Boom—!!!!
A deafening blast suddenly came from above the institute.
The entire lab began to shake violently; the lights in the ceiling flickered madly as stones and dust pattered down.
A piercing alarm instantly filled the building; red warning lights cast tension across every face.
"Warning! Warning! City Y outer wall breached! Unknown monster intrusion! Repeat, unknown monster intrusion! Threat level determining…"
The broadcast voice was urgent and panicked.
"What?" Child Emperor's face changed. He rushed to the control console and swiftly pulled up the surveillance feeds.
After a violent flurry of snow on the central screen, the image stabilized.
What they saw made every hero present suck in a cold breath.
The institute's special alloy outer wall—several meters thick—now had a massive breach, and the metal around it seemed to have been corroded by some horrific acid, "sizzling" white smoke.
Accompanied by a tooth-aching scrape, a huge monster was squeezing its slimy, disgusting body through the breach bit by bit.
It was an extremely ugly being, its body coated in viscous, dark-green slime, as if composed of countless rotting tissues stitched together.
A jumble of jointed limbs and writhing tentacles grew haphazardly over it; most nauseating of all was the giant mouth on its abdomen that opened and closed constantly, lined with layers of jagged teeth.
"It's that thing! The 'Foul Devourer'!"
Great Philosopher lowered his book; a flash of dread crossed his eyes behind his lenses. He recognized this notorious monster on the Association's wanted list at a glance.
"It's a Demon-level disaster recorded by the Association, with the horrific ability to devour and corrode all matter! But it usually operates in the uninhabited zone of City Z—why did it suddenly show up here?"
"Its target is the institute's energy core!"
Child Emperor's small hand traced a red path on the map; the monster's movement was clearly headed to the power center. He shouted anxiously:
"If it devours and detonates the energy stored there, the blast will be enough to wipe City Y off the map!"
"Leave it to us!"
Sneck bellowed, hero's blood boiling.
Without a shred of hesitation, he fell into the unique stance of Serpent Fang Fist, pushed off hard, and was the first to rush toward the monster.
"We A-Class heroes aren't here for a tour!"
"Perfect timing! Let me bring purification to this filthy world!"
The Darkflame Dragon Blade Wielder followed close behind. Though his chuunibyou lines felt out of place amid the tension, his movement was lightning-fast.
Even as his voice fell, there was a clear ring of metal; the blade at his waist left its sheath.
Great Philosopher moved at once too. He didn't use any weapon but did something unexpected—
He seized the collar of his shirt with both hands and ripped it open, revealing a granite-hard physique beneath.
In that moment, the hero's sense of duty and mission overrode all the confusion and shock from KING's test result.
The battle exploded instantly.
"Serpent Fang Fist: Frenzied Fangs!"
Sneck was incredibly fast. Using the complex terrain of walls and ceiling, he ghosted to the Foul Devourer's flank.
Serpentine blades affixed to his arms whistled like a violent storm, stabbing the monster's seemingly soft body.
But the "splutch" of sludge sounded nonstop; although all his strikes landed, much of their force was dissipated by the nauseating slime.
Worse, upon contact, the alloy blades began smoking and corroding at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Great Philosopher, who had been about to rush in for a brawl, stopped dead, cold sweat beading his brow.
He'd been hot-blooded a moment ago and wanted to rely on his honed body to fight the monster up close, but this terrifying corrosive power instantly sobered him; he had to abandon the idea.
"Damn it! What is this thing!" Sneck panicked and quickly disengaged.
"Stand down, mortal! Let my 'Netherflame Slash' end it!"
The Darkflame Dragon Blade Wielder dropped from above, his long sword carving a pitch-black arc straight for the creature's head.
A shrill clang rang; a titanic force traveled up the blade, splitting the skin at his thumb and forefinger and drawing blood.
His treasured sword had temporarily resisted corrosion, but it left only a shallow white mark on the monster's outer layer, failing even to break its defense.
The Foul Devourer seemed enraged by the harassment. With a muffled roar, the giant mouth on its abdomen gaped open; a jet of dark-green acid shot out like a high-pressure hose.
Great Philosopher reacted fast. He grabbed a heavy lab table and, with all his strength, used it as a shield in front of Sneck and the Darkflame Dragon Blade Wielder.
"Szzzzz—!"
The instant the acid touched the alloy table, a piercing hiss erupted.
The table—rated to withstand the shock of a small explosion—lasted less than three seconds before a huge hole was eaten through it, and it failed completely.
Though Sneck and the Darkflame Dragon Blade Wielder narrowly avoided the brunt of the spray, splashes landed on them, burning through their suits in clusters of holes. Fire-like pain seared their skin.
The tide turned in under a minute.
Even A-Class heroes looked powerless before this Demon-level monster.
Their attacks couldn't break its defense; the thing's casual swipes could be fatal.
"No good… physical and conventional energy attacks are nearly useless! Its bodily structure is too unusual—able to absorb and break down most forms of impact!"
Child Emperor kept his cool at the console, mind racing, and finally decided to deploy his trump card.
"Damnable creature. If conventional means won't do, I'll show you what an S-Class hero can really do!"
He stamped a foot; the "ordinary" backpack behind him unfolded with a click, sprouting multiple robotic arms like a giant spider.
Thump… thump… thump… thump…
The steady, powerful heartbeat resounded once more.
In all the noise, the roar of the King Engine was crystal clear.
There was something magical about it. Everyone who heard it couldn't help but turn their eyes toward its source.
He was still standing there. From the start of the fight, he had not moved a single step.
-------
Enjoy 20% off our Patreon membership to celebrate Christmas. You can join starting today
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (190 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (78 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (130 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (80 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (140 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (50 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (60 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (110 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (54 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (63 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (77 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (58 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (60 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (50 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it