novelhk Page 48
Page 48
Upon hearing this, the way everyone looked at Saitama became even more complicated.
Could someone who can become friends with KING be just a simple A-level player?
Lin Mo was inwardly groaning, but on the surface he maintained a cool and aloof demeanor, nodded slightly to Saitama as a greeting, and then sat down in the empty seat next to them.
"KING, after the meeting, do you want to come to my house to play the latest version of the game? I just snagged a limited edition yesterday!"
Saitama completely ignored the eerie atmosphere around him and extended the invitation with great interest.
"Huh? When did this bald guy become so rich?" Lin Mo glanced at Saitama with some surprise, thinking to himself, but didn't say anything more.
Chapter 67 The Atomic Warrior's Test
Just then, a sharp voice interrupted their conversation.
"Hmph, what a boring exchange."
Everyone looked over at the sound and saw the "Atomic Samurai," ranked 4th in the S-class and hailed as the strongest swordsman of the era, slowly stand up from his seat.
He was dressed in a retro samurai outfit, with dark patterns embroidered on his black robe, and he had something in his mouth.
However, what is most striking are his eyes—filled with the arrogance and scrutiny unique to swordsmen.
"How can data possibly measure true strength?"
Atomic Samurai's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every hero present.
He paused for a moment, then slowly walked out of his seat.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew increasingly tense as he moved around.
He walked straight up to KING, stopped three steps away, and stared intently at KING's expressionless face with his sharp eyes.
“KING,” he began, “I’ve heard about you. Vaporizing a Demon-level monster with a single energy wave…that sounds like a pretty good move. And you’ve got a catchy name too, ‘Hellfire Unparalleled Explosive Wave Cannon,’ is that right?”
"However, in my opinion, relying too much on such flashy but impractical techniques will neglect the honing of one's own martial arts skills."
Lin Mo's heart tightened.
Atomic Samurai? What is he planning to do?
The roar of the Emperor's engine involuntarily quickened as his heart pounded with tension.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Atomic Samurai clearly heard the increasingly loud roar, but he merely raised an eyebrow, interpreting it as the resonance of a strong person or the will to fight.
He held up one finger and said to King:
“We martial artists value technique. Your so-called ‘Infernal Unparalleled Explosive Wave Cannon’ has too wide a range, too scattered power, and too many flaws.”
"I don't believe that's your strongest move."
Atomic Samurai's gaze became incredibly serious, his sharp eyes fixed on KING.
"The real you should be even stronger. People say you are the strongest man on earth, so how fast is your sword?"
Lin Mo's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and cold sweat almost seeped from his forehead.
Is this... a challenge to a one-on-one duel? In a setting where all the S-class heroes are gathered? How is he supposed to refuse? He doesn't know any swordsmanship at all!
However, the more silent Lin Mo remained, the calmer his expression became, and the more powerful the roar of the "Emperor Engine" grew.
In Atomic Samurai's eyes, all of this became proof of tacit understanding and unfathomable depth.
“Very good.” Atomic Samurai’s smile deepened. He slowly withdrew his fingers and drew a fruit knife from his waist with his left hand.
Then, he took a plump, round apple out of his pocket.
"I won't use my sword; that would be too unfair to you."
Atomic Samurai's tone was calm, yet it exuded an extreme confidence.
He gently tossed the apple upwards, and it traced a beautiful parabola in the air.
Just as the apple reached its highest point and was about to fall, Atomic Samurai's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he gripped the fruit knife tightly in his right hand.
"The very moment this apple hits the ground, I will slice it into one hundred even slices. And you,"
His gaze was fixed on KING. "All you need to do is use your finger to leave a scratch on the apple at the most opportune moment."
"Let me see the reaction speed of the strongest man on Earth!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the red apple had passed its peak and begun to fall.
In that instant, the air in the conference room froze, and all the S-class heroes focused their attention on the two people and the falling apple.
In the corner, "Flash of the Shining," who had been resting with his eyes closed, had a barely perceptible smile on his lips.
In his view, this kind of competition is not even a challenge, it's just children playing house.
He had even started mentally simulating how he might be able to snatch the apple before it was cut.
However, just as Atomic Samurai was about to unleash his power, a sudden change occurred!
An old but strong hand gently pressed down on the wrist of the Atomic Samurai holding the sword.
At the same time, the other hand, moving later but arriving first, caught the falling apple with a seemingly slow and deft motion.
