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

Chapter 508 Atomic Warrior
Perhaps this situation will change if I can break through one more limiter.

At that time, one's own strength will be stronger, recovery ability will be faster, and endurance will definitely be greatly extended. At least it won't be able to last only one minute with the Sky-Shattering Fist; it might even be enough to use it as a regular occurrence.

Go home.

A few minutes later, the bathroom was filled with heat.

Shimizu, shirtless and revealing his strong and muscular physique, listened to the news broadcast, tilting his head back to let the fine raindrops from the showerhead wash away the sweat from his body.

"Based on the meteorite incident in Z City and the deep-sea creature invasion in L City last month, in the latest Hero Association S-Class Hero Ranking, Black Lightning, formerly ranked twelfth, has overtaken Superalloy Darkshine and Pig God to rise to tenth."
The former second-ranked A-class cyborg has successfully advanced to S-class, ranking nineteenth. Outside of S-class, we've noticed a C-class newcomer, Bald Cape Man, rapidly rising to B-class…

On the radio, a standard mezzo-soprano was mechanically reciting the latest hero rankings news.

"Today is the date for the monthly hero ranking update of the association. He's already in the top ten of S-class. That's pretty fast. As for Genos, he clearly increased the energy output limit of the Scorching Core, making him several times stronger than in the original timeline. However, because he no longer has the contribution of the House of Evolution, he has only now risen to S-class. It's a mixed bag."

I dried myself off, wrapped myself in a bathrobe, rinsed my hair with water, and went to the workroom.

In the very center of the array of instruments, two brand-new energy cores were placed in a glass case, emitting a faint blue light.

The Lightning Core and Dragon Roar Core had already completed their final production step under the control of artificial intelligence during his training.

Shimizu opened the glass cabinet, put away the two energy cores, walked to the tall Black Warrior armor, opened the inner chest plate, and installed the two energy cores inside.

On the computer screen connected to the Black Knight via a data cable, a large number of parameter data were immediately updated, monitoring the status of the two energy cores.

Everything is normal and as expected.

After reviewing the data, Shimizu opened his emails and began to check the revenue of his companies, as well as the recent research results report sent by Genos.

Genus was clever; after learning that Shimizu's strength had surpassed that of the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, he changed his research approach.

Even if he created a monster like the Asura Rhinoceros Beetle, a high-level dragon, he couldn't control it smoothly, and it could only help Shimizu to a limited extent. So he changed his approach and designed things that could help Shimizu in other ways.

Most of them don't have much effect on clean water, but clean water still retains those technologies.

Because Sunagakure Village needs it.

However, the technological achievement that Genos sent today is of considerable value to Shimizu, and it could potentially solve one of his current problems.

[Ultra-high energy gelatinous nutritional capsules]

Genus received some technical data from Shimizu, which allowed him to better research things that were valuable to him. This super-high-energy gelatinous nutritional pill was created by combining Catherine's high-sugar energy bars and the soldier's ration pill technology from the Naruto world with Genus's own illogical, seemingly unscientific but actually quite capable research and development ability, which is unique to comedic anime scientists.

Just one high-energy nutritional pill the size of a thumb contains enough energy for a powerful Demon-level monster like the Armored Gorilla to go without food for half a month, without causing malnutrition or negative effects on the intestines. On the contrary, it is easy to digest, promotes absorption, and improves blood circulation and bowel movements...

In short, this high-energy nutritional capsule does indeed contain a large amount of energy.

This meets the requirements for clean water.

If you need to recover quickly and replenish your energy after using the Sky-Shattering Fist and Dragon Fang Killing Fist for a long time, this thing will come in handy.

But the prerequisite is that it can be quickly consumed and absorbed by one's own body.

Because Kinos did not send samples, but only the preparation process, Shimizu was unable to conduct experiments quickly. Fortunately, Shimizu had no shortage of instruments, equipment and raw materials, so the finished product was produced the next day.

"This thing..."

Shimizu gazed intently at the crystal-clear, smooth, jade-like blue pills inside the glass bottle, examining them closely.

He finally understood the principle behind Genus's invention of this thing.

