I am a mindless machine.

But to his dismay, he first encountered that "evil spirit" with all sorts of terrifying rumors today, and after being scared half to death, he finally managed to get it to stay quiet in the lounge. But now, an even more troublesome tornado has appeared, threatening to destroy the entire venue—who has he ever messed with?!

Chapter Twenty-One: The Encounter

Regardless of the impending explosion outside, an "unexpected drama" is unfolding inside the testing grounds. Because the hero profession offers high pay and a very high turnover rate, it's considered a job everyone has a chance at, with hundreds applying each time. The internal plaza is therefore exceptionally spacious, large enough to accommodate hundreds of people undergoing various tests without feeling crowded. Now, everyone's tests have concluded. Whether they felt they had a chance or failed due to insufficient skills, most have gone to the rest area to await the results. But now, in the center of this vast testing grounds, a petite girl, tears welling in her eyes, pleads with the hero serving as the chief tester… "Um, I'm sorry… but please, please let me try again…"

Looking at the petite girl trembling before him, as if battered by a raging storm, her eyes glistening with tears, the man acting as the chief tester said with a troubled expression. If it weren't for her undeniably delicate and adorable appearance, he would have already been yelling at her, given his usual temperament. "I wasn't in good shape just now, so I didn't unleash my full power. Please believe me and let me try again." "You said that ten minutes ago, and I've already let you test three more times, and your record has even dropped." 1... The girl with long, flowing, pale golden hair trembled as if she'd been struck in the knee and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. -- This conversation had been going on for almost half an hour. The man scratched his head. He sighed loudly. Seriously, if the Tatsumaki incident hadn't happened back then, the Hero Association wouldn't have changed its rules to allow participation regardless of appearance, age, or status, as long as you have the money. I remember one of the venues was completely destroyed back then... It was terrifying. I hope I never run into that woman again. However, regardless of the circumstances, letting a girl who is clearly still in elementary school... or even just a primary school student in is incredibly stupid. And this girl is wearing such revealing clothes that she looks like she's cosplaying a savage! What do people think of the Hero Association these days, a kindergarten? The man thought helplessly, reading from his notebook: "In about thirty seconds, she only managed five jumps before collapsing to the ground; in the 1500-meter race, she only ran 100 meters before collapsing due to exhaustion, panting heavily as she barely stood up—and after trying to start again, she couldn't see the direction and ran back to the starting point; in the weightlifting test, she struggled even with the lightest 5-pound dumbbells; in the medicine ball throw, the ball fell to the floor as soon as it left her hand; in the grip strength test..." The man read out the records one by one. Aside from tests like flexibility that didn't require much physical exertion, the girl's records were practically at the level of an elementary school student.

"I failed the listening comprehension test (given by others) without a doubt. I don't even know the most famous figures and heroes in society—is I some kind of social savage? But... but I'm still very strong. You have to believe me!" The man's words pierced her heart like a thousand arrows, and she collapsed to the ground, her face flushed like a ripe apple. She made a final rebuttal in a voice that was almost crying—but hadn't even started crying—" "If you really don't believe me, then let's have a fight. I'll prove my strength to you!" "Forget it. I'm a hero, after all. I'm not interested in bullying little girls." The man shook his head again. He certainly wouldn't be so bored as to bully a blind little girl. She probably admired heroes and secretly hid from her parents, wearing what looked like a hero's "special clothes" to take the test. But even if she does become a hero with these grades, what methods will she use to kill monsters? With that toy knife that's more fragile than glass? Or will she use her cuteness to make monsters commit suicide?

"Alright, let's go. I'll take you back to your parents' house. I'll also make up an excuse for you; you don't want your parents to know you ran off to play by yourself, do you?"

He was quite tolerant of such an innocent little girl—especially one who was genuinely adorable. He planned to take Yi Yu's hand and lead her to the lounge, then call the police and her parents to come pick her up. Yi Yu sobbed softly, a look of despair in her dim eyes—her situation was like a student full of confidence before an exam who ended up with a terrible score; not only was her spirit damaged, but her pride was also hurt! Although she knew physical strength wasn't her forte, she hadn't expected the result to be so disastrous—come to think of it, she had no idea the so-called hero test was conducted in this way. If it was a hero test, shouldn't they at least find a monster to fight? What was with this "easy" test?!

