"Let's have a warm round of applause to congratulate Pig God for receiving unanimous praise from the judges and securing the title of Tolerance!"
The Hero's Starting Ground was a cacophony of voices.
The prolonged absence of Aomori and Tatsumaki had not hindered the progress of the title matches; by now, five titles had already found their owners.
"Pig God is really something," said Glasses, sitting in the contestants' gallery. "If it were me, my mind would have crumbled facing the interference of dozens of kids, yet he managed to build that sandcastle so calmly."
"True. I can't handle bratty kids either," Saitama chimed in from the seat next to him.
"Next up is Courage, right? That's Fubuki's group."
"Yeah."
"What, still feeling bitter?" Noticing the gloom in Saitama's tone, Glasses laughed and patted his shoulder. "Who told you to eat something that upset your stomach? Besides, I'm here embarrassing myself right along with you, so what are you afraid of?"
In the previous title matches, both Saitama and Glasses had suffered consecutive defeats, failing to claim a title.
"Sigh, my 500,000 Yen... I clearly had a chance." If the gap in ability had been huge, Saitama wouldn't be this heartbroken.
"Stop thinking about it. It's in the past. If it's gone, it's gone. Might as well look to the future," Glasses said. "For instance, let's cheer hard for Fubuki and Mumen Rider. When they win, won't they have the money to treat us to hotpot?"
"Treat us to hotpot?" Saitama's eyes lit up. He suddenly stood up and bellowed, "Fubuki, do your best! I'm counting on that victory feast!"
He decided right then—he was going to eat back everything he had lost because of his stomach.
Saitama's cheering was swallowed by the surging waves of the crowd, failing to make even a ripple.
Fubuki, having just stepped onto the field, didn't notice either. She glanced at the center of the VIP stands, at the seat that remained stubbornly empty, and sighed with disappointment.
"Alright, the contestants are in position! Let us see what kind of challenge they will face for the title of Courage!"
Oomoto held a sealed envelope. Under the gaze of all the spectators, he carefully tore it open, withdrew the card inside, and read the text aloud: "This challenge requires every contestant to stand before the Mirror of Fear and endure for 5 minutes. The judges will score them based on their performance. The one with the highest score will claim the title of Courage."
"The Mirror of Fear? What is that?" The question popped into everyone's mind simultaneously.
Oomoto immediately explained: "The Mirror of Fear is a mystical item collected by Chairman Aomori. It can manifest the thing the person standing before it fears most in their heart. However, to protect the privacy of the contestants, the images shown on the Mirror of Fear will only be visible to the contestant themselves."
"I see. So it's about forcing them to face their greatest fears?" Glasses rubbed his chin. "Only those who can look their fear in the eye are worthy of the name Courage."
"I don't feel like I have anything I'm afraid of." Saitama slapped his thigh and said, "What a blunder. I should have picked this one."
"No, if it were you, Saitama, you'd probably just see your cash growing wings and flying away," Glasses teased.
"I would not!"
Many spectators found it novel and interesting, but quite a few raised objections: "If we can't see it, how do we know if the mirror is real or fake? What if they're just acting?"
Oomoto was well-prepared for this: "Before the official competition, we will select a few lucky audience members to experience the Mirror of Fear firsthand. After the experience, they will also receive a wonderful gift."
He reached into a lottery box, randomly pulled out a small ball, cracked it open, glanced at the slip of paper, and spoke into the microphone: "Row 6, Seat 74! Congratulations to our lucky spectator!"
"That's me! That's me!" A burly man leaped from his seat, waving his ticket and laughing. "I won! I won!"
Staff members invited him onto the field, where a reporter interviewed him: "Congratulations on winning this rare experience. Are you feeling excited right now?"
"Yeah, a bit. Mostly because I was picked out of thousands; I feel like my luck is great today. After this event, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket!"
"Haha, then allow me to congratulate you on your winnings in advance." The reporter asked further, "Can you tell us what you're afraid of?"
"Nothing! I've been brave since I was a kid. There's nothing that can make me feel afraid. If I were a hero, I'd definitely take that Courage title!" The burly man gave a grand wave, pointing at the heroes on the field. "When it comes to guts, they've got nothing on me."
