Chapter 51 — Fifty-One Punch
Genos stood in the center of the plaza outside the hot spring inn, the fracture in his arm still crackling with sparks of electricity. He assumed a defensive stance, cautiously observing Eso and Kechizu, who flanked him on either side.
Although the two had suddenly appeared and severed his arm with a surprise attack, their strength was clearly a tier above the Special Grade curse he had just fought. The energy readings from them were far more intense.
As Genos assessed their power in his mind, Eso, holding Genos' detached arm, spoke.
"Sorry about this, young man." His words carried no real apology, and his expression was entirely unreadable. "Even though we struck first, my brother and I have no reason to harm you. It's just… by the time we arrived, you already had the finger in your possession."
Genos' expression darkened. "What do you mean?"
"The finger is the only thing my brother and I are after."
Eso removed the two fingers of Sukuna from Genos' severed hand, casually tossing the metallic limb to the ground. He held the fingers up to his eyes and smiled at Genos.
"Our goal is achieved. So, farewell, young man…"
Before he could finish, Genos vanished from his spot.
"Oh?"
Eso froze slightly. At the same time, a flash appeared above him in midair—the cyborg was already moving.
"I will eliminate you immediately."
Genos aimed the cannon in his palm at Eso's head. Flames erupted without pause, engulfing him instantly.
"Eso!" Kechizu hadn't expected Genos to strike without hesitation. Shocked, he leapt toward him. Genos swiftly dodged, landing nimbly, palms pressed to the ground to stabilize himself using friction.
As the burning smoke cleared, Eso's figure emerged faintly.
Crossing his arms to shield his head, every strand of hair at the crown and the sparse clothing on his body had been scorched by Genos' cannon fire. His skin bore blackened burn marks.
Despite the obvious injuries, Eso remained standing.
"Human bodies are indeed fragile," he muttered, lowering his arms. Large burn blisters covered his cheeks. "Why oppose us? Could it be that your goal is also the finger?"
"I don't care about fingers. But your presence could ruin Saitama-sensei's hot spring trip," Genos replied coldly. "In that case, you are my enemies."
Eso froze. "What kind of reason is that… Saitama-sensei? Who's that?"
"Saitama-sensei is my teacher, the strongest person in this world."
Genos clenched his fists, electricity coursing around him. Sharp, curved blades suddenly sprang from his forearms, and the thrusters on his back ignited red from the heat.
In an instant, he propelled himself toward Eso and Kechizu. As he closed in, he spun rapidly, the blades on his arms forming a slashing tornado.
Eso and Kechizu dodged nimbly. But in that split second, Genos caught a glimpse of something behind Eso.
At his lower back, a massive face with bleeding eyes flashed briefly.
"What?" Genos paused, then landed, sliding over a meter along the ground.
Silence stretched for a few seconds before a chilling voice spoke.
"Did… you see it?"
After dodging Genos' attack, Eso stopped. He frowned, one hand resting on the back of his head, the other on his hip. He repeated, "Did you see what's on my back?"
Genos asked in a low voice, "You mean that face on your back?"
"…"
Eso fell silent for a moment. His polite demeanor vanished, replaced by a feral glare. "You saw it!"
"I'm extremely self-conscious about my back. I never want anyone to see it. But now that you have… there's no turning back."
His devilishly black eyes fixed on Genos. "Forget what I said before. Young man, I want your life."
"Eso…" Kechizu trembled beside him.
Eso crossed his arms over his chest, slightly hunching his body. Strange, chilling noises came from his back as the skin shivered and stretched, as if something beneath it was about to break free.
"Corrosive Art: Extreme Phase…"
"Incinerate."
Genos had no intention of waiting for Eso to finish. Flames erupted from his palm again. This time, the blast was broader, instantly engulfing both Eso and Kechizu.
The flames roared, hiding the enemies from sight. Genos adjusted the cannon's aperture, and suddenly a spray of fresh blood shot up from the center of the fire, splattering onto the ground.
The blood spattered onto his lower leg, seeping into the gaps between his mechanical parts.
"Got it."
The fire was abruptly deflected by a thick black liquid. Standing behind it were Eso and Kechizu.
Eso looked very different from before—behind him, a pair of butterfly-wing-shaped appendages formed from black blood had spread.
The moment they fully appeared, the wings instantly liquefied and disappeared as they fell.
"What?" Genos narrowed his eyes.
"Our techniques are connected to blood—we have Kamo family genes. The blood you just saw wasn't a sign of defeat—it was our attack," Eso said with a smile. "Once our blood touches you, it corrodes your body."
Genos' eyes widened as he looked down at his lower leg.
"Your body is mostly mechanical, right? That makes it harder for our blood to corrode your components, and you don't feel pain without nerves. But you still have some original parts. Our blood has already begun seeking out that original tissue inside you."
"The more modifications you have, the less original tissue remains. Once our blood finds the remnants, it can quickly destroy you," Eso twisted his body, explaining. "Your brain is still original. Once that is destroyed, your remaining mechanical parts won't function without commands."
"Big brother, that… that's amazing!" Kechizu cheered loudly.
Genos' gaze fixed on his lower leg. He could feel the blood moving through the components inside him. The enemies had planned this in advance. Even severing his leg now wouldn't help.
He had underestimated them. He had indeed thought the blood spray was a sign that his attack had succeeded, and so had not defended himself.
"I really haven't made any progress…" Genos muttered to himself. "I thought that after replacing my parts I'd become stronger, but in the end, it's still this kind of situation…"
"At this point, I can only face this head-on, even if it means mutual destruction…"
Genos raised his lone arm and opened the armor covering his chest, revealing the massive cannon inside.
The energy within the cyborg's chest cannon surged rapidly, glowing not with the usual orange-yellow, but with a flickering, luminous azure that cast shimmering specks of light across his face.
Seeing this, Eso and Kechizu immediately tensed, recognizing the threat.
Genos whispered to himself, "I can't worry about the surroundings anymore. Even if it causes damage, I have to…"
"Oh, finally found you, Genos!"
A voice from the inn's entrance startled Genos mid-charge. The chest cannon flickered and suddenly went dark.
"Sensei?" His eyes widened as he saw the bald figure at the inn's doorway. "Sensei… why are you here?"
"Genos hasn't returned yet, and that fire earlier looked a lot like your Incineration Cannon, so I came to check."
Saitama hadn't even bothered putting on clothes; wrapped in only a towel around his waist, he ran over. His gaze fell on Eso's back.
"Ah, there's a face on your back." Saitama pointed blankly at Eso's rear, stunned.
Two seconds of silence passed.
"Uuuuaaaaaahhh!"
Eso let out a deafening roar, startling Kechizu and Genos alike.
Saitama, his eyes blank, plugged his ears with his index fingers.
"How dare you see my back and reveal the secret… unforgivable!" Eso spun and sprinted toward Saitama, face twisted with rage. "I will kill you!"
"Sensei!" Genos shouted. "Don't get hit by his blood! His blood is corrosive!"
Before his warning could finish, Eso reached the dazed Saitama. His blood-soaked arm shot straight at Saitama's head, fingers curved like hooks. "I'll kill you…"
BOOM!
Dust and debris exploded outward, centered on Saitama and Eso. Genos, standing further away, instinctively stepped forward, eyes wide.
As the smoke cleared, Saitama remained unruffled, standing calmly. In front of him was a massive humanoid-shaped crater, faintly showing Eso's outline embedded within.
Kechizu widened his huge mouth in shock, emitting a strange hissing sound. "Gah!"
"What's with this guy?" Saitama asked, still with his right hand clenched into a fist, visibly annoyed. "Why attack me completely naked?"
"At least put on some underwear first," he added, staring straight at Eso in the crater.
In that instant, Genos noticed the blood inside his body had lost direction. Powerless, it flowed out through the gaps in his components, pooling at his feet before evaporating rapidly.
Eso, having received Saitama's punch, could no longer maintain his technique.
"Brother—!" Kechizu finally snapped out of it, roaring. The face atop his head twisted into a grotesque grimace, the gaping mouth below his features opened wide, and he lunged at Saitama with pounding steps that shook the ground.
"Oh, there's another one." Saitama paused, then frowned, muttering to himself as he focused on the charging Kechizu. "Looks like this guy… isn't human…"
…
Eso's body remained embedded in the shattered ground. His cheeks were covered in rubble, eyes unfocused, consciousness drifting as if underwater.
