Lying X Draw X Debrief

Oboro lied.

Although he can be immune to Saitama's attacks countless times in the soul realm, he still has to endure 'pain'.

Simply put, Saitama's attack was ineffective and caused no damage... but the sensory impact on his soul would still be fed back to Oboro.

He still has to endure the pressure from Saitama's attacks countless times.

At this moment, it was no longer the pain of countless deaths... because Saitama's aggression was too high; his soul would be annihilated almost instantly, leaving no time to experience the effects of 'death'. However, Oboro's own physical attributes and willpower were so strong that he could clearly feel the terrifying power before the bald man's attack landed on him.

Countless omens of impending death were shaking his very soul.

Every impact on the 'soul' is beyond words.

In other words, he... anyone else would have collapsed long ago.

Once his will collapses, his soul realm will dissipate.

Furthermore, Saitama is not incapable of killing him.

Generally speaking, only the rules can counter the power of rules... Because in the specific world setting and background of One-Punch Man, Saitama is unique, so as long as Saitama's power reaches a certain limit, he can also counter the rules.

If even the rules can be shaken, then the soul is even more unshakeable.

The soul is a mystery, not a rule... but to fight against the mystery, you don't actually need great power. The key to resisting the mystery lies in the method. As long as you find the right method to break it, even if Saitama doesn't have a thorough understanding of the soul, he can still kill himself.

The problem is... Saitama is indeed not good at thinking, what is known as 'battle mindset'. His battles always end with simple violence, that is, killing with One-Punch Man punch. The so-called 'growth curve' bug is not attached to his mind.

Therefore, Saitama's biggest weakness is that he doesn't carefully observe or think when facing an opponent like Oboro.

If he finds the 'key' to fighting the soul, and uses the right method, he can easily kill Oboro.

This is the difference between rules and mystery.

And in the Dark Continent, some rules are actually the same.

It is presented in certain specific ways or methods, and needs to be cracked.

The simplest way to defeat Oboro is actually to have Saitama's soul return to his body... Although Oboro extracted Saitama's soul and 'trapped' it within his domain, Saitama's soul and body are 'inseparable' on some level. While the essence of his soul hasn't changed, if the power of his soul is the same as his body, it will increase exponentially with an unlimited cheat code.

So... as long as the bald guy calms down, he can break free from the domain and return to his original body.

In reality, Oboro could never beat Saitama.

Saitama needs to calm down and sense and find his physical body...

The problem is, Saitama simply can't stay still.

Within the realm of the soul.

The power of the soul remained in a state of chaos, drifting everywhere.

The 'space' constantly emitted sounds like the ringing of a giant bell. Each deafening chime was actually Saitama's various attacks... His body was so close to disappearing from the gray space that it was completely invisible to the naked eye.

As for Oboro, he was nowhere to be found... because most of the time, his soul was scattered and wandering everywhere.

He attempted some counterattacks, but with little success.

Because this bald man's strength kept breaking through and rising, just like his original body... At first, Oboro could still use some martial arts or physical skills to deal with him, but later, all his skills became useless.

Their attribute values are too different.

This difference in attributes alone rendered all of Oboro's 'techniques' ineffective.

In reality.

Anxious and uneasy, Genos sensed something was amiss.

By this time, the sun had already set, sinking below the horizon of the distant Gobi Desert, and he still couldn't reach his teacher and Mr. Long.

But right now, the space where the two of them were located seemed to have cracks appearing, like glass, which also caused the light and shadow in the space to be distorted.

This isn't over yet...

He vaguely heard something.

Although the sound was very subtle, it gave him the feeling of two extraterrestrial stars colliding and exploding overhead, which made him feel a little uneasy just by listening to it.

He looked around but couldn't figure out where the strange noise was coming from.

In the end, they had no choice but to focus their attention on the teacher and Mr. Oboro.

In the field.

Saitama had been moving for who knows how long, finally stopped.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was breathing heavily.

His face was so excited that he couldn't stop smiling.

Across from them, a familiar scene unfolded once again.

Wisps of gray mist drifted over, gathered, and transformed into the form of Lonely.

"Shall we continue?" Long asked, seemingly nonchalantly, while holding her hair with one hand.

"Of course... I'm determined to defeat you!"

Saitama finds joy in it.

"It's useless... By now you should understand, right? You can't do anything to me, and I can't do anything to you either." Oboro closed one eye, slightly opening the other, glancing at Saitama, feigning exhaustion. "No matter how long we fight, it's a draw..."

"That's not right... you're cheating."

Saitama realized what was happening and retorted, "I've 'killed' you countless times, but you've never managed to kill me even once."

"If I kill you, you'll be truly 'dead.' We're just sparring, it's not like it's a real fight to the death," Long scoffed. "Besides... I can die countless times, but you only need to die once to be gone..."

"In addition!"

Long extended a finger and emphasized, "With your abilities, you cannot escape this soul realm... As long as your soul is imprisoned here, you in the real world are essentially 'dead.' So... I am still stronger than you."

"What kind of twisted logic is that? You're clearly just being stubborn."

Saitama's forehead veins bulged.

"Tsk... that's the truth, okay?"

Long scoffed.

This can't go on... Oboro had already sensed that Saitama's strength had been terrifyingly amplified, and his soul's power had already transmitted through the domain to the 'outside world,' affecting reality. Even the fragment of the multiverse space where the two were alone was beginning to crumble under its strain. If this continued, while the domain could still trap Saitama, it wouldn't be able to shield him from his residual power. Once the spatial fragment shattered and they returned to the Gobi Desert on Earth, Saitama might be able to obliterate Genos in a single breath.

As for Earth... an entire supercontinent of humankind, I dare not even imagine what the consequences would be.

Are you trying to run away?

Saitama also joined in the mockery.

"I just don't want to waste any more time doing this meaningless thing..." Oboro said without batting an eye.

Actually, he had a slight worry in his heart.

If Saitama's soul continues to grow at this unrestricted pace, will it be able to break through the soul realm and actually kill him? Because the judgment of this battle is based solely on Oboro's own analysis and cognitive framework, but this world is Saitama's home turf, and the bald man cannot be defined by common sense.

So... just in case, just in case it really works.

That would be bad.

Of course, although Oboro was on the defensive in this encounter, it was not without its gains.

On the contrary, they reaped huge rewards.

Otherwise, there would be no need for him to keep getting hammered by the bald man.

The stronger Saitama's soul becomes, the more terrifying the soul pressure that Oboro will suffer... His own soul has also slowly changed under countless impacts.

Oboro realized this.

His soul was 'tempered' by Saitama.

However, Saitama, being a mere tool, certainly doesn't know this... If he's allowed to continue having fun, he might very well cross the 'danger line'.

Oboro would definitely not take any risks.

So, he stopped playing.

"That's it, it's a draw today... Time to go home, time to go home."

Regardless of Saitama's reaction, Oboro immediately withdrew his power after speaking.

The bald man's vision blurred for a moment, then when he looked again, he was back in reality.

With a wave of his hand, Long tore open the spatial Barrier, causing the two of them to return to the Gobi Desert.

Only then did Genos realize that the space had returned to normal, and he could finally step into the battlefield where the two were.

"Teacher!"

Genos was the first to run towards Saitama.

"Hey... you're cheating! It's not over yet, why are you running away?"

Saitama, with only Oboro in his eyes, stretched out a finger and shouted.

"A draw. A draw."

Oboro continued to use his shamelessness, stepped forward, picked up the suit jacket from Genos's hand, dusted it off, and put it back on.

"Hehehe... I think you're afraid of me, aren't you?"

Saitama shouted.

"Yes, yes, yes... You're amazing. If you're so amazing, how come you haven't beaten me yet?"

"I don't know who it was... panting heavily and covered in sweat, but it wasn't me."

Oboro responded with a sarcastic remark.

After saying that, he took off running.

It vanished into the void and disappeared.

They didn't give Saitama a chance to talk back.

Genos, who was standing nearby, overheard something in the conversation between the two, his pupils dilated, and his face was filled with disbelief.

The teacher... never beat Mr. Oboro?!

This! His mind went blank; he couldn't imagine it.

They were utterly shocked.

"Teacher... what... what's going on?"

