"The sky's pretty cold up there. Why don't you come down for a while?"
Duke's fingers tightened around the card in his hand — barely the size of a cigarette pack. On its front was the portrait of DC's golden child, Superman, while the back bore the hero's iconic red "S" emblem.
Across the card's background, countless images flashed in rapid succession, as though alive.
"Superman Experience Card — Activate!"
Taking a deep breath, Duke felt the card ignite with light. In the very next instant, a towering figure materialized behind him — clad in a tight blue suit, an S emblazoned on his chest, a crimson cape fluttering down his back. His face was handsome, resolute, and unwavering.
The phantom of Superman stood silently behind Duke.
High above, Kayle—now in her six-winged divine form—held a sword in one hand and a blazing orb of golden starfire in the other. Her entire body radiated dazzling light, descending like a goddess of judgment, her presence sacred and untouchable.
"Mortal," she intoned, her voice cold and absolute, "I see your sins clearly. You act for your selfish desires, you murder to silence dissent, and you even dare steal divine authority — a mortal daring to create life itself!"
Lowering her head slightly, her eyes burned with pure gold. "Death sentence!"
Whoosh!
Golden flames erupted around Duke. Calmly, he shrugged off his white coat and shirt, revealing the sculpted lines of his upper body. Kicking away his shoes, he didn't even flinch as the fire closed in around him.
"For the sake of so-called justice and law, you trample life itself!" he shouted.
"You're the one who deserves execution!"
"Impudent!"
The divine fire surged, swallowing Duke whole. Kayle's gaze remained emotionless — as indifferent and remote as a statue in a temple. The glow of humanity within her eyes had long been replaced by cold, merciless divinity.
When the flames faded, she turned away, eyes sweeping over the burning city.
But then
The golden flames suddenly extinguished.
Before Kayle could react, a figure appeared before her. A split second later, a fist crashed into her elegant, divine face with earth-shattering force.
The blow distorted her features, the impact ripping through bone and skull.
BOOM!!
Kayle was instantly blasted out of the heavens, leaving behind a golden streak that stretched far across the horizon until it vanished over the sea.
"Wha"
King Jarvan III, the Crown Prince, and even Xin Zhao stood frozen. Every citizen of Demacia witnessed the impossible — the gentle, ever-smiling scientist they once knew… had just punched their Winged Guardian Goddess clear across the sky.
Their nation's sacred protector, the very emblem of Demacia, was flattened by a single punch.
It should have been heresy.
But seeing it happen — none could deny the cathartic satisfaction that washed over them.
Duke rolled his neck, muttering calmly, "One second."
The next instant
BOOM!
He vanished, leaving only the explosion of sound waves in his wake.
Kayle, having crashed into the bay opposite the capital, smashed into the sea so hard it split apart. A white trail streaked across the surface before she coughed up blood — and two of her teeth.
"What… just happened?"
Before she could gather herself, Duke appeared before her like a ghost.
The moment she saw him, she understood. "You… mortal!"
Raising her divine sword, she slashed down — only to find that it couldn't even scratch his skin.
Duke glanced at the sword, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
Crackle… crackle…
The sacred flame coating the blade flickered out, replaced by frost that spread rapidly across its surface.
"My mother's sword… frozen?" Kayle gasped, utterly stunned. "By the breath of a mortal?"
"How… how is that possible?"
"There's no such thing as impossible," Duke said coldly.
With a single palm edge, he brought his hand down.
Snap!
Before Kayle's disbelieving eyes, her divine sword — the weapon that had accompanied her for centuries — shattered clean in two.
"Mortal!!"
Her furious scream barely left her lips before Duke's hand gripped her face and flung her away with monstrous strength.
"Two seconds."
Kayle's six wings flared wide as she unleashed torrents of golden fire, divine wrath burning hotter than the sun. Duke's eyes flashed crimson, his pupils narrowing.
Zzz!
Twin beams of heat vision erupted from his eyes.
The red beams met Kayle's flames — and pierced through them as effortlessly as a needle through silk, slamming directly into her.
The heat vision burned straight through her armor and body.
"Ugh!"
Kayle spat blood, stunned. She looked down at her chest — no wound, no bleeding. The heat had sealed it shut as soon as it pierced through.
