"I can't step in."
Under the expectant and focused gazes of everyone present, King maintained his stoic expression.
"If I were to act, things would take a turn for the truly disastrous. As long as the Hero is still able to fight, there is no need for me to intervene."
The moment I actually jump in, I'm getting one-shot. Unless there's absolutely no one else left to hold the line, there's no point in me throwing myself into the fray.
Not that there'd be any point even if I did. When even these S-Class heroes feel they're out of their depth in that kind of fight, what is a regular guy like me supposed to do?
None of the onlookers believed he was saying this out of fear. That steady tone of voice, accompanied by the increasingly rapid and heavy thrumming of the "King Engine," signaled that he was not only devoid of fear but, in fact, possessed a fighting spirit that was surging with intensity.
To witness a battle of that magnitude and remain so composed—perhaps even eager to test his mettle?
"I see." Child Emperor understood as well. They were all keeping a close eye on the state of A-City, and King's destructive power was common knowledge.
Such an attack, capable of massive collateral damage, would undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin for A-City.
If it were just him, that would be one thing, but given that the enemy likely wouldn't be finished off in a single strike, it would mean that level of destruction would be unleashed on A-City time and time again.
In that case, there wouldn't be much left of A-City to save.
Energy reserves do not perfectly equate to combat prowess.
Child Emperor realized this a bit late; although the alien's energy, according to calculations, was enough to destroy the Earth in one go, that didn't mean he could release it all at once.
With King acting as the ultimate safety net behind the heroes, their confidence was undeniably bolstered.
They didn't think King would fail to grasp the extent of the enemy's strength. Since he could perceive it and still make that claim, he must be brimming with confidence.
He truly lives up to the title of the strongest man on Earth.
Genos also threw a few extra glances at King. He had assumed that only his teacher and Alice could participate in a battle of that caliber, yet here was King, displaying such self-assurance.
Most importantly, Genos still couldn't detect any high-level energy readings coming from him.
Then again, that might be normal. His teacher was the same way; had it not been for that one incident, he would have continued to assume his teacher was just an ordinary citizen.
Alice was also a master at concealing her energy.
It seemed to be related to that halo-like thing floating above her head; Alice's energy fluctuations were highly unstable—usually very low, but spiking dramatically during combat.
Watching the young girl hold her own against an enemy with no visible limit, it seemed Alice was the type to grow stronger the tougher her opponent became.
The heroes returned their focus to the battlefield in the distance.
"METEORIC BURST!"
As the pale violet beam faded, Boros, whose skin had been deep blue, was now completely bathed in that same pale violet hue. The eye that had remained closed on his chest now snapped open.
Two eyes, paired with thick, dense black-purple veins, snaked across his entire body, lending a sense of ferocity to his already bizarre physique.
The greatest hurdle yet!
Boros was now on an entirely different level than he had been just moments ago. If Tatsumaki had been able to maneuver or even gain the upper hand before, she now stood absolutely no chance.
Alice focused all her attention on Boros's movements, but when she regained her senses, she realized she had already been blasted high into the sky.
What followed was an attack as relentless as a storm.
"Utilizing the energy within my body as fuel, I unleash my power at a speed that transcends biological limits!"
The extreme heat generated by that veloA-Citynd energy stained the earth in shades of gold and red, as the streak of pink light tearing through A-City practically ignited everything in its path.
"What is that!?"
Even though they had steeled themselves, the sheer terror of such destruction placed immense psychological pressure on the heroes.
High above, Tatsumaki, determined to end the fight quickly, abandoned all thought of coming out unscathed.
With minimal defensive measures, she weathered the enemy's telekinetic onslaught, focusing entirely on utterly destroying the opponent's brain while dragging the massive starship down to the ground, pinning it firmly in place.
With her head and body aching, Tatsumaki gritted her teeth and stared at the distant struggle.
Unlike the others, she didn't rely solely on her eyes to track targets. As long as her psychic powers covered the battlefield, she could perceive every minute movement.
The superhuman speed and power left even Tatsumaki feeling a jolt of alarm.
Because the two were currently locked in a fierce, chaotic brawl, intervening recklessly risked pulling Alice into the fray or, worse, causing a friendly fire incident.
It wasn't a matter of her psychic precision lacking; it was simply that she couldn't keep up.
Even if she could sense them, reacting took time—and she wasn't confident her reaction speed could match the pace of the battle.
It made her furious.
She trained her abilities day and night, yet when a crisis finally struck, she was so hamstrung that she couldn't even participate?
'Don't expect anyone to save you when you're in danger.'
At this very moment, this feeling of having to pin her hopes on someone else brought back that familiar sense of childhood helplessness.
The rage and frustration at her own lack of strength made her clench her fists, yet she remained powerless to act.
The bombardment in mid-air continued.
If the previous exchange had been merely a dull sensation, Alice now felt sharp, biting pain.
Every one of Boros's punches was capable of leveling a mountain. Even though Alice's power continued to climb, she couldn't match this level of explosive intensity in a heartbeat.
However... Boros was even more anxious.
'I intended to end this fight as quickly as possible! But she is far more durable than I imagined!'
Boros could feel the girl's body being tossed about like a ragdoll under his strikes, and the resistance he felt was far less than it had been moments ago.
But... it still wasn't enough! He still couldn't land a fatal blow! Forget a fatal wound—he couldn't even hamper her combat effectiveness. They were nothing more than flesh wounds that hurt for a second!
And her movements were already beginning to change!
From being unable to block or react at the start, she had gradually learned to keep pace, execute a degree of defense, and now, she was even capable of targeted parries and counters!
And all of this had happened in a mere five seconds!
This monstrous ability to grow... this speed of evolution that seemed to have no horizon...
She was the perfect opponent!
A massive blade cleaved through the air.
One entire arm, even half of her torso, was reduced to a spray of mist by that tremendous force. To call it a "cut" would be inaccurate—it was more like being shattered by a heavy blow.
'Hasn't she completely adapted already?!' Instead of dismay, a look of excitement and fanaticism bloomed on Boros's face as he saw her speed match his own.
His shattered body healed even as it was being pulverized; the thrill of dancing on the edge of death, the realization that he was the weaker party, and the satisfaction of overcoming the strong—this was the peak.
"ALICE! I WILL BE THE ONE TO DEFEAT YOU!"
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL