Chapter 9: Strive to Become the Strongest
The three words, "Is that it?", struck Tatsumaki's soul like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Her eyes instantly turned fierce, and she grit her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
"To think you're actually this tough... let's see if I can't wring you into a pretzel today!"
Veins bulged on her smooth forehead once again. Tatsumaki poured every ounce of her psychic power out without reservation, slamming it all onto Kenji.
The ground beneath them began to shatter layer by layer. The surface for dozens of miles trembled violently under the terrifying pressure of her psychokinesis, sinking several meters deep.
The air around them grew stagnant and heavy, as if suppressed by dozens of times normal gravity. It became viscous, making it hard to breathe.
Thick clouds began to swirl in the sky above. Tatsumaki's terrifying power was even affecting the weather, creating an atmosphere of an impending storm.
Finally, under Tatsumaki's relentless effort, Kenji's body moved.
He raised his hand, scratched his nose, and put it back down.
If there was any difference from his usual movements, it was that his hand moved slightly slower than normal.
Kenji had almost completely ignored Tatsumaki's psychic restraints.
The Seventh Gate of the Eight Inner Gates already provided a massive boost to the physical body. Combined with Kenji's base stats, which were already at the "Peak Dragon" level, his physical resistance was off the charts.
Back when he read the original manga, Kenji had thought Tatsumaki's psychokinesis was terrifyingly strong.
Lifting half a continent, twisting the towering Psykos-Orochi fusion into a ball and tossing it into the stratosphere—her feats were undeniable.
But now, after experiencing her strongest psychic output firsthand, he suddenly realized... it's kinda just okay.
Kenji took a step forward.
Against the full brunt of Tatsumaki's suppression, he walked forward slowly but steadily.
Step. Step. Step.
The footsteps weren't loud, but each one landed like a heavy hammer on Tatsumaki's psyche.
Tatsumaki tried desperately to halt his movement, but Kenji used his god-like physical strength to forcibly break through the psychic pressure. He didn't even look like he was struggling.
His slow pace wasn't because of the psychic pressure, of course. He just wanted to look cool.
Tatsumaki was seeing stars. Her vision began to darken at the edges, a sign that she had pushed her psychic power to its absolute limit.
She swore she had just unleashed the strongest psychic force she had ever mustered in her life, yet she couldn't even shake the man in front of her.
Tatsumaki, who had always been supremely confident, felt her worldview crumbling.
Is this the Strongest Man on Earth...? So the legends weren't fake... He really is powerful...
But I am S-Class Rank 2! This King is only S-Class Rank 7! Why should I lose to him?!
Even though she was at her limit, barely able to stand, Tatsumaki gritted her teeth and held on.
Her intense pride and self-esteem wouldn't allow her to fall just like that!
She raised her hand, diverting a portion of her psychic power. The energy compressed in the air, forming hundreds of spears sharp enough to pierce through a human mind.
With a wave of her hand, thousands of psychic spears launched at the stationary Kenji, intending to turn him into a hornet's nest.
Facing an attack that could instantly kill most Dragon-level monsters, Kenji's expression didn't change. He simply swiped his hand in front of him, like swatting a mosquito.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With just one slap, the area in front of him became a vacuum. The displaced air formed a violent air cannon that pulverized thousands of psychic spears in an instant.
Just then, one spear—faster and fiercer than the rest—pierced through the void, charging straight at him with chilling momentum.
The moment it neared Kenji's face, a large hand grabbed it firmly and crushed it into nothingness.
Seeing that her proudest psychic attacks couldn't even scratch the man in front of her, Tatsumaki felt lost for the first time in her life.
Can I really win?
Of course I can!
Unwillingness and anger filled her heart. She forcibly squeezed more power from her mind, erupting with even greater force.
The massive psychic pressure caused the surrounding air to twist and solidify. The earth trembled, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground, covering a hundred miles.
The distant forest was swept up in the collateral damage. Countless trees were flattened into sawdust the instant they touched her psychic aura, offering zero resistance.
The distance between them closed. Kenji walked with his hands in his pockets, his golden hair fluttering in the psychic storm. His majestic face with its three scars loomed closer.
Finally, they were less than a meter apart. Tatsumaki's psychic shield separated them, and they stared at each other through the green barrier.
Kenji's body emitted faint white steam. His eyes remained calm, and the only sound was the earth-shaking roar of the King Engine echoing through the world.
Tatsumaki's face was flushed red, veins popping on her forehead. Her large emerald eyes were now bloodshot.
Their conditions formed a stark contrast.
Kenji raised his fist. Power capable of twisting space erupted instantly, smashing directly into Tatsumaki's psychic shield.
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded outward from their position, sweeping in all directions. The clouds for dozens of kilometers were blasted away, revealing a clear, blue sky.
Tatsumaki was sent flying backward uncontrollably. Like a cannonball, she smashed heavily into the ground. The earth shattered instantly, forming a massive crater beneath her.
She tried her best to change trajectory, barely preventing herself from being buried deep underground, but still carved a trench a thousand meters long across the surface.
The indestructible psychic shield around her body was now covered in cracks, ready to shatter at any moment.
And this was the result of Kenji using only 80% of his strength. He needed to increase his power gradually—not only to adapt to his sudden surge in strength but also because he was afraid a full-power punch might accidentally kill her.
Lying in the dust and smoke, Tatsumaki shakily climbed to her feet. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.
I'm really going to lose... I'm actually going to lose to this guy...
In her daze, Tatsumaki felt as if she had shrunk, lying amidst the ruins of her past.
In her memory, a burly figure whose face she couldn't see clearly crouched down and patted her green curly hair.
"Do your best, Tatsumaki. Strive to become the strongest. Grow until no one can ever look down on you again."