131. Little Girl, You Have a Chubby Fiancé
(For the sake of plot arrangement, the Justice League will appear earlier, moving the timeline forward.)
————
...
"March 1986, Maine, Amnesty Bay Lighthouse."
Arthur's parents met in 1985; calculating based on the fact that her belly hadn't grown large when it snowed, Aquaman should have been born in 1986.
Sure enough, at the lighthouse, he saw the Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, and her belly was clearly large; she was already pregnant with Aquaman, Arthur.
This also confirmed Duke's conjecture; it really was...
Of course, he didn't go for Aquaman, but for Mera!
She was a perfect woman with both beauty and a great figure, three parts more stunning than Wonder Woman. Mainly because although Wonder Woman had a 360-degree flawless face, her figure was, well...
This Mera was a woman with the same face as Amber Heard.
She ranked at the top of the Top 10 most perfect faces among Hollywood actresses.
According to the analysis by De Silva, the head of a famous British cosmetic surgery clinic, Amber's overall facial perfection was 91.85%, basically fitting the 'Golden Ratio' of the ancient Greeks.
She also possessed the most beautiful nose in the world, with a perfection rate as high as 99.7%.
She was like the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, but with a bit more straightforward playfulness mixed into her sexiness; her facial features and temperament were somewhat similar to 'Black Widow' Scarlett Johansson, but without her mature, intense, and aggressive nature.
A pair of charming, liquid eyes.
It seemed the words 'captivating all living beings' were carved into her very bones.
For such a woman, taking a risk was worth it!
What risk?
Wonder Woman and Mera fighting, of course.
It seemed to be in the comics.
After the DC major event 'Flashpoint', the entire worldturned into a mess.
Mera took the initiative to challenge the Wonder Womanof Themyscira, Diana. Who was Diana? The Queen of the Amazon, she would certainly not be outdone, so the two began to fight.
However, Mera's strength was far inferior to Wonder Woman's. In just a few moves, Wonder Woman killed Mera, decapitated her, displayed the head, and then express-delivered Mera's body back to Atlantis, wearing Mera's tiara on her own head.
In fact, during that time, Wonder Woman not only killed the Queen of the Sea, Mera, but also her lover from the movie, Steve, as well as Shazam.
Finally, because The Flash resolved the 'Flashpoint' crisis, the DC Universe was rebooted, ushering in the New 52 era.
The previous war between Wonder Woman and Mera was erased from history, and the two became friends again. Although they had lost their memories and weren't very familiar with each other, during joint battles, they slowly came to recognize each other as best friends and confidantes.
I guess... if Mera gets together with Duke, there might be a big battle... right?
But, whatever. There's a solution to every problem, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!
The key now is to quickly push for the 'Demigod' realm.
Although he was awakened this time and couldn't ascend to the next level, Duke had already found his divine attribute — [Power of Rules].
Broadly speaking: humans have their own rules, the worldhas the world's rules, magic has magic's rules, and space, time, Eternity... all have their own rules.
Narrowly speaking: fire has the rules of fire, and water has the rules of water.
When fire burns in water, it becomes a new kind of 'rule'.
[Spell Formula] is inherently a type of Power of Rules.
And the mage skill 'Frost Nova' is actually also a rule; it is not simply freezing with ice cubes, but carries the power of space.
That is why Wonder Woman did not break through it immediately.
His magic was too much, too mixed, and too messy; he had to find the 'Power of Rules' to integrate all the chaos, and then — break through to the Demigod realm.
Once he advanced to Demigod, Duke would no longer fear Wonder Woman and Mera fighting.
————
...
After Karazhan disappeared and Duke entered a deep sleep again, several major events occurred.
The first: Not many years after Atlanna gave birth to Aquaman Arthur, Orm's people found her, and after a great battle, they finally chose to leave.
She had always kept Duke's prophecy in her heart.
Even when being intimate with Orm, she was absent-minded, wondering, would there really be a Mother Boxincident, would they really go to war with the surface world?
Not long after giving birth to Orm, the Queen of King Nereus of Xebel also gave birth to a daughter, basically within a month of each other.
When she heard the little princess was named Mera, she panicked!
A few years later, the ocean war began, King Nereusresolutely went to the battlefield, and she took in Mera, becoming her foster mother.
"Little one, do you know, the prophet told me that you have a fiancé in the surface world," Atlanna said.
"Surface world, is that the humans on the surface?" the little girl with red hair asked weakly.
"Yes."
"Then did the prophet say what he looks like?"
"Him... he's very chubby." Atlanna thought of the fat crow Duke had transformed into and couldn't help but chuckle.
"How chubby?" The little girl was not amused; having a chubby fiancé was not what she wanted.
"Hmm... even chubbier than a fat crow."
"What is a crow?"
"A crow is..."
The second event: Howard Stark passed away, dying of old age in 1999; he didn't make it into the new world.
It is worth mentioning that Howard Stark's soul returned to Karazhan; he did not go to heaven or hell, but remained with Karazhan.
Because the jade pendant Duke gave him years ago protected him, he did not die in the attack by Bucky in 1991, but he did pass away from old age in 1999.
Before he passed away, he visited Karazhan one last time, and Wonder Woman asked him if he wanted to extend his life; that bottle of potion was still reserved for him.
Duke had left it for Howard before falling into a deep sleep again.
And Howard's answer was still the same — [I don't want the black-haired to send off the white-haired].
He felt he had lived enough, really lived enough, and there was no need to waste the taxpayers' money anymore.
Although he thought about going to hell to take a look, unfortunately, under the effect of the jade pendant, his soul still went to Karazhan, becoming a glorious'Soul Servant', and he recovered his youthful appearance.
When he first arrived at Karazhan, he was a bit surprised and somewhat bewildered.
Duke had long ago tampered with the jade pendant, just like the ruby he gave to Shan. Unfortunately, Shan gave the ruby to Jennifer, a pity.
When he saw Doctor Abraham Erskine, Howard burst out laughing; this could be considered old friends reuniting again, right?
However, one was alive, and the other was dead. The older one was alive, the younger one was dead. Heh, a bit ironic.
———— 2007.
On this day, a very strange creature appeared in the city of New York. They had two pairs of wings, red eyes, withered and rotten skin, and looked very... very much like 'Fly-men'.
"Those are Parademons, nightmare creatures that feed on fear!" Diana said as they walked.
"Yes, I may have encountered one; we didn't get along very well." Beside her was the old man, Batman.
The two strolled by the river. Duke, he's getting cuckolded, cuckolded, cuckolded... Cuckold your sister, I can't be cuckolded. ( ╬ ￣ dish ￣ )
132. We Will Meet Soon
"Harmony after great fear is hard-won; that truly was an era of heroes," Diana sighed.
"I don't think we can ever get the old team back together," Batman said.
"The people of Atlantis are forced to stay on the seabed, while the Amazons hide on their isolated island, never to leave."
"I will not rely on the human tribes."
"But now we have new 'allies,' don't we?" Diana smiled.
"Yes, there are the X-Men, and your Karazhan squad," Batman said. Then, not knowing what he thought of, he suddenly asked, "What about Duke? Is he still in a deep sleep?"
"Probably... I guess?" Diana rubbed her temples, looking a bit tired.
Batman was stunned: "Probably...?"
"..." Diana was silent for a moment, then looked up at the calm lake in the distance. "Actually, I have seen him."
"Huh?" Batman was stunned.
Is he awake?
But Karazhan hasn't appeared!
Everyone knows now that when Karazhan appears, it means Duke has awakened.
"No," Diana shook her head. "He hasn't awakened. It's just that I've already seen him. Not just me, you have too... we've all seen him. The high temperatures a while back, the sudden snowfall... and the'Shadows' that appeared everywhere and vanished in the blink of an eye."
Batman was confused: "You mean, that was caused by Duke? Are you sure?!"
It's late autumn now. Although the temperature is sometimes still very high, it suddenly spiked to 40 degrees, and... it only lasted less than 10 minutes before returning to normal. Then, a day later, the temperature suddenly plummeted, and it actually started snowing! And the meteorological department? They still have no clue!
He had heard about those'Shadows' that appeared and disappeared suddenly, but because there was no evidence, he couldn't determine their 'authenticity.'