She had confidently assured Yun You that she would definitely pass the S-class hero exam, but now she couldn't even reach half of the passing score...

Perhaps the heavens heard the innocent girl's devout prayer—in the next instant, the entire examination hall shook violently. "This is... could it be a monster appearing!?" The man's face hardened, and he assumed a fighting stance, shielding the girl behind him. "Ahhh! I've had enough! I'm going to go in and find that guy myself!" A voice seemed to echo from outside, and then the sturdy door shattered with a deafening crash. Countless stones scattered in all directions. One stone, about half the size of a person, flew rapidly towards the man. While not fatal, being hit by such a massive stone would still leave him stunned. The man was about to dodge, but then he hesitated, remembering the girl behind him. He gritted his teeth, raised his weapon, and prepared to take the brunt of the impact.

"Hmm, it should at least be this good..." At that moment, a soft voice whispered in the man's ear, like a ghostly murmur. -- The next instant, the half-human-sized rock shattered into countless fragments, scattering and striking the man. Before he could even react, the petite girl, with a speed vastly different from her previous test, transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the countless flying rocks.

"This cake seems a bit too big," Tornado frowned, thinking to herself with some displeasure. "It's all that person's fault for always blocking my way." Then, she raised her slender white arm and easily condensed...

He unleashed his powerful telekinetic abilities, intending to control all the scattered stones. She only wanted to find the "evil spirit," she didn't intend to harm anyone else. But then she felt a chill creep up her spine, as if she were being stared at by a ferocious beast. Instinctively, she used all her mental power to form an unbreakable protective shield around her. A flash of cold light. Tatsumaki's eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at the slender blade that had stopped beside her neck. Her face was faintly reflected on the blade, which resembled a scathing light. A faint crimson line appeared on her snow-white neck, bringing a slight stinging sensation. "Lady Tatsumaki, please wait a moment!" Snek rushed over, only to see Tatsumaki staring indifferently at the girl with long, pale blonde hair. Snek vaguely remembered the girl; after all, her clothing made her easily recognizable. He saw the girl bowing her head in apology before Tatsumaki, saying something like, "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I didn't know you were human and attacked without warning," which was rather rude and unclear. He nearly died. If he angered that powerful figure, he'd be dead for sure. Just as he was about to say something, a cold, emotionless voice preceded him. A snow-white-clad girl emerged from behind the door leading to the lounge, surveying the scene with a questioning look. "[Confused] What's going on? Has a monster attacked?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Untitled

Yun You had just stepped out from the backstage area where the scores for the assessment were recorded, but upon opening the door, the scene before her could only be described as utter chaos. The ground was littered with various small, scattered rocks, and the entrance to the venue had been blasted open, leaving a large crater over four meters high. Coupled with the violent shaking that had just occurred, it would be understandable to assume that a strange attack had taken place. However, after actually scanning the expressions of everyone in the venue, the situation seemed to be more complex than that. "[Confused] Yi Yu, what's going on?" She blinked expressionlessly, then asked the stunned blonde girl. ... ...J Yi Yu paused for a moment, then bowed apologetically to the still expressionless Tatsumaki before jogging to Yun You's side. She opened her mouth a few times, trying to explain, but after repeating this for several seconds, she tilted her head, her youthful face filled with confusion, and said: "[...What happened?]" To be honest, she didn't know what had happened either. She had simply sensed danger as usual and rushed over, then swung her knife at the intruder who had caused such destruction—only to realize just before slashing that the other party seemed to have no ill intentions, so she forcibly stopped the blade... Yun You looked speechlessly at the loli in front of her, then turned her gaze to the other green-haired loli floating in the distance. Combining the details of the scene, apart from not knowing about Yi Yu's intervention, she roughly understood what had happened. Although she had thought that Yi Yu would probably come looking for her, she didn't expect it to be so soon. Just how deep is this obsession...? Yun You sighed, then walked over to the tornado that was now silently floating in mid-air.

