Chapter 142: Someone Else is Being Thrashed
"Then I announce, the finals officially be—hmm? Tell me later... What? Really?!"
The audience looked curiously at the referee on the stage and the staff member who had suddenly rushed up.
Suiryu raised an eyebrow.
What else is there? Can't we just start quickly and get it over with?
"Oh? It seems an unexpected turn of events has occurred in the match; our referee has come to a halt."
The commentator immediately filled the awkward silence.
At that moment, a staff member also came to inform him.
"What?!!"
The commentator reacted exactly like the referee.
After the initial shock, he excitedly pulled the microphone toward him.
"Audience members, we have some completely unexpected good news!"
"The S-Class Rank 1 hero of the Hero Association—Aokiji! He will be visiting the scene to have an exhibition match with the final champion!"
The commentator's voice echoed through the stadium's broadcast system.
The stadium instantly erupted in excitement!
"Really?! Is Lord Aokiji really coming?"
"To think I'd see the S-Class Rank 1 hero with my own eyes! Lucky!"
"I was defending Lord Aokiji during the online flame war a few days ago. As expected, it was all just a misunderstanding. It's so great to see the man himself!"
Even Suiryu's fan club was in an uproar.
Some people even picked up markers and began scribbling over the words of support for Suiryu and his portrait on their cheering gear.
Instead, they wrote words of support for Aokiji over the original designs.
Watching his fans' actions...
Suiryu's mouth twitched as he helplessly facepalmed.
The popularity of S-Class Rank 1 really was incomparable.
The controversy from a few days ago hadn't negatively affected his popularity; instead, it had served as a form of purification.
Especially those rescued victims.
After the big shots who used their power to silence them online were given the funeral and cremation one-stop service by Aokiji...
They were finally able to tell the truth to the uninformed public from the perspective of victims and liberated people.
For a moment...
The saved were devout.
The steadfast supporters were proud.
Those who had been incited to slander were filled with guilt.
The bystanders were in awe.
Although this didn't fully summarize everyone's reaction, it was indeed what most people thought.
A feverish sense of worship filled society.
"Aren't we going down?"
Asked Sonic, who had already transferred his entire body's pain onto a wild Monster.
The large bumps on Garou's head also vanished one by one.
The recipient was also that Monster who had just appeared to cause destruction, only to unfortunately run into them.
The three of them stood steadily above The Martial Arts Tournament venue.
A strong wind blew.
Their sleeves fluttered.
Standing in the central leader's position, Aokiji scanned the crowd below, who were excited to the point of madness.
"We'll go down after the finals are over. We'll finish it quickly and leave. If I stay a second longer, I feel like I'll be surrounded by the crowd and stripped bare."
"Tch, so even you have times when you're afraid." Garou crossed his arms, looking up with a hint of mockery.
"If you can calmly accept a kiss from Puri-Puri Prisoner, I'll acknowledge that you're qualified to say that." Aokiji didn't even look at him.
"Well? During your time in Stinky Prison, did you hone that kind of Heart?"
"Tsk!"
Recalling those days when he had to fight every day to protect his innocence, Garou clicked his tongue in extreme annoyance.
Stinky Prison? What kind of place is that?
Sonic observed Garou's expression.
Even though they hadn't been in contact for long, he felt a disagreeable self-righteousness from Garou.
However, he was a guy Aokiji had brought along and was planning to recruit into the Hero Association.
Sonic wouldn't be stupid enough to treat Garou like a small fry.
A place that could make him feel such obvious disgust—could it be that it was filled with powerhouses?
And that he could only be thrashed there every day?
Is that why he feels so much resentment?
Following a ninja's professional instinct, Sonic quickly gathered information and performed an analysis.
However... it was unclear if Garou had ever been thrashed.
Currently, someone else was being thrashed inside Stinky Prison.
Old Prisoner: "Ow! Ah! I was wrong, I was wrong! Boss, I'm sorry!! Yameroooo!!"
Puri-Puri Prisoner: "Sometimes it's nice to change things up and listen to the wails of boys~"
The surrounding prisoners all looked as pale as death.
They closed their eyes and turned away, both to give the old prisoner a final shred of dignity and to follow the rules to save face for themselves later.
Fortunately, a prisoner stepped forward to stop Puri-Puri Prisoner's evil devastation.
Was he the new savior of the villains?
No, he was just monitoring the news for the busy Puri-Puri Prisoner.
"B-Boss."
"Oh, what is it, honey? Has a new criminal boy appeared?"
"No, it's not that," the prisoner monitoring the news for Puri-Puri Prisoner said tremulously, trying to keep his eyes from wandering.
"It's about Aokiji—Lord Aokiji."
"Aokiji-Chan?!" Puri-Puri Prisoner's eyes lit up.
"Let's go and see what's happening."
Puri-Puri Prisoner pulled away and left.
Leaving the old prisoner slumped on the ground.
The prisoners walked over one by one in silence. Unable to find words of comfort, they could only pat the old prisoner on the shoulder.
Why? Why!
How could this pervert cross-dresser come back!
"Where is Aokiji-Chan?" Puri-Puri Prisoner returned to his cell and stared at the TV for a long time without finding him.
"You have to wait a bit. Once the finals are over, Lord Aokiji will have an exhibition match with the champion."
"I see." Puri-Puri Prisoner stroked his stubbled chin.
His gaze was tightly locked onto Suiryu on the TV screen.
"Mmm~ A sunny and healthy martial arts boy, huh? Truly not bad."
Suiryu suddenly felt a shiver down his spine.
What's with this sudden palpitation? Suiryu stared at his opponent with a strange look in his eyes.
Could it be that his opponent was hiding his strength?
Suiryu's entire body quietly became active, mobilizing his muscles into a state of full concentration.
Having already boasted, he couldn't afford to mess up.
Even in the upcoming exhibition match, I won't lose too embarrassingly. After all, no matter how strong an S-Class Hero is, they're still human. If I can get close, I might even win.
Yare yare, if I actually beat the S-Class Rank 1, my popularity would surely soar to troublesome heights.
Suiryu's lips curled upward. That wouldn't be bad either.
"The finals officially begin!"
The finals opponent gave a powerful shout and sprinted forward!
Suiryu watched his opponent's movements and made a judgment.
It seems the previous palpitation was just an illusion... another uninspiring opponent.
Suiryu suddenly felt bored.
He lifted one foot and stomped the ground fiercely!
Starting from where he stomped, irregular cracks spread across the entire stage!
The stage erupted in a powerful tremor!
The opponent's sprinting figure wobbled unsteadily.
Before he could even steady himself...
"Void Quake Tiger Fist."
Suiryu, moving forward quickly, twisted his body and threw a punch!
The opponent was instantly sent flying off the stage!
He crashed into the barrier of the spectator stands and slumped over, unconscious.
Suiryu shook his hand as if putting on a show, waiting for the audience's cheers after their shock.
The audience did indeed erupt in cheers.
But it was a bit different from what he had expected... "Ooh! The finals are over! Lord Aokiji, please appear quickly!"
"Hurry, hurry! I want to see the strongest S-Class battle! I want to see blood flow like a river!"
"Suiryu, you did well! You knew everyone was waiting for Lord Aokiji, so you finished the match so quickly on purpose!"
"Is Lord Aokiji here?! Do you like stir-fried rice noodles? I'm a true fan! Look at me! Look at me!!"