He hadn't expected it to be Duke's doing.
"It's basically certain!"
"Didn't he go to the Astral Realm? Why can he still..."
"The Astral Realm is a special existence; no one knows exactly what it's like. But I suspect he is about to wake up," Diana said.
Batman breathed a sigh of relief: "If that's the case, then that's great. We still need his power to deal with Steppenwolf."
"I hope we can make it in time."
"How much time do we have left..."
"A few days, at most! Steppenwolf's mistake last time was attacking us; he wanted to make Earth bow down before destroying us. This time, his goal is just to seize the Mother Box!"
Batman suddenly pulled out his smartphone: "I've received the address of a new team member, Barry Allen."
Batman actually uses Samsung instead of Apple. Was he sponsored?
"What about the other one, Victor Stone?"
"I hope you can find him," Batman said.
Diana nodded: "We are asking strangers to risk their lives."
"Yes, we don't have much choice. It's a pity about the X-Men..."
"They are just a school for the time being," Diana sighed.
Although Professor X still listened to Duke's advice and informed Jean Grey that her biological father was not dead, resolving this potential 'crisis' in time, he still went down the 'old path' afterwards and made many mistakes. Although Jean Grey was not sacrificed again and 'Mystique' Raven was not killed, the X-Mansion still suffered a shock that left it severely weakened.
Now, Professor X has chosen to retire, just like at the end of "Dark Phoenix." The position of the new headmaster didn't fall to the blue furball Hank, but to Raven.
After taking office, Raven implemented a series of changes. She no longer acted as a nanny for humanity like Charlesdid, but instead arranged for the school's students to be integrated into the lower levels of society. Starting from the massive population base, she focused on things close to home, such as assisting detectives in solving cases and catching criminals, or taking on jobs with low safety risks.
Things like going into space should be avoided whenever possible!
The 'X-Men' have truly become the X-Mansion, an academy that truly teaches Mutants.
Similarly, they are still assisting the government; this is unavoidable.
However, they have implemented a 'grading system.'
Squads are divided according to the students' comprehensive abilities and strength levels, and corresponding squads are dispatched based on the difficulty of the incidents.
If something is beyond their strength, the X-Men can choose to refuse.
The X-Mansion is currently barely recovering its vitality, so it's likely very difficult for them to participate in this mission.
"Forget it, let's not talk about them."
———— At this moment, on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantis.
The sanctuary housing the 'Mother Box' suddenly began to shake—Steppenwolf was attacking!
Mera, the 'Queen of the Sea' responsible for guarding the sanctuary—oh, wait, she is no longer the Queen of the Sea—collapsed the water area, instantly opening up an airless zone. Steppenwolf couldn't react in time and slammed down heavily.
If things followed the original plot, she would have been slammed heavily into the ruins by Steppenwolf.
In just two strikes, she would have been defeated.
It shows how fragile a mage is during their skill cooldown.
She is also far from being a match for Diana.
But now, things have changed...
Steppenwolf was still charging at Mera, swinging his flame axe as usual, when a sudden change occurred. Three streams of water suddenly appeared out of thin air, drilling toward Steppenwolf like an electric venomous dragon drill.
The water streams were fierce; Steppenwolf couldn't dodge in time and was pushed far away by the combined force of the water, his armor nearly drilled through.
"Who?" Mera looked back vigilantly.
Just then, the seawater gradually gathered, finally forming a 'human shape' composed of high-concentration water.
The features were unclear.
And at this moment, Aquaman also arrived.
The battle between the two muscular men began.
Of course, Aquaman was no match and was taken down after a few rounds.
Thus, the Mother Box guarded by Atlantis was taken away.
"Who exactly are you?"
Mera once again supported a waterless space in the water, enclosing the 'Water Man' and Aquaman. Arthur was also sizing up the strange 'Water Man' in front of him.
"Nice to meet you, I am your 'fiancé'." The Water Man smiled.
This guy was, of course, Duke.
"What... you... you are...?" Mera's eyes widened, looking stunned.
"What, didn't Atlanna tell you?"
"She did... mention it, but I didn't expect our first meeting to be on such an occasion."
A bit of a disillusionment.
Although her foster mother said her fiancé was fatter than a fat crow, but... he was at least a human, right? What the heck is this 'Water Man'?
"Atlanna, you've seen her?" Arthur suddenly stepped forward and asked.
"Oh, it's Arthur. I've seen you."
"You've seen me? Why don't I have any memory of it?"
"When you were still a five-month-old fetus."
Mera: "..."
Arthur: "..."
"Oh right, this is not my true body, just a wisp of my spirit. My true body is still in a deep sleep... We will meet again soon."
As he spoke, the Water Man gradually dispersed into water molecules and disappeared bit by bit.
"Hey, wait a second..."
133. When I Wake Up, the world Changes Color
Cyborg's secret base...
"Bruce, NO! You have no idea what kind of energy you are dealing with!" Diana refused vehemently; she was against resurrecting Superman.
Superman is dead. Heaven knows what kind of thing will be resurrected.
"Even if there is a slight chance..."
"So what? Do we want to raise a monster? Like Lex Luthor did..."
"We have technology that Lex Luthor didn't."
"Superman is already dead, even though we all wish he wasn't!"
"We don't know what state he's in now. I know we can't bring him back, but this technology exceeds our limits."
"You are taking a risk! Risking their lives and the lives of countless others." Diana remained insistent, refusing to resurrect Superman.
"We no longer have time to study this slowly; Duke shows no signs of waking up. Yes, there is a risk, but it must be done."
"Why? Because of your guilt?"
Wonder Woman and Batman had a fierce argument.
"Bruce, I was there. You didn't kill Superman!"
"OK—but the scene of his resurrection better be like... 'Yay, he's alive,' and not like 'Pet Sematary'." The Flashinterjected with his usual chatter.
Aquaman also stood on Diana's side: "When people die, they lose something, and Superman is no exception. Perhaps it's not his sanity, but his soul."
"I will come up with a contingency plan," Batman said.
"If the first thing he sees when he wakes up is you, you definitely need a contingency plan." Diana glanced at Batman and turned to leave.
I hope you know what you are doing!
...After some twists and turns, Superman was resurrected as promised.
With a great leap, he landed in front of his own monument, feeling somewhat confused and lost. Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I here to do? Question after question echoed in his mind.
The four-person team followed closely behind: Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash.
"He's alive?" Diana couldn't believe it.
Aquaman suddenly twitched his eyebrows: "Something is not right with him."
Cyborg: "He is scanning us."
"What?"
"Arthur, relax, your adrenaline is spiking," Cyborg said quickly.
"Because something is not right with him."
"Then... should we bow to him? Or expose our bellies to him?" The Flash continued his chatter.
Then, Cyborg couldn't control his armor's defense mechanism, and a projectile was fired, officially kicking off the battle between Superman and the four-person team.
"Karl-El, NO!"
Diana shouted, but at this moment, Superman had lost his reason. He had forgotten who he was and only knew self-preservation. Whoever attacked him was his enemy. He immediately fired a 'heat vision' blast at Cyborg.
Cyclops: Hey, isn't that my move? You ripping me off?!
Cyborg couldn't hold on. Although his armor's shield blocked the heat vision, he was still sent flying.
"He is not conscious; he doesn't know who he is!" Dianashouted. "Arthur, we have to restrain him."
Aquaman made a great leap but was sent flying by a punch from Superman.
Wonder Woman rushed up and was likewise sent flying by a punch.
You really are One-Punch Man.
Super strength, super defense, super speed, super Healing, super flight, super hearing, super vision, super breath, etc. Damn... You are just super; you are 'One-Punch Super-Man,' aren't you?
Wonder Woman wanted to use the Lasso of Truth to awaken Superman's consciousness, but Supermaninstinctively thought the other party wanted to control him. So, he exerted force and yanked Wonder Woman over.
Aquaman and Cyborg both pounced, putting in all their strength, but they couldn't budge Superman a single bit.
The Flash wanted to use his high speed to sneak attack, but he was completely thrashed by Superman and sent flying.
Just then, Batman, who needed a 'contingency plan,' appeared, which once again ignited Superman's anger.
"I know you!"
"Please, don't make me do this." Wonder Woman landed between the two and slowly gripped her sword tightly.