For the past three years, she had indeed been avoiding him—after all, pointless battles yielded nothing but wasted time. However, the "drama" of the original work had already begun; in two months, Boros's spaceship would land on Earth, followed by the Monster Association arc. Yun You wasn't sure if she could handle the situation with her current strength, so instead of continuing to slaughter weak monsters, it was better to adjust her condition. Specifically, this meant fighting stronger opponents. "([Calculation] If it's someone like Tatsumaki, it should be more than enough, right?)" Yun You silently pondered.

Although her strength appears formidable to the people of this world, she knows it's merely an illusion. To maximize her kill efficiency, when facing monsters like the Mosquito Girl, she only needs to unleash pure energy, like the Skywing, to complete the secret kill. She then moves on to the next location to annihilate monsters, without communicating with anyone—the advantage of this approach is its incredibly high efficiency, as evidenced by her S-class ranking; she boasts a kill rate of around 1% against [Demon]-level monsters. (Note: The cities in the One-Punch Man world are vast; after all, the entire Earth is a super-enlarged version of Earth, so even with Yun You's methods, other heroes still have many monsters to kill.)

--However, every advantage has its disadvantages. The Machine Race is a race that relies on calculation; since she has maintained this mode of action for three whole years, it's inevitable that she will develop inertia. Some skills honed during the "Great War" will now be unused for unnecessary reasons. This is undoubtedly very dangerous. For example—the colossal giant with the strength of a [Dragon] that could destroy half a city with a single palm strike. When Yun You fought that creature, she first, as usual, fired a Heavenly Strike at its head with about 30% of its power—the condensed energy beam was then dispersed by the giant with a single, devastating punch. Then, the giant, enduring the excruciating pain in its fist, unleashed a rapid barrage of attacks at Yun You, who thought the battle was over. The gusts of wind generated by its punches once again caused severe damage to the surrounding city. The power of that attack was so great that even a celestial storm would pale in comparison. Although the battle was ultimately ended with a spatial teleportation followed by a close-range headshot, it did make Yun You realize the danger. If that giant was a giant from the game world... she would have suffered at least some damage. Because before this, [Dragon]-level monsters were actually very rare; including Ashura Rhino Beetle, Yun You had only encountered five. Having easily defeated so many weaker opponents, and given that in the original work, no matter what kind of monster, Saitama could defeat them with a single punch, Yun You subconsciously assumed that everyone in this world except for the Demon King-level Boros...

But thinking about it carefully, her strength seemed to be nothing more than a weakling in Saitama's eyes. If she could take this opportunity to have a real fight with Tatsumaki, perhaps she could understand a little about the high-level combat power of this world. Thinking this, Yunyou walked up to Tatsumaki without speaking. Based on her previous analysis of Tatsumaki's behavior, Tatsumaki should automatically issue a challenge to the "evil spirit" without her having to speak. She just needed to wait until then to accept. Tatsumaki's expression was strange at this moment. Compared to her usual arrogant and flamboyant demeanor, she now seemed to have suffered some setback, a gloomy look covering her face, even her messy curly hair, which occasionally swayed with her telekinesis, drooped slightly. ...What happened? Yunyou felt a little strange. "Hey." Finally, she spoke in a deep voice, but it wasn't the line Yunyou expected, "What's your name?" In fact, it wasn't even addressed to her. Her gaze was fixed on the girl behind Yunyou...

Yi Yu's expression was somewhat regretful. She could actually see Tatsumaki, though not as clearly as Yun You and Saitama; it was like a white mist, obscuring all details. However, she could still vaguely make out an outline. After hesitating for a moment, she answered, "My name is Yi Yu." "Is that so? I understand." Tatsumaki nodded, a hint of seriousness flashing in her usually arrogant green eyes—the previous strike wasn't due to her protective shield hindering the opponent's attack, but rather the opponent had deliberately stopped. Although it was a hastily constructed shield, it was more than enough to defend against most attacks. It had been sliced ​​open instantly, like cutting through foam.

And until the knife stopped, she wasn't even aware of its existence. This meant that if the other party wanted to, they could take her life at any time. Tornado clenched her fists tightly at this disparity in strength.

"You're here to participate in the hero assessment. Hmm, with your strength, you should be able to easily reach level 5." Tornado turned around and said this casually. "Next time, I won't lose so easily." After saying this, she flew away from the venue.

The conversation was so incomprehensible that Yunyou couldn't even find a moment to interject. Watching Tornado disappear from sight, Yunyou silently abandoned her plan to spar with her. Clearly, although she didn't know why, Tornado was no longer interested in her. For some reason, she felt a strange mix of emotions. "[Leave] Let's go, Yiyu. Never mind, since that's how it is..." Yunyou glanced at the somewhat bewildered girl, deciding not to waste any more time there. She pulled her close, picked her up, and, with her mechanical wings spread, flew away from the training ground.

"...W-What are you doing all of a sudden?" Yi Yu exclaimed, feeling the cold air blowing against her body. Although her vision was completely black, she still realized that she was currently high in the sky. She nervously hugged Yun You to prevent herself from falling, curling up like a kitten, her face pale as she asked, "Why are we flying?! Can't we just use a normal mode of transportation?!" "[Answer] Didn't you already hear about me—the 'Evil Spirit J'—from Genos?" Yun You replied calmly. Her flight speed wasn't very fast, just maintaining a normal speed. After all, although the girl in her arms possessed strange and powerful strength, her physical condition was very weak. Now, she could hardly feel any weight in her arms. If the flight speed were too fast... she would probably faint directly. Yun You once again formed a wooden structure to reduce the cold wind. The slight trembling of the girl's petite body in his arms subsided. "[Continued Answer] If we continue to stay there and talk to you, more people will learn about the evil spirit." It wasn't actually an incommunicable machine.

"That would be very troublesome for me." Upon hearing Yun You's words, Yi Yu hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "[Correct answer] Because I am a machine without a heart, it would be very troublesome if I were to make contact with others. Because that would hinder the progress of the mission."

Yun You replied calmly, and Yi Yu understood that the other party did not want to talk about this topic any further, so she ended the questioning.

She buried her face in Yun You's loose white robe, which rustled in the wind. A faint fragrance wafted into her nostrils, making her heart flutter. The girl murmured to herself, "But... you'll be so lonely then." Otherwise, you shouldn't have smiled so genuinely back then. Wasn't that the joy of finally meeting someone you could talk to? The wind was blowing loudly high above, and her words didn't reach Yun You's ears. Yi Yu tilted her head slightly, glancing at Yun You's delicate face out of the corner of her eye. It was truly rare for her to have this kind of experience, after all, her [ability] destined her to only see "danger" that would kill her. The clearer the hostility towards her, the clearer the images that appeared in her mind. While someone like Qi Wu, possessing unscientific abilities, could also see, there were still some mosaic-like marks on her body. Rather than seeing danger, it would be more accurate to say she could see "negative emotions (killing intent)." Therefore, what she had always seen was "hatred," "anger," "fear," "madness," "grief," and so on—a collection of all negative emotions. Beautiful things could only be learned from others. Someone like Yun You, who had no hostility towards her and was actually very friendly, yet whose appearance she could still clearly see—this was the first person... Yi Yu inexplicably felt like sighing.

She understood that the reason Yunyou had accepted her and treated her well before was not because of what she had said back then, her tragic experiences, or the life-saving grace she had received three years ago—but because she saw [someone] in her.

The one who tied the knot must untie it; perhaps to calm Yun You down, that person's help is also needed. Yi Yu thought this with a touch of sadness, burying her face in the white robe again, closing her eyes. Yun You's chest wasn't large, but a small chest was better than a flat chest.

All I need to do is help her within my own capabilities. That's the only way I can repay her kindness right now.

"[Question] By the way, about your assessment results..." After a few minutes of awkward silence due to the previous topic, Yun You spoke first. However, upon hearing this question, Yi Yu would rather the other party not speak at all!

"Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th..." Her entire face flushed instantly, her eyes darting around as she stammered, trying to find an excuse to get away with it: "Actually, I didn't take the test seriously at all! I think it's really strange to need a hero's identity to perform heroic acts. Real heroes, even without such a title, would still step up when others need them..." "[Conclusion] In short, I've moved your grade to the bottom of B-rank. Because this position doesn't require actively going out to find monsters every week." Yun You interrupted Yi Yu's attempt to find an excuse, saying calmly, "After all, your appearance makes it seem like you could be easily lured away with just a lollipop. It feels dangerous to let you go out alone." "I'm not that stupid! --No, that's not the point. How did you manage to modify the data!? I heard that the data was uploaded to the highest-level security system, right?" "[Sneer]" Even without using the computational capabilities of the mechanical core, such a simple system could be easily solved with a decent computer. However, I didn't use that method, because unilaterally altering the data would be meaningless." Yun You calmly revealed something terrifying.

"So I went directly to the decision-making room backstage at the assessment site and put pressure on the higher-ups." Yun You, after all, was the top-ranked S-class hero; if she wanted, she could wield considerable influence within the Hero Association. This time, she unusually requested only the lowest-ranked B-class hero, so the association naturally thought they could do her a favor and agreed. "Please don't make using connections and backdoors sound so blatant..."

Yi Yu sighed somewhat helplessly, but despite this, a faint smile couldn't help but appear on her lips. She chuckled softly, "But thank you anyway, Yun You."

I'm offering a bounty, meow.

In short, yes, as the title says.

Because I always feel that if I continue writing like this, my mental state will collapse even faster than the plot of the book falling apart.

It's not that I don't know what to write next; rather, I've already figured out the general plot up to the point of the sudden appearance (although it's very vague).

Besides, my typing speed isn't slow; normally, updating more than twice a day is a piece of cake... The recent lack of updates is mainly due to my mindset. I'm almost falling into a vicious cycle.

After all, my lack of self-confidence has almost become a cursed passive skill.

So I've decided—in short, I'll break this vicious cycle with some drastic measures. The painful yet enjoyable task of writing seems like a good option.

One extra chapter for every 100 monthly votes, one extra chapter for every 10,000 donations. I won't accept any harsh criticism, since I haven't been consistently present late, and even a 0.1 donation would break my heart... (lying down)

(This should be the amount... I guess I didn't order too much...)

(If no one votes... ugh... I feel so embarrassed...)

There are too many to go on, so this time I'll limit it to a maximum of thirty chapters and 60,000 words, and keep going until I reach that limit (anyway, reaching the limit is impossible).

Then, the minimum daily word count is 3000 words. There will be at least one extra chapter per day.

that's it.

I will continue to work hard to present the stories in my heart to everyone.

—by Sang, the author who is about to evolve into an emotionless word processing machine

(Then, I will also make changes to the Photoshop settings to strive to provide you with a better experience.)

(And this book is definitely not going to be abandoned. As long as the chapter subscriptions don't drop too drastically, I'll keep updating it. After all, this might be the peak of my career!)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The World Will Still Evolve on Its Own

This world is indeed "unfair." Some people train to the point where they can punch through rock, even an entire mountain range; others train their mental strength to become unparalleled telekinetic users; still others create experimental products comparable to these two through sheer intellect. It's a vibrant world where, with enough effort, it seems nothing is impossible. But this is only the surface. So, what is the reality?

There are over 1 billion people in the world, but less than one-thousandth of them can successfully acquire superhuman strength. Moreover, most of them, even after pushing themselves to the limit, only achieve abilities like "being able to lift a relatively large stone," "being able to run faster," or "having increased strength after drinking milk." What's more, there are ordinary people who have absolutely no aptitude; all they can do is pray they don't get targeted by monsters. It's not that they don't want to save themselves with their abilities—they simply lack the "aptitude." Take, for example, a young man currently in a hospital. Looking at the six-armed, enormous, grotesque monster with a sinister smile approaching him, Xuan Xiang, lying on his hospital bed, clearly understood one thing—he had been abandoned. It wasn't that he didn't want to run; it's just that his legs were completely immobile. Not the kind of immobility born of fear, but a physical defect he had since birth. About half an hour earlier, a loud explosion had been heard downstairs in the hospital. The alarm for the approaching monster quickly blared throughout the hospital. The monster wasn't high-level, just a mere [Tiger] monster, but even that was an absolute threat to ordinary people. Only a [Hero] could fight such a monster. Xuan Xiang initially panicked, screaming as he heard the monster's heavy footsteps approaching. This torturous experience nearly drove him to a mental breakdown, but without support, he couldn't even get out of bed. This was a private room arranged by his parents, who were too busy with work to visit him, and there was no one around to call for help. All he could do was frantically press the emergency call button by his bedside and sincerely hope that a hero would come to his rescue.

