Chapter 24: This Rule-Based Power is Simply Unbeatable
"Creak!"
The door to the command center opened.
"Hey, Uncle Sitch, what's so urgent that you called me here? I was in cram school and had to lie about going to the bathroom to leave. My teacher is going to scold me again in the next class."
Child Emperor came complaining, a backpack on his shoulders and a lollipop in his mouth.
Child Emperor, S-Class Rank 5 hero. He is a 10-year-old boy and one of the brains of the Hero Association. He uses the high-tech weapons hidden in his backpack to attack enemies. Even without his weapons, he personally possesses the strength of an A-Class hero. He was a former assistant to Dr. Bofoi (Metal Knight).
"Child Emperor, you came at just the right time. Help us analyze this monster's weakness. This monster is extremely bizarre. So far, we haven't found an effective way to attack it."
When Sitch saw Child Emperor arrive, his face lit up with joy. He quickly invited him over to analyze the monster's information.
"Huh?"
Licking his lollipop, Child Emperor stared intently at the rapidly replaying footage on the computer screen. At the same time, he listened as Maria described the failures of Superalloy Darkshine and Metal Knight. The more he watched, the tighter his little eyebrows furrowed. Finally, his young face grew grave. "This is an almost unsolvable monster."
"What? How could there possibly be a setting as ridiculous as 'unsolvable' in this world?" (Saitama: You tell me. King: What do you think?)
Sitch's first reaction was that it was impossible. If it were true, wouldn't that mean humanity was doomed to extinction?
"From this footage, I speculate..." Child Emperor subconsciously licked his lollipop, his voice grave. "This monster's power originates from natural law, or rather, it *is* natural law."
"A law? What kind of power source is that?" Sitch was puzzled. He had heard of power sources like mechanical power, martial arts, psychic abilities, and physical conditioning, but never of a power based on a law.
"'Schopenhauer once said that all power in the world originates from natural law.'" Child Emperor explained and analyzed, "If I'm not mistaken, the monster should possess a rule-based power of 'desire judgment'. If you listen closely to what the monster has been muttering from the beginning—'appetite,' 'lust,' and 'killing intent'—you can infer that anyone possessing these three desires will be judged and lose consciousness the moment they enter the effective range of its power, no matter how strong they are."
"What? How is that possible?"
Sitch and the others stared in shock at Child Emperor, who was licking his lollipop. However, Superalloy Darkshine's defeat was perfect proof of Child Emperor's reasoning. No matter how strong you were, under the monster's halo of rules, there was absolutely no room to resist.
"What do you mean, how is that possible?"
Tatsumaki floated in from outside, yawning. "I finally managed to get a nap, and you guys woke me up again. Seriously, can't you all do anything without me? Hmph."
"Tatsumaki, you're finally awake." Sitch's eyes lit up with great joy. "We've encountered a monster we can't solve. It seems only you can eliminate it without getting hurt."
Tatsumaki crossed her arms arrogantly. "What are you talking about? Are there no other heroes in the Hero Association? Do you have to call me to solve this? Tch. The Hero Association might as well be called the Tatsumaki Association. What's the point of raising all these other heroes?"
"Heh... heheh..."
Sitch gave a dry laugh and didn't respond.
"Thud, thud!"
The command center door opened again. S-Class Rank 15 hero, Metal Bat, walked in, carrying his custom-made baseball bat on his shoulder. He had a pompadour hairstyle and was dressed in a black school uniform jacket, a long red turtleneck, and loose black track pants, his face full of ruffian energy. "Hey, Sitch, I'm warning you. I gave up watching my little sister's piano competition to rush over here. If you don't have anything important, hmph, watch out or I'll smash up the headquarters."
"Ha... haha..."
Sitch forced a laugh. What kind of S-Class heroes had he recruited? Each one was more bizarre than the last, or rather, they just had overly strong personalities.
"Hmph, quite a few people have arrived."
Tanktop Master walked in carrying two 500kg dumbbells.