Although Diana was a demigod, she was no match for Superman. She was slammed to the ground with a headbutt, causing the ground to shatter.
Just as Superman continued to walk toward Batman, the world changed color!
A violent pressure struck, and Superman's hair instantly stood on end.
To the northeast, a beam of purple light shot straight into the sky, clearly visible even from Metropolis. The purple beam of light pierced the sky and broke through the dark clouds, causing everyone in the midst of battle to stop their actions.
"That is..." Diana gazed into the distance; that was the direction of Karazhan.
Duke is awake?
Of course, she had no time to think, because what followed was a change in the world.
Purple cracks suddenly appeared on the blue sky, as if torn open by an invisible hand, and they were slowly expanding in all directions.
People in New York felt it most deeply.
Everyone looked up at the sky in astonishment, and the ground was in complete chaos.
The sky seemed as if it would shatter at any moment and fall down.
Starting from New York, the cracks gradually expanded and had already spread to Metropolis.
Even Superman was somewhat shocked as he watched the world change color.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene in the sky, their minds going blank, with sounds of fear and shouting constantly coming from all around.
A feeling of powerlessness welled up in their hearts!
"This!"
Diana had already woken up from the joy of Duke waking up. Oh no, could this be advancing to 'demigod'? Is a mage's advancement this terrifying?
However, this was not the most terrifying part.
The cracks in the sky were still spreading rapidly, and finally, after half an hour, they stopped.
The range was vast, from Ottawa in the north to Virginia in the south, west to Lake Erie, and east into the Atlantic Ocean; almost the entire northeastern part of the United States was affected.
Countless people began to cry, countless people began to embrace; the sky seemed like the arrival of the apocalypse!
Of course, this was not the most terrifying thing; a spectacle appeared in the city. Half was pouring rain, while the other half was as hot as the dog days of summer; half was cold wind and snow, while the other half was lightning and thunder with dark clouds pressing down.
The most peculiar thing was the clear distinction, and they were all vertical: vertical rain, vertical snow, vertical lightning!
If you stood in the middle of Third Avenue, your left side would be soaked, and your right side would also be soaked, but it would be soaked by sweat steamed out by the heat.
If you were on Amsterdam Avenue, your right side would already be covered in snow like a snowman, and your left side would be soaked by rain.
A spectacle!
Steppenwolf, who was hiding in the shadows, was confused. What the hell is this?
The Ancient One, far away in Kamar-Taj, also cast her gaze toward the distant New York: "He is advancing, to demigod."
High above in the distant starry sky, in Asgard, one of the Nine Realms, Odin, who was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and cast his gaze down to the lower realms.
At this moment, Duke stood slowly within the purple beam of light at the top of the Karazhan tower, feeling all the 'rules' of the world, and smiled slightly: "When I wake up, the world changes color!"
134. Duke vs. Superman
The miraculous phenomena in the sky and on the ground vanished almost simultaneously.
The torrential rain disappeared, the blizzard stopped, the lightning ceased, and the sweltering midsummer heat instantly cooled down. Was all of this just an illusion?
If it weren't for the large puddles of rainwater on the ground, the foot-deep snow, and the roofs, windows, and public facilities destroyed by the lightning... it really would have been a dream!
Diana suddenly frowned: "NO, Karl-El..."
Before she could finish speaking, Superman was blasted into a pool by a sudden attack.
Then, the entire pool instantly froze into 'ice'.
A figure appeared eerily at the spot where Superman had been.
"Whoa." In the distance, Aquaman was shocked.
"Another super powerful one has arrived, I feel like..." The Flash was still babbling.
Meanwhile, Batman felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, grew tense again.
"Duke—"
"Don't speak, kiss me." Duke suddenly blinked to Diana's side and embraced her.
"Heh, shouldn't that be a woman's line?" Diana was a bit amused but still offered him her kiss.
After a long while, they separated.
"He won't die, will he?"
"How could that be? He is 'Superman' after all. I just used my power to seal him in ice. It won't hold for very long; he should break out very soon."
Crack—sure enough, a fist shattered the solid ice, and Superman soared into the air.
"Who are you?"
"Me...? I am Diana's husband. Regarding the fact that you hit my wife, I need to settle the score with you properly." Duke chuckled.
Thanks to Superman for the talent points, and thanks to Superman for the talent abilities'Super Strength' and'Super Defense'. Am I, by some miracle, now a melee mage?
"Wife, step aside first. Wait for father... no, wait for husband to properly teach this guy called Superman a lesson." Duke waved his hand, and Diana floated far away from the battlefield.
Although he appeared lighthearted on the surface, Dukewas secretly surprised. Superman really was Superman. His Frost Nova, imbued with spatial rules, had only trapped Superman for one minute?
You have to know that when he was in the legendary realm, he had sparred with the equally Legendary Wonder Woman, and she couldn't break free.
And back then, his spatial power wasn't even perfect.
Yet now that he had mastered [the power of rules] and added spatial rules to the ice, it had only trapped Superman for one minute before he punched his way out.
To think he could shatter spatial rules.
One should say, as expected of Superman!
"Teach me a lesson?" Superman sneered.
"I always thought you didn't bleed." Duke pointed to the blood at the corner of Superman's mouth, implying that he had already taught him a lesson.
At this moment, Superman was cold and reticent; his eyes instantly heated up, and he blasted out his crimson heat vision.
However, in the same fashion, a 'heat vision' beam rushed in from the opposite angle, intercepting Superman's attack.
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
Don't worry, it wasn't the X-Men's Cyclops who had arrived, but...
"Uh... another Superman? Am I not awake yet, or am I not awake yet? Uh... I must be dreaming, surely." The Flashcontinued to be the designated babbler.
Aquaman, Cyborg, and the others were also stunned. What, what is this?
Only Diana understood that this was one of Duke's magicabilities—[Arc of Embodiment].
The demigod Duke had manifested a demigod Superman(a slightly weaker one), and then it was [the manifestation] vs. the real demigod Superman.
Uh...
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like Supermanwas about to get crushed.
Superman in the air was also a bit stunned; he remained bewildered, wondering who this person was and why he looked just like him. But he quickly realized that this was Duke's doing.
As long as he killed...
[Clang!]
Superman, who had teleported toward Duke, was once again blocked by the fake Superman, and the two traded blows in a fierce fistfight.
Superman also understood that if he wanted to hit Duke, he had to defeat this fake version of himself first.
However, would Duke give him the chance?
The answer was, of course, 'NO'!
Duke instantly transformed into a 'Human Torch', much like the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four.
Of course, he wasn't a Mutant, but using the mage skill [Combustion].
He wrapped himself in raging flames.
And then...
" 'Pyroblast' "
He instantly cast three large fireballs, blasting them toward Superman.
However, Superman still dodged them; one punch each, one punch each, one punch each, directly blasting them apart.
"Yo, not bad, but you forgot."
Boom—!
Having blasted away Duke's Pyroblast, he couldn't dodge the fake Superman's heat vision, which struck him in the kidney area, sending him flying again.
This was exactly what he was waiting for.
Duke 'Blinked' over to intercept him, then, with a 'crackle-crackle' sound, encased his arms in ice and hammered away at Superman's handsome face.
Left hook, right hook; left hook, then another right hook.
It left Superman feeling a bit dazed.
Who am I, where am I? In terms of strength, is there anyone on Earth stronger than me?
After taking a few punches, Superman finally reacted, exerting force in his arms to grab Duke's arms: "Let's see where you run to now!"
His eyes heated up instantly.
"Hehe."
" 'Dragon's Breath' "
Before Superman could release his heat vision, Dukesuddenly opened his mouth; a dragon head made of fire formed, and he breathed out a massive amount of flames.
Everything within a cone-shaped area in front of him was affected.
Additionally, Dragon's Breath had a 'disorienting' effect. Consequently, before Superman's heat vision could fire, his head spun for a moment.
Perhaps he didn't understand the principle that 'villains die from talking too much'?
Hmm, the current Superman really did count as a 'villain'.
Immediately afterward, biting, piercing cold air erupted, instantly freezing Superman.
In the Blink of an eye, Superman was frozen with his mouth open.
The freezing range was extremely wide, the ice spreading in all directions, freezing the entire square in the Blink of an eye.
