The realization that their target was not the monstrous, screaming Legendary Super Saiyan Broly—but the cheerfully oblivious Goku—hit the Nexus Seven with the force of an un-deflected Kamehameha.
"The Anchor Point is the one who smells of pure, innocent desire for combat," Tanjiro confirmed, eyes wide with horror, pointing at the Saiyan in orange. "If we neutralize his desire, the universe will stabilize."
"Neutralize his desire?" Kazuma shrieked, clutching his newly acquired minivan-sized Mana Stone. "He just fought a giant green monster for fun! That's his whole thing! We have to punch him! Saitama-san, you're up!"
Goku, hearing the name, instantly stopped fighting Broly. Broly, confused by the sudden lapse in attention, simply roared and fired a Ki Blast at Vegeta.
Goku landed directly in front of the Nexus Seven, his Super Saiyan Blue form radiating golden-blue Ki that peeled the paint off Jin-Woo's armor.
"Hey! You guys are definitely the strong ones!" Goku beamed, looking particularly excited by Jin-Woo and Gojo. "My name is Goku! I felt your power when you made that giant bouncy ball! Are you aliens? Demons? I don't care! You smell like fun! Fight me!"
The Nexus Seven's collective consciousness—the link that allowed them to understand each other's abilities—screamed: Saitama is the only one with the raw kinetic power to challenge this.
Saitama stepped forward, his expression utterly flat. He wasn't bored by Goku's power; he was bored by Goku's premise.
"You want a fight?" Saitama asked, sighing. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
Saitama raised his fist. This was not a casual punch. This was a Serious Punch. The air around his fist didn't just compress; it conceptually separated, twisting the reality of the Dragon Ball universe itself.
Goku met the attack instinctively. He powered up further, instantly shifting his mind into Ultra Instinct – Sign. His body moved before his brain registered the threat, dodging the raw force by less than a millimeter.
The Serious Punch missed Goku's physical form. It hit the empty air behind him, carving a trench 500 miles long and vaporizing a chain of mountains on the horizon. The force sent a blast wave that almost knocked the planet out of orbit.
Goku landed softly, his expression shifting from excited to intensely serious, then back to confused.
"Whoa! That was close!" Goku exclaimed, excited but puzzled. "You're fast! But... why did you hold back so much? You missed me by a mile!"
Saitama lowered his fist. He wasn't surprised.
"I didn't hold back," Saitama replied, his voice still monotone. "I hit the space you were just in. You weren't faster. You were just in a different spot."
The true effect of the punch wasn't physical destruction; it was Conceptual Negation.
Goku's Ultra Instinct, an ability driven by pure, unthinking fighting instinct, was designed to counter the chaotic destruction of physical strength. But Saitama's power was conceptually simple: One Punch is Enough.
When Goku dodged, he realized two things:
He couldn't sense Saitama's Ki at all.
The immense power of the punch was utterly, fundamentally boring. It had no malicious intent, no artistic flourish, and no passionate fighting spirit—just overwhelming kinetic simplicity.
The clash achieved two objectives for the Nexus team:
Objective A: Confirming Anchor Point Strength. Goku was too fast, too durable, and too conceptually focused to be defeated by raw strength alone.
Objective B: Weaponizing Mundanity. Saitama's lack of passion was a direct conceptual counter. It chipped away at Goku's fighting joy.
Goku looked at Saitama with a frown, the first sign of dissatisfaction. "Huh. You're really strong, but... you're not having any fun. It's not a fun fight at all."
Saitama stared at him, his empty expression the ultimate counter-argument to Goku's entire existence.
"Fighting isn't fun," Saitama deadpanned. "It's a chore. Now, tell me, where is the nearest grocery store with a good sale on meat?"
The question of mundane economics, juxtaposed against a planet-shattering punch, was a conceptual hammer blow. Goku visibly deflated, his Super Saiyan Blue hair flickering slightly.
"A grocery store?" Goku repeated, looking genuinely confused and slightly disheartened. "I... I don't know. Vegeta might know."
Vegeta, meanwhile, was completely wrapped up in a new, high-stakes duel with the re-engaged Broly.
Gojo Satoru floated down between the two. "See, Goku? He's not interested in your screaming match. You're too simple for him. You need someone with actual style."
Goku's desire for combat was momentarily put on hold, replaced by a slight, creeping feeling of Boredom.
"The bald man's concept—Absolute Mundanity—created a momentary conceptual opening," Jin-Woo observed. "We must exploit this. Gojo, your turn. You are the only one who can conceptually trap him."
Gojo adjusted his blindfold, a confident smile returning. "Finally. Time for some aesthetic violence.
Goku looked at the group, his eagerness only slightly dimmed. "Okay, so the bald guy doesn't want to fight. Maybe you do! You look like you know how to break things conceptually!"
Gojo pointed two fingers at Goku. "I'm going to teach you a lesson, Saiyan. I'm going to show you what it feels like when your endless power means absolutely nothing."
The next clash would be between Gojo's Concept of Infinity and Goku's Concept of Limitless Growth. The stakes had just been raised from planetary survival to conceptual existence.