"So, who is the strongest on this planet?" Boros's eye swept over the crowd.

He sensed their strength... Tatsumaki's power rivaled Goryuganshup's, but she stood out as the strongest among them. This puzzled him.

"Was the prophecy wrong?" Boros wondered.

His gaze brought an inexplicable pressure, weighing on everyone.

"Enough." He said, turning back to the ship. "Goryuganshup, Groribas, Melzargard... kill them all."

Disappointed by the lack of the foretold champion, Boros began to withdraw.

"Boros!" King's voice rang out.

The earth trembled violently, a surge of energy King had been building for days through his communion with the ground. His sixth sense cosmo blazed, and in that moment, he was undeniably the strongest man on the surface... though only for this single move.

"King's trained well." Kaiser said, smiling. "He even prepared in advance. But against Boros, that power's still lacking."

"Clear the way!" The heroes' faces paled at the sight of King's rising power. Even among S-Ranks, King's true strength was a mystery... only known for leaving no monster alive.

The Emperor Engine and King's Inferno Matchless Raging Wave Cannon were formidable. Witnessing them firsthand confirmed King's reputation was no exaggeration.

"Oh? Intriguing!" Boros halted, turning back. He sensed a faint threat.

Immense energy gathered in King's hands.

"Inferno Matchless Raging Wave Cannon!"

As King unleashed the attack, blinding light engulfed everything. A colossal energy beam surged forward.

"Is this the strongest man on the surface?" The heroes marveled. "If that hit the ground directly, it'd level an entire city!"

"If even this fails." They thought, "we're left hoping for Tatsumaki and Blast."

"Step back." Boros commanded, clad in his armor, stepping to the forefront.

Facing the massive energy torrent, Boros remained unfazed, adopting a defensive stance.

Boom!

The energy collided with his hands. With a roar, Boros redirected the torrent skyward. It exploded in a cataclysmic blast, like a category-12 hurricane sweeping the earth.

"He deflected it so easily?" The heroes stood dumbfounded, even Tatsumaki. She couldn't have countered King's attack so effortlessly. Boros's strength truly matched the God-level threat Kaiser had described.

Crack… crack…

Boros's armor shattered.

"It broke his armor?" The heroes noticed, realizing King's attack hadn't been entirely ineffective.

"A fine strike." Goryuganshup said, waving his tentacles. "It shattered Lord Boros's sealing armor."

Boros's aura surged, his unleashed power overwhelming. The heroes realized the truth: this was a genuine God-level disaster.

"Hm?" Kaiser, observing from the battlefield's edge, narrowed his eyes at Boros. He sensed divinity within the now-unsealed Boros... a potential for godhood.

"Interesting…"

Ding!

"Divine matter detected. Host may collect it." The Heroic Spirit system announced.

"Will intervening now affect Saitama?" Kaiser asked curiously. Boros was clearly meant as Saitama's stepping stone.

Ding! "No impact. Saitama, having broken his limiter, is destined for godhood. All strong opponents are mere seasoning for his journey. The host has earned sufficient merit in this world, and the world will acknowledges you. Acting now will have no consequences. Divine matter can aid in comprehending divine power. Proceed at your discretion."

Kaiser's aura surged dramatically. "An unexpected boon. Three months here weren't wasted. If I claim Boros's divine matter, can I awaken the eighth sense?"

His gaze locked onto Boros, now a prize in his eyes.

"You're stepping in?" Saitama asked, curious.

"Our fight might come sooner than expected, Saitama." Kaiser replied. "Let me deal with this one first."

Kaiser stepped forward, vanishing and reappearing before Boros.

"You?" Boros exclaimed.

"Teacher!" Tatsumaki and King gasped in unison.

Boros locked eyes with Kaiser. "A true warrior's aura. Are you the one foretold?"

"Who knows?" Kaiser said. "But I can grant you defeat."

Though Boros bore traces of divinity, it was faint... far from true godhood.

"Handle the others." Kaiser instructed King and Tatsumaki. "This one's mine."

"Got it." Tatsumaki said, flashing away to confront Goryuganshup.

"Let's see your strength." Boros said, his gaze sharp.

"As you wish."

Kaiser struck, folding Boros's body with a single blow. Blood sprayed as pain seared through Boros's abdomen.

"So fast!" Boros thought, shocked. "Beyond my visual tracking!"

Yet excitement and battle lust surged within him. Energy erupted, tearing the earth apart.

The battle ignited.

***

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