The fire-fighting missiles that struck the Flame Giant one after another could only weaken the blaze slightly for a short time. But once Ito had gotten used to his body, he was able to dodge some of the missiles or detonate them early.
The negative consciousness had no power to instantly conquer everything. It could only erupt and serve as fuel to activate [Firework Knight]. Once the [Firework Knight] ability was fully activated, neither the primary consciousness nor the negative consciousness could control it. It would act only on instinct, wantonly unleashing its own destructive urges.
At that moment, the Flame Giant had wrapped its arms around an apartment building.
Though he had no physical form, he completely absorbed the twelve- or thirteen-story building, which was about as tall as he was, into his body.
Through the golden flames, onlookers could see the building's walls quickly turn black with soot. The windows shattered from the sudden heat, and once the flammable materials inside caught fire, they fed the Flame Giant in turn, making him grow several meters taller.
Anyone several kilometers away could see the scene, so unreal it seemed like something from a dream, as long as nothing blocked their view.
[A monster has invaded Tokyo?!]
[Oh my god, how much has the government been hiding from us?]
[Help! I'm nearby! Hiding in a building isn't safe at all—the whole building's on fire! I saw someone jump straight out!]
All kinds of media outlets rushed toward spots with clear views, reporting with high-definition livestreaming equipment. One breaking-news broadcast after another went from Tokyo to every corner of the world. Anyone with an internet-connected device was bombarded with information from every outlet: firsthand reports, reposts, and reposts of reposts. For a while, there was so much information that many people's phones even froze.
Especially for those daring enough to livestream from close by, viewers poured in like crazy. Comments in all sorts of languages flooded the screen so quickly they were impossible to read. Some people even tipped the streamers to get closer and show them whether the Flame Giant had a dick.
For a short while, Ito's sudden rampage had made the whole world's tone veer wildly off course.
Questions from all sides came crashing down on Kuroki Niizumi like snowflakes, making her almost want to shut off her phone and deal with them later.
"Has William come back?"
At a moment like this, one of William's other important uses came into play. As an American and a confidant of the commander of the U.S. Forces in Japan, he could intimidate a lot of senior officials just by standing there.
"The latest report says they're seeking nearby cover and will withdraw when the opportunity arises. To avoid being tracked by Ito, they won't return to headquarters right away."
A subordinate reported.
Rumble!
A loud crash made her stand up and walk to the window, where she gazed at the billowing smoke in the distance.
"Report!" Noguchi Yuji shouted from the temporary command center.
"The target's size hasn't changed. Missile strikes appear to be ineffective!" the spotter replied while taking notes.
The Flame Giant swelled again. In the blink of an eye, he had reached an astonishing fifty meters tall—about the same height as Ultraman Tiga when he fought monsters.
The Flame Giant stretched out both arms and swept them across the buildings, leaving blazing fires in his wake. A hollow opening warped across the giant's featureless face. He slowly leaned forward, and the spiraling flames he spewed engulfed everything in front of him.
Some of the people in hiding were consumed by the flames. They screamed in agony and ran around like headless chickens.
"How are humans supposed to fight these monsters?" Noguchi Yuji murmured, staring at the horrific scene, as if a demon had descended upon the world.
Everything he had done seemed as useless as a bubble, bursting at the slightest touch.
"This guy must be nearing his limit, right? Good. A seed of such high quality should be allowed to grow strong out in the open."
Watching the news reporter look as though he was about to cry, Shiraishi Wataru focused his mind.
At the same time, the two parasitic bodies that had already reached the area began preparing to make their entrance.
Kikukawa Takaaki, who was livestreaming on YouTube, was ashen-faced.
He had no time to care about the huge tips or the skyrocketing viewership that would normally have left him too excited to sleep.
After witnessing those people engulfed in flames, he really didn't want to find out what it felt like to be swallowed by a raging fire.
"What do I do?! He's coming toward me! There's no time to get downstairs! What do I do?!" Kikukawa Takaaki was so frantic that he started asking the viewers—even the jokers in his livestream chat.
[I'm in the shower. Want me to put him out for you?]
[Give him the finger. At least go out with some dignity.]
[Hey, streamer! Can you zoom in down there later? I wanna see if he's got a dick.]
[What the hell, this is pretty convincing. Isn't it just special effects?]
Welp, I'm done for.
That was the only thought left in Kikukawa's mind.
[If it were me, I'd turn on every faucet, soak a blanket, wrap myself up in it, then hide in the bathroom. Do your best and leave the rest to fate.]
At last, one viewer offered advice that seemed relatively sensible. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The Flame Giant was right in front of him.
Standing at the window, Kikukawa could even feel the air around him growing hotter, waves of heat washing over him.
He decided to follow all the advice he'd just seen. First, he held up one hand with his middle finger raised. Then he zoomed in on the Flame Giant's crotch to see if he had a di— Hmm? Why was someone walking straight toward the Flame Giant? Had he gone mad?
"Who is that?"
From where he was watching, Noguchi Yuji had a better view. He could make out the face of the person below, who wasn't trying to hide it.
But he didn't recognize him either.
He just thought the man's face looked strange at first glance.
Strange in a way that was hard to describe.
Like the "Fakers" that had become popular in certain corners of internet subculture.
In the footage, the Faker said something unintelligible, and the Flame Giant actually stopped on the spot, as if he had stopped responding.
Feeling the last of the negative emotions accumulated inside Ito Seigo burn away, the Faker gave a bizarre smile, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, the surging flames began to scatter, and Ito Seigo's body gradually appeared amid their flickering light.
Suddenly, all the remaining flames rushed into Ito's body, and his body completed its reconstruction.
Then, when he was one or two meters above the ground, he hit the still-steaming pavement with a slap, stark naked.
The operations room fell into dead silence. Noguchi Yuji looked just as incredulous.
What the hell?!
The enemy we'd struggled to deal with, the one we couldn't even fight back against—you defeated him with a snap of your fingers?!
In fact, the Flame Giant had already been at the end of his rope a few seconds before the Faker appeared. A few more fire-fighting missiles would probably have been enough to finish him off. But the others didn't know that!
They thought the Flame Giant grew stronger by devouring fire, and that he'd last as long as there were flammable things around. And in a metropolis like Tokyo, flammable things filled the streets. Once he'd recreated the LeMay Barbecue, it would be Japan's turn to recreate an unconditional surrender.
So when they saw this terrifying enemy subdued with a snap of the fingers by a person who had appeared out of nowhere, they felt no relief at all. Their hearts were filled with dread.
There was no need to say more. The alert level for this "Faker" had to be raised to the highest possible level.
Before you continue