Chapter 193: Impact

Slayer Demon wasn’t dead yet. Shi Ji knew that. But after that last hit, he was definitely close.

Slayer Demon’s body could break into countless pieces and still reassemble. It was a unique ability, but he’d overestimated himself.

With Shi Ji’s powerful telekinesis, he could easily pull Slayer Demon’s pieces back together by force. In other words, breaking him apart didn’t pose any real threat.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kukki had been charging up, finally unleashing his hidden power. A Death Cannon blast fired straight at Shi Ji’s back.

Shi Ji turned, calmly raising his hand. 

“Defense Mode Activated.”

With that, he used his gravitational pull to force Slayer Demon’s scattered pieces into a shield. Slayer Demon became Shi Ji’s defensive wall.

Boom!

The cannon’s impact was massive, sending stones and debris flying everywhere in its path.

The hit was powerful enough to punch straight through Slayer Demon’s body, which Shi Ji used as a shield, briefly blocking the attack with his Nine Shadows.

Dr. Kukki, with an aberrant heart, was hardly human anymore. Just as he’d claimed, this power level matched that of a Devil Rank aberration.

After several seconds, the attack subsided.

Now, Kukki’s body looked even larger, fully armored in gleaming steel, except for his awkwardly human head. It was a strange sight, but it gave him a certain intimidating look.

Dr. Kukki had been watching the battle from the sidelines. Even a Devil Rank like Slayer Demon couldn’t stand a chance against Shi Ji. Seeing Shi Ji’s strength firsthand, Kukki started to wonder—could this kid be something even more terrifying than an X Rank… an O Rank, maybe?

As the dust finally began to settle, Kukki saw what had happened.

He was stunned.

A red, broken figure lay sprawled on the ground, lifeless. Kukki’s eyes widened as he took in the scene. A young man casually spinning a shield in his hand, while Slayer Demon’s body lay there, utterly still, drained of all life.

Slayer Demon was dead, taken out by Dr. Kukki’s own Death Cannon.

Just one mistake had led to the entire downfall of their aberration army. All their key fighters were wiped out, and now, even the mighty Slayer Demon was gone. Kukki was the only one left.

The grand plan to take down humanity? Shattered.

Shi Ji gave Kukki an unimpressed look. 

“So, you had me waiting through all that back and forth with him, just so you could come out here in a shiny new outfit?”

Kukki could feel his heart pounding. His body brimmed with the power from his aberrant heart and enhanced frame. He clenched his fists and disappeared from sight, moving at lightning speed toward Shi Ji.

This could be the final showdown.

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Crash!

***

Shi Ji had no idea that their battle was sending shockwaves throughout Yinshuang City. The tremors were strong, lasting long enough to stir up worry and fear. People began to fear that an even stronger aberration attack was about to hit the city.

After the tremors finally subsided, the Yinshuang branch chief of the Star Alliance made a public statement to calm the panicked citizens.

But, truthfully, even the Star Alliance didn’t have solid answers.

From the latest scans, both the Star Alliance and the Anomaly Detection Center received a shocking report: the energy signatures they’d been tracking had vanished.

To explain the strange phenomenon, the Alliance released an announcement to S-Rank and A-Rank heroes only, letting them know the situation. Regardless of what happened out there, the mission planned for tomorrow was still a go.

The incident had rattled more than just the city’s residents—it caught the attention of the heroes as well. When the announcement came, Jing Xin didn’t buy the official line. She knew it was likely a cover to ease people’s fears. Whatever had caused that kind of disturbance was definitely something big.

With no sign of aberrations around, everyone was stuck waiting, totally on the defensive. It was a frustrating position.

Lin Xinyan had tried contacting Shi Ji earlier but hadn’t been able to get through. His communicator was showing “out of range.”

In a world with such advanced tech, finding a dead zone was nearly impossible. That left another possibility—Shi Ji’s device might have been damaged.

Thinking about the strange incident, Lin Xinyan couldn’t help but worry.

Even though the Alliance had calmed the city’s residents, both the Star Alliance and the Anomaly Detection Center were still on edge.

Whatever had happened down there was still a mystery. If a Devil Rank aberration was really involved, they would need to launch an emergency response plan.

Most Alliance staff were now scrambling to prepare for the worst.

The chief kept himself composed as he managed operations, but inside, he was probably the most anxious of all. After all, if he couldn’t keep it together, what right did he have to lead?

“Let’s keep up the pace, everyone. We need to track down any signs of the energy signature.”

Just then, someone rushed over.

“Minister, here are the exact coordinates from the seismic bureau.”

The minister took the report and quickly scanned it. One glance was all it took to make his heart skip a beat.

“What…? The epicenter was really where that energy was detected? What on earth happened there?”

***

Meanwhile, on a street somewhere in Yinshuang, the ground burst open with a loud crash, leaving a gaping hole. A figure in white shot up from below and landed lightly on his feet.

“Ah, finally out. I was starting to suffocate down there,” Shi Ji said, dusting himself off.

He’d expected Dr. Kukki to have some serious moves up his sleeve, but in the end, the guy didn’t pack half the punch that Slayer Demon did. It had taken only a few hits to “disassemble” his new “armor.”

When Shi Ji tried heading back the way he came, he realized he’d accidentally collapsed the tunnel during his fight. 

With no other choice, he’d had to dig a new way out.

Now standing in a plaza, he brushed some dirt off himself and looked around. A huge screen overhead was streaming a live news broadcast.

Not that he was interested in the news.

“Breaking news: Due to recent seismic activity, several city roads have suffered various degrees of damage…”

Hearing this, Shi Ji felt a sudden pang. He glanced up at the big screen, then turned back to look at the fresh hole he’d just punched in the ground.

“Uh… th-this is probably gonna cost a fortune to fix, isn’t it?”