Chapter 69 : Cockroach Monster (1)
by fnovelpia
The remaining aberrant lifeform is one from now on…
“This guy… made his own kind like this!”
It was Blanche who had already killed four out of five of the so-called “new humans” who called themselves cockroach people.
However, in exchange for that, she too was covered in blood, her body a bloody mess.
One of her eyes was soaked in blood and couldn’t see, and her left leg was completely broken, barely able to stand.
But she couldn’t afford to fall.
“Have the citizens who were cheering already evacuated?”
As she looked around the now silent intersection, a smile spread across Blanche’s face.
“…? Why are you laughing, you?”
“Well, I guess at least as a hero, I did my part.”
Heroes exist to defeat evil, but before that, it was also a job to save innocent people.
So, in this situation, it was rather a thrill.
Even if her body was torn in several places, the fact that there was no one left to protect meant she could still fight freely.
It was a signal that she had become more at ease.
“More than that, you guys… even though you were talking about being new humans or whatever, your performance is pretty mediocre, huh?”
“What?! What are you saying?!”
“Well, even if you were strong, compared to monsters, you’re barely a class 3 or maybe just at the borderline of class 2.”
They called themselves a new species beyond humans and monsters, but in reality, they were at the middle level of B-rank heroes.
In fact, at Blanche’s feet, there were the black corpses of what used to be new humans…
She deliberately provoked the opponent with a smirk, showing her toothless grin.
The effect was exactly as expected.
“How dare you… how dare you insult the ambitions of us new humans! I’ll kill you!”
Those who had big dreams were usually the type who had a strong sense of pride.
Considering her current situation, where her legs were broken and she couldn’t move, Blanche provoked them in this way.
And now, the so-called new human cockroach was charging fiercely toward her.
Given her current state, dodging and counterattacking was impossible.
So, the only way to counter was to attack with a painful blow, focused on the bones and flesh.
“Fangs…”
“Uraaaah!”
“Go for the bite!”
Slash.
A few seconds later,
The two of them delivered their final blows to each other’s torsos.
At the same time, the asphalt road they were standing on caved in, and the entire area vibrated.
..Kuhhh!”
In the heavy silence, the first to spit out blood was Blanche, whose strength had completely drained.
She spat out red blood that tasted like metal and struggled to turn her head.
Then, the cockroach human who seemed certain of victory had its torso…
“Kuhhh?!
Blanche’s beastly arm was embedded inside its body, while the opponent’s arm just narrowly missed her side.
“Is this really all you’re going to use to dominate this world?”
“You… you bastard…!”
“You’re full of shit… idiot. In this world, there are beings much stronger than me, who killed you.”
Thud.
Giving her final lesson, Blanche succeeded in defeating all her enemies.
“I won…!”
At first, she thought it might be difficult, even considering contacting Carmilla midway.
But now, look at the result.
In the end, who is the winner~?
Carmilla? No, no.
It’s me, Blanche.
She had defeated five monsters at the level of class 2, each of them simultaneously.
“Alright! With this, I’m definitely closer to being an S-rank hero, right?”
Shouting triumphantly toward the sky, Blanche, though her body was on the verge of collapsing, still wondered if there might be anyone around.
“Are there any citizens still around?”
She meticulously finished things off.
That was the class of an A-rank hero with only 70 members.
While looking around, hoping to find a survivor,
Boom.
“Puhh?!”
Suddenly, an immense shock struck Blanche’s abdomen.
The force was so strong that it could have shattered all her ribs.
She didn’t even notice when or how it approached.
Just before she fell in a parabola, Blanche squeezed out the last of her strength and made eye contact with the mysterious presence that had knocked her down.
“Is it you? The despicable human who massacred my beloved ‘kind’.”
“Cough…!”
His skin was like polished obsidian, a reddish hue.
You could tell right away that his muscle density was on an entirely different level, and he was about two to three times larger than the cockroach humans who called themselves new species.
He had black wings wrapped around him like a cloak, and most notably, half of his face was grotesquely deformed, so Blanche recognized him instantly.
Because he was the “cockroach monster,” one of the worst monsters ever, responsible for countless casualties before the arrival of the former S-rank hero, Yoon Ha-eun.
Danger level: Class 1+.
