Hong and the Thunder God (Part 1)

Indonesia.

Above an island dotted with active volcanoes, a fierce battle raged.

Boom boom boom!!

Countless waves of fire surged skyward, twisting into maddened fire dragons that roared toward the black-clad man with thunderous howls.

The battered black dragon's scales stood on end, its aura wild as every volcano within ten li erupted at once.

From the boiling sea of flame, the black dragon soared, its enormous tail—longer than its own body—smashed down with brutal force.

Ding!!

Every fire dragon closing in on the black-clad man, no matter how terrifying or violent, froze fifty meters away, blocked by a faint golden light.

Facing the colossal tail crashing down—enough to crush any High-tier Lord—the black-clad man neither dodged nor retreated. He simply thrust his spear like a thunderbolt.

Crack!!

The sharp spearhead pierced straight through the dragon's tail without resistance.

Then, with a twist, the man hurled the hundred-meter behemoth to the ground.

Dust erupted.

A massive crater appeared in the trembling earth.

Whoosh!

He hurled his spear. Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

No sonic boom from the air splitting.

All anyone saw was a silver streak cutting through space, piercing straight through the black dragon's skull and driving deep into the ground...

Ten kilometers from the battlefield.

Inside a sky-blue fighter jet, four figures watched the horrific scene in silence.

Without exception, all four wore War God-level Combat Suits engraved with the word "Limit."

They were Hong's four strongest—Beast, Ice Mountain, Enchanting, and Yahan.

"The Black Flame Dragon King—finally killed by the boss!"

The burly, bearded Beast chuckled in admiration. "The boss is truly the strongest fighter in our Limit Mercenary Group! Long live the boss! Long live!"

The other three: "..."

They said nothing, silently staring at the battlefield.

"Look, the boss is coming! He's holding something in his hands!" Beast said excitedly.

As he spoke.

A streak of black light arrived in an instant.

Whoosh!!

The hatch opened.

The black-clad man Teleported inside, his expression calm, as if the great battle had been nothing more than routine.

"Yahan, keep these Black Dragon King's eyes safe. When we build our base later, hang them at the main gate to intimidate all comers."

The man's voice was gentle but firm.

With that, he casually tossed two fist-sized black crystal orbs to Yahan.

"Instructor, I'll keep them safe for you." The man grinned as he caught them.

Instantly, a searing heat shot through his glove to his brain. "No way, it's burning hot!!"

Yahan exclaimed, his eyes involuntarily fixed on the two black dragon eyes.

Lifelike, they flickered with savage, murderous glints, as if alive.

Even as an Intermediate War God, Yahan was stunned, his heart shaken!

"Don't look directly at them. After all, this Black Dragon King is a full tier above you—an existence on another level entirely." Seeing this, the black-clad man warned.

The cold tone jolted his mind, snapping Yahan back to reality.

"Th-thank you, Instructor!"

"Mm! Don't be so careless!"

The black-clad man 'Hong' nodded calmly. "Yahan, remember one more thing: stop snatching weapons from your brothers in the group."

"If you want something better, improve your own strength. When you're strong enough, I'll give it to you naturally."

"Got it?"

"Got it!!"

Hong's stern tone made the Intermediate War God flinch. Yahan scratched his head sheepishly. "I won't snatch from the brothers anymore, Instructor!"

I'll just snatch from outsiders... Yahan thought to himself.

"Anything special happen today?"

Hong swept his gaze over the three War Gods—Enchanting, Ice Mountain, and Beast—his look gentle.

These three had been raised by Hong since childhood, and he had personally guided them step by step to their current level.

To Enchanting, Ice Mountain, and Beast, Hong was not just an instructor but a father figure.

The bond between them surpassed that of ordinary family.

"Shua!"

At Hong's words, Beast and Enchanting first shook their heads lightly, then both turned in unison to look at Ice Mountain in the middle.

Seeing their reaction, Hong understood at once.

His gaze settled on Ice Mountain, his voice calm yet firm.

"Ice Mountain, is there something you need to report?"

"Instructor Hong, there are indeed a few matters that urgently require your decision!"

The young man named Ice Mountain, his face covered by a golden mask, looked at the man in black with burning reverence and said with utmost respect, "Instructor, the President of America has commissioned their nation's top martial artist, Mohanderson, to call and request aid."

"Requesting aid from me? Could it be about the Beast Tide following New York's fall?" Hong's voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

"Yes!" Ice Mountain nodded, then spoke deliberately, "They said in the call that if you can lead the Limit Mercenary Group to stop the sea monster tide rushing toward Scranton City, they will cover all materials and costs for building our base city.

"On top of that, they will hand over both Nuclear Bomb Technology and Laser Cannon Technology, and send experts to guide us until we're proficient."

"Most crucially, they agree to your decision to establish the War God Palace and fully support it. Mohanderson will lead a group of American War Gods to actively respond..."

Hong: "..."

"Boss, with terms this generous, maybe we should take the job?"

Before Hong could finish thinking, the burly man Beast spoke up first, his expression somewhat eager.

"These alone... aren't enough!"

The man in black cast a faint glance at Beast, then fixed his deep eyes on the young man in the golden mask, his voice ringing with resolve.

"Among that Beast Tide, aside from the severely injured Blood Demon Sky Wolf, there are also three King-level Monsters. Their strength is no small matter!"

"Tell the American government to send over a set of the Water of Life manufacturing equipment obtained from Area 51. Otherwise, any talk of support is off the table."

"One last thing—have them invite Thunder God and the Thunder and Lightning Mercenary Group as well. Otherwise, I alone cannot stop the rampage of four King-level Monsters!"

There was no politeness in Hong's words.

Even facing the foremost of the five great powers, his stance remained unyielding.

Such was the confidence born of overwhelming strength.

"Yes, Instructor!" the golden-masked man replied with some excitement, then immediately contacted the American authorities.

At that moment, Beast spoke up: "Boss, I just don't get it! You're clearly this strong—you could suppress an entire nation single-handedly. Why bother talking to them so calmly?"

"Why not just have our Limit Mercenary Group punch our way through and force them to submit?"

Everyone: "..."

The moment Beast said that.

The entire cabin fell into dead silence.

"..."

"Forcing nations into submission through sheer force might yield short-term gains, but it would also shatter the current united alliance against the monsters."

"If that happens, the great powers will each look out for themselves, unwilling to go all out against the monsters. That absolutely cannot happen!"

The man in black shook his head lightly, glanced at Beast, then turned his gaze toward the distant ocean, his tone heavy.

"Thunder God and I went to the ocean's heart some time ago to scout. A major reshuffling of top-tier monsters is underway there... Once the territories are redivided, perhaps all coastal cities worldwide will face an even more terrifying sea monster tide."

"And New York's fall... is only the beginning."