"Huh? You shattered my Dimensional Cannon that easily? Who the heck are you, kid? I've never seen a guy like you in any of the other dimensions."
The space twisted violently, and a figure slowly emerged from the warped rift.
He was decked out in heavy black-and-white armor, with a white cape billowing behind him as he moved.
His spiky, hedgehog-like hair stuck out wildly, and a thick beard made him look even more rugged and imposing. Right in the center of his chest, a circular black crystal was engraved with "BLAST."
It was none other than the top S-Class hero: Blast.
Gaio didn't bother answering Blast's question. Instead, he just raised his hand and slid the Yanma Blade back into its sheath, a flicker of interest in his eyes as he stared quietly at the hero.
Blast didn't seem fazed by Gaio's rudeness in ignoring him. His gaze shifted to where the Hero Association HQ used to stand—now just a charred wasteland.
"Tsk tsk, no idea what they did to tick you off," he teased at first. But then his tone sharpened, his once-smirking face turning dead serious. "Still, going all out like this... isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Gaio let out a light chuckle. "Mess with the wrong person, and you pay the price. That's just how it goes."
Blast pointed at the "heroes" still impaled by phantom swords, writhing in agony on the ground. "What about them?"
Gaio arched an eyebrow. "Them? They're lucky I let them live this long. That's mercy enough."
Blast's brows furrowed into a deep "V," his anger flaring up in an instant.
Sure, the Hero Association had its share of problems, but it was still the backbone defending the island and its twenty-odd cities from monsters—the banner of justice for the people.
Seeing it wiped out so effortlessly by Gaio, tarnishing the name of "justice," was bad enough. But watching him toy with these heroes like some big bad villain? That lit a fire in Blast's gut.
"Looks like you need to pay a price too." Blast gritted his teeth, his voice rough and tense.
Gaio smiled faintly, locking eyes with him. "Sure. If you can make it happen."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Blast sprang into action.
He slammed his fists together, and in a flash, the air warped under the surge of energy. A black energy wave shaped like a Möbius strip formed between his knuckles, crackling with lightning— the Dimensional Cannon.
The moment it took shape, it blasted toward Gaio, tearing fine cracks in the space it passed through.
Facing this devastating attack, Gaio stayed cool as a cucumber. His right hand casually rested on the Yanma Blade's hilt, a playful glint in his eyes.
Right as the cannon was about to hit, Gaio sidestepped just enough for it to graze past him. It slammed into the ground far off, exploding in a massive boom that left a bottomless crater, hurling dirt and rocks everywhere in a cloud of dust.
Blast's brow creased—he hadn't expected Gaio to dodge so effortlessly.
But he didn't let up. His hands gathered gravity energy in a hurry, and with a powerful stomp, he rocketed toward Gaio like a bullet. At the same time, he roared and threw a punch loaded with immense gravity: Gravity Fist.
The strike came with earth-shattering force, compressing the air into a shrill whistle, like it was gonna bury Gaio six feet under.
Gaio didn't dodge. As the fist closed in, he whipped out the Yanma Blade in a flash.
The blade gleamed coldly as it left the sheath. With a flick of his wrist, it traced an arc, meeting Blast's punch in what looked like a casual swing.
CLANG! The impact rang out like a massive bell, the metallic clash echoing across the sky.
The two forces collided, sending shockwaves rippling outward from the point of contact, kicking up dust into a swirling fog.
In the midst of it, Gaio stood tall and composed, his clothes fluttering lightly, the Yanma Blade perfectly blocking the fist. His face still held that unflappable calm.
Blast, on the other hand, was reeling inside—waves of shock crashing through him. He couldn't believe this powerhouse punch of his had been stopped so casually.
The dust hadn't even cleared when Blast poured more power into his fist, blue electricity sparking from his armor's joints.
He twisted his wrist, ramping up the gravity field until space rippled around his knuckles—he was layering dimensional energy onto the Gravity Fist.
Gaio's eyes narrowed slightly. He spun his wrist, the flat of the blade precisely tapping the fist's peak, using the rebound to drift back three meters like a leaf on the wind.
Blast's punch hit nothing but air, cratering the ground in a hundred-meter-wide fissure, the debris pulverized by the gravity.
"Interesting," Blast grinned, flashing white teeth as he spread his arms like wings. His cape fluttered without wind, black energy rings swirling around him. "Try this on for size—Dimensional Storm!"
The rings exploded outward into dozens of spinning spatial rifts, swarming Gaio like a school of sharks.
Wherever they tore through, steel-and-concrete buildings looked gnawed by invisible jaws, their cuts mirror-smooth.
Gaio tapped his foot, his black trench coat leaving afterimages.
He'd sidestep a whistling rift here, slash an approaching ring there with his blade.
Each clash of Yanma Blade and rift sparked silver-blue flames, like slicing through the fabric of reality.
Blast growled low in his throat.
He clapped his palms together, the energy rings collapsing into a dark purple orb that devoured light itself.
"Think you can handle this?" As it launched, sound vanished within thousands of meters, leaving only the screech of tearing air—his ultimate move, "Dimensional Breakdown."
The orb's path warped space into liquid ripples, scorching black trails into the ground.
