Chapter: 31
Galm is a man’s man.
Whether his comrades have been kidnapped, tortured, transformed into monsters, and just recently reverted back to human form, or if he has had to rip apart an old associate with his own hands, he doesn’t let it weigh him down too much.
He’s an executive of an evil organization, and so he did what he had to do.
In other words, he revealed himself like a true villain and turned the city upside down. As usual, there was an advance notice from corporate-level, and the citizens headed to the shelters as they were warned beforehand.
Some citizens, familiar with such incidents, even threw a few jokes Galm’s way.
“Ah—Mr. Villain! My car is pretty old, can you smash it for me? I want a new one…”
“Hmm. Sure thing. Just don’t go posting on social media that I did it later, okay?”
“That’s obvious! Thanks a bunch!”
Not really villainous but more like a politician, Galm chuckled with the citizens as he sensed a momentum approaching from afar, giving a sly smile.
The prelude to an imminent battle. For Galm, who had survived in a battlefield where bullets and bombs rained down, the ambience felt as comforting as being in his mother’s embrace. Surprisingly, the peaceful everyday life without any struggle felt prickly, like thorns.
Shortly after, Galm faced a cocky hero he had never seen in this city. The hero, seemingly bored, scratched the back of his head and yawned audibly. The hero next to him was someone Galm recognized but looked anxious, glancing nervously at the yawning hero.
“Ahem, Galm—! It ends here! I cannot overlook your evil deeds any longer─.”
“─You’re Galm, right? They couldn’t even handle a beast like you, so here I am to clean up the mess?”
Behind the still-introduction-ready Red, the yawning guy stepped forward.
Galm picked up on the guy’s aura and knew instantly. This dude wasn’t a silly entertainer like the others flanking him; he had been through real-life, bloody battles.
And the moment he got that feeling, Galm took a stance he had never shown before, releasing a sincerity he didn’t know he could project.
“You seem quite confident in your skills, human.”
“Huh—? Ah, I suppose that’s true.”
“Let’s see if we can have a fair contest.”
The guy scoffed at Galm’s suggestion.
“A fair contest? Villains really have a lot of demands, huh?”
And in the next moment.
Dozens of heroes appeared from all directions.
Each one was a ranged attacker, the worst match-up for Galm.
In front lay a hero matching Galm’s strength, ready to block any escape or attacks he might try against others.
Having confirmed everything, Galm realized these were not just here to mess around; they truly intended to capture him.
“─Cowardly for a hero.”
“Did you not know? All the heroes who aren’t cowardly are dead.”
The guy made a gesture.
Moments later, countless attacks were unleashed upon Galm.
He fought with all his might… but it was insufficient to overpower those who specifically came after him.
And thus, Galm was defeated.
For the first time in ages, another line about his defeat was scrawled.
*
After treating Levitan, my bodyguard total grew to two. Or rather, I was just gaining weight on my bamboo mat. A bodyguard without powers could hardly be called such.
I glanced down at Levitan sprawled on my thighs like a pillow, rolling around. As if she had been watching me the entire time, we immediately locked eyes, and Levitan flashed a beaming smile while perking up her ears.
Boop boop—?
“Levitan, you’re heavy. Get off.”
“Levi-chan is light—!”
“No, I’m telling you, you’re heavy.”
“I’m light.”
Feeling just a hint of hostility, I turned my head reluctantly, attempting to ignore the weight pressing on my thighs. Levitan, seemingly dissatisfied, began playfully thumping her head against my legs.
Just as I began to feel my legs falling asleep, the lab door swung open, and in walked Galm. Rarely, he was covered head to toe in wounds.
“─Scientist. Got any medicine?”
“Galm? You’re hurt. What happened?”
“Ah— I lost after a long time. Those cowardly hero bastards…”
At Galm’s admission of defeat, I was ready to applaud like a seal, but then it hit me he could still smash my head with one punch, so I quickly adopted a more serious demeanor.
Fortunately, it seemed Galm didn’t notice me almost applauding and went straight into the lab, fiddling with various things.
“You can’t just rummage around like that!”
“Where’s the medicine? Is this one? The colors look similar.”
