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Chapter 239: Who Are You?
October 23, 2023 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Gotham Harbor.
Ripples spread across the gurgling water as a figure slowly emerged. A muscular arm reached out, its palm pressing against the shore as water cascaded from its hulking frame.
It was a creature that seemed to exist somewhere between man and beast, like a male lion that had just fought its way out of the water. He slowly climbed ashore onto the rugged rocks. His skin was like ancient mountain rock, etched by the ages into a desolate brown. The dampness from the water clung to him like moss on a stone cliff, making his chiseled face appear cold and hard.
He was stark naked, his hill-like muscles rippling under the moonlight, gleaming with a metallic sheen like a bronze statue. Yet, his body looked as if it had recovered from a thousand wounds, covered in shocking scars. Every muscle and every line seemed to have been forged and tempered a thousand times with a heavy hammer.
Seven thousand years. Even while in Purgatory, his memory had never once faded.
He had no name, for he was abandoned at birth.
But he called himself "The Newborn." It was a reminder to himself, and to all those he would seek revenge upon, that he was the firstborn of Zeus—the very first son, who would also be the last, the one to bring an end to all things.
He had once been sealed away by his own father, but now, with Zeus dead, the seal was broken. He had managed to climb back to the surface from the deepest part of the earth's core. Zeus's divine power could not kill him, and the high temperature of the earth's core could not harm his flesh. And what didn't kill him only made him stronger.
"Huh? Hey guys, do you see someone over there?"
A voice was heard.
It was followed by the rustling sound of footsteps. Several figures were illuminated under a dim, yellow-green light. A few people appeared from around the corner. They had non-mainstream styles, with colorful hair like a Super Sentai team's color scheme, and wore heavy black boots that clanked as they walked, sounding like a string of colliding metal.
The garishly-dressed youths approached, bursting into laughter when they got a clear look at the figure from the water.
"Hey buddy, leave your pants at your lover's place?"
"Let me guess, did the husband come home early?"
"Don't tell me you swam to get away? Gutsy!"
"But seriously, you're pretty gifted down there. Damn, never seen one that impressive before."
The Newborn was expressionless as he watched the Gotham thugs who had surrounded him, pointing and prodding, recklessly testing the limits of their own mortality.
Then, without warning, he suddenly opened his mouth.
Like a lion on the hunt, he lunged forward and bit down. The youth in front of him was completely unprepared, the cynical smile still on his face even as he breathed his last. But from the bridge of his nose upwards, the top half of his head was instantly severed, leaving nothing but an empty space.
He had bitten off the man's brain in one go.
The smiles on the faces of the others instantly froze. Their expressions stiffened, and they remained stunned for several seconds.
Then came the blood-curdling screams.
When The Newborn left, all that remained was a floor of scattered limbs and pools of blood.
He was a child of a god raised in nature, believing only in the Law of the Jungle. Eat or be eaten. He wouldn't have survived to this day otherwise.
Now, he was unprecedentedly powerful, and unprecedentedly furious. He was going to take back what was his.
"The throne of the God-King that belongs to me... I can feel the connection. The one who took my place is here," The Newborn murmured softly as he walked.
"The Amazon Demigod, Wonder Woman."
"Sister Diana, you're amazing!"
Arriving at Wonder Woman's workshop, Kara looked around and couldn't help but praise her sincerely.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a corner of the workshop where an ancient statue of a Greek goddess stood quietly. Damaged and faded details had been brought back to life by Diana's work, exuding a serene and mysterious beauty. A broken mural hung on the wall; though faded, its unique charm could not be concealed.
"So this is your job?" she asked, looking at Diana.
Diana smiled. "It's more of a hobby. The work is just a side thing. You know, people like us always need to find our place in the Human World."
The young reporter Clark nodded in deep agreement. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I think."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned down so many high-paying jobs just to become a reporter who runs his legs off.
As Clark spoke, he looked at his new friend, Martian Manhunter, and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll grow to like this place. We all have our own ways of fitting in here. You'll find something you like to do."
Martian Manhunter tilted his head, thought carefully for a moment, and then asked everyone with a serious expression, "Is there a job where I can eat those Oreos all the time?"
Everyone: "?"
Two Kryptonians and one Demigod were momentarily stumped by the question.
A Martian who could fly, phase through walls, read minds, and shapeshift—and his greatest ambition was an endless supply of Oreos. They didn't even know where to begin with their retorts.
As she was leading the way, Wonder Woman's cellphone rang. Diana pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, swiped the screen, and answered, "Speaking... Oh, hello Mr. Sandeken, I'm happy to restore it for you... A meeting? Yes, that's fine, but could it be a little later? I'm with friends right now... Oh, alright. Okay."
She hung up and said apologetically, "Sorry, that was work. I have to go meet a client."
