I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

Their excitement was not strange.

Even a C-Class Hero was still far beyond an ordinary person.

This could be seen from Saitama's Hero Association selection exam. There had been six testing venues and tens of thousands of applicants, yet in the end, only Saitama and Genos passed.

As the Rank 1 C-Class Hero, it was only natural for Mumen Rider to have a considerable fanbase.

He continued pedaling along the street until he noticed a little boy standing alone under a tree, wiping away tears.

Mumen Rider immediately stopped.

He parked his bicycle carefully by the roadside, making sure it would not block anyone's path, then walked over and lowered his head with a cheerful smile.

"Hey there. Why are you crying here by yourself? Did you get separated from your family?"

The boy turned his tearful eyes toward him, then pointed at the tree in front of him.

A red balloon was caught high among the branches.

"I'm not lost," the boy sniffled. "It's my balloon. It flew into the tree..."

Mumen Rider looked up, then smiled.

"No problem. I'll get it down for you."

"Re... really?"

Under the gazes of the boy and the nearby pedestrians, Mumen Rider climbed the several-meter-tall banyan tree in only a few breaths.

He retrieved the balloon with ease, climbed back down, and handed it to the boy.

"Here. Be more careful next time, okay? You should head home soon."

The boy hugged the balloon tightly.

But before he could reply, several blocks away, an office building collapsed with a deafening roar.

A violent shockwave swept through the street.

Thick smoke rose into the sky.

The surrounding pedestrians scattered in panic.

Only Mumen Rider and the little boy remained where they were.

Unlike the frightened adults, the boy stopped crying and looked at Mumen Rider with shining eyes.

"Thank you, Bicycle Big Brother."

Mumen Rider smiled and raised his right arm, giving him a firm thumbs-up.

"You head home too. Stay safe."

Then he turned, mounted his bicycle, and pedaled straight toward the rising smoke.

Toward danger.

Toward his duty as a hero.

Watching all of this through his senses, Asuramaru gained a rough understanding of what kind of person Mumen Rider was.

A good man.

A sincere man.

A stubborn man.

The only question was how firm his will truly was.

He would need an opportunity to test it.

The encounter with the Deep Sea King seemed like a suitable choice, but what exact point in the timeline was this?

With that doubt in mind, Asuramaru continued observing the outside world.

City F.

On a wide street, a group of bald men in black battle suits marched forward arrogantly, destroying everything in their path.

Their leader was Hammerhead.

He stood among them like a crane among chickens. His body was over two meters tall, broad and powerful enough to make the rest of the group look smaller by comparison.

As they advanced, he shouted their slogan.

"Labor is garbage!"

His voice echoed down the street.

"Everyone is chained by the system of work! Are you really happy when you work? No. Of course you're not!"

Hammerhead raised his fist.

"That's why someone has to change this rotten society! I, the great Hammerhead, will create a world where those who love working support everyone else!"

The Paradisers behind him cheered.

"This great goal will be achieved by the Paradisers! First, we'll destroy the mansion of the multimillionaire Zeniru. That mansion is a symbol of inequality!"

Hammerhead grinned savagely.

"We'll let the world know we're serious!"

The moment he finished speaking, a loud shout came from behind them.

"Stop right there, villains!"

The group turned around.

Mumen Rider arrived on his bicycle.

Under everyone's gaze, he calmly parked his bicycle, locked it, then trotted forward and took a fighting stance.

"I am the C-Class Hero, Mumen Rider!"

His voice was clear and firm.

"I won't let you run wild!"

"A hero?"

Hammerhead's expression twisted with disdain.

"What a ridiculous, boring job. Why are you trying to stop us when our ideals are so noble?"

He roared and charged forward.

Facing the giant rushing toward him, Mumen Rider knew the gap between them.

Even so, he did not step back.

He chose to face him head-on.

Hammerhead threw one punch.

Mumen Rider was knocked to the ground in an instant and lost consciousness.

Hammerhead looked down at the unconscious hero and spat.

"You dared to stop us with that pathetic strength? What a joke."

He turned and waved his arm.

"Boys, keep moving! Fight for our ideals!"

Watching this, Asuramaru frowned slightly.

The Paradisers.

According to the original story, if this event was happening now, Boros's arrival was not far away.

Relying on someone like Mumen Rider, whose moral baseline was too high, to grow stronger quickly was obviously unrealistic.

As expected, choosing Sonic had been the correct move.

Still, since both were Sword Masters, he could not be too biased.

He would reluctantly train Mumen Rider to pass the time while guiding Sonic to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

After roughly deciding on a plan, Asuramaru began his first communication with his Sword Master.

A pitch-black thread, nearly invisible to the naked eye, extended from the sword and slowly touched Mumen Rider's body.

Then it pulled him into the mental world.

Using Mumen Rider's memories as a foundation, Asuramaru constructed a perfect illusion and guided him into a subconscious state.

The scene from earlier repeated itself.

Only this time, Mumen Rider endured Hammerhead's punch.

He did not fall unconscious immediately.

But the punch still made him cough blood. His body staggered, and he dropped to one knee.

Under Asuramaru's control, Hammerhead stepped forward and sneered.

"You heroes are just fame-seeking clowns. How could you ever compare to us, people with noble ideals?"

He lowered his head, his eyes full of contempt.

"You wanted to get famous by defeating us, didn't you? What a nasty little guy."

The Paradisers behind him burst into mocking laughter.

"Hahaha! What was this weakling even thinking?"

"More like, does someone this weak deserve to be called a hero?"

"Is the Hero Association taking anyone these days?"

The laughter surrounded him.

Mumen Rider did not get angry.

Instead, he forced himself to stand.

Blood ran down the corner of his mouth, but his voice remained firm.

"I became a hero to protect the weak."

He clenched his fists.

"To stand on the right side and do everything I can to protect the truth called justice."

His gaze did not waver.

"Laugh all you want. The justice in my heart will never compromise with you."

Hammerhead stepped forward.

His fist crashed into Mumen Rider again, knocking him to the ground.

Then Hammerhead planted one foot on his head and looked down at him with malicious amusement.

"No compromise?"

His smile turned cruel.

"Then I'll beat you until you have no choice but to compromise."

After that, punches and kicks rained down.

Mumen Rider's body was battered again and again.

Even when he was on the verge of death, even when his breathing became weak and broken, Hammerhead's questioning received the same answer.

"I... won't compromise."

Hammerhead's expression darkened.

"Fine. Very well."

He lifted his foot.

"You still won't compromise? Then I'll go kill all the weaklings you want to protect."

He turned to leave.

But Mumen Rider, relying on the last remnants of his will, reached out and grabbed Hammerhead's left leg.

His fingers trembled.

His body could barely move.

Even so, he held on.

"As long as I'm here..."

His voice was hoarse, but steady.

"You won't succeed."

.....

[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]

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