A loud roar rang out, reaching the ears of everyone around them.

As far as the eye can see, a huge mushroom cloud rises, and the hundred-meter cliff gradually collapses down.

"Wood?"

"Brother Wood......

Outside the battlefield, Nameless and Anna couldn't help but look away, and a look of worry appeared on their faces.

Nameless looked a little dazed.

This level of combat ......

She had never seen it before, and it was hard to imagine that one of them would be Wood!

The guy who was once scared into incontinence by Kabane.

Is it now qualified to fight such a terrifying enemy?

……

On the other side, in the middle of the battlefield.

The crimson demon leaned sideways, its head tilted slightly, looking at the area where the smoke had not yet cleared.

"Still standing up?"

As he spoke, the breeze blew, and the dust and smoke slowly dispersed, revealing Wood, who was already a little shaky just by standing.

That's strong!

Wood looked at the red demon and raised his hand to wipe the blood left on the corners of his mouth and nostrils, but no matter how he wiped it, the blood did not stop, and finally he simply let the blood flow.

He had forgotten how long it had been since he had experienced this feeling of powerlessness.

Even if he had lost the battle with the alien not long ago, he had not reached the point where he was powerless to resist.

Really......

Are you still too weak?

The intense pain stimulated the nerves, and the internal organs were filled with a burning pain, and this ......

It's just a casual blow after the opponent's transformation.

Keep fighting......

I'm going to die!

The archdemon glanced at Wood, who was staggering in place, his eyes a little distracted, and a sneer appeared on his face.

He could see that the other party no longer had any fighting spirit to speak of.

This is also the reason why he used all his strength directly after his transformation, and the slash he just threw seemed ordinary, but he used all his strength in the real sense, in order to use this crushing strength difference to disintegrate the opponent's mentality.

This will not only make the opponent better and solve the problem, but also retain your own physical strength to the maximum.

After all......

I don't know how many battles await him.

"You can already be proud."

The Great Demon spoke indifferently, and he was never stingy with this level of praise, because it could bring out his strength even more: "Many of the people who died at my hands didn't even have the qualifications to see me in my full form. ”

Wood was silent.

This feeling of frustration made him unwilling, but the other party's strength would not help even if he was unwilling.

Especially at this moment when I think I'm going to die......

Wood, who became a giant, felt an inexplicable fear in his heart.

Born from an instinctive fear of death.

Sure enough, it still doesn't ......

Boom ——!

Suddenly and without warning, the whole earth shook violently.

Wind......

Suddenly reversed direction, as if somewhere in the world had appeared that could affect ...... The terrifying energy of the wind.

"What?"

The Great Demon's indifferent face instantly changed color, and his body instinctively tensed, turning to look in the direction where the wind was blowing.

In that direction......

In the distant sky, the pillar of light that rushed straight into the sky could be faintly seen.

Merely......

But this pillar of light is gradually crumbling.

The wind rolled in from that direction like a tidal wave.

"How... How... Probably ......"

The Great Demon's pupils shrank, and he muttered in disbelief, "This can't be... It's already so far away from there, no matter what kind of battle, it can't affect such a long distance! ”

But his feelings told him that the wind was indeed blowing from that direction.

This is?

Wood, whose eyes were blank, suddenly raised his head, and the corners of his blood-soaked mouth slowly grinned to the sides.

Saitama-sensei?

Obviously, he took his thoughts for granted.

After all, there are a lot of strong people who come to this world, and this may not be caused by Saitama, but ...... Wood, however, has an inexplicable confidence in Saitama Sensei, which is the confidence accumulated through repeated experiences.

You should be happy, right?

Saitama-sensei was able to find an opponent, so he should be able to barely get out of the abyss called 'emptiness'.

What does it feel like when a person has an endless amount of money to spend?

The universal answer is......

Emptiness.

They often look forward to achieving their goals, but after they achieve them, they often feel empty.

Of course, this emptiness is not experienced by most people.

But Wood experienced this feeling, he made a lot of money, but after experiencing the initial joy, in the end all he got was the boredom of not knowing how to spend it, and finally the money became unattractive to him, and he was left with a mechanical, repetitive life.

So in this hard-won second life, he basically didn't manage the company anymore, and making money was no longer the goal, but became a simple hobby, one of countless entertainments.

And Saitama-sensei is also empty.

Because he was so powerful, Wood never understood why he wanted to challenge Saitama Sensei.

He had thought ......

The reason why I want to challenge Saitama Sensei is entirely because Saitama Sensei is a strong person.

But now he suddenly realized that there was more to it than that.

As they get along more and more, the relationship becomes deeper and deeper, and he wants to be Saitama-sensei's opponent more and more, even if it is only to make him serious.

Because......

This is the best way to repay Saitama-sensei.

Just like now, Saitama, who also understands this feeling, does not hesitate to choose to fight the person who challenged him.

In order to fill your own emptiness, it is also to fill the emptiness of your opponent.

And again,

There is such a goal to go ahead......

No matter how strong you become, you won't feel empty.

"Teacher's Rival ......"

Wood's swaying body suddenly froze in place, his head bowed, his cheeks shrouded in shadow, and the corners of his mouth slowly grinning to the sides.

This smile ......

Battle-spirited, mad and manic.

It can be called a terrifying battle intent, and it spreads silently.

There was a chill behind the Great Demon, and the whole person turned around in an instant, and his eyes were full of surprise when he looked at the figure standing with his head down.

What happened?

"I'm the only one!"

A low, hoarse voice came out, and the head suddenly lifted, and two green rays of light drew two green threads in the sunlight.

At the same time -

That smile fell into the eyes of the Great Demon.

The grinning smile even tore the corners of his mouth, the slightest trace of blood stained the teeth, the originally black pupils had turned into green pupils at some point, the dark green glow shone, and the crazy and violent aura came from the surface, as if it was ......

An angry beast.

blood

I don't know when it has stopped flowing.

The body, which had stopped trembling, was gradually shrouded in a burst of green glow.

"I can't ...... yet"

"Just stop here!"

……