blogombal Page 90
Page 90
Only after its biological signal completely disappeared from the detector and it was confirmed that there were no other sensory-type monsters around did Lin Mo slowly let out a long breath and reactivate "Little King" in normal standby mode.
But then, a surge of immense excitement and solemnity welled up inside me.
Orochi, the apex predator of the Monster Association, is elusive and frequently ventures to the deepest parts of the earth, a fact unknown even to Gyoro Gyoro.
This must be the place I've been looking for!
Without further hesitation, based on the direction Black Spirit pointed in when he complained and by comparing it with the map he had obtained, Lin Mo chose a tunnel that was deeper and extended further downwards.
Chapter 122 [The Mural of the Gods]
Lin Mo didn't linger any longer, controlling "Little King" to silently slip into the tunnel that led deeper underground.
This tunnel differed from the previous passages; its rough rock walls were covered with eerie purplish-red veins, providing dim lighting.
The sensors on "Little King" received unprecedented interference here.
[Warning: A high-intensity unknown energy field has been detected, continuously interfering with the body's sensors. The mental connection module is experiencing a 1.2% synchronization delay.]
Lin Mo frowned.
A 1.2% synchronization delay may sound insignificant, but in the ever-changing battlefield, it can be deadly.
The tunnel descends downwards, with the angle of inclination increasing until it becomes almost vertical.
"Little King" had to activate the anti-gravity levitation device to continue descending silently.
There were no signs of any strange people along the way, not even wolf-level grunts.
This absolute silence was even more unsettling, as if even members of the Monster Association dared not easily set foot here.
After diving for about half an hour in this suffocating environment, when the depth gauge readings had broken through an astonishing value, the scenery ahead underwent another dramatic change.
At the end of the tunnel was a huge opening emitting a soft white light.
Lin Mo carefully maneuvered "Little King" close to the edge of the cave entrance, adjusted the optical sensor to its optimal state, and looked inside.
The sight before him almost made him stop breathing.
This is a massive underground cavity that defies description!
No life signs were detected within the passage; energy scan showed no abnormalities.
The system's prompt appeared before his eyes, but Lin Mo's gaze did not relax.
You should know that this is very likely related to "gods"!
The dome of the space was so high that it seemed to have no end, with only luminous fungi dotting it.
In the very center of the temple stood a simple altar made of huge black rocks. The altar was empty, yet it exuded a chilling ancient aura.
However, what attracted Lin Mo's attention the most was not the altar, but the enormous mural behind it that almost covered the entire rock wall.
"Initiate high-definition scanning and image recording to perform data analysis on the mural."
Lin Mo looked at the mural whose upper half was covered, his heart filled with anticipation.
As "Little King's" scanning system began to work, the overall appearance of the obscured mural was gradually reconstructed and supplemented by the algorithm, eventually appearing clearly before Lin Mo's eyes.
On the exposed lower half, a creature was carved that was extremely similar to the form of the Monster King Orochi.
Below the serpentine creature was a densely packed crowd kneeling in worship, mixed with all sorts of strange figures.
Without exception, they all seemed to offer their loyalty to the being on the throne in the most humble manner.
When the obscured upper half of the image was fully restored, Lin Mo's pupils trembled violently.
It was a huge humanoid creature that occupied two-thirds of the mural.
He had no specific facial features; his face was a chaotic light, but even that outline exuded supreme majesty.
Lin Mo suppressed the turmoil in his heart, but the scan of "Little King" was not yet over.
Besides the largest central mural near the altar, there are also some smaller auxiliary murals with more primitive carving techniques.
They appear significantly less refined than the main mural, yet they record a horrific period of history in a more barbaric way.
In the first mural, the sky is torn apart by a huge, twisted crack, from which a massive shadow is slowly descending.
On the ground, countless tiny humans and animals were kneeling and offering sacrifices to the cracks and shadows in the sky.
In the second mural, a radiant substance descended from the crack, sprinkling across the earth and permeating into plants, animals, and even humans.
Immediately following this was a terrifying change.
In the painting, ordinary wild animals begin to grow extra limbs and hard shells; docile domestic animals become ferocious and bloodthirsty.
Even some of the kneeling humans began to twist and swell, eventually turning into all sorts of...freaks.
The third mural depicts creatures that have become monsters, led by several particularly large "leader"-level monsters, beginning a war against humanity.
In the painting, human cities are engulfed in flames, while strange beings cheer and roar atop the ruins, offering their "spoils" to the crack in the sky.
