Heatblast Unleashed!
12: Chapter 12: Confrontation with the Human Torch!
Heatblast Unleashed!
Nearly crashing into the warehouse wall, Johnny managed to brake with his feet and steady himself.
Clutching his chest, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, he glared viciously at Four Arms.
*Damn it, if you’d said you had that much strength earlier, I definitely wouldn’t have tanked that punch!* If anyone else were here, they’d be bewildered as to why Owen had two mutant abilities.
But Johnny wasn’t an ordinary person—he loved excitement.
A heatwave surged forward with a *boom*.
Johnny transformed into the Human Torch, his fierce gaze turning into an eager fighting spirit.
Who the hell rode a motorcycle if they were normal in the head?!
If the opponent wasn’t strong, fighting them would be boring.
“I’m giving that punch right back!” Johnny smirked, his flaming body slowly levitating into the air.
However, his cool moment didn’t last three seconds.
Because his eyes were fixed straight on Four Arms, he didn’t pay attention, and *thud*—his head slammed right into the ceiling.
The smile on Johnny’s face stiffened visibly before recovering.
Pretending nothing had happened, his body honestly lowered its levitation height.
[Combat EXP +5%] The big toe of Heatblast’s silhouette lit up.
Receiving feedback from that punch, Four Arms took a step forward and waved his hands mockingly: “Come on, flashy little firecracker.” Johnny’s competitive spirit was thoroughly stoked.
Right as he was about to attack, he instinctively paused and glanced at his beloved motorcycle.
After a moment’s thought, he pointed a single finger and shot out only a thumb-thick ray of fire.
Four Arms cooperated by backflipping out of the warehouse into the open campsite outside.
He had come to unlock an alien hero, not to make an enemy.
Johnny quickly flew out after him.
Seeing Johnny about to attack again in midair, Four Arms couldn’t help stretching out a hand: “Hold on!” “Don’t you know *that* trick?
If you master it, your fire will hit 100% of the time.” “…What trick?” “Flame Kata, of course!” Seeing Four Arms looking deeply grieved, Johnny raised an eyebrow in confusion: “What the hell is Flame Kata?” Accompanying his words with hand gestures, Four Arms explained earnestly: “It’s my secret technique, modified from Gun Kata.” “Simply put, the moment the fire shoots out, our wrists snap rapidly!
That rapid movement imparts a horizontal acceleration to the projectile, creating an arc.
The faster the wrist snaps, the more perfect the arc!
That…
is Flame!
Ka!
Ta!” “…” Johnny rolled his eyes up, working through the logic in his mind.
Vaguely, he seemed to visualize a beam of fire that curved around corners after being shot.
Realizing he was being played, Johnny blew a fuse: “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Say what you want, he was a former astronaut with basic scientific knowledge.
Flame Kata modified from Gun Kata?
Come on, tell me, what kind of bullet curves after being fired?!
Has physics ceased to exist?!
Four Arms sighed: “I’ll buy you some melon seeds later.” Johnny laughed again, thinking *that’s more like it*—at least he knew to apologize after messing with someone.
However, now was not the time to make friends.
The fire in his chest hadn’t been vented yet!
Pulling his hands back and then thrusting them forward violently, Johnny released a massive pillar of fire from his palms that was completely out of proportion with his body size.
Four Arms hunched over, guarding his head with four arms.
His formidable defense worked once again.
As his body was completely swallowed by the pillar of flame, Owen merely felt a bit hot.
At the same time, notification messages bombarded his mind like spam texts: [Combat EXP +7%] [Combat EXP +3%] [Combat EXP +5%] However, the continuous impact of the fire column kept pushing Four Arms backward, his feet carving a trench several meters long in the dirt.
After blasting fire for a while, Johnny satisfiedly felt it should be enough and cut off the flames.
Against a guy who was suppressed right from the start to the point he couldn’t even raise his head, there was no need to keep pressing.
Thinking the guy might beg for mercy next, Johnny felt a sense of vindication, his breathing much smoother.
“Heh, that’s what you get for messing with me!” As the fire pillar dissipated, Four Arms’ body was glowing red and emitting white steam, completely motionless.
Johnny couldn’t help smirking at the sight.
*Realized the gap between us?
Then beg me to go easy on you!* The next moment, Four Arms moved his hands away from his head and grinned.
Johnny frowned.
*He’s completely fine?!* Before Johnny could react, Four Arms casually grabbed an adult-sized boulder from beside him and hurled it.
The speed and force were no less than a bullet fresh out of the chamber!
