chapter 127: Mizuki
"Then let's go move around a bit. Where to?" Tatsumaki said casually.
"Also, where are my clothes?"
She was currently only wearing one of Aokiji's shirts. The completely ill-fitting size draped over Tatsumaki, making her look like a little girl who had secretly put on adult clothes.
The hem of the shirt nearly reached her knees, and the overly large neckline crookedly exposed her youthful neck and shoulders.
Scattered marks added a few shades of seductive crimson to her innocent, almost childlike appearance.
"They were soaked in sweat, so I took them to wash. They should be dry now." Aokiji led the naked Tatsumaki to change clothes.
"We'll go to M City later."
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The clothing coverage on Superalloy Darkshine's body finally exceeded 5%.
In other words, he finally put on normal clothes.
He was no longer wearing only a pair of bodybuilding shorts made of scant fabric all day long.
He was currently at M City's largest Dome-shaped Sports Center.
He was in the commentary booth above the stands as a special guest, watching the opening ceremony of the games alongside a professional commentator.
—The Solid Muscle National Games!
It is worth mentioning that Superalloy Darkshine still holds the record for a significant portion of the events in these National Games.
"...The opening ceremony is about to conclude. We also thank Mr. Darkshine for sharing interesting anecdotes from his hero activities. It truly is a completely different work environment."
The commentator skillfully controlled the atmosphere.
Darkshine was no longer as confidently flamboyant as before; his smile now held a measure of composure.
"Actually, I haven't done nearly well enough during my time as a hero. Most of the time, I only went to provide support when other heroes couldn't handle the Monster, so I don't have much to share, and my Hero Rank is also very low."
"Furthermore, among the heroes, there are a few individuals I greatly admire, and I still have much to learn."
"Mr. Darkshine is too modest," the commentator chimed in to support him.
"The news released by the Hero Association yesterday caused quite a stir."
"Far surpassing the norm—S-Class Hero!"
"Your strength is beyond doubt, being one of the initial eight S-Class members in the new Rank specially established by the Hero Association!"
The commentator was clearly also a fan of Darkshine.
Taking advantage of the time between the end of the opening ceremony and the official start of the events, he praised the records Darkshine had set and his performance after becoming a hero.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Darkshine, have you been following the sports world recently?"
"Uh, I've only heard a little about it."
Darkshine actually hadn't paid any attention at all.
Part of the reason he joined the Hero Association was that he couldn't find any opponents in various sports competitions.
That's why he shifted his focus to hero activities.
Naturally, he didn't continue following the sports world.
The commentator likely understood Darkshine's meaning, thoughtfully took over the conversation, and introduced:
"If we talk about the sports world's most noteworthy and dazzling new star right now, it is the female athlete currently warming up before the 100-meter track—Mizuki!"
The director's camera switched over at the appropriate time.
Among the crowd of male athletes behind the starting line.
The sole female athlete, standing at an impressive height of over 1.9 meters, was concentrating on her warm-up.
Some sports events are not divided into separate men's and Women's Groups, but rather into Mixed Group and Women's Group.
As the names suggest, the Mixed Group allows participation regardless of gender, while the Women's Group is reserved exclusively for female competitors.
Due to the inherent physical differences between men and women, although it's called the Mixed Group, most events are virtually indistinguishable from the ordinary Men's Group, and the competitors are predominantly male.
Mizuki, who chose to participate in the Mixed Group competition, naturally has ample confidence in her own strength.
Her voluminous, vibrant orange hair was tightly bound into a high ponytail. Her healthy, tanned skin shimmered with an athletic glow, and her eyes were bright, spirited, and focused before the competition.
Her figure was extremely tall and well-proportioned, with muscle lines that were firm and smooth but not exaggerated, possessing both feminine physique beauty and a powerful sense of Origin Qi.
"Mizuki is an athlete who excels in multiple sports, achieving outstanding results in all of them. Having only recently entered the professional arena, she already garners extremely high discussion and anticipation in the sports world."
