I am a female swordsman.

To be honest, the combination of a somewhat unkempt unemployed man and a prim and simple working woman felt strangely incongruous. If it weren't for a chance encounter, they would probably belong to completely different worlds, let alone be sitting here chatting like this.

Perhaps they felt a little embarrassed for forcibly dragging Huang Quan over.

Saitama rummaged through the convenience bag in his hand and pulled out a can of black tea with a discount tag still attached...

"Here, take this."

"..."

Huang Quan's face showed obvious surprise. The gentle smile on her face gradually crumbled, leaving her with a look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Finally, she couldn't help but clutch her stomach and burst into loud, somewhat unrestrained laughter. It was very unladylike, very inelegant, but also very, very funny.

Huang Quan laughed until tears welled up in his eyes before lazily slumping into a chair and accepting the discounted can of black tea.

"Saitama-kun, you're so cute."

"Hey, who uses 'cute' to describe an adult man? At least use 'handsome'!" Unable to accept "cute" as an adjective, Saitama glared at Yomi with displeasure. He had offered the drink with a guilty conscience; it was part of his precious rations! If it weren't for Mato-san, he wouldn't have offered to share!

"So, Saitama-kun, what do you want to know?"

Having more or less the answer in her heart, Huang Quan held her red tea and looked at him with a smile. Her gaze was as delighted as if she were looking at a stalker.

"Mr. Mado should know a lot about the One-Winged Angel."

"Hmm...that's true." Whether as the [Shinra Chairman] who possesses all of Sephiroth's information, or as the hero's assistant, Mado Yomi, who is even closer to Sephiroth, she can be said to be the person who knows Sephiroth best in the world. "Out of professional ethics, I won't reveal anything that might cause trouble for the heroes!"

"Um, I just want to know something."

Tell me about it.

"【One-Winged Angel】Is he, or is he, human?" Saitama was somewhat lost in thought, unsure how to describe his feelings upon seeing Sephiroth. When he finally came to his senses, he uttered a rather inappropriate question. Even Saitama himself was surprised by the way he phrased it.

Just as Saitama was about to make amends and say something, Yomi, who had been asked the question, gave her answer quietly.

"He is definitely not human."

Under the bright sunlight, the black-haired, red-eyed girl raised her slender, jade-like fingers. Her otherwise unremarkable face now revealed a hint of eerie, demonic allure. It was the same face, yet it evoked entirely different feelings; this aura was truly wondrous.

"He's an angel, handsome, powerful, and so aloof~~, how could he be human!" Mado Yomi changed the subject, continuing from her previous words to dispel the eerie atmosphere.

………………

Was that woman playing a trick on me?

Sephiroth rested one hand on Masamune's sword, and the image of Yomi Mado's smiling face occasionally flashed through his mind. Perhaps she was just using him, who knows?

Lost in thought, Sephiroth was somewhat distracted during his Shinra patrol. When he came to his senses, he realized he had already completed his patrol and was now wandering aimlessly through the cities controlled by Shinra. Wandering? This was perhaps the first time Sephiroth had truly wandered through a city.

With that thought in mind, Sephiroth began to observe his surroundings.

Without a doubt, this is the city of Shinra.

A layer of bluish-green magical smoke lingered in the sky, absorbing light day and night. People bustled about the city, their steps hurried, yet despite their busyness, they possessed a sense of security that outsiders lacked. They knew that someone was protecting them.

The city as a whole appeared somewhat dark because the light was being absorbed.

The architecture features numerous pipes, with the massive pipes containing electricity generated from the combustion of Mako energy. Over the past decade, the areas controlled by Shinra have taken on a cyberpunk aesthetic. The extremely cheap Mako energy is impacting the old markets, gradually bringing the planet under Shinra's control.

If there were no weirdos, if there were no crazy planet.

A behemoth like Shinra will inevitably suffer disaster sooner or later for various reasons.

Sephiroth, strolling around, was quite conspicuous in the steel forest. Some children playing there quickly spotted him and, looking at his leather armor and Masamune sword, approached him with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"Big brother, are you a hero?" A dirty little boy asked with longing in his eyes.

Sephiroth nodded.

