'Damn it, how can his strength be so overwhelming?' Accel's face was filled with despair.
As the leader of the Neo Hunters, his misjudgment of the target's strength had led to the total annihilation of his forces.
"True horror is about to descend, yet foolish people are still scheming for profit. Neo, in the end, cannot escape the fate of destruction."
King looked toward the camera with a cold expression, the chill in his eyes making all the viewers shudder involuntarily.
"What... what is he saying?"
"I don't know, but just looking at his eyes makes it hard to breathe. It's terrifying."
"Alarmist talk! What 'true horror'? Only Neo is the hope of all humanity."
"Exactly. Don't think you can rest easy just because you defeated a private hunting team. Neo's executives haven't even made their move yet."
"Just you wait. Neo must have already sent experts over. When they arrive, he'll be begging for mercy on his knees."
After a brief commotion, the crowds in the city quieted down again, with people occasionally stepping up to sing the praises of Neo.
—
At the Hero Association headquarters, Jess breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the battle.
"In the end, they were just a private team. Their combat power was only so-so."
"Don't be careless. We've received intelligence that Neo has deployed two executives this time. It's said their strength is at least S-Class." Sitch was not happy despite Dark Mask's easy victory.
This battle concerned Neo's reputation, so they would definitely send powerful fighters.
"Two executives?!" Jess was startled.
He knew Dark Mask's strength, he possessed combat power comparable to at least an S-class hero. However, in a two-on-one situation, the outcome was still hard to predict.
"Raiden. He reportedly has a record of seven hundred consecutive wins in Super Sumo. Like Superalloy Darkshine, he is known as a man with diamond-like muscles."
"The other one is a newly joined executive of Neo, Suiryu. He is a powerful martial artist and a multi-time champion of the Super Fight Tournament. He has a record of slaying several Demon-level monsters, and there are even rumors that he showed great combat power when facing a Dragon-level monster." Sitch's brow was furrowed.
The current situation was not optimistic. However, as long as they could get through this hurdle, he would have Blast bring Dark Mask back for treatment. There was still a great chance of restoring humanity's hope then.
More importantly, once Dark Mask could regain his hero status, it would mean the Hero Association possessed a method to turn monsters back into humans. At that time, the Hero Association would surely regain the support of the public, and those who had undergone Monsterization would have a chance to be treated. This would be the best publicity.
—
'Are the reinforcements not here yet?'
As every minute and second ticked by, Accel felt like time was passing very slowly. Fortunately, Dark Mask did not continue his attack and simply stood quietly in place.
"Are they here?" King's gaze was calm as two figures arrived on the battlefield.
"Great, the executives have finally arrived." Accel let out a long sigh of relief.
He had seen Raiden's strength before, he once killed a giant monster with a single palm strike.
As for Suiryu, although he had just joined Neo, he had easily defeated two executives on his first day. His strength was unfathomable.
'With them here, no matter how strong this guy is, he definitely won't escape today.'
When Raiden and Suiryu appeared, the crowds watching the live broadcast in the city boiled over with excitement once again.
"Fantastic! Look, the Neo executives have taken the stage!"
"I recognize him! That's Raiden. It's said he once easily killed a Demon-level monster with a single move."
"Who's the other one? I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"That's Suiryu. He was a multi-time champion of the Super Fight Tournament and killed several Demon-level monsters during the monster riot."
"Yes, that's him. And according to information from Neo, Suiryu even personally defeated a Dragon-level monster at the final moment, saving the heroes of the Hero Association."
"Is this a joke? Are the people in the Hero Association all useless? They actually needed a martial artist to save them."
"You said it. It's said all the heroes on the scene knelt before the monster and begged for mercy. In the end, if Suiryu hadn't stepped in time, they probably would have been wiped out."
"With that kind of behavior, they still dare to call themselves the guardians of humanity? No wonder Suiryu joined Neo. The Hero Association is truly disappointing."
Everyone felt the battle would end in an instant. After all, the combat power of Neo's executives was plain for all to see. Dark Mask was just a hero who had undergone Monsterization. With Raiden and Suiryu's strength, they could settle this in minutes.
"Monsterization, huh?"
Raiden stood over three meters tall and weighed more than four hundred kilograms, standing there like a small mountain.
He looked around at the scattered and defeated hunting team before his gaze finally landed on King. "You have some skill, but this is as far as you go. You abandoned your status as a hero in pursuit of power, I'll strike you down here today."
Boom!
Raiden stomped one foot on the ground, causing countless cracks to spread across the surrounding earth as if an earthquake had struck.
"Is this guy really a hero from the Hero Association? To think he's fallen to such a state."
Suiryu's attire was simple and efficient. He was also observing King with a curious expression.
During the Super Fight Tournament, he had nearly died at the hands of the monsterized Bakuzan, only to be saved by Saitama. After witnessing that overwhelming power, he had resolved to join the Hero Association.
But then, he saw the Neo hero Wavygyaza on the way and decided to check out Neo just to hit on her.
As a result, he accidentally burst his Battle Suit during the exam. To pay back the five million for the suit, he had no choice but to work for Neo.
"Suiryu, I'll handle him. You focus on protecting the hunting team members."
Raiden's voice rang out.
Suiryu had no objections. This was his first mission, so he treated it as an observation. He could also take the opportunity to see just how strong a hero from the Hero Association became after monsterization, and how much of a gap there was between them and that Caped Baldy.
"Leave it to me. But Blue gave orders to take him alive."
Suiryu was genuinely afraid Raiden might slap Dark Mask to death, which would make it impossible to report back.
"Don't worry, I'll leave him with one breath."
Boom... Boom...
Raiden's massive body charged toward King without warning, a palm striking out.
"A sumo wrestler?"
Boom!
King's body was sent flying dozens of meters, but he subsequently landed steadily on the ground.
"Hahaha! Look, Raiden almost slapped him to death!"
"Indeed, a simple move sent him flying."
"He is a Neo executive, after all. His strength is on another level, not something a private team can compare to."
"What 'Monster'? He's nothing in front of a Neo executive."
The people watching the live broadcast discussed fervently, as if Dark Mask was already meat on the chopping block.
However, Raiden didn't think so at the moment. The palm he had just used to strike Dark Mask was throbbing with pain, as if he had hit a steel plate.
'No, I have to go all out. This guy is definitely not just a simple nonster.'
(End of Chapter)
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