Chapter 64

Naruto Time Control

The city plunged into an absolute silence, which was immediately shattered by the enthusiastic cheers of the citizens.

"Ah, it's the Thunder God!!"

"To kill a Dragon-level monster with a single blow... as expected of the strongest hero! And he’s so handsome!"

Even the bespectacled office workers were swept up in the excitement, shouting fervently as they gazed at Yeruashi's figure, which was bathed in brilliant arcs of lightning.

Less than a month had passed since Yeruashi became a hero, but in that short span of time, he had managed to become the most popular hero of them all!

He was powerful!

He was fast!

And he was undeniably handsome!!

Initially, because of his massive female fan base, Yeruashi had become an object of envy and spite for many men. However, as he continued to prevent more and more catastrophes, the number of people who were sincerely grateful to him grew steadily.

Yeruashi slowly lowered the fist he had just used to slay the Void King. He looked down at the excited residents of City X, who were waving their hands vigorously at him, and offered a soft, kind smile as he waved back.

"It's over."

"The monster didn't have time to inflict any substantial damage on the city, but there are some injuries due to the panic and chaos. A rescue squad needs to be dispatched immediately."

As Yeruashi waved to the joyful crowd below, he pressed a free hand to his ear to contact the Hero Association.

The respectful voice of a female staff member from the headquarters crackled through his headset. "Understood! The rescue squad is already on its way!"

After responding to Yeruashi’s report, the staff member took a deep breath and turned to the head of the Hero Association, who was standing nearby. "Mr. Sitch, one can truly rely on the Thunder God in any situation."

Lately, the S-Class heroes had virtually no work to do because the Thunder God always arrived at the scene in a matter of seconds, regardless of which city the threat appeared in or where he was at the time. It had reached the point where the other S-Class heroes had to settle for handling threats of the Wolf and Tiger levels.

In the past, the Tornado of Terror enjoyed saying that there was no need for so many S-Class heroes because she alone was enough, but in reality, that had been little more than empty talk. Now, Yeruashi had proven in practice that a single hero could indeed be enough to fully replace the entire S-Class!

Just as Sitch was staring at the screen, contemplating whether to propose another rank advancement or even grant the Thunder God some unique status, a nearby staff member called out to him.

"Mr. Sitch, look over there. Isn't that..."

Sitch looked at a figure in the corner of the screen and exclaimed in surprise, "The Human Monster Garou?!"

He turned to the employee without hesitation. "Notify the Thunder God immediately! This is the perfect opportunity to finally deal with that Human Monster!!"

"...It seems there's no need for that. Mr. Thunder God has already noticed him," the staff member replied, her eyes glued to the monitor.

Whoosh!!!

Yeruashi, who had been hovering calmly in the sky surrounded by crackling arcs of lightning, suddenly traced a bright arc through the air and landed right in the middle of a wide street nearby.

The numerous people on that street began raising their phones to take photos of Yeruashi, while some girls rushed straight toward him with pens in hand, hoping to get an autograph.

Zap! Crackle!!

But Yeruashi made no move to dissipate the intertwined arcs of lightning enveloping his body. As the girls drew closer, they began to feel an intensifying tingling sensation throughout their bodies until they were forced to stop at a safe distance.

Right at that moment, a hand swept through the crowd of girls, fluid yet sharp like a mountain stream, aimed directly at Yeruashi's neck.

Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!

Garou had blended into the crowd and launched a surprise attack the moment he realized he couldn't get any closer undetected!

'Sneaking and ambush aren't my style, so consider this my only act of respect toward you, the strongest hero... I’ll start by wounding you severely, and then I’ll beat you to death!'

A cold glint flashed in Garou's eyes.

Boom!!

From the hand that struck directly at Yeruashi's neck, shockwaves of compressed air rolled out, scattering the surrounding people in all directions.

The crowd stumbled back several paces, looking in shock at Garou's figure as he suddenly assaulted Yeruashi.

Many of them recognized the hero hunter immediately.

"That's... the Human Monster Garou!"

"Ah, he snuck up on Mr. Thunder God..."

"What a vile bastard!!"

The onlookers were stunned, and Yeruashi’s female fans clenched their fists in worry.

Garou paid no attention to the crowd's cries.

His body trembled and tensed, his eyes widening in shock. He discovered a layer of pitch-black coating on Yeruashi's skin, right at the point of impact with his palm. In that instant, Garou felt as if he had struck something far more durable than any steel!

Intense pain radiated from the bones in his hand, as if they had cracked the moment the blow landed!!

Garou jerked his hand back and retreated, his startled gaze fixed on Yeruashi's neck. As soon as he pulled his hand away, that strange and terrifying black coating vanished as if it had never existed at all.

'What was that?!'

'Isn't the Thunder God famous for his lightning control and incredible speed, rumored to be as fast as lightning itself? How can his flesh be this tough?!'

While Garou felt a wave of shock and confusion, Yeruashi turned toward him and shook his head in disappointment. "Is this all the power you could gain after several consecutive evolutions? Hmm... I don't see any signs of the Limiter breaking."

"...What are you talking about?"

Garou frowned, not understanding the meaning behind Yeruashi's words.

Yeruashi said calmly, "It's nothing... I came here to eliminate the Void King, but how could I simply walk past a Human Monster who calls himself a demon?"

"In that case..."

Whoosh!

With those words, the surrounding world seemed to freeze, plunging into an absolute silence.

Yeruashi slowly raised his leg, concentrating a massive amount of bright lightning arcs upon it, and smoothly kicked Garou straight in the face.

Garou’s eyes slowly shifted toward Yeruashi’s approaching leg in an attempt to react and offer some form of resistance, but it was completely futile. His arms were moving far too slowly, many times slower than the approach of Yeruashi's shining leg.

Garou wasn't being bound or restricted by some ability.

From the very moment Yeruashi began his movement, there was absolutely no possibility of avoiding the strike.

This was an insurmountable gap in speed.

Boom!!!

Garou took a devastating blow to the face and was sent flying backward, his body smashing through several large buildings.

His consciousness gradually drifted into darkness, unable to withstand Yeruashi's attack.

Just before losing consciousness, only one thought flickered in Garou's mind.

'So this is it... the speed of the Thunder God, the third S-Class hero?'