The Giant Attacks! It’s My Konoha’s!

Soul Palace.

The Chu Yangs from every world gathered once more, sharing their experiences from this period.

The newest Chu Yang to join the group came from the One-Punch Man world.

Jujutsu Chu Yang patted One-Punch Chu Yang on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Life as a salaryman hasn’t been easy, has it?"

One-Punch Chu Yang nodded in agreement.

Having both been Corporate Slaves in their respective worlds, the two couldn’t help but feel a sense of mutual sympathy.

Hokage Chu Yang successfully extracted the Otsutsuki clan’s Lineage Factor, evolving Sage Mode into Six Paths Sage Mode.

Yet the one who benefited the most was Shinigami Chu Yang.

"I can feel my Zanpakuto about to be born. The power of Yang Release has accelerated their transformation."

That was what Shinigami Chu Yang said.

"Them? Two Zanpakuto? That’s quite rare in the Bleach world…"

Magic Chu Yang said in surprise.

Among the Shinigami Captains, only two known people wielded dual blades: Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s two most prized disciples—Kyoraku Shunsui and Jushiro Ukitake.

Kyoraku Shunsui would even become the future Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.

"I’m really looking forward to the day my Zanpakuto takes form. What kind of Zanpakuto do you think would suit the traits of our souls?"

Demon Slayer Chu Yang looked around excitedly, asking his companions for their thoughts. Only two things remained in his world—swordsmanship and Breathing Technique—so he placed particular importance on the birth of his Zanpakuto.

Ordinary swords could not bear the full power of Source Breathing. Even the wooden swords Chu Yang created with Wood Release were no exception.

The First Form: Sun-Moon Rotation that Marvel Chu Yang had used against Destroyer, as well as the Second Form: Sun-Moon in Radiance that Jujutsu Chu Yang had used to slaughter thousands of cursed spirits, had both been significantly weakened.

Perhaps only a Zanpakuto could unleash the Source Breathing sword techniques at one hundred percent power.

Everyone discussed it at once, but they could not reach a unified answer.

Amid the clamor, Demon Slayer Chu Yang walked over to Wuxia Chu Yang and said, "Could you collect some sword techniques on your way to Mongolia? The swordsmanship in the One Piece world and Demon Slayer world is too crude. Creating two sword techniques is already the limit."

Wuxia Chu Yang nodded to show that he understood. Although the martial arts world ranked below most worlds in terms of power level, it was overwhelmingly superior in profound concepts such as "methods" and "the Dao."

If Source Breathing wanted to rise further, it had to absorb those profound martial arts concepts.

Breathing Technique itself had evolved from breathing and meditation arts.

After many days, Marvel Chu Yang had learned quite a bit of magic in Asgard. Following this exchange, Magic Chu Yang gained many insights, and his wandless casting advanced another level.

Casting the Unforgivable Curses no longer took any effort from him.

Once Marvel Chu Yang returned to Earth, he could use the Imperius Curse to infiltrate Hydra from within and obtain two of the Infinity Stones.

A moment later, mist appeared and returned everyone to their own worlds.

One-Punch Man world.

Moth Monster stepped right over the fallen Chu Yang and slowly walked toward where the mother and son had fled. To it, that human whose life was nearing its end no longer had any value as a plaything.

"Hahaha, these days every stray cat and dog wants to be a hero. How annoying. It’s all because of that strange organization called the Hero Association."

Moth Monster thought of the Hero Association, which had been established not long ago, and wore a disdainful expression.

So far, none of the people calling themselves heroes that it had encountered had survived its attacks. Countless others had been scared out of their wits, and they had all performed worse than that man just now.

"How should I play with that mother and son when I find them? That mother seems injured. Maybe I’ll keep forcing her to run, and the moment she stops, I’ll kill her son. Hahaha, her expression will definitely be interesting!"

Moth Monster laughed loudly. Thinking of the overconfident young man from before, it unconsciously turned back to glance at him.

That single glance made it stop in its tracks and stare blankly.

The young man who should have been dead rose from the pool of blood, dusting himself off as the gruesome wounds on his skin healed at a visible speed.

"What’s going on… Could this guy really not be an ordinary human?"

Moth Monster had a bad feeling, but it still sneered. "Hey, you’re pretty tough. Don’t tell me you really are a hero? But I’ve killed plenty of heroes like you. There’s nothing special about you."

No matter what it said, the young man before it seemed not to take it to heart. Instead, he focused on performing some common warm-up exercises, as if adapting to his body.

The excessively exaggerated physical abilities made it difficult for Chu Yang, who had been an ordinary person just seconds ago, to adjust.

"I’m talking to you! Did you hear me, you damned bastard?!"

Moth Monster grew furious. Accustomed to the terrified screams of humans, it could not endure someone standing before it so calmly. This was a tremendous humiliation to its pride.

"I’ve been hearing some strange noise since earlier. I thought it was a mosquito buzzing. Turns out it was you…"

Chu Yang lazily glanced at it.

"A mosquito? Mosquitoes are what I hate most in this world!"

Moth Monster fell completely into a rage. Chu Yang’s words had struck precisely at its sore spot.

The wings on its back unfurled. With a single flap, Moth Monster’s body abruptly vanished from where it stood. As a Demon-Level Threat capable of flight, its speed even rivaled that of some Dragon-level Threats!

At high speed, Moth Monster opened its mouthparts and revealed sharp fangs, aiming for Chu Yang’s vulnerable neck.

The instant its fangs were about to touch Chu Yang’s skin, they were caught between two slender fingers. A terrifying impact exploded at that moment.

"You’re just a moth, but you’ve got quite a bite."

Chu Yang snapped Moth Monster’s fangs with force, then punched it in the face. The explosive power sent it flying away.

It smashed through more than ten cars and a house, sending dust and smoke billowing everywhere.

Compared to the force that had sent Chu Yang flying earlier, it was like comparing a candle to the sun.

Moth Monster crawled out of the ruins.

More than half of the wings on its back had been damaged. Its steel-hard shell was riddled with dents, and its entire body was covered in blood.

Now, the only things left in its eyes as it looked at Chu Yang were fear and deep wariness.

"I’m not a monster that specializes in strength. There’s nothing to be proud of just because you beat me in that regard." Moth Monster sneered. "Human, you’ll pay the price for angering me."

With that, Moth Monster flew straight into the sky.

The reason it had been rated as a Demon-Level Threat was because it could spread poisonous scale powder through the vibrations of its wings.

This poisonous scale powder was extremely toxic and highly dispersible. It could poison everyone in an entire city in moments.

"Idiot! Die from the poison along with those ordinary humans!"

Moth Monster laughed wildly as it scattered poisonous powder toward the ground.

"A moth is still a moth. Even your attacks lack any originality."

Chu Yang sneered and summoned Shadow Clones, occupying the city’s high points. Then, they formed hand seals at the same time and cast Ninjutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Several waves of fire converged into a terrifying sea of flames that surged into the clouds. The poisonous powder was instantly reduced to ash beneath the blazing inferno.

Moth Monster revealed a terrified expression and flapped its wings with all its strength, desperately flying upward. Yet it still failed to escape the sea of fire’s devouring flames.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

Amid its shrill screams, blazing flames engulfed Moth Monster’s entire body. The poisonous powder on it became excellent fuel, making the fire burn ever more fiercely until it could no longer make a sound.

In a corner of the city, a mother and son fleeing for their lives stopped and stared blankly at the scene.

"Mom, that big brother is a hero, right? He saved us!"

"Yes, child. He is!"

"Emergency bulletin!"

"Emergency bulletin!"

"The danger in City D has now been eliminated!"

"The Demon-Level Threat wandering through the city has been destroyed!"

"Residents of City D may return to the city and resume their normal lives!"

The emergency news appeared on television once again.

The person on screen was still the news anchor who had informed everyone to evacuate that morning, but the content was different now.

He excitedly delivered the good news to the public, though there was still lingering fear in his voice.

The emergency announcement spread clearly through every corner of the city over the broadcasts. The fleeing crowds stopped on the roads and listened quietly.

Many wore relieved smiles at having survived the disaster.

Others collapsed to the ground and wept.

"Did a hero get here so quickly?"

"Those people are always dragging their feet. I didn’t expect them to arrive so promptly this time."

"How can you say that? They protected us!"

"Huh? Aren’t they paid by the Hero Association? Everyone works for money, so why talk about protecting anyone…"

"Even so, you didn’t have to say something like that, did you?"

A considerable argument broke out among the crowd. Some felt grateful for being protected, while others believed it was only natural.

The topic of the dispute was all too familiar. In fact, whenever a city suffered a monster attack, similar voices could more or less be heard afterward.

If Chu Yang had been there, he probably would have merely smiled and let it go. The people he wanted to protect had never been these people, but rather the kindness that the deceased girl had left behind in his heart.

The swift destruction of the Demon-Level Threat caused many A-Class Heroes heading to reinforce City D to return empty-handed, and it also drew the attention of the Hero Association headquarters in City A.

After confirming that it had not been done by any registered hero, the Hero Association immediately sent people to City D to investigate.

The battle between Chu Yang and Moth Monster had not affected the nearby infrastructure. They easily obtained road surveillance footage and watched the entire battle from beginning to end.

About two days later, someone knocked on Chu Yang’s front door.

Chu Yang opened the door to find a middle-aged man in a suit standing outside.

"Hello, Mr. Chu Yang. My name is Foster, and I’m from the Hero Association."

The man named Foster politely introduced himself while sizing Chu Yang up.

Chu Yang looked even more ordinary than he had imagined.

Like a young man next door who had only just entered society.

"You people work pretty quickly."

"Of course. Eliminating a Demon-Level Threat is no small matter."

"But it was only Demon-Level."

"Hahaha, Mr. Chu Yang is too modest. I watched your battle. Your enemy had no chance to fight back, and you won cleanly and decisively."

Chu Yang smiled. "Then you definitely didn’t watch the first half. I got beaten up pretty badly."

Foster answered solemnly, "That is precisely what proves your potential. A genius like you, who can defeat a Demon-Level Threat immediately after awakening their abilities, is extremely rare."

Chu Yang nodded noncommittally, then invited Foster inside. The two sat on the sofa and chatted for a while.

Foster explained his purpose. He had come to invite Chu Yang to join the Hero Association.

"If I join the association, do I have to start as a C-Class Hero?"

"How could that be, Mr. Chu Yang? You eliminated a Demon-Level Threat alone. The association intends to rate you as A-Class, though your ranking would be relatively low."

Chu Yang considered it for a while and decided to agree. Before that, however, he made one request. "For the time being, I don’t want to leave City D. If you assign me missions, they’d better be around City D. Otherwise, I might not be able to carry them out."

One day in the future, the Giant Brothers would pass through here and destroy this city. If Chu Yang could not stop that from happening, then everything he did today would be meaningless.

Besides, Z-City was next to City D, the city where Saitama lived.

Sooner or later, Chu Yang would have to come into contact with him.

The greatest attraction this world held for him was figuring out how to break his own limiter.

Hearing Chu Yang’s request, Foster awkwardly scratched his head. He was in a difficult position.

According to the rules, all heroes below S-Class had to unconditionally obey the association’s assignments. Chu Yang was only A-Class and near the bottom of the rankings, so Foster found it difficult to agree.

However, the potential Chu Yang had displayed was extraordinary, and Foster did not want to give him up so easily.

"Mr. Chu Yang, please wait a moment. I need to ask headquarters for their opinion."

Foster stood, smiled awkwardly, took out his phone, and headed for the balcony.

Chu Yang nodded, signaling for him to do as he pleased.

After a while, Foster returned from his call and said with a regretful expression, "I’m sorry, Mr. Chu Yang. Headquarters did not agree to your request."

"Actually, we originally wanted to invite you to be stationed at Hero Association headquarters. There are many important people there who need private bodyguards, and the pay is extremely generous…"

Chu Yang raised a hand to interrupt Foster. "Let’s stop here, Mr. Foster. What a pity."

Foster seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he could only sigh helplessly and leave.

He truly felt it was a shame.

This young man always gave him a sense of security as steady as a mountain, stronger even than the feeling he got from the S-Class Heroes he had met before.

Chu Yang did not think it was a pity that they had failed to reach an agreement. After all, his original purpose in joining the Hero Association had only been to gain another opportunity to interact with Saitama.

