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Chapter 212: Brilliant, Minister
Almerac.
When he heard that Princess Maxima's spaceship was returning, the newly empowered Minister Zazo immediately leaped out of the bed of his new concubine, almost running out without remembering to pull up his pants.
It wasn't much of a secret that Zazo had long coveted the throne. After all, everyone knew about the times he had repeatedly challenged Maxima, only to be repeatedly crushed under her feet.
After so many defeats, Zazo gradually began to realize something. While it always seemed like he lost to Maxima by a hair's breadth, that was merely a facade. Looking at the big picture, no matter how much he trained or how strong he became, she would always be just that little bit stronger the next time they fought.
Slowly, he understood that the gap between them wasn't just a little bit, but a colossal one. It was just that the detestable princess, in order to whet his appetite, always deliberately acted as if he had a chance.
He resigned himself to his fate. He would never be able to defeat that female brute in his lifetime; it was more reliable to use his brain.
Thus, he colluded with the Manhunters, secretly allowing these deadly former members of the Cosmic Police Legion onto the planet and seizing power with their help. In exchange, he would designate a territory on Almerac for the Manhunters to use as their stronghold—he'd heard the unlucky bastards' home had just been blown up by someone and they were now orphans, preparing to build a new base.
Zazo thought it over. His claim to the throne was not legitimate, and it would be difficult to win over the public in the future. But the busty and brainless Maxima was an excellent pawn. When she returned, he could use his silver tongue to spin a story and easily trick her into willingly supporting his ascension to the throne, and while he was at it, he could trick the princess into warming his bed. After all, while the throne was his main goal, he had also long coveted the princess's impressive assets...
As a result, he rushed out with a belly full of prepared lies, only to find that the princess hadn't come at all.
The only one to disembark from the spaceship was the maid Maxima had taken with her.
Upon seeing Zazo, the maid burst into tears, throwing herself at him pitifully while crying, "Minister! The princess... she's been kidnapped by a villain!"
"What?" Zazo was shocked and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"It was someone from Earth, a huge and powerful guy. He asked me to come back with a message, saying that if you want to see the princess alive, you must meet him on Mars at the agreed-upon time..."
Before Zazo could speak, his trusted subordinate, Norland, sneered, "Threatening us? Primitives from the Solar System? What makes him think he has the capital to negotiate with us?"
The maid said, "Her Highness the Princess was utterly no match for him. Also, Brainiac's warship went to Earth before, and he beat it up badly and captured the warship."
"He just bullied some worthless, third-rate..."
Norland, speaking out of habit, stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something was wrong.
"Wait, you don't mean 'the' Brainiac, do you?"
The maid blinked. "Are there many Brainiacs?"
"The one... who goes around destroying galaxies to collect civilizations?" Norland asked.
"Yes, that's him."
"*Hiss*~"
Norland drew in a sharp breath, then turned to Zazo with a solemn expression.
"Minister, I think perhaps we should reconsider. If we act rashly and anger the scoundrel, it would be... bad."
It wasn't that he was scared, of course. He was mainly concerned for the personal safety of Her Highness the Princess.
Zazo pondered for a moment.
"I certainly didn't expect such a formidable character to be on Earth. But it doesn't matter. Our ally has already dispatched a trump card: a Fear Incarnation from the Anti-Matter Universe. Almost no civilization can withstand that kind of power. We can very well use this trump card in our negotiations."
"Brilliant, Minister!!"
Norland hurriedly agreed.
"Oh? You think it's a good idea too?" Zazo smiled. "I'm glad you agree. In that case, you shall be the one to negotiate with that dangerous individual, Norland. I have high hopes for you."
Norland's smile vanished instantly.
Only one sentence flashed through his mind.
*Zazo, you scoundrel, you set me up!*
"What?" Zazo raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"N-no. I mean, brilliant, Minister. I guarantee I will not fail to meet your expectations."
He forced a smile onto his face.
It was a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"Hurry and prepare. Don't delay," Zazo said with a nod. "Our respected princess is probably suffering inhuman torment at the hands of that villain as we speak."