Johnny scrambled to dodge sideways, watching the boulder graze the tip of his nose.
His heart skipped a beat again, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
“That rock was at least three or four tons.” “To chuck a three- or four-ton boulder like a toy…
just how strong is this guy?” With shocking strength combined with insane durability, Johnny’s expression turned grave.
He finally realized Four Arms was much stronger than he thought!
Refocusing his gaze, Johnny grinned as well.
So what!
Could the guy even touch him?
Jets of fire spewed from his hands once more, merging into a column of flame that locked onto Four Arms.
Flames blazed under his feet as Johnny moved rapidly in midair.
From a distance, it looked just like a dragon spewing fire breath.
If Four Arms had any weakness, it was his movement speed—he could be quick, but not high-speed.
As long as Johnny maintained high-speed flight in midair, there really wasn’t much Four Arms could do to him.
For various reasons, Four Arms still chose defense—the most cost-effective method.
[Combat EXP +1%] [Combat EXP +0.7%] [Combat EXP +6%] This fire pillar was fiercer and lasted longer than before, roasting him from 360 degrees.
Johnny gave a smug smirk, refusing to believe he could hold out this time.
Not forgetting this was supposed to be a playful match, Johnny laughed loudly: “If you beg for mercy, I’ll spare you!
How about it?” Inside the fire column, Owen’s indifferent voice drifted out: “Your attack…” Owen deliberately slowed his speech: “…is pretty weak.” Hearing this, Johnny’s previous concern turned into rage, and his assault intensified.
*Pretty weak?!* With the assault ramping up, the dazzling pillar of fire radiated rolling waves of heat, illuminating the surroundings.
In Owen’s mind, it was like a power bank charging up—Heatblast’s silhouette was now lit all the way up to his belly button.
Having vented his emotions, Johnny felt a bit reluctant.
This was the first time he used an attack of this intensity against a non-criminal.
He couldn’t guarantee nothing would go wrong.
Asking out of concern, Johnny’s tone softened: “Is that enough, pal?
Have you learned how tough I am?” Under the intense scorching heat, Owen felt like his bones were about to melt!
But seeing the progress bar reach his neck, he grit his teeth and hung on.
“That’s it?
Heh, feels like you haven’t eaten.” Hearing the most extreme taunt delivered in the flatly calm tone, Johnny froze for two seconds before his eyes turned blood-red.
He let out a roaring shriek: “Fine, fine, fine!
Haven’t eaten, huh?!” “I’ll fucking go all out on you!!!” In an instant, the fire pillar expanded several times over, swallowing the surrounding wild field.
Inside the crimson pillar of fire, Four Arms’ figure was completely engulfed.
Not knowing how long it lasted, Johnny snapped back to his senses and hastily eased off the attack.
“H-how about now?” From within the fire pillar came Owen’s trembling voice: “Pretty…
weak.” Johnny almost cried upon hearing that.
*Dude, stop saying ‘pretty weak’!
I can fucking smell cooked meat!* He hurriedly stopped and looked closely.
Sure enough, Four Arms’ entire body was glowing red like a cooked lobster!
His eyes were unfocused, looking barely alive, yet that weird, foolish grin still hung on his lips.
A mouthwatering aroma of roasted meat drifted in the air.
Seeing this, Johnny was terrified out of his wits: “I think…
I roasted him alive…” Then, Johnny slapped his forehead in regret, cursing himself inside.
He was just that kind of guy—just like his powers, quick-tempered and easily ignited.
This was an unintentional act in the heat of passion, but he was still responsible for it.
Just as Johnny was breaking down, wondering what to do next, he saw Four Arms switch to Wildvine, then quickly switch back to Four Arms.
“Huh?” Seeing Four Arms completely healed without a scratch, looking completely unfazed, Johnny was stunned.
Then, Johnny seemed like a changed man, his face calming down as never before.
Instinct told him the guy in front of him was far more dangerous and powerful than he had imagined!
Even if he went all out, he might not win.
Completely unkillable?
What kind of monster is this?
Re-evaluating Four Arms, Johnny adjusted the fire under his feet and flew higher.
He understood he might not be able to defeat Four Arms, but he also understood Four Arms definitely couldn’t defeat him!
Nothing else—just speed!
Even if he truly couldn’t be killed, he couldn’t touch him either!
Switching to Wildvine to heal all his injuries, Four Arms burst into an ecstatic grin.
Heatblast, unlocked successfully!
*Human Torch, huh?
I’m gonna snatch your hood off your damn head!*