" 'Ice Age' "
Diana, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash hurriedly jumped up, barely avoiding being caught and frozen.
Duke slowly stood up and smiled toward the distance: "Darling, do you think if I hammered down on his neck right now, I could knock his head off!"
Diana flashed over, grabbed Duke's hand, and said earnestly: "Alright, that's enough. He is Karl-El, after all."
"It's precisely because I know he is Karl-El that I'm beating him. Who told him to hit my wife? Whoever hits my wife, I hit!" At this moment, Duke became a wife-pampering maniac.
Damn, in the comics, you and Superman have a thing going on, not just Superman, but also that old guy in the black bat suit.
Brother... I haven't been cuckolded, have I?
—Crack, the ice shattered.
"Still not giving up?"
Duke quickly wrapped one arm around Diana and Blinked backward, then...
" 'Glacial Eruption' "
On the ice-covered square, countless ice dragons suddenly sprang up—vicious ice dragons over a hundred meters long and nearly ten meters in diameter.
The ice dragons writhed and roared, lunging at Superman.
Their maws opened wide, ready to bite down fiercely.
—Crack!
The ice trapping Superman was shaken off again. Looking at the lunging ice dragons, Superman hurriedly used his hands to hold their upper and lower jaws, then... 'Heat Vision'!
Crackle, crackle, the ice dragon was blasted apart.
But likewise, there were too many ice dragons; dozens of them were dancing across the entire square.
After blasting one away, dozens more were waiting.
Ice dragons chased after Superman... attacking from all sides.
Of course, don't forget the fake Superman landing follow-up attacks on the side.
135. You Should Thank Me
"Hey, do you feel like Superman has gotten a lot weaker?" The Flash asked.
"Has he?" Aquaman was a bit confused. "I only know that this guy named 'Duke' is very strong."
"..." Cyborg paused slightly, his single glowing red eye flickering rapidly, and he frowned. "There is... a strange power 'restricting' Superman."
Duke glanced at Cyborg; he was truly the 'monster' created by the Mother Box. To think he could actually perceive the 'Power of Rules'. Heh, although he still doesn't understand it.
Aquaman remained confused: "Is that so?"
"I knew it, I knew it. You saw those ice dragons chasing Superman, right? Their speeds seemed to be the same. I don't know if it's just my imagination!" The Flash was also someone who had touched upon the speed rules, but in reality, he had only grazed them; he could neither understand nor utilize them.
However, he could feel that Superman's speed had been limited.
Keep in mind that when they were fighting earlier, Superman could keep up with his speed, and was even slightly faster. If it were an ordinary person, it would be impossible to see Superman's movements, but now Aquaman and Cyborg could see them too.
This meant that the ice dragons' speed was consistent with Superman's, or perhaps... Superman's speed had been dragged down to the level of the ice dragons.
What kind of strange ability is this?
If he hadn't guessed wrong, Superman, in the heat of battle, hadn't realized it at all.
But he, as an outsider, had sensed something was wrong.
Exactly.
Duke had'speed-limited' Superman.
In reality, it wasn't speed-limiting, but rather, within a certain range, keeping the speeds of the ice dragons and Superman relatively consistent.
"Clark—"
A familiar voice awakened Superman's memories, and his movements faltered instantly, so... an ice dragon lunged and bit down.
"Snap—"
A trace of blood was immediately bitten from his shoulder.
"Get lost!"
Superman exploded with power and shattered the ice dragon with a punch, and just as he was about to press the attack.
"Stop!"
Duke raised his hand, and the ice dragons instantly froze in mid-air.
"Clark, for the sake of your girlfriend arriving, I'll let you off this time. Next time you dare to hit my wife, I'll blow your head off."
Right, he had discovered that Superman's magic resistance was practically non-existent. And with the crowd control added by the Power of Rules, Superman was just being toyed with by him. Looking at it this way, he probably wasn't a match for Ancient One. Of course, if Ancient Onecould keep her distance, but if she was pulled in, it would be useless.
By the way, he preferred to call Superman Clark. 'Karl', always felt like it was calling that conspirator from "Super Seminary".
"We can have a proper fight in the future." Supermanclearly didn't want to admit defeat in front of his girlfriend.
"Actually, you should thank me." Duke suddenly chuckled.
"Thank you?" Superman frowned slightly.
"Of course." Duke raised his hand and waved at the 'fake Superman'. That face of Clark changed at a speed visible to the naked eye into 'Lois Lane', which was the girlfriend of Superman who had just arrived.
Superman was instantly furious: "You!"
Lois Lane, who had just gotten out of the sedan, also subconsciously covered her mouth. That was actually her appearance?
"If I had come like this from the beginning, would you have been able to strike?" Duke chuckled.
Diana covered her forehead. He was really embarrassing her.
"Hiss— this...?" Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg all collectively gasped. Incredible, sh*t, is this guy even human?
A true villain.
No, a true gentleman!
Things can be played like this? Can't compete, can't compete.
Superman was so angry he gritted his teeth. He couldn't bring himself to strike; he definitely couldn't.
This bastard.
Duke laughed triumphantly. That's right, his persona wasn't a 'gentleman' to begin with. When he wanted to screw you over, he would never show mercy.
Waving his hand, the 'fake Superman' turned into a phantom and gradually disappeared.
"A gift for you." Duke flicked his hand and tossed out a bottle of red potion.
Clark subconsciously caught it in his hand: "What is this?"
"This is a youth restoration potion. I believe your girlfriend will need it. Consider it a gift for Lois. As for you, you hit my wife and I hit you, so we're even."
Superman hesitated for a moment and was about to crush the glass bottle: "It's not her appearance that I like."
However, it was snatched away by Lois, who had activated the'speed rules'.
"See, you don't understand women." Duke made a face at Superman.
Just then, Steppenwolf teleported over and took the Mother Box.
"What is that thing? Why does it look like a 'cockroach'?" Duke intentionally feigned ignorance.
"A member of the Dark Elite under the Dark Lord Darkseid, Steppenwolf." Diana stepped forward to explain.
"Oh, so he's the villain for this episode? Why do I encounter a villain every time I wake up?" Duke was very annoyed.
"Because you are a villain-bane." Diana said.
"Oh? Are you saying Superman is a villain?"
"When did I say that?"
"You mentioned Krypton."
Diana rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to Duke.
"Alright, I just got back, I'm going to go enjoy some quality time for two. That... who, who, who, who... wait until you've planned everything out before coming to call me." Dukepointed at the 'Justice League' group, then scooped up Diana and disappeared, returning to Karazhan.
Superman also embraced his girlfriend and returned to their home in the small town; the corn in the fields was already waist-high.
The four people abandoned in the square looked at the ice dragons frozen in mid-air... and looked at each other in dismay.
"This... is left here?" The Flash asked.
"Return to the base first?" Aquaman said; he didn't care about these ice sculptures.
"These ice dragons contain some kind of strange power." Cyborg wanted to touch the ice dragon, but was scared back by the ice dragon that suddenly 'came alive' and roared.
Subsequently, the ice dragons turned into phantoms and disappeared, and the ice on the ground of the square also vanished.
"Amazing," old man Batman praised. "Alright, let's go back first. Let's determine Steppenwolf's location before anything else."
————
At this moment, Duke, of course, had returned to Karazhanand was getting up to some shameless, unrestrained business with Wonder Woman.
It's unknown how long later it was, but Duke finally walked out, and was instantly startled upon seeing the transparent person in front of him: "Damn! You're trying to scare me to death, Howard."
That's right, the transparent person appearing before him was none other than Howard Stark, his grandnephew.
"If anyone should be scared, it should be me, right?" Howard Stark smiled bitterly. "If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have been better off drinking that bottle of potion. Now it's great, neither human nor ghost."
"When did you die?"
"1999."
"Sigh, didn't make it to the new millennium." Duke sighed.
"Who's to say? If I had just gritted my teeth and held on a bit longer, it would have been fine."
"You're not bad off like this, either. You've studied your whole life; it's perfect for researching'soul energy'."
"I'm not a biologist. Speaking of which... does the soul fall under the category of biology?"
"How would I know? I'm not a scientist." Duke rolled his eyes.
"Master." Jennifer and Lian arrived together.