Money and fame were not things Chu Yang wished to pursue.

Breaking the limiter was his only goal.

Night.

The entire city became exceptionally quiet, like a giant that had quietly fallen asleep.

Chu Yang appeared on the outskirts of the city. He was setting up a barrier, intending to envelop the entire City D within it.

The barrier could activate the moment the city suffered a devastating strike, blocking most of the damage.

This way, the collateral damage from the battle between Chu Yang and the "giant," Marugori, could be reduced to a minimum.

Half a month later.

The "giant," Marugori, appeared in City D.

Its enormous body towered into the clouds, radiating immense oppression. Everything above its chest was completely hidden by the cloud layer.

Every step it took stirred up terrifying shockwaves.

The Hero Association had rated it as a Demon-Level Threat, which was incredibly foolish. Its true strength was undoubtedly above Demon-Level. Saitama was simply too powerful, killing it in one punch and making Marugori appear weak.

Under the emergency bulletin, people once again hurriedly fled the city. Many saw Marugori’s enormous body and were so frightened that they could no longer move.

Marugori waved one massive hand, and the horrifying wind pressure directly destroyed a forest on the outskirts of the city.

Many people saw this scene through the live television news broadcast.

How could we possibly escape an attack from something that enormous?

The citizens stared blankly.

Despair gradually spread.

"If we escape like this, we’ll still die!"

"Didn’t you see it?"

"That giant only clapped its hands once, and the entire forest disappeared!"

"Rather than desperately trying to squeeze our way out, we might as well stay put and wait to die…"

Someone in the crowd screamed hysterically, clearly already broken.

"Where are the heroes? Where are they?"

"Please save me! I’ll never badmouth you again!"

Some were enraged, some begged, some grieved, and some laughed wildly.

In the face of life and death, every facet of humanity revealed itself.

Chu Yang stood atop a high-rise building, silently watching the scene unfold.

The "giant" slowly approached. Its target had never been City D; it was merely passing through. But the city stood in its path, making it an eyesore.

Marugori raised his arm high, his expression indifferent, like a demon god judging the sins of all living beings at the moment the apocalypse descended.

He swung his arm with all his strength. The wind pressure generated by that terrifying force even began to distort the surrounding space.

Yet the gale did not destroy the city as Marugori had expected.

The instant it neared the city, it was blocked by an unknown force.

Four purple barriers lit up around City D.

Then the barriers closed, firmly protecting the city within.

Four Violet Flames Formation!

The citizens looked up in confusion, only then realizing that solid walls formed from purple flames surrounded them.

"What is that?"

The scientist Fukegao, standing on Marugori’s shoulder, pushed up his glasses.

Marugori and Fukegao were brothers.

Younger brother Marugori had become a super giant after drinking the ultimate steroid formula created by his older brother, Fukegao.

While he had grown larger and stronger, his intelligence had also plummeted. The current "giant" Marugori was hardly different from an idiot.

"Brother, purple walls!"

"Whether they’re walls or something else, anything blocking our path must be cleared away, Marugori!"

"Got it, Brother."

Marugori strode toward City D. His body weighed hundreds of thousands of tons, and every step he took shook the ground like a magnitude-seven earthquake.

Countless citizens crouched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Fukegao coldly looked down at the ground, the corners of his mouth lifting. At that moment, he seemed like the ruler of the world.

In the distance, a tiny black dot rapidly approached.

Fukegao’s smile faded. He said impatiently, "Those self-proclaimed heroes again. Coming one after another to die, like mosquitoes. Marugori, kill him."

"Okay, Brother."

Marugori stared fixedly at that black dot. As it approached, he suddenly threw a punch. The force of his fist tore through the space before him, forming an even greater storm.

Chu Yang swayed unsteadily amid the fierce wind, and the barrier behind him began to flicker. He realized that if they fought nearby, the Four Violet Flames Formation would eventually be destroyed.

The next moment.

Chu Yang began forming hand seals.

An enormous wooden statue burst from the earth.

Ten meters!

A hundred meters!

A thousand meters!

Ten thousand meters!

In the blink of an eye, the wooden statue had grown to match the "giant" Marugori in size.

Furthermore, a wooden dragon coiled around the wooden statue’s waist.

