The street had fallen into a heavy, suffocating silence, punctuated only by the ragged, wet breathing of the Giant Rabbit. The monster's roar had subsided into a low, guttural growl, but the words it had spoken hung in the air like a poisonous fog.
Around the perimeter, the crowd of onlookers, those brave or foolish enough to have stayed, waited with bated breath. They weren't just waiting for a fight anymore; they were waiting for a scandal. In a society where monster attacks were a daily occurrence, people had become desensitized to the violence. What they craved now was narrative.
To the reporters clutching their microphones and cameras, the monster's tragic backstory was like gold ore waiting to be mined. In the hyper-competitive world of 24-hour hero news, a monster with a legitimate grievance against a human child was a viral sensation waiting to happen. Attention meant traffic, traffic meant clicks, and clicks meant cold, hard cash.
But the Rabbit Monster was no longer talking. It was merely vibrating with a terrifying, incandescent rage, its fur smoking as its internal temperature spiked.
This stalemate was becoming a problem for two groups of people. First, the reporters, who were frustrated that the "villain monologue" had cut off right as it got interesting. Second, Noah, who was currently the one absorbing the brunt of the monster's killing intent.
Don't just stand there like statues, you idiots! Do something! Noah screamed internally, though his voice was trapped within the confines of King's consciousness.
If Noah had a physical face right now, he'd be the picture of righteous fury. He felt like a high-level player stuck in a tutorial mission where the NPCs were all glitched out. The "Hero" trio was just staring, and King... well, King was currently having a mental breakdown.
Does anyone truly understand King's plight? At this very moment, his limbs felt foreign, as if his nervous system had been hijacked by a ghost. Which, to be fair, was exactly what had happened. King was trapped in a state of pure, unadulterated catatonia, his brain unable to process the fact that his arm had just blocked a blow that should have turned him into a red mist.
As if finally snapping out of his trance or perhaps finally remembering his duty, Hoop-Star Kun stepped forward. He didn't attack the monster yet; instead, he used his "pro-athlete" speed to scoop up the mother and daughter, whisking them away from the immediate blast zone.
"Stay back!" the basketball-themed hero shouted, his voice cracking slightly. "King's got this! Just get to safety!"
With the civilians cleared, Noah felt the restriction on his power loosen. He didn't wait for the monster to make the next move. He shifted King's weight, transitioning from a defensive stance to an aggressive one.
The Giant Rabbit lunged, its massive claws swiping horizontally in a move that would have decapitated a normal man. Noah didn't flinch. He raised King's left arm to parry the strike, the "Emperor Engine" roar intensifying until the very pavement beneath their feet began to crack.
CLANG!
As the metal-hard claws bounced off King's forearm, Noah saw his opening. He drove King's right fist forward in a short, explosive punch aimed directly at the rabbit's soft, mutated underbelly.
The impact was sickening. A shockwave rippled through the monster's massive frame, causing its eyes to bulge. It spat out a mouthful of dark, viscous blood and was sent skidding back across the asphalt for several meters before its heels dug into the ground, tearing up the road.
"Nice try, fluff-butt. I've actually put in the work," Noah grunted under his breath.
Back in his original world, Noah had been a bit of an extremist when it came to fitness. He had unilaterally declared a legendary hero from a certain anime his "Master," following a grueling regimen of 100 squats, 100 push-ups, and a 10-kilometer run every single day for a solid year. He might not have lost his hair, but he had certainly found his strength.
"Sir! We're here to support you!"
Hoop-Star Kun, Academy Starlet, and Mecha Chief rushed to King's side. They weren't about to let the "Strongest Man" take all the credit, especially not with the news cameras rolling. Academy Starlet and Mecha Chief, being C-Class heroes, were particularly desperate. The Hero Association rules were strict: perform a public heroic act at least once a week, or get kicked off the roster and lose your paycheck.
"Ah... ah..."
King looked at the three confident youths beside him with eyes that screamed for help. Ever since the monster had stood back up, his mind had been a static-filled void.
Why is that girl calling me 'Sir'? Why are they looking at me like I'm a god? And how in the hell am I not dead yet?
The questions bombarded King's brain like meteors, eventually causing his mental "terminal" to just go offline. He was standing there, upright and imposing, but the lights were on and nobody was home.
Noah, noticing King's mental departure, sighed. He wanted to say something to the trio, but then he remembered the most fundamental rule of his new existence.
Right. Normal people can't see or hear a Stand.
