On the battlefield below, Boros stood before the gathered heroes, yet his gaze held only one person.
The prophecy was no empty threat, nor was it a lie crafted to lure them away.
At this very moment, he was savoring the joy of battle! He was reveling in the thrill of an enemy he could not easily crush!
He was intoxicated by the crisis of being at a total disadvantage, where he alone had to overcome his opponent's greatest champion to turn the tide!
"Magnificent! Alice! It seems the fate of this battlefield is entirely in our hands. Only when you fall, or I fall, will the scales of this war truly tip!"
Such arrogant words made every hero's expression darken, but the tension and crushing pressure radiating from their opponent left no doubt about the alien's terrifying power.
But... does power mean one simply retreats?
"You sure talk big... you bastard." Atomic Samurai's nerves were taut as never before. The sense of life-or-death peril he hadn't experienced in years made his aura sharp and aggressive.
He knew that if he and Bang fought seriously, that many-headed monster wouldn't last three turns against them. That was the confidence Atomic Samurai had gained after assessing the situation.
So, what level of power did this 'Lord Boros' truly possess?
"I have no interest in wasting time on small fry."
The deep blue fist appearing inches from his nose caused Atomic Samurai's pupils to constrict. Once again, he hadn't seen a thing!
He hadn't even caught how the enemy moved—was he trapped in another death sentence just like that?
BOOM!
Yet, in the split second before the fist made contact, Boros—who had been swinging the blow—suddenly twisted his body and kicked off the ground to retreat.
In his place stood a silver-white greatsword pulsating with high-tech energy.
"Don't you dare hurt Alice's companions in front of Alice!"
The girl's steady, earnest voice pulled Atomic Samurai back to his senses. As he regained his footing, he realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.
Could he have been killed in a single instant? What kind of monster was this alien? And who was this girl who could hold her own against such a being? Was it ever really necessary for them to help with Metal Knight's original plan?
Perhaps they hadn't come to help Alice—perhaps they had saved Metal Knight instead.
He had thought he'd reached the pinnacle of this world, yet to think...
Atomic Samurai's heart was heavy with complex emotions, but as a swordsman, his soul had been tempered a thousand times over. Even a setback like this wouldn't break him. Adjusting his mindset, he even managed a smile.
"Looks like I owe you one, Hero."
"Uncle Samurai is Alice's companion. Protecting companions is a matter of course!"
It was her way of saying not to take it to heart.
If anyone else had said something so patronizing—implying the natural roles of protector and protected, the strong and the weak—Atomic Samurai would surely have been enraged.
But it was Alice who said it.
Even if the girl hadn't yet displayed power far beyond his understanding, her pure and fervent sincerity only made Atomic Samurai want to chuckle and offer some mentorship from the perspective of a senior.
Though it was a lecture, his smile held not a hint of disdain.
"If you say so." He didn't intend to argue with the girl; after all, he would definitely pay this debt back later.
He turned his gaze back to Boros.
The sturdy-bodied alien had a massive gash across his waist, with purple blood spilling from the wound. To any human, it would have been a fatal injury, yet the alien didn't seem to care at all—in fact, his grin only widened.
Boros was not surprised by the injury. He had been fighting on par with the girl; the moment he forced his way past her to attack, he knew he'd leave himself open.
In truth, he could have shrugged off the injury to kill that blustering weakling on the spot, but he was facing an opponent of equal stature. Even if he could heal, he didn't want to waste too much energy on a risky move.
After all, his enemy was constantly growing stronger, and while his energy reserves were vast, they were not infinite.
This battle allowed for no waste and no errors.
As energy surged, the jagged wound began to knit itself back together. Boros wore a smile brimming with battle lust.
Alice, knowing that if she didn't strike, the opponent would seize the initiative, did not hesitate. She rushed forward, sword in hand.
Boros met her, one hand clawing toward her greatsword while the other smashed toward her head.
From their previous exchange, he had realized the difference between them: he couldn't be killed, and she couldn't be moved.
The girl's attacks were certainly effective, dealing massive damage with every strike, but his regenerative abilities allowed him to repair even that in an instant.
As for her, that shocking defense was likely tied to the halo above her head. That energy helped her mitigate damage while constantly bolstering her strength, making her grow fiercer the longer the fight lasted.
However, nothing was without a limit. Boros knew this better than anyone. Even though many of his enemies believed his energy was boundless, he was acutely aware that he, too, had a breaking point.
And conversely, the same must be true for her.
Thus, Boros decided on a battle of attrition. Since neither could break the other's defense or healing factor, he would bet on his energy reserves. He was confident he would win.
More importantly... in terms of combat technique, he certainly had the upper hand!
CRASH!
What is a battle between two top-tier powerhouses who only attack and never defend?
In just a few breaths, the two figures had streaked across A-City.
The intense heat generated by their energy and the aftershocks of their clashing blades turned everything in their path into a sea of fire and ruin.
Every collision of fist and blade generated shockwaves capable of shattering and blowing away everything within a hundred meters, with massive pressure waves rippling out for a kilometer before dissipating. A storm was ravaging everything on the battlefield.
The heroes had long since noticed the situation.
It wasn't just Bang's group; those clearing out ground troops, those in the sky, and even those fighting other cadre members—anyone in the city could not ignore the battle.
"It's like they're in a different dimension..." Tanktop Master watched from afar, his skin stinging from the sheer pressure. The conflict could only be described as a natural disaster.
"So strong...!" Genos funneled almost all his processing power into his sensors, staring at the battle with laser focus.
"How will this end...?" Child Emperor's face was filled with worry.
He wanted to help, or at least provide support, but from what he could see, he or his machines would be pulverized by the mere shockwaves of their clash the moment they entered that 'storm.'
Not just him—everyone watching the battle felt the same.
This sense of powerlessness, where life and death were entirely out of their control... how long had it been since they had felt this?
Among the crowd, only Saitama's face remained void of worry or anxiety. It was unnervingly calm.
Yet, in those seemingly vacant, dead-fish eyes, there was a glimmer of longing and envy.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL