Chapter 61: King Style Aura Arts' Ultimate Secret (Bonus chapter for Cai Ping Rufei)
"Attention M-City residents, attention M-City residents. This is an urgent announcement from the Hero Association: three Demon-level monsters have been discovered in Zhiyue Alley. They are Strange Dragon, Earthquake Dragon, and Swift Dragon. All residents, please stay away from Zhiyue Alley..."
"Huh? Zhiyue Alley?"
Saitama and King were on their way to L City when they suddenly heard the Hero Association's emergency broadcast. They immediately stopped in their tracks.
Saitama looked at King. "Hey, do you know where Zhiyue Alley is?"
"..."
*What do you mean, 'hey'? I'm a man with a reputation. Can't you show a little respect, you baldy? Don't I have face to save?*
King frowned and pointed in a direction. "If we go straight southeast, we'll reach Zhiyue Alley."
"Oh, let's go!"
Saitama struck a running pose, his fists clenched in front of his chest. His feet transformed into rapidly spinning wheels, and with a *whoosh*, he shot forward several hundred meters. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving only a few whirlwinds in his wake.
"You do the work, and I'll pick up the spoils!"
King wasn't in a hurry, slowly making his way toward Zhiyue Alley. Three Demon-level monsters appearing at once was a rare sight. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers; Demon-level monsters were arrogant and usually acted alone. This rare team-up suggested that an intelligent individual was orchestrating things from behind the scenes.
Thump! Thump!
As he approached Zhiyue Alley, he was startled to find that the surrounding buildings seemed to come alive, throbbing like a heartbeat. The ground also undulated slightly, tearing open fissures.
"Is this... an earthquake?"
He cautiously scanned the towering buildings around him, afraid they might sway and collapse on top of him.
He carefully avoided the skyscrapers and continued toward Zhiyue Alley.
A short while later, his body suddenly froze. He stared blankly at the dinosaur-like monster not far ahead. It was estimated to be forty to fifty meters tall, with a neck and tail each over ten meters long. Its body was like a small mountain. As it walked, each step left a deep footprint, its colossal size and astounding weight causing the very ground to tremble.
"What... what kind of monster is this?"
In his previous life, most of his knowledge of dinosaurs came from the "Jurassic Park" film series and a cartoon called "Blue Cat's 3000 Whys: The Dinosaur Age." However, he had never heard of such a massive dinosaur. This wasn't a dinosaur; it was clearly a primordial behemoth.
"Insignificant human. I am the great Earthquake Dragon, as heavy as a mountain peak. A single stomp of my foot can level buildings. You, a mere speck, dare to stand there gawking at me? Hmph, what an ignorant and fearless creature."
While King was stunned by Earthquake Dragon's massive size, the monster's long neck bent down, its eyes locking onto something below. Its voice, like a great bell, boomed with a hint of anger.
"Is it looking at Saitama?"
The buildings blocked his view, so King couldn't see the exact situation. He could only assume that the only person who could make Earthquake Dragon feel slighted would be the habitually dazed Saitama. Any other ordinary citizen would have already wet their pants upon seeing Earthquake Dragon; how could they possibly make it think it was being disrespected?
"Hmm, I wonder who's bigger, Earthquake Dragon or the Giant that shows up later?"
King mused. He clearly remembered that in the near future, a monster who took a special steroid would appear and transform into a Giant. That Giant destroyed D-City with a single slap. Based on that feat, the Giant's height must have been astronomical. The Earthquake Dragon before him would probably be just a tiny speck in comparison.
Rumble!
Just as King was lost in thought, the battle between Saitama and Earthquake Dragon began. A colossal crash echoed out as a massive cloud of dust billowed up from beneath Earthquake Dragon's thick legs.
"Mountain Stomp!"
Earthquake Dragon roared, raising its two massive forelegs high into the air. After pausing for half a second, it brought them crashing down.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A thunderous roar erupted as the ground shook violently. The surrounding skyscrapers swayed on their foundations, and windows and bricks rained down.
