"Damn it! Who the hell is this lunatic?!" Damian's face had become grim after barely managing to reassemble his body. This regeneration was not without cost; even for a Hell Lord, it consumed a significant amount of power.
After enduring several explosions, Damian's once formidable strength had noticeably waned. Even though he had restored his form, his aura was no longer as terrifying as before.
Naturally, if a Hell Lord like Damian had to pay a price for regeneration, Robert, who was constantly self-destructing, was also depleting a lot of his energy.
This constant drain meant that Robert's combat strength had not increased since the explosions started. Much of his energy had been diverted to healing his injuries.
While Robert usually wouldn't bother healing non-lethal wounds during battle, these self-inflicted injuries from his explosions were far too severe. Without dedicating energy to recovery, he wouldn't even be able to maintain his combat effectiveness.
"You think it's over?" Just as Damian had barely reformed his body and was still shaken by Robert's reckless tactics, Robert reappeared in front of him, lunging once more.
"Boom!"
Another explosion echoed through the mirror dimension. It felt like a never-ending cycle, as both Robert and Damian vanished from sight once again.
"Is this even considered a fight anymore?" Kaecilius murmured, feeling dazed as he watched the repeated destruction within the mirror dimension.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Baron Mordo thought for a moment and then said softly, "Even in the most intense battles, it's rare to see such ferocity and brutality. This Saiyan is teaching us that if we truly want to protect Earth, we must have unwavering resolve and the courage to face death head-on."
Kaecilius paused at Mordo's words. He was about to comment that with Robert's abilities, it seemed impossible for him to die. But then he realized something and nodded earnestly. "You're right. The Saiyan is a protector of Earth, just like we are at Kamar-Taj. Even if we don't have his kind of power, our determination to protect Earth must not falter."
With Kaecilius' words, the Kamar-Taj disciples around them clenched their fists. They appeared inspired by his speech. Though his words were simple, seeing Robert repeatedly sacrifice himself in battle sparked a different feeling within them.
Kaecilius and Mordo exchanged glances, each letting out a sigh of relief. In truth, the disappearance of the Ancient One had left a deep impact on Kamar-Taj. If it hadn't been for the support of Clark and Robert, Kamar-Taj might have already fallen apart.
Especially after the invasion by the Black Order, the Kamar-Taj students realized that their individual powers were not so different from each other. Even Baron Mordo, Kaecilius, and Wong were only marginally stronger. None of them could take on multiple opponents at once, let alone suppress all of Kamar-Taj's disciples. Such realizations had stirred dissent within their ranks.
After all, with the Ancient One gone, someone had to assume the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. But if Mordo and the others were not powerful enough, what right did they have to lead, let alone aspire to the position of Sorcerer Supreme?
These thoughts had caused Kamar-Taj to split into factions. Mordo and Kaecilius represented the protector faction, whose sole focus was to continue safeguarding Earth's dimension as they had been tasked.
Thus, Mordo and Kaecilius worked together to reignite the resolve of the Kamar-Taj disciples, hoping to unify them under a common goal.
As for asking Clark or Robert for help with Kamar-Taj's internal affairs, that was out of the question. After all, they were outsiders. Moreover, Mordo and the others were unsure who could step up to the role of Sorcerer Supreme and earn the respect of all Kamar-Taj disciples. They themselves certainly weren't capable, and it seemed no one in this generation was either…
"No! This can't go on! Is this guy insane? Is he some kind of avatar? I can't keep wasting my time with him!" While the Kamar-Taj students resumed watching the battle, Damian, having reformed his body once again, realized something troubling. His face grew darker, and without hesitation, he fled the scene.
"Hmm? Trying to run?" Robert's half-destroyed body appeared where Damian had just been. Seeing Damian flee, Robert smirked and said coldly, "Where do you think you can go? This mirror dimension isn't that big…"
Though Robert spoke as if Damian had no chance of escape, he still chased after him. As he did, Robert's eyes gleamed, sensing something off about Damian's aura.
"No wonder he's been trying to run. His power is in conflict. Is it because he's been injured too many times, or has he overused his energy?" Robert's grin widened as he pursued Damian.