Its dragon head was held high, its gaze fixed coldly upon the giant.

Chu Yang stood atop the wooden statue’s shoulder, gazing at Fukegao from afar.

"Something that only looks impressive—how could it possibly compare to Marugori?"

Fukegao sneered. "Smash him to pieces, Marugori!"

The giant roared and charged at the wooden statue, attacking with the crude savagery of a wild beast.

The wooden statue reached out and grabbed the giant’s mouth shut. The roar abruptly ceased, followed by an uppercut that struck the giant squarely beneath the jaw.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Marugori staggered backward repeatedly under the heavy blows. His entire body suddenly tilted back, and he nearly fell before barely managing to steady himself.

Fukegao was not so fortunate. He stumbled off Marugori’s shoulder and fell from a height of ten thousand meters.

"Marugori!!!"

Fukegao screamed his younger brother’s name in terror. The giant sluggishly lowered his head, only then noticing that his brother had fallen.

"Brother!!!"

Marugori excitedly reached out to catch Fukegao.

"No!!!"

Fukegao seemed to realize something and let out a shrill scream.

Smack!

A burst of blood exploded in Marugori’s palm. When he opened his hand, his brother was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a pile of mangled flesh and blood.

Chu Yang sighed. "The endings of history are always astonishingly similar…"

Marugori stood stunned for a while before throwing back his head and howling in grief and rage, "Brother!!!"

The brother-obsessed giant descended into absolute fury!

He regarded the wooden statue before him as the culprit, locking onto it with bloodshot eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Marugori broke into a wild sprint, making the surrounding earth quake and mountains shake.

Seeing this, Chu Yang controlled the wooden statue to crouch down and meet the enemy’s savage charge in a sumo stance.

Boom!

The two colossal beings collided violently. The shockwave’s blast of air sent the helicopters broadcasting the battle live from high overhead flying away.

Of the five helicopters, only one remained after the storm passed.

The LED screens in downtown City D relied on that last helicopter to broadcast the scene live, and countless citizens watched with bated breath.

The Four Violet Flames Formation blocked the storm once again, but the barrier had dimmed considerably. It was clearly unable to withstand another attack.

"We need to get this guy farther away…"

Chu Yang muttered.

The wooden statue beneath him responded at once, its strength erupting fully as it pushed Marugori forward without pause.

The two wrestled against each other, leaving ravines like bottomless abysses in their wake.

"You bastard!!!"

Marugori gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his body. He drained every last ounce of strength before barely stabilizing himself.

He was just about to counterattack.

But the wooden statue moved before him. By the time he reacted, both of his arms had already been seized by the other side.

The tiny black dot standing on the wooden statue’s shoulder erupted with dazzling azure lightning.

Marugori suddenly felt a chill spread through his entire body. His heart pounded violently as an indescribable fear began to spread within him.

"Let me go!"

Marugori struggled madly, trying to break free. The air and ground shook everywhere!

Lightning Release Armor, Source Breathing, Armament Haki, and more—aside from Sage Mode, Chu Yang stacked every buff that could be stacked. Finally, two wooden blades appeared in his hands. One bloomed with blinding sunlight, while the other flowed with pure moonlight.

"Though it isn’t my full strength, it’s still around sixty or seventy percent. That’s more than enough respect for you." Chu Yang smiled, then leaped into the air, transforming into a dazzling streak of light that shot forward.

The brilliant light pierced straight through Marugori’s heart. His chest burst open as though it had been struck by a cannonball!

Blood poured down like a raging flood!

Marugori screamed hysterically several times, his breath growing weaker and weaker. The wooden statue lifted him up and violently flung him aside as though throwing away trash.

Chu Yang returned to sit upon the wooden statue’s shoulder. On the LED screens, the image froze on his indifferent face.

That face was deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone in City D.

Far away in City A, Foster saw the news and once again confirmed that Chu Yang possessed limitless potential. He immediately rushed to find his direct supervisor.

"Believe me, he’ll definitely become an S-Class Hero. There’s absolutely no problem with granting him certain privileges in advance."

"Foster, that giant wasn’t as powerful as you imagine. According to the investigation, it was merely a human mutated by drugs."

