'They are not dying…'
Though effective, the raining weapons were not strong enough to get rid of the monsters completely.
Whatever their skin was made of, it was tough as hell.
Also, they seemed to have a high level of regeneration, which complicated things a whole lot.
To kill them, he attempted to coat his makeshift weapons with his pyrokinesis and shadows, hoping the extra damage would help in some way.
But that proved fruitless.
If it was Frostmourne which he was holding, there would be no issue. Even doing so with a few dozen floating swords would be alright.
But thousands of weapons?
It already took an absurd amount of concentration to achieve such a feat.
Having infinite energy reserves was one thing, but using several powers at the same time, especially active ones, on such a large scale was too much for the current him.
'Well, let's try something else.'
Just as a new idea popped up in Adam's head, a sonic explosion took place next to him.
*BOOM!*
When he looked in the direction the sound came from, he found his father holding a decapitated creature, while an eviscerated one lay on his feet in a gruesome way.
"You proved your point, son. But you won't be able to kill them with just that. What you have in versatility, you lack it in strength, at least against these creatures. "
Adam knew he was right, but this is exactly what he needed.
Raiding SS-Rank dungeons was no longer enough for him. Which sucked, as it was hard to raid them with the strength of his army alone. He and his commanders had to intervene to complete these raids.
'Ragnar and the girls will have it hard on their side… though with Luffy and the others' help they should get through. Especially if he can awaken 'that'."
The pace at which he was leveling up decreased tremendously after his last power up, which brought to his attention the fact that the more his stats increased, even without leveling up, the harder obtaining experience was.
This is the main reason why his level barely changed in a week's time.
It felt as if the world itself wanted to balance his absurd growth rate.
"I know, I'm just trying things out."
Having sent the surroundings monsters away after the explosion that came from his assault gave Kenji the time to respond to his son, a tinge of disapproval in his voice.
"Adam don't get conceited. This isn't the time to 'try things out'. This is a battlefield, one in which any of us could die."
'That won't happen under my watch, but it's not like I can say that to you, pops…'
Adam recalled his makeshift weapons, which acted as a signal for the others hunter to move.
*Bam!*
"Not bad kid!"
Adam almost fell over his forehead when the old man carrying the big naginata "patted" his back.
"But leave the heavy lifting to us old folks, you gotta save your strength."
*CRACK*
'Shit!'
What the young hunter saw next, was any One Piece's fan wet dream.
Space, as if it was a frail mirror, cracked into pieces. From that alone, turbulent winds sent the remaining forces of creatures out of the way, some of which were crushed into a puddle of gray blood.
"That's right, you showed off enough already. I can now see why "F-Rank" felt odd when you said it. "
The man named Hashirama made a hand gesture and briefly after hundreds of roots came out of the ground, impaling dozens of monsters and injuring some.
"Can't really say the same, I probably can take a few of these bastards out but I'm too old for this…"
Makarov was in his giant form, squashing down on a grey creature mercilessly.
" HAHAHA, you still have the spirit of a hunter, gramps! That's all that matters."
All-might, on the other hand, was fighting a group of monsters with a bit of difficulty, landing blows that though unlethal, still proved to be enough to kill one or two of them before they could regenerate.
' SS-Rank my ass. These two may be weaker than those three monsters, but they are well within the lower realms of the SSS-Rank.'
Once in that existential realm, every phase within it was like a rank of its own. Adam could tell they were tougher than what their supposed hunter rank told.
So was the case with many hunters on this planet.
"Adam."
A hand gently held Adam's shoulder, its warmth bringing him out of his inner thoughts.
"That was too dangerous even for you, one wrong step and you could've died."
Irene looked the most worried out of everyone, still not participating in the battle.
"*Sigh* What am I going to do with you?"
She looked confused at Adam's answer, expecting a cheeky remark instead of the loving smile he currently sported.
"Ok everyone, I apologize for taking the lead in such a sudden way."
The hunters, even Tatsumaki at the back, who wasn't participating yet, listened to Adam attentively as he raised his voice. Awaiting an apology from the youngster.