"This subordinate understands."
And at this very moment, on Earth.
Their respected princess was being held in the villain's home, where she had just devoured a roast suckling pig, a portion of roasted chicken breast with pan-fried onion and garlic, roasted salmon with roasted vegetables and lemon-thyme, cream of mushroom soup, Caesar salad, and cheesecake...
Then, Kara, finding this newcomer disagreeable, made a few sarcastic remarks. The two began to bicker, which gradually evolved into the previously interrupted argument about "who is the strongest in the Galaxy," and then escalated to them flying out to a no-man's-land outside the city for a one-on-one showdown after finishing their meal.
Arm wrestling.
Maxima considered her divine power to be unrivaled, having roamed the Galaxy with few opponents. The little girl before her still had a childish face and looked a bit young; if you stripped her down, she probably wasn't even fully grown. Maxima didn't take her seriously at all.
However, when their wrists clasped, Maxima's smile quickly vanished.
Unbelievably hard!
The blonde girl's seemingly frail little hand, when tensed, felt like it was welded in place. Maxima exerted her strength repeatedly, unleashing several bursts of power, the impact of which cracked the ground beneath their elbows and sent waves of dust blasting in all directions.
Yet, her opponent remained completely motionless!
Kara smiled without saying a word, but that smile seemed to say it all.
*That's it?*
*The strongest in the Galaxy is just this?*
Maxima's face flushed red. She was already using every ounce of her strength, her arm and body trembling slightly from the effort, but it was still useless.
Moreover, Kara's relaxed expression gave her the feeling that she wasn't even trying very hard.
But how was this possible?
A tidal wave of shock crashed over Maxima.
At the same time, a ridiculous thought occurred to her.
*Could it be that my being 'unrivaled in the Galaxy' was all an illusion? That everyone else was intentionally letting me win?*
*Could it be that the normal level for every adult in the Galaxy is to push planets with their bare hands?*
"That's about enough, you two."
A voice came from the sky. The two looked up and noticed the red and silver mobile armor that had appeared at some point, and they quickly and obediently withdrew their hands.
"Especially you." Orin Vale's voice came from within the armor as he turned his head to look at Maxima. "You're a hostage, you know. Show your kidnapper some respect and stop running all over the place, will you?"
"I'm sorry," Maxima admitted her mistake.
Kara whispered, "We knew what we were doing, you didn't have to come personally..."
"Well, in fact, I didn't."
The mobile armor's helmet retracted with a *click*, revealing it to be completely empty. There was no one inside.
At this moment, Orin Vale himself was in Metropolis, in Clark's apartment.
"I'm very busy. I don't have time to go over there myself. That's all. I'm still talking with your cousin about something here. You two head back early."
"Okay~" the two answered in unison.
The communication ended, and the mecha rose into the sky, flying away until it disappeared from sight.
"Sorry about that, educating the youth." Hanging up the communication, Orin Vale smiled apologetically at Clark.
"Young, and with superpowers, that's how it is. When I was a kid, I also snuck out behind my parents' backs to fly a couple of laps."
Clark smiled and placed a glass of milk in front of him.
"Would you like some sugar?"
"No, this is fine."
Orin Vale picked up the cup and took a sip.
"So... where were we?"
"Batman." Clark sat down across from him. "I met Batman recently, while I was investigating that Intergang you told me to keep an eye on. It seems the Batman from Gotham was also investigating a related case, and he came to Metropolis..."
"You two met?" Orin Vale asked.
"Yeah, we even worked together."
Clark adjusted his glasses and smiled.
"It was pretty surprising. From the news, I thought he was a rather extreme guy, but it turns out he's actually pretty nice. We worked well together, haha..."
Seeing Superman's brilliant smile, Orin Vale hesitated, not knowing whether he should burst his bubble.
Some people might look like your brothers-in-arms who have fought alongside you, but there are others who, while carrying that gun, are secretly calculating how many ways they can stab their brother in the back...