"You and Mr. Oboro really fought to a draw? I didn't see anything! You two just stood there the whole time..."

"..."

Faced with his disciple's question, the bald man gritted his teeth, his face contorted with rage, and stomped his feet in anger.

Although there was no answer, the expression clearly indicated tacit agreement.

"Genos, let's go... to the supermarket to grab some groceries for tonight."

But Saitama quickly regained his composure, which made people admire his excellent mental fortitude.

He was angry, but that didn't stop him from thinking about what to eat that night.

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Genos quickly caught up.

"Teacher, is it really a tie?"

"Um."

"Mr. Oboro is so powerful?"

"Wow, she's really strong... In some ways, she's probably the strongest opponent I've ever faced..."

"..."

"However, I feel... I can beat him next time. No, I'm 100% confident I can win! I felt like I was almost winning just now, but then he stopped fighting..."

I believe in you, teacher!

"Well... anyway, I guess I beat this guy up and got my revenge."

"Teacher, you can definitely do it."

"Um!"

"Judging from the teacher's expression, you seem quite happy to be able to spar with Mr. Oboro, right?"

"Well... I haven't felt this kind of pressure in a long time. It brought back a bit of that feeling I had when I first became a hero. It was great!"

"So that's how it is."

The master and apprentice walked side by side, chatting as they went, gradually disappearing into the distance.

On the other hand, Oboro, unusually, did not go home, but instead found a roadside restaurant to eat at.

He was reviewing his battle with Saitama.

He held a piece of raw meat on his chopsticks, but paused just before placing it on the grill. "At least... I saw the 'view from the mountaintop.' My encounter with him made me realize just how powerful he, as the protagonist of this world, truly is..."

His mind replayed One-Punch Man Saitama threw at him, the intimidating force of it crashing down on him like a tsunami.

In the end, from the perspective of pure strength difference, he was like an ant standing at the feet of a giant, utterly powerless.

However, due to the ant's own advantages and abilities, the giant was unable to do anything about it.

"But... every time an ant survives under the feet of a giant, it adapts and grows stronger... Although this isn't visible in its physical appearance, there are indeed changes within the ant." With a slight smile, Oboro used a metaphor to draw his conclusion.

He put down his chopsticks and began to flip the grilled meat.

"The main reason is that the Will Tree in this world has no ill intentions towards me. Otherwise, it would have allowed Saitama to break through the barrier between himself and his 'soul' and easily kill me."

"When a single force surges to a certain extent, there is no doubt that it will undergo a qualitative change or give rise to other means."

The answer is definitely yes.

Long put a piece of grilled meat into his mouth and slowly savored it.

He squinted at the same time, "Judging from the overall power level of the two worlds, there is indeed a big difference... but the strength of the Hunter x Hunter lies in the details of their settings."

"As expected of a top-tier dimension..."

"However, if Saitama were to become Hunter x Hunter and lose the support of this world and the Will Tree, he might not be able to survive to the end in the full -Hunter x Hunter. He might actually become an ordinary guy."

"If he were the Hunter x Hunter character, without human willpower or the bondage of the Will Tree... how far could he grow from an ordinary person into a Nen user?"

Oboro was again engaging in hypothetical thinking.

Saitama's power lies in the unique environment and setting of this world.

What makes him outstanding is his unwavering perseverance and courageous spirit... He never backs down even when faced with difficulties and dangers, which is the core of a hero.

"I reckon once I become Hunter x Hunter, I'll die very quickly..."

After pondering for a moment, Long smiled gently.

He was serious.

In the Hunter x Hunter, talent alone isn't enough to guarantee success... countless geniuses perish there.

Beyond potential, what's even more important is the insight into human nature and scheming; it's shrewdness and intelligence!

Saitama, that kind of 'idiot,' won't live long.

"Given that guy's personality, he'll probably find time to spar with me again... Although fighting him will allow my soul's resilience to improve at an alarming rate, and I can also grasp the true essence of power from him, it's still a bit dangerous, and I can't give him a chance easily."

"It's a bit troublesome... After all, I'll gain a lot from playing around with this bald guy."

"But if you accidentally get killed by him... then it's not worth it."