Chapter 23: Superalloy Darkshine and Metal Knight, Defeated
Chapter 23: Superalloy Darkshine and Metal Knight, Defeated
A-City, Hero Association Headquarters.
War Room.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Staff members were actively gathering information about the Desire Arbiter that had landed in O-City.
"Report, Director Sitch! The three A-Class heroes who accepted the mission to eliminate the monster in O-City—Great Philosopher, Heavy Kong, and Stoge—have lost contact. We presume they've been defeated."
Upon receiving the hero report, Coulson immediately relayed it to Sitch.
"What? They were on the phone just a moment ago, and now they've lost contact? What kind of monster is this? How could it be so powerful?"
Sitch's brows furrowed. "Contact the nearest S-Class hero. Request that they eliminate the monster."
"According to the latest hero positioning data, S-Class Hero, Rank 10, Superalloy Darkshine, is near O-City. Should we contact him?"
Superalloy Darkshine possessed the strongest physique among the S-Class heroes. He was a rare, bald powerhouse who had trained so hard his hair fell out, and he possessed the terrifying strength needed to eliminate Dragon-level monsters.
In the world of One-Punch Man, he belonged to the "Bald and Strong" faction.
"Contact him!"
Maria dialed Superalloy Darkshine's number. Once connected, Sitch described the monster's situation and requested that Superalloy Darkshine go and eliminate it.
"Haha, a monster? Leave it to me. This is the perfect opportunity to show off the results of my recent muscle training. I'll teach that ignorant monster who dares to invade human territory a good lesson."
On the other end of the line, Superalloy Darkshine confidently accepted the mission.
…
Half an hour later.
O-City.
Superalloy Darkshine stood at an intersection, watching the approaching monster. He held his head high and puffed out his chest, his face brimming with confidence as his mind raced with narcissistic thoughts: "My expression must be confident, my posture must be upright. There are cameras everywhere; everyone at the Hero Association is watching my perfect body. Yes, they must be staring intently at my perfect body..." He forcefully flexed his arms, and the muscles of his dark skin crackled. A smile played on his lips. "A monster, huh? Heh heh, let this perfect body of mine take care of you."
With that, he stomped his foot and charged toward the monster. However, as soon as he entered a certain range, his body stiffened. The light vanished from his eyes, and he collapsed with a look of utter disbelief, falling unconscious.
"It's over! They saw my embarrassing side! How can I go on living!?"
…
"Director Sitch, this is bad! Superalloy Darkshine has lost contact! We estimate he's fallen prey to the monster and is now in a coma."
"What? Superalloy Darkshine was defeated? Damn it! Could this monster's disaster level actually be Dragon?"
Sitch trembled, his eyes wide with disbelief. Superalloy Darkshine was one of the Hero Association's top-ranked heroes in terms of combat power. For even him to be defeated without much of a fight, just how strong was this monster?
"What's the status of our intelligence gathering on the monster?" he asked, extremely vexed. In his many years of commanding monster elimination operations, he had never encountered such a bizarre creature. Any of their Association staff who entered a certain perimeter immediately lost consciousness, becoming like vegetative patients in a strange state.
Maria, who was in charge of gathering intelligence on the monster, reported, "Our people can't get near it. We can only observe from a distance using camera technology. Based on my assessment, the monster possesses a power similar to a curse. Anyone who enters a certain proximity will be cursed and lose consciousness."
Sitch slammed his hand on the table and commanded, "Damn it! Immediately call an emergency meeting of S-Class heroes to discuss how to eliminate this monster. Oh, and wake up Tatsumaki from her nap."
"Yes, sir!"
Coulson received the order and went to carry it out. Since it was an emergency summons, the Hero Association dispatched its military aircraft to the cities of the various S-Class heroes, inviting them to assemble at the headquarters.
"Genos, contact the local government. Request they deploy drones to get close-up footage of the monster. We need to observe it more closely to formulate countermeasures."
"Yes, sir!"
Genos immediately contacted the local government to request the use of their military forces. According to the scarce data available, humans could not get near the monster, which naturally meant they couldn't obtain more useful information. Only machines could be immune to the monster's curse.
"Maria, pull up the camera feeds near the monster and collect as much data as you can. If you find anything significant, report it immediately."
"Understood!"
Maria swept her short, dark-green hair aside and led her team to review the camera footage related to the monster, meticulously summarizing and compiling every piece of information it displayed.
Coulson returned to report, "Director, the aircraft have been dispatched. I believe it won't be long before all the S-Class heroes arrive."
