Along the Tokyo Bay coast, what was once a bustling scenic boulevard had now become a death zone of mud and ruins.
The dark green seawater boiled and roared under the will of Sea King, repeatedly attempting to completely submerge this crumbling land.
At the forefront of this chaos, a bulwark constructed from sand, shimmering with unstable crystalline light, stood like a steadfast pillar, firmly resisting the destructive tide.
Flint Marko, Sandman, felt as if he had returned to that most critical night when his daughter Penny was gravely ill.
The same helplessness, the same necessity to persevere, only this time, the enemy he faced was no longer cold medical data and slim hope, but this terrifying entity from the deep sea, exuding monstrous malice and power.
"Ugh… Ah!!!"
He let out a low roar, not from anger, but from the physiological reaction of extreme overload.
His arms were deeply embedded in the muddy ground beneath his feet, a mix of sand and seawater, and every grain of sand around him resonated and vibrated with him.
On the crystallized bulwark, which bore the brunt of the Impact, cracks continuously spread, only to be rapidly filled and recrystallized by the sand surging from behind, driven by his will.
This cycle repeated, like a cruel tug-of-war.
Sea King's massive head, covered with bizarre patterns, turned slightly, its multiple eyes locking onto this "little bug" that was the only one capable of directly withstanding its raging waves.
It seemed provoked, emitting a low hum that rippled the very air.
A colossal arm, thicker than before, covered with thick calcareous armor and suckers, descended like a collapsing mountain, carrying the might to crush everything, directly smashing towards Sandman and the bulwark he protected!
This strike far surpassed the previous water pressure Impact!
It was pure, destructive physical force!
"Flint! Watch out!" other heroes exclaimed over the channel.
Sandman's pupils constricted.
He could feel that the mere wind pressure was causing the sand around him to scatter uncontrollably!
If he took it head-on, the crystallized bulwark would likely shatter completely!
In a flash, the tactics instilled by the system, the instincts formed through countless simulated training sessions, merged with his deeper understanding of his own abilities.
He did not choose to reinforce his defense.
Just as the colossal arm was about to strike, the ground beneath him—along with his massive sandified body—suddenly "flowed" downwards!
Like sand in an hourglass, it instantly sank and dispersed!
"Boom—!!!"
The colossal arm struck empty air, embedding itself deeply into the ground, kicking up dozens of meters of mud waves and Impact, sending several nearby Association heroes who couldn't dodge in time flying.
Where Sandman had originally stood, only a massive crater and scattered sand remained.
Sea King let out a bewildered hiss.
The next second, right around its colossal arm embedded in the ground, a sudden change occurred!
Countless grains of sand, like living metallic quicksand, frantically climbed and condensed along its thick arm!
It was no longer a loose wrapping; instead, upon contact, the surface of the sand grains flashed with dazzling crystalline light, rapidly hardening, like countless greedy cement devourers, firmly "biting" onto its arm and frantically drilling and solidifying into joints, armor gaps, and other weak points!
"Roar!!!"
Sea King let out a roar of pain and fury for the first time!
It violently swung its arm, attempting to shake off the sand grains that clung like maggots to bone.
However, the crystallized sand possessed astonishing adhesion and hardness; not only was it not shaken off, but during its violent movements, it acted like countless tiny cutting blades, causing continuous scraping and damage to its hard shell!
Sandman did not reveal himself; his consciousness had merged with the ground of this battlefield, with every grain of dust.
He had pushed the advantage of his sandification to the extreme—no longer confined to a fixed form, but rather dividing into countless parts, omnipresent!
"All long-range firepower in Sector A! Concentrate fire on the right foreleg joint of the target, which is restricted by Sandman!" The command was swiftly issued in the command channel.
In an instant, energy beams, freezing rays, corrosive projectiles… the various long-range attacks of the Association heroes, like arrows finding their bullseye, precisely covered Sea King's arm, which was tightly entwined by crystallized sand and noticeably sluggish in its movements!
"Bang bang bang! Crack!"
