Ch.22Monster

# Disaster-rank

Three Disaster-rank monsters should have brought out an S-rank hero by now, but how long are they going to leave that thing alone?

Following that, screams loud enough to be heard from a distance echoed, as if something had torn through the shelter.

With the ground trembling around me, isn’t this a bit too much?

What is the S-rank doing… is he waiting for me to come out of hiding before making an appearance?

It’s not like Yu Anna to stay hidden until now.

She said she came from A City, does she have some authority to give orders to Yu Anna?

“…Tsk.”

Finally, I transformed into my monster form and rushed toward where I sensed the monsters.

The streets were empty as if everyone had already evacuated. Only monster presences, trembling earth, and screams filled the city.

Almost eerily… in a city with no one around.

The presences were gathered in one place, not moving at all.

“Grrrr…”

“Finally, I get to see you, Black Cat.”

Thinking something was strange but approaching anyway, I turned my head at the sound of applause.

At the same time, the monster presences vanished, and the screams and ground tremors stopped.

What appeared from where I had sensed the presences were two women who looked like heroes. As soon as they entered my field of vision, they began emitting sounds and waves that grated on my ears.

“Did you come thinking there was prey? Stupid cat.”

“Kyaooo!”

The screams and monster waves were a trick—bait created by these two women’s superpowers.

Realizing they had lured me, I immediately let out a roar and leaped far away.

Yu Anna dropped from the sky and blocked my path.

“Black Cat, you won’t be able to escape from here.”

With what appeared to be an S-rank hero from A City plus Yu Anna, I immediately descended toward the ground.

But something like a wall buried underground blocked my way.

The fact that it blocked my intangible body meant this wasn’t an ordinary wall but something created by a special ability.

“It’s already too late, kitty.”

With a sound like the sky cracking like ice, a transparent prison formed, trapping me and Cage.

Yu Anna shouted in alarm:

“Wait, what are you thinking?!”

“What am I thinking? Didn’t I tell you?”

After finishing his words, the S-rank hero, Cage, grasped the air, and transparent glowing sword, shield, and armor surrounded his body, shining like the walls enclosing us.

“I plan to hunt Black Cat, by myself.”

“Are you out of your mind?! If we catch it together, there’s no risk…!”

“Are you the one who’s out of your mind? I told you from the beginning that Black Cat is my opportunity to prove I’m superior to you. But if we catch it together, your impurity would mix with the purity of my strength.”

While listening to the conversation between Cage and Yu Anna, I scratched the ability-made wall with my claws.

Considerable strength… I sensed it when I collided from below, but this is something even I can’t break.

This is a prison from which neither of us can escape until one of us—the hero before me or I—falls.

“Black Cat will be hunted by me, Cage, alone. And the fact that I am stronger than Starlight will be witnessed by everyone in W City and the citizens of A City.”

At Cage’s statement, the two women who had been creating sounds and waves pulled out cameras and antennas from their pockets.

Portable broadcasting equipment that I’d seen somewhere before. The two women standing beside Starlight, who had her hand on her forehead as if in disbelief, captured Cage and me on camera.

“Now, this is A City’s most popular content, the monster execution broadcast.”

As if to evoke a dueling arena, the small prison expanded.

When Cage lowered the visor of his transparent armor, the armor’s color deepened and began to shine golden.

A powerful ability wave—it undoubtedly possessed strength surpassing the walls forming the prison.

“Won’t this be quite a stimulating entertainment for the primitive citizens of W City?”

The moving fortress charged at me with its spear raised.

#

“That crazy bastard…!”

Disgusted by Cage’s foolish actions driven by pride alone, Yu Anna folded her arms and watched the inside of the iron fortress.

The two women filming the interior were adding narration about Cage’s exploits, turning monster hunting into entertainment.

Opening her smartphone to watch the broadcast, Yu Anna saw that the number of viewers had already reached tens of thousands.

This was, in a way, to be expected.

Many cities desperately try to block footage of battles with monsters.

The sight of heroes getting injured fighting monsters could cause discontent and anxiety among citizens.

Therefore, this broadcast by Cage was extremely provocative content for the public.

The monster hunting broadcast was also an expression of Cage’s immense confidence.

The invincible confidence that he would never be defeated.

“Monster Black Cat continues to flee from Lord Cage. And for good reason—Lord Cage’s fortress walls can block even Annihilation-rank attacks. The strength of his armor and spear forged from this ability must feel like despair to a Despair-rank monster.”

True to those words, Black Cat kept running around the prison looking for an escape route.

Although none of Cage’s attacks had hit yet, Cage was wearing the monster down, gradually chipping away at it.

All this running around was also playing into Cage’s hands; eventually, the day would come when the monster would be impaled on his spear.

And that moment seemed to arrive soon.

“Ah! Lord Cage’s spear has just pierced Black Cat’s front paw. Black Cat immediately jumps backward to create distance and sinks to the ground. Lord Cage penetrates the ground with a powerful attack! Black Cat is wounded again.”

Though Cage’s speed as an S-rank hero was inferior to Yu Anna’s, it posed no problem at all when chasing a monster in a confined space.

One-sided pressure—as the heavy damage accumulated on Black Cat, painful cries filled the surroundings.

[Is Black Cat really being hunted? Is it actually being hunted?]

[Black Cat can’t escape?]

