Chapter 183: Inspecting the Void
On a certain distant planet.
This world had undergone billions of years of evolution, birthing countless brilliant civilizations. The current dominant race had finally reached the era of space exploration.
The Commander stood with a grim expression, looking down at his assembled army. Behind him, thousands of high-tech starships let out a collective, rhythmic thrum. He roared into his comms:
"Soldiers! According to our top astronomers, those two unknown entities capable of fighting with their bare bodies in the void are now less than 300,000 kilometers from our home. This is a critical threat level!
"To ensure the survival of our civilization and the continuity of our race—to prevent our world from being collateral damage—we must strike first!
"Behind us lies the accumulated wisdom of ten million years! This fleet is the unified effort of our entire world! It is our pride and our shield!
"Even though those two entities defy our understanding of biology, we cannot sit idle! Warriors of the Star-Vanguard! FOLLOW ME INTO BATTLE!"
"KILL!!"
Tens of thousands of soldiers saluted in unison before rushing into their designated vessels. This civilization had reached its ultimate crossroads; the fate of their world rested on this single strike.
In the void, a fleet of 3,000 massive warships aligned in formation. Row after row of main batteries locked onto the sector erupting with energy storms. The energy within the muzzles peaked, ready to fire.
As the energy storm drew closer, the Commander aboard the flagship stood tense, his voice broadcasting to every ship in the fleet:
"FIRE!!"
Thousands of beams, carrying world-ending power, erupted simultaneously. They converged and merged in the vacuum, forming a colossal tidal wave of energy that shot straight toward the two combatants.
When the merged blast scored a direct hit on the two unknown entities, a violent explosion illuminated the sector.
Seeing the hit, the soldiers inside the warships couldn't help but cheer, their eyes filled with the relief of survivors.
However, the Commander's face turned ashen. He began to tremble uncontrollably, his voice a mere whisper:
"It's over... it's all over..."
On the massive tactical display in front of him, the energy signatures of the two entities hadn't diminished by even a fraction of a percent. It was as if the planetary-scale barrage hadn't happened at all.
In the next second, a golden radiance rippled outward. It expanded instantly, covering a radius of ten million miles.
One by one, the sleek, high-tech starships disintegrated into scrap metal the moment they touched the golden light.
The bewildered soldiers didn't even have time to process the death of their fleet before their bodies were wrapped in a protective cocoon of crimson Aura. A moment later, they were "tossed" back toward their home planet.
A planetary defense fleet, the culmination of a global effort, had been dissolved like sugar in tea without even seeing the faces of the people they were attacking.
King didn't care about the minor interruption. The energy beams released by the natives were less than a tickle to him and the Bald Demon.
I need to stay as far away from inhabited planets as possible... I should look for a complete dead zone to fight in...
If it weren't for King's extremely precise [Precision Control], those soldiers would have been vaporized along with their ships the moment his light touched them.
Saitama wiped a smear of blood from his face. His injuries vanished in a blink, leaving only a further-evolved strength in their wake.
The two traded no words; they were consumed by the thrill of the fight.
However, King and Saitama both consciously shifted the direction of their battle, heading toward a sector where no life could be sensed.
After several minutes of fighting while moving, King suddenly felt a microscopic tugging sensation on his body.
When he looked up, his pupils constricted slightly.
Amidst the glittering stars, a patch of bottomless darkness had appeared, violently dragging the surrounding light into its maw.
The dark region was an oblate spheroid, surrounded by a ring of glowing matter that couldn't escape the pull. A massive gravitational force was erupting continuously from the center.
A Black Hole. A celestial phenomenon born from the death of high-density stars, possessing a pull so strong that not even light can escape its event horizon.
Just then, Saitama's fist came swinging in again. King didn't choose to dodge; he took the hit squarely to the face.
As his nose bled, King seized the opening. Aiming for the center of the black hole, his fist—glowing with brilliant golden light—landed heavily on the Bald Demon's stomach.
BOOM!!
Saitama was blasted back by the massive kinetic force. His figure tumbled through the void, hurtling directly into the gravitational well within 1,000 kilometers of the singularity.
"Eh? Is something pulling me?"
Sensing the tearing force on his body, Saitama looked back in confusion, only to see the absolute darkness of the abyss swallowing his vision.
In the next heartbeat, an ultimate suction force erupted. The Bald Demon didn't bother to struggle and was sucked straight into the black hole.
However, the black hole—capable of annihilating all matter and capturing light itself—could do nothing to a certain shiny head.
Saitama got "stuck" near the singularity. As the black hole rotated, he began to spin along with it. It looked as though he had fallen into a cosmic spin-cycle, his body moving so fast he left a blurred afterimage.
He actually looked delighted. He waved to King in the distance, signaling for a temporary cease-fire.
"Oi! King! Come over here! This black hole is super fun! I'm getting a little dizzy though!"
King's eyes widened in mild surprise. He flickered and appeared at the edge of the black hole.
The horrific gravitational pull washed over him, but it meant nothing to the current King.
He reached a hand inside. An immense tearing force immediately acted on his palm, but it failed to even scratch his perfected physical form.
"I see. The density in here is quite impressive."
King toyed with the Neutron Star Brass Knuckles on his hand, pointing and gesturing at the black hole as if he were inspecting a piece of faulty machinery.