If this level of destructive power were unleashed in a city, it wouldn't take long to easily destroy a large metropolis.
Fortunately, though, this was deep in the mountains, far from any urban areas.
Two figures, one blue and one black, darted through the mountains like lightning, locked in an intense battle.
Qingshui had to admit that Asura, in its Asura mode, was indeed very strong.
Both its speed and strength were actually superior to his own.
While it wasn't a complete crushing defeat, the opponent certainly held the advantage. The reason they were currently evenly matched, unable to break the stalemate, was because Qingshui possessed more varied techniques, especially his diverse spatial abilities. These allowed him to maintain a speed advantage, much to the Asura Rhino Beetle's annoyance.
However, after activating Asura mode, the Asura Rhino Beetle's reaction speed and mobility could actually keep up with Qingshui, albeit barely. Its terrifying attack power, moreover, completely overwhelmed Qingshui.
This guy was purely a monster of stats.
The only thing that could loosely be considered a "mechanism" was perhaps the keen reactions and danger perception characteristic of insects. It was one of the few Monsters capable of sensing Saitama's power before Saitama even made a move.
However, once Asura mode was activated and its consciousness went berserk, that danger perception was suppressed. But the stats gained in exchange were truly formidable.
Its attack power was so immense that even the Black Samurai Armor Qingshui wore had sustained minor damage.
However, Qingshui's Devouring Pouch contained a large quantity of nanomaterial particles, allowing him to repair the Black Samurai Armor's damage at any time. If it came down to a war of attrition with the Asura Rhino Beetle, he could potentially last a week until the opponent exhausted its stamina and entered a weakened state.
In the simulated battle from the audio drama, Zombieman was pummeled by the Asura Rhino Beetle for a week. Only when the opponent's Asura mode ended and it was too exhausted to fight back, did Zombieman slowly, bit by bit, wear down and dismember the Asura Rhino Beetle to death—because the Asura Rhino Beetle's defense was so strong, Zombieman's attacks couldn't inflict much damage, so he could only torture the Monster to death this way.
Qingshui could certainly do the same, but he felt that even if it didn't take a week, he had a good chance of taking down the opponent.
Of course, that would still take a very long time, not just a few hours, or even a day or two.
The opponent was indeed very durable.
Teleportation Halos hovered among the mountains, and nanometal missiles inscribed with Flying Thunder God markings zipped through the air, occasionally teleporting from one halo to another.
Qingshui and several Shadow Clones continuously flickered between them, launching a variety of attacks at the Asura Rhino Beetle.
The latter's defense was impressive. While Qingshui's attacks weren't mere scratches, they weren't severe either. To kill the Asura Rhino Beetle this way would require a long grind.
Qingshui's mobility and survivability in his normal state were so high that even Dragon-level powerhouses might not be able to defeat him. However, in terms of offense, his past techniques were indeed lacking now. He didn't possess powerful moves that could pose a significant threat to opponents of the same caliber, especially Monsters with strong defenses and vitality, or deliver a decisive blow.
If he were to continue fighting the Asura Rhino Beetle in his normal state, Qingshui would certainly have a chance, but it would be a prolonged battle.
Judging by the consumption during their fight so far, by the time the Asura Rhino Beetle was defeated, nearly half of the nanomaterial particles accumulated in the Devouring Pouch would likely be depleted.
Therefore, it was time to test what kind of power the Scorching Core could unleash in his hands!
Although he only had one given to him by Dr. Kuseno, combined with the Arc Reactor, it was enough for Qingshui to activate "Extreme Firepower" every three minutes.
Inside the Black Samurai Armor, the silver-black spherical metal core began to glow, continuously outputting terrifying energy to the armor.
This immense power also caused a leap in the Black Samurai Armor's performance.
Qingshui's already incredibly fast speed suddenly increased by a significant margin.
*"Bang!"*
The black metal fist once again made intimate contact with the Asura Rhino Beetle's head.
Only this time, it was the Asura Rhino Beetle that reeled backward.
Its blue-purple exoskeleton began to show clear cracks, and its red-eyed face finally revealed expressions of pain and fear.