The commentator quickly introduced Mizuki's achievements.
This allowed viewers in front of their televisions who were less familiar with her to quickly form an initial impression.
Rather, the appearance of a female athlete on the 100-meter track, where the highest human speed is pursued, is inherently a rare occurrence.
The preparation time quickly passed.
The athletes stepped onto their Starting Blocks one after another, crouched down to gather strength, and braced their hands before the starting line.
Mizuki took a long, deep breath.
A few strands of orange hair slipped down to her cheek.
Her beautiful and robust physique displayed a unique sense of agile beauty.
The commands sounded repeatedly from beside the track.
Smooth muscles gathered strength.
Until the Starting Pistol fired.
Bang——
Power exploded instantly!
...A savage and brutal punch sent the opponent's teeth and blood flying!
Beside the Underground Boxing Ring, bloodthirsty spectators cheered excitedly!
They ceaselessly shouted and egged on the standing Underground Boxer in the Sand Arena to further brutalize his fallen opponent.
The Underground Boxer, also covered in blood, flashed a cruel smile.
Following the cheers of the audience, he violently delivered heavy punch after heavy punch onto his opponent, who lay defeated and unable to fight back!
Until his bandage-wrapped fists were stained with blood.
And his opponent no longer breathed.
Only then did this underground fight conclude.
This bloody and brutal match, a slaughter that stimulated humanity's primal desire for destruction.
At this very moment.
Was happening right beneath the Dome Sports Center!
The top-tier National Games, symbolizing the spirit of sport, were separated from this savage and brutal fight by only a few dozen meters vertically.
This Sand Arena, littered with the broken teeth and shattered bones of the losers, merely occupied the central area of the Dome Sports Center's underground space.
All around it, various markets were scattered.
Firearms, drugs, organs, slaves... and even some weaker Monsters were chained with collars and tied to a corner for display and sale.
A figure moved through the Underground Market with ghostly familiarity.
A deep black bodysuit enveloped a slender figure.
Three iron rings were looped around his hands, feet, and waist respectively. A long purple scarf draped down to his legs, and a Katana was slung across his back.
His black hair was tied up into a topknot, and a purple stripe marked beneath each of his stern eyes.
Another burst of excited shouts erupted from the Underground Boxing Ring.
"So noisy..." Sonic glanced over, annoyed.
"What's the point of this slow, tedious slaughter between snails?"
He had tried it himself before.
But the opponents were all disappointing trash.
Even without using weapons, he achieved victory in an instant.
Sonic carried a cylindrical iron can and arrived at his mission pickup location with silent, extreme speed.
"I brought the item."
He slammed the iron can onto the counter.
Several strange, viscous sounds came from inside.
"Oh, Sonic-kun, is the Sewer Slime Monster inside this?"
The middleman responsible for posting the mission picked up the iron can and shook it.
Sonic said with a look of disgust:
"What Slime? It's just a Monster formed from dissolved corpses piled up in the sewer. Someone actually posted a mission requiring the capture of this disgusting thing."
"Heh heh, don't say that, Sonic-kun." The middleman was very amiable towards this Ninja whose mission completion rate was one hundred percent.
"After rich people have experienced everything, they want to try some pervert games. What does it matter to us? Isn't it enough just to get the money?"
Sonic frowned, having no interest in chatting with him.
His expression was cold:
"Hand over the payment, I'm leaving."
"Alright, alright..."
The middleman was agreeing, preparing to finalize the mission handover.
Suddenly! His eyes rolled back!
He fell straight down, unconscious.
It wasn't just the middleman; the same scene was playing out across the entire underground space.
Dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground came from everywhere.
The noisy and fervent Underground Boxing Ring also fell into dead silence.
An overwhelming, boundless will instantly swept through, exerting pressure!
Sonic's body trembled slightly as he forcibly resisted this deep, inexplicable pressure, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
Gritting his teeth, he raised his hand to grip the hilt of the Katana on his back.
Damn it! What is going on?!!