Cliche Chapter 577-578: The Giant Meteor

Asahi arrived at the Hero Association branch of City-Z. Immediately, he found suspicious activity happening around him, like the tiny drone surveying the area or three powerful aura within the building. What’s more surprising was that he recognized two of them.

‘Isamu and Fubuki?’

S-Class Hero Child Emperor and his subordinate Fubuki were present at the scene alongside two unrecognizable heroes.

‘Genos and Bang most likely. So that drone.’ Asahi narrowed his eyes. ‘Has to be S-Class Metal Knight?’

“Don’t bother me, B-Class Blizzard.”

“You do your thing. I’m just watching.”

Entering the arena in stealth, Asahi saw Isamu arguing with Fubuki while furiously smashing the keyboard of his laptop, running simulations on the coming meteor, yet finding no solution.

At that moment, an elderly man stepped into the room. His blue eyes shone with a lifetime of knowledge and experience, and the wrinkles on his face spoke of countless days spent in deep thought. Though his back was slightly hunched, his body beneath the black martial arts jumpsuit was still lean and muscular, like that of a top-tier athlete.

He was Bang, Silver Fang, the martial artist only second to Blast and Tatsumaki in the S-Class.

“These youngsters, geez. Spare this energy until we really need it.” Bang folded his hands behind his back and looked at the clock on the wall. “In twenty five minutes.”

Fubuki's hands trembled as she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She quickly jabbed at the illuminated numbers on its screen, her heart racing with hope as she dialed her sister’s number for the tenth time since morning.

The beep shattered her hope.

‘Big sister is always here when I need her, but never when I need her.’

Asahi walked to the sad Fubuki’s back before he deactivated his stealth skill and grabbed her shoulders. “Roar.”

Fubuki shook in terror and dropped her phone. Her psychokinesis kicked in and pushed everything away from her. The phone crashed into the wall, falling apart as it landed on the floor.

“Noooo.”

Asahi maintained his ground and pinched her cheeks. “Quiet, you disgraceful disciple.”

Fubuki’s eyes widened. “You, this isn’t the time for games. The city is in danger of being destroyed. We have to do something!”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just one city. We have twenty-five more, if the cities are named according to alphabets.”

Fubuki's jaw clenched, and her body shook with rage. “You demon,” she spat. “How can you say that so calmly?”

“Because I’m a demon.” he said matter-of-factly, a hint of a smirk crossing his lips. “You said it yourself.”

“Ahhh,You make me mad.”

Fubuki’s voice grew louder, her words almost a shriek, but Asahi didn’t even flinch. His gaze had shifted towards Bang, who stood with one hand on his hip and the other scratching his chin, eyes squinted in a mix of curiosity and calculation.

“I’d prefer a guy to not stare at me this much. It feels odd, you know?”

Bang gave him a stern frown. “You’re the new S-Class I’ve been hearing about. My name is Bang.”

“I know.”

“Your stance and aura are solid. Which martial arts school did you attend if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Busujima Clan.”

He threw out his lover’s last name, which actually sounded like a martial arts clan name.

“Never heard of it.” Bang shook his head. “There are indeed hidden masters even in this era. Well, this isn’t the time to be asking questions. I should fill you in on our current crisis…”

“It’s a giant meteor. I heard everyone in the city is crying about it.”

“Then you should know it’s a disaster of Level Dragon. It’s entirely impossible to destroy for all of us here.”

Bang knew his limitations. His martial arts ‘Rock Smashing Water Streaming Fist’ wasn’t going to be enough against the giant meteor speeding towards the City-Z.

Asahi smirked. “You are giving up?”

Bang gave him a wide-eyed grin. “Hoho boy, stop provoking this old man. The several generational heritage of my family is in danger. I’ll stay and fight until the end. You, on the other hand, should take all of your loved ones and evacuate. This isn’t the time to lose a brilliant youth such as yourself.”

Asahi turned to Fubuki and stretched his hand, his eyes sparkling with sincerity. “Fubuki, my beloved, let’s leave before the meteor strikes us down. We’ll go far from this chaos and start a new family.”

Fubuki’s face contorted with embarrassment, her brow furrowing. “I’m not your beloved. Stop spreading misinformation.”

He hung his head, crestfallen. “I got rejected…”

Fubuki softened her expression and rested her hands on her hips. “Moreover, I am not leaving this city… If you want me to be unharmed, use your demonic powers to send the meteor back to space.”

She had seen him nearly stop Tatsumaki with his psychokinesis, which gave her confidence.

‘This fiend can play with the flow of time. There is no world in which he can’t stop a measly meteor!’

Asahi sighed. “Now you’re spreading false information. My powers are deeply rooted in the science and fantasy genre. They don’t come from any demonic source.”

“I’m sorry.” She grabbed his shoulders and held him firmly, tears welling in her eyes. “I know you can do this! You have to use your Esper powers to crush the meteor before it destroys everything. Please!”

Asahi scratched the back of his head. Fubuki’s drastic change caught him off-guard, even now. She was a bully when he first met her. Now she was pleading to save others as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

(She was always kind. Years of bullying and her unhealthy relationship with Tatsumaki made her into a bully. My love’s tortu—prank made her appreciate life again.)

“Asahi Onii-san is an Esper?” Child Emperor asked as he swung his chair in his direction. “We’ll need a psychic output comparable to Tatsumaki if we want to stop the meteor. Can you do that…?”

There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He still had an ace up his sleeve — a mech giant capable of throwing hands with S-Class Heroes. But the weapon was a prototype, barely able to work over two minutes.

“That’s actually not that hard—”

Fubuki’s face brightened as she latched onto his words.

