: A Battle of Even Strength x6

The terrifying recoil struck Boros like a bolt of lightning, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string. His feet carved two deep furrows into the hard sand and gravel, kicking up dust that stretched for dozens of meters. He barely managed to regain his footing after retreating nearly a hundred meters.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, looking down at his right arm—in the earth-shattering clash just moments before, his hard-won arm had been completely severed. A wave of excruciating pain washed over him, but the fanaticism in Boros's eyes did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it burned even more fiercely, like a flame doused with oil.

He abruptly raised his head, a crazed glint in his single eye, a savage and excited smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Accompanied by a teeth-grinding "crack" as bone grew, black arcs of electricity leaped and converged wildly at the severed arm.

In the blink of an eye, a brand new right arm, thicker and with more ferocious and terrifying muscle lines than before, grew back at an astonishing speed.

"So strong, really so strong, it's just unreasonable how strong it is."

"That was exhilarating! This is truly the most satisfying battle I've ever experienced in my life!" Boros roared to the sky, his dark skin seemingly bubbling with magma, as he laughed heartily at Saitama.

"Now, I will unleash the enormous energy accumulated within me—ordinary fish will be reduced to ashes in an instant upon being scraped by it."

Before he finished speaking, a thick, breathtakingly bright white beam of energy erupted from his body, a hundred times more dazzling than the midday sun, carrying an aura of annihilation as it shot straight into the sky. Immediately afterward, a violent shockwave rippled outwards in a ring around him, instantly creating a dust storm that blotted out the sky. The surrounding sand dunes were flattened under this pressure, turning into countless particles of dust.

The terrifying energy shockwave, like a giant, tangible hammer, slammed into Saitama, instantly engulfing him in a blinding white light and a churning mushroom cloud, as if trying to erase this desert from the map.

As the shockwave dissipated and the dust settled, Boros burst into maniacal laughter upon seeing the unharmed bald figure who hadn't even changed his position. He then stomped his foot hard on the ground and transformed into a streak of light, hurtling towards Saitama once again.

"That's it! That's awesome! This is the kind of battle this body truly craves, Saitama!"

Boros was even faster than before, so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch it. His figure left a long black afterimage in the air. Wherever he passed, even the air was ignited by friction. The space itself seemed to be torn apart by this extreme speed, leaving behind a series of chilling black cracks.

Just as he was about to collide with Saitama, Boros's figure vanished mysteriously into thin air, leaving not even a ripple in the air. In that instant, space seemed to be torn apart, and when he reappeared, he had already ghost-like circled to Saitama's right side, his speed so fast that even light seemed to be distorted.

"Look, Saitama—behind you!"

Boros's lips curled into a ferocious and fanatical smile, his single eye flashing with the excitement of a hunter catching his prey. With a low growl, he unleashed a powerful right punch, gathering all his strength.

The fist, amplified by energy and carrying enough force to shatter rocks, slammed into Saitama's face like a meteorite. The immense impact sent the bald hero flying, his feet leaving the ground, like a cannonball. He plowed a deep, jagged trench, dozens of meters long, into the hard, iron-like ground, sending sand and gravel flying and kicking up clouds of dust that lingered for a long time.

After a moment of deathly silence, Saitama slowly stood up from the smoke and dust. He brushed the dust off his short-sleeved shirt, looked up, and nodded seriously at Boros, who was panting but still full of fighting spirit in the distance.

"Not bad, Boros, you're very strong. But could you be any stronger?"

This casual question, falling into Boros's ears, caused the pupil of Boros's large, single eye to suddenly shrink into a pinpoint of light, as if trying to etch the figure before him into the depths of his soul.

Only by truly engaging in close combat with Saitama, only when your fist is easily caught by his palm, can you personally feel that unfathomable power—it's not the suppression of some specific move or energy, but a sense of powerlessness as if staring into an endless abyss, making you tremble from the depths of your soul, and making it impossible to fathom where his true limits lie.

"You really are a monster, Saitama..." Boros's voice was icy.

"My race lives in a harsh environment. From birth, all members of our race face a struggle for survival. The weak die and the strong live. This endless battle is etched into the blood of our race."

We are the strongest fighting race in the entire universe, and I am the best among them, destined to conquer the stars. Yet, even someone like me cannot defeat you… How did you become so powerful? Does a god reside within you?