"No, how could this be…"
*"Bang!"*
*"Bang!"*
*"Bang!"*
A series of metal fists, in just one or two seconds, sent it flying high into the clouds. Then, Qingshui's figure appeared above the Asura Rhino Beetle in a blink of an eye, raising his right leg high, and kicking downwards like a rocket axe.
*"Boom!"*
The earth cracked, causing an earthquake in the area.
A surging shockwave erupted from the massive crater where the Asura Rhino Beetle had been slammed into the ground.
Mountains were leveled, and the immense force caused a sky-obscuring mushroom cloud to rise into the air.
In its normal state, the Asura Rhino Beetle could still track the positions of Qingshui's Teleportation Halos and Flying Thunder God missiles, keeping up with Qingshui thanks to its keen insectoid reactions and extremely high speed.
But in the Extreme Firepower state, with the Scorching Core activated, the Asura Rhino Beetle simply couldn't react in time!
Current output power: 50%
Qingshui moved, reappearing beneath the Asura Rhino Beetle. Before it could react, he unleashed another punch, sending it flying high into the air.
In this state, Qingshui's capabilities in all aspects rivaled a peak Dragon-level, and in some areas Qingshui was already skilled in, he even surpassed it.
"Looks like you can't handle it."
Qingshui looked up at the Asura Rhino Beetle, its carapace shattered, frantically trying to escape in fear. He coldly raised both hands.
Nanomaterial particles rapidly assembled in front of him into a thick, long cannon barrel.
Much of the technology within this cannon barrel originated from Dr. Kuseno, but Qingshui had also incorporated his own technological knowledge to improve it, allowing it to unleash most of the Scorching Core's power.
The Scorching Core's output power quietly increased from the previous 50% to over 70%.
"Sky-Piercing Lightning Cannon!"
Golden energy instantly converged at the cannon's muzzle before shooting forcefully at the Asura Rhino Beetle, which was frantically fleeing in the sky.
In the next moment, a golden, dragon-shaped beam of energy shot straight into the sky, piercing through the heavens and even changing the color of the sky itself.
In nearby City W, City Y, City V, and City X, anyone standing in a relatively open area could see this straight energy beam connecting heaven and earth.
Under the intense light, even the sun, hanging on the horizon, seemed to dim slightly.
In the original timeline, Genos, in his maximum firepower state, even used this move to contend with Psykorochi, who was Dragon-level or higher, saving Tatsumaki from danger. This demonstrated its immense power.
Though Qingshui had not yet fully unleashed the power of the Scorching Core, it was still terrifying enough.
At the Hero Association headquarters in City A.
Sitch looked at the screen with a horrified expression.
This bright golden, dragon-shaped pillar of light had directly broken through Earth's atmosphere and was extending deeper into space, almost without end.
What kind of terrifying entity could have caused this?
"That location is…"
Sitch turned his head, his face serious, and asked the staff member at their workstation.
"There's an organization nearby, the House of Evolution, which is already listed in the Association's high-threat archives. According to information provided by Zombieman, there are multiple Monster above Demon-level hidden there, as well as an even more powerful trump card of the House of Evolution. Based on the Association's previous estimates, it would require multiple S-Class Heroes to neutralize it.
Additionally, we detected a signal from Black Lightning's Association communicator there, but it was interrupted by strong energy interference after this pillar of light appeared."
Ekusuma, with a beautiful and stern face and a beauty mark beside her lips, walked over with long strides from another workstation.
She was one of the few talented executives in the Hero Association. Her status was comparable to McCoy and Bujing. She was an extremely rare talent in internal administration, well-read and with an excellent memory, having memorized information about the Association and various sectors of society. She also possessed good organizational and coordination skills, though her personality was rather cold and strict.
The moment the pillar of light appeared, she immediately thought of the House of Evolution.
"House of Evolution… multiple Monster above Demon-level, requiring multiple S-Class Heroes to deal with. Did Black Lightning clash with the Monster there? This powerful attack seems very similar to the move Black Lightning experimented with on the southern coast of City T some time ago. The enemy must be worth him using such a powerful attack; their strength is probably… immediately notify nearby S-Class Heroes to rush to assist and evacuate citizens of City W, City S, and City V into shelters."
