Hold breath—hold it—I’m holding it— From the ground to space, Shiro took a deep breath and subconsciously held it.
In the ultra-high vacuum of space, the oxygen content was negligible, almost zero.
After a while, Shiro blinked; nothing seemed wrong, and his body was functioning normally.
Shiro stopped holding his breath and looked toward the sun.
A scorching and dazzling giant star came into view, releasing a continuous stream of light and heat.
It was the origin of life, existing on an unimaginably vast timescale.
The Sun.
Feeling the sunlight far beyond what could be absorbed on the ground, Shiro couldn’t help but spread his arms, as if embracing the sun.
There are always those who want to stare directly into the sun’s brilliance, and he was now one of them.
Every cell in his body greedily absorbed the solar energy, a sensation far more pronounced than when on the ground.
Under the sunlight, a ripple of gold spread through his brown pupils, as if shedding all impurities—the Golden Pupils emerged.
Shiro felt himself rapidly becoming stronger, but he hadn’t gone bald.
For the time that followed, Shiro drifted in space like Kars, motionless as a stone statue, eyes closed while basking in the sun and listening to music through headphones.
(I want to fly to the sky, side by side with the sun, the world is waiting for me to change it…) …
Time flew by like a white stallion passing a crack; two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.
In Sixth Street, many people thought Shiro had met with an accident and expressed their regrets.
What a kind-hearted young man, gone just like that.
Nicole and the others’ explanations were taken by some as forced smiles and feigned strength, leading to waves of consolation.
They felt helpless; unless Shiro showed up in person, he really was going to end up on the list of the deceased.
Things being as they were, it was time to get to work; they had just accepted a commission.
Space.
“Pfft!” Shiro slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of Heat Vision flickered, instantly vaporizing a meteorite floating in front of him, having intercepted a strike meant for the planet before him.
Meteorite: You’re so amazing, you’re so noble!
Crack!
Snap!
Having not moved for a long time, Shiro stretched his stiff body, which emitted crisp sounds like popping beans, even though sound doesn’t travel in a vacuum.
“What incredible power!
So intense!” Thump, thump, thump— Shiro muttered to himself as he patted his body.
He had undergone a complete transformation, becoming as indestructible as steel, making him want to vent this immense power.
“Let me listen to what Boss Nicole and the others are up to.” Shiro used the Super Hearing he had awakened.
…
Since it was his first time using it and he wasn’t familiar with it, countless mixed and chaotic noises flooded his ears, causing a noticeable headache.
Shiro frowned and shook his head.
His Super Brain kicked in, quickly adapting to the Super Hearing and filtering out the redundant noise bit by bit.
After a while…
“I…
I am the reporter for this station!
I can’t listen anymore!
These criminals must be…!” “As soon as their tracks are discovered, they should be directly…
that’s right!
Completely…
them, and then…!!” Shiro: “…” A speech resembling Rex Lapis after excessive erode reached his ears, and there were even bleeps.
How interesting.
The Lord of Geo must have a deep meaning for doing this.
“I [bleep]!
You [bleep] from the Red Fang Gang, listen up!” You can stop now, Mr.
Reporter.
Your words are starting to sound a bit too radical.
“It’s a window, Boss Nicole!
We can get out through here!” Billy’s voice was also heard.
Shiro was certain that Nicole and the others had gone to Fourteenth Street to retrieve a safe.
Mm-hmm (‘ω’), the Cereal Siblings are going to have to worry about the electricity bill too.
He’d have to check how fast the meter at the Video Store spins later.
Boom!
While Shiro was thinking, a loud explosion reached his ears, along with that idiot Billy’s shouting.
His Super Vision activated.
The planet before him enlarged, and city buildings became clear.
He happened to see Anby and Billy falling into the Crete Hollow.
Nicole was already injured but was rushing toward Sixth Street without stopping.
She really…
it’s enough to make one cry.
“Boss Nicole is really someone worth knowing.
She’s a bit greedy, but she’s got a lot of heart.” Shiro didn’t stay in space any longer.
He spread his arms and dove down like an eagle.
A miraculous Bio-electric Aura kept his clothes from catching fire due to friction.
“Anby, Billy, wait for me to find someone to lead you out,” Nicole said, gritting her teeth despite the pain from her injuries.
Falling into a Hollow was the real danger; only the legendary Proxy, Phaethon, could safely bring them out.
Bang!
Cough, cough, cough…
An object falling from the sky landed precisely in front of Nicole, and the kicked-up dust made her cough uncontrollably.
“Boss Nicole, long time no see.” Shiro waved his hand, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the dust.
He had successfully landed on the ground; although he didn’t strike a superhero landing pose, he didn’t make a fool of himself either.
“Shiro?
Where have you been all this time?
No, now’s not the time for that.
Quick, drive us to find Phaethon and the others!” “Drive faster!” Nicole was surprised for a moment, then immediately sat in the passenger seat and told Shiro to drive.
Business first; everything else could wait.
“Alright, drive fast, right?” The “unlicensed” Shiro sat skillfully in the driver’s seat.
Since Boss Nicole herself had said to drive fast, he ignited the engine, shifted gears, and floored the gas pedal.
Pardon my meager skills~ If not for the Bio-electric Aura, he probably would have kicked the gas pedal right through the floor.
“Aaaaah, slow down!” Nicole’s face, already pale from her injury, turned even whiter, devoid of color.
This damn g-force.
Arrived at Sixth Street.
Urgh— Nicole couldn’t help but vomit rainbows.
Although they arrived faster than if she had driven, her body couldn’t take it.
How did Shiro react to such dense traffic?
The two entered the Video Store.
Shiro couldn’t help but ask, “Boss Nicole, why didn’t you just have Twiggy contact Wise and Belle first?” “Uh…
I forgot.” Nicole patted her forehead; she had truly been blinded by worry.
“Who is it?
Oh, isn’t this Shiro the Great Philanthropist?
You actually bothered to come back.” Rin showed a surprised expression and stepped forward quickly, patting Shiro’s arm.
“Have you been working out?” After being gone for two years, his muscle definition was even more perfect, and his temperament was more outstanding.
She really should make her brother sign up for a gym membership.
Shiro nodded.
After basking in the sun for two and a half years, his Superman physique had evolved from the inside out.
“We’ll catch up later, Rin.
I need your help right now,” Nicole said urgently.
She explained what happened in a few words.
Rin nodded; this was indeed no small matter.
When a friend was in trouble, she certainly couldn’t just stand by.
The longer one stayed in a Hollow, the more variables there would be, and the deeper the Ether Energy’s impact on the body, even if one’s Ether Aptitude was above 50.
“Nicole, from the sound of it, you’re injured, aren’t you?” “Heal.” Shiro healed her, instantly restoring Nicole to full health.
Her face took on a healthy flush, and she was rejuvenated.
“I’ll go in,” Shiro said.
Now that he had Superman’s power, he might as well kill a few Ethereals to liven things up.
“Alright, take Eous with you.” Rin had seen Shiro fight before; he was a head-severing demon, specifically targeting Ethereal heads with his attacks—it was a mess of cruelty.
Having not seen him for two and a half years, her sixth sense told her that Shiro had become much stronger and would be better able to protect the small Eous.