"Aah!" Psykos shrieked. "This can't be happening! I told no one about the raid until today. How?
First there's the intruder I tracked to Pureblood's room. They've already slaughtered hordes of low-ranked monsters. Then Fuhrer Ugly's kidnapping. From all the intel I've gathered on the Hero Association, there isn't a single notable hero who matches the abductor's description. Who is hiding under that costume?
Then C-City." Psykos steadied her breath. "Gouketsu and one other remain. A humanoid mosquito slaughtered the rest. My drone's last feed showed the Three Crows exploding from a single punch each. She's strong… but no match for Gouketsu. He will crush her. While the first goal — strike mass fear — failed. But the third remains: transform the strong into monsters once that insect gets swatted."
Psykos hunched forward, fingers raking through her turquoise locks, ignoring the heavy weight of her pendulous chest.
"This reeks of some unknown group. Their assembled forces don't add up… heroes and monsters cooperating? The Hero Association would never sanction it.
Yet how to explain King's presence aboveground? He surveyed my drone with an unreadable expression, then obliterated it an instant later. I still am uncertain how he accomplished the feat.
They must have a member capable of 'Clairvoyance.' No other explanation I can deduce accounts for their infallible timing and coordination."
A psychic signal pierced her thoughts. Her 'Spy Drone' in S-City had detected unnatural movements. Switching focus, her vision flooded with a live feed of the neighborhood below.
Why isn't Rhino Wrestler with Phoenix Man and Sludge Jellyfish?
She descended and honed in on the individuals Rhino Wrestler was fighting against.
Impossible! How can it be her?
Asudden, her drone shot backward, the cityscape below nothing more than a streaking blur of colors. Only after several seconds did it come to a stop before spinning to face…
"The toy of a cowardly Esper. Pathetic." Darkness enveloped the drone's vision.
"Bitch!" Psykos stomped her foot down as she shot up from her couch, seething. "No! If she's there, then S-City's g—"
Her voice died when shockwaves from some cataclysm above punched down, reaching her underground chamber situated fifteen hundred beneath the earth. The tremors multiplied — louder, nearer, more violent with each passing second.
¤ ¤ ¤
You seeing this Nyan?
"Sit."
Caspian's fist thumped against Overgrown Rover's skull with enough force to send the monstrous pup crashing through many subterranean floors. He leapt down after, landing beside the unconscious canine before running a hand over Rover's shaggy black fur. "You'll make a wonderful companion for Fubuki," he murmured before sprinting away.
As he did, his eyes slammed shut. The material world around him vanished, replaced by his 'Sense' ability's dark void — a darkness strewn with shimmering stars of varying brilliance. He came to a stop, looked down, and started driving his fists at the floor in rapid bursts, causing him to freefall. All he heard around him was howling wind and destruction as each descending level of the base disintegrated before he passed through.
While falling, he locked his gaze onto a particular star. Allowing him to catch a glimpse of a female figure darting around in frantic circles.
She's coping well.
Caspian hadn't planned to rush things, but on his fall back down after dispersing Fuhrer Ugly into Orbit, he spotted three new guests: King, Sweet Mask, and… Charanko.
Did this surprise him? Why should it? If they were to show up, it would have to be at the worst time possible. Considering his method of travel, the trio may end up heading underground. Well, King could protect them, but he told King he would protect him last time they talked…
Just a little longer, he thought as gravity dragged him netherward, and traveling won't be a hassle anymore.
¤ ¤ ¤
Suiryu lay on his hotel bed, hands placed behind his head. "I should've scheduled a date for tonight. Ha, I guess now's a good time to call her back."
He hopped up from the bed after grabbing his cellphone from the bedside table. Scrolling through his contact list, he tapped on 'Suiko' and pressed the green call icon before he parted the room's curtain, showcasing the sprawling city below.
"She didn't pick up?" Suiryu frowned. He may not have spoken to his sister in over a month, but she always answered his calls without fail.
Suiryu glanced upward when he noticed movement in his peripheral vision. "Monstrous crows, here, seriously? Useless heroes can't even do their jobs."
In the next moment, three loud booms exploded out above him, making him flinch. Giant feathers floated down past his window, obscuring him from seeing who was responsible.
"Huh? I'll take a step outside and look. I can kill some time, at the very least."
He walked through the room and pulled open the hotel room door.
Almost as if the individual had their ear pressed against their door waiting for him to leave his room, the door straight across the red-carpeted hallway from his opened.
A blushing, short young woman stood ahead of him, offering him a timid smile. Her glossy black hair looped into twin braids, fringes of hair brushing her forehead. A maroon qipao clung to her slender frame, accented by white arm warmers and a scarf. Unique were the silver bells attached to her hair, ears, and shoes.
I found my date.
"Y-You're Suiryu?"
His eyes hovered on her satisfactory bust for a blink before he gazed into her gray eyes and gave her a charming smile. "That's right. Hmm, I've seen you before. You're Lin Lin right?"
She nodded as she stared at the ground.
The shy types are always a good time.
He closed the door and motioned for her to follow him.
"Did you leave your room to investigate those three loud booms were?" Lin Lin asked, as she caught up to his side.
Suiryu wasn't able to reply before a warning message played through the hotel's intercoms.
"This is a Hero Association emergency evacuation alert!
Multiple monsters are rampaging outside of C-City's Homeric Hotel.
The Disaster Level is Demon!"