Sitch immediately ordered.
"No need, I'll go."
Sitch heard the voice and looked back.
An older loli with green hair had floated over beside them at some point.
"If a Monster that even an attack of this level can't deal with, then only I can defeat it, right? If we wait for others, that guy will probably be dead by then. Or, can you find Blast?"
Tatsumaki lifted her small head, looking at Sitch.
The latter truly could find Blast, but knowing the inside story, he wouldn't notify Blast in this situation.
Only when a disaster truly occurred that the Hero Association's current strength couldn't resolve, one that would endanger all of humanity, would it be time to call back Blast, who was confronting the claws of gods in another dimension.
"Then I'll trouble you, Tatsumaki."
Sitch nodded to Tatsumaki.
With Blast unavailable, King and Tatsumaki were the two strongest trump cards in the hearts of the Hero Association members.
No matter how powerful a Dragon-level Monster, they would surely win.
"Energy interference weakened, Black Lightning's communication signal reconnected. Call connected."
"Black Lightning, sir, the House of Evolution…"
"The Monster here have been eliminated by me. The attack just now was used to kill a powerful Dragon-level Monster called the Asura Rhino Beetle. You don't need to worry."
In the now ruined House of Evolution, Qingshui casually walked down crumbling steps, speaking to Sitch on the other end of the phone.
"Yes, you can send people to clean up now. No rush, the Monster are all dead, it's very safe. There's no one else here anyway. Okay, I understand. Alright, I'm hanging up."
Qingshui ended the call, looked at the high-strength alloy door with its pitted surface in front of him, and raised his fist.
Before he could punch, the door naturally opened to both sides.
Inside was a brightly lit safe room. Geno sat in a chair in the center, looking calmly at Qingshui.
"Black Lightning, sir, I've heard much about you. I am Dr. Geno, master of the House of Evolution."
Geno pushed up his glasses, looking at Qingshui.
"Don't pretend to be so composed, Geno. Your forehead is sweating, and your heart rate is already outside the normal range. I can tell you're very nervous, because you have no more cards left to play."
Qingshui walked up to Geno, studying the brilliant biologist with interest.
This person was indeed a rare top scientific talent in this world, capable of consistently creating Monster above Demon-level.
Mosquito Girl, Beast King, Armored Gorilla, and even the high Dragon-level Asura Rhino Beetle, and Zombieman, who could wear down the Rhino Beetle to death—a series of achievements that were indeed astonishing.
How many beings in the entire Hero Association could contend with Demon-level Monster?
Currently, there were seventeen S-Class Heroes, plus Sweet Mask, who was A-Class Rank 1 and whose strength could rank in the middle among S-Class. That made eighteen in total, and one of them, Zombieman, was even created by Geno.
"Yes, I am indeed nervous. However, you were mistaken just now. I still have one last card."
Geno took a deep breath, calmed himself, and spoke to Qingshui.
"Oh? And what is your card…"
"I, or rather, my technological expertise and brilliant mind, can definitely be of help to you. I've looked into your background, and it's clear you're an ambitious person. Otherwise, you wouldn't have established a rapidly growing, profitable company outside of the Hero Association.
With enough capital, I believe you'll undoubtedly leverage more of your technological knowledge to gain profit and status. And because you possess extremely powerful abilities, you won't need to worry about those whose vested interests are threatened resorting to underhanded tactics to harm you; they can only act against you within the rules.
If I'm not mistaken, you probably don't want to dedicate too much energy to this, otherwise your company could grow even faster, because you still need to get stronger!
Just over half a year ago, you were merely an ordinary hero who took considerable time to deal with a Tiger-level Monster. Now, you possess the terrifying strength to kill the Asura Rhino Beetle. You surely aren't content to stop there, so I can join you and use my intellect and technology to help propel you to a higher position!"
"That sounds very appealing, Doctor. You've almost convinced me."
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