The instant Gaio sheathed his blade, he vanished from sight.
"Behind you," a cool voice whispered in Blast's ear.
Blast whipped around to find Gaio's foot planted on his shoulder, the Yanma Blade pressed against a gap in his armor, reflecting Blast's stunned face.
The purple orb was long gone, a distant rumble echoing as a mushroom cloud bloomed on the horizon.
"Your shot missed," Gaio said, pressing down lightly on the shoulder before leaping into the air, hovering mid-sky.
Blast stared at the faint knife mark on his shoulder, his face turning ashen.
He wiped sweat from his brow, sizing up this guy for real—his power shattered everything Blast knew about "humans."
If Gaio had gone toe-to-toe with raw blasts, Blast wouldn't be this shocked.
In a world full of powerhouses, head-on clashes were expected.
But no—Gaio dodged like he was out for a leisurely stroll after dinner.
Every city-leveling move from Blast? Gaio just shifted a bit, stepped aside, and poof—missed.
This effortless vibe sent ripples of awe through Blast. He knew he'd met an opponent like no other.
"Guess I'll have to pull out the big one," Blast muttered under his breath, lost in the howling wind.
His eyes sharpened again, energy boiling around him.
In the next second, he shot forward like a cannonball, winds whipping wildly, charging at Gaio once more.
Up close, his attacks rained down like a storm—heavy Gravity Fists from tricky angles, each packing mountain-crushing power.
Gaio stayed chill, dodging with tiny leans or head tilts, not even fazed by the shockwaves.
Their figures blurred in the dust, moving too fast for the eye to follow.
After a flurry of exchanges, Blast spotted an opening and pulled back, creating some distance.
He raised his right hand, fingers splayed, a black vortex of eerie light swirling in his palm. "Blockade!"
With his shout, the vortex spread, twisting and pulling space around Gaio like an invisible giant's grip.
Gaio frowned—he felt the environment shifting with irresistible force.
In a blink, the rubble and smoke vanished, replaced by endless void.
Silent, no up or down, no light—time and space meaningless. Blast had banished him to a null dimension.
Back in reality, using the move drained Blast dry. He dropped to one knee, armor cracking, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his face.
His energy was gone in a flash, proving just how monstrous Gaio was.
"What a freak, kid," Blast said, his face paling, breath ragged.
He was spent, armor splintered, looking beat to hell—even a regular joe could knock him over now.
But deep down, a spark of hope: he'd exiled Gaio to another realm. Victory?
Before he could finish the thought, a blue-purple rift cracked open in the air just ten meters away.
In the same instant, countless razor-sharp blade lights surged from all directions, centered on Blast.
They gleamed like meteors streaking the night sky, laced with deadly intent.
Blast instinctively raised a hand to block, but oddly, they didn't touch him.
As the lights faded, a mangled corpse floated out from the air behind him.
Dressed in ninja gear, covered in wounds crusted with dried blood on tattered clothes.
Blast's eyes bulged in horror and shock—he recognized it: Void, the Ninja King.
A powerhouse he'd barely banished with Blockade after a brutal fight.
And from that first rift, Gaio stepped out calmly.
Black trench coat, icy expression, eyes deep with boredom—like the whole brawl was a dull game.
"Boring."
Blast never imagined his proud, enemy-crushing technique would flop like child's play against this guy.
Now slumped and helpless on the ground, staring at Gaio, all he felt was bitterness and defeat.
Gaio glanced at the utterly spent Blast and sighed softly.
He'd hoped Blast would bring the heat like Saitama—with unique power and style that'd spark a real fight, something epic and satisfying.
But nope, total letdown. The battle never hit the intensity he'd craved.
Breathing out, he thought to himself: guys on Saitama's bug-level are one in a million, huh.
Gaio wasn't a bloodthirsty psycho—no urge to off Blast.
He did what he wanted, but he wasn't some murder-happy demon.
His gaze flicked over Blast. "Go rebuild the Hero Association or whatever."
Blast opened his mouth to respond, but Gaio vanished. The tension drained from him, leaving only helpless frustration.
Meanwhile, back at the onsen inn's veranda, Gojo Satoru was munching sweets with gusto, while Fubuki knelt primly nearby.
Five minutes ago, Gaio's sudden dip had clued them in—he'd gone to wreck the Hero Association.
No telling how long it'd take, so they chilled, waiting patiently.
"Huh? You guys still hanging here?"
They snapped their heads toward the voice. Somehow, Gaio was back in his spot, casually sipping from a steaming teacup like nothing happened.
Gojo perked up instantly, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Whoa, back already? How'd it go over there?"
Gaio set the cup down leisurely, eyeing Gojo. "Buncha small-timers. Didn't even need much time."
"Makes sense, makes sense." Gojo grinned cheekily, grabbing another sweet.
Fubuki, beside him, checked her phone—then her eyes went wide as she gawked at Gaio.
He caught her look, her shocked-open mouth from the news, and smirked.
"What?"
She snapped her mouth shut, shook her head quick, then stared back at the screen.
"Hero HQ destroyed. Hundreds of heroes defeated. Three S-Class heroes critically injured. Blast exhausted, total beatdown."