CHAPTER 314: TERROR.

"... It’s Paragon...

"It’s... Paragon...

"Paragon..."

It took several seconds for it to set in, and once it did, cheers erupted all over Neo-Vatra.

Paragon, leader of the world’s most powerful superhero team, the one and only Level 6. Active since the dawn of Genomes, he became a symbol for superheroes.

He usually resides, together with the rest of his team, the Legion of Valor, in a space station in low orbit. From there, they go about resolving incidents all over the world, from enhanced villain organizations to natural disasters. Unlike most superhero teams who are limited to operating in the Radmir Union, the Legion of Valor and its members have international jurisdiction, and for that reason, the news that their leader was settling down with a local team was explosive, to say the least.

As of late, a lot of incidents involving EIs have been taking place in Neo-Vatra, the largest among them being the riots at the city hall, and more recently, Operation Wolf Slayer. An air of unease had been spreading because of that, and adding all the problems plaguing society as of late, things seemed like they would be heading for the worse.

All of that gloom was blown away by the arrival of Paragon, and the New Year celebration became livelier than before. The hero landed behind the podium, ready to give a speech, but he remained silent, as if waiting for the celebratory cries to quiet down all around the city.

Grasping the edge of the podium, the blue-eyed hero leaned forward, looking straight at the camera.

[Citizens of Neo-Vatra.] His voice boomed, reaching beyond the screens and into the heart, triggering an explosion of emotions. Excitement, hype, pride.

Terror.

While most of Neo-Vatra celebrate, one place was suddenly enveloped in silence. A moment ago, the Bowl of Fortune was no different from everywhere else. The celebratory mood filled its interior, and the guests were whistling and cheering. Then it was gone, washed away by a wave of unbearable dread.

The guests closed their mouths, some finding it necessary to hold hands to theirs, preventing even air from reaching their lungs. Death was breathing down their necks, and a single wrong move would cut their connection to the world.

Nobara clutched her pipe, her eyes wide open with shock. She almost morphed it into a weapon, having sensed the unrestrained, unfiltered bloodlust permeating her shop. If it were directed at her, she wouldn’t have hesitated to act. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem like she was the target, and neither were anyone inside the shop.

Despite that, the horror continued, and no one dared to gaze at its source. Some caught sight of it in the corners of their eyes, but all they saw was darkness, as if light no longer reached that section of the shop.

After what seemed like forever, the shop’s door slammed open, and the pressure suddenly vanished. The crowd gasped collectively, some falling to their knees in a coughing fit. Among them was Finn, the one who had been standing the closest to the source of the dread. He watched it pass right in front of him, and though he saw its visage, his mind failed to recognize it.

"HEY!!! THE FU-ARGGH!!!"

The boy snapped out of it, having heard the shouts coming from outside. Though his body was still immobilized by horror, he fought through it and trudged toward the exit. The noise led him to the entrance of the parking lot. Peeking from behind the corner, he saw a bunch of street rats getting the life-loving fuck beaten out of them by a red-haired youth.

One of them lunged with a metal pipe, swinging it with everything he had, but he only struck the ground. The red-haired youth stepped aside, letting the pipe pass through, then his fist shot forward. The first punch dislocated the thug’s jaw, and the second one followed in a flash, plunging deep into his stomach.

Another one rushed to attack only to receive a three-hit combo, knocking him out even before the last one hit the ground. Another three were already sprawled on the dirty floor, and only one was left standing. Having witnessed what happened to his friends, fear quickly gripped his heart, and he began stepping away.

"H-hey, man, we were just admiring it." He said, waving his hands frantically, "We didn’t even touch it! Okay!? We didn’t-"

A punch to the face silenced the thug. Before he could go flying, the same hand that knocked his front teeth grasped him by the collar, pulling him forward. Another punch dug into his guts, bending his body, and as the air left his lungs, he was pulled once more before getting slammed into a nearby wall.

Though he only caught half of it, Finn was stunned by the brutal beating that had taken place. The six street rats were clearly messing with the black bike parked nearby, and knowing its owner, there was no surprise that they ended up in such a state.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Finn watched as the red-haired youth walked over to the black bike and jumped onto the seat, his touch bringing it to life. The engine roared, and the front wheel rose high, like a horse raising its front legs before breaking into a run. The next instant, the black bike blasted out of the parking lot.

Finn fell on his behind, almost ran over by the speeding bike. Turning around, he could only watch as it disappeared in the distance. At that moment, Nobara appeared from around the corner, followed by Suzuka and Kizuna. They all looked in the bike’s direction, and when it disappeared, they turned to him, their faces full of concern.

"Boy!" The old cook rushed over. "That was him, right!? What happened!? Where is he going!?"

Though he heard the question, it took Finn several questions to understand them, even when he was asking himself the same. Something bad happened. No, Something bad was about to happen. He went through everything he had just witnessed, and the more he thought, the more it felt like a disaster was about to happen.

"This is bad..." Nobara muttered, her gaze turning in the direction the bike went. It was almost as if she had understood the situation without needing an explanation. "If we don’t stop him..."

’Stop him.’ The words created order through the chaos rampaging through Finn’s mind. ’We need to stop him!’

The boy figured out what needed to be done, but the question was how? They needed a solution, and fast. Straining his mind, Finn went through every possible option a his disposal. That was when one of them lit up, and his eyes widened. Not giving it a second thought, he opened his contact list and made an emergency call.