"Is he dead?"
Jovian, dressed in a white skintight suit, stared at Zombieman—whose head he'd just crushed like a watermelon—his eyes full of disappointment.
If this was really the level where popping someone's head killed them, then it was way too weak. Not worth Jovian spending any time or effort trying to claim that kind of power.
Thump. Thump.
"Wait…"
Just as Jovian was about to give up on him, his absurdly sharp hearing picked up a steady, powerful rhythm—like a drumbeat.
"His heart's still beating?!"
Jovian's eyes instantly shifted into X-ray vision mode, piercing through Zombieman's body and locking onto the chest beneath those thick muscles—still pounding hard.
"That hurts, asshole… I told you, it wasn't my fault…"
While Jovian scanned him, the "watermelon" he'd destroyed—Zombieman's head—had already regenerated back to normal.
"Interesting. Even without a head, you can still regenerate, and your overall body mass doesn't change."
Jovian studied him and delivered his verdict.
"Kid, you're already breaking conservation of mass. No—more accurately, you're someone who dances on top of the laws of physics."
"Stop saying stuff I don't understand…"
Zombieman shook his head. He didn't understand half of what Jovian was talking about, but one thing was crystal clear: Jovian had done something seriously messed up to him.
"I'm reporting this to the Hero Association. You owe me an apology."
Zombieman didn't seem interested in fighting. Or maybe, deep down, he already knew he couldn't beat Jovian.
"You already missed your chance to report anything."
Jovian reached out with one hand and grabbed Zombieman by the throat again.
"Hey. I've got a temper too."
Even with his throat locked down, Zombieman's face stayed blank, like he couldn't care less about whatever Jovian did to him. Maybe in Zombieman's eyes, an immortal like him would never truly die—so death was never something to fear.
"You should fear death."
Jovian's expression stayed calm as he looked at him.
"I'm immortal."
"So you're scared of death, huh? Even though you're already that strong, you still fear it?"
Zombieman didn't resist at all. If anything, he leaned into it like a provocation—emphasizing his immortality and mocking Jovian for not being a "real" strong person. In Zombieman's mind, a real strong person faces everything head-on: either you kill your enemy, or your enemy kills you.
"I respect 'Death' in any universe."
"Anyone who doesn't fear 'Death' is just advertising their stupidity and ignorance."
Jovian remained composed.
"…"
Zombieman fell quiet. He didn't fully get what Jovian meant, but for some reason, a strange sense of reverence—of dread—rose in his chest at the very idea of death.
"But that still doesn't change the fact you can't kill me. I'm still reporting what happened today to the Hero Association."
He dragged the conversation right back to his immortality.
"Tell me—do you really not die?"
Jovian asked the exact same question again.
"Yes."
Zombieman nodded without hesitation.
"Good."
The moment Jovian got his answer, he tightened his grip on Zombieman's neck, turned into a roaring blur, smashed through the warehouse roof, and shot straight up into the sky…
Out in space…
The giant and the scientist were now acting like Earth's "satellites," drifting in orbit and circling the planet over and over…
"Scientist… even if we can't be the strongest anymore, just being able to live happily together like this isn't so bad."
The giant looked at the scientist floating beside him, repeating that thought over and over.
As someone who had drunk the giant serum, his body far surpassed ordinary humans. He could survive in space for a long time without dying. He could stay by the scientist's side indefinitely.
But at the exact moment the giant was basking in that happiness, a white streak flashed past his vision—
And the scientist—frozen stiff as a board—was shattered into dust in an instant.
"NO!!!"
"We were just trying to get stronger! Why do you have to do this to us?!"
The giant stared at the pulverized remains, an endless roar of grief and rage tearing through his mind.
"Ah…"
"Did I just hit something?"
Jovian, flying through space at sub-light speed, frowned.
"Oh, right… I think it was the scientist who was tagging along with that giant."
He sighed.
"What a shame. He could've been part of my science division."
"I was even thinking about building a fleet of cosmic giants and unleashing a 'Planet Rumble' across every non-humanoid world in the universe. That'd be way more fun than a planet-killer cannon."
"But oh well. He shouldn't have brought that giant along to step on me."
With one hand still clamped around Zombieman's doomed throat, Jovian accelerated even more.
At the same time…
He kept observing how Zombieman's body reacted under constant cosmic radiation. Under the brutal bombardment of space, Zombieman's flesh burned, healed, burned again—over and over.
"Having fun?!"
Jovian's voice entered Zombieman's mind.
"Why… can you talk?!"
Zombieman froze. Even he knew the basic rule: you can't talk in the vacuum of space.
"Simple telepathy."
"Didn't you notice my voice is going straight into your head?"
Jovian's voice sounded again.
"So that's what it is…"
"Then where are you taking me?"
"Y-you're not seriously going to leave me out here, are you?"
"I can't get back on my own!!"
For the first time, fear truly hit Zombieman.
His healing factor was insane, but his baseline physical stats weren't that far beyond normal. At best, he was a peak human who could push past his body's limits by healing through the damage—forcing muscles to output 100% without permanent breakdown.
That was it.
Meaning if Jovian abandoned him in space, he would never make it back to Earth.
"Relax. The giant's already got enough company."
"I'm taking you somewhere a lot more fun."
Jovian shook his head. This world didn't need more people "giving up on thinking."
"Where?"
Zombieman was genuinely confused. He couldn't imagine any place more terrifying than the vacuum of space.
"Up ahead…"
Jovian's lips curled into a grin as he lifted Zombieman above his head.
Above them blazed a star radiating endless warmth—the life-giving cradle of living worlds.
The Sun.
"What are you doing?"
A terrible premonition surged through Zombieman.
"Relax—I'm just sending you into the Sun."
The moment those words finished echoing in Zombieman's mind—
A burst of fire swallowed them as they shot straight into the life-giving inferno!
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