Damian, overhearing Robert's words, turned even paler. He hadn't expected Robert to see through his condition so quickly. Remembering how Robert had tracked him to the Lazarus Pit earlier, Damian realized that Robert must be highly skilled in sensing energy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have detected the ambush at the Lazarus Pit.
Just then, a sharp energy disc sliced through the air, aiming straight for Damian. Now that Robert knew Damian's internal power was unstable, taking him down would be much easier!
"Damn it!" Damian's pupils shrank as he sensed the approaching disc, forcing him to change his trajectory.
To his horror, the energy disc split into dozens of smaller ones after missing its target, all of which struck his body!
Unlike previous attacks, where Damian had been sliced cleanly in two, this time his small body was shredded into pieces before reforming.
While this type of regeneration wasn't as costly as rebuilding from a total explosion, it still drained his power, causing further fluctuations in his aura.
More importantly, this regeneration took time—a window Robert used to close the distance and launch another attack.
"Boom!"
Robert's next attack was simple but devastating. He detonated his own body again, though this time leaving his head intact. Fully regenerating was slower and more taxing, so Robert left a part of his body to speed up the process.
Damian, caught in the blast's center, gained no respite. The explosion was fueled by Robert's concentrated energy, making it far more potent than before.
As Damian's recovery slowed, Robert grinned down at him.
"Shit!" Damian cursed, his chaotic energy bursting outward. Several dark energy tendrils shot out in all directions, while he coldly addressed Robert. "Fine! You've pushed me this far, Saiyan. I'll remember this…"
Before he could finish, a sharp energy blade pierced his head, and Damian's small body vanished once again.
In the same instant, Robert also disappeared, targeting one of Damian's remaining energy signatures.
To Robert's surprise, that signature led him toward Clark!
This puzzled Robert. Could Damian be so desperate as to confront Clark now, after being beaten so badly? Was he really that reckless?
"Die!" Damian's voice roared as several dark energy blasts erupted, but they weren't aimed at Robert—they were headed straight for Clark!
Clark frowned. The energy Damian had gathered was terrifying. If he didn't counter it, his bio-field, which stabilized the mirror dimension, might not hold. But if he did resist, the field could still destabilize, leading to unforeseen consequences.
Clark hesitated briefly but ultimately decided to act. Allowing the bio-field to collapse was the greater risk. If he could drain Damian's power quickly enough and Robert could strike, Damian's attack would be in vain.
Clark's eyes blazed with his strongest heat vision yet, more powerful than even when he fought Odin or General Zod.
"Shhh!"
The beam incinerated the incoming dark energy and continued toward Damian's position.
"Hey, Superman! That might've been a bit much!" Robert joked, suspecting Clark of trying to steal the kill. But he had no proof, especially when Damian's body was reduced to ashes by Clark's heat vision.
"He didn't resist?" Clark muttered, frowning in confusion as Damian's body disintegrated.
"Crack!" At that moment, the mirror dimension split open, a black rift forming as dark smoke shot out.
"Both bodies were real? Impressive! No wonder that one didn't resist—its energy was completely depleted!" Robert marveled, his aura flaring as he chased after the escaping Damian.
"Boom!" As Robert unleashed his full power, the Earth's atmosphere trembled, leaving many to gaze skyward in confusion.
Robert had no time to suppress his aura; he was in hot pursuit of Damian. If Damian escaped now, it would be disastrous. As a Hell Lord, Damian could quickly regain power on Earth without the usual rules binding him. Stopping him later would be far more difficult than it was now!
"Saiyan! If you chase me any further, I'll destroy Earth!" Damian shouted in anger and desperation. He hadn't expected Robert to still be on his tail, and now he was resorting to threats. But Robert remained unfazed.
"Fine! Don't blame me for what happens next!" Damian growled, launching a dark energy ball toward the ground. He assumed Robert, being a hero, would be forced to intercept it, giving him time to escape.
But Damian was wrong. Robert didn't even glance at the dark energy ball; instead, he fired another energy disc at Damian.
"Boom!"
Just before the dark energy ball hit the ground, Clark appeared, smashing it with a single punch. Though the explosion was loud
, it caused no harm to Earth...
_________________________
[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]