Half a year had passed after the competition ended. Neito, who was on his fourth year inside Metallica, entered the main office with his subordinate Niina. He had to settle his paperwork before departing.
As part of the Inter-employee exchange, He was to be sent to Crimson’s American division. Today was the day he would depart.
It was a first for Metallica, having an employee at merely twenty years of age, climb the corporate ladder, and arrive at this position in a mere four years.
He already received his new salary two weeks ago. The inter-employee exchange caused some commotion inside the company.
While they were on their way up after filing their documents in the General Affairs Department, they received a lot of glares and compliments from people.
(TLN: Remember, Metallica’s main office is situated underground)
[Are you ready Senpai?]
Niina who was with Neito called out to him. It was decided that Niina alone, as a subordinate, would accompany Neito to America.
[Yeah, let’s get going.]
[Got ya-]
Anice already departed ahead of them as she had things to settle at home.
Tsurugi wouldn’t be accompanying him this time. With regards to that matter, they already spoke with each other last week.
[[I’m going to Crimson with Niina as my escort.]]
[[Only Niina? Would you care to elaborate?]]
[[There’s something I want you to do in Japan while I’m away.]]
Neito explained to Tsurugi. They needed to establish their base of operations. In order for him to conquer the world, there were some things left in the country which prevented him from doing so. Tsurugi was the only one who could handle it.
[[I see…]]
Tsurugi nodded on hearing Neito’s explanation.
[[Aah, I’m a little worried, but it’s decided. I’ll no longer ask “Will you do it?” I’m counting on you Tsurugi.]]
Tsurugi grinned and answered him.
[Fuu, you finally understand… As you wish Boss.]
Even for Neito, not having his trusted right hand man with him would leave him vulnerable. Tsurugi was calm, collected, loyal and experienced in battle. But Neito had no choice. He would have to deal with his problems on his own.
I’ll show him that I’m fit to be called his Boss.
The two shook hands and went their separate ways. Tsurugi was already working on his plan. He wasn’t even there to see Neito off today.
[What’s the matter Senpai? Let’s go~]
[Sorry, I’ll be there.]
It turns out he was left behind while thinking too much. He walked a bit faster to catch up to Niina.
[Somehow, you managed to move up the corporate ladder so fast Senpai… did you do something bad again?]
Niina was strolling along with both hands braced behind his head.
[It’s obvious.]
Since it was obvious he did it, he answered honestly. There was a time when he had enemies within the company, but that period was already over. With Professor H’s influence, there were close to none or at least so far none were going after him.
He conquered the Harrison offensive, defeated Beetle, overwhelmed Santana and became a newly bred modified human, defeating many of the Rock’s Organization’s members.
To those who didn’t know Neito personally, they exaggerated and created rumors of their own, glorifying him. They even gave him nicknames like “The Dark Genius”, “The Villain Miracle Maker” and “The Dirty” which were really discongruous when they actually saw him.
It wasn’t like he was incapable, but he barely considered his victories a victory. Of course, it all wouldn’t be possible without the help from his subordinates. Neito knew that full well and didn’t claim that he did it all by himself.
Even though people might glorify or tarnish his image, his plans didn’t change. One day, he’ll be on top of Metallica.
Neito called out to Niina while they were inside the elevator. Niina was soon to be promoted to Level Three.
[Hey Niina, did you know that in terms of your promotion speed, you’re ranked fourth inside Metallica’s overall history? Well, there’s a huge gap between the one ranked fifth and you.]
[Eh? Really? Hell yeah! As expected of me!]
[Hahaha, well it’s true that you’re amazing.]
The elevator doors opened, leading to the lobby. They were surprised by what they saw.
[Wa- Wow…]
Niina had his mouth wide open. There were a lot of employees lined up in the lobby. They were forming two parallel lines in the lobby bowing their heads as Neito arrived. It was a farewell gesture to those representatives to be sent off to Crimson.
[……]
Neito wanted to greet them individually, shaking their hands, apologizing and bowing back.
