The current S-Class Hero rankings were as follows:
1. Blast
2. Tornado of Terror
3. Silver Fang
4. Atomic Samurai
5. Sigrdrifa
6. Child Emperor
7. King
8. One-Way Rakshasa
9. Metal Knight
10. Zombieman
11. Drive Knight
12. Pig God
13. Superalloy Darkshine
14. Watchdog Man
15. Flashy Flash
16. Tanktop Master
17. Metal Bat
18. Demon Cyborg
19. Puri-Puri Prisoner
These were the latest official S-Class rankings.
Both Fang Li and Sylvia had climbed more than ten places in a single jump.
The promotion was astonishing.
"Well, they did resolve a Dragon-level disaster."
Since 'God-level disasters' represented calamities capable of threatening humanity's very existence, essentially an apocalypse, in practice, 'Dragon-level' disasters were already considered the worst crises humanity could realistically face.
Resolving a disaster capable of destroying several cities was such an extraordinary achievement that, based on merit alone, it wouldn't be surprising for a C-Class hero to be promoted directly to A-Class, or even S-Class.
If, in addition to stopping the disaster, the hero also prevented civilian casualties and protected the affected city from any damage...
Then even promoting a C-Class hero straight to around 'S-Class Rank 5' wouldn't be considered excessive.
And that was exactly what Fang Li and Sylvia had accomplished.
Working together, they had not only destroyed the meteor but had also prevented the devastating secondary disaster caused by its fragments.
Combined with their previous records of defeating numerous Demon-level Mysterious Beings, such an enormous rise in rank was only natural.
Even Genos had climbed from the bottom of the S-Class rankings to 'Rank 18', while officially receiving the Hero Name:
'Demon Cyborg.'
"Still... Sylvie's ranking ended up higher after all."
Although Fang Li had been the one who destroyed the meteor itself, simply destroying it wasn't enough.
Sylvia had protected both the civilians and the entirety of Z-City from the aftermath.
Naturally, her contribution was judged to be greater.
As a result...
Sylvia had risen all the way to 'Rank 5'.
Fang Li had reached 'Rank 8'.
Fang Li didn't mind in the slightest.
"When it comes to protecting people... I'm far better at killing."
He had always been fully aware of that.
Because of that, Fang Li understood better than anyone that he simply wasn't the type of person who should be admired and celebrated.
Thinking of that, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
"If that's really the case... then why do all those Tokiwadai young ladies keep clinging to me?"
Other than concluding that every last one of them was a little abnormal...
He couldn't think of any other explanation.
---
Besides the changes in the rankings, the official Hero Association forums were also overflowing with new comments.
Most users expressed nothing but astonishment.
-- '"I never imagined Her Highness the Diva could even stop a meteor disaster."'
-- '"This was a Dragon-level disaster we're talking about!"'
-- '"Why didn't anyone know Sylvia was this powerful before?"'
-- '"She's apparently a Level 5 Esper too."'
-- '"The Hero Association should've invited Sylvia to join a long time ago. If they had, disasters in this country would've caused far fewer losses."'
-- '"Exactly! Couldn't agree more."'
No matter which discussion thread one looked at...
Posts mentioning Sylvia overwhelmingly dominated the forums, almost all of them filled with surprise and admiration.
In truth, it wasn't all that surprising.
Compared to the other heroes, Sylvia's reputation as a 'world-famous diva' was simply too overwhelming.
As an international superstar with fans all over the world, it was only natural that discussions about her far exceeded those of anyone else.
Although every S-Class Hero was famous in their own right, none of them could compare to the popularity of a global music icon like Sylvia.
Naturally, the amount of discussion surrounding the others was much lower.
Lower, however, didn't mean nonexistent.
Fang Li, for example, was gradually becoming a hot topic as well.
-- '"Sylvia showed up beside Rakshasa again this time."'
-- '"Rakshasa must have known Sylvia long before joining the Hero Association, right?"'
-- '"Ever since they became heroes, those two have always been seen together whenever something major happens."'
-- '"Last time, when those cyborg wild men attacked Lady Sylvia, Rakshasa appeared immediately."'
-- '"People have also spotted Rakshasa and Sylvia together in Z-City."'
-- '"Whenever powerful Mysterious Beings are defeated, someone always reports seeing those two together."'
-- '"There are even rumors online that someone saw the Diva sitting in the passenger seat of Rakshasa's car."'
-- '"So... what exactly is the relationship between those two?"'
-- '"I'm so curious!"'
The "Rakshasa" mentioned in those posts naturally referred to Fang Li.
Just as most people shortened 'Blizzard of Hell' to simply 'Fubuki', many internet users abbreviated 'One-Way Rakshasa' to simply 'Rakshasa'.
Even members of the Hero Association had begun addressing him as 'Lord Rakshasa' or 'Mr. Rakshasa', treating it as his official Hero Name.
Of course...
That wasn't the important part.
The important thing was that people had finally begun to suspect the relationship between Fang Li and Sylvia.
'"Looks like it's only a matter of time before everything comes out..."'
Fang Li merely glanced over the speculation before dismissing it from his mind.
He wasn't particularly concerned.
After all, neither he nor Sylvia had ever deliberately tried to hide their relationship.
They had simply let things happen naturally.
If people eventually found out...
That was only inevitable.
In fact, both the Hero Association and Sylvia's management company had already begun to realize the nature of their relationship.
Her previous agency had even confronted Fang Li because of it.
He still remembered that company's chairman throwing him a blank check, telling him to write whatever amount he wanted, as long as he agreed to leave Sylvia.
The outcome hardly needed explaining.
Before Fang Li even had a chance to respond, Sylvia had immediately made a phone call and terminated her contract with the company.
The Hero Association paid the contract's termination penalty.
Then Fubuki used her psychic powers to toss the chairman straight out of a window.
No one ever heard from him again.
As for Sylvia's current agency...
It was far from ordinary.
Knowing exactly how important Fang Li was to Sylvia, they treated him with the utmost respect.
Not only did they have no intention of interfering in their relationship, they even stated that if rumors ever spread, the company would handle the public relations themselves, ensuring that any dating rumors remained harmless gossip rather than becoming a scandal that would affect the couple's lives.
Precisely because of that attitude, Sylvia had chosen to sign with them.
It was also why discussions about Fang Li and Sylvia on the forums contained relatively little hostility.
Sooner or later...
The public would likely come to accept their relationship naturally.
As for the two people involved...
Neither Fang Li nor Sylvia cared very much.
After all...
Their relationship wasn't something that depended on other people's approval.
Even if a genuine scandal erupted, Sylvia would simply retire from the entertainment industry without hesitation.
It wouldn't even be the first time she'd done something like that.
Just then...
As Fang Li continued browsing the forums, his cellphone vibrated.
A new text message had arrived.
"Hm?"
Fang Li picked up his phone.
After reading the message...
His eyebrows slowly rose.
'(End Of This Chapter)'
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