"Did I succeed?"
This full-power Incinerate was currently his strongest skill. Most monsters would die instantly upon contact, but the Deep Sea King was the most formidable entity he had ever encountered. Even Chairman Aomori might have to exert significant effort to deal with him. Consequently, Genos was filled with uncertainty.
Staring at the billowing thick smoke ahead, he found himself momentarily paralyzed between the choice to flee or to land a finishing blow.
Suddenly, the smoke churned violently. A stone whistled through the air, crossing the short distance in an instant and striking Genos's leg with a resounding crack.
Caught off guard, Genos's right leg shattered instantly. He lost his balance and toppled backward to the ground.
"Damn it, I was careless," he muttered in frustration. "I should have moved immediately, whether to escape or to follow up."
"My, my. You are the first to make me look this pathetic." The Deep Sea King strode out of the smoke. His entire body bore scorched marks; his left arm, in particular, had shriveled into a dry, spindly limb like a bamboo pole.
"Take that honor with you to hell!"
The Deep Sea King stomped on Genos's remaining thigh and raised his one healthy, muscular arm. With a terrifyingly dark expression, he swung a heavy punch toward the cyborg's face.
Watching the fist loom closer, Genos closed his eyes in regret. I'm sorry, Dr. Kuseno. I've wasted all your hard work. I'm sorry, Chairman Aomori. I've failed your expectations.
BOOM!
The ground shook as if from an earthquake. The ceiling, already ravaged by the previous explosion, finally gave way, crumbling into fragments that rained down.
"Huh?" The Deep Sea King lifted his arm. Beneath his foot lay Genos's severed leg, but the cyborg himself was gone. "Tch! Is he really that hard to kill? Why can't he just die quietly?"
He looked toward a gap that had suddenly appeared in the wall and strode out. As expected, he found Genos a short distance away, accompanied by a newly arrived armored figure.
"Another one? It doesn't matter how many show up," he sneered. "Weaklings like humans should simply accept their fate and become slaves to me, the Deep Sea King."
"Ironclad Warrior, run!" Genos cried out, his voice strained as he lay legless. "He's a terrifying monster! Even A-Class heroes are just playthings to him. Only Chairman Aomori or an S-Class hero has a chance!"
"Even if you say that, I wouldn't be able to escape even if I wanted to," Fubuki replied with a bitter smile, having just used her psychokinesis to pull Genos to safety.
She straightened up and extended both hands toward the Deep Sea King, her voice ringing with resolve. "Besides, if I were to run away now, Sensei would be disappointed in me!"
"Hell Storm!"
Pushing her esper powers to their absolute limit, Fubuki caused the architectural debris scattered on the ground to hover and dance in a violent cyclone, trapping the Deep Sea King within.
"You don't seriously think you can defeat me with these trinkets, do you?" The Deep Sea King laughed disdainfully. He punched the ground, and the resulting shockwave blew away every piece of debris Fubuki was struggling to control.
"How is that possible?!" Fubuki's face was pale with disbelief.
Seizing the opening, the Deep Sea King appeared behind her, his fist clenched tight.
"Look out!" Genos warned.
Fubuki's eyes widened, but it was too late to dodge.
The Deep Sea King grinned savagely and swung. The hardened armor covering Fubuki dented instantly under the force of the punch.
Bound within the heavy armor, Fubuki was sent tumbling away, skidding across the pavement until she finally slammed into a roadside railing.
Because the armor had absorbed most of the impact, Fubuki wasn't severely injured, but the violent rolling and jarring impact left her head spinning.
No, Fubuki. You can't fall this quickly. You still have to reach A-Class. You have to make your sister acknowledge you. You have to live up to Sensei's expectations!
Driven by these convictions, she finally regained her senses.
To defeat this terrifying enemy, I have only one move left. But he's too fast; I have to do this subtly. Sensei, please lend me your strength.
Fubuki stood up and slowly raised both hands, palms open toward the sky.
In the increasingly dark sky, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed, illuminating the towering figure of the Deep Sea King as he slowly approached her.
"What? Are you trying to surrender? Sorry, it's too late. I'm going to peel that armor off you piece by piece to see what hideous thing is hiding inside. Then I'll tear your legs off bit by bit so you can never run again."
