Half a month later, deep beneath Z-City.
Darkness, dead silence, decay.
This was an underground forbidden zone that even the Hero Association had failed to explore, a multi-layered architectural structure that had been hollowed out beneath the surface, large enough to accommodate a small city.
This was the Monster Association!
At this moment, the Monster Association's lair was even more eerily desolate than the dead silent, uninhabited Z-City.
It wasn't until the perspective extended thousands of meters downwards that it suddenly opened up—
On the lowest level of the lair, an unprecedented grand gathering was taking place.
Tens of thousands of Wolf-Level Monsters squeezed into the surrounding passages and cliff walls like a tide, tearing at each other to secure a better vantage point.
Sharp screeches and the sound of bones shattering rose and fell, with a weak Monster being trampled into a pulp every few seconds on average.
The corpses were almost instantly devoured by their peers, making way for their subsequent "colleagues" to stand on the bloody ground.
Tiger-level and Demon-level Monsters, serving as the backbone, were qualified to enter the tiered venue, which resembled a gladiatorial arena.
Monsters of various forms occupied each floor, and in the darkness, chilling cackles and greedy gulping and chewing sounds occasionally emanated, a scene truly akin to a dance of demons.
As time passed, distinct Dragon-level presences, like massive stones thrown into a calm lake, stirred ripples, causing the entire venue's commotion to momentarily cease.
"Heh… it's quite lively."
A pitch-black, diminutive humanoid creature silently appeared on a railing; just by its size and appearance, it looked more like a middle-aged actor discarded by some burlesque troupe.
Dragon-level Monster, Black Sperm!!
Black Sperm idly surveyed the area, then lost interest.
He squatted down and poked the ground with his finger, muttering softly, "What's the big deal? It's just a meeting, why such a huge fuss? So pretentious…"
His behavior and demeanor lacked any Dragon-level dignity, yet the surrounding Demon-level Monsters recoiled as if they had seen a ghost; anyone who knew his true nature dared not underestimate him in the slightest.
Didn't you see? Even Great Eyes on the high platform nodded to him in greeting.
Not far away, a giant pink mouth with limbs and a bloated giant man with an incredibly repulsive appearance arrived together, causing a stir in the vicinity.
One had nothing but a mouth, and the other's ugly face seemed to condense all the malice in the world.
Dragon-level Monster, Gums! Ugly Fuhrer!!
At the edge of the venue, a gigantic black dog, far larger than a freight truck, had already sprawled there at some unknown time, all six of its eyes closed, contentedly dozing off.
A vacuum zone formed around it; all Monsters, regardless of their strength, consciously moved away, leaving ample space, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to even breathe loudly.
In fact, when Pochy received Great Eyes's psychic message, he didn't respond immediately.
After all, he was just a dog, what meeting was he going to attend?
To pee in the venue?
It was only when Han Sen's clone, who was routinely petting the dog, sensed the faint psychic fluctuation and patted its head, that he urged the dog to come.
Compared to Psykos, his former owner whom he had never even met, the chef boss who provided food, drink, and massages, and whose strength was overwhelmingly superior, was clearly more favored by Pochy.
(Psykos: %@!#@#…!!)
After them, the Monster martial artist Gouketsu with four vertical pupils, and the humanoid bipedal Siamese cat Nyan, arrived successively; even the huge fish tank containing Evil Natural Water was carefully pushed to the meeting by several Monsters.
On the terrace on one side of the venue, two tall, model-like figures quietly appeared, cadre candidates—
Gale Wind and Flame.
After their Monsterification, both could stably rank among Dragon-level disasters, but as ninjas, they still preferred to appear in human form, keeping their Monsterification power as a last resort.
Including these two, about seven or eight of the Association's Dragon-level cadres had already arrived.
Of course, some cadres did not personally attend, such as the overly massive Elder Centipede, who was currently coiled beneath the ruins of Z-City, like a dormant underground giant dragon.
He only sent his strongest kin of this generation, the Demon-level Monster Centisenpai, to attend the meeting on his behalf, similarly occupying a Dragon-level seat.
The gaze of all Monsters, including all Dragon-level cadres, unconsciously focused on the huge throne in the center of the venue, on that terrifying presence sitting as still as a statue—
Monster King—
Orochi!
His body resembled a mountain composed of flesh and dragon heads, with countless hideous dragon heads extending from his main body, their tongues flicking. He made no sound, nor did he move; one of his dragon heads' golden vertical pupils merely glanced indifferently at the noisy Demon-level Monster.
The next second, that Demon-level Monster was instantly evaporated by an invisible, terrifying energy before he could even scream, leaving not a trace of ash.
The entire venue was silent.
This invisible pressure, dominating all under heaven and crushing all beings, enveloped the entire grotto like a tangible gravitational field.
It made even these normally lawless and unruly Dragon-level cadres wary, each of them retracting their arrogance and killing intent.
Orochi's very existence was a silent order.
A large sofa emitting an iridescent blue light floated beside Monster King Orochi, and a bloated creature with only one large eye sat upon it, its two small hands clasped in front of it, taking in the reactions of all the Monsters below.
It was none other than the Monster strategist, Great Eyes.
Meanwhile, deep within the lair, in a hidden monitoring room, the true mastermind—
Psykos, elegantly holding a glass of crimson liquid, watched the scenes in the venue through Great Eyes's perspective, a satisfied curve on her lips.
Excellent!
This Monster era is exactly as I wished!
And Orochi, this strongest biological weapon she had poured her heart and soul into creating, perfectly served its purpose of deterrence.
Only absolute power could temporarily subjugate this chaotic group of Monsters.
Watching the bustling spectacle of Monsters in the entire venue, Psykos, the manipulator in the secret room, was in a good mood.
…Wait a minute.
Psykos suddenly felt something was missing, and her brows furrowed as she scanned the area through Great Eyes's psychic perspective.
"…Where's Bug God? Where did that guy go again!"
"Never mind…"
Seeing that the time had come, Psykos had no choice but to temporarily forget about that troublesome key subordinate and manipulated the puppet "Great Eyes" on the front stage to speak: "Silence!"
The Dio-like psychic transmission echoed throughout the entire grotto, carrying an undeniable authority.
"Great Eyes" slowly scanned the entire venue with its single eye and continued in its unique tone: "Thank you all for gracing us with your presence."
"I, Great Eyes, by the command of His Majesty Orochi, will preside over this meeting."
"Now I declare—the First Monster Assembly, officially…!"
"Begin!"
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