Inside the Hero Guild, Titanfang frowned as he heard the shouts of the demonstrators.
He tapped his fingers in frustration. "Dammit. Just make them stop already."
Across from him, Hiro, one of the upper managers of the Hero Guild, sighed.
He adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his chair, completely unfazed by Titanfang's irritation. "Of course I can't."
He rubbed his temples and continued. "This is happening because of you, in case you forgot."
Titanfang's glare deepened. "Yeah? And what do you expect me to do? Apologize? I was doing my job. I take down a villain before he could cause more damage!"
Hiro raised his eyebrow. "And in the process, you turned half a district into a pile of rubble."
He gestured vaguely toward the window. "The people out there lost their homes and their businesses, and you think they should just be fine with that?"
Titanfang crossed his arms in frustation. "We already paid them compensation, didn't we? What more do they want? Do they think we can just rebuild the city overnight?"
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "This is also bad for the guild's reputation, Hiro. Do you even care about that?"
Hiro leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. "Of course I care."
He then smiled. "But you don't need to worry. I've already handled it."
Titanfang's eyes narrowed. "Handled it? How?"
Hiro smirked slightly but didn't answer right away.
Instead, he reached for a tablet on the table and tapped the screen, pulling up a live feed of the Hero Guild's private security cameras.
Titanfang's brows furrowed as he watched the footage. The camera feed showed the hall after the entrance of the guild.
A convoy of armored vehicles was parked there, and in the center of it, a group of armed officers were escorting a bound and weakened figure toward a transport truck.
It was the villain he had defeated just days ago.
Titanfang crossed his arms. "What's the point of showing me this? You think just parading this guy in front of the protesters will make them back off?"
Hiro smirked, shaking his head. "Of course not. Those people outside don't care about justice. They care about what they lost. But…"
He tapped the screen lightly. "You're not entirely wrong."
Titanfang narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Hiro leaned back and smirked. "I won't just show them this footage. I'll show them the real thing."
Titanfang began to realize what Hiro was planning. He stood up and chuckled. "Ah, I see. That's your plan."
Hiro clasped his hands together. "Heroes need victories, Titanfang. Public, flashy, undeniable victories."
He tapped the screen again. "And right now, all those people outside see is destruction and loss. So, we give them something else to focus on. Justice served on a silver platter."
Titanfang stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "So, I'm guessing I'm the one delivering this 'justice'?"
Hiro's smirk widened. "Of course. The public needs to see their hero in action again, but this time with no collateral damage."
He shot Titanfang a pointed look. "Which means... try not to destroy anything this time."
Titanfang scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. No promises, though. If the guy puts up a fight, I'll have to put him down."
Hiro shrugged. "Just make it fast. The crowd is already at its breaking point. If they don't get a good show soon, things could get... messy."
Titanfang grinned. "Got it. Time to remind everyone why they need heroes."
With that, he turned and left the room, his cape billowing slightly behind him.
Hiro watched him go, his smirk never fading. "Remind them... and make sure they never forget."
---
The huge gate of The Hero Guild was suddenly opened, surprising the protestors.
This wasn't what they expected. The Guild had never acknowledged demonstrations before. Why now?
Then, from within, a convoy of armored vehicles rolled forward.
At the center of the formation, a bound man sat against the restraints, his head hanging low.
The crowd immediately recognized the men. "It's him! The bastard who destroyed our district!"
The demonstrators hurled numerous curses and insults at the villain.
Some even threw small stones, broken pieces of wood, whatever they could find.
The villain, bruised and restrained, lifted his head slightly.
His eyes scanned the furious faces around him. Then, a faint metallic creaking caught his attention.
The special chain that was binding him was a bit cracked.
His breath hitched. Just a little more.
Without hesitation, he yanked his arms apart, snapping the weakend restrains with a metallic clang.
Gasps filled the air and in an instant, chaos erupted. Someone even screamed out loud. "HE'S FREE!"
Before the guards could react, the villain flexed his fingers and started to use his superpower.
Metal groaned and twisted unnaturally as his power flared to life. The vehicles around him shuddered and then moved.
With a flick of his wrist, the armored trucks flipped onto their sides, crushing the pavement beneath them.
Steel cables from the broken restraints coiled like living snakes, whipping through the air and slamming into the nearest officers, sending them flying.
The demonstrator quickly turned into a panicky one.
People screamed, shoving and scrambling to escape as jagged metal shards tore through the ground.
A man tripped, barely rolling away as a streetlight was wrenched from the concrete and hurled like a spear.
The villain grinned and sneered. "Pathetic. You think you're better than me? You think you're victims?
He raised his hand, and the metallic remains of the destroyed vehicles began to float. "You're just—"
A shadow suddenly passed overhead.
The villain barely had time to react before something crashed into the ground before him, sending out a powerful shockwave.
As the smoke cleared, a broad-shouldered figure stood tall in the middle of the destruction.
Titanfang.
He smirked, rolling his neck. "You know, you villains always pull the same dumb trick. Get caught, act all defeated, wait for an opening, and then—bam! You try to make a comeback."
He lifted his fist, cracking his knuckles one by one. "Gets kinda old."
The villain scowled but didn't waste words. Instead, he flung a jagged mass of iron straight at Titanfang.
Titanfang grinned.
Boom!
With a single punch, the iron was obliterated, fragments scattering like dust.
The crowd, once screaming in fear, now watched in stunned silence.
Titanfang turned his head slightly, looking down at the panicked civilians. "Stay put, all of you."
Without looking at them, he reassured them. "I'll handle this."
Then he launched himself forward and the second battle began.