"What a terrifying punch," Garou said, breathing heavily. "Countless monsters have fallen to attacks like that. The old would've gone down instantly."
His left shoulder had visibly collapsed inward.
Even the black organic armor covering his body couldn't fully protect him. The shoulder blade beneath was shattered beyond recognition. Under normal circumstances, that kind of injury should've ended the fight completely.
Yet Garou still stood.
"That's exactly the problem," he continued, voice rough but unwavering. "Humanity lives under your protection without fear. Without monsters threatening them, discrimination spreads. Bullying spreads. Wars grow larger."
"Greed. Arrogance. Jealousy. Humanity's ugliest instincts flourish quietly beneath the surface... and from those, every other evil is born."
"Your Hero Association is no different. Once people begin living under the illusion of absolute safety, corruption becos inevitable."
"Only equal fear can unite humanity."
"Only when everyone faces the sa terror will people abandon those darker impulses and struggle together to survive."
"I fight for world peace."
"And I won't be crushed by justice!"
Garou's roar shook the underground city.
"I am the God-Level Monster... Garou!"
The black substance covering his body reacted violently to his emotions.
It expanded again.
His body grew larger and more refined at the sa ti. Muscles shifted. Bone structure optimized itself. His physical abilities skyrocketed geotrically.
Drex watched him for a mont.
"Suddenly I'm starting to feel like the villain here."
Then he shook his head slightly.
"No. It's actually pretty simple."
"As soon as you hurt innocent people, consequences beco unavoidable."
"When you decided to embrace this so-called evil and turn yourself into a monster, did you ever think about the civilians caught in the middle?"
"People trying to work normal jobs to support their families."
"Soone stepping outside to buy groceries."
"People who had nothing to do with your ideals."
Behind Drex, the injured superheroes listened silently.
Yes.
That was exactly why they fought.
Garou clenched his fists.
"That's why humanity needs equal suffering!" he shouted back. "People waste their lives on aningless distractions because they've forgotten survival itself!"
"Enough."
Drex moved.
He beca a storm tearing through the battlefield.
White shockwaves exploded outward everywhere he passed.
"I already read your attack pattern!" Garou roared. "God Slayer—!"
"And I already read the fact that you read my attack pattern."
The words echoed in Garou's ears.
Then his technique collapsed instantly.
A force like flowing water and violent hurricanes slamd into his body from every direction.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!
Garou's massive demonic fra was blasted through the air.
Deep fist imprints exploded across his body faster than the eye could track. Under that relentless barrage, he looked less like a fighter and more like a ragdoll being torn apart.
At the sa ti, warning lights began flashing across the Dark Knight armor.
Bright red.
Especially around the chest reactor.
One glance was enough for everyone to realize sothing was wrong.
BOOOOM!!!
"Th... this is Drex Valen's true strength...?"
The S-Class heroes could only stare blankly.
None of them could follow the battle anymore.
All they saw was Garou ricocheting across the battlefield like a broken missile before being smashed into the ground repeatedly.
The speed was beyond comprehension.
The power behind every strike was even worse.
And the realization terrified them.
If Garou wanted to kill the S-Class heroes, it would only take ti.
But Drex?
Drex could wipe them out in seconds.
"Cough... cough..."
Garou dragged himself back out of the crater.
Blood poured from his mouth.
"What I feared most... was this..."
"A power wielded in the na of justice... crushing everything different without hesitation."
Even with his monstrous body nearly destroyed, he still forced himself upright.
"So close..." Garou muttered.
His eyes locked onto the flashing red lights across Drex's armor.
That armor had to be near its limit too.
If he just held on a little longer...
If he got a little stronger...
A strange feeling spread through the battlefield.
Despair.
Like climbing to the edge of salvation only to watch the cliff crumble beneath your hands.
This was the first ti Garou had ever been completely overwheld.
No...
That wasn't true.
He'd experienced this once before.
And this felt terrifyingly similar.
Martial arts weren't inferior to technology.
Which ant the real gap...
Was simply between people.
Then suddenly—
The Dark Knight armor's energy lights went dark.
The entire battlefield froze.
The superheroes' hearts dropped instantly.
No.
No no no.
Please don't tell us the armor just ran out of power.
The fact it had lasted this long against that level of punishnt was already insane.
But couldn't it have waited until after Garou died first?!
Garou himself hesitated.
This felt suspicious.
What if Drex was baiting him?
The second he rushed in, he'd probably get instantly obliterated.
After a brief pause, Garou kicked a surviving Demon-level monster toward Drex instead.
Drex casually blew it apart with two punches.
"He's finished!"
The surviving Dragon-level monsters erupted with excitent.
Psykos imdiately sent more Demon-level monsters forward to test him.
This ti, the results were obvious.
The Dark Knight armor cracked apart under the attacks.
The nanotal stopped regenerating and began falling from his body in dead tallic fragnts.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Drex dropped to one knee.
The armor that had terrified the world...
Finally shattered.
"Hahahahaha! Drex, your precious armor's gone! Now you die!"
The Dragon-level monsters were ecstatic.
They were certain of victory now.
After all, Drex had always relied on his overwhelming armor technology.
Without it?
He was just a human.
The superheroes looked equally devastated.
But surrendering and waiting for death wasn't an option.
One after another, they forced themselves back to their feet.
If this was the end, then they'd fight to the last breath.
"Damn it..."
Drex slowly rose, his body trembling.
The monsters laughed even louder.
Then Drex looked up.
"My armor..."
He paused dramatically.
"The armor I used to seal my overwhelming power... was actually destroyed by all of you."
"What?!"
The laughter stopped instantly.
Golden light erupted from Drex's body.
The broken armor fragnts scattered away as he slowly floated upward into the air.
His cape billowed without wind.
Bathed in radiant golden light, Drex Valen hovered above the battlefield and looked down upon the monsters like a god descending from heaven itself.
An overwhelming pressure filled the underground world.
And for the first ti since this battle began...
The monsters felt fear.
User Comments
0 comments from readers