'Boom, !'
The impact exploded through the air like a clap of thunder. A powerful shockwave burst outward, sending rings of wind rippling through the sky and shaking the surrounding air.
Down below in Z-City, the fleeing civilians thought the meteor had already struck. Screams erupted everywhere.
As for the metal robot, it was launched away like a cannonball, hurtling toward the ground even faster than it had arrived.
"Tch..." A click of annoyance came from inside the robot.
'Boom!'
Its back thrusters suddenly flared to life. The tremendous thrust fought against its downward momentum, gradually slowing its fall until it finally came to a complete stop in midair.
"So you managed to stop yourself?" That teasing voice rang out again. "I guess I shouldn't have held back. But it couldn't be helped. If I'd actually sent you crashing into Z-City, I'd be in trouble too."
As he spoke, Fang Li slowly descended from above and stopped in front of the metal robot.
The robot immediately recognized him. "One-Way Rakshasa... What exactly is the meaning of this?"
Fang Li merely shrugged. "Nothing much. I just came to say hello, Metal Knight."
Metal Knight, the current S-Class Rank 7 hero, famous for his overwhelming firepower and endless arsenal of devastating weapons. Of course, the machine before Fang Li wasn't Metal Knight himself. It was merely one of the remotely operated combat robots he controlled.
The real Metal Knight was a genius scientist and engineer. Every time he appeared during a disaster, he did so through one of his many remotely controlled robots, each built for a different purpose. As for his real body, it remained hidden. No one knew where he actually was.
Even so, Metal Knight's reputation within the Hero Association was enormous. Not because he was especially devoted to hero work; quite the opposite. He had little interest in fulfilling a hero's responsibilities.
The only reason he participated in hero activities was to field-test the weapons and machines he developed against monsters. If there were no opportunity to test his inventions, he wouldn't lift a finger to save people, even if the entire world died right in front of him.
By any reasonable standard, he wasn't much of a hero. But there was no denying that his technological expertise stood at the very top of the world. Many of the Hero Association's advanced facilities and cutting-edge equipment had been designed by him.
"So," Fang Li said with a smile, "thanks for all your help lately. Those mechanized Savage Men you kept sending after me earned me quite a few achievements with the Hero Association. I got plenty of benefits out of it."
That was right. The mechanized Savage Men Fang Li had been running into recently were all creations of Metal Knight. He was the scientist secretly using Fang Li as a live test subject for his newest weapons.
Naturally, there was no way he'd admit it.
"...I have no idea what you're talking about," after a brief silence, Metal Knight answered coldly. "I only responded to the Association's summons. I'm here to stop the meteor."
"I don't think so." Fang Li casually shook his head. "You came to test a newly developed weapon. Stopping the meteor is just a bonus. Isn't that the real reason?"
"...I won't deny it," perhaps realizing denial would be pointless, Metal Knight admitted it outright. "But that doesn't explain why you attacked me."
"I already told you," Fang Li laughed. "I was just saying hello. Besides, this is only one of your remote-controlled robots. Even if I tear it apart, it won't really hurt you, will it?"
As he spoke, a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his face. "How about I help you dismantle this pile of scrap metal right here?"
The joking tone only made the tension in the air even sharper.
"You..." Metal Knight's voice was now tinged with anger.
Fang Li acted as if he hadn't noticed at all, calmly watching the metal robot in front of him.
Originally, Fang Li hadn't planned on doing anything to Metal Knight. After all, although Metal Knight had targeted him, he'd also ended up giving Fang Li plenty of opportunities.
To get even, Fang Li had destroyed every mechanized soldier Metal Knight sent after him with instant kills, preventing him from collecting any combat data or learning anything useful about Fang Li's abilities. In the end, it was Metal Knight who had come out on the losing side.
Because of that, Fang Li hadn't intended to pursue the matter any further. Unfortunately, Metal Knight had also gone after Sylvia.
With Sylvia's strength, dealing with those mechanized Savage Men had been effortless. But that wasn't the point. The fact that Metal Knight had targeted her at all left Fang Li more than a little irritated.
And when Fang Li was irritated, he liked to vent.
"The meteor should hit in about ten minutes, right?" Looking straight at Metal Knight, Fang Li smiled. "Ten minutes is a pretty long fight. Don't you think?"
By then, Metal Knight understood. Fang Li really intended to fight him here.
There was no point talking anymore.
'Click. Click. Click. Click...'
A series of mechanical sounds echoed as several launchers unfolded from Metal Knight's back.
"Missiles... fire."
One missile after another shot from the launchers, streaking through the sky toward Fang Li.
Fang Li attacking him hadn't been part of Metal Knight's plans, but it didn't matter. His goal had always been to test his latest weapons. Whether the target was the meteor or Fang Li made no difference. So, Metal Knight struck first.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten one thing. Had Fang Li ever let him have his way?
"Starting with a sneak attack out of nowhere... You're every bit the underhanded little rat I thought you were." His voice echoed through the air.
'Boom!'
The air exploded beneath Fang Li's feet as if he'd kicked off an invisible platform. He shot forward in a blur, his speed effortlessly surpassing the incoming missiles.
'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'
Afterimages flashed through the sky, meeting each missile head-on. A flash of sword light appeared.
'Clang, !'
The gleaming blade swept across the missiles in mid-flight.
'Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!'
One after another, the missiles were cut cleanly in half. Every single one of them.
'Boom, !'
A chain of explosions blossomed brilliantly across the skies above Z-City.
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395