“Ah—! I’ll handle it, so just sit down!”
Worried that the damn beast might mishandle something and cause an accident, I quickly leapt up to hand him the red medicine I had prepared. Galm gulped it down in a single swig and sighed in relief.
Almost immediately, the wounds all over his body started vanishing like snow melting in the sun. I couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim in amazement. As expected, his regeneration power is incredible, worthy of a true beastkin.
“─Scientist. I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Having fought those cowardly and despicable heroes… I realized my strength isn’t enough. I want to get stronger.”
“And?”
“…? I’d like you to make me stronger.”
Upon hearing Galm’s words, I looked at him incredulously before letting out an incredulous laugh. Wanting to get stronger in such vague terms—how on earth was I supposed to interpret that?
Strength is a relative concept. A tank capable of slaughtering hundreds or thousands of infantry can easily turn into a walking target if handed an anti-tank weapon by one of those soldiers.
In the 20th century, what was once considered an indestructible battleship couldn’t withstand the submarines and torpedoes hiding beneath the waves.
In medieval times, a knight who could single-handedly slay dozens of peasants with a sword could be wiped out by fragile pieces of iron launching projectiles, struggling to take down even two or three peasants.
Like that, strength is never absolute; it’s relative and always distinctly categorized by its purpose. Sure, a fighter jet is stronger than a tank, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing we should be producing.
“Well then. What seems to be the dissatisfaction? From what I know, Galm’s physical abilities are unmatched.”
“Not entirely. Just today, I encountered a hero with a level of power close to mine. If he were alone, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but he had several subordinates assisting him, so it was somewhat…”
“Overwhelming?”
“…It wasn’t that overwhelming. It was just a bit… I was slightly outmatched, that’s all.”
Galm was talking like this out of pride, but considering the injuries he had on entering the lab, it seemed he had been considerably outmatched.
I mean, if he had been barely outmatched, why would he come asking to make himself stronger? This is the same guy who had outright rejected steroids without hesitation.
“So, you need a way to contend with those at a distance?”
“Hmm. That would be good. Yes, I need a method to deal with those who are far away. Throwing cars and objects has its limits.”
“Okay. What a coincidence. Levitan, come here. I’ll explain to both of you.”
“Me?”
Levitan, who was lying on the couch and looking a bit disappointed, beamed and rushed over. Before the two beasts, I pulled out a genetic sphere I had extracted while treating Levitan.
It was a small orb resembling a candy. This was the Leviathan gene I had extracted from Levitan. I had taken care to prepare it for easy consumption.
“This is the genetic code extracted from Levitan’s body. Levitan? Try one.”
“Eh… You want me to eat this?”
“It’s from your body anyway.”
“That’s true, but… ugh.”
Levitan, making a face, carefully put the orb into her mouth. The moment after that, scales began rapidly sprouting from her skin.
Startled, Levitan began to touch her body, and I realized the experiment had succeeded, smiling gently.
“Eh, what’s this?”
“I’ve awakened the Leviathan gene in your body. More precisely, with the help of the medicine you just took, I recreated the genetic code… As long as the medicine’s effect lasts, you should be able to use your previous strength.”
“…I feel like I’m stronger than before?”
“Ah— It’s been modified slightly.”
“─Scientist. Enough of the head-scratching talk. So? What will happen if I eat this?”
Interrupting my conversation with Levitan, Galm, seeming impatient, began fiddling with the genetic sphere. I was searching for a simple way to define it and just then, the right word popped into my head, making me smile lightly.
“So basically, if you eat this… you’ll shoot beams from your eyes now.”
“… Huh?”
“You’ll shoot beams from your eyes.”
Oh……
Galm let out a delighted sound, intrigued.
I laughed along with him.
The only one who didn’t understand what was so funny was Levitan, who kept tilting her head in confusion.
*
Gaissa, an S-rank hero from City G, received a dispatch order from the Hero Association and headed to City E. Upon arriving for the first time in City E, his first thought was, “Are these guys playing house?”
And it wasn’t surprising because in this city, villains weren’t running rampant. Instead of figuring out who the heroes’ families were to kidnap and threaten them, they provided advance notifications of when and where they would appear.
