### Chapter 8: A-Class Hero Death Gatling
However—
Just as he relaxed his guard.
That battered shell, which should have been completely scrapped, suddenly burst forth with its last bit of strength!
It propped itself up violently with its incomplete limbs, dragging its severely damaged body that was constantly shedding trash.
It stumbled desperately towards the end of the street—where a huge, mountain-like trash collection point for the entire block was piled up, waiting to be cleared!
"Wha...?!"
Death Gatling's pupils suddenly constricted, stunned for a moment by this sudden turn of events.
It was just this brief delay!
*BOOM—!!!*
The Trash Monster's remnant body crashed viciously into the huge trash mountain like a cannonball.
The mountain of waste shook violently and collapsed.
Immediately after, a scene that made Death Gatling's scalp tingle occurred—
Countless pieces of trash seemed to be attracted by an invisible magnet, frantically converging on the spot where the Monster fell.
Plastic bags flew and tangled, metal fragments clattered and attached, and rotting organic matter wriggled and covered like living things...
The trash mountain was wriggling, compressing, and reshaping!
That crippled body was expanding and swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The stench it emitted skyrocketed exponentially, as if the cesspool of hell had been opened!
"N... Not good!"
Death Gatling's face changed drastically. He finally realized what the opponent intended to do—it was absorbing trash to replenish itself!
He hurriedly raised his Gatling gun, trying to stop it.
But it was too late!
In just a few breaths, a gigantic trash aggregate over ten meters tall, emitting a monstrous stench.
Like a moving fortress of rot, it stood once again in front of Death Gatling and all the terrified citizens.
A huge shadow was cast, completely enveloping the tiny human hero.
Those turbid eyes made of shattered glass bottles and oil stains locked deadly onto the tiny A-Class hero below, emitting malice a hundred times more terrifying than before.
"Damn it!"
Death Gatling's face instantly turned pale.
He never expected that this Monster made of a pile of "trash" could achieve such a terrifying evolution by merging with more waste!
In just a moment, the monster's aura climbed sharply like a volcanic eruption, completely breaking through the shackles of Tiger-level and transforming into the heart-palpitating—Demon-level!
"Disappear for me!"
The shock lasted only for an instant. The instinct for survival and the duty of a hero made Death Gatling roar again.
The muscles in his arms bulged. The Gatling gun in his hand, symbolizing death, erupted with a deafening roar. Tongues of fire danced wildly, and a barrage of bullets poured down like a rainstorm onto the behemoth.
However—
*Pffft pffft pffft...*
The Gatling bullets that could tear apart the opponent's body just now, upon hitting the ten-meter-high trash mountain, only kicked up a few insignificant specks of debris and dirt.
Like scratching an itch for this hideous beast.
"Damn! Completely ineffective?!"
The shadow of despair instantly shrouded his heart.
The omen of death was more suffocating than the stench emitted by the trash.
He didn't even have time to think of a countermeasure. A giant fist condensed from rotting waste, carrying a foul wind and stench, tore through the air like a meteorite, smashing down with a whistling sound of destruction!
*BOOM—!!!*
The hard street pavement cracked and caved in like a fragile biscuit, a huge crater forming instantly.
Relying on his tempered reflexes.
Death Gatling rolled away awkwardly in the nick of time.
But that intense, nauseating smell of rot still made him dizzy and almost suffocated.
"Ugh—!"
Before he could catch his breath, a second punch followed.
Like a mountain collapsing, unstoppable!
Death Gatling gritted his teeth, pushing his movement technique to the limit.
He dodged and weaved in the narrow street, turning into a high-speed blur.
However, the Demon-level monster's attacks were continuous, its speed and power far exceeding before.
A tiny error in judgment, and that fist carrying ten thousand tons of force finally grazed his body!
*BANG—!!!*
Like being hit head-on by a high-speed train, Death Gatling's body flew backward like a kite with a cut string.
He smashed fiercely through the glass window of a roadside shop, rolling and stopping amidst the mess.
"Cough... Ugh..."
Intense pain, as if all his bones were falling apart, hit him instantly.
He struggled to take out his communicator, his voice hoarse and urgent: "This is Death Gatling! Encountered sudden evolution... Target confirmed Demon-level! Requesting... emergency backup! Repeat, requesting S-Class backup!"
However, the Hero Association's backup was too far away to put out the nearby fire.
Looking up in despair through the shattered window.
He saw that giant trash fist blotting out the sun, tearing through the air again, carrying the wind pressure of death, smashing ruthlessly towards the ruins where he lay!
Shadows instantly swallowed the light, and the cold tentacles of death strangled his throat.
"I... It's over!"
Just at that instant when his consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness—
*Swish!*
A figure appeared in mid-air above his head without warning, like a ghost.
Death Gatling didn't even have time to see the outline of that figure clearly—
The next second!
*BOOM—!!!!!!!*
An explosion far surpassing the roar of a Gatling gun rang out.
A violent shockwave instantly swept through the entire street, blowing away all the rubble and dust!
Death Gatling subconsciously closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the intense pain of being crushed to pieces.
However... nothing happened?
He snapped his eyes open, his pupils suddenly contracting to pinpoints!
In his vision, that terrifying giant fist about to crush him, along with the Trash Monster's ten-meter-high, stench-emitting upper body... had vanished!
Like completely erased from reality by an invisible divine eraser.
Only the lower half of the wreckage, piled up with scrap metal and rotting matter, remained. Under the effect of inertia, it collapsed with a crash, kicking up dust all over the sky.
"...Wha...?!"
The unbelievable shock left Death Gatling's mind blank. His thoughts completely froze, and he could only stare blankly at the inconceivable scene, unable to recover for a long time.
"Hey, still alive?"
A slightly lazy but powerful voice broke the deathly silence.
The figure floating in mid-air slowly turned around. It was Kouki, looking down with interest at the sorry-looking A-Class hero in the ruins.
"Ah...! Yes! I... I'm fine!" Death Gatling jerked, a mix of wild joy from surviving and awe for the person before him intertwining. "Thank you so much for saving my life! May I ask... which S-Class hero sent by the Association are you?"
He naturally categorized this unfathomable youth into the S-Class ranks, only finding this face very unfamiliar.
"Haha~ S-Class?" Kouki grinned, revealing snow-white teeth, his smile bright yet carrying a hint of wildness. "I'm not a hero yet! Alright, the smelly guy is dealt with. The air here is terrible, and—"
He patted his stomach, his tone taking on a bit of childish complaint. "I haven't finished my big meal yet!"
Before his voice faded, Kouki's figure flickered, turning into a stream of light and speeding towards the restaurant he had just patronized nearby.
...