Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero-Chapter 47: Sherman II

To the others, it was as if a golden blur of light zoomed past them with lightning speed.

It was quick.

Fast.

Faster than their eyes could keep up with.

I burst forward and grabbed Trooper out of thin air, bringing him back to where the rest of the heroes stood.

They all gasped in shock as I arrived with Trooper in my arms like a cradled baby.

The breeze I pulled behind me swept over them, stirred by my speed.

I carefully laid him on the ground near Dr. Grace Sparks, and she immediately went to work on him, checking to see if he was even still alive.

The rest of the heroes stared at me in shock, the Forever Armor gleaming gracefully, as if repelling the bluish light surrounding us.

I could feel the Forever Core humming with life in my chest, as though it had been begging to be released this whole time.

I had been begging to let it out this whole time.

They were all lost for words, staring at me with questions flooding into their minds.

How?

When?

So fast?

E-Class?

I smiled at them—not because I wanted to, but to give them a sense of safety. They weren’t going to die at the hands of the Sherman. Not under my watch, at least.

"What... What is this?" Tank managed to speak, sizing me up from head to toe.

"E-Class hero, Reno Renly? When did you—?" Firebrand spoke up too.

"It’s alright, everyone... I need you to do something for me." I furrowed my brows and made sure to lock eyes with each and every one of them.

I glanced down at Trooper—at this point, he still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

I dropped to one knee and examined his physical state. He was roughed up pretty badly.

His attire was damaged beyond use, and the parts of his body that were visible were bloodied all over.

He had won, in my opinion. He was the single bravest individual in this strike team tonight.

Aside from me, of course—

"Hey, Strike Team Captain Trooper... I need to ask you something."

Trooper turned his head slowly until his eyes met mine. He squinted, the question starting to roll steadily through his mind.

"Huh?... "

He managed to say it—it was weak and subtle, but I heard it.

Again, he opened his mouth.

"E-Class? What are you?"

I raised my head to look at Dr. Grace Sparks, making sure she was catching all this.

"Strike Team Captain Trooper, will it be okay if I kill all these aliens and lead us to victory?"

Trooper winced again in pain, his voice trembling.

"You... Just what is your...?"

"I’ll ask you again."

"With your permission, can I take charge of this strike team and lead us to victory?"

It seemed as if Trooper had entirely given up. He simply shut his eyes and let his head fall limply to the side, as if he were dead.

"Please, do what you have to do..."

He said weakly. He winced again and went quiet—probably unconscious, but it was clear to me he could no longer speak.

And now, I had a new task at hand—destroy the High Orcs.

I stood back up and looked at the rest of the heroes. They were still staring at me, surprise etched in their eyes.

I placed my index finger firmly against my lips and glared back at them.

"Everyone, before we get to work, I have one thing to ask of you..."

"... Huh?"

"I request you keep whatever happens here to yourselves—and not tell your individual guilds about my true nature," I said firmly.

Metal Fist narrowed her eyes to a slit. "True nature?"

I was about to explain further when a loud bang caught everyone’s attention.

Bang!! Bang!!

I spun around, and what I saw startled me just as much as it did the rest of the strike team.

Three huge cannon blasters emerged from hidden pockets in the walls, whirring with energy as they pointed in our direction.

"You!!! The golden bolt!!..." Sherman thundered.

"I can tell that you’re strong... I would rather you die now than give you a chance to show your strength!!!"

"Human, die!!!" he bellowed, a tint of victory etched in his voice.

He pressed a series of buttons on the armrest of his throne, and just like that, the three massive cannons powered up with a loud, ominous whirring.

Whirr, whirr, whirr.

Bluish-red energy built up immensely at the mouth of each cannon until they reached maximum output.

"Trinity Oblivion Protocol!!!"

Whoooooshhhh!!!

All three cannons fired their blasts in unison, their energy heating the air like a solar death ray.

"Reno Renly, do something!" Dr. Grace Sparks yelled from behind me.

I understood the assignment. This attack was lethal, and I could tell it would cause immense damage to both me and the armor—not to mention the rest of the strike team, who were far weaker and directly in harm’s way.

"I know!!"

Four circular hatches opened from the back of my armor, and with a rapid sequence of movements, the Forever Pikes deployed and pinned themselves just inches away from the huddled strike team.

Shuuu!

Bam!

Shin!

"Skill: Destructive Domain"

[Active Skill: Destructive Domain]

[Active Equipment: Forever Pikes]

[Status: Deployed]

Whooomm!

A golden dome quickly spread around us—and almost immediately, the blasts from the cannons made contact.

Boom!

It wasn’t friendly. Not even slightly. The impact was so intense, I almost believed the domain might shatter. And it wasn’t just a single blast—it was a continuous surge of energy hammering away at the dome.

I was concerned. The Forever Core had never faced an impact like this, so the chances of this blow doing no damage were close to zero.

The blast kept pouring in. Despite the deafening noise, I could hear the rest of the strike team panicking inside the dome as the scene unfolded.

Now, the Destructive Domain was designed to prevent objects from entering its effective range—but it allowed anything to leave.

I remembered that. And with a swift motion, I spun on my heel and exited the domain from the side where the blast wasn’t making direct contact.

Shriing!

My armor sparked with golden electricity as I passed through the dome’s boundaries.

There was no point staying inside, hoping the shield would hold against such a gruesome and unfamiliar attack.

It was better to eliminate the threat at its source.

And just like that, I blasted into the air and fired three bursts of energy from my gauntlets.

The golden pulses tore through the air and destroyed the cannons on impact.

"Incinerate..."