It was almost noon, and Shinji still had to get home to prepare lunch. He thought that taking both of them down at once would be quicker and also net him some points. His calm confidence made Tanktop Tiger and Tanktop Black Hole freeze for a second.
"Are you trying to be funny right now?" Tanktop Black Hole stared at Shinji like he was a complete fool. "Where do you get the confidence to challenge both me and my brother at the same time?!"
One of Tank Topper Army recovered first and let out a dismissive snort.
"This is nuts. Even if that whole A-Class strength thing is just hype, he's still a legit top 10 C-Class hero. And his brother is actually B-Class."
"Exactly. Shinji might not even be able to beat one of them. Come on, he only beat Mumen Rider, and that guy's way too weak to count. It proves nothing."
"Hot-headed, that's all. Young guys always act tough, but he's about to eat dirt."
The crowd wasn't convinced either. Just like the brothers, most of them thought Shinji had lost his mind. Even Mumen Rider began to feel uneasy.
"Shinji, are you really going to do this? Taking on both of them is dangerous!"
He knew Shinji was strong, but this wasn't some random monster. The Tank Topper Army were seasoned fighters. Two against one was a serious risk, especially with Tanktop Black Hole, a veteran B-Class hero.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry." Shinji replied with an easy smile.
"Alright then..." Mumen Rider could only hope Shinji would come out on top.
"Enough talk. Let's get this over with. I'm in a hurry!" Shinji's gaze sharpened as it locked onto the Tank Topper Army.
"You think I'm scared of you? Bring it on!" Tanktop Tiger charged forward, completely fired up. Shinji might have rattled him earlier, but now he was sure that had just been a fluke.
"Don't go crying when we crush you, kid. You asked for this," Tanktop Black Hole added with a grim chuckle.
"You talk too much." Shinji's patience was already wearing thin.
"Acting all smug? I'll teach you some respect!" Tanktop Black Hole finally lost his cool and hurled a heavy fist at Shinji.
"Wait." The review officer, who was still nearby, raised her voice. "I'll act as referee again. Both sides, follow sparring protocol."
"Yeah yeah, hurry up already!" Tanktop Tiger looked like he couldn't wait to smear Shinji into the ground.
"Start!"
The moment the referee signaled the start, both brothers lunged at Shinji. Their fighting style was brute force through and through—bulky frames, stacked muscles, and unstoppable momentum.
Tanktop Tiger stood at 190 centimeters and weighed 102 kilograms. Tanktop Black Hole was even bigger, towering at 220 centimeters with a body mass of 143 kilograms. His grip strength alone reached a monstrous 200 kilograms. Physically, they were far above average.
But against Shinji? Still not enough. His protagonist rizz had a way.
[Host has exchanged for "Physique +23." 23 points deducted. Current balance: 0]
[Physique +23]
[Physique: 43]
In an instant, Shinji's physical power skyrocketed. His strength now exceeded four times that of an average adult male.
Facing the two in front of him, Shinji had no plans to use either of his Kamui powers. He would take them down using nothing but raw hand-to-hand combat. With only the base-level insight granted by his Mangekyo Sharingan, he could still dominate these two muscleheads without breaking a sweat.
To him, their rush was sluggish, their movements laughably easy to read. Every punch they threw was already accounted for before it even began. That was the real strength of his visual prowess—the ability to read and anticipate every move based on subtle cues like muscle tension or the angle of their bodies. The same ability that allowed for ninjutsu replication wasn't magic, just flawless observation.
Tanktop Tiger and Tanktop Black Hole came at him from both flanks, but Shinji slipped through the gaps like mist, his expression unmoving and calm.
On the other hand, the brothers were already starting to breathe heavily. Close-range brawling drained stamina fast, and missing hit after hit only made it worse.
"Wait a second... they're getting toyed with, aren't they?"
"Way too fast! Shinji's dodging like a ghost, they can't even touch him!"
"Maybe he's just quick, not strong. That could be it. If he can't hit back, it'll come down to who runs out of energy first."
The crowd murmured in disbelief, watching as Shinji danced through the attacks with fluid grace. The longer the fight dragged on, the more frantic the brothers became. Their punches lost coordination, becoming wild and desperate, and their stamina burned away with every wasted movement.
Soon, Tanktop Tiger could barely keep his arms up to guard. "Damn it! All you do is dodge, coward!" he roared, gasping between heavy breaths as he tried to stall for time.
Shinji's voice came low and steady. "Looks like you're done swinging. My turn."
His eyes sharpened. When Tanktop Black Hole lunged with a powerful punch, Shinji simply tilted his head. The blow swept past his ear harmlessly. In the same moment, his knee rocketed upward with explosive force and slammed into Black Hole's abdomen.
"Urgh—!!"
The hit folded him instantly, sending him crashing to the ground, curled up and gasping in agony. His face twisted in raw pain. It wasn't just the force that took him down—it was the placement. His liver had been ruptured. In professional fighting, a liver strike wasn't just damaging, it was paralyzing. Pain radiated through the body, making it nearly impossible to recover or move.
[The host has defeated the B-Class Hero "Tanktop Black Hole." Reward: 8 points]
"Big bro!"
Tanktop Tiger shouted in panic as his brother lay twitching on the floor. But before he could even react—
Crack!
A flash of darkness smashed across his vision. His head spun. The last thing he saw was Shinji's fist. Then everything went black.
[Host has defeated C-Class Hero "Tanktop Tiger." Reward: 4 points]
The Tanktop brothers had been demolished in seconds.
Silence fell like a blanket over the room. Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, completely stunned.
"Victory confirmed! Congratulations, Shinji."
The examiner's voice broke the stillness, calmly announcing the result.
Only then did the crowd seem to return to reality. Especially those who had sneered at Shinji earlier. Now their faces turned red with embarrassment, and some quietly slipped out of the room without a word, unable to bear the shame.