"His speed's gone up another notch—I'm barely able to dodge now."
"His body's almost doubled in size. His defenses are even tougher."
"His strength has nearly tripled… this is terrifying."
Locked in continuous combat with the Deep Sea King's complete form, the drain on both stamina and focus was enormous.
Beneath the spider suit, Peter Parker's breathing had already turned ragged. Cold sweat soaked his entire body.
Facing a monster of this caliber was overwhelming. One single mistake meant instant death.
Against the earlier version of the Deep Sea King, Spider-Man felt he had a chance—maybe even enough to restrain him.
But against this version?
His odds of winning were zero percent.
"Alright, I'm out. I'll leave this to the big shots from the Hero Association. I'm just an amateur hero, after all."
"Trying to run?"
The Deep Sea King's figure appeared behind Spider-Man like a phantom. A massive hand shot forward and grabbed him.
The thin Spider-Man was caught firmly in his palm.
"Insignificant human. Watch as I crush you into paste like garbage."
Crack—snap—
Three thousand tons of force condensed into that grip—more than enough to squeeze Spider-Man's small frame into a bloody pulp.
But when the Deep Sea King opened his hand, there was no gore.
Only an empty spider suit.
Peter Parker had slipped away using a shell-shedding trick, escaping at the last second.
Now he stood there wearing nothing but his spider mask and spider-patterned underwear.
"Running away again with petty tricks?" The Deep Sea King casually tossed the suit aside, his terrifying eyes locking onto Peter. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Honestly, Peter was panicking hard.
As an amateur hero, he admired the Hero Association.
But he had never wanted his aunt and uncle to discover his abilities, so he always kept a low profile.
He'd just put on the spider suit occasionally to help people, deal with small problems, or help old ladies cross the street.
This time, he had only come to check out the commotion.
Who could have guessed the enemy would be this terrifying?
This was far beyond anything he could handle.
"Young man, step back. You've done well."
A steady voice rang out beside them.
Accompanied by the sound of heavy metal armor scraping, a rugged, resolute man approached from the distance, carrying a massive broadsword.
From the Hero Association, a B-Class hero—
Gareth Ironblade, the Might of Demacia.
"You have the potential to become a B-Class hero," Gareth Ironblade said approvingly to the nearly naked Peter Parker. "But this enemy is not something you can deal with yet. Leave the rest to a professional."
"Another small fry?" the Deep Sea King sneered. "But you… your flesh looks like premium quality."
"Come at me! You'll die with honor!"
Gareth Ironblade lifted his broadsword and taunted him, instantly drawing the Deep Sea King's attention away from Peter.
"Go, Mr. Ironblade!" Peter cheered from a distance.
Having seen Gareth Ironblade on television, Peter was clearly a fan. As the commander of Demacia's legions, Gareth Ironblade's battlefield valor and unshakable presence had earned him the admiration of many.
Peter Parker, currently just an amateur hero, was absolutely one of them.
"Charge!"
A glow enveloped Gareth Ironblade's body, boosting his speed by thirty percent.
With fearless momentum, he rushed straight toward the Deep Sea King, broadsword raised.
"I'll smash you into a pancake!"
The Deep Sea King didn't even bother defending. He swung a devastating punch straight at Gareth Ironblade.
Three thousand tons of force—an earth-splitting blow.
"Mr. Ironblade, watch out!" Peter shouted.
"Demacia!"
Gareth Ironblade roared, as if bolstering his own courage.
A faint golden shield appeared over his body, reducing incoming damage by sixty percent for the next five minutes.
Even so, he would still have to endure twelve hundred tons of force head-on.
But with a physique comparable to a Demon-level disaster, heavy armor resistant to magic, and a natural rapid recovery ability—
Gareth Ironblade charged without fear, choosing to end the fight through brute force.
Boom—
Slash—
The heavy punch landed squarely on Gareth Ironblade, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
At the same time, Gareth Ironblade's broadsword came down and severed the Deep Sea King's arm at the root.
"Unyielding!"
"You bastard! Now I'm angry!"
Both were incredibly durable fighters. Their brutal exchange drove their rage to its peak.
Gareth Ironblade spun like a whirling windmill, his broadsword tearing repeatedly into the Deep Sea King's body.
Meanwhile, the Deep Sea King—his arm severed and his mind consumed by fury—ignored his own wounds and retaliated with savage blows from his remaining arm.
They fought in the most primal way possible.
A savage, merciless brawl.
The only question was: who would fall first?
"Face justice!"
Blood covered Gareth Ironblade's face—some his own, some the Deep Sea King's.
With a beast-like roar, Gareth Ironblade declared his iron will.
"Demacia—Justice!"
BOOM!!!
A massive golden greatsword materialized in the sky, radiating overwhelming majesty.
It plunged downward with unstoppable force.
There was no dodging it.
Only enduring it head-on.
A flicker of fear appeared in the Deep Sea King's eyes as he took the full brunt of the ultimate attack…
--------------------------------------------------
Read Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx