Chapter 291

Boom—

Boros's punch, filled with compressed energy, collided with Esdeath's fist. A purple energy cannon instantly engulfed an area of several hundred kilometers, turning all materials it touched into magma and then vaporizing them.

Yet, even with all that destructive force, Boros couldn't so much as damage a single hair on Esdeath's head.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh—"

Boros unleashed all his power, pushing beyond his limits, raining punch after punch upon Esdeath. His fighting style was devoid of finesse—just pure brute strength and unyielding speed.

"Time Acceleration!"

Esdeath used her abilities to instantly accelerate her perception and actions, keeping herself one step ahead of Boros. No matter how fast Boros moved, she was always one second ahead of him.

To the human eye, the battle between Esdeath and Boros appeared as two beams of light rapidly traversing the Earth's surface—one blue and one purple. Every time the blue light streaked across the landscape, the ground beneath it turned into red, molten magma.

This was the effect of the raw, condensed energy from Boros's attacks, burning everything in its path.

In less than a minute after Boros entered his explosive form, he and Esdeath had clashed countless times. Yet no matter how fiercely he attacked, his foe was always faster. Each time he struck, Esdeath countered. He found himself being shredded bit by bit—his arms severed dozens of times, his body pierced thousands of times.

Boros's explosive form allowed him to recover almost instantly from these wounds, but that regenerative power was limited. Fighting at this high intensity couldn't be sustained indefinitely—if he continued, his lifespan would start diminishing.

"What is going on?!" Boros roared in frustration.

He couldn't comprehend why Esdeath could fight at such a level without losing any energy or incurring any injury. Even when he managed to land a hit, her wounds healed immediately, as if they were illusions.

He didn't understand—Esdeath wasn't using a simple regeneration ability; her mastery over time kept her body in a state where she was always untouched.

Realizing he couldn't go on much longer, Boros pushed himself harder, nearing his breaking point.

"No! This can't be possible! There must be some flaw! No one in the universe is above biological rules!" Boros thought, the fire of determination blazing within him.

Even if it meant spending the last of his life force, he was determined to beat Esdeath.

"I will defeat you! Even if it costs me everything!" Boros bellowed, pouring every ounce of power he had into each punch.

Esdeath grinned, her cold, almost twisted smile reflected the thrill of battle.

"Let me show you the difference," she declared.

"Mahapadma—"

The power of "Time" and "Ice" condensed within her spread out instantly, shrouding the entire Earth in a blue hue. Everything—the aftermath of their battle, the shockwaves, even Boros himself—froze in place.

Everything had stopped—matter, energy, and even time itself had become static. Boros was left suspended in front of her like a statue.

"Let's see how your so-called regeneration fares against this," Esdeath said.

With her saber, she struck Boros, delivering over fifty thousand precise cuts in a matter of seconds. When she finally stopped, she withdrew her power, and time resumed.

Boros's body was instantly reduced to dozens of pieces, his powerful consciousness barely holding him together as blood sprayed out.

He struggled to keep his form, forcefully reassembling himself. Within moments, his body was back, though it was a struggle.

"Esdeath! I will destroy you! I will destroy this entire planet!" Boros screamed in desperation, unleashing every ounce of his energy. His body glowed with intense blue energy, forming a small sun. The leaked energy turned the Earth into a sea of magma beneath them.

"This is my final effort!"

"Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon—"

The energy blast, capable of obliterating an entire planet, hurtled towards Esdeath.

Esdeath simply laughed. "Mahapadma—"

Everything froze once again. The Roaring Cannon halted mid-flight as if someone had pressed the pause button. Without hesitation, Esdeath swung her saber, slicing through the energy beam as if it were nothing.

Not only was the attack cleaved in half, but Boros was as well. His vitality—everything—was destroyed. The energy cannon disintegrated into two parts, vanishing into the atmosphere, and Boros's body collapsed, split into halves and falling lifelessly to the ground.

His body, deprived of energy, decayed rapidly. Within seconds, it resembled nothing more than withered branches.

The battle was over.

No one on Earth could see this conclusion—it was far beyond human perception. Yet they could feel it. The overwhelming sense of oppression had vanished, and the tremors that had shaken the planet had ceased.

"I... lost..." Boros muttered, his consciousness fading.

Esdeath looked at his remains coldly. "Talking even after death… how pathetic," she muttered.

"It was a good fight, though… even if you couldn't make me bleed… prophecy… was a lie after all…"

And with that, Boros's last remnants of consciousness disappeared.

At the same time, Saitama—the bald hero who had intended to come and observe—was stopped by a young man who smiled at him.

"Saitama, isn't it time you return the power I lent you a few years ago?"