Chapter 306: Chapter 7: The Shocked Hellish Blizzard
Disasters in this world always struck without warning.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The people on the street screamed in terror as they looked up to see a towering skyscraper tilting dangerously in their direction, seemingly just moments away from crashing down.
"The building—it’s falling!"
"Help!"
"Run!!"
The crowd panicked and scattered in all directions, their fear only making the chaos worse.
In an instant, the entire street was jam-packed with people and cars, a dark, writhing sea of confusion.
A massive shadow gradually descended over the area as the leaning skyscraper loomed ever closer to collapse.
"This is bad!"
A group of Blizzards’ underlings, who happened to be nearby, saw the unfolding scene and their expressions changed drastically.
At the front of the group stood a tall woman with short black hair, porcelain-white skin, and a figure hugged perfectly by a green evening dress, all topped with a luxurious fur coat. It was none other than Fubuki—Hellish Blizzard.
She stared intently at the skyscraper crashing toward the crowded street ahead, her eyes narrowing with resolve. Without hesitation, she raised her hand, and a strange glow burst from her body as her short hair floated upward with a surge of power.
Hellish Blizzard’s psychic powers activated, and the collapsing skyscraper visibly slowed down as it tipped forward.
"Now! Get them out of here while I hold this! I can’t... hold it for long."
Hovering mid-air, Fubuki gritted her teeth as she strained to hold the massive structure aloft.
"Yes, ma’am!" her men in black suits responded immediately, rushing forward.
"Everyone, this way!"
"Hurry!"
"Any heroes around? We need backup!"
The citizens who had been preparing for death looked up and gasped in hope.
"It’s Hellish Blizzard! Number one in B-Class! And her Blizzard Group!"
"We’re saved!"
Soon after, several B-Class and C-Class heroes joined the rescue.
"Look! It’s Black Hole Tanktop!"
"And that’s Fast Puncher and Mohawk Man!"
Though they didn’t have the power to stop the building from falling, they could still save as many people as possible during the precious few seconds they had.
"Hurry... I can’t..."
Fubuki’s face turned pale as she began to falter, struggling to maintain her power.
"Run... hurry!"
She was at her limit.
The building tilted fully now, and under the pull of gravity, it began to crash toward the ground.
The Blizzard Group and the other heroes had no choice but to retreat with the people they’d managed to save.
But there were still citizens left on the street, unable to escape. They stared at the massive shadow descending from the sky, their faces filled with despair.
"It’s over!"
"I don’t want to die yet!"
In the backseat of a car pinned down by rubble, a woman held her child tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Someone... please, save us!!"
"If... if it were my sister... she’d be able to save everyone in a heartbeat."
Fubuki, her face drenched in sweat and her fists clenched, looked toward the collapsing building.
"Why... why am I this weak?!"
Just then—
A figure walked past her, heading straight toward the street.
Fubuki snapped out of it and shouted, "Stop! It’s too dangerous—"
But before she could finish, her eyes widened.
The figure moved like a ghost, covering over ten meters with a single step. In the span of two breaths, he had crossed more than a hundred meters, entering the shadowed part of the street.
Fubuki’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
On the ground, a young girl with a bloodied face and a broken leg lay barely conscious, her breath faint. Her half-open eyes stared forward.
The mysterious figure appeared before her.
Driven by sheer will to survive, the girl weakly lifted her right hand, as if trying to grasp the last strand of hope—his ankle.
"P-please save... me... I... I can’t die yet..."
"Don’t worry. You’re not going to die."
The man smiled gently as he spoke, his voice calm and reassuring.
And then—
In the horrified gazes of Fubuki and everyone else watching, the towering skyscraper came crashing down.
Just as it looked like it would crush everyone left on the street into bloody pulp—
The young man beside the girl, wearing a baseball cap, calmly raised his right hand.
In that instant—
The entire skyscraper, dragged by gravity toward the ground, suddenly stopped. It was as if the massive structure had become weightless, floating in mid-air like a balloon.
"!!"
Everyone watching from a distance was frozen, jaws dropped in utter disbelief.
Fubuki, not far away, was just as stunned.
"This... this is...?!"
Under her shocked gaze, the mysterious man pointed his right hand upward. The suspended building and the boulders that had been raining down around it suddenly soared skyward, shooting over a hundred meters into the air and hovering there as if gravity had simply stopped existing.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
A not-so-distant voice shrieked in horror. A grotesque villain with a giant explosive afro, his body charred black, stared at the scene, his eyeballs practically popping out.
"No way!! My carefully planned destruction scheme—ruined?!"
"Is it those damned heroes again?! Damn it!"
"Tch... guess I’ll just have to wait for the next opportunity. Time to retreat for now."
Just as he turned to flee—
Ron’s icy blue eyes glanced in his direction, and a spark of light flashed within them.
Gravitational Burst.
"W-What’s going on?! My body... it’s not listening to me!"