He was the “cockroach monster” who had been eradicated in C city 12 years ago.
“You… you weren’t a hero 12 years ago. Well, whatever. Anyway, just like last time, if you keep killing recklessly, that damn Yoon Ha-eun will show up by herself.”
“What’s with the traffic today?”
It was on the highway connected to C city.
I was strangely feeling a sense of unease while observing the traffic near the bus I was taking, which was moving unusually slowly today.
“What’s going on? Is there some sort of festival in C city today?”
It shouldn’t be the case.
Anything happening in C city today would likely just be Carmilla’s promotional activities, as usual.
But still, why was the highway connected to C city facing such severe traffic congestion?
My suspicion was soon confirmed by a news broadcast on the bus TV.
[Yes. This is breaking news! In City C, a monster of quasi-Grade 1 threat level, which nearly brought the city to collapse 12 years ago, has returned! The Cockroach Monster is back!]
“Oh my goodness!”
“I was supposed to meet my boyfriend in City C today…”
“Shouldn’t they turn the buses around right now?!”
“…What did you say?”
[Ah, yes! Additional breaking news! The A-rank 38th hero, Blanche, who bravely fought in City C, has been found unconscious!]
The Cockroach Monster has appeared in City C…?
Wasn’t it just a MacGuffin that was merely mentioned in the original work?
Once again, there wasn’t a single branching point that followed the original storyline, starting right from the tutorial.
In other words, even though this world has the exact same environment as the original Monster Frontline, the storyline, starting with me, is completely different—an entirely separate parallel world.
“Whatever it is, I can’t just sit still.”
That monster was a quasi-Grade 1 threat, just below the highest Grade 1, capable of destroying multiple autonomous districts.
And even Carmilla, who was currently doing promotional activities in City C, wouldn’t be guaranteed victory against it.
“Sir, could you just let me off here?”
“I was already planning to turn the bus around and head back to City D. Young man, so just sit tight and relax.”
“What?! No, I need to get to City C right now!”
“…What?”
I have to get there before disaster strikes!
…That’s what I thought as I immediately asked the bus driver to open the doors since we had already stopped.
But as soon as I said that, the expressions of the driver and all the passengers on the bus hardened at once.
Then, as I scratched my head, wondering what was wrong…
“Young man, no! Don’t have such dangerous thoughts!”
“Y-yeah! No matter what, you can’t just give up on life like that!”
…What kind of misunderstanding is this?
In an instant, the warm-hearted passengers on the bus surrounded me tightly, trying to stop me no matter what.
“No, that’s not it!? I’m not trying to die—I really have something to do in City C!”
“Then just put that off for a bit!”
“Didn’t you just watch the news? If you go now, you’ll be killed!”
“Young man, you’re a man, so act sensibly! You’ll really die if you go!”
Ah, this is driving me crazy.
I can’t just transform into my monster form here and start running.
But if I stay put, I’ll just end up back in City D.
So what should I do?
Just as I was sweating nervously, being held back from all sides…
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.”
…?
“What matters is the heart to save people.”
Who is that?
In this conservative, gender-reversed world, who could have such a righteous mindset?
Everyone, including me, naturally turned their eyes toward the back of the bus.
There, standing in front of the stairs leading to the rear exit, was a woman with short red hair, smiling brightly.
Maybe she also wanted to get off the bus, just like me.
“Driver, please open the back door.”
“I can’t! From what I hear, you were also heading to City D. It’s dangerous!”
“It doesn’t matter. Besides, I’m here because I need to go there.”
“…Huh?”
As if she was saying that only in dangerous situations could she truly shine.
Amid everyone’s puzzled expressions, the red-haired woman showed us her military ID.
“I am a soldier from Hero City.”
“…!”
“A soldier…”
“And given the current situation, I must get to City D as soon as possible to provide support!”
So she’s a soldier.
That’s why she remained so composed.
But a female soldier with short red hair…
‘No way… Could it be?’
I couldn’t be certain just from seeing her once.
Meanwhile, since it was an official military request, the bus driver reluctantly opened the rear door.
Since we had the same destination anyway, I decided to follow her outside.
I needed to confirm whether she was the protagonist.
“Uh, excuse me!”
“Hm?”
“Is there anything I can do to help? Believe it or not, I’m a student from the Hero Studies department!”
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