Inside the Hero Association, every hero stood frozen as they watched the terrifying display of strength coming from Ashveil.
Ashveil… this man could destroy an entire planet with a single blow.
Such overwhelming power had already surpassed the threat level of even a God-level monster.
"The Other World… is terrifying…" someone whispered.
While everyone trembled, Saitama was the only person smiling.
Ashveil had defeated Boros, which meant a single thing in Saitama's mind.
"Genos, this means I still have a chance!" Saitama rubbed his head with excitement.
Tatsumaki immediately scoffed at him.
"What are you talking about, Saitama? You haven't even reached the threshold of an A-class hero, yet you're thinking of beating someone like Ashveil?"
"Do you really think the battles we just saw were illusions?" She floated in the air, arms crossed, eyeing him sharply.
Before Saitama could respond, the voice of the [Space-Time Pendulum] echoed again.
"One-Punch Man World combat failed. Bald Cape Hero Saitama, Martial Arts Master Bang, please make your choice."
Bang frowned.
Their world truly had no one strong enough.
Even he and Saitama would likely be defeated in an instant.
However, before anyone else could react, Saitama raised his hand.
"I, Bald Cape Hero Saitama, choose to participate!"
The entire Hero Association erupted in disbelief.
"Bald Cape Hero… are you insane?"
"You're going straight to your death!"
"Even Bang would struggle, he at least has martial arts mastery. But you—?!"
"What is he even thinking? Why entrust the fate of our world to him?!"
Saitama stood under a dark cloud of criticism, shoulders sinking slightly.
Genos stepped forward, furious.
"What do you all know? Saitama-sensei is a true powerhouse! He is facing the Great Demon King Ashveil to save our entire world. Instead of supporting him, you're complaining?"
"You're all going too far!"
The heroes stared blankly.
In their minds, Saitama was useless, and now Genos sounded just as delusional.
Tatsumaki huffed.
"Genos, are you crazy too? How could Bald Cape Hero defeat Ashveil?"
Bang finally sighed.
"At this point, we have no choice. We can only rely on Saitama."
A flash of light descended from the sky, and Saitama vanished from the Association building.
He appeared within the battlefield created by the [Space-Time Pendulum], looking around while bouncing lightly on his feet.
"This is amazing," he said, stomping the ground and testing the environment. "To think a place like this could be created."
High above, Ashveil floated calmly.
Both of them wore plain expressions, but the aura rising between them was unmistakable.
Two titanic battle intents collided in the air.
Saitama cupped his fist politely.
"Hello, I'm Saitama. My goal is to be a true hero."
Ashveil lifted his hand in a relaxed greeting.
"I am Thorne Ashveil. My hobby is enjoying the sun at the beach."
A simple exchange.
Madara Uchiha visibly twitched with jealousy.
Ashveil barely acknowledged him, and when he did, it was usually mockery… yet this bald man received a friendly introduction.
Hawkeye Mihawk's gaze sharpened.
He understood Ashveil well enough to know:
Ashveil never talked casually with opponents.
This meant Saitama was unusual.
Whitebeard expanded his Observation Haki, yet sensed nothing from Saitama.
"Golden Lion, what do you think of that Bald Cape Hero's strength?"
Golden Lion frowned.
"I can't tell. Judging by Ashveil's attitude, either that guy is extremely strong… or extremely weak."
Shanks, Kid, Dragon, Ivankov, and countless others shifted their attention toward Saitama, curiosity rising.
Meanwhile, heroes of the One-Punch Man World were left stunned.
"That terrifying demon actually spoke politely to Bald Cape Hero?" Atomic Samurai muttered, still refusing to accept it.
Tatsumaki clenched her tiny fists.
"How infuriating! He never spoke politely to me!"
Bang remained serious.
Even Boros's subordinates hovered nervously above the battlefield.
The Octopus Man turned to Boros weakly.
"Lord Boros, since the opponent is here… shouldn't we return?"
Feeling Boros's aura darken, the Octopus Man immediately dropped to his knees.
Boros stared at Ashveil.
"Ashveil gave me too much of a shock. Even if he fights someone weak, I want to witness it."
On the battlefield, Ashveil and Saitama exchanged a peaceful smile.
The next instant, both unleashed their full battle power.
Saitama stomped, creating a deep crater beneath him before launching himself skyward like a missile.
The sky split into a trail of compressed air behind him.
His fist smashed into Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki barrier.
Boom!
The impact sent wild ripples through the enormous Conqueror's Haki defense field surrounding Ashveil.
The barrier's shape became visible for a moment, a massive dome of swirling Haki.
The Pirate World gasped.
Whitebeard's eyes widened.
"Incredible… Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki defense extends nearly a thousand meters… and it's all supreme-grade Conqueror's Haki."
Garp, Sengoku, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, and others opened their mouths in disbelief.
Even a tiny flow of Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki could crush them to the ground.
Yet here he was, cloaked in an ocean of it.
Saitama, however, wasn't discouraged.
Instead, he grinned.
"You're really strong, Ashveil!"
For the first time in a while, someone survived his Normal Punch.
He felt excitement bubble inside him.
The One-Punch Man World watched, stunned.
"He made Ashveil's shield tremble…"
"He's far stronger than Tatsumaki!"
"Has a fighter this strong been hiding in our Association all this time…?"
No one had noticed except Genos.
In the Pirate World, excitement surged.
"Finally, someone who can keep up with Ashveil!"
Saitama lowered his stance.
"This time… let me show you my Consecutive Normal Punches!"
A storm of fist shadows appeared, each blow striking Ashveil's defense barrier with violent force.
Mountains, rivers, and the very landscape of the arena warped under the shockwaves.
The Conqueror's Haki barrier shook uncontrollably.
Then—
A colossal eruption of Conqueror's Haki burst outward, tearing through the battlefield and warping the planet itself.
Even the [Space-Time Pendulum] had to release a regenerative light to stabilize the arena.
Saitama skid back, cape shredded, body covered in minor wounds left by the overflowing Conqueror's Haki.
It shocked him.
"What unbelievable energy… No wonder someone like Boros was defeated by this."
The Pirate World stared at the afterimage of destruction.
Marco swallowed.
"This… all this was caused just by Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki overflowing?"
Kaido remembered a past battle.
"This Conqueror's Haki is hundreds of times stronger than before."
Charlotte Linlin trembled.
"If we ever became his enemy again… one move, just one, would be enough to erase us."
She then turned to Kaido in confusion.
"But how did that Bald Cape Hero break the shield?"
Kaido stared at the battlefield.
"We broke a shield once too, but… Ashveil's defenses are endless. No ordinary force should be able to break through."
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