Hero Association Headquarters.
"Commander! We've received a distress signal from the student council president of Hoshinoumi Academy!"
"She's currently at Haneoka Girls' Academy!"
"Haneoka… isn't that where the Armored Gorilla appeared?"
"Yes, sir!"
Commander furrowed his brows.
If he remembered correctly, Tomori Nao had once again been caught up in a monster disaster.
This was already the second time in just a few days.
A sense of unease crept up in his heart.
"Let's hope it's just a coincidence…"
The Hero Association placed great importance on Hoshinoumi Academy.
There was even a growing trend of treating it as a base to cultivate future heroes.
While most teenagers would lose their special powers after puberty, a small number retained them for life.
And the Hero Association wanted to nurture that small group.
Admittedly, recruiting heroes from society was more efficient.
With enough money, even A-rank or S-rank powerhouses could be hired.
But professional heroes only had a working relationship with the Association.
And that relationship was driven by mutual benefit.
When interests aligned, they were reliable.
But if interests clashed, would those same heroes still obey orders?
That was a scenario the Association—and the capital interests behind it—wanted to avoid.
Professional heroes had little loyalty.
But if loyalty could be instilled through education, students raised from within institutions like Hoshinoumi Academy would have far greater allegiance to the Association.
Which was why the Hero Association paid close attention to everything related to Hoshinoumi Academy.
"Who's the nearest A-rank hero?"
Sekingar asked.
"Rank 4 A-Class—Bushidrill!"
"Disciple of the S-Class hero Atomic Samurai…"
"Also, the top B-Class hero Hell Fubuki and her group are nearby."
"That should be enough."
Sekingar finally relaxed a little.
Both Bushidrill and Hell Fubuki were top-tier among their ranks.
Against a Tiger-class monster, that should suffice.
Still, just to be safe, Sekingar instructed the liaison to notify any nearby S-Class heroes.
If one of them showed up, the matter would be completely under control.
...
Outside Haneoka Girls' Academy.
The already quiet street had become completely deserted after the alarm sounded.
Only the Fubuki Group remained—facing off against the Armored Gorilla.
But now, only two members were still standing: Fubuki and Lily.
The other four suited men were already sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
"So~ weak~"
The Armored Gorilla's mechanical voice sounded emotionless as it surveyed the remaining heroes.
"You annoying heroes… die!"
It charged forward, and with every step, the concrete underfoot cracked violently.
Huge craters were left in its wake.
"Lily, get back!"
"I... I don't have the strength anymore, Lady Fubuki..."
Fubuki grit her teeth, her black dress fluttering as psychic energy surged around her like waves.
She pushed Lily ten meters away with a burst of force and prepared her strongest attack.
"Hellstorm!"
A whirling cyclone formed from nothing, fueled by her psychic control, lifting broken concrete and asphalt and launching it at the monster.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
For a moment, the air was filled with the sound of debris crashing into metal like heavy rain.
"I might not match my sister yet... but I've gotten stronger!"
Veins bulge on her forehead as she pushed her powers to the limit.
Her battle against the Deep Sea King had greatly improved her control over psychokinesis.
"This time... it has to work!"
After several minutes of relentless assault, Fubuki descended slowly, panting hard.
But before she could catch her breath—
"I am the crowning creation of the House of Evolution!"
"Your attacks… do nothing to me!"
The Armored Gorilla brushed off the dust from its armor.
Its black steel plating hadn't even been scratched.
"Demon-level..."
To take a full-force Hellstorm and remain completely unscathed—it could only be a Demon-level threat.
After facing both the Deep Sea King and now the Armored Gorilla, Fubuki felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
...
Behind Haneoka Academy.
A mole the size of a grown man burrowed up from underground.
Looking at the watch-like device on its wrist, it studied a 3D map.
A red dot marked the target—stationary.
"They're close… should be in the shelter just ahead."
"Snatching a human like this is gonna be easy!"
It chuckled smugly.
