Chapter 181: Fireworks Made of Planets
King threw another punch, but this time it didn't land on Saitama's face. Instead, Saitama caught his wrist in a death grip.
"Got you."
Saitama's aura spiked again. He squeezed King's captured wrist until the bones creaked and groaned. Then, reaching out with his other hand, he grabbed King's head and slammed it forward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Veins bulged on Saitama's arms as every muscle fiber exploded with berserk power. Pinning King by the face, he launched a full-throttle charge.
With the crisp sound of glass shattering, the duo smashed right through the fabric of reality, tumbling out of the "Surface Space" and into the chaotic tides of the Dimensional Turbulence.
Swept by the silver ocean of spatial currents, King violently snapped his own trapped wrist to break the grip. Under his control, the severed hand reattached and healed in the next second.
The two resumed their exchange of blows. However, the battlefield was no longer the starry sky of the physical universe, but the deep, unstable layers of space-time.
This was the core of the universe. Normal planets and galaxies existed only in the "Surface Space." Only those with enough power to tear reality apart could reach this deep dimension filled with spatial storms.
Every wisp of this dimensional turbulence carried enough energy to annihilate a world. Even a God-level monster wouldn't dare touch it carelessly, for fear of being shredded instantly.
Yet, within this vast, silver ocean of chaos, two figures flickered and collided. Every punch sent the spatial tides into a frenzy; every strike shattered the currents around them.
King caught one of Saitama's fists and countered with a vicious, heavy elbow strike—aimed directly at Saitama's "jewels."
A faint sound of something "cracking" echoed through the void. Saitama's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and veins throbbed on his shiny bald head.
Grimacing in pure agony, Saitama reflexively extended two fingers, stabbing them toward King's face.
Just as King prepared to dodge, he felt a sudden weight on his head. Two palms had clamped onto the sides of his skull, pinning him in place.
King froze. Even as he tried to struggle, his brain stalled.
Wait... if I remember correctly... Saitama is using one hand to poke my eyes... and two other hands to hold my head...
WHERE THE HELL DID THE THIRD HAND COME FROM?!
King looked closely and realized that from behind Saitama's back, an arm seemingly composed of pure energy had materialized. And it wasn't just one—there were four extra arms.
Saitama's fingers didn't hesitate, plunging straight into King's eye sockets. The eyeballs burst instantly, and crimson blood sprayed into the silver void.
King didn't care about such a minor injury. He shook his head, and a new pair of eyes grew back in a blink. He looked at Saitama with genuine curiosity.
"Saitama... how did you grow four extra arms?"
Saitama looked a bit confused himself. He subconsciously clenched his six fists, and the energy arms behind him mirrored the motion perfectly.
"I don't know. I just felt like I didn't have enough hands to trade punches with you. I thought about it really hard, and then these four extra arms just popped out. They look like energy, don't they?"
King: "......"
I guess when you ARE the rules of the universe, logic is optional.
King realized that no matter how many "impossible" things the Bald Demon did, he shouldn't be surprised anymore. But he wasn't going to let Saitama have all the fun.
Time to innovate.
With that thought, King triggered his [Energy Mastery]. Dozens of golden arms began to manifest behind him. He radiated a brilliant, divine light, looking like a multi-armed deity descended from the heavens.
This time, it was the Bald Demon's turn to be stunned.
Saitama's face went deadpan as he pointed at the halo of arms behind King.
"King... yours are way more excessive than mine!"
After a brief round of mutual roasting, the two charged again, initiating a new cycle of carnage.
In the deepest layers of space, two demonic silhouettes traded blows. Everywhere they passed, they left behind persistent energy fields that refused to dissipate.
If the spatial turbulence here was an ocean, a single drop splashed from their clash would be enough to one-shot Meteoric Burst Boros.
Any being below God-level didn't even have the right to stand on this battlefield.
King finally saw an opening. He grabbed the Bald Demon by the wrist and, with a violent burst of speed, flew upward, dragging Saitama's round head through the dimensional barrier.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of reality breaking echoed as the two streaks of light smashed through the silver tides, tore through the Surface Space, and returned to the vast, open starry sky.
King's Penthouse Suite.
"King-sensei hasn't been home for six hours. As his top disciple, I must ensure his home is perfectly prepared for his return."
Inside the massive villa, a young man with short blond hair and an apron muttered to himself, his hands moving in a blur as he washed the dishes.
Though he looked human at a glance, he was entirely mechanical.
This was Genos. He had been staying at King's place lately, handling every chore with surgical precision.
Even King had to admit that Genos was the most efficient "unpaid mechanical intern" in history. Sometimes, Genos didn't even wait for an order; he simply anticipated King's needs and finished the work before being asked.
Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishwashing—he was a master of them all.
Dr. Kuseno had intended to build Genos into a combat-type cyborg, and that had been Genos's original goal as well.
But since meeting King, the level of combat Genos witnessed was so high that if he even grazed a stray shockwave, he'd be reduced to spare parts. Out of necessity, he had evolved into the ultimate domestic assistant.
But Genos enjoyed it. In his mind, managing his master's logistics was a vital part of his "Hero Training." He believed that by observing the lifestyle of the Strongest Man, he could find the path to true power.
Essentially, he had become a hardcore fanboy with a mechanical brain.
Drying the last bowl, Genos untied his apron and sat down primly on the sofa, staring at the front door.
"King-sensei went out with Mr. Saitama a while ago. I don't know what they're doing, but they're probably just playing video games."
"After all, they are such good friends. It's not like they'd be out there beating each other to death or anything."
Deep Space.
BOOM!
Saitama's face twisted as a powerful punch landed on his jaw, sending blood spraying from his mouth. He tumbled backward uncontrollably, smashing into a small planetoid orbiting nearby.
King chased after him without a second's delay, appearing as a red streak of light diving toward the planet.
The moment he landed, the crust began to buckle and shatter. Spiderweb cracks spread across the surface with manic intensity, and magma geysered from the broken ground.
Saitama patted the dust off himself and wiped the blood from his face. His fighting spirit hadn't dampened; if anything, he looked more exhilarated than ever.
"Incredible! I haven't felt this good in years! Again! AGAIN!"
Saitama was truly having fun. Ever since he went bald and became invincible, no one had been able to give him a real fight while he was in a serious state.
But now, it was different.
His best friend, King—the man called the Strongest on Earth—was actually matching him blow for blow. Occasionally, King even managed to suppress him!
This is the best!
A crimson blur flashed in his vision. King's cold, focused face appeared in his retinas, accompanied by a fist wreathed in berserk Vitality.
"BRING IT ON!"
Saitama laughed heartily. He raised his fist high, veins bulging on his arm.
"Serious Series: SUPER SERIOUS PUNCH!!"
The two fists collided. The universe itself seemed to lose its voice. Then came an unparalleled explosion. A horrific shockwave of energy swept in all directions instantly.
The planet beneath them didn't even last a second. Its core was pulverized instantly by the magnitude of the force.
The planet turned into a firework display in the vast, silent void of space. Blinding fire swallowed the darkness. Within the inferno, one could still vaguely see a yellow streak and a red streak, clashing over and over.