"The Strongest Leader?"
The world, at this moment, seemed to have been muted.
The wind stopped, the air solidified, and even the city's clamor vanished without a trace.
"Second-rate player..."
This phrase pierced all her past false pride.
She had always believed she was fighting in a smarter, more efficient way.
But recalling it now, that was nothing but a self-deceiving lie.
She remembered the B-Class Hero she had cornered in an alley; fear flickered in his eyes, and she had merely declared from above:
"Join the Blizzard Group, or be defeated by me and then join the Blizzard Group."
At the time, she thought it was the majesty of a leader; now, looking back, it was nothing but bullying the weak.
Did she force them to join truly for "unity"?
No, she was just afraid, afraid that she couldn't advance further on the cruel ladder of the Hero Association alone, afraid that she would forever live in her sister's shadow.
She also thought of the members who truly followed her.
Mascara, the man who always looked at her with adoring eyes from the side;
Yamaarashi, the taciturn companion who would always step in front of her first.
Did she truly regard them as "companions"?
No.
She had never truly understood their abilities, their dreams, their limits.
She merely took them into the Blizzard Group as a matter of course, using the name of "protection" to execute "domination."
This was not leadership at all.
This was a deeper level of cowardice.
Therefore, when the Blizzard Group was easily controlled by Psykos, becoming a burden attacking her, she became so lost.
Because the facts seemed to confirm her sister's words, and also confirmed the unease deep within her—these companions, indeed, were just burdens.
And "The Strongest Leader"... these four words opened up a whole new world she had never imagined.
What kind of person is a true leader?
KING's calm face appeared in her mind.
He was so powerful that he was hailed as The Strongest Man on Earth, yet he was never heard of forming any faction, nor was he ever seen looking down on any weak hero.
He just stood there, and it was enough to reassure people.
His strength seemed to lie not only in his unfathomable combat power.
Hellish Blizzard's breathing suddenly quickened.
Yes, a true leader would not look down on companions because of her own strength.
On the contrary, she would cherish every bit of strength even more because she deeply understood the principle that "one hand cannot clap."
Her strength would no longer be reflected only in her own psychic abilities, but in the ultimate combat power that the entire team she led could unleash.
The team's victory was her victory. The companions' glory was her glory.
She would no longer be the shadow under her sister's light!
Yes... this is... this is the path she should truly take!
A path not for escape, but a path belonging to Hellish Blizzard!
Having understood all this, Hellish Blizzard felt a heavy shackle on her body snap with a crisp "crack."
The dark clouds that had long weighed on her heart were completely dispelled by this light.
The tear that had long filled her eyes finally broke free, slowly sliding down her pale, cold cheek.
She took a deep breath, and when she exhaled, it was as if all the confusion and unwillingness of the past two decades were expelled from her body.
When she raised her head again, all the fragility and confusion in her emerald eyes had vanished.
In their place was an unprecedented clarity and determination.
She looked around, wanting to find the figure who had given her this crucial guidance.
She had too much to say; she wanted to express her sincerest gratitude to him, to Mr. KING.
However, at some point, no one was there.
The bald man in the yellow jumpsuit and Mr. KING, as steady as a mountain, had both disappeared.
It was as if they had never been there, and everything that had just happened was merely her illusion.
Only the evening breeze began to flow again, gently sweeping across the empty street.
"Mr. KING..." Hellish Blizzard murmured to herself.
Is this the magnanimity and bearing of The Strongest Man on Earth?
So powerful that he needs no proof, so profound that he is hard to fathom.
Not for fame, not for profit, yet always saving those who are lost and weak.
Hellish Blizzard straightened up, her posture appearing incredibly upright at this moment.
She felt as if she had never seen the path ahead so clearly as she did now.
Standing beneath the residential building, Hellish Blizzard looked up at the sky, which was dyed golden by the setting sun.
The evening breeze ruffled her dark green hair and also dried the last tear stains on her cheeks.
Her eyes were incredibly bright, reflecting the glow of the sky.
She took out her phone, not contacting any group members, but opening her contacts and finding the name she had pinned to the top, yet rarely called, and even felt a pang in her heart every time she saw it—
[Sister]
She gazed at those two words; the complex, painful emotions of the past, mixed with love and hate, had now become incredibly calm.
She did not make the call.
It was not time yet.
What she had to do was not to argue with her sister, nor to show off that she had found a new path.
Words, in the face of absolute power, are always pale.
What she had to do was to prove it with actions, with facts.
To prove that "teaming up" was not a gathering of the weak for warmth.
She wanted her "Blizzard Group" to become an unprecedented, irreplaceable legendary team in the history of the Hero Association!
By then, she would stand proudly before her sister, not as "Tatsumaki's younger sister," but as "The Strongest Leader," standing shoulder to shoulder with her.
Thinking of this, Hellish Blizzard put away her phone, a confident and powerful smile blooming on her face.
She turned and walked towards the Blizzard Group's base.
"However, Mr. KING helped me so much; next time I have a chance, I must bring the finest tea and pastries and visit to thank him properly..."
She murmured softly, her words full of gratitude.
The setting sun stretched her shadow long; that shadow was no longer hesitant, but full of confident charm.
--------
Not far away, on another street in the city.
Lin Mo and Saitama walked side by side, streetlights lighting up one by one behind them.
"Hey, KING," Saitama held a supermarket plastic bag in one hand, filled with snacks and ingredients for tonight's hotpot.
His other hand was idly held up in front of his eyes, fingers spread, observing the night sky, which had just begun to be dotted with stars, through the gaps between his fingers.
"Did you secretly read some 'chicken soup' literature, or watch some success guru's lecture videos? You left others stunned, even brought tears to their eyes."
He recalled Hellish Blizzard's deeply shaken expression just now and found it a bit incredible.
Lin Mo smiled slightly upon hearing this, his gaze still fixed on the night sky where starlight had begun to swirl, as if he could see through the depths of the universe.
"It was just a spontaneous thought. But you, Saitama, didn't you also summarize it very well?"
The two chatted idly, their figures stretching and shrinking under the streetlights, gradually disappearing into the end of the street.