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The tallest building in Z City is the "Sky Tower," a commercial and sightseeing complex that pierces the clouds, standing over six hundred meters tall, an absolute landmark of the city.
At this moment, it was about to become the heroes' final stronghold against the natural disaster.
The wind howled, and three figures, moving at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye, leaped from the ground and landed steadily on the tower's helipad.
Almost simultaneously with their landing, another aged yet remarkably agile figure appeared like a phantom beside them—it was "Silver Fang," Bang, with his white hair and beard.
"Oh? Mr. KING, Genos, and... who is this?"
Bang's gaze briefly lingered on Lin Mo and Genos, then fell upon Saitama beside them, a hint of unconcealed surprise flashing in his eyes.
He found it strange that this bald man in a comical yellow jumpsuit could ascend the tower with Mr. KING and the others in such a manner.
"My friend."
Lin Mo explained succinctly, his gaze fixed on the meteor in the sky.
——
The city below had already turned into a sea of chaos.
However, amidst this apocalyptic scene, a voice echoed through every corner of the city via the Hero Association's emergency broadcast system:
"Attention, citizens! Please remain calm! We confirm that S-Class Hero Mr. KING is in Z City at this moment!"
"Repeat, The Strongest Man on Earth, Mr. KING, is watching over us right now!"
Countless fleeing citizens stopped in unison.
They raised their faces, stained with tears and dust, casting their last glimmer of hope towards the highest point of the city.
They were searching for the legendary man.
As long as he stood there, hope had not yet been extinguished.
——
On the other side, the data stream in Genos's eyes refreshed at an unprecedented speed as he performed an initial scan of the meteor.
Target: Giant Meteor.
Diameter: Approximately 210 meters.
Descent Speed: Continuously increasing, already exceeding Mach 15.
Time remaining until impact: 6 minutes 28 seconds... 27 seconds... 26 seconds...
Estimated Impact Energy: Equivalent to... calculation exceeds conventional yield range.
"Teacher, Mr. KING, Master Bang, please step back."
Genos's expression was more solemn than ever; he stepped forward, shielding everyone.
"A disaster of this magnitude can be handled by me!"
Before he finished speaking, the metal casing of his arms rapidly deformed and unfolded, revealing the internal energy core.
Blue-white light converged in his palms, and the power of the energy reactor was instantly boosted to its limit.
A heatwave radiated from him, distorting even the air.
"Incineration Cannon · Maximum Power Output! Energy charging initiated!"
Genos aimed his arms at the meteor in the sky, and the muzzles in his palms began to gather terrifying energy.
A gigantic blue Energy Blast formed in front of him, growing larger and larger, emitting a low hum, and the surrounding metal railings turned red from the escaping energy.
This was Genos's strongest attack currently, powerful enough to flatten a small mountain in an instant.
"Here it comes!" Genos roared.
"Incineration Cannon!"
A blue energy beam, over ten meters in diameter and incredibly thick, tore through the atmosphere, carrying terrifying heat, and slammed violently into the falling meteor!
Bang's eyes did not blink for a moment, his hands clasped behind his back, displaying the demeanor of a grandmaster.
The strong wind ruffled his white hair and beard, but he remained as still as a rock.
His dojo was in Z City, containing his life's work and legacy; he would never abandon it and flee alone.
The citizens of Z City likewise held their breath, awaiting a miracle.
The beam accurately struck the center of the meteor.
However, the next second, everyone's hope froze.
The beam, powerful enough to destroy a small mountain, merely caused a brilliant burst of sparks on the meteor's surface upon contact.
The meteor's descent speed... seemed to have not even paused for a moment!
The massive, dark-red rock, enduring Genos's full-power Incineration Cannon, continued its unyielding descent towards the earth!
"How... is this possible...?"
Genos's eyes were filled with shock; his full-power attack hadn't even managed to scratch the meteor.
With the energy output concluded, thick smoke billowed from Genos's arm cannons, and the core's energy light dimmed, entering a brief cooling and recharging state.