"But… Chu Yang also displayed overwhelming strength. This is the second Demon-Level Threat he has defeated, and he only awakened not long ago!"

The supervisor seemed somewhat moved. He suddenly fell silent, frowning as he pondered for a moment before sighing. "Foster, I’ll trust you this once. Starting today, you’ll be his liaison, responsible for communication between him and headquarters."

Foster jumped up excitedly. Becoming a liaison meant that his status within the Hero Association would rise along with Chu Yang’s strength.

And Foster had absolute faith in Chu Yang’s future.

After the battle against the giant, Chu Yang became famous throughout City D.

What followed was endless harassment. His address had been leaked by former colleagues from his old workplace, and now countless media outlets waited outside his home every day, hoping to score an exclusive interview.

After becoming a household-name hero, Chu Yang’s reward was actually being unable to return home.

"Ugh… these people really have nothing better to do all day."

Chu Yang stood in the shadows of an alley, gazing at the sea of people outside his home as he helplessly shook his head.

"You’ll get used to it. You’ll encounter this sort of thing often in the future. But this time, I suggest you move."

Foster silently appeared behind Chu Yang.

Chu Yang looked at Foster in surprise. The latter took out a briefcase and waved it before him.

"I brought you a new contract, Mr. Chu Yang."

Foster wore a broad smile.

"I’m not interested in being a bodyguard."

Chu Yang stretched lazily as he replied.

"Of course it isn’t about that." Foster looked somewhat embarrassed, but continued, "Headquarters has agreed to your request. As long as you’re willing, starting today, you’ll be a member of the Hero Association."

After saying that, Foster took out a freshly printed contract from his briefcase and handed it to Chu Yang. "Please take your time reviewing the terms. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time."

Chu Yang accepted the contract and nodded.

After leaving his contact information, Foster walked out of the alley.

Late at night.

After failing to catch Chu Yang all day, the troublemakers finally left in disappointment.

Chu Yang sighed in relief, but not long after returning home, there came a knock on the door.

"Who is it now?"

After hiding all day, Chu Yang’s temper had flared. He walked to the door with a grim expression and pulled it open, only to find a man in a trench coat standing outside.

The man was around forty, with a small mustache and black-rimmed glasses. He had an artistic air mixed with a hint of ruggedness.

"Hello, Mr. Chu Yang. I’m Rod, director of the Major Disaster Response Division of the City D Metropolitan Police Department."

The middle-aged man named Rod smiled, his gaze extremely sharp.

"Metropolitan Police Department?"

Chu Yang froze for a moment. In recent years, the Hero Association had risen to prominence, taking over nearly every matter related to public security. The existence of the police had become so faint that he had nearly forgotten about them.

Rod did not become angry at Chu Yang’s reaction. Instead, he smiled self-deprecatingly. "These days, the word ‘police’ must sound unfamiliar to people, right?"

"Everyone is used to seeking heroes whenever something happens. The police must seem quite useless by comparison."

Chu Yang smiled awkwardly. "That’s not what I meant. I’m just a little curious why Officer Rod came to see me."

Rod took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I’m an impatient person, so I won’t beat around the bush. I hope Mr. Chu Yang can join our Metropolitan Police Department as a security consultant."

Join the Metropolitan Police Department?

Become a police officer?

Chu Yang looked at Rod with considerable surprise.

Rod smiled bitterly. "As I just said, the public would rather believe in so-called heroes than us. Nowadays, the word ‘police’ has practically become a derogatory term."

"The Hero Association’s influence is growing greater and greater. Even the government has begun to lose the ability to restrain them, and many high-ranking officials have already sided with that organization."

Rod spoke in a grave tone. "This is not a good thing. The Hero Association is an organization founded under the leadership of the great tycoon Agoni. At its core, it still serves the wealthy, while ordinary people are merely protected as an afterthought."

"Once that organization completely replaces us, whether ordinary people will still receive protection remains uncertain."

Chu Yang listened silently. In truth, Rod’s concerns were not unfounded.

The Hero Association had already overstepped its authority many times before, but because it had indeed saved many civilians, people generally chose to turn a blind eye.

One obvious example was that although the Hero Association had undertaken much of the postwar reconstruction work, it also frequently occupied land without authorization for self-serving development.