Noah flexed his fingers, testing the connection. He had noticed something strange during that last exchange. He glanced at his status panel, which was currently flickering in the corner of his vision.
[Character Panel: EMPOWERED STATE]
- User: Noah
- Stand Name: Emperor Engine
- Stats:
Destructive Power: B
Speed: B
Range: A
Persistence: B
Growth Potential: A
Precision: C
- Abilities: [Emperor's Heart Active]
"Double B in power and speed?" Noah muttered, his brow furrowing beneath his helmet. "It shouldn't feel like this."
He stared at his hands. Based on his experience with the Rabbit Monster's strength, the creature was, at best, a Mid-Tiger level threat. With B-rank stats, Noah should have been able to flick it into the sun. Instead, that last punch had only pushed it back.
"It doesn't make any sense," he whispered.
Then, a realization hit him. He looked at the dazed, trembling King standing beside him.
Of course. It's the link.
A Stand was a manifestation of the user's spirit. Its strength was directly proportional to the user's mental fortitude. The stronger the mind, the stronger the Stand.
"But I'm a transmigrator," Noah argued with himself. "I have my own mental energy. Why is it being throttled?"
[Ding! Because your soul and King's soul are currently occupying the same metaphysical space, Host~]
The System's mature, "big sister" voice echoed in his mind, sounding far too amused by his predicament.
[Think of it like mixing two liquids. You have a high-concentration soul, and King has... well, a soul that is currently the consistency of a lukewarm milkshake. When you merge, the concentration is neutralized. King is effectively 'diluting' your power.]
"So you're telling me that because King is a coward, I'm weaker?" Noah's expression soured. "That's just great. I'm being dragged down by a guy who's currently wondering if he left his stove on."
[Smart boy!] the System praised. [You figured it out all by yourself!]
"I don't need your sarcasm," Noah snapped.
Outside, only a few seconds had passed. To the hero trio, King appeared to be staring down the monster with a cold, terrifying intensity, completely ignoring their offer of help. It was the peak of "S-Class Arrogance," and it was rubbing Academy Starlet the wrong way.
"Hmph. What are you acting so high-and-mighty for, you creepy old man?" Academy Starlet muttered under her breath, her eyes flashing with irritation.
She had joined the Hero Association for the fame, the followers, and the glory. Seeing King stand there like a statue while she was doing the "real work" was an insult. She checked the power levels on her equipped leg-thrusters.
"I'll show you! I don't need an S-Class to handle a rabbit!"
"Wait, don't be reckless!" Noah yelled, forgetting she couldn't hear him.
"Watch this, Old Man! Academy Starlet's signature move, Sparkling Meteor Kick!"
The girl leaped into the air, her thrusters flaring with blue light. She spun like a high-speed drill, her slender frame becoming a blur of motion as she aimed a devastating drop-kick at the Rabbit Monster's skull.
"ROAR!"
The Giant Rabbit didn't dodge. It didn't need to. Its evolution had granted it reflexes that far outstripped a C-Class hero. With a movement that looked like a blur, it reached out and caught Academy Starlet's leg with one hand and her shoulder with the other.
The spinning stopped instantly. The girl's eyes widened in sheer terror as she found herself suspended in the air, held by a creature that looked like it wanted to rip her in half.
"Not good," Noah hissed.
He instantly detached from King's body, his spectral form lunging forward. As he moved, a flash of inspiration hit him. He didn't have time to reach them physically, but he remembered King's "Precision" stat. He reached down, snatched a jagged pebble from the cracked road, and channeled the "Emperor Engine's" momentum into his fingertips.
THWACK!
He flicked the pebble with the force of a railgun.
The small stone tore through the air, creating a mini-sonic boom. It pierced the back of the Rabbit Monster's head like a high-caliber bullet, emerging through the front of its skull in a spray of purple blood.
The monster's eyes went dull. Its grip on Academy Starlet loosened, and it began to tilt forward, its massive body losing all structural integrity.
THOOM.
The two-story behemoth collapsed onto the pavement, narrowly missing the girl as she fell to the ground, gasping for air.
[Ding! Enemy eliminated. 'Emperor's Treasure' has been triggered!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained:Treasure Chest (Rare Grade) x1]
Noah stood over the fallen beast, his golden armor shimmering in the afternoon sun. He looked at the loot notification, then at the trembling Academy Starlet, and finally at King, who was still standing there, perfectly still, staring at the spot where the monster used to be.
"Well," Noah sighed, "at least the loot is real."