Terrified, the monster was yanked down by a powerful gravitational force and slammed into the street where Fubuki and the Fubuki Group were located.
"That guy—he’s an A-class wanted criminal! The Serial Bomber!"
"So this whole disaster was caused by him?!"
Several B-class and C-class heroes immediately surrounded him.
"Since I’ve already been exposed... there’s no helping it! I’ll just blow all you damn heroes to pieces!"
The Serial Bomber whipped out two grenades, clearly intending to fight back.
But Fubuki shot him a cold glance. With a flick of her hand, she unleashed her psychic power and bound him in an instant.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him—the man was walking away.
She panicked.
Without hesitation, she rushed in his direction.
"I’ll leave this guy to you!"
"Yes, Lady Fubuki!"
Her high heels clicked sharply against the ground as she dashed after that retreating figure.
"The floating building... that was psychic power, right?"
"Definitely."
"So it was Hellstorm Fubuki after all. I didn’t expect her powers to have reached this level."
"She is the younger sister of the S-class hero ’Terrible Tornado’ after all."
Several heroes and rescued civilians stood around, chatting in awe. Their words were filled with admiration for Hellstorm Fubuki.
Everyone believed it was the B-class rank one hero who had unleashed her full strength and used her psychic power to save them all.
The incident was soon reported back to the Hero Association and broadcast by the media.
...
In a small noodle shop tucked away in a quiet alley.
At this hour, the shop was nearly empty.
Slurp~
Ron was calmly eating a bowl of ramen.
Across from him, Hellstorm Fubuki sat motionless, her sharp gaze locked onto him.
Ron sighed. "You’re a hero, right? Don’t you have some heroic stuff to do? Why are you following me?"
"It was you, wasn’t it? You saved those people back there."
Fubuki stared at him seriously.
Ron took another bite. "So what if I did?"
"I knew it was you!"
Fubuki’s eyes lit up. She patted her chest proudly and introduced herself, "I’m Fubuki, the number one hero of B-Class, also the leader of the Fubuki Group. I’m officially inviting you to join us."
"No thanks."
"...Eh?"
Fubuki blinked in confusion.
Slurp. Slurp.
Ron sipped his soup, not even raising his head. "I’m not a hero. I’m not interested in playing house with you."
"Not... a hero? You’ve got that kind of power and you’re not a hero?"
"And what did you just say? Playing house?!"
A trace of anger flashed across Fubuki’s face. "Do you have any ide—"
Just then, the television in the shop began broadcasting breaking news.
"Just ten minutes ago, a major incident occurred on a street in F-City. A building collapsed toward a densely crowded street. Fortunately, thanks to the B-Class rank one hero Hellstorm Fubuki, along with her Fubuki Group and other present heroes, the damage was minimized. Hellstorm Fubuki demonstrated her immense psychic abilities by lifting the entire building into the air. Let’s take a look at the footage—"
Fubuki stared blankly at the screen, eyes wide as the camera zoomed in on the floating building and rubble suspended midair.
Eh?
What... is this?
She suddenly snapped out of it and slammed her palms on the table, jumping to her feet.
"They’ve got it all wrong! That wasn’t me who saved everyone!"
"I need to go and clear this up right now!"
She was just about to leave when Ron’s calm voice stopped her.
"Wait."
Fubuki turned back to look at him.
Ron, still eating his ramen leisurely, spoke with an even tone, "I don’t plan on becoming a hero. I’m not looking to draw any attention either. Just let them think it was you."
Fubuki narrowed her eyes. "Are you... asking me to steal your credit? Sorry, I’m not the type to lie about that kind of thing."
"Is that so? That’s a shame."
Fubuki blinked. "A shame? What’s so shameful about it?"
"Well," Ron said between slurps, "I’m not joining the Fubuki Group... but if you keep this quiet, who knows? Maybe we can be friends and help each other out."
Fubuki’s heart skipped a beat.
This guy... he was powerful. Mysterious, yes—but clearly not a villain if he was willing to risk himself to save people. Becoming friends with someone like him could only help the Fubuki Group.
With that thought, Fubuki silently returned to her seat across from Ron, signaling her quiet agreement.
"Is that... good?" she asked, looking at the ramen he was still enjoying.
It looked surprisingly tasty.
Even though it was just a cheap 300-yen bowl...
"It’s alright," Ron said, sipping from the spicy red soup covered in chili flakes.
"Wanna try some?"
"I’ll pass. I don’t like cheap things," Fubuki replied coolly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear with an elegant gesture, her demeanor regal and composed.
Even though her stomach was grumbling slightly, she wasn’t going to let some bargain noodles win her over.
She crossed her arms on the table and studied the face of the young man across from her.
"By the way... I never asked. What’s your name?"
"Ron."
"Ron... So, are you a psychic too?"
"Hmm... you could say that. Or you could say I’m not."