"But, as I said, I was just trying things out."
Confusion was present once again on the battlefield, the horde of monsters consistent in their approach.
"Let's get a bit more serious now."
His shadow expanded, to the point where the entire battlefield was coated by it.
"Arise."
And then it happened.
" W-what the fuck is that!?"
The esper girl couldn't believe her eyes, but who could blame her?
What was a group of 9, including the fainted Alice and her, had now grown into an army of tens of thousands. The disparity in numbers was so great that it looked unfair.
"My lord."
A man with a handsome face, white hair and a pair of black wings, kneeled before Adam, his head down as he wasn't daring enough to look him in the eyes.
"Seraph, I take it you're ready?"
The man in question stood up before his liege, a fist firmly held across his chest.
"I am, my lord."
Adam nodded with a smile, happy that his newest addition to the legion was itching for action.
"Good, I expect a lot from you."
His eyes then darted behind Seraph, where three kneeling figures could be seen.
"You three as well, if you guys want to get your own battalion you have to prove yourselves today."
"Our Lord's wishes are our own." X3
These three individuals were his strongest shadows. Even more so than his commanders.
They were the only SSS-Ranked in his army. The previous bosses of the SS-Ranked dungeons he and his commanders raided last week.
Even Adam alone couldn't completely take them down, as they were too powerful for him to do so.
Like any other boss monster, they were naturally superior to the average monster in their rank. Defeating them wasn't as easy as defeating these gray creatures.
'Honestly, they are more than qualified already. But I gotta respect the hierarchy even if superficially. My shadows are nothing like the ones in 'Solo Leveling'. They may obey me as religiously as they obeyed Sung Jinwoo, but their intellect is frightening. They always evolve to resemble me, a human. Be it speaking, their appearance, feelings. Their behavior is nothing like a monster's anymore.'
Excluding the monsters they used to command, the others wouldn't fully accept them unless they proved their might. Something that Adam couldn't ignore.
Respect was something unneeded. He was their god after all. No shadow would question his commands.
Yet, he wanted to respect them.
The moment they became his shadows, they became a part of him, an extension of his power.
'They deserve this much.'
Once his shadow reverted to its original size, the battlefield was filled to the brim with S to SS-Rank monsters.
Though significantly weaker than his Commanders individually, this super battalion could overpower them easily, which is the reason why Adam commanded it.
15,000 S-Ranks, 500 SS-Ranks, 1 SS-Rank Boss, 3 SSS-Rank bosses. What seemed like a tough battle had just turned into an even warzone.
Yes, even now, the hunters were not in an advantageous situation.
That was the might of the SSS-Rank.
" A-adam?"
Looking back at Irene, Adam had a sudden realization.
'Oh right, she didn't know…'
"I will explain later." He said to her.
Before anyone could ask any questions, Adam's body was engulfed in shadows, and a moment later, a knight black armor hugged his body tightly.
"Long story short, they are on our side. Do not fight them, and don't try to give them directions, they know what they are doing-"
*CLASH!*
As he was standing in the very frontlines, the moment the enemy attacked, he was met with its assault directly.
"Oi, I'm not done talking."
The creature's arm had shaped into a sharp blade, its cutting edge being opposed by Adam's two-handed sword while he still looked toward his hunter colleagues.
"As I was saying-"
*SLASH!*
"-they know what they are doing, so trust them."
The hunters could only sigh at the absurdity.
The same young hunter who could only immobilize these abominations a minute ago, had just bisected one of those same abominations cleanly in half. Killing it instantly.
"Gorororo. This brat is getting more and more interesting by the second! Now I'm pumped up!"
"Same here. My brother won't believe it when I tell him."
"Can't really blame him. Even Gildarts would think twice before fighting this guy."
" HAHAHA. You're so plus ultra, young man!"
"Can you guys focus already!? And what's with this dialogue? Did you plan this beforehand?"
All the men in the battlefield, shadows included, looked at Irene mockingly.
'She doesn't get it.'
The men thought in unison.
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Last chapter of the update coming right up...