A new crisis had already arrived.
Thick, ink-black dark energy kept spewing from the spatial rift, spreading through the hall like a living tide. That sticky darkness twisted and coiled in midair, gradually condensing into a vague humanoid figure nearly ten meters tall. As its shape formed, a suffocating pressure blanketed the entire space, making even the air feel heavy.
Saitama stood at the very front. His red cape fluttered slightly in the turbulent energy. He turned his head toward Doctor Strange beside him, the dim light reflecting off his bald head with a faint gleam.
"Doctor—do you see any weakness in this thing?"
Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation lifted without wind. His hands were already drawing golden magical runes, his brows tightly furrowed.
"This darkness is unlike any energy I've ever seen—too pure, too ancient. I can't determine a weakness yet, but it needs time to condense a body. We have to strike first while it's still forming!"
The Guardian tightened his grip on the weapon glowing with white light and spoke in a low voice.
"Ancient texts describe similar dark beings. They usually have an energy core."
Saitama nodded. Without any warning, his figure vanished, leaving only fine cracks on the floor. In the next instant, he was already in front of the dark silhouette.
Plain and simple—
A punch.
Saitama's fist struck the dark creature's not-yet-fully-formed body with a shriek that tore through the air. But when it was still half a meter from truly becoming "solid," a shield of condensed dark energy suddenly appeared and collided violently with his punch wind.
Boom!
A shockwave blasted outward. Loose rubble rattled down from the hall's walls. The creature's formation visibly stalled, and it released a deep roar—like it came from the bottom of the abyss, chilling to the bone.
Two points of red light ignited in the darkness.
A pair of enormous eyes, filled with savage brutality and the will to destroy.
As those eyes opened, a gigantic hand made entirely of dark energy formed in an instant and snatched toward Saitama at frightening speed.
"Pretty fast." Saitama hopped back easily, dodging the grab, and shouted, "Doctor—use magic to disrupt its energy gathering!"
Doctor Strange had already been waiting for that. With rapid hand seals, dozens of golden runes shot forward like living creatures. They circled the dark being, forming a rotating magic array, trying to cut off its continued absorption of energy from the rift.
The Guardian seized the moment and charged at the creature's lower body, swinging his white-glowing weapon. When it slammed into the dark shield, sparks exploded, and white light and darkness ate into each other with a harsh, sizzling hiss.
"It's weakening!" the Guardian shouted. He swung again, carving a clear crack into the dark barrier.
Under pressure from three sides, the dark creature's movements noticeably slowed. Saitama immediately took advantage. His figure flickered in and out of the darkness as he unleashed a rapid series of punches at the same spot.
Each punch carried crushing force. The cracks on the dark shield multiplied, spreading like glass on the verge of shattering.
But the creature changed tactics.
The dark aura around it suddenly split into dozens of tendrils—like venomous snakes—shooting toward all three of them at once.
They were unbelievably fast, reaching the three in almost an instant…
(End of Chapter)
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