Chapter 138: I Can't Even Scratch This Guy!!
Darkshine's confidence continued to overflow. He struck another "looking-up-at-the-mountain" pose, his muscles arranged like perfect slabs of bedrock.
"Since Mr. King is holding back GOD himself, he's given us the chance to pick off these divine minions one by one. We have to give it our all!"
However, because his own massive muscles were blocking his line of sight, Darkshine hadn't actually looked at his forearm yet.
Tatsumaki frowned, a psychic shield flickering around her to prevent any stray blood from splattering on her face. She couldn't help but speak up:
"Hey... big guy. Maybe stop playing with your muscles for a second and stop the bleeding in your arm? You're spraying blood everywhere."
"Huh? Am I?"
Prompted by Tatsumaki, Darkshine suddenly felt a twinge of pain. A burning sensation radiated from his forearm.
He looked down. Then he looked up again. The confidence on his face had vanished without a trace.
His dark complexion turned a sickly, ashen grey.
It is common knowledge that when a person suffers a severe injury, the brain temporarily blocks out the pain while the body floods with adrenaline. It's only after the adrenaline fades and the brain stops suppressing the signal that the true agony sets in.
Looking at the massive chunk of muscle gouged out of his forearm, and the faint glimmer of white bone exposed to the air, Darkshine's pupils dilated with shock. He stumbled back several steps.
Noticing his state, Tatsumaki reached out with her mind to steady his swaying body, her voice filled with confusion.
"What's wrong, big guy? It's just a small wound. Unless... was that guy's claws poisoned?"
But that shouldn't be right... I have wounds on my back too, and I don't feel any toxin.
Darkshine's breathing became heavy and ragged. Looking at the blood that wouldn't stop flowing, he let out a high-pitched, shrill scream:
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! MY MUSCLES ARE DAMAGED!! THE WOUND IS HUGE!!"
It's over. My invincible muscles have been breached. My body is no longer indestructible!
As his confidence evaporated, the image of his "perfect self" shattered in his mind. Like a punctured balloon, his fighting spirit leaked out instantly. His massive frame curled into a fetal position.
Tatsumaki stared at him, dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Darkshine's heart to be so fragile.
She scratched her green curls in frustration, having no idea how to comfort this emotionally wounded giant. Since no one had ever comforted her when she was sad, she had no "playbook" to follow.
Whatever. With this guy's natural defense, nothing else on this battlefield is likely to actually kill him. I'll leave him be for now.
After calling his name a few more times only to have him bury his head deeper into his arms like an ostrich, Tatsumaki gave up. She grabbed the restrained Homeless Emperor with her psychokinesis and flew toward Child Emperor's position.
Watching Tatsumaki fly away, Darkshine stroked the mangled flesh of his arm, his face pale as he felt the throbbing pain.
But then, a thought struck him. His terror began to recede.
Miss Tatsumaki was hit by that monster's claws.
I was also hit by that monster's claws.
Miss Tatsumaki couldn't kill that cat monster even while taking the hit.
But I, while taking the hit, managed to slam into that cat monster and knock him half-dead.
Therefore...
ME > MISS TATSUMAKI!!
With that realization, the unease in Darkshine's heart vanished. In its place rose a newly reconstructed wall of arrogance. His muscles began to glow with that signature oily shine once more.
So what if I took a little damage! My muscles won't get weaker just because of a scratch! No one gets through a battle without a wound! This is the passion a real man should have!
Reinvigorated, a confident smile returned to Darkshine's face.
Inside the Shield.
Seeing that Homeless Emperor—the man who had been carpet-bombing the field with infinite firepower—had finally been neutralized, Child Emperor let out a long sigh of relief. He and Drive Knight deactivated their defensive barriers simultaneously.
Thank goodness Tatsumaki-san took out that weird uncle... our shield energy was almost at zero...
The moment the barrier dropped, Atomic Samurai, who had been sitting idly on the ground, flashed a grin. His body turned into an afterimage as he charged straight for the remaining Dragon-level Executives: Gums and Fuhrer Ugly.
As the S-Class Rank 4 "Sword Saint," he had been feeling beyond frustrated. Representing the pinnacle of "high-attack/low-defense," he had been forced to hide under a dome because of Homeless Emperor's AOE spam.
Now, Gums and Fuhrer Ugly were about to face the long-repressed wrath of a master swordsman.
Watching Atomic Samurai charge forward with such manic intensity, Child Emperor popped a fresh lollipop into his mouth. Feeling the sweetness, he couldn't help but comment:
"Looks like Uncle Atomic was reaching his breaking point. The look on his face while he runs to cut those monsters is kind of like a total creep."
Drive Knight merely monitored Atomic Samurai's movements for a second before turning back to the three wounded heroes behind them. His flat, mechanical voice echoed through his vocal processors:
"I will leave the combat to Atomic Samurai and the others. How should we handle these three casualties?"
"UGLY FACE-CAVING PUNCH!"
A colossal fist smashed into the ground, whipping up a massive shockwave. The earth let out a deafening roar as if hit by a meteorite, shattering into dust instantly.
At this moment, Fuhrer Ugly was incoherent with rage. His giant fists moved so fast they left afterimages, repeatedly pounding at the human before him.
Damn it! Damn it! Why can't I hit him?! He's right there, but I can't land a blow!!
Fuhrer Ugly felt like he was punching water. Every time he aimed a strike at the human, his fist would mysteriously slide off to the side, hitting the ground instead.
Facing fists large enough to blot out the sun, Bang remained stoic. His raised hands flowed with a faint blue radiance, like a gentle stream.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!
His calloused human palms met Fuhrer Ugly's titanic fists, yet there was no violent explosion. Instead, the contact was as smooth as flowing water.
With a slight shift of his body, Bang redirected the massive momentum of the punch, causing it to crash into the earth beside him.
Looking up at the terrifying, hundred-meter-tall monster, Fuhrer Ugly was frustrated—but Bang was feeling the strain as well.
Damn it... I can't actually deal any damage to this guy!!
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