Watching the sky-scraping Blood-Qi Dragon, Saitama—still flipping through the air—couldn't help but exclaim:
"Damn, that's cool!"
It didn't end there. With a single thought, King's vast Psychic Power blanketed the entire Blood-Qi Dragon; his body became a whirlpool that frantically devoured the surrounding energy.
Gold and green light swirled inside the crimson blood-qi, as though plating the dragon in solid armor.
Every muscle in his body tore apart; threads of blood appeared on his skin only to be instantly healed.
Night Guy!!!
King shot forward. Wherever he passed, space twisted into spirals; the terrifying force nearly shook heaven and earth as the berserk Blood-Qi Dragon rapidly enlarged in sight.
Facing this heaven-shaking kick, Saitama's expression turned serious. He straightened mid-air, his arm muscles bulging as he delivered a plain, unadorned punch.
It was the current limit of Saitama's Normal Punch—any more force would turn it into a Serious Punch.
The line between Normal Punch and Serious Punch sat at roughly forty percent power. Exceed forty percent, and you cross the Normal Punch threshold.
Meanwhile, Genos—watching from afar—was suddenly gripped by a bad premonition.
Crap!
He'd been so engrossed in the fight that only now did he realize the two were about to clash ultimate moves!
The aftershocks had almost knocked him out earlier; now that they were about to detonate finishers, he had to run even farther.
Already twenty kilometres away, Genos sprinted for the horizon again.
"Normal Punch."
The red-gloved fist collided with the Blood-Qi Dragon. The vast energy fluctuation became a vortex of color; a violent shockwave swept in every direction from the point of impact.
Amid swirling yellow sand, the ground beneath King and Saitama vanished, replaced by a kilometres-wide bottomless abyss. The surrounding land kept crumbling, destroyed by the explosive force.
Yet this time was different: the red-gloved fist did not bulldoze everything in its path.
The roaring Blood-Qi Dragon actually stalemated the Bald Demon King's fist for a brief instant.
Saitama was surprised, staring at the crimson dragon—now cracked but still surging forward.
After taking my punch, it still hasn't shattered?
The corners of his mouth curled; the thrill of battle inside him began to awaken.
KING… you really have given me a huge surprise.
Saitama's features sharpened as he slowly raised the left hand he hadn't used since the fight began.
In that case, let me get a bit more serious.
Third punch, fourth punch, fifth punch!
His left arm fired two rapid blows, so fast that only red-glove after-images remained in the air.
"Triple Normal Punch."
The stacked force of three Normal Punches detonated the stalemated Blood-Qi Dragon; a rain of scarlet qi scattered across the sky before vanishing like stardust.
King was sent flying, crashing into the yellow sand whirling overhead—his figure lost from view.
"Huh? Where'd KING fly off to?"
Blinded by the sand, Saitama looked around but couldn't spot King anywhere.
Just then a silhouette emerged from the dust; King strolled out, unruffled—apart from tattered clothes, barely a scratch showed.
"Saitama, how was that move of mine?"
Hearing the question, Saitama smiled and nodded, approval shining in his eyes:
"Not bad. Out of all the opponents I've fought so far, KING, you're definitely the strongest.
That big red dragon rushing at me looked super cool, and it was pretty tough too—my fist couldn't break it in one go; I had to add two more."
So the gap is still this huge…
Watching Saitama's excited critique, King felt a pang of desolation.
As a transmigrator with a Cheat System, he couldn't even compare to the Bald Demon King—let alone stand equal to him.
He had just played every trump card since arriving in this world, launching his strongest attack—only to receive a "that looked cool" comment.
Besides, although King appeared unscathed while walking out of the dust, he had merely healed fast.
After taking those three Normal Punches, not only was the Night Guy Blood-Qi Dragon obliterated, King himself had suffered catastrophic damage.
Nearly his entire body had been pulped in an instant; his bones shattered like white crumbs on a Want-Want Snow-Cracker, his organs mashed into paste.
If he hadn't focused on protecting his head to stay conscious, those three punches would have killed him outright.
Thank heavens anything the system produces is top-grade: the horrific regeneration of Ultra-Speed Regeneration restored those pulverized bones in just two seconds.
Seeing King still standing, Saitama's rekindled fighting spirit blazed; he clenched his fists in excitement:
"KING, you just took three Normal Punches and look fine—how about we switch the next five to one Serious Punch?"
The Bald Demon King had rediscovered his long-lost passion for battle; perhaps the all-out brawl he'd always dreamed of would happen today!
At Saitama's suggestion, King's cheek twitched.
He was certain that if he took a Serious Punch head-on, he'd be turned into a mist of blood with zero chance to heal.
After all, in the original story the Cosmic Overlord Boros didn't dare take a Serious Punch either.
In canon, Boros was blown to pieces after a string of Normal Punches; a Serious Punch would have reduced him to ash.
Facing Saitama's invitation, King shook his head and declined:
"Let's not. Today's just a casual spar—no need to get so serious. Let's stick to Normal Punches."
"All right…"
Disappointment flashed across Saitama's face, but he quickly rallied.
Only five punches left—if I can beat KING within them, every fighting game from now on is mine!
...
(End of Chapter)
[Throw some stones]