Chapter 24: Breaking One's Own Limits
Hero Association, Control Room
"Vital signs of the Titan have completely disappeared! Before death, a super-high energy reaction was detected, far surpassing all Dragon-level disasters recorded to date!"
The staff member's eyes widened in disbelief. Watching the life signature, once as blinding as the sun, get snuffed out in an instant, his hands trembled over the controls.
"Dragon-level threat 'The Titan' has been eliminated! It was Mr. King! He killed the Titan with a single move!"
"As expected of the Strongest Man on Earth, King!"
The heavy rock in Sitch's heart finally fell to the ground. He let out a long sigh and fixed his gaze on the screen.
Even though he had always believed in King's strength, it wasn't until this very moment, watching through the satellite feed, that this pragmatic executive truly understood what a "true powerhouse" was.
He had initially been confused as to why King wanted to cancel the disaster alarm for a Dragon-level threat capable of destroying multiple cities.
Now he understood.
Because King never took such small fry seriously. In his eyes, a monster like the Titan could be extinguished with a wave of his hand.
Sitch clenched his fists tightly. With such a powerful existence guarding them, the Hero Association had nothing to fear.
This is King—Humanity's Greatest Hope!
City B
In King's perception, although his right leg looked perfectly fine on the outside, the bones inside had shattered into powder.
This wasn't because the object he hit was too hard, causing a recoil fracture.
It was because the power condensed within [Night Guy] itself was too immense. Coupled with the fact that King had also opened the Seventh Gate (Gate of Wonder), the condensed power reached a level beyond what his body could momentarily handle.
His flesh simply couldn't bear the load of channeling that much energy in an instant, leading to a breakdown.
But to King, this was a non-issue.
In a split second, his entire right leg was enveloped in a green glow. Vitality bloomed within him, and an endless stream of Qi and blood transformed into fuel for recovery.
Shattered bones reassembled. Damaged flesh sprouted new granulation tissue at incredible speed. In just a few seconds, a leg that had suffered a comminuted fracture was completely healed.
He did a quick check and found that healing a broken leg cost less than one-thousandth of his total stamina.
Given that the Gate of Death Physique naturally had high recovery rates, regenerating about 0.5% of his stamina per second...
This meant that unless he was instantly vaporized, King was effectively immortal.
After experiencing the powerful effects of [Extreme Regeneration] firsthand, King was delighted.
So I really can spam infinite Night Guys!
On the other side, Genos stood frozen atop a skyscraper, struck dumb by what he had witnessed.
In his field of vision, the colossal giant that pierced the clouds was gone. Only two massive, muscular legs remained standing amidst the ruined city.
Genos's worldview was deeply shaken. He finally understood the true meaning of the title "Strongest Man on Earth."
Just then, the Titan's head, which had been blown into the stratosphere by the [Night Guy] kick, began its descent. It trailed sparks as it re-entered the lower atmosphere.
The Titan was thousands of meters tall, meaning his head alone was hundreds of meters in diameter.
If it crashed down like this, it would be no different from a massive meteorite impact.
Genos's eyes narrowed. A bad feeling surged in his heart.
If that head hits the ground... the immense kinetic energy will wipe out another sector of the city...
He subconsciously looked toward King in mid-air, only to find that King was already looking at him with a gaze that held a hint of affirmation.
In that moment, Genos understood.
I understand, King-sensei!
I will not fail your expectations!!
All his thrusters ignited at full power. Wrapped in scorching flames and powerful thrust, Genos transformed into a mechanical streak of light, charging forward.
He arrived directly in the path of the falling head and threw his arms wide.
The most important thing right now is to negate the massive kinetic energy of the falling head and prevent it from crashing into the city!
Thinking this, Genos aligned the incinerator ports in his palms horizontally. His arms shifted and transformed, combining to form a single massive cannon aimed at the sky.
His depleted core seemed to sense his unyielding will and forcibly squeezed out sufficient energy once more.
The core in his chest glowed with a brilliant blue light. Every part of his body creaked and groaned, clearly struggling under the load.
Firing two [Overclocked Incineration Cannons] in succession was undoubtedly a massive challenge for Genos.
With his current mechanical body, attempting to fire a second overloaded blast carried the risk of total structural collapse.
His short golden hair fluttered in the biting wind. Destructive energy gathered in the aligned ports. His nearly dry core pumped out even more energy.
In Genos's mechanical eyes, a fierce flame burned. It matched the fire he had seen burning on the ruins of his hometown years ago when he witnessed the Mad Cyborg destroy everything.
Although the forms were similar, the nature of the flames was vastly different.
Back then, watching his home burn, the fire in his heart and eyes was one of vengeance.
But now, the fire burning in his heart and eyes was the fire of conviction—to protect others!
Genos gritted his teeth, a look of absolute resolve in his eyes.
In the past, because I was weak, I could only watch helplessly as the cyborg destroyed everything I cherished.
Now, I am still weak. I couldn't even break the Titan's defense and needed Sensei to save me.
So right here, right now... I WILL BREAK MY LIMITS!!
"OVERCLOCKED INCINERATION CANNON!!!"
Violent energy erupted from the muzzle once again. A beam of crimson flame, piercing the heavens and carrying immense impact force and destructive power, slammed viciously into the falling Titan's head.
The powerful blast clashed with the massive kinetic energy of the fall. The descent of the head began to slow.
Finally, the kinetic energy was almost entirely negated. The powerful Incineration Cannon acted like a pillar of light supporting the heavens, firmly holding the meteorite-like head in place.
And then, it began to push it back up!