Chapter 132: Flash and Sonic
This vibration... is Aokiji fighting too?
Tatsumaki looked toward the center of the shockwave's explosion.
On the ground, Sonic lay face down in a crater where the air was visibly distorted.
The amplified gravity made it impossible for him to fight, let alone use the speed he took pride in; he could only lie on the ground in humiliation.
"This level of muscle massage is actually quite nice."
Superalloy Darkshine walked over, dragging the utterly defeated Muscle Man.
Aside from some dirt on his clothes, he was completely unharmed... a series of booms continued to erupt!
The sandy ground was no longer worthy of its name.
All the sand had been blown away, exposing the bare, cracked bedrock.
The Slime Monster curled into a pathetic ball, trembling.
"You've already wimped out after just a few hits? You're a disgrace to the Dragon Level."
Aokiji withdrew his hand and stopped the attack.
Since it has feelings of fear, it proves it has some level of self-awareness; I'll leave the specific research to Psykos.
He raised his hand and froze it.
He walked out of the arena with the slime ice sculpture.
Aokiji also froze some of the Monsters being sold in the market, preparing to pack them all up and take them back to the Monster Association.
With this, the goals of his current operation were basically complete.
He had saved a group of oppressed people who had lost their freedom, gaining an increase in his progress bar.
He had also bolstered the ranks of the Monster Association.
And there was an unexpected harvest.
Aokiji looked at Sonic, who only had his head left outside the block of ice.
This ninja, who was quite capable of enduring pain, still had a defiant and rebellious expression.
"Aokiji... I'll remember you, and that brat... next time, I'll show you both what true speed feels like!"
"The more useless a guy is, the more he likes to bark."
Tatsumaki finally spoke up in a low voice.
But her string of aggressive words wasn't limited by her low volume at all.
"Hey Aokiji, if all the opponents we face after becoming Pro Heroes are this useless, it'll be way too boring."
"You're right. Even if becoming a hero isn't for fun, if they're all only at this level and there's no challenge, it really would be a bit dull."
Tatsumaki and Aokiji played off each other.
In just a few words, they had officially labeled Sonic as "useless".
Sonic was so angry that the purple markings under his eyes began to distort.
At that moment, personnel from the Hero Association finally arrived.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Aokiji. Leave these criminal scumbags to us; the victims will also be properly taken care of."
The head of the M City branch didn't mention those Monsters.
[Mr. Aokiji likes to freeze Monsters into figure-like exhibits]
This was already common knowledge within the Association.
Although some high-ranking officials had complaints about this.
They believed these defeated Monsters were precious research materials and shouldn't all be concentrated in one person's hands just to serve as exhibits.
But no one dared to voice these opinions openly.
Those Monsters were all Aokiji's spoils of war; how he handled them was his own business.
Furthermore, even though Aokiji had always been relatively cooperative with the Association's work...
And no faults could be found in his hero activities...
No one thought Aokiji was some pushover, do-gooder hero.
Since no one dared to be the first to speak up...
They naturally acted as if nothing was wrong.
"I have another use for this guy. You just go ahead and deal with the others."
Aokiji pointed at Sonic.
The head of the M City branch was puzzled but didn't question him, nodding to show he understood before leaving.
Sonic was also stunned.
But his professional instinct as a ninja made him immediately think about whether he could seize an opportunity to escape, rather than wondering why.
Another use? Tatsumaki frowned.
What use could a guy who was so easily defeated have?
She glanced at Sonic again.
His slender figure under the tight ninja suit gained a hint of haziness within the block of ice.
It couldn't be... Tatsumaki gritted her teeth.
She floated to Aokiji's ear and whispered fiercely in a tone that bordered on a threat:
"Hey pervert, this guy is a man!"
"..."
Aokiji said nothing, staring at her silently.
Just what kind of image do I have in this curly-haired head of hers?
He stared at Tatsumaki with a speechless gaze for a long time.
He stared until Tatsumaki realized how ridiculous her misunderstanding had been.
She slowly turned her head away, her eyes darting around.
"...It's not my fault. It's because the things you've done left me with such a perverted impression."
"When it comes down to it, the problem lies with you!"
Aokiji froze a piece of ice the size of a piece of chewing gum.
Then he handed it to Tatsumaki and leaned in, whispering:
"Talk less. Keep this ice in your mouth to get rid of the smell, so others don't catch a whiff."
"You—!"
Tatsumaki wanted to scold him again but didn't dare open her mouth.
She could only take the ice while punching him a few times in frustration.
And you don't even reflect on who made it so I can't open my mouth!
"I'm going to use this guy to do someone a favor," Aokiji explained briefly.
Of course, he wasn't giving him to Puri-Puri Prisoner.
Although doing so would definitely be a huge favor to Puri-Puri Prisoner.
But at this stage, Puri-Puri Prisoner couldn't help him accumulate progress... wait!
Aokiji suddenly thought of a plan he hadn't considered before.
Rescuing the other inmates of Stinky Prison from Puri-Puri Prisoner's side—even if it just meant moving to a different prison—would surely be a source of extreme joy and freedom for them!
And given the System's loose judgment criteria...
Even if he just put on a show and sent the inmates back afterward, he would probably still get the full increase.
Aokiji kept this plan in mind.
He planned to try it once the current phase of the operation was over.
Aokiji began to contact the other ninja he hadn't been in touch with for a while.
The call was still answered instantly.
It was as if he had to demonstrate his speed even when answering the phone.
Aokiji got straight to the point:
"Flash, I have your childhood friend."
"Hm?"
Flash picked up his phone to look at it again.
Confirming that he hadn't misread it just now, it was indeed a call from Aokiji.
Lines that sounded like a scam or a kidnapper's threat were actually spoken by Aokiji; Flash couldn't help but start thinking about those words.
His childhood friend?
He had personally wiped out the village where he had lived since childhood.
Everyone—the instructors, his fellow students—had clearly died by his blade in his memories... except for one person.
The only partner he could call a childhood friend...
And the only one he hadn't personally finished off, choosing instead to handle it with poison.
The dose he had administered back then should have been more than enough, right?
Yet, there seemed to be only one answer.
"...Sonic?"