The CREDHOS agency had developed technology capable of predicting the arrival of HOUMs and their approximate strength. As a result, they knew who to send and when to send them. These machines had served a great purpose in stabilizing the world after it had become a single continent.
Just after the announcement that the HOUM had appeared, Jaden saw through the window a HOUM as tall as Rush but much more muscular. Just by looking at it, one could imagine its incredible strength. If someone who hadn't trained enough attempted to strike it, they would likely be in for a tough time.
It had a long horn in the middle of its forehead, an aggressive-looking face that resembled a gorilla but with a slightly narrower appearance. Its mouth couldn't fully close due to two teeth that closely resembled those of vipers or vampires, only larger. Its skin was gray, but a much darker gray than the HOUMs Jaden had previously encountered.
"He looks incredibly strong." Jaden said, turning his head toward the CREDHOS who had come to visit him. But before he could fix his gaze on them, they leaped out of the window to confront the HOUM in the hospital courtyard.
'Can you imagine? Fighting against such a terrifying monster. And there are people who dream of becoming like them.' Jaden thought, a touch of excitement creeping into his thoughts though.
'I'd still prefer to stay at home creating websites or even a video game. Although artificial intelligence has brought disruptions, there are still challenges that demand human creativity. However, AI is developing rapidly.' Jaden pondered as the others prepared to face the formidable monster.
'Only one HOUM with this much strength in this area.' Rei mused.
The continent was divided into several countries, each as large as the United States. Each of these countries was further divided into multiple zones based on the frequency of HOUM appearances and the accuracy of machines predicting their arrivals. There were a total of seven zones: white, white-gray, gray, gray-red, red, red-black, and black, with white being the safest and black the least safe.
Jaden lived in a white-gray zone, and the hospital where he was located was also in the same zone. It was possible to be born, grow up, and reach adolescence without ever encountering a single HOUM in these relatively safe zones.
The chance to see a HOUM strong enough in a white-gray zone was nigh-zero, that's why Rei found it a bit weird to see one that powerful here.
The CREDHOS launched into combat with great determination. Rush was the first to attack, sprinting toward the creature.
"I'll lead the way." Rush declared before dashing toward the adversary.
Rei, on the other hand, assumed a posture similar to one on a poster that might be found in someone's room: a small blade in each hand, one pointing toward his chest and the other backward, with the palms open.
"Wow!" Jaden exclaimed unconsciously, watching the majestic scene unfold before him. Admiration filled his eyes. Jaden had never seen a CREDHOS fight in person, let alone one of the best.
Once in front of the HOUM, the creature instinctively threw a punch, but Rush skillfully dodged it. In the same motion, Rush struck the HOUM's abdomen twice, causing it to stagger backward.
However, the HOUM quickly counterattacked by sending a kick toward Rush's head. Without time to dodge, Rush bent his left arm in front of his face, with his elbow pointing forward and his fist backward.
The impact produced a resounding noise, as if two objects of equal mass and hardness had collided. As the blow was absorbed, the HOUM continued with a right punch aimed at Rush's face, but Rush had no intention of moving.
Just as the punch was about to reach his face, the HOUM's fist suddenly dropped, and it leaped backward twice, its gaze turning to the left of its opponent. There, it had seen a man standing with what appeared to be a dagger in each hand, both stained with black blood.
At that moment, the HOUM's hand began to regenerate very slowly, but it abruptly stopped, surprising the HOUM, which quickly severed its hand from the shoulder.
"Not bad." Rush remarked before adding: "A bit more delay, and that act of bravery wouldn't have done you any good."
Rei's daggers contained a substance that prevented HOUMs from regenerating. Once he had cut a HOUM, this substance spread through its body, preventing rapid regeneration. It didn't completely stop the regenerative abilities of HOUMs but made them closer to that of humans.
"However, all this bravery won't serve you any purpose." Rush added, and at that moment, the HOUM's head fell with a "thud" and continued rolling for some distance, its headless body falling with black blood flowing.
In fact, Rei hadn't only cut off the HOUM's hand but also its head; it just took a little longer for the head to fall.
Jaden was in shock; he hadn't seen any of this coming, neither the hand nor the head. He was literally speechless.
'That was probably a powerful HOUM of mid-class, a level A!' Jaden thought before adding. 'So this is one of the strongest CREDHOS teams.' He then remembered that he had somewhat believed that the CREDHOS were just a scam.