They did whatever they pleased!

No one could guarantee what this force, built entirely upon the wealth of the rich, would become once it obtained real power.

Even if it was currently so beloved by the public!

Chu Yang could sense Rod’s urgency, but he had no desire to get involved in struggles between factions, so he shook his head.

The light in Rod’s eyes quickly dimmed, and his disappointment was plain to see.

There were simply too few people as powerful as Chu Yang who had not been recruited by the Hero Association.

"May I ask something presumptuous? Has the Hero Association contacted you?"

"They gave me a contract today."

"No wonder…"

Rod revealed a self-mocking smile of resignation. "The Metropolitan Police Department truly cannot offer better terms than they can, especially to someone as strong as you."

Chu Yang shook his head. "They did offer me very good treatment, but that isn’t my reason for joining them."

Other than S-Class Heroes, heroes of other ranks really did not earn much.

Ron looked at Chu Yang with a puzzled expression.

"The Hero Association has problems, but does that mean the Metropolitan Police Department has no problems?"

"Mr. Rod, if you insist on placing all the blame on others, then even if I join you, the police’s standing will not improve in any way."

"The Hero Association was only established a few years ago. Before it existed, the police were the people everyone relied on."

"And what have you done?"

"Disappointment was not built up in a single day, Mr. Rod."

Rod was left speechless. He lowered his head in shame, his entire body trembling slightly.

Chu Yang sighed. Some things were hurtful, but they still needed to be said.

If the Metropolitan Police Department truly intended to change…

The next day.

Foster arrived at Chu Yang’s home in high spirits and signed the contract with him. Chu Yang officially became an A-Class Hero.

Temporarily ranked tenth.

At a coffee shop on the central commercial street of City A.

"How can some nobody I’ve never even heard of take my place?"

"Just because he appeared on TV?"

"That monster only mutated from taking drugs. He was all bark and no bite. I could have beaten him easily too!"

Stinger, who had just been pushed down from tenth place among the A-Class Heroes by Chu Yang, angrily complained to his companions. Why did they have to push him down instead of someone else?

Sitting beside Stinger was Golden Ball, also an A-Class Hero, ranked twenty-sixth.

Because of Chu Yang, he was now twenty-seventh.

"It is indeed strange. It is not even time for public recruitment yet, but an unknown hero suddenly appeared and was directly promoted to tenth place."

Golden Ball dressed like a rapper and wore a small goatee. Whenever he spoke, his brows unconsciously furrowed, making him look perpetually burdened by sorrow.

"Do you think that guy got in through connections? Isn’t that common? There are plenty of people like that in the Association."

The man speaking wore a brown snakeskin-patterned suit with a red tie. He was somewhat thin and utterly dispirited.

He was Snake, the lowest-ranked A-Class Hero.

Snake’s words deeply resonated with Stinger.

"That guy definitely got in through connections!" Stinger said indignantly. "I’m going to City D and challenge him in front of everyone. I’ll take back my tenth place."

Golden Ball frowned. "Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? Meaningless fights between heroes could bring punishment from the Association."

Stinger’s attitude was extremely firm. He said in a low voice, "I have to challenge him!"

Snake said, "It’s fine. As long as you do not beat each other too badly, the Association will not care that much. At most, they will give you a warning."

Snake could not have wanted Stinger to challenge Chu Yang more. That suddenly appearing guy had made his already precarious bottom ranking even shakier.

Stinger was also impulsive. The moment he made up his mind, he immediately stood and hurried out of the coffee shop.

Watching his departing back, Golden Ball said worriedly, "This is going to cause trouble."

By the time Stinger took the train to City D, it was already the next day.

Chu Yang happened to be dealing with a Tiger-Level Threat near the station. He used nothing at all, not even Haki. With sheer physical strength alone, he instantly killed it. His casserole-sized fist struck the monster like a butcher pounding meatballs, and in the blink of an eye, the monster had become a puddle of minced flesh.

The moment Stinger exited the station, he saw that savage scene. His eyelids twitched as he licked his cracked lips.

What a fierce rookie. Is his specialty strength?

No problem!

I can counter him with technique!

Stinger secretly encouraged himself and strode toward Chu Yang with an imposing presence.

