Chapter 230: Want to Board My Ship, Sonic?
Black flashes tore across the ruins of City A.
Opposite them, Boros had become a streak of purple lightning.
Again and again, the two collided across the sky, each impact erupting like thunder.
But as the battle continued, Sonic gradually seized the advantage.
He gripped Asuramaru with both hands.
Endless darkness poured across the sword.
"Breath of Darkness, Eighth Form."
The darkness behind him expanded until it seemed to cover the heavens.
"Daikokuten!"
Sonic descended.
A vast black curtain followed him from the sky, rolling downward in towering waves. From below, it looked almost like a dark galaxy had broken free from the heavens and was falling upon the Earth.
Boros looked up.
He did not dodge.
Instead, exhilaration spread across his face.
"Yes!"
He laughed wildly.
"This is it!"
"This is exactly the kind of battle I crossed the universe to find!"
Energy erupted from his body.
Boros raised both fists and charged directly into the descending darkness.
Sonic disappeared within the black curtain.
Then his voice came from everywhere at once.
"Breath of Darkness, Tenth Form."
Ten figures emerged around Boros.
"Ten Shadows Burial!"
All ten attacked simultaneously.
Sword light crossed through the darkness from every direction.
Boros raised his arms and defended at once.
Even so, cuts opened across his body.
One crossed his shoulder.
Another tore through his side.
Several more appeared across his chest and back.
But Boros was not simply enduring the attack.
His single eye moved rapidly.
Then he found it.
The real Sonic.
Boros threw a punch.
Sonic vanished.
The fist struck nothing.
A moment later, Sonic appeared directly behind him.
His sword swept upward from below.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
A massive black crescent erupted from the sword.
The slash tore through the surrounding darkness and struck Boros directly.
Boom!
Boros was blasted out of the sky and driven back into the enormous crater below.
The force of the attack continued beyond him, sending cracks racing through the ruined buildings in the distance.
Sonic descended into the crater.
His breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
Across from him, the rubble shifted.
Boros climbed out.
His body was covered in wounds, yet his expression held nothing except excitement.
"You are incredibly fast."
He wiped blood from his face.
"Even I struggle to follow your movements."
Boros smiled.
"And you are the first person who has ever fought me as an equal."
His aura erupted.
A vast amount of energy surged through his body before gathering toward the eye embedded in his chest.
The air around him trembled.
"Next, I will release the energy stored inside my body."
Boros spread his arms.
"A lesser opponent would be reduced to ash simply by touching it."
The energy in his chest erupted.
A flood of power burst outward.
Sonic disappeared.
The Flying Thunder God activated.
He appeared behind Boros and swung for his neck.
Boros sensed the killing intent at the last possible moment.
His arms rose on instinct.
Slash!
One arm flew away.
But the sacrifice gave Boros enough time to release the accumulated energy from his chest.
Sonic attacked again.
This time, Boros twisted his body and drove a whip kick into Sonic.
The impact launched him across the crater.
Boros did not pursue.
Sonic vanished in midair and reappeared inside the crater through the Flying Thunder God.
The two faced each other once more.
Boros smiled.
"With your speed, landing a clean hit on you is extremely difficult."
His severed arm had already begun regenerating.
"But killing me is just as difficult for you."
The arm finished forming.
"At this rate, we will only waste time."
Boros lowered his stance.
"So I will show you my trump card."
The energy within his body began accelerating beyond its previous limits.
The ground around him shattered.
A vacuum formed across a radius of nearly three metres as the sheer force radiating from Boros pushed away the surrounding air.
His swollen muscles gradually returned to their normal size.
At the same time, his light blue skin turned pure white.
Black patterns of energy flickered across his body.
Sonic's expression hardened.
He could feel it.
Boros had become stronger than him.
Far stronger.
Boros bent his knees.
"Meteoric Burst!"
He moved.
Sonic's eyes widened.
Boros was already in front of him.
A fist came straight for his face.
Sonic activated the Flying Thunder God and vanished just before impact.
He reappeared elsewhere.
Boros followed.
Sonic vanished again.
Black flashes jumped across the battlefield.
Yet this time, the purple light was faster.
Boros laughed as he chased him.
"It is useless!"
"By releasing the energy inside my body as propulsion, I gain speed and power beyond the natural limits of living creatures!"
The distance between them disappeared.
Boros caught Sonic.
His fist buried itself in Sonic's abdomen.
Boom!
Sonic's body folded around the impact.
Before he could recover, Boros seemed to split into more than a dozen figures.
Fists came from every direction.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Below.
There was no opening.
No time to react.
Sonic was thrown between the attacks like a doll.
Every place the two passed through was destroyed.
Buildings vanished.
Streets collapsed.
Concrete and steel were reduced to ash beneath the violent energy surrounding them.
Boros struck Sonic upward.
Sonic flew into the sky.
Then Boros appeared above him.
His knee drew back.
"Moon Kick!"
The attack descended toward Sonic's abdomen.
Every instinct in Sonic screamed.
If that kick landed cleanly, he would die.
At the final instant, Sonic disappeared.
Flying Thunder God.
He reappeared deep inside the crater.
His feet touched the ground.
Then one knee immediately gave way.
Sonic dropped down, struggling to breathe.
Demon Power was already flowing through his body and healing his injuries, but even that could not instantly restore the damage he had suffered.
Seven minutes had already passed.
Boros descended into the crater.
His feet struck the ground.
For the first time, his breathing had become slightly labored.