"Don't even think about it!" Genos raised his arms, transforming them into twin machine guns and opening fire.
Bullets danced along the path of the Deep Sea King's advance. Without even turning his head, the King became a blur, dodging every projectile.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I'll come for you once I've finished her," the Deep Sea King laughed, walking unhurriedly toward Fubuki.
"Dammit! Even injured, his speed is still that high?" Genos was helpless, forced to watch as the Deep Sea King reached Fubuki.
THUD!
"Not enough. It's still not big enough." Fubuki was knocked back again, but she stubbornly kept her hands raised.
"Hey, what on earth are you doing?" The Deep Sea King grabbed Fubuki's head, grinding it into the dirt. When he grew bored, he stood up and stepped on her.
Fubuki remained silent, slowly raising her hands once more.
"Tch! Is there something up there?" The Deep Sea King looked up at the sky in confusion.
A light drizzle began to fall, hitting his face. He ignored it, but as he stared into the void above, he sensed something was wrong.
"What is that? A transparent sphere?"
"You noticed? Then die!" Fubuki gritted her teeth, guiding the massive, transparent sphere down from the sky. "Please, let this work! This is my final move."
"Forbidden Technique: Super Great Rasengan!"
The Deep Sea King's pupils contracted. In a heartbeat, the transparent sphere was upon him. It expanded rapidly, engulfing both the King and Fubuki beneath his feet.
Hundreds of whirlwinds, compressed to the extreme, tore through the area like wild horses, flying recklessly in every direction.
Even Genos in the distance was clipped by one of the gusts. His right arm was instantly severed and reduced to dust by the wind pressure, forcing him to flatten himself against the ground in terror.
The surrounding buildings suffered once more as long, narrow cracks splintered across their walls. The entire area had become a whirlwind purgatory.
The drizzle gradually intensified into a torrential downpour, washing the kicked-up dust back to the earth.
When the dust finally settled, the one-armed Genos pushed himself up and looked toward the center. His jaw dropped at the sight.
A massive crater had been cleared in the middle, with deep gouges crisscrossing the ground. Every direction looked as if it had been ravaged by a hurricane.
Ironclad Warrior did this? Incredible. Surely the Deep Sea King is dead. Genos's expression suddenly changed. Oh no, she was right there too. Could she have...
"Cough, cough, cough." Fubuki opened her eyes to find herself looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. The helmet she had been wearing was gone.
She sat up. Her armor was shattered, revealing large patches of pale skin. Her entire body ached, though she found no visible wounds.
"Sensei, thank you for protecting me," Fubuki whispered, touching the remnants of the armor with emotion.
Not knowing if the Deep Sea King had been defeated, Fubuki didn't linger. She quickly discarded the broken armor, found some clothes in the house, and changed.
Opening an umbrella, she jumped down from the hole in the wall. It was only the second floor; she landed steadily and ran toward the location she remembered, reaching Genos's side.
"Genos, are you okay? Actually, looking at you, that's a stupid question."
"Are you... Ironclad Warrior?" Genos hardly recognized her without the armor, but the voice matched. "Thank heaven you're safe."
"The armor protected me," Fubuki explained briefly before lifting Genos's broken body. "We've done all we can. Leave the rest to the other heroes."
She had overexerted her psychic powers; she couldn't squeeze out another drop of energy. Staying there would only make her a liability.
However, just as they were about to retreat, a shadow loomed over them.
"Sorry, I'm not out of the game yet. Let's start the second round."
"You've got to be kidding me," Fubuki whispered, turning slowly. She saw a Deep Sea King who was now even taller, his face transformed from a smooth, pale complexion into a savage, fish-like visage.
"You're... the Deep Sea King?" Genos asked in disbelief.
If it weren't for the same crown he wore, Fubuki and Genos might have mistaken him for a different monster entirely.
"Of course it's me." The Deep Sea King opened his maw and laughed happily. "For a moment there, I really thought I was going to die. But fate is on my side! Thanks to this rain, not only have I regained my true form on land, but my regenerative abilities have increased. I've come back from the brink."
"As a reward for earlier, I'll let you die quickly!" The Deep Sea King reached out with a claw larger than a human being.
"Danger!" Genos shoved Fubuki aside with all his strength, but he was caught in the King's grasp instead.