“What the hell is everybody doing?! I know you’re busy, so get back to work! There’s no need for you to do these things… I may be your representative, but there’s no need for you to go this far!”
But, atmosphere here is important… very important.
Neito called out to Niina who was shocked, and moved forward.
[Let’s go Niina.]
He noticed Izumi, the section chief from the sales department, stopped and took a second to bow back at him. He then proceeded to the exit and addressed them;
[Thank you for your time everybody, and now I’m off!]
For a second, some raised their heads in surprise.
[……?]
[……Ha-Have a safe trip!]
[Do you best in Crimson!]
[Komori! You get promoted too fast! Don’t forget us who were your drinking partners back in your sales department days!]
[Do your best! I expect great things from you!]
[Please do something for all of us in General Affairs!]
[Have a safe trip!]
Neito left the main office with words of compliments behind him.
[…Tha—that surprised me…]
Neito returned to his normal self.
[Me too. Oh yeah, Maki-san didn’t see you off did she?]
Niina entered the company car. Neito already talked with Maki on the day before.
[Aah, she already sent me off yesterday.]
[Eh? You had no work yesterday right? Does that mean she came to your place?!]
[Hm? Isn’t that a given? She really is a caring person~]
[Then? Then? Did she go into your house? Was it at night?]
[You’re really curious huh? Of course she went in. I wouldn’t leave her waiting outside.]
Neito went in the car and remembered what happened last night.
It was about 9 PM when he heard a knock on his door. He was filling his cup noodles with hot water when Maki knocked.
[[Maki-san? Is something the matter?]]
[Ah, well tomorrow is your departure date right? I can’t send you off tomorrow so… If I’m bothering you then I’ll…]
Nights in spring season were cold. While Maki was wearing a white sweater, she seemed cold. He asked her if she would like to come in, even though he thought she might feel disgusted.
[[Really? Then I’ll take up on your offer… Pardon me for intruding…]]
They chatted for a while. And for Neito, she compiled all of the American Rock’s data sheets as well as his “Evil Silhouette’s” performance records.
[[Wow, you did this by yourself? You even had to go through this far for me…]]
[[Y-Yeah. I really thought of it, but maybe it’s going to be just an additional luggage for you…]]
[[No such thing… This would really help me. Thanks!]]
[[No, not at all… I’m glad I was able to be a help to you!]
She even gave him a protection charm. Neito really doubted if god would protect a villain such as him, but he was really happy to receive such thing. Other than that, she gave him instant curry which made him happier. It was Metallica’s special “Red Root Curry” which when microwaved even in small amounts, would increase twofold. It was really a divine thing.
(Translator Comments (TCom): The Curry master race is now officially open.)
Neito danced around when he received the packet, Maki seeing this, laughed happily.
After chatting for a while, they were now in a serious conversation.
[[Please do return safely.]]
[[Yeah]]
[[That’s a promise okay? I know that you’re an amazing and capable person but…]]
She really was worried of him. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about his trip.
If ever they were going out she would console him the same way. Since they weren’t, he just thanked her for worrying for him.
She really was a good person within. He was sure a lot of guys would have misunderstand how she felt if they heard that. I’m sure a lot would be able to hold themselves back, but it would be really hard to do so, seeing a real beauty caring and worrying for you. Neito held himself back from doing something stupid.
They were silent for a few minutes. She was fiddling uneasily. Well she does that sometimes…
As he was about to asked what happened, she got up and proceeded to leave. “Please take care of your-self.”
[Then? Then?]
Niina was really interested in the story. They were already on their way towards the airport.
[Hm? Well, that ended with that. She went home.]
[Haa!! Wh-Senpai! Are you that dense!?]
[I really don’t want to be called that way by you. I served her tea before she left so…]
[That not really the problem here!!]
[Oh stop whining already… Here I’ll share my curry with you. I’ll give you two packets.]
[…Haa~…]
(TCom: Women. You’ll never know what they want from you.)
Niina sighed. He was nowhere near Ikeno, but Niina was popular with the girls. He was totally a different species from Neito. Neito didn’t bother asking Niina what he was troubled about.
