Saitama moved.
No running start. No flashy stance. He simply bent his knees—and jumped.
The ground beneath his feet collapsed into a huge crater with a thunderous boom. His body shot upward like a meteor flying against gravity, ignoring the Dark Beast's frantic yet already slowed attacks, and in an instant he appeared right in front of that mountain-like abdomen!
The exposed, throbbing dark core was within arm's reach.
Then he clenched his fist.
Still that plain, unremarkable punch.
He drove it straight into the dark core.
The moment his fist connected, time seemed to freeze.
And then—
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening explosion beyond words erupted. At the same time, a shockwave—an indescribable blend of pure strength and annihilating force—burst outward from Saitama's fist!
The Dark Beast's obsidian-like armor, incomparably hard a moment ago, became like paper thrown into a furnace. Starting from the point of impact, it shattered, cracked, decomposed—reduced to its most primitive particles. The shockwave didn't slow for a second as it spread, instantly sweeping through the beast's entire abdomen, chest cavity, and even its massive head and countless limbs!
The Dark Beast didn't even get to release a final scream.
Its body collapsed from the inside out, crumbling and breaking apart like a sand sculpture scattered by the wind—turning into countless lifeless black fragments and dust that drifted away. That apocalyptic aura deflated like a punctured balloon, vanishing at breathtaking speed.
One punch.
Just one punch.
That mountain-sized Dark Beast—an existence that had brought endless despair—was completely erased.
With the beast's death, it was as if a core mechanism had been destroyed. The violent dark energy surging through the cavern lost its source and rapidly calmed, fading away. The spatial rift that had been spewing monsters began to convulse violently, then quickly shrank and sealed shut. The remaining monsters let out terrified screeches, their bodies turning translucent before dissolving into black smoke.
The shaking stopped. The collapse slowed.
The cavern was still a wreck, but that suffocating pressure—and the looming threat of destruction—was gone.
"Is… it over?" Spider-Man panted, staring at the now-empty passage in disbelief.
"Looks like it." Captain America stepped forward and picked up his shield from the ground. It was covered in scratches and dents.
Wanda and Strange also lowered themselves to the floor, faces pale from massive magical exhaustion, but both of them looked as if a weight had finally lifted.
Saitama landed lightly and pulled the cube from his pocket. The black sheen on its surface had completely dimmed. The intricate carvings no longer flickered, turning lifeless—though it still carried that cold, eerie texture.
"Oh. It got quiet."
"Thanks to you, Saitama," Strange said sincerely. "Without you, we never could've taken it—let alone beaten that beast."
"Yeah! That last punch was so cool!" Spider-Man shouted excitedly.
Saitama rubbed his bald head. "It's nothing. It was just one punch, anyway."
Guided by Strange and Wanda, the group quickly found the weakened energy point—a long-ancient fissure leading back up to the surface. When they finally crawled out and breathed in New York's night air (or more accurately, the air of early morning), not exactly fresh but priceless in that moment, every one of them felt like they'd been given a second life.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]