“Not those heroes outside, but the heroes here,” the little boy’s playmate corrected, but his correction had no effect.

"Big brother must be a very powerful hero. Mom and Dad both say that because of our heroes, we won't be hurt by those awful monsters!"

"I want to be a hero like this big brother when I grow up!"

"Big brother, keep up the good work!"

Surrounded by children without realizing it, Sephiroth felt somewhat at a loss. He suddenly realized his power was too great; even with perfect control, he might still harm them. How strange! Why was this happening? The gratitude was the same, yet the feeling he got from Shinra's city and the cities outside Shinra was completely different!

Sephiroth vaguely grasped something, and with a hint of nervousness on his face, he squeezed out of the group of children, almost as if fleeing in panic. Behind him, however, echoed the innocent laughter of the children, a sound they longed for.

why?

"Is this what it feels like to be a true hero?" A strange emotion surged in his chest. Sephiroth looked down at his white hands and suddenly found the red color, which represented blood, to be so glaring.

Chapter 57 Synchronization Rate

Shinra Headquarters, Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center.

Every month, Shinra Company warriors need to come to the recuperation facility to soak in Mako fluid. This not only repairs physical damage but also replenishes the rapidly depleted Mako energy in their bodies. Relying solely on the body's natural recovery without external replenishment of Mako energy would cause irreparable damage.

However, the experience of being immersed in the Mako liquid at the sanatorium was not a pleasant memory.

Limited by technology, limited by resources, limited by regulations... in short, limited by a whole bunch of random things, lying in Shinra's Mako pod felt really awful.

At least when there's nothing going on, no Shinra warrior will voluntarily come to the recuperation center.

And here...

Over time, this place became one of the most deserted spots in Shinra. But today, a sudden appearance shattered the tranquility of this place.

"Lord Sephiroth, what is this...?"

A researcher, seeing Sephiroth's sudden arrival, instinctively opened the rotation information. According to the Mako synchronization rate, Sephiroth was still a long way from needing to soak in Mako fluid; it wasn't necessary for him to come now. The higher the synchronization rate of a warrior, the longer the interval between visits to the recuperation facility. For example, Genesis, since becoming a Shinra warrior, had only visited the recuperation facility about five times.

Mako synchronization rate is a term unique to Shinra.

This refers to the compatibility between Shinra warriors and Mako energy. High compatibility is naturally a good thing, allowing them to thrive in an environment rich in Mako energy and unleash formidable combat power. Poor synchronization, on the other hand, can lead to less than ideal situations.

"I want to soak in the magic potion."

Sephiroth, who had recently emerged from a group of brats, now wore a somewhat dazed expression on his proud and aloof face. His sudden visit to the sanatorium to soak in Mako serum was simply because he felt he hadn't reached his absorption limit and wanted to make the most of his time.

"What, is that not allowed?"

Sephiroth frowned slightly as he looked at the researcher who was in a daze. The researcher seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and hurriedly operated the rotation table, reciting the system he knew by heart.

"According to the Shinra Warrior Handbook, the soaking in Mako fluid should be based on the Mako synchronization rate. Within the safe range, Shinra warriors can apply to use Mako fluid... Lord Sephiroth, I just checked, and your synchronization rate is within the safe range. You can apply for a Mako capsule in the range of 1 to 10."

"Choose number 1."

"Okay, I hope you have a good time."

The researcher looked at Sephiroth with a smirk, clearly enjoying himself. If one could enjoy life in a sanatorium, then perhaps only the heart of the Mako Reactor could be considered truly awful.

Accepting this good-natured humor, and guided by the information lights, Sephiroth smoothly arrived at the Mako compartment. The cold, steel-colored interior was coated with a dense black oxide film. The airtight hatch slowly deflated and opened under the assistant's guidance, while a safety warning voice sounded at the same time.

"User Sephiroth, if you feel unwell, please activate the emergency button inside the cabin. The department will immediately stop your Mako supply. Please be careful while soaking in the Mako fluid..."

"shield."

Facing the dark hatch, Sephiroth instinctively touched his chest. An image kept flashing through his mind of innocent children craning their necks, hoping to become heroes like him.

