Chapter 99: Only This Way
Watching King's retreating figure, the A-Class and B-Class heroes looked at each other.
"As expected of Mr. King. Everything he says is so philosophical."
"We shouldn't fail his expectations. Let's hurry up with the search. There must be some surviving aliens hiding in the ship."
"Exactly. Mr. King earnestly educated us. If we start arguing pointlessly again like before, we'll just disappoint him!"
With a few words, the heroes remobilized, rushing into the spaceship to continue searching for surviving alien soldiers.
As for Sweet Mask, he stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning, his eyes vacant.
He stared blankly at King's receding back, that calm sentence echoing endlessly in his mind.
Am I really wrong...? Has the justice I pursue become twisted...?
Sweet Mask fell into self-doubt. He had always taken killing monsters as his duty, believing all monsters were evil and deserved to die.
But he had gradually forgotten that his true form was also a monster. This fact alone proved his previous viewpoint wrong.
Thinking of this, Sweet Mask suddenly felt nauseous. He thought of his monster body, then of the principles he had upheld for so many years.
Slowly, he raised his hand. His sharp hand-blade moved toward his own neck, his eyes filling with fanaticism.
If I want to prove my view is correct... then this is the only way...
Sweet Mask's breathing quickened. He began to gather strength in his hand-blade, pressing it closer to his neck until a trickle of blood seeped from his skin.
He was naturally a paranoid existence. Or rather, the monster group as a whole possessed a certain degree of paranoia and distortion.
The "justice" he had upheld for so many years was easily negated by the Strongest Man on Earth, with reasoning even he found irrefutable.
But Sweet Mask was unwilling to accept it.
He wanted to prove the justice he upheld was right. All monsters must be killed. All monsters were evil. All monsters deserved to die.
Since I am also a monster, then I should die too!
Just as Sweet Mask prepared to strike, an aged hand grabbed his arm. A helpless sigh reached his ears.
"Really now... young people these days are so impatient. Seeking life or death over such small matters. It's much better to be content and happy like this old man."
Stopped suddenly, Sweet Mask looked at the newcomer, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Silver Fang? What are you doing here?"
Bang looked at Sweet Mask, whose eyes still held traces of fanaticism, and frowned slightly.
This guy seems to have some inner demons.
Inner demons were simply hurdles in the heart one couldn't overcome.
Bang, resting nearby, had heard every word King said.
He understood that King's teachings had conflicted heavily with Sweet Mask's own philosophy, but Sweet Mask had been forced to admit King was right, causing a "code error" in his brain.
Just as Bang was about to speak, Saitama, who had been gazing at the sky nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and walked over.
Hearing footsteps, Sweet Mask turned his head confusedly. Seeing a shiny bald head gleaming in the sunlight, his confusion deepened.
"One Punch Man? When did you get here? What do you want?"
Saitama's mouth was stuffed with snacks provided by the Hero Association as consolation. He swallowed twice before speaking slowly:
"I saw you trying to kill yourself just now. Why? Don't you want to live anymore?"
The Bald Demon's simple question was the final blade that pierced Sweet Mask's heart.
His face suddenly twisted. He grabbed his own blue hair tightly, his eyes becoming bloodshot.
"What choice do I have?! I want to kill all monsters, but even King thinks my idea is wrong, and his reasons are undeniable!
"In that case, the value of my existence in this world is negated! Only by ending my own life can I prove I am right! I must uphold my own philosophy!"
Facing Sweet Mask's shout, Saitama just grabbed another handful of chips, chewed twice, and patted his shoulder. He spoke somewhat unclearly with his mouth full:
"If that's the case, why not just prove your own value? Prove that even without that so-called philosophy, your existence has value to this world. Why end your life to prove a point?"
This statement silenced Sweet Mask instantly. The words seemed stuck in his throat; he couldn't say a thing.
Saitama patted Sweet Mask's shoulder again—accidentally wiping some chip dust onto his clothes—and smiled as he turned to leave, leaving one sentence floating in the air:
"I'm not a psychiatrist. You have to figure these things out yourself. Bye."
Bang wanted to add something, but after thinking about it, Saitama had said enough. So he patted Sweet Mask's other shoulder (the one without chip dust) and turned to leave as well.
Sweet Mask stood frozen on the spot, his worldview seemingly impacted in a different way.
Prove my own value...? Even without blindly killing monsters... do I have value as a hero?
He stood there silently for a long time, speechless, but his inner world was churning like a stormy sea, thoughts tumbling over one another.
Ten minutes passed, and Sweet Mask remained AFK, the impact on his philosophy forcing him to rethink everything.
Seeing this, other heroes clicked their tongues in annoyance.
"Is this guy going to work or not?!"
"Yeah, acting like some great philosopher, cosplaying a silent statue here. Who does he think he is?"
"Forget it, let him be. If he gets angry and punches us, we can't beat him. He is the A-Class Rank 1, after all."
"Tch. Let him try hitting us while we're doing search operations! Unless he's a monster, he wouldn't be that undisciplined! A-Class Rank 1 or not!"
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