Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, rolling in like an ominous tide.
BOOM—!
Lightning streaked across the heavens, and thunder roared like an angry beast.
Moments ago, the weather had been bright and sunny. Now, with the sudden arrival of dark storm clouds, even fools could tell that something unnatural was happening.
On the ground, Fenric pushed himself up with a swift carp-like movement, standing tall once more.
When he raised his gaze, Fire Cloud was already descending like a meteorite, aiming to crush him.
Fenric gripped Thor's Hammer tightly and swung it upward in a powerful arc.
BOOM—!
The hammer smashed into Fire Cloud's abdomen with devastating force, hurling him back into the air.
However, the sheer momentum of Fire Cloud's dive also sent Fenric crashing into the earth, carving a large pit beneath him.
Pffft!
Fenric spat out a mouthful of blood but stood up almost instantly. His formidable physique, reinforced by Armament Haki, allowed him to endure even such violent blows with only minor injuries.
From the distance came the guttural sound of a toad's croak.
Fire Cloud lay sprawled on the ground, glaring at Fenric with a feral intensity.
The hammer blow just now—had it struck his pre-Toad Gong form—would have shattered his organs completely.
But with Toad Gong active, his entire body was as tough as a bloated, armored fortress, and his defensive power had increased severalfold.
In the original storyline, Sing was able to destroy entire buildings with a single palm strike, yet even that couldn't kill Fire Cloud in his Toad Gong state. This proves just how terrifying this technique really is.
Seeing Fire Cloud charging up his strength again, Fenric's eyes grew cold.
Thor's Hammer wasn't just for smashing enemies—it was for summoning the wrath of the heavens!
Fenric raised the hammer high.
BOOOOM!
Thunder cracked, and a pillar of lightning as thick as a tree trunk shot down from the heavens, slamming directly into the hammer.
Brilliant arcs of lightning erupted, coiling like dragons as they wrapped around Fenric's body. For a moment, he stood like a god of thunder descended upon the mortal world, radiating awe and terror.
This upgraded Thor's Hammer made Fenric immune to lightning damage—a special trait he had modified into the weapon.
Otherwise, even his mastery of Armament Haki wouldn't have saved him from being fried to a crisp by such violent thunderbolts.
In the distance, Fire Cloud froze, his face draining of color.
The figure before him was no longer just a warrior.
Fenric looked like the God of Thunder himself!
After absorbing the thunder, Thor's Hammer vibrated with raw power, glowing as arcs of energy danced along its surface.
Fenric pointed the hammer at Fire Cloud.
BOOM—!!!
A massive thunder dragon burst forth from the hammer's head, tearing through the air as it struck Fire Cloud's position.
KA-BOOOM—!!
The explosion shook the ground, leaving behind a scorched crater. Electricity rippled outward, charring everything within a hundred-meter radius.
Cold sweat poured down Fire Cloud's face.
Just a little more... If I hadn't moved when I did, I would have been dead.
Even with his Toad Gong defense, he knew this thunder strike would have annihilated him.
Worse still, thunder's speed rivaled that of light.
There was no dodging it if he wasn't already moving in advance.
Far off, Fenric raised Thor's Hammer again.
This time, he didn't bother absorbing the lightning—he called it down directly.
Thor's Hammer could either store lightning as a powerful finishing move or summon instantaneous strikes for faster attacks.
The former was devastatingly strong. The latter was weaker, but far quicker.
CRASH!!!
A thunderbolt streaked down like divine judgment, striking before Fire Cloud could even react.
There was no chance to dodge!
The blast sent him convulsing before he collapsed, losing consciousness instantly.
The storm clouds gradually receded, and sunlight returned to the sky.
Fenric lowered the hammer and looked at it with satisfaction.
This weapon is absurdly powerful. The Thor Hammer truly lives up to its name.
This was his first time wielding Thor's Hammer in actual combat, and although he was still unfamiliar with its full potential, he had still easily crushed Fire Cloud.
Too strong.
With this hammer, Fenric was confident—
even Sing with his Buddha Palm Technique wouldn't intimidate him now.
Fenric stored Thor's Hammer back into his personal warehouse and walked toward the fallen Fire Cloud.
The old man was charred black, his body smoking like burnt wood.
But Fenric could still hear a faint heartbeat.
Impressive… even after that, he's alive. That final lightning strike was weaker since I didn't store it first. If I had used the fully charged blow, this old man would already be dead.
Fenric glanced at the unconscious Fire Cloud for a moment, then turned and left.
He had no intention of killing him.
After all, they had no personal enmity, and Fenric had been the one to seek out this fight.
Beating someone this badly was already excessive—killing him would be too much.
With that, Fenric continued with his plan.
Moments later, the battle site drew a crowd.
The commotion earlier had been impossible to ignore, and the storm of dark clouds and thunder over SH City had been visible to half the population.
Curious citizens came rushing over.
"What the hell happened here? That thunder was insane!"
"Look at the ground! It's completely scorched black!"
"Not even grass survived… this is terrifying."
"Wait, look—there's someone lying there!"
"Damn! Is he even human? Did he get struck by lightning?"
"This must be divine punishment! He must've done something terrible for the heavens to smite him!"
"Stay back! Keep the kids away—those who die from lightning strikes are cursed!"
The bystanders gossiped endlessly, completely unaware of the truth.
While the civilians were clueless, a few Samsaras who had witnessed the battle were stunned.
"Fk! Who was that? Who the hell can summon sky thunder like this?!"
"No way… was that guy an A-grade powerhouse? Isn't this supposed to be a normal difficulty dungeon?!"
"Laoma, are we still following our plan? What if we run into someone like that?"
"Forget it! Let's stay low-key and just finish the mission. This dungeon is way deeper than we thought!"
"Damn it… I feel like we've been screwed over by the system!"
"Could it be… the Shura Boss? I've heard people say his power might already be above A-rank!"
"No way. Can Shura Boss really be that terrifying?"
(TL/n: Here's Fire Cloud Powers / Skills;
Superhuman agility
Superhuman durability
Superhuman speed
Superhuman strength
Superhuman jumping
Superhuman flexibility
Superhuman reflexes
Superhuman precision
Superhuman senses
Superhuman climbing
Pressure manipulation
Abnormal movement
Cunning and deceit
Shockwave generation
Earthquake generation
Martial Arts Mastery
FTE attack/reaction speed
Peak Kung Fu fighting skills
Zoomorphism
Toad Gong Style—His Ultimate Move)