"What a warrior! Just by publicly provoking so many heroes, I can already sense his bravery. I believe he will give an excellent performance. Everyone, let's send him off with a round of applause!"
To the sound of enthusiastic applause, the man held his head high and marched with a heroic stride toward the Mirror of Fear.
While they were interviewing, the staff had already moved the Mirror of Fear to the center of the field.
The mirror wasn't very large, resembling a standard vanity mirror used by women. It was fixed to a table and surrounded by wooden boards on three sides, leaving only one side open, which was currently covered by a black cloth.
The staff adjusted the table, rotating it a few times before securing it and removing the black cloth.
The burly man was led before the mirror. The challenge was about to begin.
"The lucky spectator's challenge has started! Does everyone think he can last 5 minutes?"
"It'll be a breeze." The man stared intently at his reflection in the mirror without a hint of dread. He sneered, "Let's see what kind of tricks you have to scare me."
As soon as he spoke, the reflection in the mirror blurred, turning into a mass of black shadow. The shadow was like a living monster, through which two red glows, resembling eyeballs, shone.
"That's it?" the man said disdainfully. "Horror movies are scarier than you."
"Oh! One minute has passed, and the challenger's expression is as cocky as ever. Could he really succeed?" the live commentator said in surprise.
Hearing the growing exclamations from the crowd, the man smiled triumphantly, his heart growing even more steady.
However, in the next second, the originally deafening noise fell into a complete silence. The man turned his head in confusion, only to find the spectators rising one by one and walking out of the venue.
"Hey! What's wrong with you guys? I'm still in the middle of a challenge! Why are you leaving? Aren't you going to watch the rest of the matches?" A strange panic welled up in his heart. His feet felt glued to the floor, unable to move. He could only scream desperately, "No! Don't go! Don't leave me here alone!"
No matter how much he yelled, everyone ignored him. Soon, the vast venue was empty, leaving him entirely alone.
"Why? I'm still here! Why did everyone leave? Will someone please just look at me?!" The man crouched down, clutching his head, his face a mask of pure terror.
Above him, the floating Darkrai whispered softly, "So, you seek the limelight so desperately because you fear being alone?"
It waved a hand, ending his nightmare.
The host spoke in surprise: "An unbelievable reversal! The challenger suddenly broke down in tears at the two-minute mark. What on earth did he see?!"
As the man stumbled off the field in a daze, the waiting reporter approached, thrusting a microphone toward his face. "Sir, can we ask what you saw in the Mirror of Fear just now?"
"..." The man didn't answer. He simply shook his head blankly, his eyes hollow.
Failing to get a response, the reporter said helplessly, "It seems our challenger needs some time to recover. We'll send over a gift first and hope he can cheer up soon."
Goldie-sensei felt a bit uneasy: "The Mirror of Fear certainly lives up to its name. This challenge carries significant psychological risk. I advise the spectators to know their limits."
"Goldie-sensei is right," the host agreed with a deep nod.
Without needing a reminder, many spectators who witnessed this scene abandoned any thought of trying it. A few stubborn ones tried, but without exception, they all collapsed within two minutes.
With that segment over, it was finally time for the ten heroes to face the challenge.
Since Fubuki ranked first in the preliminaries, she was set to go last.
After a while, the first eight heroes had completed their challenges, but the results weren't great. The one who lasted the longest had only just hit the 3-minute mark.
"The Mirror of Fear is simply too terrifying. I believe this is the most difficult challenge yet. Compared to this, the previous ones are not even worth mentioning."
"Next to challenge is the A-Class Hero, Zombieman. Rumor has it he possesses an undying body. For a man who isn't even afraid of death, one wonders what he could possibly fear. I look forward to seeing him make a breakthrough."
'If we're talking about things I fear, of course I have them,' Zombieman thought silently as he stood before the Mirror of Fear. 'I fear losing my sanity and becoming a monster; I fear Dr. Genus won't stay in his place and will cause another catastrophe; I fear being isolated because I'm an experimental subject...'
'There are too many things to fear. However, I will not back down. Even the Grim Reaper has to step aside for me, so how can I run from these things? I will face every one of you, and I'll put my life on the line to resolve them!'
