The Thirty-Ninth Chapter: What Qualifies One to Be a Hero?
Yayoi walked into a factory constructed with various steel structures, with intricate pipeline systems crisscrossing abovehead, making the work environment seemingly designed for “combat.”
Walking cautiously through the overly quiet space, Yayoi passed a corroded white control box and a red metal box labeled “Fire Equipment,” then stopped in front of a warehouse.
This place felt so familiar… Moreover, she could not help but think.
“This is… where Dad used to work.”
Even the most deceitful lie cannot fool a grown child. Yayoi learned from her mother that her father was just a common factory worker who died from an accident, not the hero “Kamen Rider” protecting kids.
However, everything about Dad’s work came from Mom. She had never actually been here, yet here she was.
Ah!
Without transforming, Yayoi sensed that her hidden powers were clashing with the surrounding air, causing discomfort. This sensitivity caught a dissonant sound.
“What’s this feeling… Could it be?”
Thinking back to when such feelings occurred before, Yayoi’s legs trembled slightly. Sweat formed on her forehead as her face paled.
She felt conflicted but quickly shook her head and slapped herself, then rushed into the warehouse with her backpack.
“The Bitter Empire’s Barrier!”
Following the suffocating dark aura, Yayoi pushed open a partly closed gate. Inside, the dark purple atmosphere enveloped the entire factory, and ordinary workers lay lifelessly on the ground murmuring negative words like “work is exhausting” and “why even bother coming to work.” The machinery near them was on the brink of失控