"Hey, Boros, do you want to know?" Saitama's eyes instantly turned serious, even taking on a rare solemnity, as if he were recounting some universal truth.

"Heh, no need for those boring excuses like push-ups, running, and not turning on the air conditioning!" Boros roared like thunder, his eyes flashing with fanatical fighting spirit.

"Let me see the difference between us, Saitama! Let me know just how vast the gap is between me and a 'god'!"

A deafening roar echoed through the heavens and earth, and the dormant energy within Boros erupted once more like a volcano. He laughed loudly, his body enveloped in destructive radiance, transforming into a shooting star as he hurtled straight toward Saitama.

"Boom boom boom—!"

The two figures collided violently in mid-air, the explosion sounding like a meteorite hitting the earth. Visible shockwaves spread outwards in a ring, and the violent air currents rolled and raged, creating an extremely terrifying spectacle.

In the turbulent currents that could tear steel warships apart, Saitama remained composed, effortlessly parrying Boros's devastating series of blows with just his bare arms. Sparks flew as their fists clashed, and the air crackled and popped as it was compressed.

Faced with such fierce fighting, Saitama's face showed no sign of seriousness; instead, a deep sense of confusion appeared. Taking advantage of a gap in his parry, he casually asked:

"Boros, how did you know how I got stronger? Did you train the same way as me? How long did you keep it up? Did you also do a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats every day, and then run ten kilometers without air conditioning?"

"Hahaha, even though I know what you're saying is true, it still sounds so ridiculous and infuriating."

Boros roared as he unleashed a barrage of punches infused with black energy.

"Listen, Saitama! That ridiculous training method could never have created a god-like powerhouse like you! It violates the fundamental laws of the universe! There must be another reason why you became stronger."

"Huh?" Saitama retorted seriously, "I endured unimaginable loneliness with tremendous willpower for a full three years! What's so funny about that? Can you understand that kind of monotonous, day-to-day routine? And besides that, there really wasn't anything else, was there?"

"Enough with the jokes, Saitama!" Boros's voice pierced through the howling storm, his single eye burning with fire. "Don't just think about defense! Don't hold back, attack without hesitation! Let me feel just how far the power of a god has gone!"

Before he finished speaking, Boros's figure had already transformed into a whirlwind too fast for the naked eye to perceive. In an instant, the space seemed to be completely torn apart by his battle intent, and continuous, deafening roars, like thunderclaps, shook the heavens and the earth. Rings of visible white shockwaves expanded and exploded wildly around him, compressing the air and crackling loudly.

The terrifying shockwaves generated by the clash of fists and feet instantly blurred the view. Countless afterimages intertwined and fought in the center of the storm. Each collision unleashed a force powerful enough to shatter mountains. The ground cracked inch by inch under the aftershocks of this force, and sand and stones flew everywhere.

"Bang—!"

A dull, resounding thud of flesh colliding suddenly rang out, instantly drowning out all the noise. It was Saitama's unremarkable, even somewhat loose, straight punch, which landed squarely on Boros's chest without any fancy moves.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Then, Boros's proud single eye instantly filled with disbelief and bloodshot veins. A mouthful of blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the air in front of him crimson. His body, as if struck by a giant hammer, instantly lost all ability to resist, flying backward, streaking through the sky, and finally crashing heavily into the distant ruins, stirring up a cloud of dust that lingered for a long time.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Saitama withdrew his fist, looked at the back of his hand, and frowned slightly, as if assessing the power of his previous attack.

A moment later, he scratched his shiny bald head, a hint of embarrassment on his face, realizing he had indeed gone a bit too far. He squinted, waved towards the distant, chaotic ruins, and called out apologetically:

"Hey, Boros, are you alright? If you're not feeling well, just say so. Let's just end it here."

"Cough cough cough—!"

A violent coughing fit came from deep within the ruins, followed by the sudden overturning of several boulders. Boros staggered to his feet from the rubble, a gruesome trail of blood at the corner of his mouth. He wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes resolute:

"You were the one who said we should fight, and now you want to end it so hastily? Are you looking down on me?"

Saitama sighed helplessly, his tone calm and sincere: "Ah, I didn't mean to look down on you. But I feel like you're about to give up, so let's stop fighting."

"No, now is the time to officially begin."