The power of this punch was not enough to seriously injure Saitama's monstrous body.
But the "divine essence" within it bypassed all physical defenses and struck his consciousness directly!
Tap.
A soft sound rang out.
Saitama's perpetually lifeless eyes lost their light.
His body swayed, and then he dropped to one knee.
After several seconds of silence, the system's cold voice rang throughout the arena!
"Beep! Contestant Saitama has suffered an impact to his consciousness and has been ruled knocked down! Ten, nine, eight... one!"
"The match is over!!"
"The final winner of this Multiverse Martial Arts Tournament is-"
"Son-Go-ku!!!"
After a brief, deathly silence came cheers that swept over everything!
They had witnessed history! They had witnessed a miracle!
In the ring, Saitama shook his head and recovered from his brief mental blackout.
He rubbed his chin, without a trace of dejection on his face. Instead, a childlike smile appeared.
"Heh... so fighting can be this much fun."
He had lost, but he had found something more important than victory.
Meanwhile, the instant the referee announced his victory, Son Goku deactivated Ultra Instinct and sank to one knee, utterly drained, gasping for breath.
His face, too, wore a smile of utter satisfaction.
"I won... that was close, so close... and so much fun!"
Inside the Royal Box, Ye Chuanliu set down his wineglass and applauded softly.
"A spectacular match."
The process had triumphed over the outcome.
The explorer who kept climbing had finally reached a peak higher than the destination itself.
When the system announced the name "Son Goku" as the final victor, like a divine decree.
The entire Myriad Worlds Arena was immersed in a frenzy akin to having survived a calamity.
They had witnessed a clash of "skill" and "strength" at their very peaks, witnessed the process