Explosions, the sound of armor shattering, and Sea King's even more furious roars echoed across the battlefield!
This time, the attack achieved significant results, with visible damage and charring appearing on the armor at the joint!
"Effective! Sandman is awesome!" A young hero couldn't help but cheer in the channel.
But Flint did not relax in the slightest.
He felt the abyssal power within Sea King surging even more violently.
Restricting just one arm was far from enough!
Sea King's remaining colossal arms and tentacles wildly flailed, stirring up an even larger tsunami.
Simultaneously, it opened its massive mouth, filled with fangs and resembling an underwater cave—
It was not a sonic attack, but a thick, putrid, corrosive breath glowing with an eerie green light, spewing out like a high-pressure water cannon.
Its target was not Sandman (it couldn't pinpoint Sandman's exact core for now), but rather it covered the entire Sector A defense line, as well as Sectors B and C behind it, where rescue efforts were being organized!
"Evade! It's strong acid breath!"
"Defense team! Maximum range shield!"
The Association's defense line instantly faced a severe test.
Sandman's crystallized sand might withstand physical Impact and water pressure, but against this large-scale, continuous corrosive attack, the defensive effect would be greatly diminished!
At this critical moment, Sandman once again made an astonishing move.
Above the Sector A defense line, countless grains of sand converged at an unprecedented speed, not forming a wall, but rather constructing an enormous, interwoven "sand net"!
At the nodes of this net, sand grains furiously crystallized, forming solid support points, while the net lines maintained a fluid state, constantly adjusting and replenishing.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!"
The eerie green corrosive breath struck the massive sand net, emitting a chilling sound.
The crystallized nodes stubbornly resisted the corrosion, while the flowing sand lines, while being corroded and dissolved, were constantly replenished by new sand from below, like a living barrier with infinite regenerative capabilities!
The sand net violently vibrated under the Impact of the corrosive breath, its light flickering, and sand continuously turned to dust at its edges.
Yet, its overall structure actually managed to forcefully block most of this terrifying breath, capable of melting steel, outside the Sector A defense line!
"This… this is…" Even Captain America Steve Rogers, knowledgeable as he was, showed a look of shock at this scene.
He held his Star Shield in front of him, deflecting splashing acidic droplets, and looking at that colossal sand net, which with mortal power (though this power was extraordinary) defied a natural disaster, his heart was greatly impacted.
This guy called Sandman had reached a masterful level in the application of his abilities!
He was not merely defending; he was using offense as defense, using ingenuity to overcome brute force!
"Stark! Barton! Concentrate fire, attack its mouth! Interrupt it!" Steve immediately shouted in the Avengers channel, trying to relieve pressure on Sandman.
Iron Man and Hawkeye immediately responded, beams and explosive arrows pouring towards Sea King's massive mouth.
Sea King was forced to close its mouth, interrupting its breath, letting out an angry roar, its compound eyes firmly fixed on the sand net that was slowly dissipating but had successfully fulfilled its mission.
Sandman Flint's figure reformed not far behind the defense line; his face was pale, and his breathing was rapid, clearly indicating that the series of extreme maneuvers had taken a huge toll.
But his gaze towards Sea King was even more resolute.
He held the line.
Not just for the mission, for the Association, but also to prove to himself and everyone—he, Flint Marko, possessed the power to protect.
Sea King also seemed to realize that this opponent, capable of freely transforming and crystallizing sand, was its greatest obstacle to landing.
It abandoned indiscriminate, large-scale attacks and concentrated more attention on Sandman, several tentacles like venomous snakes, moving at speeds that broke the sound barrier, piercing towards the newly appeared Sandman from different, tricky angles!
A new, even more perilous round of offense and defense was about to begin.
Sandman vs. Sea King, this struggle representing the Association's highest individual combat power against a Dragon-level threat, had already become the eye of the storm for the entire Tokyo Bay battlefield.
Every flight of his sand, every flash of crystalline light, tugged at the heartstrings of countless people, and also declared to the World the true worth of the Hero Association's top combat power.