"Better fall back. I'll come back after the fight is over."
King eyed the swaying buildings. To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, he decided to temporarily retreat. Once Saitama dealt with the three monsters, he would return to collect the cards.
"Tsk, tsk. I thought he was some formidable character, but to think you stomped him to death with one kick. Sigh, and Strange Dragon even specifically told me to patrol the area and look for a chance to deal a fatal blow. It seems Strange Dragon was overthinking things. This guy is just a coward scared silly."
At that moment, a dark shadow flitted between several tall buildings. The shadow was incredibly fast, its speed estimated to be around the speed of sound.
"Is this the second Demon-level dinosaur monster—Swift Dragon?"
King stared at the flickering shadow. The Hero Association's broadcast had clearly stated that three Demon-level dinosaur monsters were working together. Judging by its tone, this shadow had to be the second one—Swift Dragon. That meant the one who had yet to appear was Strange Dragon.
"Swift Dragon, don't get careless. This world has its share of powerful individuals, like the man known as the Strongest Man on Earth—King. I brought us together so we could outnumber any strong opponents we face, increasing our chances of victory."
"Hmph! Strange Dragon, you're just too cautious. You've wasted too much of our time. Otherwise, we'd have already wiped M-City off the map. I say we split up and exterminate the humans in M-City as quickly as possible."
"Hmph! Didn't you hear the Hero Association's broadcast? Armored Dragon acted alone, and now he's in hell. That proves the Hero Association's strongest have already made their move. If we don't cooperate, Armored Dragon's fate will be ours."
"Tsk!"
Swift Dragon snorted but didn't argue further. Its body darted away, leaving a string of afterimages between the buildings as it surveyed the surroundings.
Although it was annoyed, Strange Dragon had a point. It could only swallow its resentment and follow its battle commands.
"Monsters are even working together now..."
King listened with curiosity to the conversation between Swift Dragon and Strange Dragon. From their words, it was clear that Strange Dragon was commanding their three-monster team. Earthquake Dragon served as a meat shield to draw the heroes' attention and attacks. Swift Dragon, with its exceptional speed, acted as a high-agility assassin, circling the heroes to find an opportunity for a fatal strike. Meanwhile, Strange Dragon was responsible for commanding and providing support from the side.
"This monster combination... is pretty damn impressive!"
King scratched his head. The three Demon-level dinosaur monsters each had unique specialties, a clear division of labor, and they complemented each other's weaknesses. From a certain perspective, their combat style multiplied their fighting power several times over. An average S-Class hero would likely lose against them.
However, they were now facing a monster even more terrifying than God-level: the Baldy-level monster, Saitama. For that, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the three dinosaur monsters. They had a sound strategy and a super-strong team, but they just had to run into a bug-like opponent. All their plans were for naught.
Alas, they probably wouldn't last another five minutes.
"Huh? There's a death wish in the air!"
Just as King was observing a three-second moment of silence for the dinosaur monsters' tragic fate, Swift Dragon, acting as both assassin and scout, spotted King floating in mid-air.
"Hmm? I've been spotted!"
King was startled and quickly backed away.
Seeing this, Swift Dragon broke into a taunting grin. "Let me play with you for a bit!" Its figure flickered, and in an instant, it was crouching on the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper. Its beastly eyes stared at King. "Hey kid, let's play a game of hide-and-seek! If you can catch me, there's a surprise waiting for you."
"..."
King realized that he seemed to lack the aura of a powerful expert. People who knew him were scared to death, but those who didn't always looked down on him. Thinking about it, his situation was quite similar to Saitama's. Those who knew Saitama's strength held him in awe, while those who didn't constantly mocked him.
"Silence means you agree!"
Swift Dragon's mouth curled into what seemed to be a smile. Its body flickered and vanished from King's sight.
