Chapter 95: The Harmless King
"Snake Form Piercing Hand!"
Snek's hands, like two snake heads, suddenly struck towards the fighting robot's joints. Whether human or robot, joints were always a weak point.
His attack speed was incredibly fast, like a venomous snake striking its prey, reaching its target in the blink of an eye. Just as his piercing hands were about to connect with the robot's joints, the robot, as if divinely aided, twisted its joints, forcefully dodging the attack.
"A bit interesting. Take another move from me."
When Snek's first strike failed, his hands blurred. His two arms transformed into flexible swords, continuously striking at the fighting robot. The attack trajectory was bizarre and cunning, reminiscent of a venomous snake.
However, the fighting robot seemed prepared; its mechanical arm slapped away Snek's attacks one by one.
Snek raised an eyebrow. His seemingly boneless arms coiled around the fighting robot's arm like a hemp rope. His piercing hands, forming a chicken's claw shape, furiously pecked at the robot's shoulder joint like a chick pecking at rice.
Clang!
However, although Snek's moves were bizarre and cunning, the fighting robot seemed to know his every thought, seeing his moves with perfect clarity. A mechanical arm extended its palm and directly intercepted his piercing hand.
"As expected of an A-Class hero!"
King watched Snek and the fighting robot trade blows, his eyes lighting up as he finally witnessed the combat prowess of an A-Class hero. Compared to Tanktop Puncher's heavy fists and Quick-Fist Hero's quick punches, Snek's Snake Form Piercing Hand focused more on bizarre attack patterns.
From the looks of the fight, Snek's combat power was clearly a cut above Tanktop Puncher's, as he could actually force the fighting robot into frantic defense.
Bang!
After another move was blocked, Snek flipped backward, retreating several steps. He stared, shocked, at the composed fighting robot. "The 'Bookworm's Glasses' that Child Emperor invented are truly astonishing! They can actually see through my every move. Even if the fighting robot's original power is slightly weaker than mine, with such a powerful tool, I've already lost half the battle before it even starts!"
"How can I defeat a guy like this?"
He pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath. "It seems I can only attack its eyes. As long as I can disable its eyes, I can break free from these restraints and unleash my full combat power. At that point, defeating it will only be a matter of time."
Having made up his mind, he focused his attention on the fighting robot's eyes. That was where the 'Bookworm's Glasses' were embedded – the very reason for the robot's invincibility, but also its greatest weakness.
However, the fighting robot possessed the 'Bookworm's Glasses.' If his attacking intent was too obvious, the robot would surely see through it and neutralize it.
Snek stared intently at the motionless fighting robot, his mind racing. "Humans have a certain reaction time when facing external stimuli. A robot with its tech glasses must also have processing time. As long as my attack speed is faster than its reaction time, I can definitely take out its eyes."
"Dance of a Thousand Snakes!"
His eyes snapped open, and his hands struck out continuously like lightning. In an instant, a dozen afterimages of his arms appeared, as if a dozen venomous snakes were attacking the fighting robot.
However, Snek's plan was beautiful, but reality was cruel. The fighting robot, facing his dazzling attack, showed no reaction whatsoever. It was as if it had seen through everything, treating Snek's attack as nothing more than a clown's performance.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the fighting robot remain unmoved, Snek's heart grew cold. His snake-head-shaped hands dismissed the illusory afterimages and shot straight for the robot's eyes.
Clang!
Without any surprise, the fighting robot brought its two mechanical hands up in front of its eyes and directly grabbed Snek's wrists, foiling his attack once again.
"Sigh, I admit defeat."
Snek stared blankly at the nonchalant fighting robot and said with a bitter smile, "Child Emperor, the 'Bookworm's Glasses' you developed are just too powerful against martial artists. They're a natural counter to us."
For martial artists who relied on their techniques, the 'Bookworm's Glasses' – which could see through their moves – were nothing short of a nightmare.
"A not-so-strong robot can fight Snek to a standstill just by installing the 'Bookworm's Glasses.' This little gadget gives too much of a boost to combat power. Maybe... I should ask Child Emperor for a pair too?"
King mused, stroking his chin.
"Hey, you, the one hiding in the shadows! Stop spacing out, it's your turn," Tanktop Puncher said with his arms crossed. "I want to see what you're made of. Do you really have the right to be ranked above us?"
Child Emperor licked his lollipop, his small eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Mister, it's your turn! Oh, right, please be gentle. My robot can't take your attacks."
Snek and the others also stared intently at King. They also wanted to see his combat prowess and, more importantly, figure out what kind of powerhouse King really was.
King didn't say anything. He was just here to go through the motions, helping Child Emperor collect experimental data. There was no need to go all out. He just needed to strike with enough force not to be ignored by the fighting robot, just enough to fulfill his part.
On the system's attribute panel, his strength had already reached seven points, surpassing that of an ordinary person. As long as he focused his mind and struck with force, based on what happened with the Hero Association staff member earlier, his attack definitely wouldn't be ignored by the fighting robot.
He slowly walked up to the tall fighting robot, took a deep breath, and brought his fists up in front of his chest, assuming an awkward stance commonly used by boxers.
"Hahaha, that boxing stance couldn't be more amateurish. Is he here to be a comedian?"
As a former professional boxer, Tanktop Puncher could tell at a glance how unrefined King's stance was. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that King knew nothing about boxing.
King paid him no mind, his gaze fixed tightly on the fighting robot. He suddenly clenched his fist, concentrating all his strength into his right arm.
Child Emperor stared at King without blinking, a hint of excitement on his small face. He was happy, first, to be able to witness King in battle with his own eyes, and second, to be able to collect King's attack data.
Emperor's Fist!
King gathered his strength for a moment, clenched his right fist tightly, pulled it back, then immediately swung it forward with all his might, aiming straight for the fighting robot's chest.
"That amount of force is at most a strong blow from a young adult, right? An attack like that will be ignored, won't it?"
Snek and the others frowned. They could feel very little power in King's fist, comparable to a child's. According to the minimum threshold set for the 'Bookworm's Glasses,' an attack of this level would definitely be deemed non-threatening.
Child Emperor watched King's punch, a look of confusion on his small face. "What an ordinary punch! Is this really an attack from King?"
Whoosh!
Under the knowing gazes of Snek and the others, King's fist flew towards the fighting robot's chest. As his fist approached, the robot didn't react in the slightest.
"It... it was ignored?"
He saw his fist was about to strike the robot's chest, yet the fighting robot still had no intention of defending itself. He abruptly stopped his punch, his entire body froze in a very awkward moment.
The fighting robot would only choose to ignore an attack under two circumstances: one, the opponent was too strong; two, the opponent was too weak. King was clearly not in the "too strong" category, so the only reason for the robot to ignore him was that it deemed his attack non-threatening.
"My attack is harmless?"
King stared dumbfounded at the motionless robot, which wasn't giving him any face at all. His fist was frozen in mid-air. His own attack was actually deemed harmless, not even on par with an ordinary Hero Association staff member or a dog. This was just too damn embarrassing.
(end of chapter)