Traveling Through Multiple Realms: The Supporting Character's Counterattack

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment!

The raindrops falling from the sky are no longer continuous lines, but have transformed into solidified, crystalline gems that refract distorted images of the world, eerily suspended in the air.

Behind the narrow windows of the shelter, the terrified expressions on people's faces, every muscle twitch, and the tears welling up in their eyes were frozen in time like the finest sculptures.

The Deep Sea King maintained its ferocious posture after throwing a punch, its gaping maw slightly open, revealing sharp teeth, and the water vapor rising from its body condensed into a white mist.

The unconditional trust in his teacher in Genos's eyes flickered still like a star.

The whole world seemed to have been paused by an invisible hand; all things were silent, and only the rules flowed silently.

However, within this absolute "stillness," there exists a unique "outlier."

Only that figure in the yellow uniform, with his right fist gloved in red, was the only thing still "moving" in this frozen space-time!

That wasn't "fast" in the usual sense. Under the transcendent perception of the Iai "Water Mirror" state, every detail of Saitama's punch was crystal clear, every bit visible. The movements could even be described as "slow," methodical, simple, and unadorned, like the most serious beginner in a martial arts dojo practicing the most basic straight punch under the guidance of a coach, without any trace of advanced techniques.

But in this seemingly "slow" and almost clumsy process, an incomprehensible, indescribable "phenomenon" that overturned all of Iai's understanding occurred!

Centered on Saitama's fist, the surrounding "rules" began to twist and collapse.

Iaijutsu's "Mind Mirror" vibrated wildly, emitting an unbearable buzzing sound, trying to analyze this scene that defied common sense: there was no violent fluctuation of chakra, no domineering entanglement and explosion, no induction of the natural energy between heaven and earth, and not even the muscle expansion and blood rushing sound that should usually occur when physical strength is released.

Yes, it is simply the purest, most extreme, and most unreasonable "power" itself!

This force is so absolute, so essential, that it acts directly on the concept of "existence" itself.

The space in front of the fist twisted and compressed slightly, emitting a faint yet deeply felt lament of unbearable burden.

The light seemed to be swallowed up by that invisible force field, turning the ordinary red gauntlet into a dark, black hole, bending even the surrounding light.

Even the mysterious threads of cause and effect seemed to be pulled and disrupted by this punch. Before the fist was fully unleashed, the Deep Sea King's incredibly sturdy body, capable of withstanding missile attacks, already presented an inevitable outcome in Iai's "mind mirror" perception: it would be shattered without any chance of survival!

This is not a victory of skill, nor an overwhelming force of energy; it is simply the ultimate manifestation of the most primal "force," which transcends all levels of energy and rule systems.

"I can't understand it, I absolutely can't understand it!"

An unprecedented storm was brewing in the lake of Iai's heart.

The extraordinary comprehension brought by the soul completion, and the rich, cross-world combat experience and knowledge from the otherworldly powerhouses Jin and Genma Shiranui, all seemed so pale and powerless in the face of Saitama's ordinary, even somewhat rudimentary, punch at this moment, like a child trying to understand the construction principles of a skyscraper with a sandcastle.

This is not even a power on the same dimension; it is an ant looking up at the sky, a stream glimpsing the vast ocean!

The next second, the time spring, stretched to its limit, snapped back, and the flow rate returned to normal.

Saitama's fist, which appears incredibly "slow" in the sense of iaido, is actually faster than the limits of visual perception in the real world. To outsiders, it might just be a flash of light.

It gently, almost as if it were a "touch," imprinted itself on the very center of the Deep Sea King's chest, which was covered with bulging muscles.

The Deep Sea King's ferocious expression froze instantly, and the cruelty and mockery in his bulging eyes were replaced by utter bewilderment and disbelief.

It seemed unable to comprehend what this seemingly insignificant "touch" truly meant.

Then--

"Bang—!"

A dull, short sound, like a balloon bursting.

The Deep Sea King's enormous and powerful body, like a watermelon precisely struck by an invisible giant hammer, completely disintegrated from the inside, exploding into countless fragments of flesh and blood with a "crack".

Then, only a fraction of the true power contained in that punch was revealed.

Where the fist passed, the fan-shaped area in front, where the rain curtain falling from the sky was forcibly cleaved apart by an irresistible force.

A vacuum tunnel, over tens of meters in diameter, completely emptied of its internal air, and stretching for an unknown distance, was instantly formed, extending straight to the horizon.

The rainwater inside the passage completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.

The force continued its relentless advance, soaring straight into the sky. The thick, suffocating layer of lead-gray clouds was pierced by this invisible fist force, creating a huge, neatly shaped circular hole.

The rain has stopped.

Centered on Saitama, the rain clouds over a larger area were directly dispersed by the aftershocks of this punch.

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, falling on the suddenly silent battlefield, on Saitama's soaked yellow uniform, and on Iai, who sat motionless like a stone statue atop the shelter, just regaining his senses.

Iai slowly and with great difficulty opened his eyes.

His face was as pale as paper, and fine, cold beads of sweat seeped from his forehead and temples. His temples were still throbbing, signs of extreme mental exhaustion and a tremendous mental burden.

Forcibly trying to peek into even the slightest mystery contained in Saitama's punch using the "Water Mirror" realm almost tore apart his sea of ​​consciousness.

But in his slowly opening eyes burned an unprecedented, almost fanatical light.

He saw it!

Although he could not comprehend even a fraction of it, much like a primitive man seeing a jet plane, he truly "saw" the existence of that realm.

It was a towering, unreachable mountain, seemingly a divine peak leading to the outside world.

He might not even be considered dust at the foot of the mountain at this moment, but at least he knew that the mountain existed.

I now know how incredible and unimaginable the true pinnacle of power is in this world.

This has nothing to do with the nature or form of chakra, nothing to do with the binding techniques and advanced applications of Haki, and nothing to do with the level, power, or elemental advantage of ninjutsu.

It is a return to simplicity, a power that transcends all existing power systems and directly targets the most fundamental principle of power: "one-hit kill."

It is the ultimate embodiment of simplifying complexity and breaking through all techniques with a single punch!

"Is this... 'One-Punch Man'?!"

Iai muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly. He looked down at his trembling hands.

The lines on his palm seemed to still retain the lingering, terrifying illusion of rules collapsing and everything being annihilated when he had just "seen" that punch.

……

Below, in front of the disaster shelter, only Saitama's ordinary figure standing with his fists clenched, and Genos lying paralyzed at his feet, only his torso and head remaining, seemingly "shut down" because the crisis was over.

"Is it... over?"

Inside the shelter, the survivors stared blankly at the sunlit battlefield outside, at the once invincible Deep Sea King vanished without a trace, leaving only a scene of devastation and the bald hero. They seemed still reeling from the stark contrast of the scene.

The silence lasted for a few seconds, then erupted into a deafening roar of cries and cheers.

Above the dome, Iai took a deep breath of the cold, damp air after the rain, thick with the smell of earth and blood, and forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions.

Perhaps, this is what true strength is.

With a flash, he vanished from the spot like a ghost, leaving behind only the metal dome, slightly dazzled by the sunlight, and the vibrant clamor rising below.