Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

"…This… isn't how it's supposed to be… I haven't even started enjoying the fight yet… I have a reason to keep fighting…!"

Boros, airborne and bloodied, lifted his head as blood dripped from his mouth. His mind grew foggy as his memories flooded back—battle after battle that had brought him to where he was now.

From an unknown space pirate to the ruler of the galaxy, leader of the Dark Matter Thieves, his strength had grown and grown… yet the joy of battle had long faded.

Until he heard the prophecy—from the seer who spoke of a warrior that could truly match him. Boros had spent twenty years crossing the endless cosmos to reach Earth.

Only to find that the warrior of prophecy… was this strong.

The gap between them was incomprehensible—even for someone like him.

But…

This is what he wanted.

Only when fighting someone far stronger could he feel that razor-edge thrill between life and death—that was what he had dreamed of, what he had chased across the stars.

"Like hell I'm going down now! HRAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Boros's entire body erupted in a blazing aura of energy. His species was born with the ability to store and manipulate energy at will—saving it for battles against overwhelmingly powerful foes.

And now, he would release it all.

Energy Release!

The energy stored within Boros's body erupted all at once, its explosive momentum shooting straight into the sky.

The next instant, Boros shot forth like a comet, unleashing unprecedented speed as he slammed into Kizaru with devastating force.

In his released state, Boros was easily several times stronger than his normal form.

If Boros in his base form still had a chance of being defeated by an S-Class hero, then now—barring outliers like Kizaru or Saitama—he was practically invincible.

"RAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Finally able to go toe-to-toe with Kizaru, Boros was ecstatic. The long-lost thrill of combat had him utterly elated—even exchanging basic punches had him as hyped as if he were high on something.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every clash between the two titans sent out shockwaves with each impact, their fists colliding and compressing the air with incredible force.

Down on the ground, heroes and alien pirates alike couldn't even see what was happening in the sky. Occasionally, they'd catch a flicker of Boros and Kizaru's afterimages—only to be followed by massive sonic boom clouds erupting in midair.

When the two combatants skimmed low over the battlefield, unlucky bystanders who got caught in the aftermath were often pulped by the shockwaves.

Luckily, most of the casualties were alien pirates—mere tools in Boros's eyes, useful only for crewing the ship and cleaning up the battlefield.

The only exception was Bang, who'd gotten a little too absorbed watching the fight and was almost caught in the blast. But Silver Fang wasn't called that for nothing—using his exquisite footwork, he barely escaped the sonic shockwave in time.

The S-Class heroes currently fighting the transformed Groribas couldn't help but go a little pale.

Even without Kizaru's level of Observation Haki, they could feel the sheer pressure radiating from Boros—an instinctive, primal fear like they'd encountered a natural predator.

"So that's the alien leader? Damn… he's terrifying…"

Bang, having just barely survived, muttered hoarsely. He figured that even if he threw in everything he had, he'd only last a punch or two against that alien leader.

"…To think someone can actually hold his own against such a monster. Looks like Flash's strength is even greater than we thought."

Atomic Samurai finally spoke after a moment of silence, his voice tinged with awe.

When Kizaru had first landed in the S-Class, ranked 9th, Atomic Samurai had simply seen him as a promising junior.

Who would've imagined that the newly debuted S Class was powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with Boros? Atomic Samurai certainly didn't think he could take on the alien leader head-on.

Even his prized Atomic Slash seemed almost laughably insufficient in the face of such raw power.

"Damn it! That bastard Kizaru's this strong…"

Tatsumaki bit her lip in frustration. She had always been competitive, and even after getting involved with Kizaru, she had never stopped scheming about eventually "flipping the power dynamic."

"Hey! Tornado of Terror! Quit spacing out!"

Metal Bat shouted, having nearly been swallowed whole by the mutated Groribas. In its current slime form, Groribas had achieved near-total physical immunity and could devour almost anything it touched.

At first, the S-Class heroes hadn't realized that. Fortunately, Superalloy Darkshine had been the first to get snagged—Groribas couldn't digest him and was forced to spit him back out.

After that, the heroes adapted their strategy: Tatsumaki would use her psychic powers to bind and control the slime monster while the others focused their attacks.

But just now, Tatsumaki's distraction nearly got Metal Bat eaten—he was sweating bullets from the close call.

"Quit yelling! Just watch yourself!"

Tatsumaki muttered, a little embarrassed, but far too proud to actually apologize.

Thankfully, she refocused on the fight. The slime monster that could devour almost anything was no match for psychic power—under Tatsumaki's control, Groribas could do nothing but rage helplessly.

Each of Boros's top three warriors had their own unique abilities, but unfortunately for them: Geryuganshoop ran into Kizaru and was instantly vaporized before he could even speak; Melzargard had been too cocky and got his core exposed early on.

Had those two not been eliminated so quickly, and all three elites joined forces—without Kizaru or a certain bald caped devil stepping in—the Hero Association wouldn't have stood a chance.

Even if they did somehow win, it would've been a bitter, bloody victory—not this smooth team beatdown on Groribas.

"If it weren't for those two useless idiots…"

Groribas trembled with rage, his jelly-like body quivering under Tatsumaki's telekinesis. Psychic abilities were his worst nightmare.

Normally, those kinds of enemies were handled by Geryuganshoop—but that one got insta-killed by Kizaru before he could even react.

Still, Geryuganshoop's death hadn't been the worst part.

Melzargard, with his pseudo-immortality, should've been perfect for drawing fire and buying time.

