Chapter 215: The Martial Arts Tournament Ends
The confrontation within the spiritual world ended with God withdrawing.
It was not because his power had been exhausted.
The violent collision between their divine wills was causing cracks to spread across the Gate. If the struggle continued, the cube serving as his connection to this world would be completely destroyed.
God raised one twisted hand.
"This time, I concede."
The collapsing spiritual realm gradually steadied.
"But do not forget my warning."
Asuramaru stared at him with undisguised irritation.
"You have no right to tell me what to do."
Neither side intended to turn this confrontation into a battle to the death.
Since God no longer planned to act, Asuramaru grabbed Sonic by the collar and tore open a path through the damaged spiritual barrier.
The two returned to Asuramaru's own mental world.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, Asuramaru kicked Sonic straight out.
Back in City Z's Ghost Town, Empty Void waited for the result with the crystal cube in his hand.
The moment cracks appeared across its surface, his expression changed.
"What happened?"
Before he could finish speaking, a black shadow attacked from his side.
A cold flash swept toward his neck.
Empty Void twisted away, but his reaction was still a fraction too slow.
The sword carved a hideous wound across his right arm, sending blood spraying through the air.
He retreated several steps and stared at Sonic in disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
His eyes shifted toward Asuramaru.
"You escaped the illusion? Was it because of that sword?"
Empty Void immediately swallowed the damaged cube, hiding it inside his body once more.
At the same time, God's command echoed within his mind.
His expression turned vicious.
"It seems the attempt failed."
He drew both swords and crossed them before him.
"In that case, I no longer need to hold back. I can kill you here without concern."
Sonic held Asuramaru in one hand and showed no trace of fear.
"Stop boasting."
His lips curled into a contemptuous smile.
"Compared to Saitama, you are nothing."
His eyes sharpened.
"Only that man is worthy of being my opponent."
"Then after I kill you, I will kill this Saitama as well."
Empty Void lowered his stance, both swords ready.
Sonic's killing intent surged.
The two vanished at the same instant.
Their swords collided in the centre of the abandoned street.
The resulting shockwave tore through the surrounding ruins.
A new round of battle began.
The entire Ghost Town trembled beneath their clashes. Buildings shook, streets split apart, and violent impacts rolled across City Z at irregular intervals.
Inside his apartment, Saitama was awakened by another tremor.
He sat up with a blank expression and rubbed his eyes.
The room shook again.
Saitama walked to the window and looked outside.
"Is someone doing construction in the Ghost Town?"
He stared toward the distant ruins, where another blast sent dust rising into the sky.
"Maybe I should go take a look."
Deep beneath the Ghost Town, the Monster Association headquarters was also being shaken by the battle.
Psykos observed the entire conflict through her psychic projections.
Both Sonic and Empty Void possessed troublesome strength.
But for now, everything was proceeding according to plan.
The Ninja Village's founder would keep Sonic occupied.
While he was distracted, the Monster Association would begin its operation.
So far, the plan was unfolding smoothly.
Meanwhile, the Super Fight Tournament in the centre of City Z continued as scheduled.
The announcer stood at the centre of the arena, microphone in hand.
"This year, we have eighteen contestants in total!"
He swept his arm toward the fighters waiting around the ring.
"Let us see who will claim victory! The first match is Lightning Max against Lingling!"
The audience cheered as the two contestants entered the arena.
The fight did not last long.
A short while later, the announcer raised his voice again.
"Lightning Max wins!"
"He defeated Lingling with ease! Many people outside the martial arts world questioned whether a professional hero could truly be called a martial artist, but Lightning Max has answered those doubts with his strength!"
Below the arena, Satoru Suzuki waited quietly for his own match.
Then the communicator at his waist vibrated.
He answered at once.
A hurried voice came from the Hero Association.
"Mumen Rider, are you available to eliminate Monsters?"
The operator sounded overwhelmed.
"Large groups of Monsters have appeared in several cities at once. The Association does not have enough heroes to respond to every disaster!"
Satoru made his choice without hesitation.
He immediately contacted the tournament organizers and forfeited his match.
A competition could wait.
The people outside could not.
After informing the staff, Satoru left the stadium and rushed into the city.
He mounted his bicycle and followed the directions provided through his communicator.
On a nearby street, several Monsters were chasing fleeing civilians.
"Run all you want!"
A withered humanoid chameleon laughed as it pursued a beautiful woman.
Its discoloured skin clung tightly to its bony frame.
"I've waited so long for a day like this!"
It extended a long tongue and licked the corner of its mouth.