Meteoric Burst placed an enormous burden on his body.
It was like forcing himself through continuous anaerobic exertion at the absolute limit.
It even consumed his lifespan.
Boros did not care.
This battle was worth it.
He looked at Sonic, who was forcing himself back to his feet.
There was no contempt in his eye.
Only respect.
"Speed o' Sound Sonic."
Boros straightened.
"Join my crew."
Sonic looked up.
Boros continued sincerely.
"I acknowledge your strength."
Before Sonic could answer, several figures descended into the crater.
The S Class Heroes had finally arrived.
Tatsumaki reached the battlefield first.
She looked at Sonic kneeling among the rubble and clicked her tongue.
"So this is what happens when you try to play hero by yourself."
Superalloy Darkshine quickly stepped beside her.
"Come on, little Tatsumaki. There is no need to say it like that."
Bang, Atomic Samurai, Genos, and the others followed close behind.
The moment they saw Boros, their expressions changed.
The pressure coming from him was unlike anything they had encountered before.
"This one is dangerous."
Bang lowered his stance.
"We should attack together."
Tatsumaki was already moving.
Her psychic power erupted.
An enormous invisible force descended upon Boros.
The ground beneath his feet collapsed under the pressure.
Tatsumaki possessed strength above Dragon level.
Against most opponents, that attack alone would have been overwhelming.
Against Boros in Meteoric Burst, it meant almost nothing.
He moved.
Tatsumaki's eyes widened.
Boros crossed the crater before anyone could react.
One strike.
Another.
Then another.
Explosions erupted throughout the crater.
The gathered S Class Heroes were hurled away in different directions.
Bang crashed into one section of the crater wall.
Atomic Samurai disappeared into the rubble.
Superalloy Darkshine was sent smashing across the ground.
Genos tumbled through broken concrete.
The others fell one after another.
Only Tatsumaki's quick reaction prevented disaster.
Psychic barriers formed around everyone before the impacts landed.
Without those shields, several of them might have died immediately.
Even with her protection, every hero present was badly injured.
Within moments, the entire group had lost the ability to continue fighting.
The difference was absolute.
Boros stood alone at the centre of the crater.
He did not finish them.
Weak opponents did not interest him.
His gaze returned to Sonic.
"Now."
Boros extended a hand.
"Do you want to board my ship, Sonic?"
Sonic remained on one knee.
His body had not yet fully recovered.
He understood the situation clearly.
As he was now, he could not defeat Boros.
There was only one option left.
His final trump card.
Before Sonic could use it, however, someone else moved.
Among the fallen heroes, Satoru Suzuki slowly forced himself upright.
Asuramaru's Healing had already begun repairing his injuries.
His entire body protested with every movement, but he stood anyway.
Satoru looked at Boros.
Then at Sonic.
He understood.
This battlefield had already gone beyond anything he could influence.
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, that was the truth.
His hand tightened around his sword.
Then he spoke within his heart.
"Asuramaru."
His voice was steady.
"I'm sorry."
"I give up."
There was no hesitation in the words that followed.
"Please give all of your power to Sonic."
Satoru looked toward the injured heroes scattered throughout the crater.
"Right now, he may be the only person who can save everyone."
The sword in his hand began releasing pitch black mist.
Several nearby heroes noticed.
Their attention shifted toward Satoru.
The mist poured from the sword and gathered in front of him.
Slowly, it condensed into a human form.
Long purple hair fell over a slender figure.
Crimson eyes opened.
Asuramaru stood in the outside world once again.
After so long inside the sword, he looked almost amused as he faced Satoru.
"You have really decided?"
Satoru answered immediately.
"Yes."
Asuramaru sighed and waved one hand.
"All right."
Then he smiled.
"You really are righteous to a fault."
But that was Satoru Suzuki.
It always had been.
Asuramaru's body dissolved into black mist.
The darkness crossed the battlefield and entered Sonic.
The surrounding S Class Heroes watched in confusion.
Rumors about the strange sword carried by Satoru had circulated for some time.
Seeing a beautiful human figure emerge from it only deepened the mystery.
Bang and Atomic Samurai reacted differently.
Both men stared at the fading black mist.
The same thought appeared in their minds.
Could that be the legendary deity...
Asuramaru?
Neither had imagined he would look anything like that.
Boros also noticed what was happening.
He did nothing to interfere.
Stopping his opponent from becoming stronger held no appeal for him.
If anything, he wanted to see what came next.
Sonic, meanwhile, had already lost sight of the crater.
His consciousness was forcibly drawn into the spiritual world.
Sky and sea stretched endlessly around him.
There seemed to be no boundary between them.
Asuramaru stood ahead, looking toward the brilliant horizon.
Far in the distance, shapes resembling angels seemed to soar through the light.
Without turning around, Asuramaru spoke.
"Satoru Suzuki has chosen to surrender his claim."
Sonic remained silent.
"So now, all of my power belongs to you."
Asuramaru finally looked back.
"There is only one thing you need to do."
"Blow the horn."
Sonic followed his gaze.
A golden horn rested upon the ground nearby.
Strangely, now that the power he had pursued for so long was finally within reach, Sonic felt none of his former hunger.
Instead, one thought occupied his mind.
"Satoru gave up?"
He stared at the horn for a moment.
Then his expression settled.
Sonic walked forward and picked it up.
He raised the golden horn to his lips.
And blew with all his strength.
A deep sound rolled across the spiritual world.
"Wooooo!"
....
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