"Hmm." He smiled at his two beautiful disciples, then the corners of Duke's mouth curved into a smile, "Oh, we have a new guest arriving. Jennifer, go prepare to welcome the guest."
"Yes, Master!"
136. How Dare You Attack the Son of Odin
Above the starry sky, the head of the Nine Realms, the Asgard Asgardian Palace.
"Father, did you summon me?"
Thor, who had not yet been shorn of his hair, strode in with a powerful, tiger-like gait. There were faint traces of blood on the hammer he carried, suggesting he had just returned from battle.
"Go on a trip to another star system for me."
"Father, where do you want me to conquer?" The God of the Hammer's eyes burned with a battle intent like lightning.
"Midgard."
"Midgard?" The God of the Hammer was stunned.
He knew what kind of place that was—the star system where humans lived, and also their old home.
The 'Nine Realms', also known as the 'Nine Realms', consisted of Asgard (the realm of the Aesir) as the head, Vanaheim (the realm of the ancient, wise Vanir), Alfheim (the realm of the Light Elves), Svartalfheim (the land of the Dwarves), Midgard/Earth (the human world), Jotunheim(the world of the Frost Giants), Helheim (the realm of the dead), Niflheim (the realm of mist), and Muspelheim (the land of the beginning of flames)...
Among them, 'Midgard' was the weakest.
He knew about Midgard, but hadn't been back much. The last time was hundreds of years ago, and it was very backward.
To think he was being asked to conquer such a backward place?
"Father, does Midgard really require me to go? Couldn't you just find any general? Why use a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken?"
Loki, hiding in the distance, smiled to himself. You compared yourself to the 'ox'—how stupid!
"Fool! What do you know!" The All-Father slammed the Gungnir down and shouted, "I am sending you to Midgard to congratulate the birth of a 'New God' for me!"
'Gungnir'?
Was it a'spear' made of an eternal'spear'?
"What?! A New God... Father, you aren't mistaken, are you?" The God of the Hammer was shocked. The weakest human world had actually given birth to a New God?
This, this was even more unbelievable than 'Asgard being destroyed'. If someone told him that Asgard would be destroyed and Midgard had given birth to a New God, he would definitely believe the former.
Likewise, Loki, hiding in the distance, was also completely dumbfounded.
'God' and 'Aesir' are two different concepts.
Thor is called 'Thor', and he is called the 'God of Lies', though naturally, he does not like this title.
And the people of Asgard are just 'Aesir'. The simple meaning of Aesir is 'the clansmen of the gods', or servants, those who serve the gods. In short, those who reside in the divine realm are collectively called 'Aesir'.
Only those who possess a 'Divine Attribute' are called [God].
Therefore, although some heroes are very powerful, even exceeding a 'God', if they haven't found their own 'Divine Attribute', they are not a god.
For example, Star-Lord. When he obtains power, he is a god; when he loses his power, he is a mortal.
The strength realm of a [God] can be Demigod, Legendary, or even Hero Level. As long as they have found their own Divine Attribute, then they are a [God].
Conversely, even if your strength reaches 'Demigod', you are still not a [God].
Duke's Divine Attribute is 'Rules', so... strictly speaking, he should be called the 'God of Rules' or... 'God-King of Rules'.
It is truly unbelievable. The poor and weak Midgard could actually give birth to a New God. I am very curious what his 'Divine Attribute' is.
"Go! Heimdall will send you there. Midgard is not as weak as you think. Don't embarrass me when you get down there." Odin glared and waved his hand as if shooing a dog.
They were born from Midgard. Why could such a poor and weak place give birth to gods like them?
"Yes, Father." Even though he was extremely unwilling, the God of the Hammer still accepted the order and descended to the lower realm.
Loki's eyes rolled, and he also quietly followed.
Odin sighed without leaving a trace.
At this moment, Frigga approached with light steps: "You saw it, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Our son?" Frigga smiled.
"Frigga, do you think destiny... is truly unchangeable?" Odinsuddenly said something inexplicable.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing! Perhaps this is a good thing, who knows? Hahahaha." After laughing a few times, Odin stood up and left the throne.
Leaving only Queen Frigga alone, her eyes filled with confusion. What was that?
Before the Bifrost, Heimdall was still in his usual rigid manner: "You've come."
"You saw it."
"I can always see you."
"Then... what about that so-called 'New God'?" Thor asked.
"I cannot see him."
"I'm curious. In these Nine Realms, is there any place that you, Heimdall, cannot see?" Thor laughed, not taking it seriously at all, thinking this guy was joking.
"I am not joking. I truly cannot see him; he has blocked my gaze."
The God of the Hammer finally became a bit serious, gripping Mjolnir tightly in his hand: "Alright, it seems it will be a big deal."
Heimdall didn't say much and directly opened the Bifrostleading to Midgard. The God of the Hammer walked in slowly.
"Thor."
"Hmm?" Before entering, the God of the Hammer turned his head and took a look.
"The last one I couldn't see was 2,000 years ago. He was your father... the All-Father, Odin."
"..."
The God of the Hammer frowned and turned to enter the portal.
Likewise, Loki also quietly followed inside. Immediately, the Bifrost closed.
Heimdall closed his eyes slightly and whispered to himself: "I said it, there are only two that I cannot see." Odin didn't stop him, and he didn't stop him either.
———— At this moment, X-Mansion.
On the lawn, a group of Mutant children were playing soccer. Suddenly, a colorful beam of light descended from the sky, burning a scorched runic circle into the ground.
The children playing nearby were instantly blown away in all directions by the shockwave.
The light dissipated, and standing in the center was naturally Thor.
"Is this Midgard?" The God of the Hammer looked around, completely not feeling that there was any problem with blowing the children away.
He had no problem with it, but the people at X-Mansioncertainly did.
"Who goes there!" Several Mutants ran over, holding a type of special handgun.
This was invented by X-Mansion and distributed to the guards patrolling the school. Some people had weaker abilities, and this special gun could help them better protect themselves.
The God of the Hammer narrowed his eyes, his expression full of contempt: "You dare to threaten me, Thor, with such a small weapon?"
As he spoke, he strode over with a powerful gait.
"Bang!" The gunshot rang out.
Of course, Thor was fine. Although this was a special handgun, it was actually inferior to a laser, not to mention that the God of the Hammer was wearing armor.
"How dare you attack the Son of Odin?" The God of the Hammer was furious.
It must be said that Thor during this period was still very arrogant and conceited, thinking he was the greatest in the world.
"Give up, mortals. You cannot possibly defeat the powerful 'Thor'."
After speaking, he suddenly raised Mjolnir. In the sky, a 'crack' sounded... and a bolt of lightning was summoned down.
137. Suddenly Gaining a grandfather
Finally, the Hammer God met a powerful enemy.
Cyclops took him out with a single laser blast.
"How dare you attack the great son of Odin..." the Hammer God was furious.
"He keeps saying he's the son of 'Odin.' Could he have come down from Asgard?" Mystique Raven asked curiously.
"The gods of Asgard don't seem like much." Beastgradually turned into a blue ball of fur. "Let me test how powerful this god really is."
The Hammer God was a bit dumbfounded: "What kind of monster are you?"
He had lived for more than half his life, and this was the first time he'd seen such a thing.
Just as the two were about to pounce on each other, a beautiful voice descended from the sky.
"Stop!"
A 'Nightingale' slowly flew down. Nightingales are very similar to sparrows; from a distance, it's hard to tell them apart.
However, this nightingale was huge, about three times the size of an ordinary one.
Before the nightingale even landed, it transformed into a beautiful figure in a white dress.
Immediately, she spread her hands...
" 'Lifebloom' "
A green radiance lit up on the children, and immediately, their wounds healed visibly to the naked eye. The swelling and the scars from the lightning strikes gradually faded away.
The two stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
"Are you... a witch Doctor?" The Hammer God looked her up and down. Hmm, this woman was somewhat fascinating to him.
"Thank you, Miss Calvino." beast also politely expressed his gratitude.
This woman was truly too pure, just too pure!
This woman was worthy of the title'Saintess'...
"You're welcome, Mr. McCoy."
Jennifer smiled, warm as the spring sunshine, making one unconsciously... lose all their anger.
There was no doubt; she just had that kind of affinity.
