"Kid?" Robert's lips curled into a grin at Damian's words. Even though Robert knew Damian's actual age far surpassed his own, the irony of being called a "kid" by someone in the body of a three-year-old was hard to ignore.
"No need. Once you kill me, they'll take action." Despite the absurdity of Damian's childlike appearance, Robert couldn't afford to dwell on it. Damian's power had grown immensely, far more than before, and Robert could feel the pressure building. The battle was now even tougher than when he had faced both Damian and Lazarus combined. Even though Damian had expended some energy consuming Lazarus' mortal vessel, his connection to the Dark Dimension had surfaced, making him even stronger.
Robert could sense that while Damian's power had grown, there were still weaknesses. His energy was chaotic and conflicted, likely because Damian had once wielded powers from two different dimensions. Previously, his hellish aura had mingled with darkness, but now, without the connection to the Hell Dimension, Damian's presence was entirely engulfed in dark energy—darker than even the strongest beings of the Dark Dimension, darker even than the Masks.
"Boom!" Robert didn't waste any time. Given Damian's current strength, letting him make the first move would be disastrous. Robert had to strike first and close the gap between them. He knew that if he allowed Damian to stabilize the situation, he would only be able to drag the fight out, relying on his ability to increase his combat power as the battle went on.
"Dammit!" Damian cursed as Robert's sudden attack caught him off guard. His focus had been on Clark, not Robert. With all his power now unleashed, Damian had understood the nature of the mirrored space. While Mordo and the others had created it, it was Clark who was maintaining it, preventing it from collapsing. Damian was desperate to force Clark into the fight, hoping to escape the mirrored space through the ensuing chaos.
Despite revealing his trump cards, Damian still had no intention of risking everything in a life-or-death fight with Robert and his allies. Even with his Hell Dimension avatar, he had avoided a direct confrontation, opting to exploit Lazarus. Now, without his avatar, he was even less willing to take such a risk. If he lost to Robert, everything he had built would be for nothing.
However, neither Robert nor Clark had any intention of following Damian's plan. Even if Robert bled out in battle, Clark wouldn't intervene, knowing his role was crucial. If Clark fought Damian directly, the mirrored space would shatter instantly, and their battle would devastate Earth.
Thus, Clark stayed firmly in place, his only potential move being to assist Robert if necessary. But that would only happen if Robert requested help, and knowing Robert's pride, Clark and Diana were unlikely to step in unless asked.
"You're still distracted?!" Robert's keen instincts detected Damian's lapse in focus. His eyes gleamed as a blade of energy slashed from his hand, slicing Damian's body in two.
This energy slash was an upgraded version of Robert's circular energy blade, capable of cutting through anything—even Diana's powerful Vulcan Sword. Despite Damian's immense strength, he wasn't fully concentrating, and Robert's attack cleaved him in half.
Unfortunately, in a world where devastating attacks are common, regeneration abilities are even more widespread. Especially for beings like Hell Lords, who are nearly immortal. Even though Damian's body was reborn on Earth, it quickly healed. In an instant, his body fused back together.
"Shing!" But as Damian was healing, Robert's attack didn't stop. A powerful energy wave formed in his hands and blasted toward Damian.
"Buzz!"
Just as the energy wave was about to hit Damian, a blade of energy shot from the wound Damian was healing. It collided with Robert's attack, slicing the energy wave in half and dissipating it.
"Impressive move!" Robert's eyes lit up in admiration.
The blade of energy that Damian had used was none other than the one Robert had struck him with earlier. After being expelled from Damian's body, it had lost none of its power. Damian then controlled it to neutralize Robert's attack, showcasing his mastery as a Hell Lord.
Without hesitation, Robert's figure disappeared, reappearing at Damian's side. Despite Damian's childlike appearance, Robert showed no mercy, sending a powerful kick toward him.
Damian, however, was even faster. Almost as if he had predicted Robert's attack, he raised one arm to block the incoming leg, while his other hand unleashed a torrent of dark energy aimed at Robert's body.