They were silent as the car drove on.
[Oh yeah, hey Senpai, you can speak English right?]
[What’s up suddenly?]
[No, you were more den-… no I was just really curious.]
I know you were about to say that I’m dense…
[Well, I’m no different from you. My third grade lessons were half English after all. I’m not good at it, but at least I can speak and understand it.]
Back in his childhood days, in other words, in the year 2090, English was widely taught in Japanese schools. Both social studies and science lectures were half taught in English. He didn’t particularly have good grades, but it was enough to pass.
[Ah, is that so…]
If it wasn’t me who was in charge of Niina, I’m sure he would get in trouble for his attitude towards his superiors. Not that he wasn’t scolded, Tsurugi always gave him an earful when he was with them.
It’s amazing how he can put up with that Tsurugi.
Neito got along surprisingly well with Niina. Maybe it was him, or Niina was just really good with human interactions. Niina also opened up to him. Not that he greatly respected him the way Tsurugi did, but it was enough to gain his trust. After all Neito wasn’t really ‘leadership’ material.
After they arrived at the airport, they got off and snagged their luggage. Taking the VIP expressway towards Metallica’s private plane. I’m sure we’ll arrive by the time I wake up.
[Oh yeah, Niina, you should read the file I received from Maki-san.]
Niina already seated himself and was about to reach for a can of beer.
[Got ya~ Hm, I’ll read it now so please take it out.]
It took Neito four hours to go through the entire document but he was sure Niina would go through it in less than thirty minutes.
Neito took out the file and handed it to Niina.
[Well, I’m going to sleep.]
Neito closed his eyes and reviewed what he’d read in the files.
※※
The United States of America, it was where Crimson’s main office was. In comparison to Japan, the Rocks Organization had far more members and was stronger as well.
In Metallica, the danger posed by a Rocks member is ranked in five stages. For example, Ramone and Beetle were B-class. Maroon Five’s individual members were ranked C, but as a whole, they were A-class.
The highest rank attainable was an S-class. It was given to those exemplary individuals who are the strongest in the Rocks Organization. Dylan, for example, was A-class. There were only four individuals with A-class in Japan.
Then what about America?
Truth be told, thirty two percent of Rocks Organization’s members in America were B-class. It was scary for evil organizations, at the same time it was reassuring for civilians.
But the evil organization in America aren’t afraid of the thirty two percent B-class. They were afraid of the top two in the Rocks Organization. They both acted as representative of the American Rocks Organization. They were ranked A-class.
One individual was named Sonic Youth.
Everybody knew his real name; Mark Gordon.
He was a famous American Footballer, winning the MVP award last year. He was also once a military pilot, drafted into the space exploration program.
Before he entered the Rocks Organization, he was once a Hollywood star. He had a blonde, muscular body, and a bright smile. He was a perfect human being.
He received his powers due to the effects of warp travel.
It was called Over-Sense.
His senses and reaction time is ten times faster than a normal human being. It seemed like it was possible for him to dodge bullets that were shot at him.
He already tested his ability to it limits when he stood on top of the empire state building, differentiating and listening to each person walking down on the streets.
Even with his superpowers, he had developed weapons and tools, as well as armor to aid him in his battles.
His Sonic Skate was a type of shoe with roller blades on it, and on the surface looked like a regular pair of roller skates.
Its characteristics were different. It was able to accelerate the user to one hundred kilometers an hour by utilizing energy. It was rumored that it could reach five hundred kilometers per hour when stretched to its limits. It was possible to ride up walls, run on top of water as well as jump tens of metres.
It’s obvious that only Mark Gordon could use such thing.
He built a course in front of his huge lawn to enjoy using the Sonic Skates but weather would sometimes disrupt his routine.
At that time, the evil organization “Rooster” created bio-hazard monsters and brought them into the city.
The monsters wreaked havoc in New York City. The Guardians from the Rocks Organization desperately tried to fight off the monster.
In that situation, Mark stood out. Wearing protective equipment and his Sonic Shoes, he headed for New York.
