Thomas forced a twitch of his lips and spoke again with difficulty.
"The victor... is king... the winner... takes all..."
Rhode smiled in satisfaction, just about to exert force and crush his head.
Suddenly, a sharp screech of brakes came from a distance.
A burly middle-aged man, his suit disheveled from his haste, rushed towards Rhode, shouting anxiously:
"Hunter Rhode! Please wait! We are willing to pay any price to save Hunter Thomas's life and appease your wrath!"
Rhode's foot paused, then slowly moved away.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh of relief.
It seems... Hunter Rhode is still quite reasonable...
However, the next moment, he witnessed a sight he would never forget—
A giant war god, over two hundred meters tall, entirely Jet Black , emanating a sacred yet ominous aura, rose from thin air!
Its shoulders were like mountains, its leg muscles bulged like mountain ranges, its feet rested upon the clouds, like an ancient deity, looking down indifferently upon all of Washington D.C.!
Everyone who witnessed this scene knelt in terror under that unparalleled divine might, believing a god had descended!
On the streets, all vehicles stopped. In offices, officials sweated profusely. Throughout the city, the cries of children and the gasps of adults rose and fell!
Everyone stopped what they were doing, staring blankly upwards at the divine miracle that pierced the heavens and earth!
The reporter, who was originally broadcasting traffic conditions, involuntarily aimed his camera at this scene.
Thus, this scene was broadcast across the globe via radio waves!
The perfect Susanoo had completely transformed.
It wore a coiled dragon crown, its arms were ferocious dragon-shaped gauntlets, its body was covered in scale-like armor, with cloud-thunder patterns and taotie patterns as the base on the armor plates, the design was majestic and ornate, somewhat resembling ancient Mingguang armor.
Rhode suddenly let out a cold snort.
That sound, amplified by Susanoo's resonance, spread throughout Washington D.C., like a divine decree, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard it!
No resistance! Absolutely... no resistance against this god!
Such a thought, born of instinct, arose simultaneously in their hearts.
"Buzz—"
The Totsuka-no-Tsurugi surged out from Susanoo's waist gourd, transforming into a streak of light, instantly piercing Thomas on the ground and completely sealing him within!
After all this was done, Rhode finally dispelled Susanoo and slowly landed.
Everyone's gaze instinctively lowered, like ancient subjects, not daring to meet the gaze of this monarch.
The middle-aged man opened his mouth, but in the end, he only managed a bitter smile, uglier than a cry, not daring to utter a single word of complaint.
Are you kidding... this guy's ability might be able to destroy all of Washington D.C. with one blow! Who would dare to displease him?!
The reason Rhode suddenly stopped just now was because he remembered the fragment of light within Thomas.
If he himself died, Rhode wouldn't know where to find it again.
With insufficient Prayer Points at the moment, it was best to seal him first.
Rhode indifferently glanced at the middle-aged man.
"Wait for me here."
With that, he turned and walked towards the depths of the Scavenger Guild, which had already been reduced to ruins.
Looting after defeating monsters had become his good habit.
The middle-aged man dared not speak, so he stood honestly in place, occasionally wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, frantically guessing Rhode's intentions.
Along the way, Rhode extracted the essence of all the dead Hunter shadows.
As for Huang Dongshu, he witnessed his last hope being brutally extinguished by Rhode, and in despair, his neck was coldly severed by a shadow soldier, without even a chance to speak his last words.
He did not immediately transform these shadows into human form but temporarily stored them, planning to manifest them based on Thomas's essence after his death.
He arrived at the deepest warehouse area of the guild. His gaze swept over the various items scattered on the floor due to the battle.
Finally, his gaze rested on the two short swords lying quietly inside a deformed safe at the very back.
"[Kamish's Rage]"
"[Attack Power +1500]"
"These are the finest short swords, crafted by the strongest artisan of the era, from the sharpest teeth of the great dragon Kamish."
"Their sharpness is unmatched, and their conductivity for magic power is also excellent. Depending on the user's strength, they can become even more powerful weapons."
"Come here."
Rhode lightly raised both hands, and the two short swords, lying quietly in the safe, were drawn by invisible threads, transforming into two streaks of white light that instantly flew into his hands.
The short swords were pure white, gleaming with a chilling cold light.
For short swords, their size was somewhat long, and their weight was quite substantial.