[This is Cage, you stupid W City bastards. You were talking online about how Starlight is stronger, now you see the reality?]

[I was honestly disgusted when people insulted Cage just because he got lucky once catching Mirage, but now I feel satisfied!]

[Starlight can’t do anything, right? Black Cat is nothing to Cage, right?]

[Cage is strong? Guess he just had bad compatibility with Mirage?]

As Black Cat suffered in pain, the chat speed on the broadcast accelerated.

The people of W City were anxious about Black Cat being hunted like this, but most were saying it couldn’t be helped since it was a monster.

[Black Cat can’t die!]

[Hang in there, Black Cat! Don’t die!]

[You bastard! Why are you causing trouble in W City!]

[Are you guys sane? Why are you defending a monster?]

[These people are crazy, is this the level of W City?]

Some were cheering for Black Cat, but even W City citizens couldn’t defend them because they were supporting a monster.

The people of A City were unanimous in praising Cage; at this rate, it seemed Cage would successfully hunt Black Cat.

Then, Black Cat, whose body was accumulating more and more wounds, seemed to give up fleeing and faced Cage.

“Grrrrrr…”

At that moment, Yu Anna flinched at a growl she had never heard before.

A low, trembling wave, overwhelming killing intent.

The Despair-rank monster, Black Cat, had decided to fight.

Yu Anna belatedly realized that until now, Black Cat hadn’t attacked Cage at all.

The reason she only noticed this now was… because Black Cat had never properly attacked Yu Anna either.

Realizing this fact she had failed to notice, Yu Anna’s eyes widened.

“Black Cat is facing Lord Cage. No matter how beastly it is, it must know that further escape is futile. But hunting down a beast that charges at you is Lord Cage’s specialty. Judging by the movements shown so far, I expect Lord Cage will easily hunt down Black Cat…”

“No.”

Yu Anna, without realizing it, inserted her voice into the broadcast.

With a trembling voice, Yu Anna, who had been standing quietly, spoke up, causing the A-rank hero doing the broadcast to look at her.

How would Black Cat, who had only been fleeing without proper attacks, attack now?

With a tense voice, Yu Anna described what was about to unfold.

“The real Black Cat starts now.”

“GROOOOOOOAR!”

“B-Black Cat is… Lord Cage…?! Kyaaak!”

With a massive roar, a howl that echoed even outside the prison, Black Cat changed form.

As the tiger engulfed in black flames grew in size, Cage greatly expanded the prison’s dimensions.

It seemed like Black Cat intended to engulf the entire prison in flames, but this wouldn’t work against Cage.

“Hisss… SHAAAARK!”

Then Black Cat immediately transformed into a huge snake and unleashed a petrification ability with a loud cry.

As the surroundings began turning to white stone, Cage raised his ability shield to block it.

Instantly transforming into a shadow monster made of countless tentacles, Black Cat wrapped around Cage.

“B-Black… Cat…? Huh…? I-it keeps changing into different monsters…?!”

“Black Cat is an amorphous monster. I reported this.”

“How many abilities does it… Lord Cage!”

“KHUHEONG!”

With a beast’s roar, a sphere of lightning gathered inside the prison struck Cage’s body and burst. Black Cat, transformed into an alluring fox, raised countless spheres of bewitching flames around Cage.

Seeing this, Yu Anna understood Black Cat’s intention.

“It’s testing… looking for abilities that work against Cage…”

The tables had turned—Black Cat, rapidly changing forms, pressed Cage without giving him a moment’s rest.

In the end, Black Cat chose the fox form.

The monster Cage had missed—abilities similar to Mirage, who used illusions and telekinesis.

As the flames burning inside the prison gradually flickered, they bewitched even the scenery captured by the camera.

“Kuk… w-where are you…! Black Cat…!”

In a forest made of flames, Black Cat sat comfortably before the burning Cage, looking down arrogantly while holding him with telekinesis.

Then, THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD! With a brutal sound, Black Cat slammed Cage against the prison walls in all directions at high speed.

Cage’s only weakness despite his powerful defense that had blocked all of Black Cat’s abilities so far—attacks using impact that armor couldn’t block.

The prison was already filled with white dust from pulverized building debris.

As if wiping away that dust, only the trajectory of Cage being swung around was visible.

Caught by telekinesis, Cage was being battered against his own unbreakable walls.

“Lord Cage! No!”

The horrific sight of an S-rank being toyed with by a monster—the reason why footage of fights against monsters isn’t broadcast was unfolding before their eyes.

Yu Anna swallowed hard and looked down at the chat that had been rapidly scrolling in the corner of her vision.

[Is Cage dying? Is he going to die?!]

[What is this? Is this broadcast real? What the hell!]

[Is that really Black Cat? Is that really Black Cat right now?]

[Oh no! Cage is going to die!]

[It’s so one-sided! What is Starlight doing!]

[Did Black Cat agree to fight a human?]

[Damn it! What have you bastards done! If Cage dies, that thing will rampage in W City!]

[Open the evacuation shelter! I’m right above our shelter! Let us escape to another shelter before Cage dies!]

[Why is Starlight just watching?! Damn it! Are you trying to get A City’s hero killed, you bitch!]

[Cage! Snap out of it!!]

[Why did you provoke Black Cat and create this situation, you A City bastards!]