This bald guy… why is he so strong? Eso thought hazily, unable to comprehend how a single punch could put him in this state…
The overwhelming pressure he felt at that instant robbed him of any courage to oppose Saitama.
He simply could not fight this bald man. The strength he wielded was absolute…
While his consciousness blurred, Eso vaguely heard Kechizu's roar. The vibrations in the ground from someone running reached his ears, bringing a slight clarity.
Is Kechizu coming?
Eso forced his eyes open. At the same time, he faintly heard the bald man muttering to himself.
"…If it's not human, then there's no need to hold back…"
Saitama spoke as he steadily approached Kechizu.
Realizing what Saitama intended, Eso jolted violently, struggling in place.
No. If that bald man goes all out, Kechizu… will be obliterated!
Saitama's footsteps drew closer. Eso, trembling, propped himself up with his arms, looking weakly forward.
In his blurry vision, he saw his brother, Kechizu, wildly charging at Saitama. But Saitama walked deliberately toward him. His hand, hanging at his side, tightened slightly into a fist, drawing back in preparation for a strike—
"Don't!"
Eso's fingers dug into the rubble-strewn ground. He shouted with all his might, hoarse from desperation: "Don't kill Kechizu! He's my brother!"
"Huh?" Saitama blinked and glanced back.
Eso, trembling, pulled the Sukuna finger he had taken from Genos into view, tears streaming down his face.
"We were wrong. Here's the Sukuna finger back. After being resurrected, we haven't killed anyone, and we won't in the future. Please… don't kill Kechizu. I beg you…"
He knelt, bowing deeply, tears pouring down his cheeks.
The ground beneath Eso was dampened by his brother's desperate tears.
This guy…
Saitama stopped, watching the kneeling Eso, momentarily lost in thought.
"Brother!" Kechizu, unaware of his brother's plea and oblivious to Saitama's intentions, continued his assault, roaring as he raised both arms high. He struck downward like a phantom from above. "Aaaaaahhh!"
Kechizu's scream echoed across the plaza. Yet the next moment, Saitama's previously clenched fist suddenly relaxed, catching Kechizu's descending arm in his palm.
"Huh?"
The fast-moving body froze midair for an instant, Kechizu stiffening briefly. Then, Saitama's expression remained unchanged as the hand holding Kechizu tightened, swinging him casually toward Eso.
Kechizu's heavy blue body arced through the air, crashing beside Eso with a thunderous boom.
Eso's eyes widened, quickly sitting up and turning his head.
"Kechizu!"
In his line of sight was Kechizu's huge, rolling white-eyed face. Mouth agape, legs twitching, he wasn't dead—merely unconscious.
"Ah…"
Eso, stunned and kneeling, glimpsed two small legs appearing before him in his peripheral vision.
Saitama walked up to Eso, exhaled, and crouched down.
Eso's back shivered as he stiffly turned his head to meet Saitama's gaze.
"So, you're human after all," Saitama said. "I thought your brother was some kind of monster or something."
"Mm… We brothers were originally special-grade cursed objects, but now… we're human," Eso said shakily. "No, we were originally human. We were taken from our mother's womb while still embryos and made into cursed objects."
"I see."
Saitama didn't say anything further. Eso averted his eyes, unable to look into Saitama's blank, expressionless eyes, yet inside he was utterly uneasy.
The fate of the two brothers was now entirely in Saitama's hands. Life or death depended solely on his whim.
Eso's heart pounded violently from anxiety and fear, when Saitama's voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Don't commit evil anymore. You can go."
"Huh?" Eso raised his head abruptly, unable to believe that Saitama would let them go so easily.
"Sensei!" Genos had by now reached Saitama's side. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this really okay?"
Saitama looked up at Genos.
"Genos, are you upset because he tore off your arm?" Saitama asked.
"No, it's not that." Genos shook his head. "My arm can be reattached, and you already punched him. I'm worried that if we let them go now, they'll cause trouble for you later."
"If they change for the better in the future, then it shouldn't matter. After all, they haven't had the chance to do anything truly evil yet."
Saitama scratched his head and turned back to Eso.
"Don't try to kill someone just because they saw your back. If you don't want anyone to see it, maybe you should wear clothes instead of running around naked."
"Y-Yes! I swear by cursed bindings, we will never commit evil again!"
