Bang's expression was more solemn than ever. Having witnessed KING deal with the meteor, he no longer doubted his strength.
He wanted to see it—the scenery at the summit of the man called "the strongest on the surface."
Inside, Lin Mo was a roiling sea.
He drew a deep breath, trying to steady the drumbeat in his chest—only for the Emperor Engine's rumble to swell even deeper and heavier.
He rose slowly from his seat. A simple motion, yet it took him extraordinary effort.
His gaze swept over Bang's aged face, lined with anticipation and battle spirit, then drifted past him to the large tree in the dojo courtyard.
He even wondered whether, once fists flew for real, he would be punched into the air and left hanging from that tree.
"Master Bang…" Lin Mo finally spoke. His voice came out dry and hoarse with nerves.
"I cannot 'spar' with you."
The words dropped like a stone into a still lake, rippling outward.
Bang's brow creased. Was the old man being looked down on?
Just as the moment teetered toward awkwardness, Genos, standing to the side, was struck by a flash of revelation.
He stepped forward at once, placing himself between Lin Mo and Bang, bowing deeply as he explained:
"Master Bang, forgive my bluntness—you have misunderstood Mr. KING. For Mr. KING, the concept of 'sparring' does not exist."
"Oh?" Bang lowered his stance and fixed a piercing look on the up-and-coming S-Class cyborg.
He wanted to hear what explanation this disciple recognized by KING could offer.
Data flickered through Genos's eyes. He analyzed in a precise tone: "Power output has thresholds."
"My Incineration Cannon can adjust output. Your Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist can modulate force. Even Teacher Saitama… perhaps he can barely restrain himself enough not to kill."
"But Mr. KING is different."
Genos's words rang like iron:
"Once the Emperor Engine runs at full power, the result is inevitably destruction. He is not refusing to spar with you—he is protecting you, and protecting this dojo. He cannot, and does not wish to, make a move."
The explanation—so plausible on its face—made Bang's whole body jolt.
He remembered KING's golden net over the whole city, the precise annihilation of every meteor fragment.
To split power that could erase everything into countless threads—was that not itself an almost impossible act of control?
And now, in the face of a mere one-on-one "exchange," he could not compress that force to a level safe for trading moves.
The slightest leak would spell utter ruin for both himself and the dojo.
"I understand." Cold sweat beaded again on Bang's brow as he completely withdrew his stance.
Seeing this, the huge stone suspended in Lin Mo's heart finally crashed to the ground.
He praised Genos silently with wild fervor: Nicely done, Genos!
He decided to strike while the iron was hot and end the topic for good.
"System, raise my Spirit to 70."
[Spirit +55, energy points −5500!]
In an instant, an indescribable coolness spread from deep within Lin Mo's mind.
What had been muddled by nerves snapped into unprecedented clarity.
He could even "see" the utterly different currents of aura flowing over Bang and Genos.
Lin Mo slowly lifted his right hand. Extending a single finger, he pointed across several meters at the ceramic teacup on the low table—the one Charanko had just filled.
"Watch," Lin Mo said—only a single word.
All eyes fixed on that unremarkable teacup.
You could hear a pin drop in the dojo.
Only the Emperor Engine's rumble continued.
Under their gaze, a fine, near-imperceptible hairline appeared on the cup's surface.
An ordinary person would never have noticed had the people present not been exceptional.
Then, with a tiny click, the crack crept from rim to base.
There had been no energy fluctuation, no external contact.
"As expected! With Spirit enhanced, I can use mental force! Weak, but enough!" Lin Mo exulted inwardly, his face outwardly the placid mask of a "master."
"Th-this…" Charanko's legs gave out and he plopped onto the floor, unable to form words.
The scene before him had overturned his sense of reality.
Reverence glinted in Genos's eyes. "The residual wave of combat will alone can interfere with matter… Is this the realm of the strongest on the surface…"
"Win without a move… subdue the enemy without fighting…" Bang murmured, then bowed to Lin Mo.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. KING. The old man… is enlightened."
Crisis, at last, had been resolved perfectly—in a way Lin Mo had never imagined.
The boulder in Lin Mo's chest dropped with a crash. Afraid that Bang—or someone—might "attain enlightenment" and ask for more "instruction," he shifted the topic with abrupt bluntness:
He had been talking dueling one second and hopped to such a down-to-earth subject the next—the whiplash left both Bang and Genos blinking.
"That's right, that's right!" Saitama was first to catch up. Rubbing his gleaming scalp, eyes bright: "After all that talk, let's go get hotpot! There's a new place nearby—beef's on special!"
"Teacher…" Genos looked helpless, but bowed at once.
"Teacher's suggestion is highly constructive. After successive battles (even if it was others battling), replenishing energy is essential."
Bang came back to himself, looked at the three strong men of such different temperaments, and suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! Well said! You can't train on an empty stomach!" The heavy mood vanished; he was all geniality.
"A new shop? None can beat home! I happen to have excellent beef and vegetables here. If you don't mind, how about hotpot here at the dojo?"
"Oh, oh! Perfect!" Saitama was happy as a kid.
Lin Mo rejoiced inwardly too—he could finally relax. He sat back down, nodded, and said:
Watching Bang and Charanko bustle about with ingredients—and Saitama and Genos animatedly debate dipping sauces—Lin Mo leaned against a pillar and let out a long breath.
The sun was just right, the breeze mild. Not bad at all.
-------
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