He passed various landscapes in a second, jumping from building to building and crossed the Hudson River.
Defeating monsters consecutively, he would defeat one and then quickly jumped onto the next.
He was able to jump through any obstacle, dodging every blow.
As a result, New York was saved. They celebrated the birth of a new Rocks Hero and thanked him.
Since then, his Sonic Skate was legal for use in New York. He jumps from one building to another, saving citizens from the Evil Organization. He was famous before but now his fame has spread throughout America.
A cool, handsome, rich and tough individual. He was the ideal American Hero. His face was printed on Cereal boxes nationwide.
“The high speed hero. Our Sonic Youth”
That was the title given to Mark.
On the other hand, there was another hero aside from the Sonic Youth. “Him”;
He had doubts about being part of the Rocks Organization but he was registered as such.
He only deals with special types of enemy. His identity is unknown, but he is always there in the darkness.
There was nobody who had seen his face, in fact it was pointless to expose him. He always wore a black attire, covering his face. His weapon was a very unusual one.
Sometimes it was a sniper rifle, changing into a special blade, and sometime a stun gun and a special spray weapon. A regular Rocks Organization would have a signature weapon for use, but it doesn’t apply to him.
He chooses his weapon according to what is most effective in that battle.
He doesn’t fight with monsters as well as regular old villains.
He only targets Crimson members.
Maybe his interest of stopping Crimson aligned with the Rocks Organizations objective to stop all evil doers. Nobody knows if he was doing it for Justice.
He doesn’t associate himself with the police or with his fellow Guardians. He doesn’t even follow any of the Rocks Organizations directives. He doesn’t speak nor contact anybody. His battle measures sometimes bring harm to the citizens.
There are many who don’t approve of him as part of the Hero lineup in the Rocks Organization. At the same time, some glorified him as a real hero.
He always kills his prey.
Crimson was his top priority.
As a result, he saved many civilians in the process. I’m sure many thought of him as a cool individual.
He sometimes appeared in the newspapers but mostly it was them arguing about his worthiness. In other words, it was a one sided favor.
One of his unique features is “He doesn’t have any abilities”.
He didn’t possess any psychic power, superhuman reflexes nor a sturdy body like many of Rocks Organization’s heroes. You can confirm it with videos.
He only trained his ability to adapt and change according to his environment, as well as practicing the usage of many weapons to suit his needs. In other words, he is just a human being who has specialized in warfare.
Be it as he is, he was paired with the Sonic Youth and was considered an A-class hero throughout America.
He was able to respond to any situation, pick the most effective tactic and conquer his enemy without using any powers. It only meant one thing; He was strong.
Filling a Crimson member with lead, cutting off his head, or rigging him with explosives. They were all methods of assassination.
Every Crimson member killed had marks on their lifeless body.
Crimson Hunter, The Executioner, and No Power Hero were some nicknames given to him. The most famous one of them all was;
Slipknot.
The executioner who put a rope around his victim’s neck. It was clearly shown when he continuously murdered individuals from Crimson. The name originated from a punk themed website stating:
“The Fearful Hero, Our Slipknot”
Sonic Youth and Slipknot.
The Fast and the Fearful.
Light and Darkness.
America has two heroes with contradicting characteristics.
**
Really curious here if we have female audiences… Neito is dense for a reason, I can tell you that. -Daikyun
More like dense for a purpose; he has the EQ to notice. Otherwise he wouldn’t have pre-empted the confession last chapter. A driven workaholic; he’s devoted to his Agenda… Which is trying to take over the world! Muwhahahohaho. *cough* Belatedly gives his clicker a few whacks to wake it up before activating the blinding flash and krakoom noise. Seriously though this story isn’t aimed at the female demographic. It’s aimed at teenage, male, youths. That is all. Unless there is an up and coming female b-lister american or crimson operative… I doubt there is going to be a single female lead in this story. Ok, maybe slipknot. I haven’t lost all hope yet. Despite the author calling the hero ‘him’ and the follow up dialogue. Ya never know what’s beneath the cowl. – Satudo
Half a year had passed after the competition ended. Neito, who was on his fourth year inside Metallica, entered the main office with his subordinate Niina. He had to settle his paperwork before departing.
As part of the Inter-employee exchange, He was to be sent to Crimson’s American division. Today was the day he would depart.
It was a first for Metallica, having an employee at merely twenty years of age, climb the corporate ladder, and arrive at this position in a mere four years.
He already received his new salary two weeks ago. The inter-employee exchange caused some commotion inside the company.
While they were on their way up after filing their documents in the General Affairs Department, they received a lot of glares and compliments from people.
(TLN: Remember, Metallica’s main office is situated underground)
[Are you ready Senpai?]
Niina who was with Neito called out to him. It was decided that Niina alone, as a subordinate, would accompany Neito to America.
[Yeah, let’s get going.]
[Got ya-]
Anice already departed ahead of them as she had things to settle at home.
Tsurugi wouldn’t be accompanying him this time. With regards to that matter, they already spoke with each other last week.
[[I’m going to Crimson with Niina as my escort.]]
[[Only Niina? Would you care to elaborate?]]
[[There’s something I want you to do in Japan while I’m away.]]
Neito explained to Tsurugi. They needed to establish their base of operations. In order for him to conquer the world, there were some things left in the country which prevented him from doing so. Tsurugi was the only one who could handle it.
[[I see…]]
Tsurugi nodded on hearing Neito’s explanation.
[[Aah, I’m a little worried, but it’s decided. I’ll no longer ask “Will you do it?” I’m counting on you Tsurugi.]]
Tsurugi grinned and answered him.
[Fuu, you finally understand… As you wish Boss.]
Even for Neito, not having his trusted right hand man with him would leave him vulnerable. Tsurugi was calm, collected, loyal and experienced in battle. But Neito had no choice. He would have to deal with his problems on his own.
I’ll show him that I’m fit to be called his Boss.
The two shook hands and went their separate ways. Tsurugi was already working on his plan. He wasn’t even there to see Neito off today.
[What’s the matter Senpai? Let’s go~]
[Sorry, I’ll be there.]
It turns out he was left behind while thinking too much. He walked a bit faster to catch up to Niina.
[Somehow, you managed to move up the corporate ladder so fast Senpai… did you do something bad again?]
Niina was strolling along with both hands braced behind his head.
[It’s obvious.]
Since it was obvious he did it, he answered honestly. There was a time when he had enemies within the company, but that period was already over. With Professor H’s influence, there were close to none or at least so far none were going after him.
He conquered the Harrison offensive, defeated Beetle, overwhelmed Santana and became a newly bred modified human, defeating many of the Rock’s Organization’s members.
To those who didn’t know Neito personally, they exaggerated and created rumors of their own, glorifying him. They even gave him nicknames like “The Dark Genius”, “The Villain Miracle Maker” and “The Dirty” which were really discongruous when they actually saw him.
It wasn’t like he was incapable, but he barely considered his victories a victory. Of course, it all wouldn’t be possible without the help from his subordinates. Neito knew that full well and didn’t claim that he did it all by himself.
Even though people might glorify or tarnish his image, his plans didn’t change. One day, he’ll be on top of Metallica.
Neito called out to Niina while they were inside the elevator. Niina was soon to be promoted to Level Three.
[Hey Niina, did you know that in terms of your promotion speed, you’re ranked fourth inside Metallica’s overall history? Well, there’s a huge gap between the one ranked fifth and you.]
[Eh? Really? Hell yeah! As expected of me!]
[Hahaha, well it’s true that you’re amazing.]
The elevator doors opened, leading to the lobby. They were surprised by what they saw.
[Wa- Wow…]
Niina had his mouth wide open. There were a lot of employees lined up in the lobby. They were forming two parallel lines in the lobby bowing their heads as Neito arrived. It was a farewell gesture to those representatives to be sent off to Crimson.
[……]
Neito wanted to greet them individually, shaking their hands, apologizing and bowing back.
“What the hell is everybody doing?! I know you’re busy, so get back to work! There’s no need for you to do these things… I may be your representative, but there’s no need for you to go this far!”
But, atmosphere here is important… very important.
Neito called out to Niina who was shocked, and moved forward.
[Let’s go Niina.]
He noticed Izumi, the section chief from the sales department, stopped and took a second to bow back at him. He then proceeded to the exit and addressed them;
[Thank you for your time everybody, and now I’m off!]
For a second, some raised their heads in surprise.
[……?]
[……Ha-Have a safe trip!]
[Do you best in Crimson!]
[Komori! You get promoted too fast! Don’t forget us who were your drinking partners back in your sales department days!]
[Do your best! I expect great things from you!]
[Please do something for all of us in General Affairs!]
[Have a safe trip!]
Neito left the main office with words of compliments behind him.
[…Tha—that surprised me…]
Neito returned to his normal self.
[Me too. Oh yeah, Maki-san didn’t see you off did she?]
Niina entered the company car. Neito already talked with Maki on the day before.
[Aah, she already sent me off yesterday.]
[Eh? You had no work yesterday right? Does that mean she came to your place?!]
[Hm? Isn’t that a given? She really is a caring person~]
[Then? Then? Did she go into your house? Was it at night?]
[You’re really curious huh? Of course she went in. I wouldn’t leave her waiting outside.]
Neito went in the car and remembered what happened last night.
It was about 9 PM when he heard a knock on his door. He was filling his cup noodles with hot water when Maki knocked.
[[Maki-san? Is something the matter?]]
[Ah, well tomorrow is your departure date right? I can’t send you off tomorrow so… If I’m bothering you then I’ll…]
Nights in spring season were cold. While Maki was wearing a white sweater, she seemed cold. He asked her if she would like to come in, even though he thought she might feel disgusted.
[[Really? Then I’ll take up on your offer… Pardon me for intruding…]]
They chatted for a while. And for Neito, she compiled all of the American Rock’s data sheets as well as his “Evil Silhouette’s” performance records.
[[Wow, you did this by yourself? You even had to go through this far for me…]]
[[Y-Yeah. I really thought of it, but maybe it’s going to be just an additional luggage for you…]]
[[No such thing… This would really help me. Thanks!]]
[[No, not at all… I’m glad I was able to be a help to you!]
She even gave him a protection charm. Neito really doubted if god would protect a villain such as him, but he was really happy to receive such thing. Other than that, she gave him instant curry which made him happier. It was Metallica’s special “Red Root Curry” which when microwaved even in small amounts, would increase twofold. It was really a divine thing.
(Translator Comments (TCom): The Curry master race is now officially open.)
Neito danced around when he received the packet, Maki seeing this, laughed happily.
After chatting for a while, they were now in a serious conversation.
[[Please do return safely.]]
[[Yeah]]
[[That’s a promise okay? I know that you’re an amazing and capable person but…]]
She really was worried of him. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about his trip.
If ever they were going out she would console him the same way. Since they weren’t, he just thanked her for worrying for him.
She really was a good person within. He was sure a lot of guys would have misunderstand how she felt if they heard that. I’m sure a lot would be able to hold themselves back, but it would be really hard to do so, seeing a real beauty caring and worrying for you. Neito held himself back from doing something stupid.
They were silent for a few minutes. She was fiddling uneasily. Well she does that sometimes…
As he was about to asked what happened, she got up and proceeded to leave. “Please take care of your-self.”
[Then? Then?]
Niina was really interested in the story. They were already on their way towards the airport.
[Hm? Well, that ended with that. She went home.]
[Haa!! Wh-Senpai! Are you that dense!?]
[I really don’t want to be called that way by you. I served her tea before she left so…]
[That not really the problem here!!]
[Oh stop whining already… Here I’ll share my curry with you. I’ll give you two packets.]
[…Haa~…]
(TCom: Women. You’ll never know what they want from you.)
Niina sighed. He was nowhere near Ikeno, but Niina was popular with the girls. He was totally a different species from Neito. Neito didn’t bother asking Niina what he was troubled about.