Druids are nature's darlings, the treasures of the forest; everyone liked her.
"Oh, that's right. Mr. McCoy, Mr. Summers, Miss Raven, please allow me to take this 'Hammer God' away. He is my master's guest."
Hammer God?
Pfft—the X-Men here burst into laughter.
"Of course, feel free." Raven nodded.
The Hammer God, however, was a bit displeased: "Hey, beautiful lady, I admit you are a great beauty, but please do not use insulting vocabulary. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind challenging you."
At this time, the Hammer God was still arrogant and had no idea what 'love' was; he just found Jennifer pleasing to the eye.
"Hey, who allowed you to speak to Miss Calvino like that?"
"Thug!"
"Stubborn muscle-head."
"Impolite person."
"Daring to be rude to Miss Calvino, do you believe I can make it so you can't stand up?"
In an instant, the Hammer God provoked everyone's anger.
Ever since she obtained the Druid inheritance, her age had been fixed at fifteen.
The feeling of an interwoven green apple and a ripe peach was even stronger.
She had two distinct auras about her; the transformation between a pure, mature loli and an onee-san made countless men fascinated by her.
Since she transferred to New York, she had become the school's number one beauty, with support ratings far exceeding other girls.
Although she was already 36 years old, she still had the appearance of a fifteen-year-old.
She was also the dream lover of many men... in the X-Men.
For example, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, and so on, were all her suitors!
"Everyone, calm down." Jennifer smiled, used'Soothe' to instantly remove the enraged effect, and then transformed back into a nightingale and flew into the distance, "Let's go, Hammer God."
The Hammer God hesitated for a moment, but still chased after her. Although he was confident, he... couldn't handle being besieged by so many people.
Most importantly, he had chosen the wrong target.
Don't think he was really just a stupid ox; he wanted to challenge that so-called 'New God,' which was why he openly clamored against the X-Mansion.
Now it seemed, he had apparently gotten the target wrong?
If that was the case, then why was he still fighting here? It was just a meaningless struggle.
Damn Heimdall, when I get back, I'm definitely going to hammer him hard. How did you teleport me? How could you miss the mark like this?
Heimdall was very sad inside: It wasn't that I missed the mark, but that Karazhan couldn't be teleported to directly, so I had to teleport you to the vicinity.
However, the Hammer God still put away his 'arrogant' attitude. That guy who shot lasers from his eyes earlier was quite strong; if they really fought, he wasn't sure he could win without twenty or thirty rounds.
And that woman standing with the laser guy, she actually gave him a hint of pressure?
It seems Father wasn't wrong; Midgard... is full of hidden talents!
Soon, they arrived at the outer Spell Formula barrier of Karazhan. Jennifer, who had transformed back into human form, raised her hand and tapped lightly. The air in front of them rippled instantly, and then a floating portal appeared.
"Please, Hammer God!"
"This lady..."
"Jennifer."
"Miss Jennifer, I reiterate again, I am 'Thor'... the son of the great 'All-Father' Odin, not some 'Hammer God'." The Hammer God was very angry. Even if you are good-looking, you cannot keep calling him that over and over again.
Jennifer turned back and smiled: "This is what my master said. If you have any objections, go protest to him."
"Your master is the 'New God,' right?"
"New God?" Jennifer was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, "I don't know what you mean by 'New God,' but my master is the most powerful. He just told me that he had a guest arriving and asked me to pick you up."
"Fine..."
Soon, they met Duke.
He felt this person was really very young. Of course, you can't judge a person's age by their appearance; who knows, he might be hundreds of years old.
"You are the New God?"
"It is I."
Seeing the Hammer God in his arrogant phase, Duke felt like laughing.
He couldn't help but think of the comical image of his face rubbing against the glass when he was injected with sedatives by the Doctor in the hospital.
"I am Thor, son of Odin, and by the will of the great All-Father Odin, I have come to congratulate the birth of the New God." As he spoke, the Hammer God performed a very complex gesture.
Probably some special gesture for congratulations or well-wishes?
"What did you just say? 'All-Father'? Does that so-called Odin want to ride on my boss's neck?" Beside them, Samirwas not having it.
Odin, that must be the Odin from Norse mythology, right? Although he was a guy passed down from myths and should be very badass, so what? He hadn't seen him anyway.
And damn it, they previously said the boss was the 'New God,' and then they brought out an 'All-Father.' Does this mean... the boss became the son of that so-called Odin?
Suddenly gained a father? And he also got a 'grandfather'?
A teacher for a day is a father for life, after all.
Even if this 'grandfather' is a God King, but...
I'm not doing it!
"Are you insulting the god Odin?" The Hammer God was very angry, staring fixedly at Samir.
Duke waved his hand, signaling Samir to be quiet: "You came to congratulate? Then now that you're done congratulating, go back. Tell your father that I will visit when I have time."
Saying this, he pushed Thor out of Karazhan with his hand, then forcibly opened the Bifrost with the Power of Rules, and sent the Hammer God back to Asgard.
138. Crushing Steppenwolf
Thor was a bit bewildered. He had just returned like that, still wanting to ask what "God of Hammers" was supposed to mean.
Heimdall was even more bewildered. The Bifrost had just been opened like that?
————
Ignoring the shocked expressions of the two on Asgard, in the secret base, Cyborg had already located Steppenwolf. It was the same old place.
"It's in Pozharnov, in the northern region of Russia."
"It's a nuclear power plant where an accident occurred 30 years ago," Batman walked over and said.
"There are still some people who want to move back, but it looks incredibly desolate. Who would want to put down roots in a place like that?" The Flash expressed his confusion.
"Those who have been abandoned by the world," Aquaman said.
"How many hours do we have left?"
"A few hours, maybe?" Cyborg said.
"Ordinary transportation won't be able to fly there," Batman sighed.
Just then, a portal appeared: "Oh, where are we flying to?"
Duke walked out slowly, followed by Diana and the father-daughter duo, Logan and Laura.
Little Laura was now 27 years old. She had perfectly inherited her father's DNA and abilities, and had even surpassed him. Her physical metrics were all stronger than her father's. This time, Logan had brought her out for some "training." Usually, she was kept in check by her mother, Kara, so this was a great opportunity.
"Northern Russia, Pozharnov," Batman said.
"Is it that Steppenwolf?"
"Yeah."
"Simple. Leave it to me."
As he spoke, Duke nimbly opened a portal, and one could clearly see the other side... Pozharnov, which was gradually collapsing. It was like hell on earth.
"Are those... worms? Ugh, gross." Little Laura made a retching gesture.
"Those are energy tentacles caused by a leak from the Mother Box," Cyborg explained.
Duke thought they looked a bit like Shockwave's minion, the Driller mechanical worm, from Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
The group passed through, with Batman driving his classic Batmobile.
"How are we doing this?"
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned. Duke was asking that? They were the ones who wanted to ask Duke how to handle it!
"Our target is actually the Mother Box, right?" Duke didn't quite understand this object; it felt similar to the Tesseract, but it didn't seem exactly the same.
Although both could open portals, the Mother Box seemed more like "energy itself."
Batman explained: "The Unity power keeps the three Mother Boxes in precise synchronization, and their energy continuously converges until it overflows. But if we can create a slight delay between each box, even a one-second delay, their energy will leak out to form a closed loop, and then they will erode each other."
"It's that simple? Just separate them, and that's it? No terrible consequences?" The Flash asked curiously.
"When separating the Mother Boxes, it will still trigger a massive energy shockwave. I must be there, but you all need to find a way to evacuate quickly!" Cyborg said.
Diana: "We won't leave you behind!"
"Alright, now it's just a matter of... how to get in there," Duke said.
"That tower must be connecting the protective shield..."
Before Batman could finish, Duke zipped up into the sky: "Everyone get back, I'm going to use my 'ultimate'!"
Everyone get back, I'm going to show off!
At this moment, the sky was pitch black, churning with red clouds like molten lava, as if the sky were about to collapse, within reach of a raised hand. White lightning flashed between the clouds from time to time, disappearing in a blink, followed by rumbling thunder.
Just as Duke rose into the air, a white cloud suddenly appeared in the black-red sky, spreading at an incredible speed.