It's actually derived from the technology that Genus used to create Zombieman in the original timeline.

In the original timeline, Genus was blasted apart by Saitama with a single punch, and he felt that his research was meaningless. So he simply changed careers and stopped being a villainous scientist. Instead, he went back to his hometown to sell takoyaki, and the octopus legs in the takoyaki could regenerate infinitely.

This technology originated from Zombie Man.

In the research report from the House of Evolution that Genus gave to Shimizu, the birth of the Zombie Man was an accident. Its cellular vitality was so strong that it could absorb and assimilate all organic matter and energy, store it, and use it for its own regeneration.

It's somewhat like Hashirama cells, but with a stronger regenerative capacity and an equally domineering nature. No creature that has been transplanted with zombie male cells by Genus can withstand it. Even cloning can only produce a lump of flesh that grows without limit.

The Infinite Octopus was the result of Genus's attempt to replicate that experiment, but he was unable to create a second life form like Zombieman; it was merely a degenerated version.

Although it still possesses powerful regenerative abilities, it cannot directly absorb organic matter and energy from the outside world like the zombie man; it needs to be replenished artificially through instruments.

The protein that absorbs and stores this enormous energy is an artificially synthesized protein invented by Genus through research on the genes of zombie men. It has extremely high energy storage efficiency, and when it needs to be released, it is broken down by a special protease to release the energy.

The capsule contains powder made from this protein, and there is also a small compartment inside that holds the special protease.

Because it contains too much energy, ordinary humans cannot withstand it. Even a monster like the Armored Gorilla, who ranks in the middle among Demon-level monsters, would experience nosebleeds after taking one, which would then prevent him from eating for half a month due to its excessive nourishment.

With my physical strength, I can definitely handle it, and the more I push, the better.

I just don't know how fast it will be absorbed.

With that in mind, Shimizu took the can of high-energy capsule to his private training facility.

He put on the high-pressure training suit, activated the inverted field, picked up the training equipment, and began to train, panting heavily.

Given his current physical condition, he needs to use these things to increase the intensity of his training in order to increase his body's energy consumption and achieve a certain training effect. This is why he was able to break through the fourth limiter so quickly.

Without sufficiently intense and high-pressure training, the improvement in physical fitness from medical ninjutsu and the regenerative abilities of the Triple Regeneration Technique would not be so significant.

Unfortunately, with the fifth limiter approaching, progress has become negligible, but it's still quite effective at consuming stamina.

A few hours later.

Shimizu removed the inverted force field, changed out of his magic weapon training clothes, took a few shallow breaths, and took out a high-energy capsule from the glass jar and put it in his mouth.

It melts in your mouth, and after swallowing, a warm current quickly rises from your abdomen, nourishing your cells and replenishing your energy through the body's circulatory system.

One isn't enough.

Feeling her strength rapidly returning, Shimizu popped two more pills into her mouth.

"Yes, the effect is indeed very good. When used in conjunction with my homemade herbal tea, it can be used for recovery during training, and it is also an excellent supplementary method during combat to improve the endurance under full-power bursts." Shimizu was quite satisfied with the effect of the high-energy capsules.

It seems to have a side effect, but I don't know if it's good or bad.

Shimizu lowered his head, twisted the belt on his pants, and adjusted the trajectory of the bullet that had deviated due to the heat of the gun being cocked.

Well, with my level of sexual cultivation, I still have that much self-control.

Just as Shimizu was making a new batch of high-energy capsules and storing them in the slots on the Black Knight armor, another call came in from the Hero Association.

The Hero Association will notify you, usually when a disaster occurs in D City and the surrounding area that an A-rank hero cannot handle quickly.

"Moshi moshi, where's the weirdo? Demon-level or Dragon-level?"

Shimizu gestured for Witeau to answer the phone and asked.

If it's a disaster of demon level or lower, he can simply send a shadow clone over, which is enough to solve it.

Only dragon-level beings need to personally take action.

However, this time, Shimizu was wrong.

"Mr. Black Lightning, this time it's not because of a troublesome monster attack, but because something far more terrible is about to happen. Therefore, we have urgently summoned all S-class heroes to the association headquarters."

