Riding Into the Fray

That ninja stalker fled without a word.

A silence hung in the air.

But it didn't last long as the moment the torrential rainfall began, Deep Sea King's body grew to a tremendous size.

"The air of the surface shriveled me up a bit, but thanks to this rain, I feel like myself again." Deep Sea King reeled forward. "Your attacks cannot hurt me… even a little!"

Genos kept calm and lowered himself into a sprinter's pose, the vigorous energy in his prototype arms set ablaze. "We'll see." He blitzed forward, driving his fist straight into Deep Sea King's face.

FWASH!

The boosters on his shoulders activated and spun rapidly, supercharging his strike.

"Ah—"

An enormous blazing beam of energy instantly silenced Deep Sea King's shout.

The force of the blast hurled him through multiple buildings, each one left with a massive hole carved clean through.

Genos braced himself, scanning for an incoming attack. "Did you feel that?"

A blur of motion closed in at his side.

Anticipating this, Genos activated the cannons in his hands, propelling himself to the side just in time to avoid a devastating punch.

Deep Sea King stood on the scorched street, arms at his sides, eyes glowing a menacing yellow. "Now I'm angry." he stood straight. "I'm gonna tear you to shreds."

Genos surged forward once more.

Deep Sea King's damaged face regenerated in an instant, and his mouth snapped open as a moray eel-type creature shot out toward Genos.

Genos pivoted to the side, dodging the attack and closing the gap between them. He then propelled himself upward, delivering a devastating uppercut that not only sent Deep Sea King's massive body hurtling into the sky but also severed the moray cleanly. In that moment, Genos activated his incineration cannon, unleashing a searing jetstream of heat that engulfed the airborne Deep Sea King.

Not willing to lose his momentum, Genos rocketed himself even higher, positioning himself above his foe.

Deep Sea King flexed, dispersing the lingering jetstream of heat with a powerful burst. Twisting midair, his furious, glowing eyes locked onto Genos.

"'Lightning Eye!'"

A blinding flash of light erupted, engulfing the entire area.

"I can't see!"

Genos brought his leg crashing down, driving his heel into the top of Deep Sea King's head with unrelenting force.

Deep Sea King plummeted feet first into the concrete below.

Genos raced after him, a trail of flaming energy shooting out from behind him.

The moment he arrived, before he could follow up with his 'Machine Gun Blows,' a change occurred.

"You do like combo attacks, don't you? Try this!"

Ptooey

A ball of acidic spit rocketed from Deep Sea King's mouth.

Still in midair, Genos twisted his hand to the side and fired his incineration cannon, pushing his body away to avoid the worst of it. However, he didn't have enough time to evade it entirely.

Coming to a sliding stop on the soaked pavement, Genos glanced over, his eyes narrowing as he saw his entire right arm had melted away.

Master warned me about his acidic spit, and yet…

Before he could react, Deep Sea King lunged forward, his massive fist following in a deadly arc.

Genos held up his remaining arm, halting the strike. The ground beneath him cracked and cratered from the force. His knees shook under the pressure as Deep Sea King let out a mocking laugh.

Was he toying with me this entire time? I never learn…

Deep Sea King pulled back his free arm, preparing to deliver a devastating blow. "If you hadn't been so focused on finishing your combo, you could've easily dodged my little ball of a—"

"'Hail of Carnage!'"

¤ ¤ ¤

"'Stand-up Peddling Mode!'" Mumen Rider shouted, pushing forward with all his might. "Roar, 'Justice Roar!' Ride like the wind!"

He had to reach the Evacuation Shelter before it was too late. A monster had appeared there, claiming to be the new 'Sea King.' Mumen Rider didn't care what the monster called itself. All he knew was that if he didn't get there, innocent lives would be lost.

The heavy rain made it difficult to see anything clearly, but he knew the silhouette of the Evacuation Shelter well.

With all his strength, he pedaled at his fastest, closing the distance to the Shelter.

BANG!

A hole exploded in the shelter's wall ahead, followed by a thick cloud of smoke.

Mumen Rider skidded to a halt as a body crashed to the ground beside him.

"The A-Class Hero Sneck!"

He ducked down to check Sneck's pulse, confirming he was still alive. Without hesitation, Mumen Rider hopped back on his bike and sped toward the newly formed entrance of the Evacuation Shelter.

Panicked cries for help rang out from inside.

"So many humans left for I, Lord Great White. The current 'King' of the Seafolk is indeed unworthy if he lets such a place go unattended. I claim here and now that I am the new Sea King! I will enslave you all!"

Around Lord Great White were multiple defeated heroes. Slowly, he approached the frightened crowd.

"'Justice Crash!'" His bike crashed against Lord Great White's back. "The righteous cyclist, Mumen Rider, is here!"

Standing in the Shelter's newly formed opening, Mumen Rider stood with his fists raised.

"It's Mumen Rider!"

"Mumen Rider came for us."

"But he…"

The spectating crowd understood the limits of the C-Class Rank 1 Hero.

Lord Great White turned to face him. "You dare?! I, Lord Great White, declare that you're not even worth enslaving. So just die!"

His fist crashed directly into Mumen Rider, sending him flying outside, skipping across the pavement.

Lord Great White strode outside and arrived beside Sneck. "My, you still breath. I shall end that right now!"

"'Justice Tackle!'" Mumen Rider wrapped his arms around Lord Great White, attempting to throw him down. "Nobody expects much…"

Wham

Mumen Rider's body went flying when Lord Great White swatted him away. "…from me." He struggled to get back on his feet. "They think a C-Class Hero won't be much help." Slamming back down as blood trailed down his face. "I know that better than anyone! I'm not good enough for B-Class." He rose back to his feet. "I'm weak. I know that much. No one has to tell me I don't stand a chance against you. I already know that!"

Lord Great White stepped forward. "I, Lord Great White, will not stand for your jabbering. Your life wouldn't be spared, even if you begged."

The rain fell even harder.

"And yet, I have to try. It's not about winning or losing!" Mumen Rider raised his fists. "It's about me taking you on right here, right now!"

"Time to end your worthless life."

"Mumen Rider, you can do it!"

A child's voice echoed from the crowd.

"You're the cyclist of justice! Beat that weird monster! Beat him up! You can do it!"

The child's desperate plea reached the hearts of the surrounding people.

"Yeah, get him!"

"Beat him up!"

"We're counting on you, Mumen Rider!"

"We believe in you!"

"Beat him!"

"You can do it!"

Mumen Rider's blood boiled. He couldn't afford to fall here! "Wooaahh!" He charged forward, ready to land a single, powerful punch in order to take down the monster.a

Thud

"Why the hell did you decide to crawl out of your lake now?"

Lord Great White's punch landed cleanly—not on Mumen Rider, but on the back of a bald head that had appeared out of thin air.

"You think I'll allow you to lay another hand on my man Mumen?"