Beneath the abandoned zone of Z-City, in the depths of the Monster Association's base
"Lord Gyoro Gyoro, you summoned ?" a monster asked as it stepped into the dimly lit chamber where [Gyoro Gyoro] was stationed.
"In thirty minutes, a teor will strike Z-City," ca Psykos's voice, transmitted through [Gyoro Gyoro]. "The Hero Association is severely undermanned and will likely deploy only a small number of heroes in a desperate attempt to stop it. This is a perfect chance to eliminate a large chunk of the human population there. We can't let such a golden opportunity go to waste."
Her command followed without pause. "Send word to [Elder Centipede] and have him prepare. He's the only one we need to dispatch. But make sure he understands, this is not a battle he needs to win. His only task is to delay any heroes who try to interfere with the teor."
"Yes!" the monster responded promptly and retreated at once to deliver the ssage.
...
With just 30 minutes left before the teor's predicted impact, a strange shimring dot had already appeared in the afternoon sky above Z-City.
"Mom, look! A star!" a little girl shouted, pointing excitedly toward the heavens.
Her mother glanced up, her brows furrowing. A star that large and bright, visible in broad daylight? That wasn't normal.
As ti passed, the glowing speck in the sky rapidly expanded, assuming the distinct shape of an enormous object burning through the atmosphere.
[Ergency evacuation alert! Disaster level: Dragon! A massive teor will strike in 21 minutes! Experts say that even in the most optimistic scenario, Z-City will be completely destroyed! Please evacuate imdiately!]
This ti, the broadcast didn't even bother recomnding Z-City's underground shelters. The impact would be so catastrophic that even those heavily reinforced bunkers would almost certainly be vaporized.
By now, people had already started to flee. The streets were overflowing with panicked crowds and vehicles jamd together in suffocating congestion. No one could move. It was complete gridlock.
Those trying to escape on foot weren't faring any better. Families clung to one another, dragging children or helping the elderly along, but there wasn't enough ti. The roads were too packed, and their options were vanishing.
Many had given up entirely. With no escape possible, they stopped running and simply gazed upward, staring helplessly at the descending fireball.
"We're dood... all of us..."
"Isn't anyone going to save us? Where the hell are the heroes?!"
"Forget it. They've probably already skipped town. No way they'd stick around to die with us..."
"..."
Z-City had co to a complete standstill. From above, leaping between rooftops, Genos took in the grim scene. He could see the fear and resignation on every face. These people had already surrendered to death.
Running calculations with cold precision, Genos identified the exact impact point of the teor.
"Never thought I'd have to test this prototype under conditions like these..." he muttered.
Landing on the rooftop of a building just a few blocks from ground zero, Genos set down a case he had been carrying.
With a sharp beep, the case marked [ARMS MODE] unlocked and burst open.
Two sleek chanical arms launched out from within. Without hesitation, Genos equipped them onto his own limbs. The reinforced attachnts clicked into place, extending up his arms and continuing along both sides of his face.
[Demon Cyborg] Genos had entered the battlefield once again.
"With this, I can fire my Incineration Cannon at full power. Still... I'm not sure it'll be enough..." Genos muttered, his gaze fixed on the blazing teor overhead.
Even though his teacher had said he had a way to stop it, Genos couldn't afford to rely on him completely. He had to act on his own. If anything went wrong on Shinji's end, the consequences would be catastrophic. He needed to do whatever he could to stop it himself.
"...!"
Just then, Genos's sensors detected sothing fast approaching from a distance. A large chanical unit soared into view, its silhouette distinct against the sky, with four cannons mounted on its back.
Genos imdiately repositioned, taking cover behind a nearby structure as the machine ca closer.
"You're... Bofoi, aren't you?"
Of course, Genos recognized him. The S-Class Rank 7 hero, known publicly as [tal Knight]. Genos hadn't expected him to actually respond to the teor crisis.
"You... must be the rookie S-Class hero, Genos. You're here to stop the teor too?" Bofoi asked, speaking through the machine's voice module.