Who would've guessed that during his transformation period, even with help from a swarm of alien pirates, he'd fail to stop a group of Earth "natives"—and get his core destroyed?

Thanks to that blunder, Groribas was left to face a dozen S-Class heroes alone, and now had zero chance of turning the tide.

"…Target location locked out! Detected speed exceeds Mach 14!"

Drive Knight wasn't participating in the assault on Groribas. Instead, he had transformed into a massive detection device, trying to analyze Boros's weaknesses—searching for a way to defeat him.

But no matter how he analyzed it, Boros's strength appeared utterly insurmountable. Missiles seemed barely faster than crawling turtles in front of him, and every punch he threw unleashed sonic booms—powerful enough to instantly obliterate most S-Class heroes.

Drive Knight didn't even need to consider whether they could break through Boros's defenses. A body capable of withstanding that kind of speed and power likely had durability that surpassed even Superalloy Darkshine.

"What the hell kind of monster is this guy?!"

Child Emperor, who was helping Drive Knight with the analysis, was visibly shaken. He was still just a school kid! Why did he have to carry this kind of pressure?!

"So there's nothing we can do to help?"

Zombie Man walked over, having just taken down the last of the space pirates. Now, only two enemies remained: Boros, still fighting Kizaru in the sky, and Groribas, who stubbornly refused to die.

There were still plenty of alien pirates aboard the ship, but without Boros's orders, they wouldn't dare descend into battle—nor did they even dare move unnecessarily, lest they disturb their leader's enjoyment of combat.

"The speed gap is too big," Drive Knight shook his head. "Even the fastest among us—Flashy Flash—can't keep up with the battle between Kizaru and the alien leader."

Despite having turned into a full detection unit, Drive Knight's head was still exposed—perhaps out of some mechanical compulsion.

"Not necessarily. If it were KING, he might be able to help Swift Flash!"

Atomic Samurai arrived with his three disciples. With Groribas now fully restrained by Tatsumaki and continuously scorched by Genos's flamethrowers, Atomic Samurai saw no need to waste time further.

KING hadn't lifted a finger throughout the entire battle, but the occasional thrum of the "King Engine" clearly showed he was ready to strike at any moment.

Even though the alien invitation had exposed KING as not the "Strongest Man on Earth," most assumed it was only because Swift Flash was too strong—forcing KING to settle for second.

Some S-Class heroes even suspected KING was still hiding his true strength—or that the aliens simply hadn't uncovered his real power.

"I... I can't fly..."

KING tried to say something, but facing the hopeful gazes of his fellow S-Class heroes, the words caught in his throat.

He had originally been mistaken for a dragon-level monster slayer when he only wanted the Hero Association to help him buy a video game. And each time he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, the opportunity slipped away.

Over time, he'd come to realize that his false identity as an "S-Class Hero" and the "Strongest Man on Earth" had become a symbol. A source of hope.

If the truth came out, if KING's image shattered—who knew how many people would lose their courage?

Left with no choice, KING tried to find an excuse. Fortunately, he was quick on his feet—and his impromptu excuse was surprisingly convincing.

Especially as the others looked skyward, where sonic booms thundered in the clouds.

They could barely glimpse the battle—just flashes of Kizaru and Boros streaking across the sky like lightning. Everyone could understand KING's "concerns."

"What a shame… If KING could've assisted Flashy Flash, we might've already taken down that alien boss…"

Zombie Man frowned and sighed. The enemy's power was simply too overwhelming—far beyond what he could strategize around.

But just as the heroes were despairing, Groribas—still bound in place by Tatsumaki's telekinesis and being continuously scorched by Genos's flames—let out a grotesque laugh.

"Keh keh keh keh… You ignorant natives dare to dream of defeating Lord Boros? Such arrogance… what a laughable delusion…"

Despite being roasted non-stop by flames, Geryuganshoop showed no fear or distress.

It remained utterly convinced that Lord Boros would soon defeat the warrior of prophecy—then come down and annihilate every last one of these pathetic earthlings.

"Boros? So that's your leader's name, huh? Well, since it looks like those two won't settle things anytime soon, how about a proper introduction? At least tell us what your goal is."

Bang hobbled closer to Groribas. Honestly, he'd never met an enemy so durable before.

Even Melzargard's "immortality" had some kind of weakness. But Groribas, now transformed into a slime-like creature, was virtually indestructible.

Getting too close risked being absorbed entirely. If it weren't for Tatsumaki being a perfect counter, the entire Hero Association might've been wiped out trying to stop him.

Thankfully, they'd discovered fire could hurt him—though it took time. A lot of time.

"Keh keh keh keh… Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. But in the face of absolute power, all your little tricks are meaningless. I don't mind telling you everything…"

The evolved Groribas now had a very different personality. In the past, it would've never revealed anything so easily.

But now it didn't matter. The warrior of prophecy was strong, sure—but Lord Boros had already entered his energy release state. Victory was only a matter of time.

The moment Groribas started speaking, even Metal Bat—who had nearly been eaten by the slime monster—unconsciously perked up his ears.

Shibabawa's prophecy had been no exaggeration. Even without Boros himself, the three elite combatants alone were enough to rival half the Hero Association.

If they hadn't responded properly from the beginning, it might've been the S-Class heroes being overwhelmed by alien forces right now. Earth's destruction could have already begun its countdown.

And if you factored in the alien leader still locked in combat with Swift Flash—even Zombie Man, who had the most faith in KING, couldn't guarantee that "Earth's Strongest Man" could stand up to Boros.

°°°

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