Above the sea of lava-like sky, an iceberg-like cloud appeared abruptly, standing perfectly right above the protective shield.
For some reason, just seeing that cloud made one feel a bone-chilling cold.
A surging pressure radiated from Duke, making it hard for everyone to breathe, and they hurriedly scattered in all directions.
Only then did they understand why he told them to get back.
"Comet Storm"
Countless massive meteorites, mixed with frost and cold air, crashed down from the sky.
By visual estimation, each one was the size of an airplane.
Everyone couldn't help but gape in awe. Awesome!
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
The protective shield couldn't hold up at all. It didn't even withstand a single wave of attacks before being shattered by the falling frost comets. Immediately after, the Comet Storm blasted into the ruins Steppenwolf had created with the Mother Box, as if entering an empty space.
The impact force of the high-speed crash was terrifying. The high tower was instantly smashed to pieces, and then the power of the frost surged outwards. Countless "fly-men" were either crushed to death or frozen into ice statues, only to crackle and shatter into pieces.
Steppenwolf, who was in the middle of controlling the merging of the three Mother Boxes, was also sent flying by the comet fragments.
As for the connected Mother Boxes, they were also smashed open by the violent force and instantly destroyed.
Cyborg was dumbfounded. He could feel that the Mother Box... was finished.
Although the Mother Box had the ability to open portals, it was actually a piece of super-technology that had been created; it didn't belong to the cosmic-level on its own.
The Mother Box looked impressive, but its energy essence originated from "technological attributes." In the face of the Infinity Stones, which represented the most primitive attributes of the Universe, Duke felt it basically didn't measure up. Compared to the Infinity Stones, which could directly grant the user power, the Mother Box was more about alteration and assistance.
"Ugh..." The Flash curled his lip and said, "I think we can just go home, wash up, and go to bed. He can handle it all by himself; why did we even bother? What do you guys think..."
The others were still standing there with their mouths open, unable to snap out of it.
The Flash: "..."
"Go take out those fly-men. Don't let them get away." Dukelanded slowly and pushed his hands forward, sealing the entire Pozharnov area within a "Mirror Dimension." "Go. They can't escape this range. Don't let a single one get away."
After speaking, he opened a portal.
"Who's there!"
Steppenwolf was furious and swung his Flaming Axe at the white light screen. The sudden attack just now had left his head spinning a bit. Seeing the enemy through the light screen suddenly, naturally, he was very angry. This scene gave the group who were about to go over a fright, but they were immediately surprised to find that Steppenwolfcouldn't break through the portal.
The Flaming Axe struck the portal, but it was as if he had hacked into a barrier?
"There's a strange force stopping Steppenwolf, but it's not guarded against us," Cyborg said.
Duke smiled and simultaneously opened several more portals, dispersed in all directions around Pozharnov.
"Go. Leave this guy to me."
After the group passed through the portals, Duke waved his hand, and the portals instantly merged together. Steppenwolf, amidst the ruins, was a bit bewildered, because he was suddenly surrounded by countless identical "white light screens."
Before he could react..., seven portals lit up with brilliant radiance at the same time, launching seven fierce attacks at him from seven directions.
"Supernova"
Super Arcane Energy Pulse.
"Cinder Storm"
Super Fire Cinder.
"Glacier Spikes"
All sorts of energy attacks rained down on Steppenwolfwith a crackle and pop.
After a few rounds, he was completely pulverized before he could even open a Boom Tube.
All that remained in the world was his final wail.
108 years old and entering puberty? That's a bit too late.
It has been a while since the Pozarnov incident.
After Duke used the 'Power of Rules' to reinforce Karazhan, he left New York and went on vacation.
He had been 'asleep' for so long that his bones felt rusty.
At this moment, he was likely in Los Angeles.
"I wonder if I'll run into 'Black Widow'?" Duke wandered the streets while sipping a cold drink.
Sometimes, a leisurely day isn't so bad.
It's just a pity that Diana isn't with him, saying she needs to integrate the forces of three parties—the Karazhan team, the X-Men, and the Justice League.
To facilitate better coordination and cooperation.
That's right, the 'Justice League' was still born, but compared to the X-Men and Karazhan, the Justice Leagueis relatively much more scattered.
Moreover, Diana did not join the Justice League this time.
———— X-Mansion.
Director Raven was working when the phone on her desk rang at an inopportune time.
She instantly frowned.
Whenever this phone rang, it meant there was trouble again.
"Why aren't you answering it?" Beast walked up, holding a lunch.
"Trouble again." Raven calmed herself down before reaching out to pick it up. "Mr. President."
Just like Charles before her, she was in direct contact with the President.
Because Mutant powers are too strong, if they just found any random minister, it would likely breed disastrous desires.
Greed is insatiable.
Therefore, they only communicate with the President.
Although the bald Charles has retired, his influence remains.
"What? The'Sankson Air Force base' in Qatar was destroyed, and not a single person survived? Are you asking us to investigate?" Raven signaled to Hank.
beast was also a bit shocked. An entire air force base just gone? And no survivors? In the Middle East, is there still a force capable of destroying an entire U.S. air force base? How is that possible!
Could it be another powerful 'Lifeform'?
"Mr. President, I need data to confirm the threat level, and then... Mr. President?"
Beep, beep, beep—the call was hung up.
"What's wrong?" Hank asked.
"Highest level, and there's no data coming back at all." Raven's expression turned grave.
"Highest level, which means... we have to deploy?" Hankwas also hesitant. "Can't we turn it down? The academy still needs..."
"We've already turned them down twice. If we keep doing this, they'll probably lose faith in us." Raven rubbed her temples; she finally understood how Charles felt.
Caught in the middle, doing too much is wrong, doing nothing is wrong—everything is wrong.
"We could contact Karazhan, or the Justice League." Hanksuggested.
"Forget about the 'Justice League'; they don't get involved in matters at the the military level." Raven shook her head.
Hank slapped his forehead: "Right, I forgot."
During this time, Diana has been integrating the forces of the three parties—not to merge them into one, but for better collaboration. The Justice League proposed one condition: they would not participate in issues involving the the military or high-level politics. They are somewhat similar to Kamar-Taj; they do not get involved in national-level troubles, focusing instead on protecting civilians and ensuring this world is not harmed.
"Then it has to be Karazhan."
Raven suddenly asked: "Is Duke still on vacation?"
Just then, Diana walked in: "What do you need him for?"
Raven quickly explained the situation with the air force base.
Diana frowned: "An entire base?"
"An entire one."
"It seems things are a bit troublesome. I'll go contact Dukeand have him take a trip there."
"That would be best."
"But don't get your hopes up too high. He's been very... 'rebellious' lately." Diana smiled, then pulled out her phone.
Rebellious?
Raven and beast exchanged a look, not understanding what this 'term' meant. Could he have entered puberty? That doesn't seem right! They both knew Duke's actual age. Despite looking like a 20-year-old, he was actually a 108-year-old super senior.
If he's entering puberty now, isn't that a bit too late?
———— What was Duke doing at this moment?
He was stalking a beauty.
A woman exuding a fox-like aura, radiating wild charm from head to toe.
He didn't know how long they had been walking.
The beauty suddenly turned around and warned: "Do you need me to call the police?"
Duke was still eyeing her. After a few seconds, he sighed: "It seems... you aren't the friend I know. Your voice, temperament, and appearance are very similar, but... you are not her."
"This pickup line is a bit too old-fashioned, isn't it?" The beauty sneered and immediately pulled out her phone. "Do you need me to call the police?"
She had noticed Duke following her about half an hour ago. For this reason, she specifically walked toward crowded places, but Duke still hadn't given up.
It was strange, too. If he were really that kind of criminal, there was clearly a side path at the beginning where he could have carried out his plan, but he didn't.
He just kept following her.
She had even walked into a busy, crowded street, and he still followed; he even followed her into the school.
This... John Marshall (John Marshall High School).
This made her a bit unsure of what this guy's deal was. Was he simply captivated by her? She had doubts in her heart, which is why she didn't call the police immediately.
Until she couldn't stand it anymore.
I'm almost at the girls' dormitory, and you're still following?
"I'm not lying to you!" Duke pulled out his phone and opened the photo album, which contained a photo of a man and a woman embracing and kissing.
