In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 495 Sky-Piercing Thunder Cannon

If this level of destructive power were to fall into a city, it would probably not take long to easily destroy a large city.

Fortunately, this place is located in a remote mountain forest far from the city.

One in blue, one in black, the two figures moved like lightning, swiftly traversing the mountains, engaging in a fierce battle.

Shimizu has to admit that the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle in Asura mode is indeed very strong.

Whether it's speed or strength, they must be superior to oneself.

Although it wasn't a complete rout, the opponent definitely had the advantage. The two sides were evenly matched and locked in a stalemate because Shimizu had more tricks up his sleeve, especially his diverse spatial abilities, which made him the one with the speed advantage, much to Asura Rhino Beetle's annoyance.

However, after activating Asura Mode, the latter's reaction speed and movement ability were barely able to keep up with Shimizu, and its terrifying attack power was even more overwhelming than Shimizu's.

This guy is a pure numerical monster.

The only thing that could barely be considered a mechanism is the insect's keen reflexes and ability to sense danger. It is one of the few monsters who can perceive Saitama's strength before he actually makes a move.

However, after activating Asura Mode and going berserk, that ability to sense danger is suppressed, but the numerical value gained in exchange is indeed powerful.

Its attack power was so strong that even Shimizu's black warrior armor had suffered some minor damage.

However, Shimizu's swallowing pouch contains a large number of nano-metal particles, which can repair the damage on the Black Warrior at any time. If he really wants to wear down the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, he can last for a week until the opponent is exhausted and falls into a weak state.

In the simulated battle in the radio drama, the zombie man was brutally killed by the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle for a week until the beetle's Asura mode ended and he was so exhausted that he could no longer fight back. Only then did the zombie man slowly and painstakingly dismember the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle to death. Because the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle had strong defense, the zombie man's attacks could not cause much damage, so he could only torture the monster to death in this way.

Shimizu could certainly do the same, but he felt confident that even if it took less than a week, he could win the other party over.

Of course, that will take a long time, not just a few hours, but even a day or two to finish.

The opponent is indeed quite resilient.

Teleportation rings floated among the mountains, and nano-metal missiles engraved with the Flying Thunder God mark swiftly shuttled through the air, occasionally teleporting from one ring to another.

Shimizu and several shadow clones kept appearing and disappearing, launching various attacks at the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle one after another.

The latter has considerable defensive capabilities. While Shimizu's attacks are hardly a scratch, they are not serious either. It will take a long time to kill the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle with these attacks.

Shimizu's mobility and survivability under normal circumstances are such that even a Dragon-level or higher powerhouse might not be able to defeat him. However, in terms of attack, his old methods are indeed lacking in the present day. He doesn't have any powerful moves that can pose a significant threat to opponents of the same level, especially monsters with strong defense and vigorous vitality, and can deliver a decisive blow.

If things continue as normal and Shimizu continues fighting the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, he is somewhat confident, but it will be a protracted battle.

Judging from the consumption of both sides in this short period of combat, by the time the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle is killed, the nano-metal particles stored in its sac will probably be reduced by nearly half.

So, it's time to test the power that the pyrometallurgical core can unleash in my hands right now!

Although they only had one given to them by Kusno, it was enough for Shimizu to activate "maximum firepower" every three minutes when combined with the Ark Reactor.

Inside the Black Knight armor, the silver-black spherical metal core began to glow, continuously channeling terrifying power into the armor.

The powerful engine also enabled the Black Knight to achieve a leap in performance.

Shimizu's already extremely fast speed suddenly increased by a large margin.

"boom!"

The black metal fist made intimate contact with the head of the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle once again.

This time, however, only the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle retreated.

At this moment, clearly visible cracks began to appear on its blue-purple shell, and its face, which had been glowing with red eyes, finally showed expressions of pain and fear.

"Is not likely to……"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Within a second or two, a series of metal fists blasted it into the clouds. Then, in the blink of an eye, Shimizu's figure reappeared above the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, raising his right leg high and kicking downwards like a rocket tomahawk.

"boom!"

The earth cracked, triggering an earthquake in the area.

The powerful shockwave erupted from the ground, creating a massive crater where the Asura rhinoceros beetle had been smashed.

The mountains were leveled, and the immense power caused a mushroom cloud to rise into the sky, blotting out the sun.

Under normal circumstances, the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle can also remember the location of the Clear Water Teleportation Aura and the Flying Thunder God Missile, and keep up with Clear Water by virtue of its insect-like keen reflexes and its own super-high speed.

However, under the extreme firepower of the scorching core, the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle had no time to react!

Current output power: 50%

With a swift movement, Shimizu reappeared below the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle and, before it could react, unleashed another punch, sending it soaring into the sky.

In this state, Shimizu possesses abilities comparable to the peak of the Dragon level in all aspects, and even surpasses them in some areas where Shimizu is already proficient.

"It seems you can't handle it."

Shimizu looked up at the Asura rhinoceros beetle, its shell shattered and terrified as it tried to flee into the distance, and coldly raised his hands.

The nano-metal particles rapidly assembled into a thick and long cannon barrel in front of him.

Many of the technologies inside this cannon barrel originated from Dr. Kusno, and Shimizu also incorporated his own technologies and made improvements, enough to unleash most of the power of the pyrometallurgical core.

The output power of the pyrothermal core quietly increased from 50% to over 70%.

"Sky-Piercing Thunder Cannon!"

Bright golden energy instantly converged at the cannon's muzzle, then shot fiercely towards the Asura rhinoceros beetle fleeing in panic in the sky. In the next instant, a golden, lightning-dragon-shaped beam of energy shot straight into the sky, piercing through the heavens and even changing the color of the sky itself.

