"Woosh!"
Saitama's figure blurred, vanishing from sight like a bolt of lightning.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Even with Fenric's sharpened senses, tracking Saitama's movements was nearly impossible. His naked eyes couldn't keep up, and his body—without activating his Indestructible Demon Body—was nowhere near fast enough to react in time.
He could only sense the violent pressure in the air, the faint distortion that followed in Saitama's wake.
Unless Fenric activated his Indestructible Demon Body, which could multiply his speed by five, he wouldn't be able to match even a fraction of Saitama's velocity.
But that technique consumed an enormous amount of stamina!
He still needed to save enough strength to maintain his Savage Charge, his only invincibility skill.
Besides, even if he matched Saitama's speed, what good would it do?
No amount of speed or strength could pierce that body—Saitama's absurd, godlike physique that ignored all laws of nature.
So Fenric stuck to his plan.
He couldn't win by force.
He could only survive.
His instincts, honed through countless battles, screamed warnings. His Death Sense—a special ability that detected fatal danger—was going wild.
When Saitama's next "serious punch" came, Fenric didn't hesitate. He activated Savage Charge once again, his body surrounded by a faint golden light.
The next instant—
"BOOM!"
The world itself seemed to shatter.
The sea and the island beneath them cracked like fragile glass under the sheer weight of Saitama's power.
Yet when the smoke cleared, Fenric still stood unscathed within his shimmering barrier of light.
From Saitama's perspective, it looked effortless.
"Whoa! Teacher blocked that too?!" Saitama's eyes gleamed with admiration and excitement. "As expected from the man who trained me!"
To Saitama, this wasn't a one-sided beating—it was his teacher testing him.
In his mind, Fenric was still holding back, still letting him attack freely.
But in reality, Fenric was fighting for his life!
Damn it… this bald demon is completely serious!
Each of Saitama's punches made the air scream. Fenric's barrier trembled violently under the impact of each hit.
Then—
"CONTINUOUS SERIOUS PUNCHES!!"
Saitama's voice boomed like thunder, and the sky turned crimson with a thousand overlapping fist shadows.
The pressure alone flattened the remains of the island, crushing everything in its radius.
Fenric's pupils shrank. "...He can even chain that attack now?!"
There was no hesitation. No pride. No delay.
Fenric instantly pulled out the Cursed Soul Bracelet—a rare artifact he'd acquired from a ghost mission—and activated its teleportation ability.
In an instant, his figure vanished into thin air.
A heartbeat later, Saitama's storm of punches struck.
BOOOOM!!!
The entire sea turned white. The impact erased clouds, carved canyons into the ocean, and created a massive vacuum that swallowed sound itself.
Hurricanes howled outward in every direction. The sea rose into walls of water, forming colossal whirlpools that twisted toward the horizon.
Saitama blinked in confusion, lowering his fist.
"Eh? Where's the teacher?"
He hadn't even seen Fenric move.
"The teacher's amazing," Saitama muttered in awe. "He must've moved faster than light… maybe even stopped time itself."
His imagination filled the gaps easily.
To him, Fenric was simply too strong to perceive.
"Haa…Ha…"
A few kilometers away, Fenric reappeared in midair, panting heavily. His face was pale, and sweat rolled down his temple.
Even now, his body trembled slightly from the shockwaves.
Since becoming strong—and armed with knowledge of the world's plot—he had faced countless powerful enemies and walked away victorious each time.
But this…
This was the first time he truly felt powerless!
If not for his absurd arsenal of life-saving skills, that single attack would've erased him completely.
The strength of the Bald Demon King was beyond comprehension.
Saitama… you really are a monster.
His fists could erase existence itself, and his body—unbreakable, untouchable—was a fortress no power could breach.
An invincible being.
But even the invincible have weaknesses.
Fenric's eyes narrowed.
He remembered something from the original story.
When Saitama fought Boros, the cosmic overlord, Boros had kicked him so hard that Saitama was sent hurtling into space—landing on the moon.
And what happened then?
For the first time, Saitama had to hold his breath.
That's right—he couldn't breathe in a vacuum.
That was the flaw. The only weakness.
Saitama needs air.
Furthermore, he couldn't fly. He could jump ridiculous distances, yes—but actual flight? He didn't have it.
If Boros hadn't conveniently sent him toward the moon's surface, where he could use the rebound to leap back, Saitama might have suffocated in space.
And that… gave Fenric an idea.
That was why he'd chosen the ocean.
Not land, not mountains—the sea.
If he could drag Saitama deep underwater, he could suffocate him.
It wouldn't kill the Bald Demon King, but it might make the system recognize defeat.
That was Fenric's gamble.
Taking a deep breath, Fenric dove straight into the water, descending rapidly into the dark blue depths.
The sea would be his battlefield.
…
Meanwhile, back on what was left of the island—
Saitama scratched his head, looking around. "Teacher?"
No response.
He glanced left and right. The place was a wreck.
"Hmm… maybe he's testing me," he muttered. "Yeah, that must be it."
He nodded to himself, completely convinced.
The teacher's probably hiding somewhere to see how I react. A true test of awareness and endurance!
Then, feeling the ground tremble slightly, he looked down.
"Huh? Is the island sinking?"
The cracks on the ground widened, and parts of the coastline crumbled into the sea.
"Oh no! I can't swim!" Saitama said, half-panicking.
He stood awkwardly, trying to reason it out. "Wait… maybe this is part of the test! The teacher must've hit the island earlier, and now it's slowly collapsing… maybe the lesson is about timing? When the island's gone, the test ends?"
His thoughts grew more absurd by the minute.
He waited patiently, scanning the horizon.
Then suddenly—
"BOOM!"
The skies darkened without warning.
Thick, black clouds rolled in, devouring the sunlight. Lightning flickered across the heavens like serpents of light.
Thunder cracked, shaking the air.
The once-clear weather shifted into a violent storm in seconds.
"Huh. Weird weather today," Saitama said, tilting his head as he stared at the clouds blankly.
"BOOM!!"
A massive bolt of lightning struck him dead-on.
For a few moments, his entire body was wreathed in golden electricity, illuminating the broken island.
Then—
The lightning vanished.
Saitama stood exactly where he was, completely unharmed.
Not a scorch mark on his body. His cape fluttered lightly in the sea breeze.
And his bald head… shone brighter than ever.
Hidden beneath the waves, Fenric watched the scene through his perception field—then sighed in disbelief.
"…Are you kidding me?"
Even nature's fury couldn't leave a scratch.