He could no longer support his body, his knees buckled, and he half-knelt on the ground, his metal body trembling slightly from the extreme output and immense impact.
He failed.
A complete and utter failure.
Despair, like a tsunami, once again swept through all of Z City. The flame of hope that had just ignited in the citizens was instantly extinguished.
"Genos..." Master Bang sighed, a look of resolve appearing on his aged face.
He stepped forward and patted Genos's shoulder, indicating that he had done his best, then stretched his limbs—he was preparing to act.
Although he knew that even the pinnacle of modern technology like Genos couldn't budge the meteor, his Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist would probably also... Just then, a piercing whoosh came from another direction.
A uniquely designed robot, full of cold industrial aesthetics, hovered in mid-air, and a dispassionate mechanical voice emanated from it:
"S-Class Hero Metal Knight, here to handle the disaster. Really, I have to clean up this mess and test the power of new equipment at the same time."
No sooner had he spoken than dozens of launch ports opened on the robot's armor, and countless missiles, trailing long white exhaust plumes, formed a massive net of firepower, covering the meteor in an overwhelming barrage!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of violent explosions erupted on the meteor's surface, with flames soaring and thick smoke billowing.
The power of each missile was no less than that of a heavy aerial bomb; such dense bombardment would be enough to wipe a military base off the map.
Metal Knight's remote attack represented the pinnacle of human technological weaponry.
However, when the explosion's smoke was torn apart by the rapidly descending meteor, the revealed sight plunged everyone back into an icy abyss.
The meteor remained completely intact, without even a single crack.
"Tch, test failed. Data recovered."
The robot emitted a cold electronic sound, then changed direction, retreating from the scene without any hesitation.
For him, the survival of Z City was far less important than his weapon data.
"Alright, alright, move aside, move aside."
A lazy voice broke the deadly silence of despair, sounding particularly abrupt.
Saitama had walked to the edge of the tower's summit at some point, and he complained while stretching his wrists:
"Seriously, if I don't hurry, the supermarket sale will be over."
With that, he slightly bent his knees.
The next second, the reinforced concrete platform beneath Saitama's feet instantly cracked and shattered! He shot into the sky like a cannonball!
His speed was so immense that he even left a white sonic boom cloud in his wake.
On the ground, in the countless citizens' and Hero Association's monitoring screens, they could only see a tiny yellow dot moving in a trajectory that defied the laws of physics, heading straight for the giant meteor.
"Is that... Mr. KING's companion?" someone asked uncertainly.
"Look! Mr. KING is still standing there! He's commanding his companion!"
Everyone's gaze subconsciously focused on Lin Mo, who had stood motionless and upright on the tower's summit the entire time.
Bang's pupils suddenly constricted to a point; he stared intently at Saitama's disappearing back, his mouth slightly agape, the shock in his heart beyond words.
"What astonishing power... pure physical strength...?"
In mid-air, Saitama had reached the underside of the meteor.
He simply, effortlessly, raised his right hand, clad in a red glove, clenched his fist, and then... swung it at the colossal object that obscured the sky.
"Don't you dare fall on my city!"
One punch thrown.
Immediately after, the giant meteor, capable of destroying Z City, shattered like glass struck by a hammer, with dense, spiderweb-like cracks appearing from the central point where Saitama's fist made contact, and then... it explosively disintegrated!
The entire meteor, thousands of meters above the ground, was forcibly broken into countless fragments of varying sizes by that single punch!
"It... it succeeded!" In the Hero Association's command center, Sitch excitedly slammed his fist on the table.
"As expected of Mr. KING! He always has a way!"
However, his joy did not last long. An analyst immediately let out a terrified shriek:
"No! It's worse! Although the meteor shattered, these fragments form an indiscriminate strike covering the entire city! This will turn all of Z City into a sea of fire!"
On the screens, countless burning meteor fragments descended like an apocalyptic meteor shower, covering every corner of Z City.
