"Whoa—what is that energy?!"
On the ground, Child Emperor's detection device lit up in blinding red.
"If that attack hits Earth…" His voice tightened. "It's extinction-level. No question. That's beyond anything we've recorded."
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.
Even Blast tensed slightly, already preparing to intervene if necessary.
Then—
The energy detonated.
A blinding flash bloomed across space, visible even from Earth's surface.
And just as suddenly—
It was gone.
In orbit, Noah Vale stared at Boros, who now looked noticeably diminished after burning through his energy reserves.
"…You're serious?" Noah muttered.
Boros stood there, breathing heavily, but his expression wasn't defeated.
It was eager.
Hopeful.
Like a child who'd just discovered something new.
For a moment, Noah considered finishing him.
Then… didn't.
"…Fine," Noah said, lowering his hand. "If you want to watch, come along."
Boros straightened immediately. "You have my thanks."
Noah glanced at the wreckage of the alien ship drifting nearby. "You're not going to do anything about your crew?"
Boros didn't even look back. "They knew the risks. This is more important."
Noah shrugged. "Your call."
With that, he turned and dropped back toward Earth.
Boros followed without hesitation.
Back in City A—
The crowd had barely recovered when Noah returned.
And behind him—
An alien.
A very real, very alive alien.
Tatsumaki's eyes narrowed instantly. "Who's that?"
Around her, the S-Class heroes tensed. Even Bang's expression sharpened, sensing the pressure radiating off Boros.
Boros, meanwhile, looked mildly surprised.
"So… this planet's inhabitants are roughly my size," he murmured. "I assumed you were the standard."
Noah ignored that. "He's the leader of the invasion. I was going to kill him, but he changed his mind. Wants to watch the fight."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"…You know what," someone muttered, "that tracks."
At this point, the entire street was full of spectators anyway.
What was one more?
Boros's attention shifted.
He locked onto Blast.
"You," he said, eyes gleaming. "You feel strong. Are you the one he's fighting?"
Blast raised a hand. "Not me. That would be him."
He pointed.
Boros followed the gesture—
And saw Saitama.
A plain-looking man.
Standing there casually.
Boros blinked.
That's the opponent?
"Let's not drag this out," Noah said, glancing at an internal countdown only he could see. Time was running short.
"Go ahead," he added to Blast. "Move us."
Blast exhaled slowly.
Thousands of people.
All relying on him.
Why did I agree to this…
He raised both hands.
A dense gravitational field formed around his fists, warping space itself. A dark sphere expanded outward, swallowing the entire street.
Then—
The world flipped.
Space.
Cold.
Vast.
Endless.
The crowd now floated within a controlled field, protected by Blast's power.
Nearby—
A massive gas giant loomed.
Brown and gold bands stretched across its surface, storms swirling endlessly.
"…Wait," Child Emperor whispered, eyes wide. "That's Jupiter."
Blast nodded. "Out here, they can fight as hard as they want. Nothing gets caught in the crossfire."
Behind him, Boros leaned closer, practically vibrating with excitement. "After this, you and I should fight as well."
Blast didn't answer.
He was starting to regret everything.
"Perfect!" Child Emperor cheered.
He held up a compact device proudly. "I built this specifically for the fight. It can capture up to a hundred billion frames per second. Even light won't escape it."
He handed control to a small robot, then pulled out a display screen.
"Everyone gather around. You won't see anything otherwise."
Nearby, Noah stepped toward him.
"You didn't forget what I asked for, right?"
Child Emperor grinned and tossed him a stopwatch. "Precision down to a fraction of a nanosecond. You'll like it."
Noah caught it and adjusted the timer.
9:45
The countdown began.
He turned.
Facing Saitama.
"Let's take this down there," Noah said, nodding toward Jupiter. "No need to waste time."
Saitama cracked his knuckles, a rare spark of excitement in his eyes. "Sounds good."
Just as they were about to leave—
"Noah!"
Tatsumaki's voice cut through the moment.
He glanced back. "Yeah?"
She hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Then, with forced confidence—
"…Don't lose to that bald guy."
Noah blinked.
Then gave a small nod.
"Relax," he said. "I've got this."
The next instant—
Both of them vanished.
Two streaks of motion tore across space, heading straight for Jupiter.
Back with the spectators—
Everyone leaned in, hearts pounding.
Child Emperor's screen flickered to life.
After a brief delay, the image stabilized.
Jupiter's surface filled the display.
And there—
Noah and Saitama sat facing each other.
Not moving.
Not fighting.
Just… waiting.
"…What are they doing?" someone asked.
Confusion spread.
But hidden among the crowd, a few watchers exchanged uneasy glances.
He's not planning to stall, is he…?
On Jupiter—
Noah tossed the stopwatch to Saitama.
"When that hits zero," he said, "we start."
Saitama caught it, raising an eyebrow.
"And how long are we going?"
Noah smiled faintly.
"Not long."
He stretched his fingers, energy settling into place.
"0.01 seconds."
Saitama blinked.
"…That short?"
"Yeah," Noah said. "Once it ends, I'll be pulled out of this universe for a while."
He looked at him directly.
"So make it count."
A pause.
Then, with quiet certainty—
"When I come back," Noah added, "I'll be stronger than you."
The countdown ticked on.
Closer.
Closer.