"Number one." The Deep Sea King crushed his claw without mercy. Genos's body was instantly pulverized, leaving only his head to roll helplessly onto the ground.
"Genos!" Fubuki screamed. But facing the overwhelming aura of the perfected Deep Sea King, she lost even the strength to move.
"Run... hurry and run..." Genos whispered.
"Still not dead like this? Then let me give you the final blow." The Deep Sea King slowly raised his massive foot.
Once that foot came down, even Dr. Kuseno wouldn't be able to save Genos.
Under Fubuki's terrified gaze, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky, slamming straight into the Deep Sea King.
"Pidgeot, thanks! Your aim was perfect. Justice Crash!"
The Deep Sea King stumbled back two steps from the impact.
After the collision, Mumen Rider rolled twice on the ground and immediately stood up. He picked up Genos's head and handed it to Fubuki.
"I think he can still be saved. Please, take him and get out of here quickly. I'll handle this thing."
"Oh... okay!" Fubuki agreed instantly. Following the protocols of the Hero Manual, she didn't waste time with words and turned to leave.
"Don't even think about escaping!" The Deep Sea King would not allow his prey to vanish.
"Justice Grab!" Mumen Rider lunged forward, his arms locked tight around the Deep Sea King's thick waist.
"What do you think you're doing?" Looking down at the insignificant ant, the Deep Sea King almost laughed. He raised a fist and hammered it into Mumen Rider's back.
"Gah!" Mumen Rider spat blood from the impact, but he didn't let go. Instead, he gripped even tighter.
"Hold on! Immovable Myoo!" He tensed his muscles, barely managing to execute a skill from the Hero Three Powers under the immense pressure.
"Annoying bug!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Hammer-like fists rained down. After an unknown number of blows, Mumen Rider's body finally gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Impressive. You stalled me for two minutes." The Deep Sea King grabbed him by the head and lifted him up, smiling. "Such a touching gesture. Trying to sacrifice yourself to save them? Hahahaha! I'm telling you, you won't save a single soul."
"Soon, I'll catch up to those two and crush them like ants. Then there are your three companions back at the beach—what did they call themselves? Heroes? Don't worry, I'll send them all to join you. Oh, right, and the people of this city are hiding, aren't they? I'll find them all and kill every last one. Hahahaha! You can't save anyone."
The Deep Sea King slammed Mumen Rider to the ground and turned to leave.
"Stand... still!" Mumen Rider slowly stood up once more, speaking to the King's back.
"Oh? You still have the strength to stand? What, do you still want to stop me? With such pathetic strength?" The Deep Sea King turned back to face him, mocking.
"I know... I'm weak. I can't beat you. I can't save everyone," Mumen Rider roared. "But a hero is someone who keeps moving forward even when they know it's impossible! Even if it's impossible, I'll stake my life on it. This is my Hero's Way!"
POW!
The Deep Sea King punched Mumen Rider into the ground. "Blah, blah, blah. You're giving me a headache. Who cares about any of that?"
It's over. This time, it's really over. Mumen Rider felt his consciousness begin to fade.
I worked hard. I really did. I hope I haven't brought shame to the name of 'hero.' But I'm so unwilling... I promised Glasses and Saitama that I would reach A-Class. I'm so unwilling!
Mumen Rider felt as though he were in the depths of the sea, sinking further into an endless darkness. As he struggled desperately to reach upward, a beam of warm red light appeared before him.
"This is..." A flash of realization crossed Mumen Rider's eyes as he reached out and grasped the light.
BOOM!
In an instant, his vision was filled with roaring flames. Looking down, he saw the red crystal Chairman Aomori had given him.
"Chairman Aomori, thank you."
Mumen Rider closed his eyes and pressed the red crystal into his chest. Simultaneously, the flames consumed him.
In the outside world, the Deep Sea King watched in astonishment as the bug he had broken was suddenly enveloped in a crimson light. Then, a strange warrior clad in red armor appeared before him.
Sensing a completely different aura, the Deep Sea King narrowed his eyes. "You... what on earth are you?"
"The reborn Mumen Rider has arrived!"
————
TN: If you want to know how he looked like after the transformation, just search Kamen Rider Kuuga.