"Yes," Genos replied with a nod. "Bofoi, let's work together to destroy it."
But Bofoi shot down the offer without hesitation. "I refuse."
"...Why?" Genos blinked, caught off guard.
"I'm here to test my weapons. The teor is an ideal target for data collection," Bofoi said calmly, his voice devoid of urgency or emotion.
"An experint? Are you serious? This isn't the ti for that! If we don't stop the teor, everyone dies, including you."
"I'll be fine," Bofoi responded without concern. "What you're speaking to now is a remotely piloted drone. I never gamble with my life. You should be more worried about your own."
Then he added coldly, "Also, when addressing a hero, use their official hero na. Call tal Knight, not Bofoi."
Without waiting for a response, he concluded, "Now, I'll begin my weapon test."
With that, Bofoi turned away and aid his machine's arsenal at the sky, ignoring Genos completely. But just as the experintal launch sequence began, the ground suddenly rumbled beneath them.
"?!"
The sudden tremor sent a shock through both Genos and Bofoi's unit.
A second later, the pavent split apart with a deafening roar as an enormous creature erupted from the earth. Dust and concrete shot into the air as the monster revealed itself.
It was a giant centipede, so colossal that its segnted body stretched across multiple city blocks even while coiled. Its head was covered in drooping, leathery folds of flesh that resembled an old man's wrinkled face. There was no mistaking it.
This was Elder Centipede, a Dragon-level threat and one of the most fearso monsters of his class.
"What's going on? A monster?!" Genos tensed, thrown into sudden alarm as Elder Centipede's massive form lood before them.
The teor disaster alone was already overwhelming, and now a creature of this magnitude had erged at the worst possible mont.
"Damn it. There goes my chance for clean testing..." Bofoi muttered, clicking his tongue as the enormous centipede barreled straight toward him.
"Well, can't you just test your weapons on that thing instead?" Genos suggested without taking his eyes off the threat.
"True enough..." Bofoi quickly recalibrated, redirecting the cannons mounted on his back toward the oncoming monster. A barrage of missiles erupted into the air, trailing smoke as they locked onto Elder Centipede.
While Bofoi focused on the monster, Genos turned his attention skyward again. The teor was still streaking closer by the second. He needed to fire his Incineration Cannon at full power to reduce the impact as much as possible.
There was still so ti, so he held off on ejecting his core for extra output. This was a chance to see whether his maximum energy in normal mode could affect sothing this massive.
But then the situation took another turn.
Elder Centipede barreled through the missile barrage without even flinching. It wasn't dodging. It wasn't blocking. It simply didn't need to. Its armor was so unbelievably durable that not a single missile managed to break through.
"What?!" Genos's eyes widened in shock.
The massive beast was already closing in fast. Genos had no choice but to shift his focus from the teor to the monster. This wasn't just a nuisance; it was a lethal threat that couldn't be ignored.
Master... I'll have to leave the teor to you!
Gritting his teeth, Genos reluctantly turned his Incineration Cannon toward Elder Centipede and opened fire.
Boom!
At that exact mont, Shinji and Bang arrived on the rooftop nearby. The sight that greeted them confird everything.
The instant Shinji laid eyes on Elder Centipede, he understood what this was. Psykos was behind it. The timing, the scale, it was too coordinated to be a coincidence.
"That thing's a real threat. I'll help them deal with it. Didn't you say you had a way to stop the teor? I'll leave that to you," Bang said evenly, his hands clasped behind his back, standing firm despite the chaos.
"Got it," Shinji replied.
With that, he activated Susanoo, releasing its power to the absolute limit.
In the blink of an eye, Susanoo's body swelled with energy, expanding rapidly. The rooftop crumbled under its sheer weight as the building collapsed beneath their feet.
Rumble!!
A massive blue figure erged from the thick cloud of dust and pulverized concrete. Towering over the city, the spectral titan sat cross-legged like a colossal Buddha, its enormous hands held in a sealing gesture.
Spiritual energy poured off its body in waves, radiating intense heat and blinding brilliance.
This was the incomplete final form of Susanoo.
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