High above, the battle between Boros and Sol grew even more intense.
Sol had completely abandoned his human form. His body twisted and reshaped constantly, at times swelling to a massive size, then shrinking and splitting into countless smaller fragments.
His attacks looked chaotic, yet every strike carried lethal intent, driven purely by instinct as he tangled with Boros.
A heavy impact echoed.
Boros launched Sol hundreds of meters away with a single punch. Sol adjusted mid-air, his tentacles lashing out toward Boros like whips.
One of them split open at the tip, revealing sharp fangs, then bit down hard onto Boros's shoulder.
"A beautiful move," Boros said. "You are indeed strong, to push me this far after I released my power. I have not faced an opponent of equal standing in a long time."
He grabbed the tentacle and tore it off.
Instead of blood, a thick dark red energy poured from the severed end.
Sol let out a distorted roar as the torn tentacle regenerated instantly. He shot forward again, his scythe-like arms slashing downward, only for Boros to block with crossed arms.
The collision rang out with a dull impact, light bursting at the point of contact.
The strike was stopped, but five more tentacles shot forward from Sol's back, stabbing from multiple angles.
Boros avoided two, but the remaining three pierced into his body.
"Now that's more like it." The excitement in Boros's eye intensified.
He grabbed the tentacles lodged in him, condensed energy in his palms, and burned them away.
Sol shrieked and pulled back, but Boros immediately followed with a powerful uppercut.
The blow sent Sol flying upward, cracks spreading across his armor, though he quickly regained control.
Dark red energy leaked from the cracks, repairing the damage at a visible pace.
On the ground, Tatsumaki's green hair whipped wildly as she stared at the battle above, her fists tightening without realizing it.
"Tatsumaki," Bang said as he approached, his voice low. "Now is not the time to turn on each other."
"Shut up!" she snapped, turning sharply, her eyes filled with anger and something deeper. "What do you know? He lied to me for so long!"
Bang exhaled quietly. "Even so, he is protecting the city right now."
"He attacked us. He attacked the Hero Association."
Metal Bat stepped in, resting his bat on his shoulder. "Hey, shorty, yeah, the Rookie lied. But right now he's the one holding off that alien. Without him, who here is stopping that thing?"
"Who asked you to interfere?" Tatsumaki shot back, psychic energy rising around her. "I'll drag him down from the sky myself."
Genos arrived, thrusters blazing. "Tatsumaki-senpai, we must prioritize the alien threat. Sol-senpai…"
He paused briefly. "His identity is questionable, but he is protecting the city."
"Be quiet!" Tatsumaki's psychic force burst outward, forcing Genos back. "I'll deal with him myself."
Nearby, Saitama scratched his head, watching everything unfold. "Ah… this is getting messy. I'll just keep helping the injured."
He turned and continued evacuating civilians from City A.
At that moment, Geryuganshoop, one of the alien generals, appeared, its octopus-like blue form floating as it moved to block the heroes alongside Melzargard.
Metal Bat grinned slightly. "Guess the break's over."
Atomic Samurai drew his blade. "Let's cut them down."
The heroes pushed aside their shock and frustration, focusing on the immediate threat. Tatsumaki hesitated briefly, then joined the fight.
"Once this is over…" she muttered, glaring at Sol in the sky, "you're going to regret everything."
Above them, the fight escalated further.
Sol, deep in Asura Mode, had completely lost his rationality. His body twisted unnaturally, dark red psychic energy leaking from his armor like living fluid, corroding the air around him.
Boros raised his power again.
A radiant pillar of energy erupted from him, his aura tearing through the clouds.
"Now I will release the energy within me. Anything that touches it will be reduced to nothing."
The patterns across his blue skin glowed intensely as a massive beam of energy surged from his chest, distorting the air as it advanced.
The beam engulfed Sol.
His flesh was stripped away under the force, yet it regenerated instantly. His body took on a deeper red hue, muscles shifting and reforming, bones creaking as they reshaped.
Sol threw his head back and roared, his voice no longer human.
His eyes turned completely blood-red, his mouth stretching into a wide, unnatural grin filled with sharp fangs.
Below, Saitama paused mid-step and glanced upward. "Ah… Sol seems to be enjoying himself."
"Sensei!" Genos called out. "Sol-senpai's condition is unstable!"
"It's fine," Saitama replied casually. "He's strong."
In the sky, Boros approached slowly.
"It seems this form is your true self," he said. "Then this battle will soon reach its conclusion."
"My species survived countless harsh conditions. Our regenerative abilities are among the finest in the universe, especially mine."
He continued calmly, confident.
"Even fatal wounds can be healed in seconds. Severed limbs can be restored if I focus my energy."
He stared directly at Sol.
"But your mind is gone, and your stamina is fading. How long can you keep this up?"
On the battlefield below, Tatsumaki crushed another of Melzargard's clones before glancing back at the sky.
"What is that idiot doing now?"
Metal Bat knocked away an alien creature. "Is the Rookie powering up again or what?"
Watchdog Man stiffened, ears alert.
Bang stroked his beard, his expression serious. "How many secrets are you hiding, Sol…"
In the sky, Sol's transformation deepened.
He dropped to all fours like a beast preparing to strike.
His armor peeled away completely. His short black hair turned long and white, his nails extended into crimson claws, and his spine protruded outward, forming a row of sharp bone spikes along his back.