The whole process went smoothly and in one go.
"That's enough, Atomic Samurai."
A gentle and steady voice rang out.
Bang, the third-ranked S-class strategist known as "Silver Fang," had somehow appeared between the two.
He was not tall, and his hair and beard were all white, but his eyes seemed to see through everything.
"Silver Fangs?" Atomic Samurai asked, puzzled. "I just wanted to see Lord King's strength."
Bang shook his head, glanced at the composed King, then scanned all the S-class heroes present, and said with a shake of his head:
"Now is not the time for sparring. Let's first see what the Association's real purpose is in mobilizing so many people and gathering almost all of us here. It's extremely rare for all S-class heroes to be present."
Atomic Samurai was taken aback. He stared into Bang's eyes for a few seconds, seemingly understanding something, yet also seemingly understanding nothing at all.
In the end, he snorted coldly, put away the fruit knife, and said, "Then I'll ask King for advice again next time."
After saying that, he said no more and went straight back to his seat, resuming his aloof and unapproachable demeanor.
Bang smiled and greeted King, Saitama, and Genos beside him, then slowly sat down.
Just as the atmosphere in the conference room had begun to ease, the heavy conference room door was suddenly pushed open.
Sitch, the highest-ranking executive of the Hero Association, led a group of staff members into the conference room with somber expressions.
He stood at the head of the conference table, surveyed the S-class heroes present, and spoke in an unprecedentedly serious tone:
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come."
"Just an hour ago, our association's proud and great prophet, Lady Shibabawa... passed away after choking on a cough candy due to excessive excitement after leaving behind her last prophecy."
Upon hearing this, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.
Shibabawa's predictions are almost 100% accurate, and her very existence is a trump card for the Hero Association in the fight against disasters.
Her death is an immeasurable loss.
Sitch turned on the projector in front of him, and a line of shocking blood-red characters appeared on the screen. It was written by Shibabawa before he died.
“Earth…” Sitch’s voice trembled slightly with fear, “…it’s going to be destroyed!!!”
Chapter 68: Will KING make a prophecy?
In an instant, the S-class heroes present showed completely different reactions.
"Are you kidding..."
The 14th S-rank "Vest Master" was the first to break the silence, his arms instantly bulging with veins.
"Lord Shibabawa... is dead? The prophecy said the earth is doomed... doomed?" His voice was filled with disbelief.
"Hey, is this for real?" S-rank 15 "Metal Bat" scratched his pompadour in frustration.
"Those old women's predictions, sometimes they might not be accurate, right?"
However, even he himself seemed unsure of himself when he said this.
"The accuracy rate is 100%."
The robot representing the 7th S-class, "Metal Knight," emitted an emotionless electronic voice.
"The error rate is theoretically infinitely close to zero. The level of this prophecy is undoubtedly above 'Dragon,' or even a disaster level that has never appeared before—'God.'"
The moment the word "God" was uttered, the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop several degrees.
A Dragon-level disaster is enough to threaten the destruction of several cities, and even slightly weaker S-class heroes would need to join forces to barely cope.
The "God" level, according to the Hero Association, is a crisis that "could lead to the extinction of humanity."
Saitama's expression remained as simple as ever. He picked up the apple he had just eaten and began to eat it, a rare thoughtful expression on his face, as if he were processing the information.
"Hmph, just a mere prophecy."
The second-ranked S-class creature, "Trembling Tornado," hovered above her seat, arms crossed, a hint of disdain flashing in her emerald green eyes.
"Whatever it is, I'll handle it. Don't make a fuss."
Her words were as full of absolute confidence as ever, but the heroes present did not feel any relief as a result.
They were all too aware of the weight of Shibabawa's prophecy.
Sic's face was equally grim. He wiped the cold sweat that kept seeping from his forehead with a handkerchief, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the man who had remained as steady as a mountain from beginning to end—KING.
After thinking for a while, Sitch decided to speak up.
“This prophecy…” he began, his voice somewhat hoarse, “to be honest, for the higher-ups of the Hero Association, it’s actually not the first time they’ve heard it.”
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" The 10th S-rank "Pig God" asked vaguely while stuffing snacks into his mouth.
Sitch glanced at King again, seeing that he remained expressionless, neither confirming nor stopping him, so he continued:
“Mr. King had already given us a clear warning about two months ago.”