As Jovian's fist slammed forward—
for an instant, it felt like time itself froze.
The frog-like man—dark green skin crisscrossed with black lines, sporting the kind of look some comic-obsessed teen would think is "cool as hell"—watched that rapidly expanding fist fill his vision, his face twisting in sheer panic.
"Danger!"
His animal survival instincts lit up every cell in his body, but it was already too late. The moment Jovian threw that punch, the frog man's future was set in stone.
Boom!
The instant Jovian's fist connected—when the air in front of his knuckles detonated—Frog Man turned into a splattered mess of scraps and pulp.
"Who said you could interrupt me while I was mourning Mosquito Girl?"
Jovian stared at the sludge on the ground, silent for a beat. In some other world, a frog lovers' group would've shown up to condemn him.
"Hahahaha…!"
"Looks like you're pretty strong!"
"To wipe out Frog Man that easily… but don't get it twisted. I'm not like that worthless trash. My name is Mantis. And according to the Hero Association, I'm the real deal—"
While Jovian's right hand still steamed with scorching heat, a massive mantis—nearly ten feet tall—leaned in at his side, bragging loudly in that uniquely cocky One Punch Man way.
Boom!
Jovian couldn't be bothered to listen. He answered with a punch.
Splat!
The moment that fist landed, the loudmouthed Mantis shattered into countless pieces that drifted down through the air like confetti made of gore.
"'The real deal' what?" Jovian said coldly, standing perfectly still as the fragments rained down. "You bug."
"Frog Man and Mantis are dead…? Then I'm definitely not his opponent! Time to get out of here!"
Slugerous stared at the remains of Frog Man and Mantis, his expression instantly changing. He spoke as he turned to flee.
Bzzzt—
The moment Slugerous turned around, two crimson beams lanced in from behind, erasing half his body in an instant.
"Running?" Jovian tilted his head, looking at the bisected Slugerous. "You really think you can?"
"And the rest of you—come on out."
Jovian glanced at Slugerous, dead to his heat vision, then at Mantis and Frog Man, both killed with two punches. He rolled his neck slightly and spoke toward the facility.
"Heh…"
Under the ground, a mole-like monster smiled. He was Ground Dragon—House of Evolution's strongest assassin. In this world, no one could escape his execution.
"So what if you beat Frog Man, Slugerous, and Mantis?"
"Those three don't even rank in the House of Evolution!"
Ground Dragon laughed. As the House of Evolution's top killer—its headtaker—he would personally cut down that white-clad bastard.
"I heard that, asshole."
With his boosted hearing, Jovian dipped his head and looked down at the earth. Some bastard was talking trash beneath his feet, and he'd caught every word.
Bzzzt—
Jovian didn't waste breath. His eyes heated up, glowing red, and two crimson beams pierced straight through the ground, drilling directly into the monster below.
And then…
There was no "then."
The scorched earth glowed, and the air filled with the rich smell of animal meat roasting.
"Ah…"
"Just smelling that makes me hungry…"
"Detected! Enemy! Strong! Destroy!"
As Jovian finished turning Ground Dragon into charcoal barbecue, a deep, raspy voice—and another voice that sounded like a robot spitting clipped, broken phrases—reached his ears.
"…"
Jovian's expression didn't change. He lifted his head and looked toward the source.
A massive lion-man stood there, along with a figure wrapped in metal armor so thoroughly that its face couldn't be seen. Judging by their stance, they were the strongest guardians of the building behind them.
"Enemy detected. Danger rating: S. Conclusion: cannot defeat me and Beast King—"
"System analysis: conclusion—strike first. Completely crush the enemy!"
The silver, metal-clad monster spat out meaningless "analysis," then blurred forward in a burst of speed, charging Jovian.
Bzz—
Jovian looked at the metal freak. His eyes flared crimson.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—bzzzt—bzzzt!
Four beams flashed—clean, precise—severing the armored monster's limbs in an instant.
Thud!
The thing that had been rushing forward collapsed onto the ground like a discarded shell.
"…"
A few seconds of silence followed.
"Ahhh! It hurts! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! It hurts so bad—!"
The "robot" on the ground started wailing at the top of its lungs, all pretense of cold, ruthless machine-assassin gone in an instant.
"Don't think that begging means I won't kill you."
Jovian stepped up, crouched, and reached out to pull off the helmet. The armor's true face was revealed—
a black gorilla.
Jovian frowned at the big, shaggy gorilla that looked like it belonged on Skull Island, and spoke coldly.
"I was wrong. I really was wrong!"
"Please—please let me go!"
He begged desperately.
"Since you're not just handsome—you might actually be useful later—I'll spare you for now."
Jovian ruffled the gorilla's thick black hair, stood up, and looked at the last House of Evolution fighter still intact.
"Hmph…"
The huge, furry lion-man radiated pressure. Muscles bulged across his body.
"Kid! Don't think beating Armored Gorilla means you can beat me!"
"We're not on the same level!"
"As the second-ranked man in the House of Evolution, I'll kill even an S-Class hero for you to see!"
"Aaaargh!!"
The man called Beast King roared and swung his arms like blades, slashing toward Jovian at terrifying speed. The exploding gusts were sharp enough to cleave the hardest metal in the world—purely in terms of attack power, even some S-Class heroes couldn't match the Beast King in front of him.
Boom!
Jovian faced Beast King's whirling, dance-like slaughter—and casually threw a punch.
Splat!
In the blink of an eye, Beast King burst apart right in front of Jovian and Armored Gorilla, exploding into a floor-wide smear.
"All flash," Jovian sneered at the sludge on the ground. "You think just because you look like a lion, you're Battle Beast? Who are you trying to scare?"
"Next…"
Jovian stood amid the scattered wreckage, lifted his head toward the building, and smiled faintly.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 10 extra free chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810