Just as Rintaro and Kirika’s battle were coming to an end, the battle between the heroes and monsters that was unfolding in Jimbocho was also about to be settled.

「Bear Body Press!!!」

Bearion’s huge, 70-meter-tall body descends from the sky. From a human viewpoint, it was equivalent to a 25-story building falling on top of them.

But the oldest hero of all, 68-year-old Ittetsu Morikuni, aka Aka justice, showed no sign of avoiding it.

Tightening his arms and clenching his fists, Morikuni intercepted the behemoth of a behemoth with his fists tightly closed. As Morikuni stamped his foot on the ground, the asphalt caved in, creating a huge crater.

「Aka Punch!!!!」

The energy stored in his fist was released all at once. To Bearion, it looked as if his fist had grown huge.

「Guooooooo!?」

The huge body of the bearion, which had fallen from the sky, was driven back into the sky.

Bearion rolled down the main street of Jimbocho, taking a defensive stance. But even as he stood up, he was struck repeatedly by a punch so strong that he finally fell to his knees.

「Damn it…… It’s hard to fight a small opponent……！！」

As can be seen, the fighting style of General Bearion is mainly based on wrestling techniques. However, it was almost impossible for him to use powerful techniques against an opponent who looked like a pea. Therefore, he had no choice but to fight with striking and bashing techniques.

「As expected you are a tough one. But in my working days, there was a guy with more backbone than you.」

Around Morikuni and Bearion, more than 10 giant monsters were lying dead like corpses. All that remained were General Bearion, the hundred beasts general, and Samegaro, the fanged shark monster.

「Awawawawa, Ojikiii! That guy is insanely strong, ssu!」

「Gahahaha! Isn’t that true, Samecchi!!　He is about as strong as me!!」

Bearion laughed off the Samecchi’s worry, regained his spirit and stood up.

General Bearion is the king of the beast monsters, who claims to be the strongest of all. He could not show his subordinates that he had been defeated by such an old man.

「Uoooooooooooon! ! ! ! !」

Bereon let out a howl that echoed throughout Chiyoda District, and clenched his fists, his muscular pectoral muscles bulging.

「King of Hundred Beasts Dynamite Rush!!!!!」

His muscles are so overwhelming that even Victor Red’s burning heat gloves were no match for them. He put them to full use and let his wild instincts take over, slamming his steel fists into the ground as his muscles move.

Zugagagagagagagagagagaga! ! ! ! !

The shockwave alone was so destructive that the surrounding buildings collapsed and the platform of the Toei-Mita subway line was exposed.

Jimbocho was turned into a pile of rubble, and Bearion’s huge body gradually shrank. This was the time limit for the giant drug.

「Haaaah, Haaaah, Have you seen my power!!!」

Breathless, Beirion declared his victory as he returned to his human size. A voice reaches his ears, a voice he should not have heard.

「So you can do it if you try, boy.」

「What’s…… with that……!!!」

The red mask shone brilliantly in the center of the gouged ground. Morikuni had completely offset the rush of Bereon’s most powerful punches with his own punches.

「Of all the monsters I’ve defeated, you’re probably one of the top five in terms of power alone. You should be proud.」

Morikuni’s fist glowed bright red. It was the signal for AkaJustice to decide the match.

With this single technique, he has been fighting evil monsters for more than 30 years.

「Aka Punch!!!!!」

Simple and powerful. A bright red fist approached Bearion, who was unable to move after his giant size was released.

「Tch…… To think the person who defeated me is such an old guy……」

「Ojikiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!」

Paki……

Just as his fist was about to reach Bearion’s huge body, a dark-colored “crack” appeared in the space.

A hand appears through a crack and catches Aka Justice’s fist without difficulty.

Zu……Zuzuzu……Zuruu……

Emerging from the blackness was the Lord of the Night, clad in a jet-black cloak. He was an old gentleman with earth-toned skin, pure white hair, and eyes as sharp as blades.

「Kukkukku…… fuhahahaha…… haaahhahhahha! ! !」

An evil three-stage laugh echoes through the rubble of the city.