They were silent as the car drove on.
[Oh yeah, hey Senpai, you can speak English right?]
[What’s up suddenly?]
[No, you were more den-… no I was just really curious.]
I know you were about to say that I’m dense…
[Well, I’m no different from you. My third grade lessons were half English after all. I’m not good at it, but at least I can speak and understand it.]
Back in his childhood days, in other words, in the year 2090, English was widely taught in Japanese schools. Both social studies and science lectures were half taught in English. He didn’t particularly have good grades, but it was enough to pass.
[Ah, is that so…]
If it wasn’t me who was in charge of Niina, I’m sure he would get in trouble for his attitude towards his superiors. Not that he wasn’t scolded, Tsurugi always gave him an earful when he was with them.
It’s amazing how he can put up with that Tsurugi.
Neito got along surprisingly well with Niina. Maybe it was him, or Niina was just really good with human interactions. Niina also opened up to him. Not that he greatly respected him the way Tsurugi did, but it was enough to gain his trust. After all Neito wasn’t really ‘leadership’ material.
After they arrived at the airport, they got off and snagged their luggage. Taking the VIP expressway towards Metallica’s private plane. I’m sure we’ll arrive by the time I wake up.
[Oh yeah, Niina, you should read the file I received from Maki-san.]
Niina already seated himself and was about to reach for a can of beer.
[Got ya~ Hm, I’ll read it now so please take it out.]
It took Neito four hours to go through the entire document but he was sure Niina would go through it in less than thirty minutes.
Neito took out the file and handed it to Niina.
[Well, I’m going to sleep.]
Neito closed his eyes and reviewed what he’d read in the files.
※※
The United States of America, it was where Crimson’s main office was. In comparison to Japan, the Rocks Organization had far more members and was stronger as well.
In Metallica, the danger posed by a Rocks member is ranked in five stages. For example, Ramone and Beetle were B-class. Maroon Five’s individual members were ranked C, but as a whole, they were A-class.
The highest rank attainable was an S-class. It was given to those exemplary individuals who are the strongest in the Rocks Organization. Dylan, for example, was A-class. There were only four individuals with A-class in Japan.
Then what about America?
Truth be told, thirty two percent of Rocks Organization’s members in America were B-class. It was scary for evil organizations, at the same time it was reassuring for civilians.
But the evil organization in America aren’t afraid of the thirty two percent B-class. They were afraid of the top two in the Rocks Organization. They both acted as representative of the American Rocks Organization. They were ranked A-class.
One individual was named Sonic Youth.
Everybody knew his real name; Mark Gordon.
He was a famous American Footballer, winning the MVP award last year. He was also once a military pilot, drafted into the space exploration program.
Before he entered the Rocks Organization, he was once a Hollywood star. He had a blonde, muscular body, and a bright smile. He was a perfect human being.
He received his powers due to the effects of warp travel.
It was called Over-Sense.
His senses and reaction time is ten times faster than a normal human being. It seemed like it was possible for him to dodge bullets that were shot at him.
He already tested his ability to it limits when he stood on top of the empire state building, differentiating and listening to each person walking down on the streets.
Even with his superpowers, he had developed weapons and tools, as well as armor to aid him in his battles.
His Sonic Skate was a type of shoe with roller blades on it, and on the surface looked like a regular pair of roller skates.
Its characteristics were different. It was able to accelerate the user to one hundred kilometers an hour by utilizing energy. It was rumored that it could reach five hundred kilometers per hour when stretched to its limits. It was possible to ride up walls, run on top of water as well as jump tens of metres.
It’s obvious that only Mark Gordon could use such thing.
He built a course in front of his huge lawn to enjoy using the Sonic Skates but weather would sometimes disrupt his routine.
At that time, the evil organization “Rooster” created bio-hazard monsters and brought them into the city.
The monsters wreaked havoc in New York City. The Guardians from the Rocks Organization desperately tried to fight off the monster.
In that situation, Mark stood out. Wearing protective equipment and his Sonic Shoes, he headed for New York.
