BOOM!
A serious punch landed squarely on Zuke's chest, halting his forward momentum for a brief moment. But almost immediately, Zuke closed the distance again, his right fist smashing into Saitama's abdomen—this blow nearly sent Saitama's eyes popping out of their sockets.
Saitama was sent flying once more, but Zuke's brow furrowed slightly.
That last punch from Saitama had been noticeably stronger than before—it seemed the exponential growth from breaking his "limiter" was already taking effect. If this continued, there was a real chance Saitama could ascend to an astonishing level of power by the end of this battle.
If this were Kakarot or Vegeta, they'd probably be thrilled, eager to see just how far Saitama could grow. After all, Saiyans loved nothing more than nurturing strong opponents to push their own limits and revel in the pure joy of battle. Like how Vegeta stood by and let Cell reach his perfect form—what fans often called the Saiyan habit of "playing with their food."
But Zuke was different. Though he shared their bloodline, his personality wasn't swayed much by Saiyan instincts. His goal here wasn't to help Saitama grow stronger—it was to consume parts of his body and steal his ability to break the "limiter."
The only reason he hadn't started eating right away was to gauge just how potent Saitama's exponential growth truly was. And now? He was more than satisfied. Just two punches had already granted him a noticeable boost. If this fight dragged on, the gains would be unimaginable.
"Good. This power is mine now."
Having confirmed the strength of the limiter-breaking ability, Zuke wasted no more time. He lunged at Saitama again—this time, the bald hero's face was twisted in pain. It had been so long since he'd felt anything like this, not since his days with hair, back when he'd still get injured fighting monsters.
Before Saitama could dwell on it, Zuke reappeared right in front of him, snapping him back to focus. Against Zuke, he couldn't afford even a moment of carelessness—not like he had against Boros.
But this time, Zuke didn't attack immediately. Instead, he grinned and spoke, his voice carried to Saitama through "ki" despite the vacuum of space:
"Saitama, I warned you, didn't I? This fight might leave you severely injured—but I'll heal you afterward. So brace yourself."
Saitama blinked. He did remember Zuke saying that, but he hadn't paid it much mind at the time. Back then, he'd assumed Zuke was just another blowhard like Boros, someone who couldn't even make him get serious.
Now, hearing it again, Saitama instinctively nodded—then froze. If Zuke was bringing this up now, did that mean…?
The next instant, something invisible seized Saitama's arms from behind. His expression darkened as he tried to wrench free, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break loose.
Saitama wasn't a Stand user, so he couldn't see Black Bird Requiem gripping his wrists with an iron hold.
SCHLICK!
Zuke's right hand slashed down, and Saitama's left arm was severed clean off.
The blade in Zuke's hand was formed from the Slime Stand borrowed from Kiryu—combined with Zuke's own monstrous strength, it made quick work of Saitama's limb.
"...!"
Saitama's face paled as he stared at the gushing stump. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his remaining fist, gathering an overwhelming surge of power—then unleashed it straight at Zuke!
Pain and injury had pushed Saitama's strength to yet another level. This Serious Punch dwarfed anything he'd thrown before.
Zuke's eyes widened slightly. Even he hadn't expected Saitama's power to spike this drastically. It still wasn't enough to match his strength, but even early-stage Frieza would've hesitated to take this hit head-on.
But instead of worry, Zuke felt exhilaration—the greater Saitama's growth, the more it proved the sheer potential of a broken limiter. And since Zuke was about to claim that very power for himself, Saitama's leaps only made him more eager.
"Still, I've never been fond of getting punched in the face."
Though impressed, Zuke had no intention of letting Saitama's fist connect. Even if it wouldn't injure him, it'd hurt. And if this dragged on, Saitama might grow strong enough to actually threaten him.
But…
Potential was just potential.
Even if someone could skyrocket from 1 to 100 in seconds, they'd never reach 10,000 if the fight ended before they got the chance.
And right now? Saitama's growth speed was no match for Zuke's intent to finish this.
"Black Bird… THE WORLD!"
An invisible ripple spread, the world turning monochrome as time itself froze. Saitama's motion ceased mid-action.
Saitama's power was fueled by sheer will—he could even kick open teleportation gates with pure force. But that only worked if his strength surpassed his opponent's.
Right now? He was still far beneath Zuke.
And so, time remained stopped.
Seizing the moment, Zuke had Black Bird Requiem devour Saitama's severed arm. With that, the power to break the "limiter" should now be his—though he didn't feel any immediate changes.
Of course not. This ability wasn't about instant boosts—it was about limitless, exponential growth through training. Until he actually trained, it wouldn't manifest.
"Time to wrap this up. Let's see… Earth should be over there."
Glancing around, Zuke quickly pinpointed Earth's location by sensing the "ki" signatures he'd memorized—specifically, Tatsumaki's and Fubuki's.
Shifting position, he moved behind Saitama, then delivered a devastating kick to his back—sending him hurtling straight toward Earth.
"Time… resumes."
The world snapped back into motion.
And with the force of Zuke's kick, Saitama's body was launched like a meteor—streaking across the void, back toward his home planet.
To be continued…
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