"But..."
Rhode's mind stirred, and he slowly injected the surging magic power within him, like a river, into the sword blades.
Buzz—
From his fingertips, the entire sword blade began to be enveloped by rings of ominous black aura, emitting an extremely strong, heart-pounding sense of oppression!
The short swords were responding to his magic power!
Moreover, the heavy feeling of the short swords, which had been substantial in his hand just a moment ago, vanished without a trace in that instant!
Like a lie, these fangs that once belonged to Kamish now felt lighter than feathers in his hands!
Rhode, like a boy who had received a beloved new toy, enthusiastically played with them for a while before contentedly putting away Kamish's Rage.
"After Hephaestus finishes forging, I can melt them all into my new weapon."
He then looked around the messy warehouse again, and finally, discovered two more items that were barely worth his attention.
"[Rune Stone: Stealth]"
"[Rune Stone: Extreme Healing]"
In this world, Hunters could only acquire new skills in two ways:
First, through their initial awakening.
Second, by killing A-rank or higher magic beasts and obtaining them from the Rune Stones dropped by them.
And the price of Rune Stones was ridiculously high, with the most expensive ones even reaching astronomical prices of eighty to ninety million RMB.
The Rune Stone in Rhode's hand, with the Extreme Healing skill, could instantly restore a severely wounded, near-death person to their original state.
Its value was at least twenty million.
"I don't know why the Scavenger Guild didn't use it immediately... but now it's convenient for me."
The skills on these two Rune Stones could be copied to others using Prayer Points at any time, so there was no need to specifically keep them.
Thus, he simply gently crushed the two hard Rune Stones in his palm.
"[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Stealth!]"
"[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Extreme Healing!]"
After all this was done, he turned and leisurely left the ruins.
When he walked outside, the middle-aged man was still standing in his original position like a statue, without even changing his posture.
"You are very obedient."
The middle-aged man gave an awkward smile, bending his body ninety degrees, his face filled with humble smiles.
"Hunter Rhode! I am the director of the Hunter Management Bureau of M Country, you can call me David. Please, is there anything I can do for you?"
Facing the murderer who had just brutally killed their country's strongest Hunter, David's face showed not a hint of negative emotion.
This even surprised Rhode a little.
But then he thought about it and felt relieved.
These Anglo-Saxons were inherently the most realistic.
It was absolutely impossible for them to offend a stronger, living monster because of someone who was already dead.
Rhode spoke indifferently, his voice not loud, but carrying an unquestionable tone of command.
"Take me to Norma Seno."
"!!!"
David's eyes suddenly widened, staring incredulously at Rhode!
"You... how do you know..."
Norma Seno.
This name was the top secret of the entire M Country government.
Excluding the Hunters who had been enhanced by her, the number of people who knew of her existence definitely did not exceed five fingers!
How... where did he get this information from?!
Rhode looked at him expressionlessly, his gaze cold, without a trace of warmth.
"Is there a problem?"
"Swoosh—!"
David's cold sweat instantly poured down.
He quickly nodded frantically, his voice trembling slightly.
"N-no problem! I'll arrange it for you immediately!"
After making a phone call, David immediately, like the most respectful servant, invited Rhode into a black sedan.
The survivors of the Scavenger Guild left behind looked at each other, their faces filled with a mix of dreamy disbelief and sorrow.
One of the world's strongest guilds had fallen from the clouds into the deep sea in less than one night.
Their proud, invincible strongest member was easily killed by the other party as if crushing an ant.
Yet, these people couldn't even muster a hint of revenge...
This was everything they had done to others in the past.
Now, the tables had turned, and retribution had finally fallen upon them.
This was a world where the strong reigned supreme...
[M Country Hunter Management Bureau, a secret room]
Norma Seno.
People usually referred to this forty-six-year-old Black woman as "Madam Seno" or "Ms. Seno."
She was also the only person in the Hunter Management Bureau of the M Nation who received a higher level of protection than the incumbent President.
This meant that if her life and the President's life were simultaneously threatened, the Hunter Management Bureau would prioritize her safety.
Under her leadership, a total of twenty-six S-Rank Hunters had changed their nationality and sworn allegiance to the M Nation.
Not only did the M Nation far surpass other powerful hunter nations in the number of top-tier Hunters, but after special selection by the Hunter Management Bureau, the Hunters who joined were even more extraordinary in strength.
