A devastating shockwave swept over them.

Even separated by several thousand meters, that brutal force still made everyone's hearts pound.

The surviving Professionals turned pale and quickly deployed their defensive barriers.

Yet, before the shockwave, the barriers were as fragile as a candle flame in the wind, shaking violently as if they would shatter the next second.

"Hold steady! Everyone, hold steady!"

The commander of the City Guard roared hoarsely, joining hands with several comrades to raise a massive golden light shield, barely managing to block the front of the crowd.

Even so, everyone was still pushed back repeatedly by that immense force.

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, and distant buildings collapsed in swathes.

The end of the world could be no worse than this.

After a long time, when the deafening roar finally faded, only a deathly silence remained between heaven and earth.

Everyone looked with lingering fear at the mushroom cloud slowly rising in the distance, their faces showing the relief and shock of surviving a great catastrophe.

"Wha... what was that just now?"

The voice of a young Professional trembled; his recently formed shield had already shattered, and he was now sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

"A Hell-level BOSS... self-destructed?"

A seasoned veteran nearby also looked extremely grim.

He stared intently at the district that had turned into ruins, his voice hoarse.

"I have never seen a sight like this in my life."

"This power is no less than that of a small-yield nuclear bomb."

Panic and unease quickly spread through the crowd.

"Who did this? [N O V E L I G H T] Was it a terrorist attack by a hostile nation?"

"I think I saw Lord Qin Ze just now. Did he make a move?"

"No! I saw it clearly! It was a giant bug! It drilled out from underground!"

Various speculations and discussions rose and fell, but no one could give a definite answer.

They only knew that in that instant, they had been separated from death by a hair's breadth.

The ones who likely died the most were the ordinary people who had come to Takamagahara to work.

They lacked the robust physique of Professionals, and even more so, the life-saving skills.

In that explosion, they, along with the shops and restaurants where they worked, were instantly vaporized, leaving behind not even a speck of dust.

"Where is Lord Wada Hirayama?"

Finally, someone remembered the figure who had rushed into the core of the explosion, their voice filled with anxiety.

"He... he'll be alright, won't he?"

This question was like a heavy boulder, weighing down on everyone's hearts.

That was an SS-Class Expert, one of the guardian gods of Sakura Country.

But the power of that explosion just now had far exceeded common sense.

Everyone's hearts tightened as they stared fixedly at the heavy smoke and dust that had not yet dispersed.

Time, at this moment, became incredibly long.

Finally, a night breeze blew through.

A corner of the rolling smoke and dust was dispersed.

A tall figure slowly appeared above the ruins.

"It's Lord Wada Hirayama!"

"He's fine! That's wonderful!"

A burst of ecstatic cheers erupted from the crowd, celebrating their survival.

But when the smoke completely cleared and they saw the figure's specific appearance, everyone's cheering abruptly stopped.

Wada Hirayama was still suspended in mid-air.

But the black kimono he wore had become tattered and ragged.

His exposed skin was covered in fine, dense marks from the energy burns.

A trickle of blood was slowly flowing down the corner of his aged mouth.

He looked utterly wretched.

However, in his hand, there was an additional circular shield crafted entirely from gold.

The shield was currently emitting a faint glow, like a flickering candle in the wind.

"Is that the Legendary equipment, the 'Heavenly God's Aegis'?"

It was one of Wada Hirayama's ultimate life-saving pieces of equipment.

Yet, the shield was now covered in fine cracks.

Wada Hirayama frowned deeply.

This time, he had suffered a huge loss.

An enormous loss.

He had bought the "Heavenly God's Aegis" years ago for a fortune from the Divine Craftsman Ōmiya Haruto.

Over the years, it had blocked countless fatal attacks for him, making it one of his most crucial trump cards.

But now, it was almost completely ruined.

It had been forcibly traded away by a Hell-level BOSS that appeared out of nowhere, using the most unreasonable method possible: self-destruction.

What utter humiliation!

Zhou Huai was also somewhat disappointed.

The Abyssal Mother Bug Leviathan was, after all, a Hell-level BOSS.

At its Peak, its HP limit was over five million.

Under Caesar's skill buff, it should have been able to inflict at least twenty-five million damage.

With such terrifying damage output, Zhou Huai had expected that old man Wada Hirayama would be severely injured, even if he didn't die.

Yet, he was standing there perfectly fine.

He just looked a bit disheveled.

Sure enough, one could not underestimate the hidden resources of every SS-Class old expert.

The Legendary equipment they possessed might be even more extensive than he had anticipated.

However, the goal had been achieved.

Zhou Huai calmed his mind, controlled Caesar to blend into the chaotic crowd below, and prepared to leave quietly.

He had done everything he could.

To buy time for Soma Kosuke, he had even made a Hell-level BOSS self-destruct.

If he continued the fight, Caesar's identity might truly be at risk of exposure.

It was best to quit while ahead.

In any case, the objective of delaying Wada Hirayama had been accomplished.

Now that the opponent knew there was a suspected SS-Class Professional mixed within the crowd, he absolutely wouldn't dare risk entering Soma Kosuke's painting again.

Above Takamagahara, Wada Hirayama forcibly suppressed his surging Qi and blood, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

His sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, swept inch by inch over the chaotic crowd below.

That Hell-level BOSS definitely hadn't run out on its own.

It must have been controlled by a Professional.

Moreover, it was definitely an SS-Class Professional.

Wada Hirayama was confident that if there truly was an SS-Class hidden among the people below, he would certainly be able to find him.

However, what he didn't know was that Caesar was wearing the Legendary equipment, the 【token of the faceless】.

This equipment could perfectly conceal all aura; even specialized detection instruments couldn't spot any anomalies.

Wada Hirayama was not a perception-type Professional, making it even less likely for him to detect Caesar's abnormality.

He searched several times, but found nothing.

This made the anger in his heart burn even hotter.

"Dee—woo—"

Piercing sirens sounded, moving from far away to near.

Dozens of armored vehicles bearing the insignia of the Sakura Country City Guard roared through the smoke and dust and stopped at the edge of the ruins.

The doors sprang open.

Hundreds of fully armed City Guard soldiers rushed out, quickly set up a cordon, and began evacuating the crowd.

A middle-aged man wearing the rank insignia of a captain on his shoulder jumped down from the command vehicle.

He looked at the horrific scene before him, which resembled an area hit by a meteor strike, and his pupils violently contracted.

"Baka!"

He cursed angrily, the muscles on his face contorted with rage.

"What in the world happened here?!"

An adjutant immediately stepped forward, pointing at the tall figure in the sky, his voice trembling.

"Captain Tanaka, look! It's... it's Lord Wada Hirayama!"

The man called Captain Tanaka looked up, and upon seeing Wada Hirayama's figure, the anger on his face instantly turned into reverence.

He quickly straightened his collar, hurried to the edge of the ruins, looked up, and shouted loudly.

"Lord Wada Hirayama! Tanaka, Captain of the Takamagahara Third City Guard, is here by order to provide assistance!"

"What happened here? Do you require our assistance?"

Wada Hirayama was in an extremely bad mood and couldn't be bothered to explain, so he simply said:

"Seal off the area. Contain everyone present in the vicinity. Do not let a single person leave!"