King's heart tightened. He quickly scanned his surroundings, but his naked eyes could only catch a faint shadow of Swift Dragon. His gaze desperately tried to follow it.
Ten seconds, thirty seconds, fifty seconds, one minute...
As time ticked by, he was no longer seeing just one Swift Dragon, but countless. His vision filled with its figures, and he was even seeing double images. He had long since been unable to tell which figure was the real Swift Dragon.
"Hmm?"
He cursed inwardly and quickly shut his eyes, forcing the dizzying images from his mind.
*Boss Saitama, are you just playing around? Why haven't you finished off Earthquake Dragon and Strange Dragon to come help me? Stop slacking off and get over here to finish the job!*
"Tsk, little fellow, giving up already? In that case, you lose the game! As for your punishment, I sentence you to..." Swift Dragon, dashing at extreme speed along the walls and rooftops, bared its fangs in a cruel smile. "...go to hell!"
"Hmph!"
King frowned. Swift Dragon's running sounds were getting closer, but the terrifying part was that they were coming from all directions. This meant Swift Dragon wasn't rushing straight at him, but circling him, constantly shifting positions to hide its true form while gradually closing in.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for gaining 13,520 experience points."
"Ding! Failed to comprehend card character's skill."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Your character has leveled up to Level 12, gaining 10 attribute points and 2 skill points."
Facing a situation where he couldn't even see his opponent, he decisively used the Armored Dragon card, which he claimed had an invincible defense, successfully reaching Level 12. Without any hesitation, he dumped all 10 of his newly acquired attribute points into Defense. Every extra point of defense meant a bit more safety.
"Tsk, tsk, human. Savor the fear of being dominated by speed!"
Swift Dragon's voice was extremely close, as if it were whispering right in his ear.
"Playing a game of cat and mouse, are we?"
He took a deep breath. At Swift Dragon's speed, it had already been circling right next to him for a while, yet it never attacked. Perhaps, just as it said, it wanted him to savor the fear of being dominated by speed.
*If you're not going to make a move, then I won't be so polite!*
King's eyes stared blankly at the Earthquake Dragon in the distance. He focused his attention, no longer letting Swift Dragon affect him. After gathering his strength for a moment, his eyes snapped open, and he kicked out fiercely behind him in a wild guess.
"King Style Aura Arts' Ultimate Secret—Lucky Kick!"
Bang!
This kick, containing the full power of the Armored Dragon's 'Divine Dragon Swings Its Tail', miraculously and precisely struck the abdomen of the high-speed Swift Dragon.
Pfft!
Swift Dragon's body was only a little over two meters tall. While its running speed was extremely fast, its physical strength was quite average among the dinosaur clan. King's fierce kick sent it vomiting blood.
"Pfft~ How... how is that possible? You... how could you possibly have found me?"
Swift Dragon's body curled up like a shrimp from the intense abdominal pain. It stared in disbelief at King, who was still holding his kicking posture. "I don't believe it!"
Its body darted away, once again moving rapidly around King.
Bang!
King slowly retracted his leg. He looked at Swift Dragon, who was spitting blood again with a face full of shock, and felt a little embarrassed. He actually managed to guess right twice. His luck was off the charts.
"You can actually see me... You... you are definitely no ordinary person. Who in the world are you?"
"Oh, asking me? Heh, the people of the world are kind enough to call me—King!"
Thanks to Cai Ping Rufei for the tip! Tsk tsk, this must be a girl, definitely a girl! Alas, if it's not a girl, I'll drop this book. I mean, if there are no girls reading, what's the motivation to write? Also, I wasn't planning on updating today, but when I saw a tip from a girl, I had to come and post a chapter (cough, forgive my shamelessness). A little explanation: because this is a recommendation-less week for the book, I plan to keep the word count down a bit, hoping to get on one or two more recommendation lists before the book goes premium. So this week's update schedule will be like this: one chapter, then two, then one, then two...
(end of chapter)