"Stomp, stomp!"
Following him, the S-Class Rank 12 hero, Flashy Flash, also arrived. He had soft, waist-length golden hair adorned with several blue star-shaped clips. His face was handsome with blue eyes and sharp features, utterly flawless. He wore a white cape over a dark, armored bodysuit. After entering the command center, he swept his gaze over everyone, then leaned quietly against the wall, hugging his beloved sword, "Instant Kill," without offering any comment.
"Coulson, where are the other S-Class heroes?"
Sitch saw that an hour had passed. Why had only these few S-Class heroes shown up? Where was Atomic Samurai? Silverfang? Pig God? Puri-Puri Prisoner? Drive Knight? Zombieman? Watchdog Man? King... hmm, King was already on his way. Blast... ugh, forget it. That ancestor has never shown up.
Coulson reported with a grave expression: "Chief, Atomic Samurai hurt his hand peeling an apple yesterday and is currently recovering. Silverfang went out to buy groceries and can't be reached. Pig God reportedly ate too much, has indigestion, and went for a walk, so his whereabouts are unknown. Puri-Puri Prisoner saw a handsome man on the news, broke out of prison to pursue him, and there's been no word since. Drive Knight is replacing some important parts in his private areas and can't spare the time. Zombieman ran a red light and got into a horrible car accident; his body was flattened by a truck and he hasn't recovered yet. Watchdog Man says he only protects Q-City, and a backwater place like O-City isn't in his protection range. Um, King is already in a car and has just entered A-City, so he should be arriving soon. Also, Blast is still unreachable; we don't know if he's alive or dead."
"Hmph, I understand. Let's not worry about them for now." Sitch looked at the few S-Class heroes who had arrived, his expression grave. "Child Emperor, please explain the monster's peculiarities to Tatsumaki and the others."
Child Emperor licked his lollipop and began his explanation. "The Four-Faced Monster, or perhaps it's more appropriate to call it the 'Desire Arbiter.' Its power is extremely unique, belonging to a type of rule-based power that has never been seen before. Anyone who possesses 'appetite,' 'lust,' or 'killing intent'—no matter how strong they are—will be judged and lose consciousness upon entering the range of the monster's rule-based fluctuations. Appetite is fundamental to human survival, and lust is fundamental to human continuation. Every human possesses at least one of these two desires. Additionally, those with killing intent will also be judged. In other words, the moment we decide to eliminate the monster, we have already crossed the bottom line of its rule."
"Therefore, the monster's rule-based power is nearly unbeatable!"
Metal Bat was unfazed. "Tch, I don't care if it's a Demon-level or Dragon-level monster. I'll smash it to pieces either way."
Tanktop Master flexed his dumbbells. "Let my tank top teach it how to be a proper monster."
Tatsumaki crossed her arms and floated in mid-air, looking down condescendingly. "Hmph, there's no monster in this world that one meteor can't solve. If there is, then two."
Flashy Flash glanced coolly at Child Emperor and stroked his beloved sword, saying nothing.
"Ahem, perhaps none of you understand what Child Emperor meant," Sitch coughed dryly, his voice low. "Not long ago, Superalloy Darkshine was defeated. He lost consciousness before he even had a chance to get close to the monster."
"*Hiss*~"
Metal Bat and the others drew in a sharp breath. As fellow S-Class heroes, they were of course clear on Superalloy Darkshine's strength. His terrifying physical defense and immense power were unmatched within the Hero Association. If it came to a fight, none of them were confident they could beat Darkshine. And yet, a powerhouse that terrifying was... insta-killed by the monster?!
"Only robots can escape the power of that monster's rule." Child Emperor dropped another bombshell. "However, the dozen or so robots that Dr. Bofoi sent out—robots capable of eliminating Demon-level monsters—were also destroyed by the Desire Arbiter. In other words, two S-Class heroes have already been defeated. The monster's disaster level is likely... a special Dragon level!"
"..."
Tanktop Master and the others fell silent.
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
(end of chapter)