"Normal Punch."
The moment these three words fell, Saitama directly thrust forward the red-gloved fist he had clenched.
Lying on the ground, Suiryu could only see that seemingly ordinary fist make contact with Bakuzan's enormous body.
Immediately after, Bakuzan's face, contorted in agony, froze.
An irresistible force surged forth, and Bakuzan's massive body was instantly pulverized, leaving only his two legs, still in a standing posture, isolated on the ground.
But this force showed no sign of stopping, brutally piercing through where Bakuzan had been and slamming into the already dilapidated ruins of the arena behind him.
"Boom—!!!"
A violent shockwave swept out in all directions.
The surviving Martial Artists were thrown off balance by the hurricane-force winds, forced to cling to the ground with all their might to avoid being blown away.
The remaining half of the arena, and the open space behind it, were utterly destroyed by this seemingly casual punch.
"From Bakuzan's unwillingness and terror, Energy Points +6000!"
When all the dust settled, the scene left the brains of all survivors in a state of shutdown.
That arrogant Monster, Bakuzan, who had dared to challenge two S-Class Heroes simultaneously, was now completely dead.
Only the bald man, slowly retracting his fist, remained standing.
The white cape behind him flapped violently in the aftermath of the punch, letting out a powerful whistling sound.
Ignoring his face, this destructive silhouette alone made him appear like a fearsome God of War.
The entire massive arena fell into a deathly silence.
Thump… thump… thump… Only Mr. KING's drum-like heartbeat continued to echo, sounding the final bell for this battle.
Saitama slowly retracted his fist, looked down, and then blew on non-existent dust.
"Ah, it's finally quiet."
He said flatly, as if he had just swatted an annoying mosquito.
Lin Mo also finally lowered the leg that had delivered the earth-shattering kick. He yawned and said, "Good, good, just made it…"
Meanwhile, Suiryu, lying closest to Saitama's feet, couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed.
He stared blankly at the bald man, his eyes hollow and unfocused, then subconsciously glanced at the tall figure beside him.
As a genius successor of Nether Body Fist, Suiryu's understanding of Martial Arts far surpassed ordinary people.
He could see that Mr. KING's kick contained a perfect fusion of skill and power—
It was the embodiment of 'technique' cultivated to its extreme: precise, efficient, and lethal.
So… Suiryu's gaze turned back to the bald man.
What exactly was this bald man's "Normal Punch"?
That was not Martial Arts at all.
This punch had no stance, no power-generating technique, no gathering of aura, not even killing intent.
Suiryu's mind was a blank.
S-Class Hero? This is an S-Class Hero?!
His proud Nether Body Fist, his cherished Martial Arts talent, seemed so naive and crude in the face of Mr. KING's miraculous kick.
And his own strength, that power which allowed him to act as he pleased, was insignificant compared to this bald man's "normal" punch.
Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
Everything he had pursued in the first half of his life, everything he had been proud of, seemed so laughable, so trivial in front of these two figures.
He pursued pleasure and looked down on the Heroes' desperate protection because he believed he was strong enough to do as he pleased.
But today he understood that his own strength was nothing in front of true powerhouses.
"Ah…"
A soft exclamation broke everyone's stupor.
Saitama seemed to suddenly remember something, lightly tapping his left palm with his right fist, then looked with sudden realization at the spot where Bakuzan had been obliterated.
"I remember now, it was from that Martial Arts tournament… what was his name? Bak… Bakuzan?" He tried hard to recall, his brow slightly furrowed.
"No, it was… Bakuzan? Yes, that's the guy, no wonder he looked a bit familiar."
Then, he turned his head and looked at Lin Mo not far away, his iconic deadpan eyes blinking, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Hey, Mr. KING, where did you go just now? I looked for you and Genos in the stands for ages and couldn't find you," he said in a complaining tone.
"The Association issued an emergency alert; a large number of Monsters appeared throughout the city. Genos and I went to handle them separately. Seeing you were still in the match, I didn't want to disturb you."
Lin Mo shrugged, automatically ignoring the complaint in the bald man's tone.
He paused, then added, "However, Genos ran into some trouble and has now been sent to Dr. Kuseno for emergency repairs."
"I came back after dealing with the Monsters I was assigned to, but it seems… it's already over."
The surviving Martial Artists exchanged glances, their brains finally starting to function again.
Everything that happened today was too surreal, making it still feel a bit unreal to them.
From hell to heaven, separated only by the distance of two Heroes.
It's over?
Yes, it's over!
The moment Mr. KING and Mr. Caped Baldy arrived, that terrifying Monster didn't even last a minute before he was completely finished!
Is this what an S-Class Hero is?!
Are these humanity's guardians?!
"We… we're saved…" an elderly Martial Artist stammered, murmuring to himself.
"We… we survived…" Another young man's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, then buried his face in his hands, weeping with joy.
The euphoria of surviving a disaster instantly overwhelmed them; many even wept with joy, collapsing to the ground.
One, two, three… the long-suppressed fear and despair at this moment all transformed into tears of ecstasy.
Their gazes towards the two figures were beyond words.
Just then, Saitama scratched his smooth scalp and spoke again, asking a question that instantly made everyone hold their breath:
"By the way, I kept hearing a thumping sound just now. Was that you, Mr. KING?"
He was, of course, referring to the "Emperor Engine" that struck fear into all enemies.
In an instant, everyone's hearts leaped to their throats.
The emotions of ecstasy and excitement were instantly replaced by intense curiosity.
They pricked up their ears, staring intently at Mr. KING, awaiting the answer.
They also wanted to know what that legendary terrifying heartbeat, which signified The Strongest Man on Earth (title/epithet) was about to act, truly was.
Was it some world-shattering secret martial art?
Or a resonance between heaven and earth caused when power condensed to its extreme?
Lin Mo's tall figure appeared even more mysterious against the backdrop of the ruins.
Facing Saitama's question, and the dozens of burning gazes around him, his expression remained unchanged.
He said indifferently, "Just a habit, don't mind it."
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that the effect of Intimidation seemed to be much better when released together with this "Emperor Engine" heartbeat.