People in nearby W, Y, V, and X cities, as long as they are standing in relatively open areas, can see this straight beam of energy connecting heaven and earth.

Under the intense light, even the sun hanging in the sky seemed to dim a bit.

In the original timeline, Genos in his ultimate power state even used this move to directly confront Serpent, who was at least a Dragon-level monster, and saved Tatsumaki from danger, demonstrating its power.

Although Shimizu has not yet fully unleashed the power of the scorching core, it is already terrifying enough.

The headquarters of the Hero Association in City A.

Sitch stared in horror at the image displayed on the screen.

This bright golden, dragon-shaped beam of light pierced through Earth's atmosphere and stretched into the depths of space, its end almost invisible.

What kind of terrifying being caused this?
"That location is..."

Sitch turned his head with a serious expression and asked the staff sitting at their workstations.

"There is an organization in the attachment that is already recorded in the Association's high-threat file, the House of Evolution. According to the information provided by Zombie Man, there is more than one monster of the Demon level or above, as well as an even more powerful ace of the House of Evolution. According to the Association's previous estimates, it would take multiple S-class heroes to destroy it."

Additionally, we detected a signal from the Black Lightning Association's communication device there, but it was interrupted due to strong energy interference after the beam of light appeared.

With a pretty and aloof face and a beauty mark on her lip, Ekusma strode over from the other workstation.

She is a rare talent among the many officers of the Hero Association, with a status comparable to that of Makoi and Bujing. She is an extremely rare talent in internal affairs management, with a great memory and a wealth of information about the association and various sectors of society. She also has good organizational and coordination abilities, but her personality is rather cold and strict.

The moment the beam of light appeared, she thought of the House of Evolution.

"House of Evolution... Multiple monsters of Demon level or higher, requiring multiple S-class heroes to deal with. Could it be that Black Lightning clashed with those monsters? This powerful attack seems very similar to the technique Black Lightning tested on the southern coast of T City some time ago. For an enemy to warrant such a powerful attack from him, their strength must be... Immediately notify the nearby S-class heroes to rush to their aid and evacuate the citizens of W City, S City, and V City to the shelter."

Sich immediately gave the order.

"No need, I'll go."

Sitch heard the sound and turned around.

A green-haired, older girl suddenly floated and flew to the side.

"If a monster can't even handle an attack of this level, then I'm probably the only one who can defeat him, right? By the time others arrive, that guy will probably be dead already. Or do you think you can find Blast?"

Tornado raised its little head and looked at Xiqidao.

In fact, the latter could have found the demolition site, but knowing the inside story, he wouldn't have notified the demolition team under these circumstances.

Only when a disaster arises that the Hero Association's current power cannot resolve and that threatens all of humanity will it be time to call Blast back from his alternate dimension to fight against the minions of the gods.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Tornado."

Sitch nodded to Tornado.

Even without Blast, King and Tornado are the two strongest trump cards in the hearts of the Hero Association members.

Even the most powerful Dragon-level monsters can be defeated by them.

"The energy interference fluctuations have weakened, and the communication signal has been reconnected to the black lightning. The connection is now established."

"Lord Black Lightning, House of Evolution..."

“I have eliminated the monsters here. The attack just now was to kill a powerful dragon-level monster called Asura Rhinoceros Beetle. You don’t need to worry.”

In the now-ruins of the House of Evolution, Shimizu strolled leisurely down the broken steps, speaking to Sikido on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, we can send someone to clean it up now. No need to rush, all the weirdos are dead, it's safe. There's no one else here anyway. Okay, I got it. Alright, bye."

Shimizu hung up the call, looked at the high-strength alloy door with its pitted and uneven surface, and raised his fist.

Before he could even throw a punch, the door opened naturally to both sides.

Inside was a bright, secure room. Genus sat in the middle chair, calmly looking at Shimizu.

"Lord Black Lightning, I have long admired your name. I am Dr. Genus, the master of the House of Evolution."

Genos pushed up his glasses and looked at the clear waterway.

"Stop pretending to be a big shot, Genos. You're sweating, and your mental state is way off track. I can tell you're nervous because you've run out of cards to play."

Shimizu walked up to Kinos and looked at the outstanding biologist with great interest.

This person is indeed a rare top-tier scientific research talent in the world, capable of consistently creating monsters of at least the Demon level.

Mosquito Girl, Beast King, Armored Gorilla, and even the Dragon-level Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, and the Zombie Man who could wear down the Rhinoceros Beetle—the series of achievements is indeed astonishing.

How many people in the entire Hero Association are capable of fighting against Demon-level monsters?
There are currently seventeen S-class heroes. Adding Sweet Mask, the A-class number one whose strength would rank in the middle of the S-class, makes a total of eighteen. One of them, Zombie Man, was created by Genus.

"Yes, I am indeed very nervous, but you are wrong. I have one last card."

Genos took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and faced the clear waterway.

"Oh? So your hand is..."

"I myself, or rather, the technology and genius-level brain I possess, will certainly be of help to you. I have investigated your background and can see that you are an ambitious person; otherwise, you would not have established a rapidly developing and profitable company outside of the Hero Association."

With sufficient capital, I believe you will certainly use your expertise to gain more profit and status. Moreover, because you possess extremely powerful strength, you don't need to worry about those who have been harmed resorting to any means to harm you; they can only act against you within the rules.

If I'm not mistaken, you probably wouldn't want to devote too much energy to this, otherwise your company could grow even faster, because you need to continue to become stronger!
For the past six months, you were just an ordinary hero who needed considerable time to deal with even Tiger-level monsters. Now, you possess the terrifying power to kill Asura Rhino Beetle. You certainly don't want to stop here, so I can join you and use my wisdom and technology to help you reach even greater heights!

"That sounds so nice, Dr. I'm even a little tempted."

(End of this chapter)