Damian soared through the clear blue sky, the wind rushing past him as he approached Saitama's apartment in Z-City. Touching down lightly on the balcony, he slid open the door and stepped inside.
Saitama lounged on the couch, flipping through TV channels with a bored expression. Genos stood in the kitchen, methodically preparing tea.
"Hey, you're back," Saitama greeted without looking up. "How was the date?"
Genos turned, his cybernetic eyes narrowing slightly. "Yes, Damian. I'm curious about your outing with Miss Fubuki."
Damian smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was... eventful. Let's just say she's full of surprises."
Saitama raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."
Before Damian could elaborate, Genos interjected, "Perhaps we should focus on our training session. Master, are we still proceeding with the sparring today?"
Saitama yawned, stretching his arms. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get to it."
With a nod, Damian extended his hand, his eyes glowing faintly as he activated his Ruler's Authority. A gentle force lifted Saitama effortlessly. Genos ignited his boosters, and together, the trio stepped outside and ascended into the sky, heading toward the vast desert outskirts of Z-City.
Sometime later…
As they flew over the arid landscape, a massive crater came into view—a gaping hole carved into the mountain range.
Genos pointed. "That's the spot where Master Saitama's punch created that crater during our last training."
Damian's jaw tightened in awe. That wasn't a punch that connected. That was just... the wind.
They touched down on the hard-packed earth. Dust curled around their boots. Saitama immediately flopped down criss-cross and took out a pizza slice wrapped in foil.
"Alright," he yawned. "You two go ahead. I'll hop in after my carbs settle."
Damian nodded, floating lazily into the air. "Okay, Genos, you sure you want to fight me?"
Genos cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. "I may be the weakest here—but with my recent upgrades, I won't go down easily."
Damian smiled. "Good. Then don't hold back."
They took their places opposite each other, a wide stretch of cracked desert floor between them. Saitama, still chewing, gave a half-hearted wave. "Try not to destroy too many mountains, and I'll fight whoever wins."
They both nodded in sync with primal determination…
With a pulse of energy, Genos surged forward. His boosters ignited with a deafening roar, leaving a crater where he'd stood.
He was fast. Faster than before.
His first strike came like lightning—an overhand punch backed by a burst of plasma from his elbow joint. Damian weaved around it effortlessly, barely shifting his shoulders.
Genos spun mid-air, unleashing a barrage of rapid-fire punches, each one trailing heat and light. Damian ducked, blocked, deflected—his hands a blur of perfect counters. Not a single hit landed.
"You're faster," Damian admitted, side-stepping a rocket-boosted uppercut. "But you're telegraphing."
Genos grunted, adjusting his stance. He fired a beam from his palm—Damian flipped over it and landed behind him.
His arms crossed behind him, looking like a Seasoned Viltrumite. Then, immediately, Genos spun around and…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A plasma blast cratered the earth—but Damian was gone again, floating above, arms folded.
"Still holding back, Damian?" Genos snapped.
"I wasn't planning on using lasers or telekinesis," Damian replied calmly. "But alright... I'll test your limits."
With a flicker, Damian vanished again. He increased his speed, defying logic.
Genos barely registered the movement before Damian was beside him, grabbing his arm and whipping up and over his shoulder and sending Genos into the ground like a ragdoll. Dust exploded on impact. Genos' metal limb tore free with a sickening wrench.
"Whoa—" Damian said, surprised. "Didn't think I pulled that hard."
From the dust, Genos rose, one arm sparking.
"It's fine," he muttered. "Watch this."
He flexed his core, and the detached arm whirred back to life, flying into place and magnetizing back into its socket with a satisfying click.
"Nice trick," Damian admitted.
"Alright, let's take it up a notch." Genos said in a grunting tone while getting up.
"You sure?" Damian asked.
Genos replied swiftly, "I want your full power."
Saitama, still seated, raised an eyebrow. "He's been dodging you for most of the fight, Genos. If he starts going all out, you better not combust."
"I'm ready," Genos insisted.
Damian nodded—and disappeared.
This time, Genos couldn't keep up. Damian moved at his maximum speed, 15% the speed of light, blow after blow in microsecond flurries. Genos's sensors scrambled, his body wracked by bursts of pressure and momentum.
Although Damian was attacking Genos, he never hit him, instead stopping just before contact, only hitting Genos with shock waves from his attacks…
Genos, feeling too much pressure, surged his energy, sending a shockwave attack in all directions. Damian dodged the plasma shock burst and landed several meters away, but as he landed, he was met with the giant blast from Genos's twin cannons, engulfing Damian in Blue-hot plasma.
Damian stood his ground.
The beams hit—but fizzled against his glowing bio-electric aura. The energy was absorbed like heat into solar cells.
Genos widened his stance. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He detached one of his arms, which stood in place, firing, then cloaked himself by bending the light around his body—all thanks to Doctor Kuseno's new upgrades. Genos then, boosted into a blind spot. His remaining hand, glowing with 100% maximum power output, aimed at Damian's temple.
But it never connected.
Damian's afterimage dissipated. The real Damian hovered beside him, arm cocked.
BOOOOOOOM.
The air exploded behind Genos. A mountain ridge disintegrated into ash and rubble as a single punch narrowly missed.
The blast alone ripped Genos' synthetic skin. He stood, eyes wide, trembling.
Damian gently caught him before he collapsed.
"You okay?"
Genos, in awe, managed a strained smile. "Maybe... I should call you Master now..."
Damian chuckled, helping him to the ground near Saitama.
Saitama stood, brushing debris off his shoulder and bald head. "Not bad. That punch had some weight."
They looked toward Damian's blast crater—massive, destructive, impressive by most standards.
Then they turned to Saitama's crater—at least 30% bigger.
"Yours is about 70% the size of mine," Saitama said casually. "Maybe 75% if I'm feeling generous."
Damian scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Genos... that wasn't even my full strength."
Genos nodded weakly. "I figured..."
But internally, Damian was sweating. "That punch was 90% my full power…"
He turned to Saitama.
"Master, Saitama?" he asked. "How much power did you use to make that crater?"
Saitama looked thoughtful. "Hmm... probably just a normal punch."
Silence.
Damian gulped.
He opened his system interface.
[Bonus Mission Quest: Survive Sparring Match with Saitama – Reward: World Traversal Ticket x1]
Mission Status: Inactive
He looked at Saitama. "Well, I won, so Saitama, you ready?"
Damian asked with anticipation, as he set Genos down gently.
Saitama yawned, strolling to his spot across the makeshift battlefield. "Yeah, yeah. Start attacking whenever."
Damian hovered back into position, his aura flaring with anticipation.
This was it.
Looking at his system Mission panel:
[Bonus Mission Quest: Survive Sparring Match with Saitama – Reward: World Traversal Ticket x1]
Mission Status: Active.
Then, the screen changed, displaying an empty, translucent progress bar. Then, a message alert.
[To complete the Bonus Mission, you must fill the progress bar to 100%]
Damian, eyes squinted with focus. "Now the real test begins."
—To Be Continued—