A punch aimed straight at the root was thrown.
It didn't cause any physical ripples, but in the hearts of those present, there was a sudden, refreshing sense of clarity, like clouds parting to reveal the bright sky.
The Blade Demon's body vanished completely.
The oppressive gloom that had masked everything vanished along with it.
In Lexon's perception, the channel through which power was transmitted had already shattered.
Whatever was behind it seemed unable to move forward or enter the world of One Punch Man.
Consequently, the world's rejection ceased, and the sense of aversion in Saitama's heart gradually faded away.
"It's solved," Lexon said, turning back to Saitama.
"Then let's go home and eat," Saitama replied, his mind still on that important matter.
"Yeah," Lexon nodded with a smile.
"What? You want to come along too?" Saitama looked at Watchdog Man, who was staring intently at the two of them.
"Woof," Watchdog Man raised a paw.
"Don't you have to guard Q-City?" Lexon asked.
He remembered that Watchdog Man had a very strong territorial instinct.
"Q-City is nearby; there shouldn't be any monsters for a while," Watchdog Man responded.
Lexon understood his point. After an aura like that had been transmitted, monsters would be too terrified to come out for quite some time.
"Then let's go together," Lexon said, not minding.
"By the way, what about Genos and the others?" Saitama scratched his head, looking at the people lying on the ground near the nearly demolished Hero Association headquarters.
"I'll wake them up. I'll also suppress the remaining influence of that aura shock while I'm at it," Lexon said.
Of the three people present, only he was capable of such a feat.
Watchdog Man and Saitama were, ultimately, just brutes.
They weren't cut out for delicate work.
"So much trouble... Oh, right, I want to eat that Kung Pao Chicken today!"
"You'll eat whatever I make. Don't go making demands," Lexon glanced at Saitama.
He then walked toward Genos and the others.
But at that moment, Lexon's steps suddenly halted. He turned back, staring at the spot where the punch had landed.
"What is it?" Saitama asked, seeing Lexon's unusual behavior.
He quickly realized something must be up. "Was it not completely solved?"
"Don't speak for a moment, Saitama." Lexon's words quieted Saitama.
[YOU HAVE STOLEN]
Even though there was physically nothing there, he felt he had received this information in a jarring way through his extreme perception.
For the first time, Lexon's expression turned somewhat grave.
He really disliked this feeling of uncertainty.
[YOU HAVE STOLEN AN AUTHORITY THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU]
[THEREFORE, EVEN THE WORLD'S AUTHORITY CANNOT STOP MY ADVANCE]
The information continued to flow into Lexon's perception.
Since he was currently in his bald state, Lexon's perception was further amplified.
And so he did exactly that.
Then he knew...
Sure enough, the source entity behind that channel hadn't stopped its advance just because the channel was broken.
It was as if an indescribable black thread was being pulled.
The entity was traveling along the orientation of that thread.
It was slower than before, but it was still advancing.
Moreover, it was far more concealed than before, which was why the world was no longer giving Saitama, the child of destiny, any reaction.
At this speed... if nothing unexpected happened, it would likely arrive within a few years.
Arriving in a few years...
With that much time... even he would have squeezed every bit of value out of this world.
After all, the true value of this world was just Saitama.
Everything else was just icing on the cake.
There was no need to get involved with something that was obviously going to be troublesome...
Since the source entity behind this was likely a being from that legendary Punishment World.
He had a premonition that he would most likely encounter this Punishment World in the future.
If he made an enemy of it now... he might be targeted the moment he entered that world.
So the rational choice was to back off, stop while he was ahead, and ignore this world's fate.
The opponent didn't seem angry about his earlier strike; it had even offered an explanation, which seemed like a show of respect.
So...
Lexon's gaze swept over the 'it's up to you' expressions of Saitama and Watchdog Man, then drifted past the unconscious figures of Mumen, Genos, and the rest.
"Saitama, doggy, give me a hand."
Lexon said to Saitama.
"Okay." Saitama and Watchdog Man agreed without hesitation.
"How do we help?" the two egg-headed men asked.
"Attack me with all your power," Lexon said.
"Huh?" Saitama was confused.
"Is there some special reason?" Watchdog Man asked.
"I will channel your power to the place it needs to reach," Lexon answered.
Because of their own cognitive limitations, Saitama's and Watchdog Man's attacks couldn't actually reach the opponent.
But! Using himself as a node, he could construct a channel that reached the source entity.
"But Lexon, isn't your own power enough?" Saitama asked, puzzled.
He had sparred with Lexon and knew that Lexon's power in his bald state was not inferior to his own.
So he should be able to do it by himself...
As for that dog?
To Saitama, who had removed his limiter, the dog wasn't that strong either.
So that couldn't be the reason.
"Don't ask so much. In short, I can't do it, but you two can," Lexon said.
From the information provided by the other party, he could tell that his so-called invincibility—what it called Authority—couldn't repel the opponent when it originated from him.
Therefore, Lexon chose to let the child of destiny of this world, the original holder of that Authority, do the job.
To be even more certain, he also brought in Watchdog Man, who shared the same art style as Saitama.
"Come on, use all your strength, don't hold back," Lexon told Saitama and Watchdog Man.
"If we do that... will you be okay, Lexon?" Saitama hesitated slightly.
Facing his concern, Lexon just pointed at his own shiny bald head and smiled. "Don't forget, right now... we are the same."
"Alright then." Saitama laughed heartily and assumed an attacking stance alongside Watchdog Man.
"Full power paw-swipe." The dog gathered his strength and swung his paw.
"Super Serious Series: Serious Punch." With calm words, Saitama's fist moved forward, throwing a punch at Lexon.
It was the most serious punch he had ever thrown.
"Snap."
The faint sound of a thread snapping echoed.
[YOU WILL REGRET THIS]
[WE SHALL MEET AGAIN]
[YOU CANNOT ESCAPE]
Three simple messages were transmitted to Lexon's perception.
Even though it was just pure information, Lexon could sense a hint of indignation within it.
'Infuriated, are we?'
Thoughts swirled through Lexon's mind.
'Well...'
'Of course you are.'
'Having an opportunity to invade a world ruined like that, it would be hard not to be angry.'
'But...'
'Ruining other people's plans and making them unhappy is exactly where my pleasure lies.'
'I am... a fun-seeker, after all...'
The thought settled.
"It's completely resolved now. Let's wake Genos and the others so we can go eat," Saitama shouted.
"Woof!" Watchdog Man chimed in.
The corner of Lexon's mouth turned up slightly.
It seemed like that wasn't the only reason...
"Let's go," Lexon responded.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]