"Dark Mask?"
Sweet Mask looked at the man in front of him, his expression somewhat dazed.
"No!"
Bang!
A bone tail instantly sent Sweet Mask flying. King looked at everything with a smile.
"You bastard!!!"
Sweet Mask's eyes were filled with killing intent, but King turned and ran.
"I definitely won't let you escape this time!"
Swish!
Enraged, Sweet Mask chased after him without a second thought.
King said, "That's about enough. Let's do it here."
"A grave you've carefully chosen for yourself? It's a nice place indeed." Sweet Mask walked up to King, killing intent radiating from his hideous face.
"You're just a monster yourself. Why do you hate humans who have undergone Monsterization so much?" King's expression was calm.
As someone who possessed a Hero's Heart, Sweet Mask was definitely on humanity's side.
Sweet Mask was originally an ugly person. To compensate for his external flaws, he thought that at least his inner self should be beautiful and upright, performing good deeds. Because of this, he always demanded perfect actions from other heroes. That was why he consistently held the first rank of A-Class, to prevent unqualified heroes from advancing to S-Class.
"Don't compare me to you! You can't possibly understand what true strength is!"
Boom!
Sweet Mask threw a punch, but King easily caught it.
"Hmph, you have some skill!"
Bang... Bang...
Sweet Mask didn't let his guard down. He had witnessed Garou's strength in Z-City, and King, who had defeated Garou, was naturally quite powerful. However, he was still quite confident in his power after full liberation and didn't think King had any hope of victory.
'In terms of speed and power alone, he's already reached Dragon-level.' King nodded inwardly.
Sweet Mask's strength after complete monsterization was decent, but to think a monster actually possessed a Hero's Heart...
He recalled those A-Class heroes who climbed the ranks by any means necessary all day long.
"You bastard, are you looking down on me?"
Sweet Mask saw that King was only defending and not attacking, and appeared perfectly composed, which fueled his rage.
"No, I came here this time to invite you to join the Monster Association." King spoke with a sincere expression.
Sweet Mask couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha! You're not planning to rebuild the Monster Association, are you? There's no need to pick up something that has already been destroyed."
"It's because of this that you weaklings will never be able to defeat the Hero Association."
"No. Actually, as long as that man is there, wiping you out would only take an instant."
Sweet Mask temporarily stopped his attack and mocked King.
"This time, the Monster Association isn't being established to oppose humans or heroes." King said.
"Oh? Have you learned your lesson?" Sweet Mask asked.
"Since you attended the meeting, you should know what God signifies, right?" King asked.
"What did you say? How do you know that!"
Sweet Mask's pupils constricted.
Those meetings were strictly confidential. How could Dark Mask, a monster who had left the Hero Association, know?
"The reason I'm rebuilding the Monster Association is to gather strength in advance to fight God."
"You pride yourself on justice, but you've never seen true power. If God truly descends upon Earth, with your meager strength, you'll likely turn to dust in an instant."
King's expression was calm, but his words severely provoked Sweet Mask.
"What do you know? Do you even know what true strength is? You're just a renegade hero, what right do you have to lecture me!"
Bang!
Sweet Mask charged at King, but he suddenly found himself frozen in place, unable to move.
"Dammit, what is this power!"
While Sweet Mask was in a state of panic, King's attack arrived.
Hero's Heart, activate!
Rumble!
The attack carried an overwhelming momentum. Sweet Mask closed his eyes in despair.
After a long time, he didn't feel any pain and slowly opened his eyes.
Thump-thump!
A powerful sound echoed, and a familiar face appeared in his mind.
"King?!"
Sweet Mask's head buzzed as he turned his head with difficulty.
"This is...?"
He saw that the mountain behind him had been leveled by the previous attack, turned into a plain.
"Why would you..."
"I sought you out because, like me, you possess a hero's heart. It doesn't matter what kind of power you obtain, what matters is how you use it."
Hum!
An extremely vast power enveloped Sweet Mask's body, and his face was instantly restored.
"Is this... God's power?" A look of shock appeared in Sweet Mask's eyes. He saw many images within that power.
"This is the Divine Power I merged with. I've discarded the malice within it. If you'd like, call it Light Power." King smiled slightly.
His power was subtly influencing Sweet Mask.
"I understand, King. To fight God, you shouldn't have to carry so much alone. If possible, I am willing to become your strength to resist God's invasion." Sweet Mask's expression was exceptionally serious.
The barrier in his heart seemed to have been completely broken through at this moment.
Thump-thump!
Sweet Mask felt a surge of power constantly emerging from within his body, blending with the Light Power.
"This power is...?"
Crack!
The sound of bones grinding echoed. Sweet Mask underwent monsterization again, but this time his body expanded several times over, and a terrifying aura spread out.
'Second-stage Monsterization... truly gifted.'
King clicked his tongue, and then the two returned to the base.
—
"Isn't this person the mastermind behind the Monster Association?" Sweet Mask was very surprised to see Psykos.
The Hero Association's announcement stated that they were attacked by a powerful monster who rescued Psykos. This was also for the sake of the Hero Association's reputation. After all, Dark Mask was originally an officially registered hero and was very active. He was wanted by the Association after his Monsterization, and now he had appeared to rescue Psykos. It was hard not to link him to the Monster Association.
"A-Class Rank 1 hero, Sweet Mask? Have you also been granted Light Power?" The corners of Psykos's lips curled up slightly.
She wasn't surprised to see Sweet Mask. Based on the gathered data, she could guess his true identity. This was also why King brought him here.
"This is the base of the new Monster Association. Psykos and Dr. Genus are here to cultivate powerful monsters."
"If you're willing, stay here for a while. I think their cultivation methods might be useful for increasing your strength."
"You're free to leave if you want, but there are more and more God's agents now. Besides, the Hero Association likely knows you've become a monster, so it's no longer suitable for you to appear in human society."
There were many witnesses to Sweet Mask's Monsterization. The Hero Association must be in a state of chaos and would surely issue a wanted warrant.
"A new Hero Association has been established. They might capture you to increase their support among the general public."
"A new Hero Association?" Sweet Mask's pupils constricted.
He seemed to have heard this term somewhere.
"Yes, a newly formed Hero Association called Neo."