil, she harbored a deep craving for adventure and was a great admirer of Heroes. It was she who had voluntarily requested to become Aomori's lawyer this time.
"Forget it. Going there would just be suicide. I'm still young, you know, and I have no desire to end my life," Ms. Fujiwara retorted unhappily, continuing to assist the medical staff.
"That huge centipede looks really strong. Aren't you worried about your beloved big star getting hurt?"
"Worried! Of course, I'm worried! But Aomori has never been hurt before. He should be fine this time too... right?" Thinking of the Centipede Monster's massive body, Ms. Fujiwara lost a bit of her confidence.
"No! Aomori is the strongest! He will definitely defeat the Monster!"
A heavily bandaged injured man nearby suddenly shouted, startling them both.
"Why are you shouting so loudly? Be careful, your wound might tear open!" the medical staff member said crossly, pushing the injured man onto the ambulance.
But the injured man persisted in rooting for Aomori. "Aomori is the strongest!"
Tomoko tilted her head. "An Aomori superfan?"
Ms. Fujiwara shrugged. "Perhaps."
...
In a small park in Z-City, a massive centipede dozens of meters long was chasing a human who, in comparison, was no bigger than a mouse.
Aomori retreated while fighting, having successfully lured the enraged Centipede Grandpa here.
However, after being 'jinxed' with so many good wishes, Aomori was inevitably at a disadvantage.
The previously indestructible Ryuko could only leave a microscopic scratch on Centipede Grandpa's carapace, which was insignificant relative to its overall size.
Among the Monsters he had fought, Centipede Grandpa's defense stood in a league of its own, almost reaching Dragon-level status. However, its clumsy attack methods were a liability. Aomori decided to classify it as a High-Demon-level threat.
Centipede Grandpa, a High-Demon-level Monster, seemed to hear Aomori's thoughts. Its eyes widened, and it deployed a new technique.
"Centipede Grand Entanglement!"
Its curving, coiling body sealed off Aomori's escape route. Hundreds of steel legs transformed into sharp blades, constantly rotating and creating the effect of hundreds of individuals attacking him simultaneously.
Drip!
Aomori's first drop of blood fell.