The monster was a step too late. By the time it ignored the mink and returned to block 9, Oliver had escaped with his people.
The rest on the ground were frothing from their mouth, squirming like a worm. Their bodies turned green and purple as they woke up one by one.
However, none of them had the strength to move because of the green serum injected into their body.
Bone-breaking pain was drilling into their mind, making them suffer something akin to being thrown into hell.
The green serum was the first stage of healing accelerants they developed. It was supposed to create a vessel that produces healing accelerants that humans can use.
Now that Oliver injected the green serum into their body, it was going through massive changes.
As the green serum took over their bodies, they rapidly mutated, and monster-like features appeared. The serum also healed their bodies from the sedative effects of the monster's poison, allowing them to perceive what was happening around them.
Fear gripped their mind when they realised where they were and what happened to them.
*Ahaa*
Muffled shrill screams spread around block 9. Some of them squealed like pigs that were about to be butchered.
Once they woke up, the pain they felt was beyond they could handle. And just near them was the monster, spreading fear into the deepest part of their soul.
The monster was a child they injected with the green serum. It was a mutant that was capable of rapidly producing healing accelerants.
When it saw the condition of the mana source it captured, it let out a deep rumbling roar.
Oliver had saved a few.
So, it knew there were fewer of them in block 9. And the rest were descending into madness, screaming in pain as they weakened.
The monster couldn't let them die.
It was its precious source of mana.
Without hesitation, it rapidly enveloped the people, encasing them in flesh sacs filled with the researchers' experimental healing accelerant, keeping them alive.
On one hand, the bodies of the people were being ravaged from the inside by the green serum while on the other hand, the healing accelerants healed them from the outside, all while their minds stayed fully conscious.
If there was hell, it wouldn't have been as terrifying as what they were going through.
Oliver had never expected something like that to happen.
He thought they would die after experiencing some pain from the green serum. But, fortunately for him, the monster saved the day by healing them. He would have been pleasantly surprised if knew all of it.
—
Meanwhile, the glowing orb of mana in front of the mountain king rumbled. It let out a terrifying mana wave into the surrounding area as it began moving forward.
*Scrrr*
Static sound came from the instruments used to monitor it.
The mana wave was interfering with electrical signals in the instruments, causing corrupted data to be transmitted.
"It's moving. Immediately use the radar array to calculate the trajectory." A superhuman with the ability to see what was happening kilometres away said.
He was talking to the radar operators that were with him.
"Yes, sir."
Although the mana wave can disrupt signals and interfere with electromagnetic waves, radar operators could make use of this property to track objects with high levels of mana.
Currently, the mana sphere the mountain king made was rumbling as it accelerated through the air towards the north.
A soldier quickly did some calculations on the data and said, "Sir, the mana bomb will reach the city within 32 seconds." His voice trembled as he spoke. Then shortly, he added, "It's moving at the speed of sound."
"What is the trajectory?" The man that gave orders asked.
"We need to wait a few more seconds to calculate the trajectory."
"Okay."
Like that, ten seconds flew by.
"Sir, the calculations show that the mana bomb would fly over the city without colliding."
All the people around let out a sigh of relief the moment they heard it.
But the one in the lead quickly turned to ask where it was headed. In his mind, the target was just as important.
"Where?" He asked again.
This woke up others from their stupor.
Immediately, one of his subordinates answered, "The target is a mountain twenty kilometres north of the city. Wait a minute, there is a research outpost inside the mountain." The man spoke in a confused voice.
Hearing that, the person looked outside the window. The light from the evening sun grazed his face as he realised something. Immediately, he ran out of the building to pass on the information.
—
Thunder Emperor and the Fist King were standing on the city wall, gazing at the southern sky. They could feel the turbulent mana wave from the Mountain King washing over the land.
Suddenly, they stood up.
They felt the mana wave split into two.
The Mountain King remained stationary, while the other large mana signature accelerated forward.
"It has begun."
Before the message from the radar operators could reach them, they knew the mana bomb had been released.
"It's coming towards us."
"Yes, it is." The Thunder Emperor nodded.
"If I used all my mana, I may be able to deflect it. But, I would lose my ability to fight after that." The S-ranked hero, the Fist King said.
"And, in a one-on-one match, there is no precedent of any S ranker beating an S rank mana beast." He added shortly after taking a pause.
He was implying that it would be a losing fight if they deflected it.
"Wait a minute." Suddenly, the Thunder Emperor gazed towards his side.
He saw a man leave the radar monitoring room and run towards them.
"Sir, the mana bomb is targeted at a research outpost north of the city." Without wasting a second, he said.
A tremor of anxiety, like a dying lightning strike, sparked in the Thunder Emperor's gaze.
North!
Research Outpost!
"Don't tell me…"
However, before he could ask more questions, he saw the blazing ball of light travel towards them from the south.
Within a few seconds, the giant three-hundred-meter ball of mana flew over the city like a shooting star.
*SWOOSH*
*BOOM!*
The mana bomb had broken through the sound barrier. It was flying faster than they expected.
The thunderous sound it made shook the people inside the city as they fearfully gazed at the trail of glowing mana it left behind.
When the radar operator came to his senses, he couldn't find the thunder emperor and the fist king anywhere on the city wall.