(end of chapter)
Almerac.
When he heard that Princess Maxima's spaceship was returning, the newly empowered Minister Zazo immediately leaped out of the bed of his new concubine, almost running out without remembering to pull up his pants.
It wasn't much of a secret that Zazo had long coveted the throne. After all, everyone knew about the times he had repeatedly challenged Maxima, only to be repeatedly crushed under her feet.
After so many defeats, Zazo gradually began to realize something. While it always seemed like he lost to Maxima by a hair's breadth, that was merely a facade. Looking at the big picture, no matter how much he trained or how strong he became, she would always be just that little bit stronger the next time they fought.
Slowly, he understood that the gap between them wasn't just a little bit, but a colossal one. It was just that the detestable princess, in order to whet his appetite, always deliberately acted as if he had a chance.
He resigned himself to his fate. He would never be able to defeat that female brute in his lifetime; it was more reliable to use his brain.
Thus, he colluded with the Manhunters, secretly allowing these deadly former members of the Cosmic Police Legion onto the planet and seizing power with their help. In exchange, he would designate a territory on Almerac for the Manhunters to use as their stronghold—he'd heard the unlucky bastards' home had just been blown up by someone and they were now orphans, preparing to build a new base.
Zazo thought it over. His claim to the throne was not legitimate, and it would be difficult to win over the public in the future. But the busty and brainless Maxima was an excellent pawn. When she returned, he could use his silver tongue to spin a story and easily trick her into willingly supporting his ascension to the throne, and while he was at it, he could trick the princess into warming his bed. After all, while the throne was his main goal, he had also long coveted the princess's impressive assets...
As a result, he rushed out with a belly full of prepared lies, only to find that the princess hadn't come at all.
The only one to disembark from the spaceship was the maid Maxima had taken with her.
Upon seeing Zazo, the maid burst into tears, throwing herself at him pitifully while crying, "Minister! The princess... she's been kidnapped by a villain!"
"What?" Zazo was shocked and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"It was someone from Earth, a huge and powerful guy. He asked me to come back with a message, saying that if you want to see the princess alive, you must meet him on Mars at the agreed-upon time..."
Before Zazo could speak, his trusted subordinate, Norland, sneered, "Threatening us? Primitives from the Solar System? What makes him think he has the capital to negotiate with us?"
The maid said, "Her Highness the Princess was utterly no match for him. Also, Brainiac's warship went to Earth before, and he beat it up badly and captured the warship."
"He just bullied some worthless, third-rate..."
Norland, speaking out of habit, stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something was wrong.
"Wait, you don't mean 'the' Brainiac, do you?"
The maid blinked. "Are there many Brainiacs?"
"The one... who goes around destroying galaxies to collect civilizations?" Norland asked.
"Yes, that's him."
"*Hiss*~"
Norland drew in a sharp breath, then turned to Zazo with a solemn expression.
"Minister, I think perhaps we should reconsider. If we act rashly and anger the scoundrel, it would be... bad."
It wasn't that he was scared, of course. He was mainly concerned for the personal safety of Her Highness the Princess.
Zazo pondered for a moment.
"I certainly didn't expect such a formidable character to be on Earth. But it doesn't matter. Our ally has already dispatched a trump card: a Fear Incarnation from the Anti-Matter Universe. Almost no civilization can withstand that kind of power. We can very well use this trump card in our negotiations."
"Brilliant, Minister!!"
Norland hurriedly agreed.
"Oh? You think it's a good idea too?" Zazo smiled. "I'm glad you agree. In that case, you shall be the one to negotiate with that dangerous individual, Norland. I have high hopes for you."
Norland's smile vanished instantly.
Only one sentence flashed through his mind.
*Zazo, you scoundrel, you set me up!*
"What?" Zazo raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"N-no. I mean, brilliant, Minister. I guarantee I will not fail to meet your expectations."
He forced a smile onto his face.
It was a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"Hurry and prepare. Don't delay," Zazo said with a nod. "Our respected princess is probably suffering inhuman torment at the hands of that villain as we speak."