Of course, the female lead looked exactly like the beauty in front of him.
It was created by the [Arc of Embodiment].
Additionally, to craft the lie, he had made her look a few years younger, appearing younger than the woman before him.
Seeing this, the beauty was also a bit dumbfounded. She stepped forward quickly, grabbed the phone, and flipped through it: "You... is this really your girlfriend? Why does she look so much like me? No, wait, she seems a bit younger?"
Then, she became vigilant again.
"You didn't Photoshop this, did you?"
There was already Photoshop software in this day and age.
Duke smiled and took the phone back: "Her name is Megan Fox. She was my... in New York. We once had a wonderful... but unfortunately, she transferred schools and left without saying goodbye.
I don't even know what happened.
When I suddenly met you this time, I thought you were..."
"Thought I was your girlfriend?" The beauty laughed.
Since it was a misunderstanding, let it be.
Very good, it seems this beauty is not that alluring Miss Fox.
"May I ask, what is your name... Oh, I'm Duke."
This person shouldn't be 'ONeil', right? The teenage mutant ninja turtles take place in New York, so could it be...?
"Mikaela, Mikaela Banes." Miss Fox said.
As expected!
This means the movie "Transformers 1" is about to be released.
140. Have you ever seen a fist as big as a sandbag?
"May I invite you for a drink?" Duke said.
Mikaela scanned him suspiciously. "What, are you trying to hit on me? Or... are you treating me as a replacement for your ex-girlfriend, a way to vent your emotions? Sorry, I'm going back to the dorm to rest, and I like muscular guys."
As she spoke, she turned to leave.
"It's just a simple drink."
"Sorry, my boyfriend is here."
Then, Duke saw a big, muscular guy walking over in a rage.
He was just a random extra, probably Mikaela's current boyfriend; the only thing he remembered about him... was the scene in class where he used a rubber band to flick Sam.
Cannon Fodder B, whose name he couldn't even remember.
"Hey, kid, do you know what happens when you mess with my woman?"
"What?"
"This..." Cannon Fodder B clenched his fist.
"And then, are you going to say—'Have you ever seen a fist as big as a sandbag? Don't force me to make a move. When I go crazy, even I'm afraid of myself.'"
Cannon Fodder B looked a bit dumbfounded. "You... what are you talking about?"
Sigh, poor guy.
Another person who hasn't seen *Kung Fu Hustle*.
"He's messing with you." Miss Fox chuckled, then stirred up trouble.
"What—you dare to mess with me? Go to hell!"
He threw a heavy punch.
It started with the force of a thunderbolt, like ten thousand galloping horses, but ended lightly...
Duke raised a finger and blocked the 800-point punch, leaving Cannon Fodder B stunned.
Beside them, Mikaela was also dumbfounded, her mouth agape.
"No, that's impossible!"
He pulled his arm back and threw another punch.
This time it was lightly blocked by a little finger.
"You are no match for me."
As he spoke, Duke reached out and grabbed Cannon Fodder B's wrist, then performed a massive throw, just like Hulk throwing Loki.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
And so, Cannon Fodder B was subdued, lying on the ground panting, unable to stand up for a long while.
"Beautiful Miss Mikaela, please. Let me buy you a drink." Then, without further ado, he whisked her away.
"...Hey, he..."
"He's fine, he'll be okay after a few minutes."
Sarsaparilla Bar.
"Facts prove that not all muscular guys have real strength." Duke looked at Mikaela with a smile.
Miss Fox was still very alluring. In 2007, when *Transformers* exploded across the globe, the moment Miss Fox shook her messy curls, wearing a tank top and hot pants while opening Bumblebee's hood, she became the wild goddess in the hearts of countless U.S. boys.
Back then, this wild beauty, whose very surname was 'Fox', was unsurprisingly rated as the #1 'world's Sexiest Woman' by the men's magazine *FHM*...
She was already taking shape now, though she hadn't opened Bumblebee's hood yet.
If he remembered correctly, that should be Bumblebee's chest.
"That's impossible... Sorry, I didn't mean you... Who exactly are you? What kind of person has that kind of strength? One finger could... Oh, God, I must be crazy." Mikaelascratched her long hair, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.
No matter how she looked at it, it was impossible!
A slender finger should have snapped under that kind of punching force!
"Don't you like strong men?" Duke joked, striking a powerful pose.
"I..." Mikaela paused, then said guardedly, "You aren't really planning on using me as a replacement, are you?"
"Isn't that just because you like strong arms?" Duke smiled and raised his arm, flexing his biceps. "Do you mind that?"
Miss Fox shook her head. "No, no... I don't mind."
She really didn't mind.
She hadn't thought about actually becoming boyfriend and girlfriend with Duke; at most... it was just a simple physical attraction.
What did that mean for them? Who didn't have a few 'friends with benefits'?
If she wanted to, she could go to a budget hotel tonight.
Duke smiled. "Don't worry, I just want to be friends with you, I won't cross the line. Besides, I already have a girlfriend."
"Oh, is that so?" Miss Fox paused, took a sip of Budweiser, and felt a strange sensation in her heart.
Buzz— [I have crossed mountains and seas, and passed through crowds of people...Everything I once possessed, vanished like smoke in an instant. I have been lost and disappointed, lost all direction...]
(There should be a snarky comment here.)
"Speaking of which, here it comes." Duke smiled and answered the phone. "Hey, honey, oh... what Air Force base? Oh, the Soccent Air Force base was destroyed? So what if it was destroyed? I'm not going to investigate it; I'm on vacation. That's it, bye—"
Then he hung up on Wonder Woman.
Miss Fox was a bit bewildered; that was a lot of information.
Air Force base... destroyed... investigation... and he refused?
This... "Are you... CIA?"
"No."
"FBI?"
"It's KLZ!"
Miss Fox was confused. "KLZ, what is that?"
"Heh." Duke smiled and didn't speak. "By the way, there's a guy named Sam Witwicky in your class, right?"
"Is there? I'm not really sure." Miss Fox shook her head.
Poor Sam, he had been in the same school since the first grade and even shared quite a few classes, but unfortunately, he hadn't managed to leave any impression on the goddess in his heart. Let alone a deep one, not even a 'trace'.
How much of a failure was that? How much of a background character?
"If he tries to pursue you, then keep as far away from him as possible."
Miss Fox smiled cunningly. "This... Mr. Duke, may I ask who you are to me? Why do you want me to stay away from... someone else's pursuit?"
As she spoke, she licked her lips, looking extremely seductive.
"It's for your own good! If you get tangled up with him, you'll encounter unprecedented danger. As for the specifics, it's better not to ask; it won't do you any good." Duke smiled.
"Is KLZ some kind of secret government organization? That... Sam Witwicky, could it be..." Miss Fox asked in a low voice.
"Yes!" Duke nodded with a smile. "Although I don't know what you're thinking, he is a troublesome figure. The destruction of the Soccent Air Force base earlier has... some connection to him too."
"Hiss..." Miss Fox gasped. "Is he a terror..."
"Shh!" Duke made a gesture to be quiet. "Just keep it to yourself, don't go shouting it out. If my calculations are correct, the first wave of danger will arrive very soon. Remember, the further away from him you stay, the better!"
Duke had no affection for that face.
After *Transformers*, he completely let himself go!
Not only that, this guy frequently broke out with all sorts of outrageous scandals, including drunken disturbances, drunk driving, getting beaten up, causing damage to both himself and his car, and eventually landing on a U.S. magazine's list of the 'Top 20 Most Annoying Celebrities'.
Of course, that alone wasn't the fundamental reason Dukedisliked him.
Two videos had once surfaced on the internet.
One was of him on the street asking a police officer on duty for a cigarette; however, no one at the scene would lend him one, so he started verbally abusing the officer. When the officer tried to arrest him, he fled to a nearby hotel, knocked over several people, and was eventually caught in the hotel lobby.
One was of him throwing a drunken tantrum on a filming set. From the shaky video, it wasn't hard to infer that he was very likely high on a lot of 'weed'.
And there were also quite a few reports that he had tried to assault Miss Fox.
The first two videos seemed to have disappeared; they vanished shortly after appearing. Who could blame him when he had such a good godfather?
Although the Sam here wasn't LaBeouf, still, let him be destined to be single...