"A mere mortal… how could you"
"The mortal," Duke said grimly, "is about to do something worse."
He appeared before her in a blur, grabbed her head, and pushed his speed to its limit.
The Superman Experience Card only lasted ten seconds — but Superman's power could exceed time itself. If Duke willed it, these ten seconds could stretch into ten years.
Gripping Kayle by the head, he smashed her straight into a nearby mountain.
"Three seconds."
Kayle howled in pain, flames bursting wildly from her body as Duke's voice echoed over the roar.
"Feel it, Kayle! Feel the fury of mankind!"
"To me, gods are just stronger beings — nothing more!"
"And killing gods… has never been blasphemy. It's a fact."
He slammed her through mountain after mountain — three, four peaks crumbling before they finally stopped.
Kayle lay in ruins, bloodied, her hair matted with dirt and rubble. Her divine radiance was gone; all that remained was humiliation.
"Mortal… how dare you!!"
Her six wings spread wide, unleashing blinding radiance that tore through the heavens. A massive celestial gate opened above, and from it descended a flaming sword as tall as a tower.
"Feel the wrath of the gods!"
She guided the holy sword downward. Duke didn't even glance at it.
"The wrath of gods?" he said coolly. "Your anger means nothing to me."
The blade fell — and struck Duke's head.
It stopped cold.
Kayle's eyes widened. "Impossible! This sword can cleave mountains and seas—why can't it touch you?!"
"I told you."
Duke seized her face again, voice cold as steel.
"You mean nothing to me."
He swung his fist upward.
BOOM!
The colossal holy sword shattered into fragments, its golden embers scattering across the sky. Duke inhaled deeply — then blew.
His breath swept out like the deadliest winter wind, snuffing out every spark of divine fire and freezing the nearby mountains into a pristine field of snow.
"Four seconds."
Duke's mind raced. Now he understood.
This Superman wasn't from the modern era — this was Silver Age Superman, the most absurdly overpowered version of them all.
An era when Superman was a living paradox — the ultimate being.
No physical, energy, or magical attack could harm Duke now.
His breath could alter the weather, freeze mountains, even extinguish stars.
His heat vision could melt anything in existence.
His speed transcended time itself.
And his strength? He could kick planets like marbles.
Kayle, even in her six-winged state, was terrifying — but before this Duke, she was nothing.
Even if the Celestial Star Gods descended together, he could annihilate them all within ten seconds.
"Whether mortal or god, everyone has their place," Duke said coldly.
"You claim to be divine — then stop meddling in the world of men."
"Duke," Kayle spat blood, her voice trembling with fury, "I was born perfect! It is my duty to bring order to all things!"
Duke's gaze darkened. "Is it those wings that made you so blind?"
He grabbed one of her wings — and ripped it off.
"AHHH!!"
Her scream echoed across the heavens. Duke tore another.
"Your sister bound her wings to walk her own path," he said.
"But you — blinded by power and glory — have become arrogant and cruel!"
He ripped another wing. Then another.
"Start over, Kayle," he said grimly. "Be born anew."
Her six wings were now reduced to two. Terrified and trembling, she begged, "No—please don't!"
"I won't kill you," Duke said coldly, "but you will atone for your sins."
In a blur, he vanished — and reappeared at the Grand Plaza.
Morgana still lay in the crater below.
Thud!
Duke dropped Kayle beside her. Both sisters lay battered and broken — Kayle's proud, radiant face now twisted and dirt-stained.
Morgana gave a weak, bitter laugh.
"Sister… now you understand, don't you?"
"This is the power of the mortals you despised."
"Mortals know they're imperfect — yet they embrace it!"
"That, Kayle… is perfection. That's the strength of humanity."
Kayle's eyes were empty. Her mind couldn't comprehend it anymore.
Duke sighed softly.
"Deactivate Experience Card."
At once, the overwhelming power drained from his body. The phantom of Superman reappeared behind him, dissolving back into the dim card that fell into his hand.
"Five seconds."
He exhaled heavily, looking at the now-dull card in his palm.
"Good thing I only used five seconds," he muttered. "Still half the time left… might come in handy later."
End of chapter....
IRONBOUND PATRON
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
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