Zombieman, who danced on the edge of death every single day, had long ago forged a will of iron. For him, nothing could make him retreat.
"Is that really so?" Darkrai, hidden in the shadows, began to weave its spell.
Zombieman immediately saw ripples appear on the surface of the Mirror of Fear. A claw with sharp nails reached out, followed by a demonic head, until finally, the entire body emerged from the mirror and landed before him.
'This is...?' Zombieman's pupils contracted as he recognized the monster: 'The Demon-level monster, Shadow Cat Demon. The monster it took me 214 lives to defeat two years ago. As expected, the Mirror of Fear recreates one's fear by putting them into an illusion.'
Having witnessed several others' challenges, he had already speculated this, and now he had confirmed the mirror's method.
'However, you've miscalculated this time. Although that battle was grueling, I was never afraid of it.' Zombieman simply ignored the Shadow Cat Demon's presence.
Seeing itself ignored, the Shadow Cat Demon's crimson eyes bulged. On its charred face, a bloody maw snapped open, exhaling a gust of hot air. It crouched low, pounced like a black phantom, and lunged at Zombieman.
'It's fake, it's fake,' Zombieman chanted in his mind. He worried that if he resisted, he would move in the real world, which would undoubtedly be a point deduction. So, he stood perfectly still, even closing his eyes.
The Shadow Cat Demon blurred past him and landed behind him. When it hit the ground, it was already clamping a severed arm in its mouth.
Drip...
An incredible surge of pain hit him. Accustomed to such things, Zombieman shook his head indifferently. "It's useless. An injury of this degree, I'll soon be able to—"
Speaking, Zombieman's face suddenly changed drastically, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"No way... is this actually happening?" He looked down at the wound. Blood was flowing incessantly, with not a single sign of regeneration.
"My undying body is gone... I see. So this is what I fear most? Even though I long to be a normal human, I simultaneously fear losing my immortality." Zombieman gave a bitter smile. "Am I essentially a walking contradiction just like any other human?"
'This is trouble.' A sensation he had never experienced surged through his heart. Looking at the eager Shadow Cat Demon, Zombieman felt the fear of death for the very first time.
"Illusion... it's all an illusion. I am the immortal Zombieman. I am immortal!" Amidst his mutterings, the Shadow Cat Demon let out a roar and lunged at him again.
…
"How regrettable! The fearless Zombieman finally fell at 4 minutes and 37 seconds. Is there really no one who can pass this challenge?"
With the host's announcement, Zombieman's challenge ended.
The moment he returned to reality, he grabbed his hatchet and gave himself a quick chop. Confirming his undying body was still intact, Zombieman let out a massive sigh of relief.
"Dying completely is a terrifying thing. I think I'll stick to dying and coming back to life."
He stood up and left the field with the help of the staff.
"Next, only the final challenger remains! Please welcome the B-Class Hero, Fubuki! It's worth mentioning that she is the younger sister of the S-Class Hero, Tatsumaki. I'm sure she will bring us a surprise."
"You didn't really need to say that last part," Fubuki whispered. She took a deep breath and, amidst the passionate cheers of the audience, walked slowly toward the Mirror of Fear.
She glanced at the VIP stands once more. Still seeing no sign of Aomori or Tatsumaki, she turned back with disappointment.
Suddenly, a wave of screams, louder than any before, erupted from the audience. Sensing something, Fubuki snapped her head up and saw a familiar figure descending from the sky, landing right in front of her.
"Chairman, you're back?!" Fubuki was overjoyed. "Is the matter resolved? I was worried about you."
"Yeah, it's been taken care of," Aomori nodded.
"Where is my sister?" Fubuki also wanted to prove herself in front of Tatsumaki.
"Her?" Aomori's expression remained unchanged as he said, "We went through an intense battle. Afterward, she felt a bit tired, so she went home."
"I see." The observant Fubuki noticed that Aomori had changed into a different set of clothes, making her realize it must have indeed been a terrifying battle.
"Good luck, Fubuki. Don't let your supporters down."
"Yes! I will do my absolute best!" Fubuki clenched her fists, her voice firm with determination.