Therefore, Madam Seno was like the true guardian deity silently protecting the M Nation from behind.
Her existence was an absolute secret, one that even the President could not easily approach.
There was once a powerful S-Rank Hunter who, after receiving her "enhancement," knelt before her, weeping profusely, as he felt an unprecedented surge of power throughout his body.
The next day, his nationality changed from K Nation to M Nation.
But now, Madam Seno, revered as a god by countless powerhouses, stood before a young man, trembling and uneasy, like a prisoner about to be sent to the guillotine.
Rhode observed her with interest and asked,
"I heard you have the ability to foresee. So, did you foresee Thomas dying tonight?"
A wave of unconcealed sorrow surged in Madam Seno's heart.
She and Thomas were very good friends.
However, before this unfathomable monarch, she could only force a smile and respond respectfully with an almost fawning, elegant choice of words.
"Your Majesty… Your side seems to be enveloped by an eternal gray mist. Any mortal who attempts to forcibly probe your destiny will only be consumed by that great power, instantly turning to ashes."
By looking into the Hunters' eyes, Madam Seno could sense the pathway to another dimension connected to those Awakened.
Occasionally, there would even be Awakened who emitted dazzling light themselves because the power on the other side of the pathway was too strong.
However, Madam Seno dared not harbor even the slightest thought of prying into Rhode's affairs.
Her intuition, deep within her soul, screamed and warned her frantically about the irreversible and terrible consequences of doing so!
Rhode was noncommittal, chuckled softly, and then asked.
"What about your enhancement ability?"
If a second awakening was not performed, an Awakened's rank would never change.
This was basic knowledge every Hunter knew.
But this woman before him was the only existence in this world who had broken this common sense.
Madam Seno dared not hide anything and explained in detail:
"As long as it goes through three stages, I can make a Hunter's ability exceed its natural limits, with an increase of at least 20% to 30%."
"Although I don't know whether to call it a forced second awakening or simply an increase in potential… However, this ability was once used on Thomas, but it had no effect."
She was subtly reminding Rhode that her ability might also be ineffective on Rhode, whose strength far surpassed Thomas's.
"Moreover, each time I use this ability, I consume a large amount of magic power and need to rest for a long time. Therefore, only three to four people can be upgraded each year."
"But… if you wish to try, I… I am willing to give it a try."
Rhode shook his head.
"No need."
In his mind, he issued a command to the system.
"Extract the [Foresight] and [Enhancement] abilities from Madam Seno."
[1600 Prayer Points deducted. Current balance: 9100 points.]
Is that all it costs…
Rhode looked at this insignificant consumption, feeling unaccustomed for a moment.
Having done all this, he completely lost interest in Madam Seno.
He turned his head and looked at David, who was standing like a wooden stake beside him.
"I'll give you a piece of advice. In the coming year, use this enhancement ability to its maximum extent."
David was startled!
"Are you saying…"
However, Rhode did not answer him, only continuing in an undeniable, commanding tone:
"Next, give me Kamish's Runestone. And take me to Kamish's corpse."
David's heart was filled with bitterness.
I knew it… I knew something like this would happen…
If this goes through, I'll probably be lambasted as a traitor by the entire nation and forced to step down…
But despite thinking this, he agreed without hesitation.
After all, the nation might belong to the people or the capitalists, but his own life was definitely his.
"Yes! Please follow me!"
In the western part of the M Nation, the world's first S-Rank portal appeared, and that disaster almost turned the entire western United States into ruins.
In order to gather the world's strongest Hunters for rescue, the M Nation paid an enormous, unimaginable price before successfully capturing the BOSS-level monster that had emerged from the S-Rank portal.
Only five people survived that battle.
For this single monster, humanity lost more than a dozen of its top-tier Hunters.
If not for their sacrifice at that time, whether the M Nation would still exist today would be an unknown.
Therefore, the M Nation granted these five Hunters, who had saved the country, a status equal to that of the nation itself.
And this was the origin of the National Authority Hunter.
And Kamish was the name of the monster that caused the greatest tragedy in history.
David led Rhode, constantly descending in an elevator.
Finally, in a heavily guarded room resembling a bank vault, a Runestone, meticulously monitored by countless precision instruments, appeared before the two.
The aura of this Runestone indicated that it concealed extremely powerful skills.