“—If I’m motivated. Psychic powers are directly correlated to the willpower of a person, you know? I’ll need extra motivation to reach anywhere near your sister’s level.”

But her enthusiasm faded as reality set in. She had experienced herself how her psychic powers fluctuated with her emotions.

“What gets you motivated?”

“There is one thing that gets my gears going.” He bent down, his breath warm against her ear, and said something that made her cheeks flush. Drawing back, he smiled. “Can you do it?”

She clenched her hands into tiny fists and nodded slightly in agreement. “...I’ll do it.”

“No backing out later.”

“I said I’ll do it! Just go and do your thing.”

Asahi chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

He spun on his heel and exited the room with a flurry of steps, leaving an eerie stillness behind in his wake. Not a single sound could be heard in the oppressive silence.

Isamu’s candy wrapper brought back the flow of time into the room. He licked his candy, eyes beaming with curiosity. “B-Class Bully, what did he ask you to do?”

“It wasn’t anything perverted.”

He gave a deadpan stare. “Suuuure. What did he ask then?”

Fubuki’s face turned red. “It’s none of your business.”

She walked out of the room, trusting Asahi to get rid of the threat even when she wasn’t around.

‘It’s just a small hassle… I have to find Big Sister first. Where did she go?’

***

Back in the City-Z Hero Association Branch, Bang sighed, his back hunching a bit more. Asahi reminded him of his own young days. Drunk on power and mind deep in debauchery, Bang was living the days of his life until his big brother arrived and kicked his teeth in.

‘If Big Brother was here, we would be able to pull it off.’

Alas, his brother was nowhere to be seen, most likely caring for his dojo or wandering the world. He shook his head as he walked outside of the association, and the sounds of blaring sirens and the emergency evacuation announcements echoed all around him. Most of the citizens had taken shelter in the emergency shelters, which weren’t durable enough to shield them from the meteor shockwaves.

‘Hais, what a tragedy.’

He took a running leap and easily scaled the building where Asahi stood, his face serenely fixed on the distant glowing ball of death.

“You still have time. You don’t need to risk everything for a woman’s promise.”

Asahi turned to him with a grin. “Bang, I appreciate your concern. But this meteor is nothing. I’ve got this.”

Bang shook his head. “So be it.”

“Silver Fang, let Asahi Onii-san do his thing.” Child Emperor walked out, hands behind his head and a hint of a smile on his lips, as if the calamity didn’t give him anxiety. He suddenly pointed in the distance. “Demon Cyborg is also here.”

Genos, whose hero name was Demon Cyborg, flew toward them before landing in front of them. A man with spiky blonde hair and more cybernetic parts than biological organs.

“Oho, Genos is also here.”

“Crap. I gotta hurry.”

Saitama wouldn’t be far from Genos. He couldn’t let Saitama take down the meteor or Fubuki would back out of her promise.

(Hehe, you’re set on humiliating her.)

‘It’s nothing lewd.’

Genos looked at the three of them in confusion. “Child Emperor, Asahi Marikawa and you?”

“He is Bang. We’re here for that.” Asahi pointed at the bright, fiery glow getting closer and closer in the orange sky. “Take a seat and grab some snacks. I’ll make it quick.”

He flew with immense speed, arms stretched out in front of him and his body set aflame. He curved around the city, manipulating flames to make a lovely protection barrier for the city. Soon, the sky was completely shrouded in a majestic sea of red and orange. For added protection, he unleashed a new layer of magical barrier around the perimeter to absorb any shockwaves that might occur..

Child Emperor wore his antiglare glasses and squinted. “What technology is that? How is he doing that?”

“I have no idea.” Genos was equally intrigued. “Sensei’s interest in him is completely warranted.”

He recorded everything through his eyes, ready to send the footage for Dr. Kuseno to dissect.

In the sky, Asahi summoned the red gauntlet, which symbolized his pact with Ddraig. He basked in the echoing ‘Boost’ coming from the Boosted Gear. His aura swelled with every boost, his physical strength doubling at a rapid pace.

“Is this enough?”

(It’s already overkill.)

“Shit. Time to smash.”

He let out a wild laugh as he lunged forward, his face illuminated in the bright yellow glow of the meteor. He reached out with his right arm, gritted his teeth, and yanked with all his might. The gauntlet clashed with the meteor, and a tremendous boom reverberated. Cracks emerged on the immense space rock before it split in many fragments. The power of his strike sent its remnants in all directions, showering the city with sparks.

The city-wide barrier cracked but the flame barrier toasted every space fragment, protecting the city from any harm.

He put off his flame elemental form and looked towards the hunk of black metal flying right above the Hero Association. A robot with three pink glowing holes for eyes and deadly firearms and missiles stored in its body.

“Metal Knight, got enough data?”

Metal Knight powered up the thrusters on his robot and approached Asahi. “You surprised me. The way you created the flames from nothing — how did you do it?”

Metal Knight’s scientist brain was set on fire, urging him to find the non-existent logic behind his flame elemental form.

He chuckled. “It’s a pleasure, old man.”

Metal Knight stared at him.

“Looks like you don’t like that name? How about ‘crazy scientist in the basement’?”

“...We heroes are given hero names. Refer to me as Metal Knight… What is your hero alias?”

“Eh, I don’t have one yet.”

“Then that’s your problem.” Metal Knight turned to Isamu, who glared at him. “I have an emergency at the base. I’ll see you later.”

Asahi could see sparks of hostility between Child Emperor and Metal Knight.

‘I don’t remember their relationship.’

(Like you forget all the males you encounter.)

‘Hey, you just called me sexist.’

Klyscha whistled before breaking into giggles. (You should pacify their confusion—oh no!)

Asahi’s eyes widened as he felt an extremely strong aura. “Fuck, he is here.”