Gaissa thought maybe this was a trick by the villains to catch the heroes off guard, but apparently, this policy had been upheld for several years already. In fact, if they didn’t stick to it, the villains would even file complaints with the Hero Association.
“Talk about a breeze. What a paradise.”
For someone like Gaissa, who lived in City G, where villains launched guerilla warfare against heroes daily, kidnapping families, torturing them, and sometimes secretly assassinating mayors, this was completely unthinkable.
In his view, this city was practically heaven. A heaven far too lukewarm. A part of him wanted to settle here forever.
But he couldn’t, not when thinking of his still-suffering hometown, City G.
“Gaissa, time to move out.”
“Huh? There wasn’t a deployment schedule today?”
“It suddenly came up this morning. Guess they’re looking for revenge.”
“Really? We’ve got to catch that beast this time.”
“Haha— I sure hope so.”
Gaissa was regretting missing out on Galm just recently. If he’d caught him back then, he wouldn’t be lingering here but already back in City G.
Yet regretting was a foolish endeavor. What mattered in survival was forgetting the past and focusing on the present.
With the heroes of City E, Gaissa set out to the pre-determined location, eyeing the stadium that could hold tens of thousands of spectators with an ironic smile.
“That guy has no learning ability? He’ll be caught in the same trap here.”
“Yeah, it is strange… he’s not an idiot.”
The hero from City E turned his head, puzzled, as they entered. In the center of the stadium stood Galm, arms crossed, looking magnificently settled.
Seeing this, Gaissa exchanged glances with his comrades. They scattered across the audience area, aiming at Galm.
Meanwhile, Gaissa stepped forward boldly, revealing himself to Galm.
“Hey, beast!”
“─You’re late.”
“Whether I’m late or early… do you think we’re your lackeys? Just calling us makes us come scurrying?”
Galm shrugged, seemingly indifferent to his provocation. Looking at him, it didn’t seem like he had changed much since their last encounter…
Gaissa’s confusion deepened as he stretched out his body and approached him. His superpower infused his body, enhancing his physical abilities.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to ask before. What’s your name?”
“What use does a villain have for a hero’s name?”
“I’m Galm. A warrior. State your name.”
“You crazy bastard. What’s a villain….”
“Hmm… don’t have any intention of telling me, huh?”
Galm said this while snapping a photo of Gaissa’s face with his phone. Gaissa frowned slightly, and in that brief moment, Galm wrapped up his search and opened his mouth.
“Gaissa. S-rank hero of City G. What are you hiding when you can find all that by searching?”
“That’s an infringement of my rights, you bastard.”
“It’s fine, I’m a villain.”
As their conversation continued, Gaissa received word from his teammates that everything was ready and signaled. Simultaneously, powers were unleashed from all directions toward Galm, while Gaissa made sure Galm wouldn’t target his comrades.
However, unlike last time, Galm showed no signs of dodging to target the comrades. On the contrary, he just stood there, watching the abilities fly toward him.
“What the hell is he doing…?”
Before Gaissa could ponder longer—just as the abilities crashed into Galm’s body. If Galm’s physical abilities were assessed from their last encounter, the concentrated potency should have easily subdued him.
Gaissa realized that with this strike, Galm was subdued, and thus, it was time for him to return to City G. When he thought about how ridiculous this was, Galm, hidden in the smoke, fired beams from his eyes.
─Kraaaah—!?
─Kyaah!
─What the hell is this!?
Screams echoed from his teammates as they were struck by the beams. Gaissa stared in shock at Galm, who was now blasting beams from his eyes.
“… A beast with superpowers?”
“Not superpowers. It’s science.”
“What? What kind of nonsense…?”
There was no time to continue the conversation. After subduing the heroes with his beams, Galm lunged at Gaissa, delivering a punch that was even more potent than before.
Galm smiled at Gaissa while throwing his punch.
“─One-on-one, you’re pathetic, hero.”
“… You goddamn beast bastard!”
And then, Gaissa exchanged blows with Galm. It was time for revenge. After a while of trading punches—Gaissa finally collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
Having regained his glorious victory, Galm smiled broadly.
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