Then looked in the direction of the Armored Gorilla.
It could clearly hear the chaos and tremors being caused there.
Their plan was simple: create a diversion with the Gorilla and slip in quietly to abduct the real target.
"That guy always makes such a mess."
The mole trembled as the vibrations reached it.
With a pop, it dug back underground, tunneling swiftly toward the shelter.
All it wanted was to finish the job and clock out early.
...
Haneoka Girls' Academy, underground shelter.
The confined, stifling space was wearing down the students' nerves. Some had already started crying.
By now, Ayumi had woken up from her nap in Kuzeha's arms.
Seeing him brought her great joy.
She didn't care where she was—as long as she was with her big brother, she felt completely safe.
Excitedly, she began telling Kuzeha about all the fun things at school.
Her bright mood was a stark contrast to the others.
Next to them, a girl named Takamatsu Akari hugged her knees.
"A big brother... must be nice to have one."
She glanced enviously at Ayumi, then lowered her head again.
The past few days had been terrible.
After finally forming a band and performing their first song, the feedback she got was just jokes like "the singer was trying too hard."
Shouko hadn't shown up for practice either—and now there was a monster attack.
Akari's thoughts turned morbid: if she died here, would anyone even care?
Staring blankly at the dark floor, she suddenly felt a tremor.
"An earthquake? But we're in the shelter…"
She stood up and instinctively took a step back—
Crack!
A mole-like monster burst through the floor, standing as tall as an adult.
"A... a monster...!"
Akari screamed.
As the band's vocalist, her voice cut through the noise with terrifying force.
In moments, half the shelter turned to look her way.
And when they saw the monster, screams erupted.
The mole's gaze locked onto Akari, and she backed away in panic.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
She waved frantically—until she bumped into a tall figure behind her.
Looking up, she saw the boy who had been chatting happily with his little sister.
Ayumi, clinging to his sleeve, stared curiously at the mole.
Before Akari could react, she was gently pulled behind the boy.
Then a silver-haired girl tugged her further aside.
"That's a monster, you—"
"Don't speak."
Tomori Nao's sharp voice cut her off.
Akari opened her mouth but obediently stayed silent.
Eyes fixed on the boy, her pupils widened as something dark materialized beside him.
From that pocket-sized shadow, Kuzeha slowly drew a gleaming sword.
He stared at the mole with icy focus.
"You're here for Ayumi, aren't you?"
The mole grinned, surprised.
"You figured it out—so what? You're just a human—"
Before it could finish, a terrifying pressure like a tsunami slammed down on it.
Its eyes rolled back—it nearly fainted.
Even so, it could barely stand, the world spinning around it.
To the mole, the boy before it now resembled one of the terrifying beetle mutants from the House of Evolution.
Its instincts screamed at it to run—but it couldn't move.
Kuzeha narrowed his eyes.
"You're the mole from the House of Evolution, aren't you?"
The mole froze in shock.
"Where's Dr. Genus now?"
It tried to put on a cruel face.
"Even if you kill me, I—"
Schlk!
Its neck suddenly felt cold.
The world spun.
Midair, the mole saw Kuzeha flick the blood off his blade.
"Then just die."
His calm, merciless voice reached the mole's ears.
It tried to speak—I was just pretending to be tough, you were supposed to interrogate me a bit...—but no words came.
Its consciousness faded.
The sudden, swift death left the entire shelter in stunned silence.
Dozens of girls stared at Kuzeha in shock.
He crouched, looked Ayumi in the eye, and gently patted her head.
"Big brother's going to beat up the bad guys trying to take you away, okay? Stay here with Nao-neechan."
Ayumi nodded seriously.
She gave his cheek a kiss.
"I've stamped big brother! Now you're the strongest!"
Seeing her adorable, earnest little face, Kuzeha smiled fondly.
Then a voice echoed in his mind that made him freeze.
[Divine Trait Activated!]
[Congratulations, host, you've obtained the red trait: Divine Essence of the God of War!]
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