"Hmph, lead the way."
Tornado crossed her arms, floating effortlessly in the air as she followed Okamoto toward the elevator.
When they arrived at the top floor, Sol Mirek was in the middle of discussing mission details with Chairman Sitch. Suddenly, he sensed a presence and looked up just as the office door opened.
A petite figure hovered in, looking down at him with a piercing gaze. "You're the rookie?"
Sol tilted his head, immediately recognizing her. Second-ranked S-Class Hero, Tornado of Terror.
He raised an eyebrow. "Terrible Tornado."
A fleeting thought crossed his mind—she wouldn't actually be his partner for this mission, would she? He quickly dismissed it. Tornado was notoriously independent, a lone wolf. Teaming up with him seemed highly unlikely.
"Good, you know your place." Tornado lifted her chin, scrutinizing Sol from above. "I heard you're heading to Z-City's No Man's Land to investigate a newly emerged Dragon-Level disaster?"
"Yes, the Association arranged it," Sol replied calmly, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Monsters requiring Tornado's intervention were rare. What mission would assign her personally?
She floated closer, her green curls swaying. "Rookie, for this mission, you lead the way. Leave everything else to me."
Sol frowned, surprised. His plan to work solo was completely disrupted. Tornado, the ultimate loner, actually agreeing to cooperate?
"Lead the way?" he narrowed his eyes, meeting her gaze. "I'm used to working alone."
Faint ripples of psychokinetic energy radiated from him.
Tornado's aura responded immediately, the air around her bending slightly. "Rookie, are you refusing my cooperation?"
She had agreed only out of curiosity, wanting to see the new S-Class psychokinesis user. Now he seemed like just another overconfident rookie.
The psychokinetic forces between them collided violently. Papers and office objects began to levitate. Chairman Sitch and Okamoto were quickly pushed back several steps.
Okamoto broke into a cold sweat. Weren't they supposed to be easygoing? How had Sol already clashed with Tornado?
Sitch hurried forward. "Both of you, calm down!"
"Shut up!" Tornado thought, pinning Sitch to his chair with invisible force. "This is between me and this rookie!"
Sol retaliated, pressing Okamoto into his seat with his own psychokinesis. Tiny cracks began appearing in the office windows, the pressure between the two S-Class heroes escalating, while both Sitch and Okamoto struggled in their chairs.
"Interesting," Tornado muttered, narrowing her eyes. Sol's psychokinesis reminded her of her sister, Fubuki. Though he wasn't using full power, it was already stronger than Fubuki's.
The clash continued for several seconds, papers flying in all directions.
Finally, Sitch shouted, "Both of you! Stop! My old bones can't take it anymore!"
Tornado snorted, retracting her power first. "Hmph, consider yourself lucky."
Sol slowly eased his energy but kept his gaze locked on her. He silently vowed that if an opportunity arose, he would test her limits.
"Since neither of you is willing to cooperate," Sitch wiped his brow, "then you will act separately."
Tornado crossed her arms, floating above him. "Rookie, if you won't cooperate, we'll rely on our own abilities. But don't expect me to save you if you get into trouble."
Sol shrugged. "Fine by me. I'll hunt the newly emerged Dragon-Level monster before you do."
Okamoto wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Then Sol will handle the No Man's Land investigation, and Miss Tornado will monitor the outskirts of Z-City. Report any findings immediately."
"I'll show you the difference between us," Tornado snorted, leaving the office.
With Tornado gone, Sol turned to Sitch. "Give me a copy of the information. I'll begin investigating No Man's Land tomorrow."
Sitch nodded and handed over documents and a communicator. "Take this. Support is available if danger arises."
"Understood." Sol accepted the items and left the office.
Okamoto watched his back, concern evident. "If the Monster Association really exists, can we provide timely rescue?"
Sitch patted his shoulder. "Relax. The Monster Association cannot truly exist. Even if these monsters, driven by destruction, banded together, internal conflict would tear them apart."
---
Back in his rented room, Sol began reviewing the files Sitch had provided. The rustle of pages grew faster as his expression darkened. Was this Dragon-Level Monster… himself?
Snap. He closed the documents abruptly, a wry twitch on his lips. Testing his strength last night had somehow been mistaken for the emergence of a Dragon-Level Monster.
"The Dragon-Level monster is gone…" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
He realized that, in the Association's eyes, he could wear his bio-armor and hunt heroes under the guise of a monster. No actual monsters were needed to advance his plans.
Focusing, black and red bio-armor materialized over his body, dark patterns flowing along the surface, emanating a dangerous aura. In the mirror, the figure staring back bore no resemblance to Sol Mirek.
"It's impressive, though not exactly monstrous," he said with a nod, flexing his wrists. The joints of the armor clicked audibly.
Since the Association believed him to be a newly emerged Dragon-Level Monster, he could exploit this misunderstanding for combat opportunities. Perhaps, in the course of his hero-hunting plan, the Monster Association itself might even reach out to him.
---