anwhile, in a subspace attached to Earth's primary material plane yet existing independently.
This was the domain of 'God'.
Now, at the center of this dark space, surging malice condensed into a colossal, blurry face, filled with supre authority and infinite fury.
"Blast!"
God's roar shook the entire subspace.
"Earth now faces a true crisis of annihilation! That outsider is going to destroy everything! Will you continue to stay here and clash with ?"
Opposite God's enormous face, a human silhouette floated quietly in the darkness.
He was tall, wearing a black, futuristic combat suit, with goggles over his eyes.
A faint but exceptionally stable pale blue energy field surrounded him, firmly isolating the surrounding darkness and malice.
It was Blast, the S-Class Rank 1 Hero of the Hero Association, whose whereabouts were a mystery.
Facing God's roar, Blast's voice was calm, almost cold-blooded: "You've told similar lies more than once."
"If I leave now, I'll never get another chance to enter your core domain."
Blast's gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced through his goggles. "Without watching your back, you'll imdiately tear off all pretense, spread malice and despair across the Earth, turn more and more humans into monsters, and ultimately have monsters destroy humanity, won't you?"
God's face twisted further. "You humans are rely the bacteria parasitizing on my body! I gave you life! What's wrong with taking it all back now?"
"If you truly were 'Earth' itself, the will of this planet, you would certainly have the right to say that," Blast's tone did not waver. "But you are not."
"You are rely the lingering resentnt, fear, pain, and deepest malice from countless deaths over Earth's long history... a twisted aggregate of consciousness that erged by chance!"
"You have stolen Earth's na, disguised yourself as 'God', but in reality, you are the greatest 'parasite'!"
"You thrive by absorbing the negative emotions of life, and in turn, create disasters and despair to nourish yourself!"
"You are the greatest threat to Earth and all life!"
"..." Exposed for what he truly was, God fell into a brief, deathly silence.
Then, even more maddened fury erupted.
The dark space violently shook, countless agonized faces shrieking.
But the pale blue energy field around Blast remained as solid as a rock.
"...This ti, it's different." God's voice, eventually suppressing its rage, took on a tone of urgency and panic, even it hadn't noticed.
"That alien, and the one behind him... they will truly destroy everything! Even I cannot escape!"
"I'm not lying to you, Blast! Go! Humanity needs you! Needs you to confront them!"
Blast looked at God's face, which rarely showed such panic, and quickly weighed the situation.
'Its emotions this ti don't seem fake. Has a crisis truly arisen outside that even this monster fears?'
After a mont's contemplation, Blast slowly shook his head. "No. I still don't trust you."
"Aaaaargh!" God shrieked in rage, finally understanding the consequences of crying wolf.
"I'm really not lying to you!"
Blast's eyes were firm. "I trust Tatsumaki and the others more than you. I believe they will protect Earth."
...
A long line had ford outside the Hero Association's registration point. They were the B-Class and A-Class Heroes who had co voluntarily after seeing the internal recruitnt notice for the 'God's Inheritance'.
Although many Heroes thought it was a trap, even with the slimst hope, they wanted to give it their all.
However, when Genos arrived, he noticed.
The entrance to the hall leading to the registration point was firmly blocked by a figure: Sweet Mask, the A-Class Rank 1 Hero.
"Sweet Mask, what's the aning of this?" An A-Class Hero asked displeased.
Sweet Mask said coldly, "Only those who pass my test and are sufficiently strong can register. Otherwise, don't bother showing up and embarrassing yourselves."
A B-Class Hero protested, "What right do you have to stop us? You're only an A-Class Hero yourself."
Sweet Mask's voice was icy. "I'm doing this for your own good. In a place like the Monster Association's Headquarters, weaklings will die without even knowing how."
"Sweet Mask! Don't go too far!" Sneck, A-Class Rank 38, couldn't help but step forward from the line, his face angry.
"We are Heroes! We've long put life and death aside! With Earth facing annihilation, even if there's only a glimr of hope, we must try! What right do you have to decide for us?"
"Exactly!"
"Yes! Even if we die, so be it!"
"The Association didn't impose any strength restrictions! Why are you stopping us?"
The crowd grew incensed. Sweet Mask's brand of 'elitism' now seed particularly glaring and heartless.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded from the back of the crowd: "No one can stop a heart that aspires to be a Hero."
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, making way.
A figure walked forward leisurely. Though he exuded no presence, he naturally beca the center of attention.
Behind him followed a group of muscular n in tank tops… the Tank Topper Army.
Since their 'reformation', they seed to have beco Setsuna's most ardent followers.
Many even said that even Tanktop Master was willing to follow Hades.
Tanktop Vegetarian puffed out his chest, shouting at Sweet Mask blocking the way: "Move aside! Can't you see Hades-sama wants to register? Can you bear the responsibility if you delay Hades-sama's important business?"
Setsuna: "..."
He suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if witnessing a scene from a martial arts novel where the lackey causing trouble to the Protagonist.
He raised his hand slightly, signaling Tanktop Vegetarian to shut up.
"Regardless of who it is," Sweet Mask said coldly, his tone unwavering, "they must pass my test. This is for..."
"For their own good?" Setsuna shook his head slightly. "Sweet Mask, your intentions might be good."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Heroes around him, who had grown even more excited by his presence, as if they had found a leader:
"But you have no right to make that judgnt."
"Indeed, their strength is inferior to yours, but that makes their willingness to sacrifice all the more precious. Courage is the greatest hymn humanity has ever written!"
"Yet you, trying to stifle that courage under the guise of protection and testing, what kind of Hero does that make you?"
All the B-Class and A-Class Heroes in line stared blankly at Setsuna.
They felt their hearts struck hard, a hot surge rising from within, dispelling the fear and gloom of recent days.
"Well said!"
"Hades-sama, he understands us!"
"We're not going to die! We're going to fight! To strive for hope!"
The way they looked at Setsuna was filled with admiration and fervor.
User Comments
0 comments from readers