"—That's far enough."
A hand suddenly appeared in front of the Grandmaster and clamped down on his corrosive scepter.
"?!!"
The Grandmaster's face changed; the words on the tip of his tongue died there as his eyes locked onto Saitama's hand.
What in blazes?
His scepter could melt organic matter—humans, even mighty beings like Thor. Ordinary folk would turn into sludge at a touch.
Yet right now, he could clearly see Saitama gripping the scepter's corrosive core. Not just him—his "secretary" and the Sakaar guards behind her were all aghast.
Thor finally exhaled and sprawled on the ground, limbs splayed. With Saitama here, the sky suddenly looked so blue.
"You!"
The Grandmaster's mouth twitched. He tried to yank his scepter back—awkward.
Because Saitama's fingers were locked onto the corrosive orb like it had been welded there. No matter how hard the Grandmaster pulled, it didn't budge at all.
"Huh?"
Saitama blinked, realized, and let go.
The Grandmaster, red-faced from straining to pull it free, stumbled and pitched face-first onto the floor—spectacularly undignified.
Worse, the precious core of his scepter now bore five crisp fingerprints, gleaming so hard it hurt to look at!
The whole arena froze into secondhand embarrassment.
The Grandmaster… had just done a full-on faceplant in front of Saitama?!
"Ahahahahaha—Grandmaster, your dirt-eating posture is pretty professional!"
Bruised and swollen, Thor couldn't help cackling.
The Grandmaster's expression turned pitch black.
"You dared harm the Grandmaster! Apologize at once—or die!!"
The "secretary" roared like a tigress, and a line of soldiers leveled their weapons at Saitama in perfect unison.
"Sorry. I didn't think you were this weak."
Saitama scratched his head, perfectly earnest.
Pfft—
Mid-swig, Valkyrie sprayed her drink everywhere.
What the hell does "didn't think you were this weak" mean? That's… that's not an apology! That's a flex!
Sure enough, the Grandmaster's face grew even uglier—snarling, furious.
"Excellent. Worth every coin of the fifty million I spent. You're first-rate goods—just as I hoped."
Eyes glittering with malice, he circled Saitama, looking him up and down.
Saitama stared back, curious. Must be some pre-fight ritual? Whatever. When in Rome—he'd just stand still and watch. Heh.
"Rise."
The Grandmaster snapped his fingers and clawed toward Saitama. At once, Saitama's body floated up of its own accord!
Energy Conversion: Levitation.
Within a set radius, the Grandmaster could command energy—it was his domain.
The audience erupted with fevered cheers. Their Grandmaster was about to truly shine!
"On this planet, I am the strongest. There is no second."
With lofty pride, the Grandmaster clenched his invisible grip. Saitama was hurled like a cannonball into a distant wall.
Booming cracks rang out as alloy plates split like paper. Saitama's glossy egg head served as the perfect hole-punch through the metal.
Still not satisfied, the Grandmaster swung Saitama like a giant mallet, slamming him madly in every direction.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The explosive impacts made heads tingle. Floors, alloy walls—everything was smashed to rubble. Even Thor was stunned.
"Your friend's probably dead. The Grandmaster is strong. Sigh."
Valkyrie shook her head and kept drinking. People… why fight fate?
Since losing to Hela, Valkyrie had resigned herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't change the truth: she was no match for the Goddess of Death.
That was fate.
Likewise, on Sakaar, the Grandmaster was absolute ruler.
"Maybe… not. Saitama won't die that easily."
Thor swallowed. Experience told him Saitama was anything but simple—that monster had even made Odin yield.
In the stands, spectators were howling themselves hoarse.
"Pretty dangerous. What was that just now—telekinesis? Kinda cool."
A lazy, familiar voice came from behind.
Amid stunned stares, rocks tumbled in the cratered arena floor—and a figure climbed out of the wreckage.
Valkyrie: "…"
The preening Grandmaster: "…"
The cheering guards and fans: "…"
All sound cut off at once as every gaze snapped over.
Yellow jumpsuit. White cape. Red gloves. And that blindingly smooth, bottle-opener-certified bald head.
Shining in the sun.
Smooth. Flawless.
Saitama dusted himself off with practiced motions. Getting dirty in a scuffle—he was used to it.
"Y-You… how? I clearly just—"
The Grandmaster stared in disbelief. That level of impact could twist and shatter steel. Was this guy's body tougher than steel?
Noticing the polished gleam of Saitama's scalp only made his scalp crawl.
"Oh, I don't like your dirt much. There's a weird smell. Too much trash dumped here before?"
Saitama said seriously.
Back in the One Punch world, soil felt nice—rich and earthy. But here in this arena—maybe from old blood soaking in and heaps of garbage—the smell was sour. Unpleasant.
The Grandmaster: "…"
"Insult! Blatant insult! He's insulting you, my lord!"
The secretary shrieked herself hoarse.
The Grandmaster's awkward look curdled into something worse.
Damn it! Even if it's an insult, don't shout it out loud. Where am I supposed to put my face?
"So—a monstrously strong body, is it? They say some races in the cosmos are harder than alloys. I've never seen one till now. Surprising… but nothing more."
The Grandmaster sneered, eyes going arctic as he spread his arms.
A strange field seemed to settle over the entire arena.
Hummmmmm—
Power gathered fast under his conversion, swirling around Saitama. With a sudden clap of his hands, that energy turned into a transparent, glassy body—
And began to shrink.
"Crap. It's over. Your friend's made him angry."
For once, fear flickered across Valkyrie's face.
A force terrifying enough to dominate the whole zone—being used to compress the very air.
"Relax—hahahaha—I won't let you die comfortably. I'll crush you. Squeeze you into meat paste!"
The Grandmaster cackled.
And then he felt someone tapping his shoulder.
"What? I'm busy!"
He snapped, annoyed—yet the tapping continued. That damned tigress of a secretary—did she want to get fired?
He whipped around, fury on his face—
And froze, his rage replaced by shock.
(End of Chapter)
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