But twenty minutes passed—and no one came. Neither the hospital director, who usually took good care of him, nor the caregivers his parents had hired to look after him, were there. Xuan Xiang had initially worried that something might have happened to them, but looking through the window beside his bed, he discovered the truth: most of the people in the hospital had already fled, including the two he was concerned about. Now in a safe zone, the panic on their faces had been replaced by relief, tinged with a hint of mockery. Some even took out their phones to leisurely record the conversation. Thinking about it, the reason those two were so friendly was probably just because their parents were wealthy. Xuan Xiang also saw the "hero" who had rushed over after hearing the alarm. The man in the black vest was loudly announcing his name to the crowd as if he wanted the whole world to know how great he was, but he was delaying going to the hospital. Perhaps, in that hero's eyes, promoting himself and increasing his rank in the Hero Association to gain more money was more important than saving the thousands of ordinary people who died every day. --This is what they call a "hero"? Ha.

At this moment, Xuan Xiang felt nothing mattered anymore. Even with the cruel-smiling monster standing right in front of him, he felt no fear. Without power, any struggle would be futile. Since living was meaningless anyway, he might as well be killed here—the very next instant this thought crossed his mind, a seemingly innocent and light voice entered his mind. [Hey, are you really planning to die here?] [Just because you possess "power," you can be hailed as a hero. Even if you've saved a few people, that's just how they earn money, like a normal person going to work, not even as dedicated as an average office worker. Just because you possess "talent," you can obtain things most people can never achieve without effort.] ["I...don't you hate it? -Don't you hate this unequal world?"] Time seemed to freeze in the air, everything in the world came to a complete standstill in Xuan Xiang's eyes. What was going on now? - Before even considering this question, his mind had already given the answer. The voice flowed naturally from his mouth: "Of course I hate it." If only he had power - if only everything were equal. Then - his body underwent a strange change. Francesca, who was observing the whole thing from the top floor of the hospital, smiled happily, looked up at the clear sky, and swung her legs, laughing. "This world is really amazing, giving everything a 'possibility.' Well, although too many possibilities make it hard to say whether the result is good or bad -" A maniacal smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"But I'm still really looking forward to it—looking forward to those touching little dramas, full of the 'brilliance of humanity,' that unfold between people~★"

A dazzling light illuminated the entire sky, followed by a deafening roar like thunder. This place was located somewhere in the desolate wilderness, mainly composed of hard, arid ground and barren rock walls. Due to its harsh geology, no one wanted to live or build a city here. However, it was precisely because of its sparse population that it could be used for some activities that could not be seen by others.

Actions. For example, a practice battle. After failing to challenge Tatsumaki at the Hero Association, Yun You turned her attention to the girl beside her, whose strength was equally difficult to estimate. Although she couldn't grasp the girl's exact strength, based on her performance so far, she should be fully qualified as a "practice partner." At that time, she flew directly to this place with Yi Yu in her arms. After landing, she fired a concentrated and weakened version of Sky Strike at the golden-haired girl who looked back at her with a somewhat bewildered expression, completely unaware of why she had come to this place. Although it was set with a hidden setting that the attack would be redirected to the ground upon contact with flesh, in Yi Yu's eyes, who was unaware of this, the beam of light would undoubtedly pierce through her body. "Hey, hey, hey, why did you suddenly attack?! What did I do wrong?! Am I going to be killed to silence me?" Under Yun You's astonished gaze, the attack, which was supposed to hit the girl's abdomen, inexplicably disintegrated, turning into a glowing ball of energy that vanished into the air, melting away like snow meeting the warm sun. Then, Yi Yu cried out in a panic. Could it be because she had secretly brushed against Yun You's body a few times earlier, causing her to...? The sudden attack had caused Yi Yu to start overthinking. Indeed, Yi Yu is very strong. Yun You nodded to confirm, then calmly said, "[Request] -- Let's have a match. Please make sure you show your true strength." "No... why all of a sudden..." Yi Yu initially wanted to refuse this abrupt challenge, as she didn't actually enjoy fighting, especially not against Yun You. However, seeing Yun You's expression, she realized he was genuinely requesting her assistance. After a moment of silence, Yi Yu nodded. "Alright, then let's have a short spar." The delicate girl with long, pale golden hair placed her hand on her scabbard, revealing a faint smile. "Well then, be careful not to lose -- after all, I'm quite strong too."

