Chapter 177: Serious Punch!!
In the deep reaches of the cosmos, countless asteroids drifted according to the cold laws of physics, forming a vast, shimmering belt of planetary debris.
With a sudden flash of silver light, three figures appeared in the center of the void.
Saitama was about to speak, but he suddenly frowned and pinched his nose, looking confused.
"Oh, wait. I almost forgot. There's no air in space. How are we supposed to fight if I'm holding my breath the whole time?"
Hearing this, Blast and King looked at each other. For a moment, neither knew how to respond.
Blast's face was a mask of pure shock. He stared at Saitama, his eyes wide behind his goggles. This was the first time he had witnessed such an absolute disregard for the laws of reality.
In contrast to the bewildered Blast, King had long since grown accustomed to the Bald Demon's logic-defying nature. He remained perfectly calm.
Saitama had forgotten the basic fact that sound cannot travel through a vacuum, yet because he only remembered that he couldn't breathe, he had simply started talking. His voice echoed clearly and crisply through the void of space.
King spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of playful teasing:
"Actually, Saitama, didn't you know? According to the latest scientific studies, bald people are actually capable of breathing in space."
"Eh? For real? How come I never saw that on the news?!"
Saitama looked skeptical for a second, then released his nose. He took a huge, experimental gulp of cosmic radiation. When he realized he didn't instantly suffocate, a look of pure joy spread across his face.
"Man, you should have told me earlier! I didn't know losing my hair came with perks like this!"
Saitama didn't doubt King's words for a second. King was his best friend; why would he lie?
And so, believing this new "scientific fact," Saitama convinced himself that he truly didn't need oxygen.
Watching Saitama strike a freestyle swimming pose in the vacuum—talking and moving as if he were still on Earth without the need for a medium or oxygen—Blast was shocked for the hundredth time today.
Is Saitama always this ridiculous? His body... it can't even be classified as human anymore.
King shrugged noncommittally. He grabbed Blast by the shoulder and tossed him toward a region outside the asteroid belt.
"Don't worry about it. At least he still looks human. That's enough for now."
Blast, floating away through the void from the impact of the toss, was speechless.
Bro, you could have just told me to teleport away! Why do you have to keep throwing me like a sack of potatoes?!
Blast stabilized himself using his spatial powers, appearing on a large, drifting asteroid in the distance.
He looked back at the two men, raised his hand high, and brought it down sharply. His voice, carried by spatial energy, reached their ears:
"I declare the duel... START!"
The moment the words fell, an asteroid several kilometers wide was launched at breakneck speed, arriving in front of Saitama in a heartbeat.
Saitama threw a plain, unadorned punch. The massive rock shattered into a million tiny fragments instantly.
Driven by his desire for premium hotpot and new games, Saitama shot forward. He closed the distance to King in a blink, raising his fist high.
"Normal Punch!"
King's danger-sense flared. He didn't hesitate to counter. The two fists collided in mid-air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
An invisible shockwave erupted from the point of impact. The surrounding asteroids were pulverized into dust in an instant. The violent pressure caused the very fabric of space to tremble.
This time, their fists were locked in a stalemate. Neither could push the other back.
But in the very next microsecond, King's eyes sharpened. He increased his output.
Something shocking happened: Saitama was blasted backward. He tumbled through the stars for several rotations before coming to a stop.
Saitama looked at his slightly smoking fist, then at King—who was standing in the distance with his arms crossed, looking perfectly composed. A fire ignited in the Bald Demon's eyes.
"King... you've gotten so much stronger. That was amazing!"
The words had barely left his lips when Saitama charged again. This time, his expression grew serious.
He raised his right hand and clenched his fingers. Suddenly, a thousand red fist-shadows rained down like a relentless storm. Each punch carried unrivaled destructive force, forming an impenetrable wall of kinetic energy that threatened to shatter reality itself.
"Consecutive Normal Punches!"
King responded in kind. He strode forward, his footfall shattering the void beneath him. Berserk power erupted from his body as a vast ocean of Aura wreathed his fists.
In an instant, his originally crimson Aura underwent a mysterious transformation, turning into a blinding, radiant gold. His fists shone like two miniature suns.
"Imperial Fist!"
Thousands of fists collided. Each impact caused the space around them to buckle. If they weren't in an empty asteroid belt, the residual shockwaves from this exchange alone would have wiped Earth off the map.
Even so, the area for hundreds of kilometers around them was turned into a total vacuum. The massive asteroids were reduced to fine cosmic grit by the aftershocks of their duel.
They traded blow for blow. Every punch Saitama threw was perfectly caught or parried by King, while King's Imperial Fists were tanked by Saitama's indestructible body.
Realizing that Saitama's current "Normal" output was actually slightly weaker than his own current state, King finally understood his new baseline.
With 200,000 points in every attribute, King's base form now surpassed the non-evolved, non-serious state of Saitama.
It seems I've finally reached the same ballpark as the Bald Demon...
Thinking back to his previous fight with Saitama, where he was chased around like a dog for the entire match, King felt like laughing.
He was no longer that weak, struggling survivor.
With that thought, King's punching speed accelerated.
Countless golden flashes flickered in the void. Each burst released a horrific level of force, enough to reduce ten-kilometer-wide asteroids to powder.
As the frantic exchange continued, Saitama's excitement reached a fever pitch. The dull, lifeless look in his eyes was gone, replaced by the sheer joy of finally finding a rival.
I really didn't expect... that King had become this powerful... Truly worthy of being my best friend...
Facing a powerhouse who could trade blows with him for this long without falling, Saitama felt he had to show proper respect.
He had to be truly serious, rather than fighting with the testing, playful attitude he had used until now.
In a split second, Saitama's round face became sharp and angular. His eyes turned focused and lethal. Veins bulged on his arms as a power beyond comprehension began to swell within his human frame.
King, currently trading blows with Saitama, suddenly felt the atmosphere change. His pupils constricted instinctively as a massive, overwhelming sense of danger flooded his soul.
"Serious Series..."
Amidst the thousands of Consecutive Normal Punches, Saitama's gaze turned cold as ice. His "Serious" fist, carrying a pressure that felt like the collapse of a universe, smashed forward!!
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