"Shing!" To Damian's surprise, his hand passed through Robert's leg without making contact. The dark energy similarly missed, blasting into empty space and disintegrating part of the mirrored world.
"Boom!" At the same moment, Robert appeared behind Damian and punched him squarely in the back. His fist, surrounded by energy, carried with it a sharp, unstoppable force, puncturing through Damian's small body.
The scene was grotesque—Damian's tiny frame was impaled on Robert's arm. Due to Damian's small size, Robert's fist had penetrated his torso, with Damian's limbs dangling awkwardly around him.
"Quite the illusion! But how will you defend against this?" Damian's head twisted 180 degrees, his childlike face staring at Robert with a wicked grin.
"Buzz!" Suddenly, a surge of terrifying energy erupted from Damian's body, locking Robert's arm in place. As Robert tried to pull his arm back, he found that Damian's body had clamped tightly onto it, making it impossible to retract.
"Heh, you think that will stop me?" Robert's eyes gleamed with disdain, and his own energy surged, responding to Damian's challenge.
"Boom!" The two opposing energies collided at such close range that a massive explosion rocked the mirrored space. Even with Clark's bio-field protecting the space, it nearly shattered under the force.
At the epicenter of the explosion, both Robert and Damian's bodies were partially destroyed, their forms blown apart by the sheer power of their clash.
"Ruthless!" Damian's eyes flickered with a cold light as he recalled the moment of the explosion. His voice dripped with venom.
"Is that all you've got? You can't hold on already?" Robert's voice cut through the smoke and dust, and his half-formed figure lunged toward Damian once again.
Damian's tattered body had been sent flying by the blast, but Robert hadn't been knocked away. He had activated his Berserker Fist and stood his ground. Injuries like these meant nothing to Robert—he had endured much worse before, and his current regenerative abilities only made him bolder.
"Huh?!" Damian froze as he saw Robert charging at him, his body now reduced to half a face and a single arm. Anyone would have thought Robert was the Hell Lord using a mortal vessel, given how reckless he was.
"Gotcha!" Robert's remaining hand grabbed onto Damian's body. He grinned maniacally, his energy flaring up again.
"Boom!"
This time, the explosion was even stronger than before, reverberating through the mirrored space.
After the blast, a heavy silence fell. Neither Robert nor Damian made any sound, as if both had perished.
No one knew how much time passed before Damian's form began to reconstitute. His eyes flickered with uncertainty and fear. "Where did this madman come from? Not even demons from the Hell Dimension fight like this!"
"Is that all? You're scared already? You're not leaving today! Let's see who drops dead first—you or me!" Robert's voice came from behind. Two skeletal hands, only partially regrown, clamped onto Damian's shoulders. As Damian turned, he was greeted by Robert's ghastly smile—his skull only had one eye left, but it gleamed with a chilling intensity.
If someone didn't know their identities, they would think this was a horror story where a demonic child was being haunted by a terrifying monster from the depths of Hell. But in reality, it was Damian, the Hell Lord, who was the villain, and Robert was the righteous protector.
"Heh heh…" Robert, the so-called righteous protector, let out a sinister laugh. Without his voice, he had to rely on his mental strength to communicate, but the sound still made Damian's pupils contract in fear.
"Boom!"
Another explosion shook the mirrored space, each one bringing greater devastation. Even Clark's eyes began to show concern.
Through the clouds of dust, Clark could see Robert's battered form slowly regenerating. But what truly worried him wasn't Robert's physical state—it was his mental condition.
If Robert had once fought with a fierce yet calculated madness, now he seemed utterly deranged. Clark feared that Robert's mind might be spiraling into insanity.
Still, there was no denying the effectiveness of Robert's crazed fighting style. Even someone as powerful as Damian, a Hell Lord with ties to both the Dark Dimension and the Hell Dimension, was being overwhelmed. Damian's confidence was shaken, and the fear of Robert was beginning to set in.
Despite his superior strength, Damian had lost his ability to fight back. Robert's relentless, frenzied assault had completely thrown him off balance, leaving him unsure of how to respond.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]