Chapter 76: The Sigh of Invincibility
"Ah?"
Compared to the cheering citizens, King was dumbfounded. What was happening before him was too bizarre. Hammond was about to bite him to death, but who knew, just as King was about to use his Desperation Judgment Card, Hammond suddenly froze all over, collapsing to the ground. His entire face was contorted in pain, his body spasming as if he had suffered a stroke.
"Did Saitama do that?"
He stared blankly as the mighty Dragon-level monster collapsed for no apparent reason, already half-dead. He subconsciously thought Saitama had arrived and attacked Hammond.
However, he reconsidered and dismissed that thought. If Saitama had attacked, Hammond would have long ago been a mangled corpse. How could he be completely unharmed?
"If it wasn't Saitama, then who did it?"
He was utterly bewildered. Hammond's external appearance was intact, indicating that the fatal injury came from within its body; it had clearly suffered severe internal injuries. However, he truly couldn't think of any strong person in the world who could perform an ultimate technique similar to "striking a bull across a mountain" on Hammond, severely injuring it without any external wounds. Such a miraculous ability made people marvel.
However, if he were to lower himself and lean close to Hammond's mouth, perhaps he would understand the truth.
"Damn it... damn it, my old heart condition chose this moment to act up... Ah... pant, pant... My medicine... where's my medicine?! Damn it, the medicine was in my clothes, and when I mutated into a dinosaur man, I ripped my clothes to shreds! Damn it... It's all over... But... I'm not willing! I was so close to killing King... I was so close to my dream, but why... why does fate have to make me fail at the last moment?"
Hammond's body twitched slightly from the excruciating cardiac pain, completely devoid of strength. He gasped for air, his dragon eyes wide, staring at King who was looking down at him, his face filled with unwillingness. However, his pupils were already slightly dilated, his consciousness slowly fading, and a large part of his body had already descended into hell.
"My dream, my dream of rebuilding the Dinosaur Family, is over!"
Before completely plunging into darkness, he still clung to the dream he had persisted in for decades. Alas, everything was in vain. His luck was truly too terrible. He had mutated into a dinosaur man, yet old ailments like heart disease stubbornly followed him. His reckless running in L City and M-City previously, combined with intense activity and heightened emotions, deeply stimulated his heart, leading to a heart attack at this critical moment, causing him to die and his decades of persistence to turn into nothing.
More importantly, his mysterious death ironically boosted King's fame even further, the very person he loathed. Citizens who witnessed his death firsthand, as well as viewers in front of their televisions, attributed his demise to King, believing King had used a bizarre superpower to slay him.
Alas, how lamentable!
"King! King!"
With Hammond's unjust death, the citizens emerged from the shadow of death, instantly filled with extreme excitement and flushed with emotion. They vigorously shouted the name of their great hero, King—the one who "killed" the Dragon-level monster and "saved" them—to express their gratitude for King's "life-saving" grace.
"King! King!"
The viewers in front of their televisions were also infected by the citizens' emotions. Their blood boiling with excitement, they vigorously cheered, looking up with reverence at King, who was high above on the screen. He was their great hero, and also the Strongest Man on Earth.
"Huh?"
King's mouth twitched. He stared blankly at the cheering citizens. "I killed another Dragon-level monster? Uh, what can I say? I was just scared stiff, not moving an inch. And you're still attributing the credit for killing the Dragon-level monster to me? Are you all three thousand degrees nearsighted or something?"
"King, I love you!"
"King! King!"
King looked at the fanatically cheering citizens and sighed slightly, "Oh well, as long as you're happy."
"King's... what's with that bored expression?"
The Allosaurus had been observing King's every move. After seeing King sigh, its dragon eyes widened, and its face was full of doubt. "Had King truly reached the point of disdaining Dragon-level monsters? After killing a Dragon-level monster, he didn't show the slightest bit of happiness. Instead, he seemed incredibly dejected. Oh, of course, a strong person of King's caliber has probably long lost interest in pursuing glory. His only pursuit is likely to find an opponent who can match him. That kind of invincible loneliness must be very hard to bear!"
...
A City.
"Hmm? King's sigh...?"
Gyoro Gyoro stared intently at King. "He had clearly killed a Dragon-level monster, clearly gained immense credit, and clearly made his name known throughout the world once again. Why? Why did King sigh? Was it a sigh of emptiness? Yes, as the Strongest Man on Earth, King stands at the apex, where it's unbearably cold. Beneath the exterior adorned with honor, there must be a loneliness as profound as snow, a deep emptiness. He has already reached the pinnacle of strength; even Dragon-level monsters couldn't pique his interest in a fight. That kind of unconquerable loneliness, perhaps outsiders will never truly understand."
He chuckled softly. "King? You pose a great threat to our Hero Association. I wonder... how should I deal with you?"
...
F City.
S-Class Hero Atomic Samurai, the fourth-ranked hero, quickly sliced an apple with his swift blade, his eyes fixed on the television without blinking. "Hmph, a strong man's sigh? You dare call yourself the Strongest Man without passing my test? King, although your strength is great, comparatively, I hold more reverence for that martial arts old man in F City. As for you... you're still a bit green."
...
Z City.
S-Class Hero Bang, the third-ranked hero, with a full head of silver hair and a slightly stooped back, stood with his hands clasped behind him. Behind him, a steaming hot lobster hotpot was bubbling. His only current disciple, Charanko, was diligently adding ingredients to the hotpot for seasoning.
"Master, the hotpot is ready."
After a while, Charanko called out to Bang. However, when Bang didn't respond, he turned his head towards Bang in confusion, only to see Bang staring intently at the television screen.
"Master, what's so interesting about this? Isn't it just King killing a Dragon-level monster? Hurry up and eat the hotpot, or the vegetables will get overcooked."
Charanko leaned closer and took a few glances, discovering it was a live broadcast of the latest dinosaur man invasion in M-City. He happened to see the scene where King was idolized by the masses after killing the Dragon-level monster.
Bang retracted his gaze from the television screen and suddenly said to Charanko, "Charanko, do you want a junior disciple?"
"Ah?"
Charanko stared blankly at the serious Bang, momentarily unsure how to respond.
"I've found a promising talent," the old man said.
...
King never expected that his every move was being watched by everyone, and even more so, being completely misinterpreted. He was clearly feeling a slight emotion because everyone attributed the credit for killing the Dragon-level monster to him. Yet, in the eyes of those who paid attention, it became the emptiness of a strong person? Invincible loneliness? What in the world is all this? Fortunately, he wasn't privy to everyone's thoughts, otherwise he would have been utterly dumbfounded. Everyone's imagination was truly too rich.
Tomorrow, things will go back to normal... probably!
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(end of chapter)