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Gears of Fate Begin to Grind

"I...I can't go on..." Yi Yu lay sprawled on the ground, her delicate face flushed, panting heavily. Her animal hide clothing was soaked with sweat, the once fluffy fur now flattened and torn in many places, revealing the snow-white skin beneath. Two of the three straw ropes securing her straw sandals were broken, pitifully clinging to the girl's small feet. She didn't even have the strength to lift "Yin" anymore. "[Questioning] Did you really show your strength?" J Yunyou slowly descended from the sky to the ground, folding her wings, and said this with a cold and somewhat displeased expression. At the same time, she sheathed the long sword that had appeared in her hand: "[Pointing out] The ability you just used is only at the level of a normal S-class hero. In my memory, you are not that weak." No... my situation is a bit complicated... my normal combat ability is not that... Yi Yu! said with a somewhat hesitant expression, but she did not intend to go into details. Perhaps it was because it involved a complicated past. Or perhaps it was because if she wasted her energy speaking now, she might die from exhaustion. The land around them had become devastated, with huge pits and rubble everywhere, and a huge rock wall that had collapsed halfway, making people wonder if some kind of terrifying weapon was being developed here. However, the culprits behind all this were just two petite girls. The battle actually did not last long, only three minutes. Three minutes... Yu collapsed from exhaustion and could not get up again. This shows such poor stamina... Although the process was indeed quite intense, and Yi Yu managed to parry all of Yun You's attacks, whether it was a long-range Sky Strike or a skillful close-range combat technique, Yi Yu intercepted them all. However, basically, such a short battle time didn't yield any significant gains.

Yunyou walked to Yiyu's side, used "Material Creation" to produce a jar of water and a towel, and wiped the sweat from Yiyu's forehead as she lay on the ground. Yunyou actually understood why Yiyu couldn't demonstrate stronger combat abilities. "[Pointing out] Your specialty is 'Killer Sword,' isn't it?"

As she used the healing techniques she had learned from the forest spirit to help Iyu, whose breathing was disordered, regain her strength, she said this in a calm tone. Although it was a question, her tone was already certain.

Her swordsmanship had long lost its concrete form, leaving only its essential essence. Her sword existed from the very beginning for annihilation; to fight with all her might... no, it should be said that just suppressing the urge to kill consumed most of her energy. Therefore, she utterly despised combat, especially combat with humans. She didn't want to...kill... After receiving a positive response, a flicker of emotion crossed Yun You's eyes, and she softly said, "[Apology] I'm sorry to have made you do something you didn't like." "No, not at all," Yi Yu gently shook her head, smiling, "I'm happy to be able to help you. Anyway, my life is all about taking things as they come... I'm happy to do whatever you want, okay?" She winked jokingly. She was someone destined never to die—so in her long life, encountering such a situation was a rare treat, and she was quite happy. Looking at the other's sincere smile, Yun You stood up without a word, picked up Yi Yu again, and flew into the sky. After gradually getting used to it, Yi Yu wasn't too flustered by this sudden behavior. She simply looked at the girl's expressionless profile and asked with a smile, "Qin? Where are you planning to go next?" [Answer] "Of course, to give you the [thank you gift] for practicing with me."

Yun You responded calmly. "Yi Yi, do you really want to keep wearing this outfit that's over 70% revealing? Ah, if this is just your personal preference, then I won't presume to believe you."

"Shut up!"

