"Hello, Momobami-san!"
Yuki walked up to Momobami Kirari and greeted her with a rather formal tone.
"Sorry for not using an honorific. Should I address you as the student council president of Hyakkaou Academy, or as the head of the Hundred Devouring Families?"
"I prefer the identity of Hyakkaou Academy's student council president."
Momobami Kirari replied calmly.
Hyakkaou Private Academy — a school where gambling reigns supreme.
In this school, nothing is off-limits when it comes to betting. Two years ago, Momobami Kirari had climbed her way to the top and seized the position of student council president through gambling, initiating sweeping reforms.
She established a hierarchy system and a livestock classification.
Her name alone carried such weight that even Yuki had heard of her.
"Suou-san, is there a reason you're seeking me out at a time like this?"
Kirari cut straight to the point.
"Momobami-san, do you have any interest in making a bet with me?"
Upon catching the word "bet," Kirari's blue eyes instantly lit up with intrigue.
She hadn't expected Yuki to actually initiate a wager.
"What shall we bet on?"
Kirari's charming blue lips curved ever so slightly.
Yuki's eyes also gleamed with sharp light.
"A hundred billion!"
Yuki looked up at the massive meteor falling rapidly from the sky and spoke solemnly.
"Let's bet on whether or not these heroes can stop the meteor from crashing down..."
"And what's Suou-san's bet?"
"I believe they won't stop it."
A flicker of surprise crossed Kirari's eyes.
She glanced toward the S-Class heroes in the distance and murmured thoughtfully,
"Looks like Suou-san doesn't place much faith in the S-Class heroes..."
As she spoke, Kirari closely observed Yuki's expression.
In Kirari's eyes, such a bet — made at a time like this — was essentially a declaration of suicide.
Apart from the heroes, there was no one else at the scene capable of stopping the meteor.
Which meant: if Bang and the others failed, everyone here would die.
"Betting a hundred billion on your own death?"
Such a mad decision stirred something within her.
Looking at Yuki, Kirari's eyes sparkled with amused fascination.
"Very well. I accept."
"If I lose — even if we all die here — the Hundred Devouring Families will pay the hundred billion."
"Conversely, if I win, I don't want your money. I only ask for one simple thing..."
"Transfer to Hyakkaou Academy."
Kirari's voice rose slightly. She could hardly wait.
A girl who could make such a thrilling wager on the edge of death would surely bring her joy at Hyakkaou.
"Then it's a deal!"
Yuki said firmly, and as she turned toward Kuzeha, her chin lifted with mischievous flair.
Genos landed on the rooftop and greeted Bang.
He had rushed over the moment he got the mission.
Unfortunately, he found only Silver Fang Bang present among the S-Class heroes.
According to Bang, the others were either occupied or too lazy to come.
This disappointed Genos, who had recently joined the Hero Association as an S-Class hero.
Seeing the group of students behind Bang, Genos frowned.
"Why haven't these people evacuated?"
Bang shook his head.
"Something unexpected happened..."
There was no time to explain further.
Genos looked up at the meteor falling through the sky, his expression grim.
"Can I stop it...?"
Clenching his right fist, he thought silently.
Just then, a black robot descended onto the nearby rooftop, fire blasting from its jets.
Genos turned his head and lit up slightly.
S-Class Rank 6 — Metal Knight!
"Metal Knight, you're here to stop the meteor too?"
"If we join forces—"
Before he could finish, Metal Knight's mechanical voice cut him off.
"I'm only here to test weapon performance. Please stand back."
Genos didn't hide his displeasure.
"You're not going to stop the meteor? Aren't you afraid you'll get caught in the blast?"
"This is merely a weapons-testing robot. No need to worry about it..."
As Metal Knight finished speaking, the robot unfolded all its missile compartments.
"All missiles — fire."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Dozens of missiles roared toward the meteor.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed from above, making many students cover their ears in pain.
The blast kicked up a thick cloud of dust that completely obscured their vision.
"What terrifying large-scale weaponry..."
Genos analyzed the explosion's energy output, silently alarmed.
"Did it work?"
One student, unable to hold back, reached for a champagne bottle.
But in the next moment, the flaming meteor punched through the dust cloud.
As it grew larger in their field of view, everyone's faces turned pale.
They could now clearly feel the countdown of their own lives.
"So tough?"
Metal Knight frowned.
His dozens of missiles hadn't even chipped off noticeable debris.
This meteor was harder than some special alloy steels!
