Vivian's eyes were full of love and admiration.
That kind of look from a woman made Rip Hunter feel a little depressed—
because in a certain future era, his wife had once looked at him that way.
As for the other two, Martin and Jefferson…
they'd just been blindsided by a sudden blast of "couple's dog food," and found it sickeningly sweet.
Up in the sky, the battle raged on.
Barry Allen threw a punch wreathed in lightning.
Saitama watched that punch come in, tilted his body slightly, and let it slip past his shoulder—
then swung his leg out and kicked Barry into a full-on face-plant.
Before Barry even hit the ground, he braced his hand against the surface,
and with a whoosh, used the rebound to launch himself back at Saitama again.
From the area near Central City's Iron Heights Prison,
the two of them fought all the way to the city center,
then from the city center, up to the height of the Central City tower.
In the end, Saitama brought Barry right back to where they had started.
Boom!
His fist slammed into Barry Allen's chest and pinned him in place.
Barry tried to struggle, but Saitama just said one word:
"Enough."
And that one word was enough to completely suppress him.
The scene left everyone stunned.
The people at Central City's S.T.A.R. Labs,
and the members of the Legends team…
all wore expressions of shock.
Was this really the limit of what a human could achieve?
For a brief moment, everyone in Central City watching this
even started to wonder if Saitama was a metahuman as well.
Only Rip Hunter knew the truth:
Saitama's strength had been forged through training.
Which meant Saitama really was just one incredibly strong human.
Saitama said calmly,
"Mr. Barry Allen, we don't mean you any harm. I'm just looking for a few teammates… to go do something interesting."
"Something interesting?" Barry asked. "What kind of thing?"
"You might not know," Saitama replied,
"but if you go back and ask Dr. Wells, you'll understand."
Saitama himself had seen the entire Flash storyline.
He knew that the current "Dr. Wells" was actually a time traveler from the future—
Eobard Thawne—wearing Wells' face.
So when he said this, he wasn't just speaking to Barry Allen.
He was also talking to everyone inside S.T.A.R. Labs.
By deliberately emphasizing Dr. Wells,
Saitama was pressuring him—forcing Wells, under the current circumstances,
to convince Barry Allen not to interfere with his plans.
Sure enough…
Using the comm device in Barry Allen's suit, Dr. Wells spoke up.
"Sir, there is no conflict between us. From the way you held back just now while fighting Barry,
it's clear you have no intention of killing him.
I hope you'll release Barry.
If you would, I can guarantee he won't attack you again."
Wells stared thoughtfully at the image of Saitama, trying to read him.
But how could a man as effortlessly cool as Saitama allow someone like Wells to see through him so easily?
All Saitama showed them was a presence so strong it was icy—
so strong it was impossible to fathom.
"Fine," Saitama said. "I'll let him go."
The moment Saitama loosened his grip, Barry shot out of his control like an arrow…
and charged straight at Saitama again.
"Barry, come back first!"
Unfortunately, by the time Wells' shout reached him, it was already too late.
Barry and Saitama collided one more time.
This time, Saitama didn't hold back.
He knocked Barry out cold with a single blow.
Everyone was in shock.
The legendary Flash, blessed by the Speed Force,
a hero who'd beaten Central City's criminals so badly they no longer dared resist him—
had just been taken down like that.
And everyone could see Barry Allen was completely unconscious,
with no chance of getting back up.
Saitama looked up toward the sky and called out,
"People at S.T.A.R. Labs, hurry up and come pick Barry up.
We'll part ways here."
Then he waved to the three behind him.
"You three… really know how to get me into trouble.
Let's not have a next time, yeah?"
Heat Wave Mick and Captain Cold Snart, both habitual criminals,
suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
They could tell Saitama wasn't joking.
As for the golden-haired beauty Sara Lance,
she was just about to say something—
but as soon as she sensed Saitama's gaze, she quietly shut her mouth.
And so, the group boarded the time ship
and entered the time tunnel.
On the other side of town…
Caitlin and Cisco were speeding along in a car from Central City.
They quickly found Barry Allen and brought him back to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Caitlin looked at him lying on the medical bed and said, a little awkwardly,
"Barry's fine. He's just… been knocked out."
Cisco pressed a hand to his forehead.
"So when he wakes up, what are we supposed to tell him?
That he just got knocked out?"
Caitlin curled her lip.
"We'd better not let Barry know that his Speed Force basically did nothing in this fight.
Otherwise, he might start doubting the Speed Force itself."
While the two were talking, Dr. Wells slowly rolled over in his signature wheelchair.
"You're both still here?" he said. "You look tired.
How about this—you two go out and grab something to eat. I'll stay here and watch Barry for a while."
"Alright, Doctor," Caitlin and Cisco replied.
The moment the two of them left,
Wells' expression turned serious.
He was only posing as the real Harrison Wells.
In reality, he was a time traveler from the 22nd century—Eobard Thawne.
He was also another Speed Force user.
The Reverse Flash.
If Saitama's power could truly threaten a Speed Force user,
then he himself was in danger as well.
So he needed to confirm whether things were really as he feared.
Bzzzz…
Dr. Wells' hand began to vibrate.
He moved it toward Barry Allen's head—
And when that vibrating hand touched Barry,
it passed straight through him like air, phasing into his body.
When Wells drew his hand back out again, everything looked completely normal,
as if nothing had happened.
Only his tightly clenched fist betrayed the unease in his heart.
This guy called Saitama was terrifyingly strong.
Strong enough to injure even someone like him—
a Speed Force user.
Dr. Wells looked coldly out the window.
This era was getting more and more unstable.
Inside the Waverider.
The newly arrived recruits were all staring in awe at the interior of the time ship.
Heat Wave Mick and Snart were even more shocked by it than the others.
Especially Snart—after he'd taken a good look around, he turned to Saitama and asked,
"Mr. Saitama, you already have a time ship like this.
Why do you care so much about small fry like us?"
Saitama replied,
"Because I want to give you a chance—
a chance to become good men."
(End of Chapter)
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