The anomaly in the sky dragged the entire battlefield into a suffocating silence.
At the center of the vortex, the endless darkness twisted like a living entity. Flickers resembling distant stars slowly gathered together, forming the outline of a massive, emotionless eye staring down from above.
An indescribable pressure crashed over the battlefield like an invisible tsunami. Heroes and Monsters alike felt their bodies stiffen as an overwhelming sense of insignificance crawled through their souls.
"What... what is that thing?" Child Emperor muttered, his voice shaking. The monitor on his wrist flashed nonstop with corrupted data and system errors.
Drive Knight's mechanical frame emitted a strained hum.
"Warning. Unable to analyze energy composition. Threat level undetermined. Immediate evacuation recommended."
Inside the Hero Association command center, Sitch's face had gone pale. He steadied himself against the control panel with trembling hands.
"All units, maximum alert! Is this... did Sol summon this thing?!"
Bang's expression darkened further as he slowly assumed the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist stance. His sharp eyes remained fixed on the lone figure standing in the middle of the battlefield.
"No... this presence is different. Even Sol is cautious."
Tatsumaki floated silently in the air, green hair swaying as layers of psychic barriers instinctively wrapped around her body. Her emerald eyes briefly lingered on Sol before shifting warily toward the monstrous eye above.
Even Gouketsu, Elder Centipede, and the other Monster executives had stopped attacking. Their instincts screamed at them to retreat, and one by one, they slowly backed away from the battlefield's center.
Dozens of Black Sperm clones crawled out from the rubble, gathering together into larger bodies while whispering nervously among themselves.
Uncertainty appeared on their faces.
In the middle of the eerie silence, Sol slowly raised his head.
His crimson eyes locked onto the gigantic eye in the sky.
His posture lowered slightly, every muscle in his body prepared for movement. Demon Brain operated at full capacity as he analyzed the incomprehensible being above him.
His scouting eye released invisible waves of energy toward the vortex, attempting to scan it.
The feedback returned as nothing but static and emptiness.
"As expected," Sol muttered with a faint grin. "Normal methods won't work."
The Transparent World activated.
Yet even then, the vortex remained a chaotic blur. He could only vaguely sense an ancient and immeasurably vast will lurking within it.
Then the giant eye blinked.
No sound echoed.
No explosion followed.
But everyone on the battlefield suddenly felt their hearts tighten violently, as though an invisible hand had clenched around them.
Several weaker A-Class Heroes collapsed on the spot, foam gathering at the corners of their mouths.
"Tch..." Tatsumaki grimaced as her psychic barrier rippled violently.
The ground beneath Bang's feet cracked apart as he lowered his stance to resist the crushing pressure.
Saitama blinked and scratched his cheek.
"Hm? Did something just get heavier?"
Genos's mechanical body sparked with electrical interference.
"Sensei, an incomprehensible psychic shockwave has been detected!"
Sol took the attack head-on.
His body trembled slightly before stabilizing almost instantly.
The pressure aimed directly at the essence of life itself, but he forcefully neutralized it.
His eyes narrowed with interest.
"So it attacks on a conceptual level," he said quietly. "Not bad."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Instead of retreating, Sol straightened his posture completely and casually raised a finger toward the giant eye.
Then he beckoned.
A silent provocation.
The vortex above immediately erupted.
Darkness churned violently as the eye sharpened into clearer form. From its center, a gray-white beam silently descended toward Sol.
The beam looked almost harmless.
Yet everything it touched lost its color, turning into lifeless gray ash.
"Sol!" Tatsumaki shouted instinctively, psychic power surging from her body.
Even she had no idea how to stop something like that.
Bang, Atomic Samurai, and the others felt their expressions stiffen.
The attack carried pure annihilation.
Sol did not move away.
A dangerous gleam flashed through his crimson eyes as he raised his right hand, fingers pressed together like a blade.
Dark red energy spiraled around his arm while terrifying power condensed at his fingertips.
Then he slashed forward.
SCREEECH!
A piercing sound tore through the battlefield.
Space itself split apart.
A massive distorted crack appeared in front of the descending beam, swallowing it whole. An instant later, a barren mountain several kilometers away silently crumbled into dust before scattering into the wind.
Silence consumed the battlefield once more.
Heroes and Monsters stared in complete disbelief.
He had torn space apart with his bare hand.
An A-Class Hero muttered absentmindedly, "That's not human..."
Atomic Samurai's toothpick slipped from his mouth without him noticing.
"How many ridiculous abilities is this guy hiding?"
Even Gouketsu lowered his head slightly in awe.
Lord Sol had once again surpassed all expectations.
The giant eye remained still for a brief moment, almost as if surprised by Sol's resistance.
Then the sky exploded with countless gray-white beams.
This time, they rained down across the entire battlefield.
Not just Sol.
Everything.
The eye intended to erase every living thing below.
"Everyone, defend yourselves!" Bang roared.
Tatsumaki released her psychic power at full force, forming a gigantic green barrier around the battlefield.
The beams slammed into it.
Then the impossible happened.
Her psychic energy began disintegrating on contact.
"What?!" Tatsumaki's eyes widened in disbelief.
The beams were erasing energy itself.
Metal Bat roared and swung his bat toward one of them, only for the weapon's tip to instantly crumble into dust.
He jumped back with a horrified expression.
Genos fired his Incineration Cannons repeatedly, but the flames vanished into the beams without leaving a trace.
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Heroes and Monsters alike were pushed to the brink.
Sol's amused expression disappeared.
His eyes sharpened coldly as he moved both hands at blinding speed.
Countless chunks of rubble and twisted metal rose into the air, coated in dark red energy.
They shot forward like guided missiles.
Every projectile struck the side of a gray-white beam with pinpoint precision, subtly altering its trajectory and redirecting the attacks away from the battlefield.
===
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