Genos gritted his teeth.
"Looks like I'll have to do it... Full power output requires five seconds of charge — I don't even know if it'll work..."
"And if I do manage to break it apart — what about the secondary damage..."
Staring at his mechanical arm, Genos hesitated.
Bang placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Young man, do not waver in your heart."
"Whether the result changes or not, just give it your all!"
Those words reignited Genos's spirit.
"I'll do it!"
He opened his chest compartment, pulled out his energy core, and slotted it into his right arm.
"Incineration Cannon!"
A roar erupted.
Blazing heat shot from his palm in a massive fire beam that struck the meteor's underside.
The heat illuminated everyone's faces in red.
Yet none of the students even flinched — their eyes were locked on the meteor.
"I think... it moved back a little?"
Bang's voice gave everyone a spark of hope.
"Really?"
Genos asked, gritting his teeth.
"Err... maybe just an illusion..."
That one line turned every face pale once again.
Genos's full-power mode couldn't last long.
Ten seconds later, he collapsed to one side, energy drained.
"Failed..."
A female student suddenly covered her mouth, her pupils trembling.
The back-to-back failures of Metal Knight and Genos sent all hopes plummeting.
The elites who always spoke so confidently were now utterly silent.
Even Momobami Kirari clenched the railing nervously, the veins on her fair hands bulging slightly.
As part of the capital behind the Hero Association, she knew full well how powerful S-Class heroes were.
If even they couldn't stop this meteor… then this must be fate.
"A final wager in life — and I lost... Too bad we all have to die for it."
Kirari murmured with calm acceptance as she looked toward Yuki.
Then she froze.
The boy who had been standing next to Yuki was gone.
Her eyes moved instinctively — and she saw him walking on air, as though climbing invisible steps.
Bang lifted the exhausted Genos.
He couldn't do much — but getting Genos out of the impact zone was still possible.
When he raised his head, the sight of the boy walking through the sky made him pause.
Before he could speak, Genos's voice rang out in shock.
"It's you?"
Bang turned to him, curious.
"You know him?"
Genos stared at Kuzeha, his pupils trembling.
"The Abyss in the Northern Mountains — he's the one who blasted it open!"
Bang's eyes widened in disbelief.
Even he, a seasoned hero, was stunned.
Nearby, Metal Knight's robot froze after picking up the conversation.
Its glowing eyes scanned the boy walking through the air.
He had investigated the so-called 'God's Wrath Abyss' before — the residual energy there was incomprehensibly pure and terrifying.
For a mere human — a boy no less — to cause such devastation?
Unheard of.
Kuzeha was instantly marked in his data as an extreme threat.
"But this robot's going to be destroyed anyway... Might as well collect some data on this dangerous entity..."
Far away, the real Metal Knight — Dr. Bofoi — grinned quietly, already planning his next move.
Genos realized Kuzeha intended to stop the meteor.
Knowing his power, Genos had no doubt Kuzeha could do it.
If Kuzeha unleashed the same energy as before, turning the meteor to dust wouldn't be a problem.
But there wasn't time!
Genos looked up at the almost-touching meteor and shouted a warning.
"There's no time to charge up! Just try to shatter part of it and reduce the impact!"
Just as he finished, Kuzeha raised an eyebrow, half-smiling.
"Charge up?"
Destroying the House of Evolution last time — that was just for dramatic flair.
For someone like him, wielding the divine essence of a War God, "Divine Strike" was nothing more than a basic attack.
The power he gathered depended entirely on his will.
Since when did normal attacks need charging?
Kuzeha extended his right hand.
A mysterious and sacred halo appeared above his head.
In the next moment, he spoke with casual ease.
"Divine Strike."
In an instant—
A blinding beam of energy surged upward.
With devastating force, it blasted the meteor back into the sky.
Vmmm!
There was almost no sound.
First came the blinding light — like a miniature sun — enveloping the city in white brilliance.
BOOM!
Only then came the delayed roar.
The shockwave rippled visibly through the sky.
A terrifying sonic boom shattered every window in the city.
Everyone's heads rang.
Dizziness overwhelmed them.
Genos and the others looked up with effort.
The massive meteor — gone.
Not even a trace of cloud remained in the sky.
Only from satellites in planetary orbit could one observe:
The explosion had vaporized the meteor, and its residual energy expanded in a perfect ring, erasing all clouds, rain, snow, and fog along its path.
It looked as if someone had shaved a giant bald spot across the planet.
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