The leader of the evil secret society, Ark Dominion. Dragius III, descended upon the oldest hero.

「I, myself, am here.」

「Ryuu-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!」

「Oh, Samecchi, you’ve grown a lot in the little time I’ve been away from you!」

It was like a conversation between a grandson returning home for the Bon Festival and his country grandfather. Although one is a 60-meter-long shark monster, while the other is the darkness-bearing chief of Kanto monsters.

Morikuni, who had been stopped from using Aka punch, once again assumed a fighting pose and faced Dragius squarely. In contrast, Dragius looked at Morikuni with the same relaxed posture as usual.

「Fuuuuh, As expected, you showed up, Ryuuzoo!」

「It has been a long time, hasn’t it? Hasn’t your fist gotten a little lighter, Ittetsu?」

It had been decades since the time when Aka Justice was in active service.

「Our purpose had been achieved. I had no intention of going on a business trip like this if I could have settled things with just my men……. So what would you do?」

A pitch-black aura erupts from Dragius’ body. It drips into the sky like an overflowing stream of blood. The air shivered, and the building’s outer walls cracked with just the pressure of the aura.

「If you still want to go on a rampage, I’ll be happy to deal with you myself.」

It was more of a threat than a proposal.

He is saying, “If you don’t touch me, I will let you go”. The elderly Morikuni, who had fought many battles against giant monsters, had no right to choose.

「I’d like to beg your pardon. If you and I get really violent, Chiyoda District will disappear.」

「Very well, then, let us retire in peace.」

Dragius flung back his black cloak and ordered the Hero Headquarters assault team of the Ark Dominion to retreat. Morikuni, the director of the Hero Headquarters, could do nothing but watch.

――Near the dawn――

Morikuni was sitting on top of a pile of rubble, drinking a cup of sake in the early morning twilight. His mask was off, and the jacket over his red hero suit was swaying in the wind.

Then, a woman in a suit approaches, brushing away the debris.

「Oh Asaka, so you are safe.」

「Thanks to you. But the damage is pretty bad.」

「Umu, reconstruction will take some time. What happened to the staffs?」

「Fortunately, everyone has been evacuated. They are now at the temporary headquarters in Asagaya.」

「……I see.」

Morikuni gave a short reply and drank the cup of sake in his hand in one gulp. The rising sun cast a shadow on the deep wrinkles on Morikuni’s face.

「Dragius III huh…… Back in the day, I would have stopped him.」

Morikuni’s back seemed a little smaller than usual as he mumbled quietly. Seeing such a lonely figure of the director, Asaka decided to ask him about something that had been bothering her.

「Director Morikuni…… Are you familiar with Dragius III in the past?」

「Oh, I know him well. Even before he awakened as a monster. Dragius III … He’s calling myself that way now, but he used to be my “colleague”」

One day, a familiar person suddenly awakens as a monster. It is nothing special.For Samejima Asaka, it was just like that with her younger sister.

「Yes, it was in the past though……」

Morikuni took a photograph from his jacket and handed it to Asaka. The faded photograph showed Morikuni and five other warriors.

Asaka’s eyes were drawn to a sharp-eyed young man in a black hero suit at the far end of the room.

「He’s Kuro Justice… Mayuzumi Ryuuzoo.」

…………

At the temporary Hero Headquarters in Asagaya, the employees were working in a hurry. The people involved were spending sleepless nights in fear of the unprecedented attack on and complete destruction of the Hero Headquarters in Jimbocho.

In one of the rooms, a room with a handwritten placard reading “Temporary Medical Center”, a young girl was lying on a bed, looking up at the ceiling.

The girl with silver hair and eyes as clear as the blue sky repeated the same words from her lips like a curse.

「……Senpai,……Senpai,……Senpai……」

A black aura was oozing out from her body, though it is very slight.

Nobody, not even Kirika herself, realized it.

---

<59: The Last Blow
61: New Year’s Party in Evil Secret Society>