Eso quickly lifted the unconscious Kechizu onto his back. Stumbling, he headed into the darkness where the streetlights didn't reach, his figure eventually vanishing.
Saitama continued watching the direction they had gone. Genos pressed his lips together, standing beside Saitama, feeling a mixture of awe and reflection—until he suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, Sensei, that thing…"
"Hm?"
Saitama snapped back to attention, watching as Genos bent down and picked up a brown object from the ground, handing it to him.
"What's this?" Saitama asked blankly. "Looks like… dog poop or something…"
"This is the two-faced Sukuna finger, Sensei," Genos replied.
Saitama maintained his expressionless look. "…"
"It fell out of a cursed spirit I defeated. Before we return to Jujutsu High, it's probably best to leave it in the care of the strongest teacher," Genos explained as he handed Saitama the finger.
"Oh… A-choo!"
Saitama sneezed as he took the Sukuna finger, then wiped his nose.
"Phew… After all that, I finally feel a little cold. Thinking about it, I ran straight here from the hot spring. I might catch a cold…"
"You shouldn't!" Genos raised his remaining arm, the Incineration Cannon in his palm glowing faintly red. "Let me light a fire to keep you warm, Sensei!"
"No!" Saitama quickly stopped him. "Genos, if you fire that cannon, this isn't about keeping warm anymore. You'd probably burn my towel off! Better just go back."
As Saitama shrugged to warm himself, a sudden clatter of footsteps came from inside the inn. A group of people burst out. Saitama stopped shivering and turned, seeing several familiar faces.
"So it really was an enemy attack," Fushiguro Megumi muttered, noticing the battle marks outside the inn.
"Where?! Where?!" Nobara Kugisaki, wearing the inn's female yukata, ran out. Rolling up her sleeves and brandishing her hammer, she shouted, "I sensed cursed energy just now! Where are the enemies?!"
"Ah, as for the enemies, they ran off in that direction," Saitama said, pointing toward the direction Eso and Kechizu had left. "And they were completely naked."
"…."
Everyone went silent for a moment. Nobara stared at Saitama, opening and closing her mouth a few times as if to say something, but nothing came out. Her previously confident grip on the hammer slowly relaxed.
"You ran too fast! Wait for me—I need to…" a voice from inside the inn called out. Akira Nitta came running, out of breath. Looking around, his face turned puzzled. "Where are the enemies? There's nothing here? Huh? It's over already?"
Focusing, Nitta immediately pointed at Saitama, his face flushing. "Saitama, why are you running around wrapped in just a towel?! And your towel's about to fall!"
"Ah." Saitama quickly grabbed the towel around his waist, sweat forming on his head. "Good thing… almost ran around naked too…"
…
The next day, after returning to Tokyo from the Saitama Prefecture hot spring inn.
Saitama stood in front of the mirror in the men's bathroom, staring blankly at his reflection.
After a while, he leaned closer to the mirror, tilting his head slightly. His blank eyes strained to open wide as he carefully inspected the top of his head. He stared so hard that the whites of his eyes turned bloodshot, and a bead of sweat formed at his temple.
"…"
Just as Saitama meticulously examined his scalp, the bathroom door suddenly opened. A white-haired figure wearing an eye patch entered, raising a hand to greet him cheerfully.
"Hi! Saitama! What are you doing?"
Saitama: "…Just… checking the hot spring from the inn during our previous mission trip…"
"Ah, that one!" Gojo Satoru raised his hand, pointing at Saitama. "How was it? The hot spring feel good?"
"Mm, it was fine. But there's one thing bothering me…"
Gojo froze for a moment. "What's that?"
"Well…" Saitama's eyes shifted sideways, avoiding Gojo's gaze. "The effect of the hot spring…"
"The effect? Hm…" Gojo paused thoughtfully. "Hot springs can relieve fatigue, promote blood flow, and improve metabolism. But anything beyond that is mostly exaggerated. Claims like 'you'll become beautiful' or 'cures illnesses'—those are basically scams."
Saitama stared blankly at Gojo, who spoke passionately. "…"
"After all, hot spring water is just mineral water. No matter how amazing, it can't cause drastic changes in the body. It's just… soaking in water."
"…"
"Saitama, why aren't you saying anything? Saitama?"
"…"