"Hmm, this girl is quite—"
KING subconsciously blurted out but abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Beneath the brim of his hat, barely noticeable, a bead of sweat trickled down KING's forehead.
Phew, that was close. I almost followed Tatsumaki's lead and called that girl "cute." That would've been hard to explain later. KING thought to himself, heaving a sigh of relief as if he'd narrowly escaped disaster.
"Quite... what? KING, why didn't you finish your sentence?" Tatsumaki frowned. She disliked cryptic speech—it was just like KING's elusive combat style, where he appeared and disappeared like a phantom.
"KING probably meant to say that girl named Clara is terrifying, right?" Metal Bat chimed in. "KING has fought countless battles. He must've dealt with plenty of monsters who look weak but are actually extremely dangerous."
"So... KING's implying that Clara's frail appearance is just a disguise?"
Pig God, while gaping in shock, still managed to stuff a handful of chips into his wide-open mouth.
"Exactly. Earlier, we saw Clara standing with that robot called Svarog, who treated her quite amiably. In my opinion, that big robot's combat power is probably on par with Drive Knight..." Bang said, glancing at the pitch-black cyborg sitting quietly in the corner of the meeting room.
Drive Knight remained silent, offering no opinion, merely nodding calmly.
"Only a true powerhouse can stand alongside another powerhouse... So this is Clara's hidden strength? As expected of KING." Tanktop Master couldn't help but voice his admiration repeatedly.
Sitting diagonally across from KING was Atomic Samurai. Clutching his katana tightly, he stared intently at the screen—at Clara's harmless, innocent expression. Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain.
Strange... Why didn't I notice anything hidden about Clara?
Isn't she just an ordinary girl? Her expression, demeanor, gaze, the movements of her hands and feet... Even scrutinizing every detail, I couldn't detect the slightest hint of deception.
So how could KING see through it?
Is the gap between us really that vast—
The more Atomic Samurai thought about it, the more terrifying it became—and the more terrifying it became, the more he couldn't stop thinking about it. By the time he snapped out of it, his samurai attire was already drenched in cold sweat.
He gave up on thinking altogether, as if he'd just endured an epic battle, slumping exhaustedly into his chair. His weary gaze fell upon the "Strongest Man on Earth" sitting diagonally across from him—the man who kept his hat low and hadn't moved an inch the entire time.
"...What a low-key yet terrifying man."
——
[After exchanging some medical supplies, both parties left Boulder Town.]
[Once the handoff was complete, Natasha mentioned that Oleg needed to speak with them—Dan Heng and March 7th had already gone ahead.]
[When they arrived at Oleg's, March 7th, finally finding someone to chat with, waved excitedly. "Over here! You guys finally made it back."]
["Now that everyone's here, I'll cut straight to the point—" Oleg paused. "Your goal is the Stellaron. Ours is to break through the Underworld's blockade. In other words, our target is the same: Svarog. Without dealing with that [big shot], everything else is just empty talk."]
["Maybe we can try to get him on our side. If things don't work out..." Stelle suggested diplomacy before force.]
["Tch, he's a robot. What's there to talk about? Smashing that hunk of scrap metal is the fastest way!" Seele insisted on force, force, and more force.]
[Oleg agreed with Stelle's approach, though the odds of reasoning with Svarog were slim—he'd never been willing to talk with them before.]
[After carefully finalizing the plan, Oleg assigned Seele to accompany Stelle's group and sent a member of Wildfire to guide them.]
[But when the group arrived at the designated spot, the one waiting for them was... Pitch-Dark Hook the Great.]
["...Wait, Hook?" Seele looked stunned.]
["Y-Yes, it's me, Pitch-Dark Hook! What do you want?" Surrounded by a bunch of adults out of nowhere, Hook was momentarily terrified.]
["Uh, kid, there must be some misunderstanding—"]
[Old Sampo, appearing out of nowhere as usual, stood behind Hook with a hurt expression. "Oleg asked me to guide you guys... Really breaks my heart. You'd consider such a little kid but not me?"]
["Alright, alright, no need to fuss. If the boss sent you, just lead the way," Seele said impatiently, waving him off.]
["You got it. But keep up, alright?"]
[After trekking for some time, the surroundings gradually shifted from the rugged, mine-riddled terrain dotted with rail tracks to an endless expanse of snowfields.]
[The snowfield was littered with broken-down robots—some with rusted shells and scattered parts, others half-buried in the snow, only partially visible. The further they went, the more mechanical wreckage they encountered.]
"If only I could turn all these robots into my army..." Ambessa mused, twirling her dagger. She'd been closely following the progress of the Express trio—their journey had given her plenty of eye-opening insights.
After witnessing the powerful robots in the Underworld, Ambessa began scheming. She'd never considered before that mere hunks of metal could unleash such terrifying power.
Fist-shaped robots packed explosive punches, others with traffic-light heads seemed impervious to attacks. If she could deploy such machines on the battlefield, her army would be unstoppable.
Seems like... it's time to pay my daughter a visit in Piltover.
["Sampo... are we there yet?" March 7th asked impatiently after what felt like ages.]
["C'mon, sis, you don't gotta ask every minute, do ya? Just a couple more steps—literally two more steps," Sampo replied, exhausted by her nagging.]
[In the distance, tents of varying sizes dotted the snowy plains. As they ventured deeper, they saw not only more robots but also more people. Here, humans and machines seemed to coexist in a strange harmony, creating a lively atmosphere.]
["Alright, we're here. This is Svarog's stronghold—the Robot Settlement."]