Whoosh!
Another gleam of cold light flashed through the air.
Alex flicked his wrist once more, and another dagger slashed through the sky, slicing out a razor-sharp arc of steel.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon Black King.
But unlike what happened with Riptide, nothing occurred this time. The dagger froze midair as if it had collided with some invisible force—an unknown energy barrier.
Then clink—it simply dropped to the ground.
Not even a scratch on Black King.
"What the hell?"
"Why didn't the dagger pierce him?"
The surrounding mutants were dumbfounded.
If even the dagger couldn't get through, then what chance did bullets stand?
Only Alex knew the reason.
Of course—Black King had instantly absorbed all the kinetic energy from the dagger, reducing its velocity to zero in an instant.
Naturally, it couldn't penetrate. It could only fall harmlessly to the floor.
"No wonder he's called the Black King."
Alex couldn't help but mutter inwardly with reluctant admiration.
You had to admit—Black King's power was ridiculously overpowered. A total cheat. It meant that all forms of attack—physical or energy-based—were useless against him.
"It's pointless. Stop wasting your energy."
Black King showed no sign of irritation. He crossed his arms and smiled lazily, watching Alex like a mildly amused observer.
To him, Alex's attack was no more than a tickle.
Alex acted as if he hadn't heard a word. Instead, he sprinted off to the side—only to suddenly hoist up a car with both arms and charge.
Over a ton of steel pressed down on him, and each step he took made the ground quake slightly beneath his feet.
The rumbling sound was thunderous and terrifying.
What stunned everyone even more was that—even while carrying such a massive object—Alex moved as though it weighed nothing.
His speed hadn't slowed at all.
It was as if the car were made of paper.
A visual spectacle if there ever was one.
"Alex, are you kidding me right now?"
"What a monster…"
Even Raven and the others couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"Wow… that's some terrifying strength."
Even Black King's face showed a rare flicker of admiration.
The more he looked at Alex, the more he liked what he saw.
But he didn't take Alex's charge seriously. He just stood there, perfectly still, waiting for Alex to arrive.
It was flashy, sure—but Black King had the power to back it up.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
With the ground trembling, Alex finally reached Black King and leapt high into the air.
Gripping the rear of the car tightly, he brought it down like a meteor, aiming to smash Black King straight into the ground.
The combined weight of the vehicle, the momentum from the fall, and Alex's monstrous strength made it feel like a small mountain crashing down.
But Black King simply raised his right hand—calmly—and pushed up.
The car froze above his head as if it had hit a wall of air. Like a leaf in the wind, it hovered effortlessly in his grasp.
Whether he had absorbed the gravitational potential energy or simply neutralized the kinetic force before lifting it himself, no one knew.
But one thing was certain: Alex's move was a complete bust.
BOOM!
With a casual flick of the wrist, Black King hurled the car aside, letting it crash to the ground with a resounding bang.
Then he dusted off his sleeves like it was nothing more than a routine chore, and turned his eyes back to Alex.
"Are we done now? That was cute, but I think we've reached the limit of this little tantrum."
The tension in the air began to mount again.
No one had expected Black King to be this powerful.
Alex, who had just slain both Azazel and Riptide, now looked utterly powerless.
"Alex, we've got your back!"
Havok stepped forward, twisting his body like a hula hoop dancer, unleashing several glowing energy rings.
Two of them missed—but one shot straight for Black King with pinpoint precision.
Havok's rings were powerful enough to slice clean through metal statues—cutting through a person should've been no problem.
But then Havok's confident smile froze.
Because Black King simply reached out and caught the ring.
With a squeeze of his palm, he absorbed it completely.
BOOM!
Then he lifted his foot and stomped the ground, releasing the stored energy in an instant.
CRACK!
The ground split apart as a giant fissure raced forward—barreling through the building like a wrecking ball.
KA-THOOM!
A section of the wall buckled violently, then collapsed halfway to the ground.
The mutants scattered in shock, their eyes now full of terror and dread as they looked at Black King.
They understood now—this was a foe beyond their ability to deal with.
They weren't even on the same playing field.
No one dared make another move.
Black King, seeing their reaction, gave a satisfied smile. He scanned the group.
"Relax. I'm not here to hurt you. Now—can we talk?"
Everyone huddled together nervously, eyes flicking toward Alex.
Black King turned back to him.
"And you?"
Alex said nothing. He quietly walked back into the group.
There were two reasons.
First, he had confirmed it himself—he couldn't kill Black King right now. There was no point in throwing away energy.
Second, the others had seen Black King's power firsthand. The timing was perfect.
"Alex, what now?"
Raven asked in a hushed voice. The others looked at him, waiting for guidance.
Even if Alex couldn't defeat Black King, he was still the backbone of the group.
"Everyone—grab someone's hand."
Alex gave a strange command.
The group didn't understand, but this wasn't the time to ask questions. They quickly followed his instructions, each grabbing the hand of someone nearby.
Then Alex pulled out several gas grenades, already prepared.
He yanked the pins and hurled them at Black King.
HISSSSSS!
A cloud of blinding white smoke exploded outward, thick and irritating.
"Darwin—you said you wanted out earlier, right? Time to go."
Alex was the first to bolt, dragging the others with him through the smoke.
Only now did everyone realize—Alex had told them to hold hands so they wouldn't get separated in the chaos.
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider supporting me with Power Stones!
For every 50 Power Stones, I'll upload 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
Your support really motivates me to keep going, so please, please keep those Power Stones coming!