"This subordinate understands."
And at this very moment, on Earth.
Their respected princess was being held in the villain's home, where she had just devoured a roast suckling pig, a portion of roasted chicken breast with pan-fried onion and garlic, roasted salmon with roasted vegetables and lemon-thyme, cream of mushroom soup, Caesar salad, and cheesecake...
Then, Kara, finding this newcomer disagreeable, made a few sarcastic remarks. The two began to bicker, which gradually evolved into the previously interrupted argument about "who is the strongest in the Galaxy," and then escalated to them flying out to a no-man's-land outside the city for a one-on-one showdown after finishing their meal.
Arm wrestling.
Maxima considered her divine power to be unrivaled, having roamed the Galaxy with few opponents. The little girl before her still had a childish face and looked a bit young; if you stripped her down, she probably wasn't even fully grown. Maxima didn't take her seriously at all.
However, when their wrists clasped, Maxima's smile quickly vanished.
Unbelievably hard!
The blonde girl's seemingly frail little hand, when tensed, felt like it was welded in place. Maxima exerted her strength repeatedly, unleashing several bursts of power, the impact of which cracked the ground beneath their elbows and sent waves of dust blasting in all directions.
Yet, her opponent remained completely motionless!
Kara smiled without saying a word, but that smile seemed to say it all.
*That's it?*
*The strongest in the Galaxy is just this?*
Maxima's face flushed red. She was already using every ounce of her strength, her arm and body trembling slightly from the effort, but it was still useless.
Moreover, Kara's relaxed expression gave her the feeling that she wasn't even trying very hard.
But how was this possible?
A tidal wave of shock crashed over Maxima.
At the same time, a ridiculous thought occurred to her.
*Could it be that my being 'unrivaled in the Galaxy' was all an illusion? That everyone else was intentionally letting me win?*
*Could it be that the normal level for every adult in the Galaxy is to push planets with their bare hands?*
"That's about enough, you two."
A voice came from the sky. The two looked up and noticed the red and silver mobile armor that had appeared at some point, and they quickly and obediently withdrew their hands.
"Especially you." Orin Vale's voice came from within the armor as he turned his head to look at Maxima. "You're a hostage, you know. Show your kidnapper some respect and stop running all over the place, will you?"
"I'm sorry," Maxima admitted her mistake.
Kara whispered, "We knew what we were doing, you didn't have to come personally..."
"Well, in fact, I didn't."
The mobile armor's helmet retracted with a *click*, revealing it to be completely empty. There was no one inside.
At this moment, Orin Vale himself was in Metropolis, in Clark's apartment.
"I'm very busy. I don't have time to go over there myself. That's all. I'm still talking with your cousin about something here. You two head back early."
"Okay~" the two answered in unison.
The communication ended, and the mecha rose into the sky, flying away until it disappeared from sight.
"Sorry about that, educating the youth." Hanging up the communication, Orin Vale smiled apologetically at Clark.
"Young, and with superpowers, that's how it is. When I was a kid, I also snuck out behind my parents' backs to fly a couple of laps."
Clark smiled and placed a glass of milk in front of him.
"Would you like some sugar?"
"No, this is fine."
Orin Vale picked up the cup and took a sip.
"So... where were we?"
"Batman." Clark sat down across from him. "I met Batman recently, while I was investigating that Intergang you told me to keep an eye on. It seems the Batman from Gotham was also investigating a related case, and he came to Metropolis..."
"You two met?" Orin Vale asked.
"Yeah, we even worked together."
Clark adjusted his glasses and smiled.
"It was pretty surprising. From the news, I thought he was a rather extreme guy, but it turns out he's actually pretty nice. We worked well together, haha..."
Seeing Superman's brilliant smile, Orin Vale hesitated, not knowing whether he should burst his bubble.
Some people might look like your brothers-in-arms who have fought alongside you, but there are others who, while carrying that gun, are secretly calculating how many ways they can stab their brother in the back...
(end of chapter)
