Two heart-rending cries—filled with terror and despair—echoed simultaneously and perfectly in their respective minds. But neither party, whose gazes met, could discern the other's true thoughts.
Sweet Mask, who had been beaten black and blue, was first stunned upon hearing the all-too-familiar sound of the Emperor Engine. Then a highly complex expression flashed in his eyes.
—Damn it. My pathetic, ugly state… was actually seen by that man… But since he's here, I suppose… salvation.
He panted with difficulty, a mix of emotions swirling in his heart—shame at being seen, and a strange sense of relief.
The Ocean Garbage Monster was not newly born. It had been lurking in the waters near M City for some time, silently accumulating power and resentment. It had naturally heard of certain S-Class Heroes from the Hero Association, especially 'the strongest man on Earth' like King, who had resided there for years.
At this moment, feeling King's terrifying murderous intent—almost solid—and the Emperor Engine's sound, like a death knell from hell that seemed to tear souls apart, the Ocean Garbage Monster swallowed hard. Every cell in its body screamed and trembled in fear.
This man's aura… it's terrifyingly strong!
On the other side, King was not faring much better.
He had just finished a ten-kilometer beach run, dragging his leaden legs back, as tired as a dehydrated dead dog. Because he was too exhausted, he hadn't immediately noticed the disturbance nearby. Only when the piercing alarm and the loud sounds of battle reached him did he happen to witness Sweet Mask being pummeled into the ground by the Monster.
His heart instinctively pounded with tension.
And as a result—the Emperor Engine activated. Louder and more oppressive than ever before.
Now, being stared down by that ferocious Garbage Monster, King felt his legs go weak, his bladder tighten. Cold sweat instantly drenched his vest.
—This guy's aura… it's so terrifying! He shouldn't be just some ordinary Monster you randomly encounter on the street. This is… troublesome!
The little person inside King was already sweating profusely. But on the surface, he still maintained his strong, expressionless, cold-eyed demeanor. A testament to the importance of a poker face.
In despair, King's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Jack, surrounded by two bikini-clad beauties not far away. His gaze shifted slightly.
—Jack! How about… I save him?
When Sweet Mask chose to step forward, Jack had given up on intervening. After all, this A-Class Hero—though his personality was somewhat twisted—was indeed formidable. Dealing with a Demon-level Monster like Ocean Trash was basically a piece of cake for him.
Jack now had two major source point channels: the House of Evolution and the Monster Association. His interest in killing wild, small Monsters was no longer as ravenous as it once had been. He wouldn't do something as uncouth as stealing a kill right in front of someone.
However, the development of the battle exceeded his expectations. Sweet Mask was actually being rubbed into the ground by a seemingly unremarkable Demon-level Monster. Judging by his disheveled state, he had probably encountered an Ugly Monster-type—his natural counter.
Now, receiving King's emitted plea for help, Jack couldn't help but shrug helplessly.
"Oh dear. It seems I still have to personally step in at the crucial moment."
"Eh? Claude—where are you going?"
The two women were tightly holding Jack's arm, feeling the sense of security emanating from him. Hearing that he was leaving, they couldn't help but ask nervously.
Jack reassuringly patted the small hands of the two beach beauties beside him—still clinging to his arm—the touch of his strong, powerful fingers making their cheeks flush slightly. He stood up with a faint smile.
"Wait a moment. I'm going to clean up some trash. I'll be right back."
Before he finished speaking, Jack lightly tapped his foot. A faint cyan breeze swept by. His figure instantly vanished from the spot—so fast that the two beauties couldn't even see how he left.
"D-Damn it!! A-Class Hero Rank 1, plus the legendary strongest man on Earth… So, all of this was a trap targeting me?!"
The Monster's voice cracked with fury.
"CUNNING HUMANS!!"
Extreme fear often gives rise to extreme anger. On the battlefield, the despairing pressure brought by King's terrifying Emperor Engine became the final straw that broke the camel's back. It completely ignited the twisted madness within Ocean Trash.
Its hatred for humans—for beautiful things—for those who carelessly created trash and enjoyed themselves with a clear conscience—reached an unprecedented peak at this moment.
"You scumbags who live in comfort and happiness, enjoying yourselves while carelessly making trash—ALL OF YOU—DESERVE—TO—DIE—AHHHHHHH!!!"
Amidst the shrill roar, the ugly power within it—originating from extreme ugliness and vast resentment—surged wildly. The foul stench emanating from its body instantly intensified several times. Its already massive body expanded further. Rotten seaweed and trash twisted and writhed like living things. Its power surged like an out-of-control flood.
"Oh? What kind of protagonist template is this—breaking through on the spot?"
High above, Jack—who had been about to act directly—stopped instead, observing the Monster's transformation below with interest. He could feel that the "ugly" characteristic seemed capable of converting negative emotions into tangible power. He didn't mind waiting a little longer. If this Monster could use this opportunity to break through to Dragon-level, the Source Point income would be vastly different.
But the expected earth-shattering transformation did not occur.
Ocean Trash's aura, after soaring to the upper reaches of Demon-level, became like a duck with its neck squeezed—lacking sustained power, unable to advance further.
"Tsk. As expected—the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment."
Realizing that this guy's potential had hit its limit, Jack pouted, feeling slightly bored.
"Then it's better to finish early. Less chance for more places to get polluted."
As the thought settled, a cold glint flashed in Jack's eyes.
*SCREECH—!! *
Amidst the sharp screeching, large swathes of scorching white plasma lightning materialized out of thin air. Roaring cyan airflow. Scorching dark black flames. Three completely different yet perfectly integrated energies instantly condensed on his right arm, forming a particle-effect-filled Thunderflame Armguard.
"Hmm…?!"
Below, Ocean Trash's freshly accumulated tyrannical aura suddenly stalled. It instinctively looked up in terror—
Only to see a colossal fist-shadow—covered in a thunderflame storm—tearing through the sky like a meteor of judgment, smashing down toward it.
The light in that instant even overshadowed the scorching sun above, blinding all who watched.
"Damn it!! What is this—UGH, AHHHHHH—!!"