The moment the battle began, Saitama's appearance seemed to change.
The usually simple, almost comical atmosphere around him vanished, replaced by an overwhelming pressure that distorted the air itself.
Every ounce of power within him erupted at once.
Then—
He disappeared.
In an instant, Saitama appeared before Izumi and threw a punch.
A punch capable of shattering worlds.
Yet Izumi calmly raised a single hand and caught it.
Effortlessly.
Then, with his free hand, he countered.
BOOM!
Saitama was sent flying across the arena.
The attack came so fast that he couldn't even react.
A violent impact struck his body, forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips.
If he had a health bar above his head, it would have looked like the boss of a dungeon game—dropping from full to critical in an instant.
One punch.
Just one punch had nearly ended the fight.
Saitama's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So strong..."
He stared at Izumi, unable to hide his shock.
One exchange had pushed him to the brink of defeat.
Had his willpower been any weaker, he would have lost consciousness on the spot.
Looking at the bald hero sprawled across the ground, Izumi smiled.
"Do you want to continue?"
The entire audience erupted into an uproar.
The difference between them was simply too great.
Even Son Goku, who often fought Saitama as an equal, looked utterly stunned.
Saitama had been knocked to the verge of defeat...
With a single punch?
Wasn't that a little too absurd?
Meanwhile, Scáthach and the others remained completely calm.
They had long since grown accustomed to scenes like this.
Who was Izumi?
He stood at the summit of countless worlds.
To them, he was the strongest existence in existence.
An invincible being.
Compared to that, Saitama was merely a powerful newcomer.
Wasn't it only natural that Izumi could defeat him with a single strike?
Fortunately, Saitama wasn't stubborn.
Nor was he a fool.
The moment he understood the difference, he immediately raised a hand.
"I surrender."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the arena system teleported him out of the battlefield.
The match ended instantly.
Izumi merely shook his head and turned away.
"That wasn't very interesting."
For him, battles like this offered no excitement at all.
As he left the arena, countless spectators stared at his retreating figure.
Their hearts were filled with awe.
Too strong.
Far too strong.
The word "invincible" barely seemed sufficient.
He was terrifying beyond measure.
Returning to Erica's side, Izumi spoke casually.
"Let's go."
"There's nothing worth watching here anymore."
After waving goodbye to Scáthach and the others, he turned and left.
Erica quickly followed behind him.
Once Izumi departed, discussions immediately exploded throughout the arena.
Many of the newcomers had no idea who he was.
But after hearing explanations from longtime residents, they finally understood.
The man they had just witnessed...
Was the ruler of this entire world.
The realization stunned them.
The master of a world was essentially equivalent to a Creator God.
No—
Many quickly corrected that thought.
Compared to Izumi, even Creator Gods seemed insignificant.
After all, numerous Creator Gods already lived in this world.
Yet none of them stood on the same level as him.
Calling Izumi the supreme existence didn't feel exaggerated in the slightest.
Meanwhile, the subject of everyone's discussion paid none of it any attention.
Together with Erica, he headed toward a familiar destination.
Erina's restaurant.
While the battle arena remained lively, nobody there could truly interest him anymore.
Izumi had simply become too strong.
Unless a genuine one-digit powerhouse appeared, he doubted anyone could make him serious.
Unfortunately, those monsters rarely involved themselves in such things.
It was a bit disappointing.
Walking beside him, Erica couldn't help gazing at him with admiration.
No matter how many years passed, Izumi remained the same.
Unrivaled.
Invincible.
She still remembered the day he had appeared in her world.
The way he defeated the gods with overwhelming force.
The way he devoured divine authority itself and made it his own.
Years had passed since then.
Yet he remained unmatched.
It was almost unbelievable.
Noticing her gaze, Izumi smirked.
"Enchanted by my heroic figure?"
"Don't be jealous."
"Maybe you'll become this strong someday."
Erica immediately shook her head.
She knew her own limits.
"That's impossible."
"Please don't tease me, Izumi."
Hearing that, he laughed.
The two continued chatting as they walked.
Before long, a large building came into view.
Erina's restaurant.
Looking at it now, even Izumi couldn't help feeling nostalgic.
The restaurant had expanded countless times over the years.
It was no longer the small establishment it once was.
And Erina herself was no longer the proud yet inexperienced girl he used to tease.
A smile appeared on his face.
Remembering those days was strangely entertaining.
Maybe he should start teasing her again?
The thought crossed his mind.
Then he immediately dismissed it.
Nah.
Things were fine the way they were.
Entering the restaurant, they were greeted by a cheerful voice.
"Welcome—"
The greeting suddenly stopped.
The employee behind the counter blinked.
Then her eyes widened.
"Izumi-sama?!"
The speaker was Ryōko Sakaki.
Her surprise quickly turned into excitement.
"Oh my, Izumi-sama!"
"I never expected you to visit today."
"What a rare guest."
Truthfully, she hadn't seen him in years.
Seeing him again genuinely made her happy.
Izumi smiled.
"It's been a while."
"Is Erina around?"
Ryōko chuckled mischievously.
"Erina-sama is upstairs."
"If you're looking for her, just head up."
Then she leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Want me to tell you a secret?"
"She should be taking a bath right now."
"So..."
The mischievous grin on her face made her intentions perfectly clear.
Izumi immediately rolled his eyes.
"Come on."
"Do I really look that shallow?"
"What a joke."
Honestly, there wasn't much left for him to be curious about.
As the ruler of this world, very few things could be hidden from him.
If he truly wanted to know something, a single thought would be enough.
Secrets practically didn't exist.
Besides...
After all these years, there was hardly anything about Erina that he didn't already know.
Which was exactly why sneaking around now would be completely pointless.