Lin Mo's gaze grew increasingly solemn and shocked. Could this be... the origin of the strange man?!
These murals, taken together, clearly tell the origin story of a "strange man"!
A story about an extradimensional being known as a "god" who corrupts this world and transforms its native creatures into his retinue and servants.
His gaze shifted to the last mural.
The mural is located in the very center of the rock face, directly above the black altar.
It does not depict any specific scene, but only sculpts a huge and abstract symbol—an asymmetrical spiral that seems to be composed of countless constantly writhing tentacles.
This symbol is filled with an eerie beauty and an indescribable magic.
Just by remotely observing it through "Little King's" sensors, Lin Mo felt an incredibly powerful mental shock that transcended physical distance and directly bombarded his mind.
Thousands of miles away, wearing a VR headset, he felt a sharp, needle-like pain in his temples and saw stars before his eyes.
Lin Mo immediately looked away from the symbol, and the dizziness slowly subsided.
"Is this symbol... the symbol of that 'god'?" he muttered to himself, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
Lin Mo had always believed that the appearance of monsters in the One-Punch Man world was some kind of accidental evolutionary phenomenon, a special feature of this world.
But what he saw completely overturned his understanding.
This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one—except that this "man" is a terrifying being from a higher dimension.
For the first time, Lin Mo felt a deep sense of unease about the future of this world.
Faced with an enemy of this caliber, the existence of the Hero Association, and even all of humanity's struggles, seem so insignificant and powerless.
But soon, a figure wearing a yellow bodysuit, a white cape, and a shiny bald head suddenly appeared in his mind.
That man always had a deadpan look in his eyes and seemed listless about everything, yet he always managed to solve all the problems at the most crucial moment with the simplest, most unpretentious punch.
Lin Mo's tense lips suddenly curled upwards, eventually turning into a soft laugh. He shook his head, feeling that his earlier worries were somewhat ridiculous.
"What's there to be afraid of?" he muttered to himself, his tone lightening. "With Saitama around, there's no real danger in this world."
Just as he completely relaxed, preparing to package and transmit all the data and then quietly retreat, the previously smooth VR interface was instantly covered by a blood-red alarm!
【warn! ! ! 】
【warn! ! ! 】
[Extremely high energy intensity detected rapidly approaching! Target locked! Threat level assessment in progress... Assessment failed! Data overflow! Threat level... incalculable!!!]
Chapter 123 Monster King Orochi
Almost at the same instant the alarm sounded, the entire cavern began to tremble violently!
Countless pebbles and dust fell from the dome.
The previously faint spiritual pressure suddenly surged a thousandfold, becoming so heavy it seemed to crush "Little King's" armor!
"They're here!" Lin Mo's mind raced, and he reacted instantly.
"Data upload initiated! Highest priority! Regardless of what happens to the machine, all recorded mural data must be transmitted back!"
"All energy redirected to mobility and defense modules! Ghost mode deactivated, switching to 'combat stance'!"
Lin Mo had no illusions about escaping.
Facing an enemy of this caliber, turning your back and running away is no different from stretching your neck and waiting to die.
"Boom——!!!"
With a loud bang, countless cracks appeared inside the ancient black altar, and dazzling golden light shot out from the cracks.
Immediately afterwards, the ground suddenly collapsed, and one... no, hundreds of ferocious heads of varying sizes and shapes, resembling dragons and pythons, burst out from beneath the altar!
These dragon heads intertwined and eventually converged into a massive humanoid silhouette.
His "body" is made up of countless writhing dragon heads, and on that torso, a relatively complete "main head" slowly rises.
His face had no eyes, yet he immediately locked onto the black robot hovering at the edge of the hole.
The pinnacle of the Monster Association, the root of the Z-City disaster, Psykos's greatest masterpiece—
Monster King Orochi!
"Outsiders..."
A grand voice echoed throughout the space, directly shaking Lin Mo's spirit.
"...How dare you set foot on my sacred ground..."
Lin Mo remained calm; on the contrary, his thinking became calmer and clearer than ever before.
Through "Little King's" sensors, he looked at the monster that seemed to have stepped out of mythology, with only one thought in his mind.
"The sense of oppression is at least ten times stronger than that depicted in the original comic..."
Lin Mo looked at the giant snake, his mind racing with calculations.
Sending "Little King" to take on the challenge would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; forget about winning, a single volley from the enemy would probably reduce this machine to ashes.
But he wasn't flustered; this was just a mecha he was remotely controlling.
If his enhanced original form were here, he might not necessarily be afraid of this monster king serpent.