Then the tongue shot toward the woman like a whip, intending to wrap around her body.
Before it could touch her, a flash of steel crossed the street.
The tongue was severed from the side.
The chameleon Monster screamed.
Satoru landed between it and the fleeing civilians.
He stepped forward.
The pavement shattered beneath his feet.
His sword flashed several times.
Before the Monsters could react, every one of them was cut down.
Satoru returned his sword to its sheath.
The woman stopped and turned around.
"Thank you..."
When she saw his face clearly, excitement replaced the fear in her eyes.
"You're Mumen Rider!"
She hurried toward him.
"I'm one of your fans. Could you..."
Satoru was already listening to another set of instructions through his communicator.
He turned toward her.
"You're welcome."
His voice remained gentle but urgent.
"Please go to the nearest shelter as quickly as possible."
Without waiting for praise or an autograph request, he rushed toward the next disaster area.
When Satoru reached the location, however, he was already too late.
The street was covered in mutilated corpses.
Broken limbs and shredded bodies lay scattered across the road.
At the centre of the carnage stood a figure wrapped completely in bloodstained bandages.
At first glance, it appeared almost human.
But where its hands should have been were two long, razor sharp swords.
The Monster heard Satoru approaching and slowly turned around.
"Someone else came?"
Through the gaps in its bandages, bloodshot eyes fixed upon the figure standing at the end of the street.
The moment it recognised Satoru, its pupils contracted.
Its entire body began trembling with excitement.
"An S Class Hero?"
A twisted laugh escaped its throat.
"I can barely control myself. I want to cut you into pieces!"
Face Ripper kicked off the ground and charged forward.
Satoru dismounted from his bicycle.
His gaze moved across the corpses covering the street.
Killing intent filled his eyes.
"You slaughtered all these people for your own amusement?"
His hand closed around the hilt of his sword.
"Do you see life as nothing more than a toy?"
Face Ripper raised both sword arms and lunged at him.
Satoru drew.
One step.
One flash.
Both of Face Ripper's sword arms were severed.
A second line appeared across its neck.
The Monster's head flew from its shoulders before its body had even stopped moving.
Inside the sword, the system notification sounded in Asuramaru's mind.
[Ding! Intense negative emotions detected from Demon level Monster Face Ripper before death. Gained 60,000 emotion points!]
[This kill obtained Demon Power. Fifty percent will be fed back to the Sword Master!]
Asuramaru barely paid attention.
Most of his focus remained on the battle in the Ghost Town.
Sonic and Empty Void were fighting with increasing intensity.
Sonic had even begun to suppress him.
As long as Sonic killed Empty Void, he would finally enter a new realm.
On the blood covered street, Satoru stood among the scattered remains.
His expression was painfully grim.
"I arrived too late."
He lowered his head toward the victims.
"I couldn't save you."
His fingers tightened around the sword.
"I'm sorry."
When he turned away, the killing intent in his eyes could no longer be suppressed.
Satoru raised his communicator.
"Tell me where the next disaster is."
The operator answered immediately.
"The closest incident is north of your current position!"
Satoru looked in that direction.
He pushed off the ground with one foot and disappeared from the street, leaving his bicycle behind at the roadside.
Across several cities, the Monster Association's forces continued their coordinated assault.
The attacks were planned, widespread, and deliberately timed.
For a while, even the Hero Association struggled to respond.
Time passed.
Back at the stadium, the matches continued without Satoru.
Eventually, the Super Fight Tournament reached its conclusion.
At the closing ceremony, all the contestants gathered around the arena.
The announcer presented the championship trophy and prize voucher to Suiryu.
Despite winning, a trace of disappointment remained on the handsome martial artist's face.
He had entered the tournament hoping to fight Mumen Rider.
Instead, Satoru had withdrawn before their match could ever happen.
The announcer raised the microphone.
"Contestant Suiryu, congratulations!"
His voice echoed through the packed stadium.
"You are the champion of this year's Super Fight Tournament!"
The audience erupted in cheers.
After the applause faded, the announcer turned toward the stands with a more serious expression.
"There is one more matter that everyone needs to know."
"Reports indicate that Monsters have appeared throughout the city."
"Mumen Rider withdrew from the tournament earlier because he left to deal with these attacks."
The audience did not seem especially worried.
The stadium was filled with skilled martial artists, including many of the strongest contestants in the tournament.
Most people were more disappointed that they had not been able to watch Mumen Rider fight.
Then someone in the audience looked upward.
His expression changed.
He raised a trembling hand toward the sky.
"What is that?!"
.....
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