"Start the soaking program."

His entire body was instantly engulfed by the icy, bluish-green liquid, and the pain from its violent rush into his nasal cavity went straight to his brain! Suffocation, darkness, pain—Sephiroth, frowning in the Mako liquid, felt his consciousness plummeting downwards. He knew that the hypnotic substances in the Mako liquid were helping him regulate his physical state.

Only when the body enters a state of trance similar to that of an infant can it better absorb the magic liquid.

But as mentioned earlier, this feeling isn't good.

Because losing consciousness doesn't mean you've lost your sense of your body. The tingling and numb sensation throughout your body is constantly eroding your will. This tingling and numb sensation is unbearable even for warriors with willpower comparable to steel. What's terrifying is that you can't even shout out loud to vent your frustration.

After the initial tingling and numbness, there was a sharp pain that seemed to be flowing clearly into the brain through every blood vessel!

Sephiroth silently endured the pain, his mind constantly filled with the innocent laughter of that child. In truth, he wasn't afraid of being immersed in the Mako liquid, for he was born within the Mako Reactor. However, the laughter that unconsciously relaxed him had become the fine wine he was constantly savoring.

Falling endlessly.

Sephiroth's consciousness suddenly experienced a sense of weightlessness. In this place, which resembled his birth environment, he seemed to see a planet glowing with black light about to explode.

………………

"Isn't it almost clear now?"

That day, after receiving Sephiroth's daily schedule, Huang Quan took a moment to review it, and a hint of relief appeared on her cold, beautiful face. It was as if she were seeing her son finally grow up, and she was filled with joy.

Sephiroth is perfect, but where in this world is there true perfection?

“The host has high expectations for Sephiroth.”

The system appeared, and in its calculations, Sephiroth was destined to fail. It didn't quite understand why its host, Yomi, would waste her energy on the outflow of divinity; the outcome was futile and regrettable. Sephiroth's birth was a tragedy, and Yomi's actions were even more cruel.

"Yes, a hero sent by heaven, he is the only path to the King of Angels. If he is completely overwhelmed by love, hate, despair, and grief, will he be completely corrupted by divinity? I'm looking forward to it."

Huang Quan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her alluring eyes lowered.

The King of Angels is an angel born from the marrow of a star, intertwined with Genova cells. His life, a testament to both destruction and protection, is a top secret of Shinra. What happened between the great terror that descended from the heavens and the planets in ancient times remains a mystery, left only to posterity as the King of Angels.

“Sephiroth will hate you.”

"The premise is that he has to learn what hatred is first... Do you think that Mado Yomi dying at his hands can teach him hatred? After all, besides the [Shinra Chairman], she is probably the woman with whom he has the deepest bond." Yomi suggested this with great interest, as if she had thought of something amusing.

The system fell silent in response.

It sensed that its host, Huang Quan, seemed a bit off, perhaps due to excessive pressure, and her personality had become much more volatile. If Huang Quan were from the ghoul world, she would never possess such intense malice from the bottom of her heart. To be honest, the closer it got to the arrival of the [Great Thousand Worlds], the more abnormal Huang Quan's state became, and the more terrified it felt.

There's a saying: "If you've already lost your will to fight back, then so be it."

Chapter 58 Recommendation

The nights, with their strange presence, felt so long.

So much so that those who wait in the darkness, in the dark steel jungle, when most people are resting, it is only during the time when the strange and criminals, who are overwhelmed by the powerful forces, can reveal their actions in small ways during the Oddity Star!

Perhaps leaving traces in the outside world will ensure that nothing happens.

Within the areas controlled by Shinra, there are Mako machines that monitor the entire city. If any fluctuations that do not conform to the characteristics of Shinra warriors appear in any place, Shinra soldiers will immediately rush to the destination to subdue or expel them.

Shinra Corporation, Armed Forces Night Watch.

“In Zone 4, there is an abnormal fluctuation; drones have been deployed.”

"Zone 1 is safe."

"Sector Six, an unusual fluctuation has been detected, and the target has been identified as a monster. ... The mission to subdue the monster has been issued. Shinra warriors, please retrieve the monster's information."