Chương 18: Real-life Heroes

The long-haired man gripped a sword, looking utterly exhausted yet fixing an intense gaze at something with a strong will. But the moment he started running, he was already caught - by a massive hand.

"Your brethren must have suffered... Now face your retribution!"

Just as Shirona thought she had to help him, the man's face burst apart.

What stood there was an immense, humanoid creature. More terrifying than its massively muscular physique were the horns protruding around its face, amplifying its dreadfulness. Its mouth was extended into a twisted, elongated tusk, leaving no doubt as to its ferocity. The vaguely human-like eyes had already lost interest in the man it had just crushed.

"Listen well, you mere spectators!" A voice boomed as if from the depths of the earth itself, spewing forth hatred at everyone present.

"I will kill every single person in this city! And once there's no one left in this city, I'll move on to the next!!" Drool dripped from the tips of its tusks.

"I won't stop!! Try and stop me if you can, you wretched insects!! I'll defeat all of you, the entire human race, all by myself!!"

Shirona stared squarely at that malevolence. That too was likely an alien - the enemy they were supposed to defeat. She had no objections about having to eliminate such an existence. Yes, she was convinced it deserved eradication.

The surrounding area had already fallen silent, with only faint sobbing sounds piercing the stillness. Everyone else seemed consumed by despair, having already resigned themselves to having no hope left.

After taking a puff of the likely drug-laced cigarette, Muroya looked up at the horned alien standing atop the bus.

"What's that fucker all pumped up about? What an asshole."

And then, they started playing rock-paper-scissors.

Shirona had already given up trying to dissuade them. It seemed they were deciding who would challenge the alien. No matter how strongly she protested, she knew they wouldn't listen. While she hadn't fought alongside them for very long, she had an idea of the best approach.

Was that the target for this mission? If so, Gantz must truly be malfunctioning. Had it purposefully misinformed them of the alien's name to mock Shirona?

Hoping her conjecture was correct, she glanced towards her Pokémon. They were already prepared, their mentalities switched.

As the group continued their rock-paper-scissors match with cries of "aiko", Shirona declared loudly:

"First come, first served!"

The moment she dashed forward, the alien seemed to notice them too. Leaping down from the bus, it gnashed its tusks together.

"There were still some left, huh? No matter. Die, Hunterrrrr!"

"If that's how it is, then I'll gladly oblige!"

The permed man with sunglasses readied his weapon. Having already opted out of the rock-paper-scissors, he was the first to take aim at the alien. The others were also reacting to Shirona's call. The atmosphere was already shifting towards that. But not a single shot hit.

The alien's movements blurred. Shirona too was struck with dread. It was too fast. The afterimages trailed like lines. Most of her Pokémon probably couldn't keep up with just its speed, let alone Shirona herself with her normal visual acuity.

"Can't hit it."

"Z-Gun... no, never mind."

"Alright then, let's go for the decapitation!"

The men all deployed their swords, each taking their respective stances as they began charging towards the incoming horned alien.

George was the first to slice at it. Evading his blade, the alien instantly circled behind him, drawing back a fist aimed at his back.

With a sharp determination, Muroya severed that arm. But the attack didn't end there, as its other fist struck George directly.

"Gahaha, the dumbass got sent flyin'!"

"C'mere, c'mere this way! Let me finish you off, pretty please~"

The alien let out a thunderous roar.

"Hunterrrrrrr!"

Everyone was blown backwards. Immediately after, a deafening boom erupted around the alien, with bolts of lightning arcing down from the sky to gouge the ground. Just a moment earlier, they had been standing right where those impacts occurred, rowdily carrying on as usual.

"It's using magic!"

"Gonna be tough to get close, huh?"

"We stretching out to use it?"

"Let's take turns slashing at it. If all our blades catch it at once, it'll be shredded to ribbons, no doubt."

George, who had been speaking calmly, was struck and sent flying. The alien then circled around towards Kuwabara on the side, throwing an elbow strike at him. He barely managed to block it with his sword, but the impact was not enough to finish it off. The perverted shirtless man was also knocked over and rolling around.

As it tried to go for Muroya directly in front, the enemy's movement stopped.

Observe and understand the nature of the alien. The most threatening aspect was its speed. Its body wasn't particularly hard. If its movement could be restricted, it would weaken drastically.

Based on that idea, Shirona had already given instructions to her Pokémon. The alien's legs began freezing over. Gastrodon and Milotic's Ice Beams scored direct hits beautifully.

"Nuuuu!"

The alien only turned its face back. Being careful not to meet its gaze and unsettling appearance, she tried to move on to the next step.

"You!"

But before that, the enemy's attack began. The alien fixed its gaze on Gastrodon and moved its fist. Not to strike, but releasing electricity in sync with that motion. Exceeding even the alien's own speed, the lightning reached Gastrodon.

"Popo?"

But it had no effect. She was part Ground-type as well. She had absolute resistance to electricity.

"Hyper Voice, Shadow Ball!"

Togekiss took to the air. Roserade joined her bouquets together, taking aim. The blasts fired from the two of them exploded against the enemy's chest and throat.

"Kisama kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The ice on its legs shattered. Shirona had naturally anticipated it breaking free. The enemy was now gushing profuse amounts of blood, covered in wounds. So she decided to finish it off herself at the end.

She readied her X-marked weapon supplied by Gantz. A type of tool she had never used before, but through repeated testing, she had deduced how to utilize it.

She simultaneously pulled the two triggers. The top one designated the target, and the bottom one fired. In that instant, the muzzle lit up and opened.

Immediately after, she felt her body being lifted up. The enemy's state hadn't changed at all. Realizing she had missed her shot, Shirona panicked for a moment.

The alien's hand enveloped her slender body. The suit's power allowed her to endure it, but it was an obvious fact - there was definitely a limit. If she didn't break free soon, being crushed wouldn't be far off.

"Die eeeee!"

The horns and tusks conveyed an ominous intensity. Shirona grit her teeth and tried to resist. Half of the alien's face burst apart.

Its grip loosened, and Shirona fell to the ground. As she dropped to her knees, weapon ready, she saw Anzu. At the same time, the alien's waist and shoulders also burst open from the inside. Having taken hits from Yamada, the blonde woman, and Nakayama, the enemy already seemed to have breathed its last. Swaying unsteadily, it finally toppled forward.

"Are you okay?"

Anzu's voice sounded doubled. For the first time, Shirona realized what it meant to take a stand on the battlefield herself. To approach a formidable foe and fight for her life. She looked towards her approaching Pokémon. Her pounding heartbeat still wouldn't calm down.

Was this the feeling?

She gazed into the eyes of the nearby Roserade. At a glance, neither she nor the other Pokémon seemed frightened at all. But that might have just been Shirona's own ego. Just an assumption, maybe. Perhaps even until now.

The wavering emotions were washed away by a surging cheer.

Some were shedding tears of joy. All the people who had been nervously watching until then were praising Shirona's group.

Helped to her feet by Anzu, Shirona silently observed her surroundings for a while.

"Awesome, you. You finished it off."

"Thank goodness..."

"Thank you, thank you."

The others seemed just as unaccustomed to receiving such gratitude. The battles they had been made to fight by Gantz until now had remained secret. Events unrecognized by anyone. But not anymore. Though she didn't know what impact this would have going forward, she felt her sunken heart reviving, realizing it wouldn't be all bad.