Naturally, Izumi noticed the gaze directed at him.
When he looked over, he found the golden king staring at him with undisguised determination.
A grin appeared on Izumi's face.
Then—
"Hmph!"
"Come fight me!"
"I want to know just how large the gap between us really is!"
The challenger was none other than Gilgamesh.
Hearing those words, Izumi couldn't help laughing.
He casually raised a hand and gestured.
The gap?
It was probably measured in entire universes.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Since Gilgamesh was so eager to suffer another defeat, Izumi saw no reason to refuse.
After all, it had been quite some time since he had fought anyone himself.
The next moment, his figure vanished.
Then he appeared directly on the arena stage.
"Come on."
"I haven't fought anyone in a while."
"I'll entertain you today."
The spectators instantly became excited.
Gilgamesh was definitely in for a rough day.
Many people present already knew who Izumi was.
Others did not.
Among them were two particularly famous newcomers.
A bald man stared at the arena with unusual seriousness.
"Who is that guy?"
Saitama asked while looking toward the spiky-haired martial artist beside him.
For the first time in a very long while, Saitama felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
Hearing the question, Son Goku scratched his head.
"No idea!"
"I've never seen him before."
"But he's definitely strong."
Very strong.
Even Goku could sense it.
Saitama fell silent.
The two exchanged glances.
Someone that powerful had appeared out of nowhere?
That hardly seemed believable.
Still, neither of them spoke further.
Instead, they focused entirely on the arena.
They wanted to witness this battle with their own eyes.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh had become completely serious.
Facing Izumi, he dared not show even the slightest carelessness.
The moment the match began, he activated his greatest trump card.
His omniscience and omnipotence.
At that instant, he stood in his strongest possible state.
In his eyes, his previous defeat had been caused by arrogance.
He had underestimated Izumi back then.
That mistake would not happen again.
Over the years, he had accumulated enormous amounts of points.
His strength had risen dramatically.
He had even stepped into the three-digit realm.
Now—
He was confident he could at least exchange a few blows with Izumi.
With that thought, Gilgamesh made his move.
The Gate of Babylon opened fully.
Countless Noble Phantasms filled the sky.
Every EX-rank treasure at his disposal appeared at once.
Not only that—
He had also acquired countless divine weapons and artifacts from other worlds.
All of them emerged simultaneously.
The sight was magnificent.
The audience erupted into cheers.
Yet Izumi merely smiled.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Behind him, an even greater sea of weapons materialized.
The number was larger.
The quality was higher.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Gilgamesh's expression instantly froze.
"That's it?"
Izumi asked casually.
The golden king's face immediately darkened.
"Damn you!"
"Don't underestimate me!"
The provocation worked perfectly.
With a roar, Gilgamesh unleashed his attack.
Countless treasures shot toward Izumi like a divine storm.
The battlefield trembled.
Faced with the overwhelming barrage, Izumi simply laughed.
Then—
Snap.
He snapped his fingers once more.
Instantly, every weapon behind him disappeared.
At the same time, every treasure launched by Gilgamesh vanished as well.
The entire sky became empty.
Silence fell over the arena.
Gilgamesh's pupils contracted.
What kind of ridiculous ability was that?
Before he could react—
Izumi disappeared.
Then he appeared directly in front of him.
A crimson spear had appeared in his hand.
The familiar sight caused Gilgamesh's face to turn pale.
The memory was unforgettable.
Years ago, that very scene had ended with his humiliating defeat.
Izumi smiled.
"Does this look familiar?"
"Let's help you remember the pain from back then."
The spear thrust forward.
Gilgamesh had no time to react.
The attack pierced straight through him.
The match ended instantly.
The golden king's consciousness faded.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing outside the arena.
The automatic resurrection system had restored him.
Gilgamesh stared blankly at the stage.
His mind was completely empty.
Meanwhile, Izumi casually twirled the spear before making it disappear.
Then he sighed dramatically.
"You're still not good enough, Gilgamesh."
"The distance between us is measured in worlds."
"With your current strength, I could stand still and let you attack."
"You still wouldn't be able to break my defenses."
"You have a long way to go."
The audience burst into laughter.
Gilgamesh nearly coughed up blood from sheer frustration.
"Damn you!"
"You bastard!"
"I'll remember this!"
Hearing that declaration, Izumi rolled his eyes.
"Honestly?"
"I've lost count of how many times you've said that."
Then a wicked grin appeared on his face.
"And if you keep running your mouth…"
"I'll send Illyasviel von Einzbern to your house and have her camp outside your front door."
The moment those words landed—
Gilgamesh's face turned green.
Without another word, he spun around and left.
Immediately.
Decisively.
The spectators almost died laughing.
Gilgamesh couldn't beat him.
He couldn't outargue him.
Even some of his own allies were connected to Izumi.
What exactly was he supposed to do?
All he could do was leave in frustration.
Watching the golden king storm off, Izumi sighed regretfully.
"What a shame."
"I thought he'd keep challenging me."
"I was looking forward to beating him a few more times."
"Maybe this time I could've beaten him so badly that even Enkidu wouldn't recognize him."
He shook his head.
Truly unfortunate.
Just as he was about to leave the arena—
A bald figure suddenly stepped onto the stage.
"Now then."
"Fight me."
The simple declaration echoed across the arena.
Izumi blinked.
Then he recognized the newcomer.
"Oh?"
"It's Saitama."
"You really want to challenge me?"
His tone carried genuine curiosity.
After all, Saitama had just witnessed what happened to Gilgamesh.
Yet Saitama's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.
"Yes."
"I want to know how big the difference between us is."
For a moment, Izumi's expression became rather strange.
Those words sounded awfully familiar.
Hadn't Gilgamesh said almost the exact same thing just moments ago?
And then been sent flying out of the arena?
Thinking of that, Izumi couldn't help smiling.
Saitama, meanwhile, looked completely confused.
He didn't understand what was so funny.
Izumi shook his head.
"Very well."
"If that's what you want."
"Then make your move."
He spread his arms.
"Because if you don't attack first…"
"You won't get another chance."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Saitama's expression became serious.
For perhaps the first time in years—
His fighting spirit exploded completely.
An overwhelming aura erupted from his body.