Defeat (Major Revision)

The fire-suppression missiles launched in succession only managed to dampen the Flame Giant's intensity for a brief moment. Once Ito grew accustomed to his body, he was already able to dodge or prematurely detonate a portion of the incoming missiles.

The negative consciousness did not possess any world-shattering abilities; it merely served to erupt and act as fuel for activating the Firework Knight. Once the Firework Knight's ability was fully unleashed, it would no longer be controlled by the primary consciousness or the negative consciousness, instead relying on the subconscious to wantonly vent its desire for destruction.

At this moment, the Flame Giant wrapped his arms around an apartment building.

Lacking a physical form, he completely merged the twelve-to-thirteen-story apartment—which stood at a height comparable to his own—into his body.

Through the golden flames, one could observe the apartment walls rapidly turning charred black, the glass shattering one after another due to the instantaneous high temperature. As the combustible materials inside ignited, they fed back into the Flame Giant, prompting him to grow several meters taller.

Even people several kilometers away, provided they had no obstructions, could see a scene that seemed to belong only in a dream.

[Are monsters invading Tokyo?!]

[My God, how much has the government been hiding from us?]

[Help! I'm right nearby. Hiding in the building isn't safe at all; the whole building is on fire. I saw someone jump straight out.]

Various media outlets frantically surged toward areas with clear lines of sight, using high-definition live-streaming equipment to report the scene. Urgent breaking news bulletins were sent from Tokyo to all corners of the world. As long as you had a connected device, you were bombarded with information from every media outlet—first-hand news, second-hand reposts, and third-hand rumors. For a time, because of the sheer volume of data, many people's phones even began to lag.

In particular, the traffic to those daring to live-stream from close range surged crazily. Different languages converged, scrolling across screens so fast they were impossible to read. Some people even sent tips, demanding the streamers get closer to see if the Flame Giant had a "little chicken."

The entire world's atmosphere was momentarily skewed in a rather bizarre direction by Ito's sudden outburst.

A massive influx of questions from all sides rained down on Kuroki Niizumi like snowflakes, making her want to just shut down her device and be done with it.

"Has William returned?"

At this moment, another of William's important roles could be put to use. As a Yankee and a confidant to the commander of the U.S. forces in Japan, his mere presence was enough to suppress many high-ranking officials through sheer force of personality.

"The latest word is that they are seeking cover nearby and waiting for an opportunity to evacuate. To avoid being tracked by Ito, they won't be returning to headquarters immediately," a subordinate reported.

BOOM.

A deafening roar made her stand up and walk to the window, gazing at the rolling smoke and dust in the distance.

"Report the situation!" Noguchi Yuji shouted in the temporary command center.

"The target's size has not changed. Missile strikes appear to be ineffective!" the observer replied while recording.

The Flame Giant expanded once more, reaching an astonishing height of fifty meters in the blink of an eye—about the same height as Ultraman Tiga when he fought monsters.

The Flame Giant stretched out his hands, sweeping across the apartment buildings and leaving behind raging infernos. The giant's featureless face twisted into a hollow void, and as he slowly leaned his head forward, the swirling flames he exhaled swept over everything in front of him.

Some of the people hiding were scorched by the fire, letting out miserable screams as they ran wildly like headless flies.

"Heh... how are humans supposed to fight these monsters?" Noguchi Yuji muttered to himself, staring at the tragic scene that looked like demons descending upon the world.

All the efforts he had made seemed like bubbles—popping at a single touch, utterly useless.

"This guy is reaching his limit, isn't he? That's fine. Such a high-quality seed must be allowed to grow strong and thrive out there."

Watching the news reporter on the verge of tears, Shiraishi Wataru immersed his mind.

At the same time, the two parasitic bodies that had already arrived near the battlefield began their preparations for their entrance.

Kikukawa Takaaki, who was live-streaming on YouTube, turned deathly pale.

He no longer had the heart to look at the large tips and surging popularity that usually kept him too excited to sleep.

Having witnessed those people engulfed in flames with his own eyes, he truly did not want to experience the taste of being consumed by fire.

"What do I do?! He's coming toward me! It's too late for me to run downstairs now, what do I do?!" Kikukawa was so anxious he started asking the netizens—the trolls in his chat room.

[I'm in the shower. Want me to help you douse him?]

[Give him the middle finger. Go out with some dignity.]

[Host, host, can you get a close-up down there later? I want to see if he actually has a little chicken.]

[What is this? The acting is pretty realistic. Isn't this just special effects?]

Oh well, I'm done for.

That was the only thought left in Kikukawa's mind.

[If it were me, I'd turn on all the faucets, wrap myself in a wet blanket, and hide in the bathroom. Man proposes, God disposes.]

In the end, a netizen actually offered a relatively reliable suggestion, but unfortunately, it was already too late.

The Flame Giant was right before his eyes.

Standing on the windowsill, Kikukawa could even feel the temperature of the surrounding air rising continuously as the heat wave washed over him.

He decided to execute all the suggestions he had just seen. First, he kept one hand in a middle-finger gesture, then zoomed the live stream in on the Flame Giant's lower half to see if there was a little... Hmm? Why did a person suddenly appear and walk toward the Flame Giant voluntarily? He must have gone insane.

"Who... is that?"

Noguchi Yuji had more angles to view from and could clearly see the man's unmasked face below.

But he didn't recognize this person either.

Yet, at first glance, he felt the man's face was strange.

An indescribable, uncanny strangeness.

Just like the "Faker" (Doppelgänger) that was rampant in certain internet subcultures.

In the captured footage, The Faker said something unknown, causing the Flame Giant to stop in its tracks on the spot, as if it had lost all responsiveness.

Feeling the very last shred of accumulated negative emotion within Ito Seigo burn away, The Faker wore a strange smile, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the surging flames began to dissipate, and Ito Seigo's body gradually emerged from the shadows of the fire.

Suddenly, all the remaining flames poured into Ito's body, and his physical reconstruction was complete.

Then, from a height of one or two meters above the ground, he fell with a thud, landing stark naked on the still-steaming earth.

The operations conference room fell into a deathly silence, and Noguchi Yuji's face was filled with disbelief.

What the hell?!

An enemy we struggled to deal with, one we couldn't even fight back against, you solved with a single snap of your fingers?!

In reality, the Flame Giant just seconds before The Faker appeared was already at the end of its rope; a few fire-suppression missiles would likely have been enough to give it a hard time, but the others didn't know that!

They assumed the Flame Giant grew by consuming fire and that its duration depended on the availability of combustibles. Thinking this way, in a metropolis like Tokyo, combustibles were everywhere; once it finished reenacting the LeMay Barbecue, it would be Japan's turn to reenact an unconditional surrender.

Therefore, seeing such a terrifying enemy subdued by this inexplicably appearing person with a mere snap of his fingers, they felt not a shred of relief, but rather a deep chill in their hearts.

There was no need to say anything more; the threat level for this "Faker" had to be raised to the maximum.