On the tower's summit, Saitama, who had just landed, scratched his bald head, looking somewhat troubled at his "masterpiece."
"Oh no!"
Bang's face changed drastically; he shifted his feet, assumed the stance of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, and grimly exclaimed:
"This old man will also do his part! We'll block as much as we can!"
With that, he prepared to use his perfected martial arts to shatter the fragments assaulting them.
"Damn it, the range is too wide, there's no time to deal with all of them!" Genos shouted anxiously, his energy almost depleted, feeling powerless against the rain of fire from the sky.
Just then, Lin Mo, who had been silent, finally moved.
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A peculiar yet powerful sound suddenly emerged; it wasn't loud, but it possessed a strange penetrative quality.
The sound of the Emperor Engine, at this moment, drowned out the whistling of the meteor fragments, clearly reaching everyone's ears, like a stabilizing force, instantly calming everyone's panic.
"It's Mr. KING!"
"Mr. KING is going to act!"
He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upwards, and everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to him.
Ding! Detected host is at the center of public attention, garnering massive fear, admiration, and awe... Energy value converting... Current energy value: 20,080!
"System! Channel all remaining energy into the 'Energy Blast'! Target all fragments in the sky!"
Lin Mo calmly issued the command in his mind.
Energy Points -20,080, Energy Blast (Demon-level) is undergoing extreme charging... Charging complete! Switched to 'Explosion' and 'Penetration' composite scatter mode!
In an instant, Lin Mo felt all his strength drain away, but he still held on, slowly raising his right hand.
In that split second, an invisible yet immense aura spread out from him.
Under everyone's gaze, a soft but intensely brilliant golden orb of light silently appeared and expanded in his palm.
The light was not dazzling; instead, it carried a sacred and solemn aura, making people relax involuntarily.
"What... what is this?" Genos suddenly turned around; the data stream in his eyes refreshed frantically the moment he saw the light orb, yet he was unable to analyze its composition.
Bang, even more, trembled all over; his already prepared stance had unknowingly relaxed.
"Go."
Lin Mo was expressionless, his hand, supporting the golden orb of light, gently pushed upwards.
The light orb left his palm, initially ascending slowly, but then transformed into a streak of light, instantly reaching beneath the "death curtain" formed by the meteor fragments.
The next moment, the light orb burst forth!
There was no sound, no violent explosion.
After the golden orb of light flew out, it did not directly rush towards a specific fragment.
Instead, it suddenly exploded in the air, transforming into thousands of slender golden energy beams, like a giant golden energy net spread across the sky, precisely covering the entire airspace above Z City!
And so, the residents of Z City witnessed the most spectacular scene of their lives.
All the burning, rapidly falling meteor fragments, regardless of size, dissolved into the atmosphere the moment they touched the golden light net, like melting ice and snow.
In just three seconds, the sky returned to clarity.
The meteor shower that could have destroyed Z City was completely erased, as if it had never existed.
The sunlight once again shone down, illuminating the solitary, lofty figure of the man on the tower's summit.
The entire world was utterly silent.
Whether it was the citizens below the tower or everyone in the Hero Association's command center, they stared blankly at this scene, their minds blank.
Bang gazed up at the sky, his lips trembling slightly; this old man, who had pursued the pinnacle of martial arts his entire life, now had eyes filled with shock.
"To precisely divide a huge amount of energy into tens of thousands of parts and annihilate them simultaneously... such control is simply unheard of!"
...On the rooftop, Lin Mo maintained his pushing posture, motionless, like a statue.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but that he genuinely couldn't.
The depletion of his energy left him feeling waves of weakness and dizziness; he was only standing through sheer willpower.
Saitama looked at the unscathed city, then at the solitary figure on the rooftop, scratched his head, and said:
"Oh, that was pretty impressive."
After a long while, a tsunami-like roar of cheers erupted from every corner of the city!
"Mr. KING!!!"