Sitch's heavy voice reached Shimizu's ears through the communicator.

"I know, I'll be there soon."

Shimizu hung up the phone and looked up at the sky.

At this point in time...

The Deep Sea King invasion incident had long since ended, but the Hero Association was holding a meeting at its headquarters in City A, summoning all S-class heroes...

Is Boros coming?

I don't know how I would fare against Boros now.

Currently, relying on the output matrix composed of three energy cores, he should be able to unleash destructive power above the Dragon level in a short period of time. He can also use the Sky-Rending Fist to make up for the gap during the mid-term, but it is only at the peak of the Dragon level. Against Boros, if he can barely hold his own, he still has a chance, but winning is most likely out of the question.

This is a truly terrifying being with the power to surpass even the stars. According to the prophecy, the person on Earth who can rival him is definitely not Saitama, because that wouldn't even qualify as a true contest.

Before Garou became a monster and a god-level threat, the person in the prophecy was most likely Blast, which fits given his age, considering the prophecy was made twenty years ago.

Blast had already been involved in heroic activities more than a decade ago, saving the Tatsumaki sisters and fighting against the gods alongside the Ninja King before he turned evil, which shows that he already had the strength to contend with the gods' minions at that time.

"Forget it, I don't care about all that. Anyway, if the sky falls, Saitama is tall enough to hold it up. No matter what, I'm more than capable of protecting myself."

Gathering the thoughts in her mind, Shimizu reached out and activated the teleportation portal, heading towards City A.

A few minutes later, at the Hero Association headquarters building.

The elevator doors opened, and Shimizu, dressed in black, stepped out.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue samurai outfit with a red cloak looked like he had been waiting there for a long time, sizing up Shimizu.

Fourth in S-class, Atomic Samurai.

"This must be Lord Black Lightning. When the Sword Saint Association held its exchange meeting last time, Fukiri mentioned you to me, saying that you are also a top swordsman."

Atomic Samurai, with a toothpick in his mouth, stared at Shimizu.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kamikaze. If you have time, we can spar and exchange sword techniques."

Shimizu extended his hand to Atomic Samurai and smiled politely.

Kamikaze is Atomic Samurai's real name.

In the One-Punch Man world, Atomic Samurai and Nichirin, the leader of the Sword Saint Association, are probably the two people with the highest level of swordsmanship in this world.

Unless it's something like Black Sperm or Natural Water that's immune to physical attacks, Atomic Samurai's attack power is enough to threaten a peak Dragon-level monster.

Even when drawing the Nichirin Blade of the Sword Saint Society, which can only be wielded by sword masters at the Sword Saint level, Atomic Samurai possesses combat power that can easily overwhelm even the peak of the Dragon level.

Even if the time it takes to draw its sword is shorter than the Ten-Second Extreme Firepower State, Atomic Samurai could still possess attack power at the level of a dragon or higher in that life-risking state.

In other words, Atomic Samurai's swordsmanship level is at least at the level of a dragon, but his body cannot reach that standard. Limited by his physical strength, he can only unleash the Atomic Slash at most, so he can only rely on the power of the Nichirin Blade to deliver that level of attack.

Shimizu naturally hoped to have an exchange with such a master of swordsmanship, hoping it would have a positive impact on his own swordsmanship.

"Haha, easy to say. By the way, where's your sword? I can't find it."

"it's here."

Shimizu reached out and summoned the black steel longsword.

"Wow, I didn't even see how you created that sword. Is this your ability?"

"Yes, it's one of my abilities."

"Hmm, a very powerful ability, this sword..."

Atomic Samurai's eyes remained fixed on the black steel longsword in Shimizu's hand.

As a top-level swordsman, Atomic Samurai can tell the quality of a sword, and he has a special feeling for a sword that is also of the highest quality.

"Ah, I built it; it took a lot of effort."

Shimizu generously displayed the black steel longsword to Atomic Samurai.

The sword itself is made of top-quality materials and craftsmanship. After being nurtured by his Sage Chakra over a long period of time, it has become a superior magical artifact, and its power has increased to a higher level compared to when it was first made.

(End of this chapter)