Chu Yang also noticed Stinger’s exaggerated appearance. His hairstyle looked like some edgy internet café regular’s.

The spear in his hand also looked inexplicably like a penis.

"You are that rookie who jumped straight to tenth among the A-Class Heroes? Your name was… Chu Yang? What a tongue-twister."

Stinger looked unfriendly, and his tone was even more provocative.

"You need something?"

Chu Yang indifferently patted his hands clean, brushing away the blood and flesh on them.

Stinger sneered. "Thanks to you, I was originally tenth. Now I’m eleventh."

Chu Yang found him rather baffling. Frowning, he said, "Shouldn’t you reflect on yourself? If you had been ninth, you would not have been pushed down."

For a moment, Stinger felt that Chu Yang made perfect sense.

Their standoff quickly drew quite a crowd of onlookers, some of whom had already taken out their phones to record.

"Anyway, I challenge you. I’ll prove that I’m still the tenth-ranked hero!"

Stinger raised his beloved spear, Bamboo Shoot, and pointed its tip straight at Chu Yang, provoking him without mercy.

"Why not challenge the ninth-ranked hero directly? Is it because you cannot beat him? Or do you just really like the number ten?"

Chu Yang asked sincerely.

That question made Stinger somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Every word implied that he bullied the weak and feared the strong, and objectively speaking, it really did look that way.

Stinger froze awkwardly. He suddenly realized that attacking was not an option, but neither was backing down. The people around them had already started laughing.

"I was joking just now. You can go ahead and attack. I also want to prove that my tenth-place ranking has real weight behind it."

Chu Yang put on a kind smile. His tone was gentle, yet it made Stinger’s skin crawl.

At that point, Stinger could not worry about anything else. Holding his spear, he charged at Chu Yang and launched the first attack.

"Finishing Move: Giant Spiral Stinger!"

The spearhead spun at lightning speed, and the shriek of tearing air was deafening.

This was Stinger’s ultimate technique. It had always been unstoppable against Tiger-Level Threats, a killing move that ended battles in a single strike. Even against Demon-Level Threats, it still possessed a certain degree of destructive power.

Like lightning, the spear instantly stabbed toward Chu Yang’s face.

Chu Yang covered his entire body in Armament Haki and extended one palm before the spear. The sharp tip struck his palm, erupting in a brilliant shower of sparks.

Stinger’s eyes widened, as though he had seen a ghost.

Someone had actually stopped his Giant Spiral Stinger with one hand, without getting hurt!

Is this guy some kind of monster?!

The surrounding bystanders also sucked in sharp breaths and fell silent in terror.

Chu Yang grabbed the spearhead, and sparks suddenly scattered like falling cherry blossoms. The spinning spear gradually came to a stop.

No matter how much force Stinger used, the spear would not move. Chu Yang had it locked firmly in his grip.

Chu Yang grinned. "You ran all this way, so you probably have not had much rest, right?"

Stinger looked up at him blankly.

"Sleep well!"

Chu Yang suddenly stepped forward and viciously kicked Stinger in the chest and abdomen. The kick sent Stinger’s internal organs churning violently inside him.

Stinger gasped for breath. His vision grew darker and darker until he could no longer hold on, collapsing headfirst onto the ground.

The next second.

Camera flashes erupted!

The onlookers frantically took photos and videos, recording this humiliating moment for posterity. Chu Yang shook his head. By tomorrow morning, Stinger would be in the news.

Within the crowd, a pair of eyes stared fixedly at Chu Yang.

As more and more people gathered, Chu Yang had no choice but to slip away quietly, leaving Stinger asleep on the ground.

He had originally intended to take him to a clinic or hospital…

"What a hassle. I hope everyone else learns to use their eyes and stops picking fights for no reason. If you want to rise in rank, taking down monsters is the only way!"

On his way home, Chu Yang was grumbling when he suddenly noticed someone blocking the road ahead.

"Again? Will this ever end?"

Chu Yang scratched his head, looking thoroughly impatient.

The person suddenly spoke. "You’re a ninja, aren’t you? Which ninja village are you from?"

Chu Yang froze and replied instinctively, "I’m from Konoha."

The person’s expression became blank.

"Where is Konoha?"