Sitch nodded. "Good. Can you contact Metal Knight? Given the current situation, I'm afraid only Metal Knight's robots will be immune to the monster's curse, allowing them to approach it and engage in battle."
Metal Knight, S-Class Hero, Rank 6. His real name was Dr. Bofoy, a super-genius in mechanical engineering. He had four large fangs and was a cunning, sinister, and mad scientist. The S-Class hero Child Emperor was once his assistant. He himself possessed a vast amount of cutting-edge technology. The research and development of many of the Hero Association's ultra-modern pieces of equipment, as well as the construction of the Hero Association Headquarters, were all the work of Dr. Bofoy. He was a true mad scientist.
"Yes."
Upon receiving Coulson's affirmative reply, Sitch immediately ordered, "Contact him right away. Tell Metal Knight to deploy his robot army as soon as possible to eliminate the monster."
"Yes, sir."
Coulson followed the order to contact Metal Knight. A moment later, he returned to report, "Director, Metal Knight has agreed to take action. He will dispatch a dozen of his newly developed combat robots to deal with the monster. According to him, each of his new combat robots has the power to eliminate a Demon-level monster."
"Hmph. Let's hope this resolves the threat."
Sitch was worried. The monster that had appeared this time was too bizarre. He couldn't guarantee that Metal Knight's robot army would be able to eliminate it.
…
O-City!
"Ooh, some annoying little things have arrived."
"Destroy them!"
"Human toys?"
"Heh heh, finally, I can stretch my limbs."
Metal Knight's robot army moved quickly. Under orders, they soared into the sky like miniature aircraft and reached O-City in just over twenty minutes, completely surrounding the monster.
These robots were like Gundams, carrying broadswords on their backs and rocket launchers on their shoulders, their limbs as flexible as a real person's.
"Anomaly. Must be destroyed!"
A dozen robots echoed in cold, mechanical voices. Rocket launchers extended uniformly from their shoulders, and their targeting lights glowed.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Seventy to eighty rockets streaked through the air, tracing dazzling trajectories.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
With a roar like firecrackers, explosions enveloped the monster. Its body seemed to be covered in neon lights, flashing with seven colors as the firelight raged.
"Ant-like attacks."
"Hee hee, this is fun."
"Overestimating yourselves."
"Does that tickle? Not bad, for your level of technology."
The monster's four faces spoke, each remarking mockingly. The rockets from Metal Knight's robots, each capable of eliminating a Demon-level monster, had absolutely no effect on the creature before them.
*Bang!*
The monster suddenly lunged forward. Its left palm, half a meter wide, grabbed a robot's ankle and twisted it forcefully. *Crack!* The robot's thigh was torn right off.
*Smash!*
With its left hand triumphant, the monster's right hand was equally relentless. It seized another robot by the neck and violently swung it at the others, smashing two more to the ground.
"Enemy threat level elevated. Engaging in free combat!"
The remaining robots immediately drew the sharp broadswords from their backs and charged forward without fear of death.
*Bang! Boom!*
However, no matter how many mice there are, they can never bite an elephant to death. Instead, the elephant simply stomps them flat, one by one.
In a matter of minutes, Metal Knight's dozen robots were completely wiped out. This meant that after Superalloy Darkshine was taken out like cannon fodder, Metal Knight had also successfully tasted defeat.
"A boring battle."
"Our duty is to eliminate humanity."
"Desire is sin. Accept judgment!"
"Hey, upstairs, you said the line wrong. It's 'arbiter'!"
The monster didn't spare another glance at the scattered robot wreckage on the ground and continued its advance toward A-City.
…
"Report, Director! Metal Knight's robot army has been completely wiped out!"
This meant the Hero Association's plan to use robots to eliminate the monster had failed.
"Damn it!" Sitch slammed the table impatiently. "Coulson, urge the staff sent out to invite the S-Class heroes. Tell them to speed up."
"Okay."
Coulson left to carry out the order.
"Oh, and at the same time, inform Metal Knight to dispatch ground robots to rescue the citizens in the monster's path. Prevent them from being trampled to death."
"Understood!"
Sitch, his mind a troubled mess, had Coulson carry out his instructions.
Maria reported the latest information on the monster. "Director, all the citizens in the urban areas the monster has passed through have fallen into a coma. O-City is now paralyzed and gripped by terror. The monster is currently advancing toward A-City."
"Maria, elevate the monster's Disaster Level to..."
"Dragon!"
*This is the third update for the reward from 'Rampaging Death God.' At the same time, many thanks to 'Sword Dance at Dusk' for the reward. Huh, two rewards today. This third update is an extra for 'Death God.' I'll add another for you tomorrow. Thank you for your support!*
(end of chapter)