'Damn it, I can't hold on any longer!'
Inside a room, Child Emperor was trapped within a bubble, his body nearly reaching its limit, and his consciousness gradually beginning to blur.
In the middle of the room was a massive water sphere with a constantly shifting shape, inside which piranhas were swimming about.
Dragon-level Monster, Evil Natural Water!
'Did I miscalculate after all? I am truly sorry, everyone. I have failed you all.'
Child Emperor gradually gave up struggling, as the faint sound of a powerful heartbeat echoed in his ears.
Boom!
A terrifying strike pierced through the massive body of Evil Natural Water, and the bubble enveloping Child Emperor shattered instantly.
"Cough! I'm saved. Did someone arrive? This is so timely."
Child Emperor gradually regained consciousness, an overwhelming sense of gratitude welling up in his heart.
"No, the monster is still here! It is just too terrifying! We must take the hostage and evacuate immediately, then gather more forces to deal with it!"
Child Emperor's words cut off abruptly mid-sentence, as he finally saw who had just arrived.
"King?! To think you were the one who saved me... this is wonderful." Child Emperor burst into tears.
After all, he was still just a child, and having just experienced the fear of death, he only dared to let his emotions out now that he saw King.
"Alright, stop crying. Let's get the hostage out first, the other heroes still need your command." King comforted him with a smile.
For Child Emperor to become an S-Class Hero at such a young age, he certainly had his extraordinary qualities. However, it was also because of this that he had always borne a burden that didn't belong to his age, acting as the brains among the many S-Class Heroes.
Basically all S-Class Heroes had their own pride, and most were stubborn with eccentric personalities, making them extremely difficult to command but Child Emperor had managed it. If it weren't for the fact that there was so little information regarding the Dragon-level executives of the Monster Association for this operation, he would have definitely been able to assign suitable opponents based on everyone's characteristics.
"Okay. But why isn't it attacking you?"
Child Emperor wiped away his tears and looked with curiosity at Evil Natural Water, which had just been blasted through by King. It had already regenerated, yet it showed no intention of attacking.
"Dragon-level monster, Evil Natural Water. It is extremely sensitive to killing intent. As long as you don't reveal your killing intent, it will remain in standby mode." King explained with a smile.
In truth, he had his own selfish motives. If he really told Child Emperor the weaknesses of all the Dragon-level executives of the Monster Association, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to complete his mission. To deal with the Garou who would evolve later, he had to keep getting stronger.
"I see. As expected of you, to think you saw through the enemy's weakness at a glance."
Child Emperor couldn't help but marvel at King's strength. Itt seemed he still had a long way to go in his own training.
"Cough! Prioritize the safety of the hostage. Let's head out first."
King didn't want to continue deceiving the child here, so he hurriedly changed the subject.
"You are right. Pig God just said that he had already brought another human boy to the surface. Now, let's take Waganma and head out together."
Child Emperor felt much more at ease. With King by his side, no monster could stop their progress.
Once Waganma was delivered to a safe location, all the S-Class Heroes could unleash their full power and completely annihilate the Monster Association.
"I have rendezvoused with King and am now bringing the hostage to the surface. Everyone, hold on."
Child Emperor reported the situation over the communicator, but he didn't receive any response.
"Everyone must be busy fighting monsters. King, let's hurry too."
"Waganma, let's go."
Child Emperor reached out and pulled up Waganma, who was still in a daze, and the group headed toward the surface.
"Wow! You are the legendary King, right?"
Waganma looked at King with a face full of admiration.
"Aren't you the strongest man on Earth? Why are we running away? With King here, you could wipe out all the monsters in minutes."
Waganma waved his fists excitedly, unable to wait to see what it looked like when King fought monsters.
"This isn't playing house. The mere aftershocks of the battle would be enough to shatter your body to pieces." King's eyes were cold.
Waganma trembled involuntarily, his voice carrying a hint of a sob. "Then... let's get out of here quickly."
"King, don't scare the child."
Child Emperor was somewhat speechless, but scaring Waganma like this wasn't bad. It would save him from having any more wild fantasies or causing any trouble.
...
In the Z-City ghost town, the rescue squad was currently surrounded by layers of monsters, and everyone was fighting with all their might.
"Sekingar-san, dodge quickly!"
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"
Executive Beam!
A laser shot out from Sekingar's spectacle frame, instantly killing a monster that was not even Wolf-level.
"Haha, how about that? Do you know how powerful I am now?"
While Sekingar was still feeling smug, a giant lizard appeared behind him and opened its mouth wide.
Vine Pierce!
A-Class Rank 24 Hero, Green, intervened in time, shooting countless vines toward the lizard monster, but they didn't even penetrate the monster's defense. However, the impact pushed the lizard monster back several meters, which was enough to save Sekingar.
"Be careful, this is a Demon-level monster!"
"Everyone move aside!"
Death Loop!
A-Class Rank 11, Twin Tail, threw the juggling balls in her hands.
Swish!
Dozens of juggling balls smashed onto the Lizard Man's body, instantly enraging it.
"It's no use, we can't break through its defense!"
"Roar!"
The lizard monster whipped its tail and sent Twin Tail flying.
The remaining heroes rushed forward to desperately block it, but a moment later, they were all defeated.
"Damn it, just a mere Demon-level! Is the gap between us and the S-Class heroes really that large?"
The heroes present all showed expressions of unwillingness. They had just seen with their own eyes an S-Class Hero easily kill a Demon-level monster, yet a whole group of them couldn't even handle one.
"No! We are just too weak..."
"Pull yourselves together! Don't lose to the monster!"
Executive Beam!
Sekingar stood out once again, his weak beam instantly attracting the attention of the lizard monster.
"Oh no! Sekingar-san!"
Seeing Sekingar about to die in the jaws of the monster, the surrounding heroes rushed forward like madmen to intercept, but unfortunately, it was already too late.
"You are not weak at all, you truly are heroes."
Thud... Thud...
A deafening sound instantly echoed all around, and the scene that followed would be unforgettable for everyone present for the rest of their lives.
The incredibly powerful lizard monster had its head blasted off in a single strike, and its corpse fell to the ground.
"One... one-hit kill?"
"You are... King!!!"
The surrounding heroes finally saw that the one who had just struck was none other than the legendary strongest man on Earth.
"I'm not dreaming, am I? Why is King here?"
"Wait, could this boy be..."
Sekingar spotted Waganma following behind King, as well as Child Emperor, who had clearly been through a major battle.
"Great, you rescued the hostage!"
Sekingar was overjoyed, but at this moment, Child Emperor walked up to all the members of the rescue squad and bowed deeply.
"Everyone, thank you for holding your ground here."