He passed various landscapes in a second, jumping from building to building and crossed the Hudson River.
Defeating monsters consecutively, he would defeat one and then quickly jumped onto the next.
He was able to jump through any obstacle, dodging every blow.
As a result, New York was saved. They celebrated the birth of a new Rocks Hero and thanked him.
Since then, his Sonic Skate was legal for use in New York. He jumps from one building to another, saving citizens from the Evil Organization. He was famous before but now his fame has spread throughout America.
A cool, handsome, rich and tough individual. He was the ideal American Hero. His face was printed on Cereal boxes nationwide.
“The high speed hero. Our Sonic Youth”
That was the title given to Mark.
On the other hand, there was another hero aside from the Sonic Youth. “Him”;
He had doubts about being part of the Rocks Organization but he was registered as such.
He only deals with special types of enemy. His identity is unknown, but he is always there in the darkness.
There was nobody who had seen his face, in fact it was pointless to expose him. He always wore a black attire, covering his face. His weapon was a very unusual one.
Sometimes it was a sniper rifle, changing into a special blade, and sometime a stun gun and a special spray weapon. A regular Rocks Organization would have a signature weapon for use, but it doesn’t apply to him.
He chooses his weapon according to what is most effective in that battle.
He doesn’t fight with monsters as well as regular old villains.
He only targets Crimson members.
Maybe his interest of stopping Crimson aligned with the Rocks Organizations objective to stop all evil doers. Nobody knows if he was doing it for Justice.
He doesn’t associate himself with the police or with his fellow Guardians. He doesn’t even follow any of the Rocks Organizations directives. He doesn’t speak nor contact anybody. His battle measures sometimes bring harm to the citizens.
There are many who don’t approve of him as part of the Hero lineup in the Rocks Organization. At the same time, some glorified him as a real hero.
He always kills his prey.
Crimson was his top priority.
As a result, he saved many civilians in the process. I’m sure many thought of him as a cool individual.
He sometimes appeared in the newspapers but mostly it was them arguing about his worthiness. In other words, it was a one sided favor.
One of his unique features is “He doesn’t have any abilities”.
He didn’t possess any psychic power, superhuman reflexes nor a sturdy body like many of Rocks Organization’s heroes. You can confirm it with videos.
He only trained his ability to adapt and change according to his environment, as well as practicing the usage of many weapons to suit his needs. In other words, he is just a human being who has specialized in warfare.
Be it as he is, he was paired with the Sonic Youth and was considered an A-class hero throughout America.
He was able to respond to any situation, pick the most effective tactic and conquer his enemy without using any powers. It only meant one thing; He was strong.
Filling a Crimson member with lead, cutting off his head, or rigging him with explosives. They were all methods of assassination.
Every Crimson member killed had marks on their lifeless body.
Crimson Hunter, The Executioner, and No Power Hero were some nicknames given to him. The most famous one of them all was;
Slipknot.
The executioner who put a rope around his victim’s neck. It was clearly shown when he continuously murdered individuals from Crimson. The name originated from a punk themed website stating:
“The Fearful Hero, Our Slipknot”
Sonic Youth and Slipknot.
The Fast and the Fearful.
Light and Darkness.
America has two heroes with contradicting characteristics.
**
Really curious here if we have female audiences… Neito is dense for a reason, I can tell you that. -Daikyun
More like dense for a purpose; he has the EQ to notice. Otherwise he wouldn’t have pre-empted the confession last chapter. A driven workaholic; he’s devoted to his Agenda… Which is trying to take over the world! Muwhahahohaho. *cough* Belatedly gives his clicker a few whacks to wake it up before activating the blinding flash and krakoom noise. Seriously though this story isn’t aimed at the female demographic. It’s aimed at teenage, male, youths. That is all. Unless there is an up and coming female b-lister american or crimson operative… I doubt there is going to be a single female lead in this story. Ok, maybe slipknot. I haven’t lost all hope yet. Despite the author calling the hero ‘him’ and the follow up dialogue. Ya never know what’s beneath the cowl. – Satudo
