Supermarket sale

"Genos, are you okay?"

Saitama knelt on one knee, cradling the injured Genos as he stared at his afro, which was trailing black smoke.

"I'm... I'm fine," Genos said haltingly.

He looked anything but fine. Cracks covered his face, and the area around his left eye socket had shattered outright, exposing the mechanical eye behind it.

"Really?"

Saitama clearly didn't believe him. Spotting Baicang standing in the doorway, he immediately waved and shouted, "Over here! Baicang, come look after Genos. I'll deal with that guy."

"Coming, coming!" Baicang jogged over, and Dr. Genus struggled to follow.

After handing Genos over to Baicang, Saitama walked toward Carnage Kabuto in the distance, his expression serious.

"I can tell. I can feel it. You're strong!"

Carnage Kabuto kept cackling, eyeing Saitama mockingly.

He couldn't wait to savor the feeling of torturing this powerful human to death. It would be an absolute rush!

"Don't disappoint me. You're this place's ultimate weapon, right?"

"You're completely different from the monster this morning. With that confident look on your face-come on!"

He, too, hoped this composed monster could bring back a feeling he hadn't experienced in ages: the thrill of a real fight.

Saitama stopped in front of Carnage Kabuto and quietly watched him. A cruel, twisted smile spread across Carnage Kabuto's face.

Just as their battle was about to erupt, a voice interrupted the two eager combatants.

"Wait!"

Seeing everyone's eyes turn toward him, Baicang coughed and lowered his raised hand.

Damn it, Mizuki's rubbing off on me...

"What's wrong?" Saitama looked at Baicang in confusion.

Baicang had Dr. Genus come over to support Genos, then hurried to Saitama's side. "Well, I just learned a new move. Mind letting me try it out?"

"Huh? You want to fight him?"

"Yeah, just for a little bit. Once I've tried it, it's your turn. But you'll have to look after my clothes."

"Why?"

"Because..."

Watching Saitama and Baicang discuss who would go first right in front of him, Carnage Kabuto lost his mocking smile.

His whole body... his whole insect body trembled uncontrollably, his face dark with irrepressible rage.

"They've enraged Carnage Kabuto. Those two are dead."

Dr. Genus watched the furious Carnage Kabuto with a cold sneer. He didn't believe what Baicang had said earlier. He believed only what he could see. Carnage Kabuto was the strongest experimental subject he had developed, and he knew just how terrifying his power was.

"Both of you, die!"

Carnage Kabuto roared and swung at the two men before him. Baicang instantly completed Light Particle Transformation, while Saitama grabbed Baicang's fallen clothes and stepped aside.

"Then I'll leave it to you," he said, sounding somewhat resigned.

"Don't worry~"

The fist passed through Baicang's body and smashed a huge crater into the floor. Baicang looked up at Carnage Kabuto.

His entire face consisted of countless points of gleaming light, leaving his features unrecognizable, yet Carnage Kabuto could sense that he was smiling.

Baicang brought his hands together and thrust them toward Carnage Kabuto. A massive cannon blast of light erupted from his palms, moving too fast for Carnage Kabuto to dodge. He could only hastily raise his arms to block it.

"Aaah!" Carnage Kabuto screamed in pain.

The blast wasn't just astonishingly fast; it was incredibly powerful. Its searing heat melted the biological armor on Carnage Kabuto's arms, quickly exposing the purplish-red flesh beneath.

One...

Impossible! Carnage Kabuto's armor couldn't stop it!

Dr. Genus stared in disbelief at the screaming Carnage Kabuto. In his tests, Carnage Kabuto's defenses could easily withstand missile strikes even in this form.

How could they be breached so easily?

Baicang lowered his hands, cutting off the blast. He vanished in a flash of white light and appeared behind Carnage Kabuto the next second.

His arms became blades of light. Crossing them, he slashed viciously at Carnage Kabuto's back.

This time, Carnage Kabuto was ready. The instant Baicang vanished, he spread his wings and took flight, trying to put some distance between them.

But Baicang's light blades extended, slicing off the airborne Carnage Kabuto's wings along with a great swath of flesh from his back.

Two...

Thud! Having lost his wings, Carnage Kabuto crashed heavily to the floor.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Climbing out of the deep crater, Carnage Kabuto screamed madly at Baicang. The excruciating pain and humiliation of being toyed with drove him out of his mind.

Baicang simply watched in silence.

Carnage Kabuto lowered his trembling body. Veins bulged and twisted beneath his skin, and his constantly expanding body and swelling muscles burst through his biological armor with a tremendous noise.

"Don't do this! Calm down! You'll lose control!" Dr. Genus shouted at Carnage Kabuto in terror.

Although Baicang had beaten Carnage Kabuto mercilessly, that had only been in his normal state.

If Carnage Kabuto went berserk, his strength would multiply, far surpassing what it had been before. Once he lost control, he would destroy everything around him. They would all be done for.

"Kill you! Kill you!"

Red lights flashed as shrill alarms blared throughout the laboratory. The doors slowly closed, and countless red lines appeared across the walls and floor, sealing off the entire space.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Carnage Kabuto screamed wildly, his earlier injuries rapidly healing.

His skin turned from dark brown to deep purple. The bulging, winding veins covering his body and his joints emitted an ominous green glow. The enormous horn on his head grew longer and sharper, like a sinister saber.

"Asura Mode!"

Looking like a demon from hell, Carnage Kabuto fixed his blood-red eyes on Baicang.

Baicang ignored him completely. He vanished, reappeared beside Saitama, and returned to his normal form, stark naked.

Three...

Taking his clothes from the openly contemptuous Saitama, Baicang dressed at a leisurely pace. He casually pulled the flyer he'd picked up earlier from his trouser pocket and handed it to Saitama.

"What?"

Saitama took the flyer. He didn't care what would be on sale tomorrow right now. He only wanted to know why Baicang fought naked. That was way too perverted.

"I'll leave this guy to you. Hurry up and finish him off."

"Huh?"

"Today's Saturday. If you don't hurry, the supermarket will close." Having finished dressing, Baicang patted Saitama on the shoulder.

Hearing that, Saitama stared blankly at the flyer in his hand, his expression vacant.

Meanwhile, Dr. Genus watched Baicang flee and broke into a delighted smile.

Just as I thought, he was lying earlier. My path is correct. There's no one in this world who can defeat Carnage Kabuto.

My path of evolution is right! Hahaha!

"Don't even think about running! I'll hack apart that filthy body of yours! Slice it open! Chop it to pieces!"

Carnage Kabuto crouched and gathered his strength before leaping, shattering a broad stretch of the floor beneath his feet. He soared into the air, kicked off the wall with all his might, and flew toward Baicang with his enormous fist swinging.

"Die!" Carnage Kabuto laughed savagely.

Dr. Genus watched this historic moment in excitement. It was all over.

Baicang quietly walked away.

Saitama's face was now frighteningly dark. He looked up and saw Carnage Kabuto hurtling toward him.

"Damn it!"

Saitama shouted in grief and fury, punching at the airborne Carnage Kabuto.

The instant Carnage Kabuto met Saitama's fist, his entire body burst apart in midair like an ignited firework, impossibly fragile.

Green blood filled the air, and chunks of flesh rained down.

Dr. Genus gaped, unable to believe what had just happened before his eyes.