City A, Hero Association Headquarters. A confidential council meeting is underway. "Gentlemen... the reason I've gathered you all here today is to announce something very serious," said a man named Segungal, the council leader, with a grave expression. No heroes were present at this meeting; in fact, meetings that convene heroes are extremely rare. Most of the high-ranking heroes attending are free agents, and... some confidential matters cannot be easily leaked. After all, any hero, if they wanted to, could become a "monster." "What is it that requires the simultaneous attendance of seventeen high-ranking members? A normal meeting only needs five people to make a decision, right?" asked a bearded man in a suit. This was the question on everyone's mind. Some of them showed displeasure, because this was an emergency assembly order, forcing them to abandon their work and rush here by high-speed transportation. Moreover, Segungal, as the convener, didn't have particularly high prestige; everyone present was of similar status. If what they were told later was something trivial, they would definitely make Sergengar suffer a little. "I know you're all somewhat dissatisfied right now, but even so, I hope you'll listen carefully to what I'm about to say—after you watch this video, you should understand how serious things are."

Segungal took a deep breath, then picked up the projector controller from the table and pressed start, pointing it at the screen. Immediately, the lights in the room went out, plunging the room into darkness, and everyone's attention was focused on the only still-lit slide. Since Segungal was speaking so solemnly, something must have indeed happened; thinking this, they were intently preparing to see what this was all about.

Was it some unknown, powerful, and eccentric individual? Or had some powerful group issued a declaration of attack? Or had they obtained some terrifying intelligence? -- As soon as the film began, just seeing the figures appear on screen, a solemn expression appeared on everyone's face. --- It was a petite girl in white.

"...'The Evil Spirit,' right?" one of the staff members said, his voice trembling slightly. He had witnessed the Evil Spirit killing villains and felt the terrifying aura it released. If the "serious incident" that Segungal mentioned was related to that Evil Spirit—then the problem was huge. "Yes, that's 'Evil Spirit J.' As for the filming location, it was in Z City, and the time was the morning before the hero assessment there." Segungal nodded gravely, acknowledging the other's guess. Then he pressed play on the video. In the video, "Evil Spirit J" went to the deserted street, looking around as if searching for something. "What is she doing?" someone asked. "At that time, there was an alarm for a monster appearing nearby. Based on the energy level emitted, we determined it should be a [Demon]-level monster, so the Hero Association, as usual, sent the message to 'Evil Spirit' hoping she would handle it." "As you all know, due to the 'uncertainty (danger)' of Evil Spirit J, whenever we assign her a mission, we always have tracking cameras filming her behavior. That's why this video exists." Douggengart explained, "However, we didn't find any trace of the monster in this incident, so it must be a system malfunction... But the important part of this video is later." The progress bar moved slowly forward, like a wind-up toy following a trajectory. In the video, the white-clad girl first launched her attack at an empty space. Then, inexplicably, she flew into the sky, unleashing numerous weapons. She then spoke to herself, her expression shifting – for that "evil spirit," this was already an unimaginable anomaly. But what happened next made everyone truly realize this was a "serious incident" – the evil spirit suddenly erupted with a dazzling light capable of burning the eyes; a pure, extreme torrent of light wantonly destroyed the surrounding buildings, even engulfing the camera filming the scene. Without any enemies, she deliberately unleashed astonishing power to destroy the city. The video ends there, and the room is lit again. But a shadow of gloom hangs over everyone's faces. "According to our post-incident investigation, a full fifth of the city was reduced to dust by that attack. If Z City hadn't been sparsely populated, and if the area hadn't been deserted at the time, at least several thousand people would have been affected," J. Segungal said, placing his hands together on the table and speaking in a deep voice. "Many people were already deeply troubled by the fact that such a terrifying evil spirit could be a hero, but considering how efficiently it had been fulfilling its duty of killing monsters for the past three years, the Hero Association had withstood the pressure and still acknowledged 'Evil Spirit J's' identity. But as you can see now, that 'evil spirit' is beginning to show signs of controlling others." "So—I think we should revisit the [exorcism plan] that was shelved a year ago."

A stillness permeated the air. "This is all for the survival of humanity," Segungal closed his eyes. "For justice."