Given to Fly

While unfortunate, it didn't surprise Bang that both Metal Knight and Genos' attacks failed to destroy the meteor.

It appeared today would mark the end.

Bang stood on the roof, hands clasped behind his back. In front of him, Genos had just collapsed onto his knees.

"Only nine seconds left. I gave it my best shot. Now the time has come."

Bang arrive beside Genos and said, "You did good. Indeed, our time has come."

Genos shook his head. "You are mistaken. Look." he pointed toward the sky.

Bang's eyes followed and widened. "What is that?!"

A small, scintillating object tore through the air on a direct collision course with the meteor.

"My master has arrived. Just as he foretold to me, he would become one—that was given to fly."

ROARRR!

A blinding blue light crowned Z-City as the meteor burst into innumerable fragments.

Bang raised his hand to shield his widened eyes. "He smashed right through it! I can't believe it! But now…"

The shattered fragments rained down upon the city, their sharp whistles cutting through the air before deafening explosions erupted from each point of impact.

"Don't move, Genos. Well, it's not like you're in a state to move around anyway. I'll keep you safe."

Bang used his 'Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist,' defending Genos and himself from several fragments.

"It's crashing down!"

Bang grabbed Genos and leapt off the roof. It's not only this building… The destruction is spreading throughout the whole city.

¤ ¤ ¤

Caspian had spent a great deal of time reflecting on his choice. Yet, the more he thought about it, the clearer it became that he had made the right decision.

He may have given her the thrill of going all out, but so what? She may have kissed him, but the moment faded, and her past hit her upside the head.

From the pain of being sold out by her parents, to the relentless experiments she suffered under the psychic research organization Tsukuyomi, and even the deeply ingrained beliefs she built around Blast's advice — how could two 'fights' and a bit of flirting ever hope to pierce through all that in such a short amount of time?

But how could he give up? The hope of a happy life had carried him through his past life, and it would do the same in this new, far greater one.

In the days following his confrontation with Tatsumaki, he wandered from place to place, defeating monsters wherever he went, though he never strayed far from Z-City for too long. As remaining in proximity made it easy to notice the glistening disaster hurtling from space. Enabling him to hurry back to Z-City and await its arrival.

After dealing with the meteor, he wasted no time fleeing the city. His Hero Rank didn't matter that much to him, and he had no interest in facing the inevitable accusations of the devastation that followed.

Subsequently, he returned home and now sat on his futon, a bag of Wavy Lays in hand.

Flipping through the channels, he found nothing but live coverage of Z-City's aftermath.

"What am I even supposed to be doing right now? I feel aimless... indifferent. Is this unparalleled strength already getting to me?" He took a deep breath. "No. I can't let my tendency to isolate myself win in this new life. The people I care about—and who care about me now, and those that will eventually care about me—can be the anchors that keep me from drifting into madness."

His thoughts twisted as he stared blankly at the TV screen, absently reaching into the bag of Wavy Lays until his fingers met only crumbs.

"This situation won't do. Wavygyaza might still be unreachable, but there are others I can seek out. But... who should I seek?"

Glancing out the window and noticing that dusk had already settled in, Caspian decided to leave in the morning instead.

Besides, he wanted to wait for Genos to return. With Bang watching over him, Caspian wasn't worried about Genos' safety, at least not in relation to this incident.

¤ ¤ ¤

A once quiet morning in Y-City had turned into a nightmare.

Countless people fled in all directions.

"Help!"

"Child Emperor come save us!"

A Mysterious Being lumbered through a wide intersection, smashing away all the vehicles that stood in its path.

-

Name: Faultless Marionette

Disaster Level: Mid Demon

-

"Flawed existences… I, Faultless Marionette, will fix you all." The being said, its voice a hollow, mechanical whisper.

Peeking around the corner of a nearby building was a young woman with a lean yet rounded figure, Suiko. Her blue eyes scanned the approaching monster with sharp focus.

I'll neutralize it in a single strike.

"Miss. I advise you to flee from the area at once."

Suiko swiveled toward the speaker. "You're… the A-Class Hero Great Philosopher."

The Great Philosopher walked past her in silence, stepping onto the street to block the monster's path.

With the monster having gotten so close, Suiko could take in its full appearance.

A towering, 4-meter-tall humanoid stood with a skeletal frame resembling a charred wooden puppet. Luminous yellow threads snaked through its jointed body. Above it, countless threads attached to its back stretched upward into the air, swaying as if manipulated by an unseen hand. At its chest, a dense core of the same yellow threads pulsated—a super-condensed mass shielded by tightly woven strands. Its cracked porcelain mask locked into a grotesque grin, with hollow violet eyes that locked onto Great Philosopher.

With every lurching step closer, the air shimmered with heat, the gray pavement cracking and blackening beneath its feet.

The Great Philosopher flipped through the pages of his large book. "Why must you do this? What are your intentions?"

Faultless Marionette came to a halt and peered downward. "Why? Do you know what it is like to lose everything? I was a puppeteer once... a creator of beauty, of life. My marionettes were perfect—flawless. But fire... fire took it all. The theater, my work, my purpose. Gone.

In the ashes, I found something... strange. Glowing threads, pulsing with a yellow light I had never seen. I thought it was a gift, a way to rebuild what was lost. So I took them... fused them with the charred remains of my marionettes, my art. And then... I made them a part of me.

The pain was excruciating, but it was worth it. Can't you see? The world is flawed, broken, ugly. I will fix it. I will remake it. Every being, every life... I will craft them into perfection. Even if I must tear them apart to do so."

"Your twisted philosophy… I cannot allow it to exist." Great Philosopher said as he closed his book.

"Death is a small price to pay. I will free you from your imperfections."

Faultless Marionette raised its arms, joints creaking. The glowing yellow threads tunneling through its limbs flashed violently. Simultaneously, the threads reaching skyward from its body pulled taut, as if yanked by an unseen puppeteer. The core in its chest flared, burning brighter, causing the threads in its right hand to extend from its fingers, twisting into the shape of a spear.

Suiko's heartbeat roared in her ears, each thud echoing like a war drum as adrenaline surged through her veins. Her gut told her that this was the strongest monster she had ever come across.

Even so, she still stepped out and made her way toward Great Philosopher.

Faultless Marionette's head snapped to a grotesque angle. "Another life… Perfection awaits you."

Great Philosopher glanced back toward her. "Miss. I—"

Suiko raised her hand, her expression resolute. "If I fled while innocent lives were at stake, I'd be disgracing my grandfather's good name."

"A heroic mindset indeed. Fine. Let us deal with this threat posthaste."

"Right."

Suiko dropped into a combat stance, her gaze snapping up to the hulking puppet monster looming over her. She wasn't a hero. But she didn't need to be. Letting innocents die? That was a line she never planned to cross.