"No problem, no problem."
As the only one there with a real nine-to-five job, Clark waved his hand in understanding.
"We'll just look around on our own, it's fine."
"My apologies, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Diana put away her phone and turned to leave.
And this entire scene was witnessed by a phantom figure lurking in the crowd.
A New God, the Trickster.
Sent by Steppenwolf, her targets were the Kryptonian and the Martian.
Many New Gods have their own unique abilities, and even among their brethren from Apokolips, there are great individual differences. And the Trickster's innate talent was controlling the mind with the power of Chaos. In short, she specialized in psionics.
Her mental power allowed her to quickly and easily scan the crowd to find hidden heretics.
For example, Kryptonians and Martians.
When she discovered two Kryptonians and one Martian all clustered together, the Trickster was pleasantly surprised.
Perfect. This saved her some trouble; she could catch them all in one fell swoop.
Although Kryptonians and Martians are both powerful, they share a common trait: their weaknesses are very pronounced.
And there's a certain irony to their designs. Kryptonians fear Kryptonite, and Martians fear fire. As long as one exploits their weaknesses, they are easy for a New God to deal with.
Not to mention, the Trickster—true to her name—was a New God who excelled at deception and trickery.
Seeing Diana part ways with the group, the corner of her mouth twitched. She immediately saw an opportunity.
Her plan was simple: shapeshift into their companion to gain their trust, then stab them in the back when they weren't looking, striking at their respective weaknesses to take them all down in one go!
If she could take down these three high-level combatants at once, she would undoubtedly be the primary contributor to Apokolips's current invasion. Even the great Darkseid himself would reward her.
Heh heh heh...
She thought gleefully, approaching the trio step by step.
Before she could reach them, she suddenly heard a loud crash behind her. She turned her head to see that one of the venue's floor-to-ceiling windows had been violently shattered from the outside. A hulking figure flashed through and, with astonishing speed, landed a punch squarely on her nose, sending her flying backward.
The beast-like, hulking figure landed, flexed his arms, and roared in fury, "You took what belongs to me! You will pay the price for it!"
The Trickster, sent flying by the punch: ???
Who the hell are you?
Do we know each other?
(end of chapter)
October 23, 2023 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Gotham Harbor.
Ripples spread across the gurgling water as a figure slowly emerged. A muscular arm reached out, its palm pressing against the shore as water cascaded from its hulking frame.
It was a creature that seemed to exist somewhere between man and beast, like a male lion that had just fought its way out of the water. He slowly climbed ashore onto the rugged rocks. His skin was like ancient mountain rock, etched by the ages into a desolate brown. The dampness from the water clung to him like moss on a stone cliff, making his chiseled face appear cold and hard.
He was stark naked, his hill-like muscles rippling under the moonlight, gleaming with a metallic sheen like a bronze statue. Yet, his body looked as if it had recovered from a thousand wounds, covered in shocking scars. Every muscle and every line seemed to have been forged and tempered a thousand times with a heavy hammer.
Seven thousand years. Even while in Purgatory, his memory had never once faded.
He had no name, for he was abandoned at birth.
But he called himself "The Newborn." It was a reminder to himself, and to all those he would seek revenge upon, that he was the firstborn of Zeus—the very first son, who would also be the last, the one to bring an end to all things.
He had once been sealed away by his own father, but now, with Zeus dead, the seal was broken. He had managed to climb back to the surface from the deepest part of the earth's core. Zeus's divine power could not kill him, and the high temperature of the earth's core could not harm his flesh. And what didn't kill him only made him stronger.
"Huh? Hey guys, do you see someone over there?"
A voice was heard.
It was followed by the rustling sound of footsteps. Several figures were illuminated under a dim, yellow-green light. A few people appeared from around the corner. They had non-mainstream styles, with colorful hair like a Super Sentai team's color scheme, and wore heavy black boots that clanked as they walked, sounding like a string of colliding metal.
The garishly-dressed youths approached, bursting into laughter when they got a clear look at the figure from the water.
"Hey buddy, leave your pants at your lover's place?"
"Let me guess, did the husband come home early?"
"Don't tell me you swam to get away? Gutsy!"
"But seriously, you're pretty gifted down there. Damn, never seen one that impressive before."
The Newborn was expressionless as he watched the Gotham thugs who had surrounded him, pointing and prodding, recklessly testing the limits of their own mortality.
Then, without warning, he suddenly opened his mouth.
Like a lion on the hunt, he lunged forward and bit down. The youth in front of him was completely unprepared, the cynical smile still on his face even as he breathed his last. But from the bridge of his nose upwards, the top half of his head was instantly severed, leaving nothing but an empty space.
He had bitten off the man's brain in one go.
The smiles on the faces of the others instantly froze. Their expressions stiffened, and they remained stunned for several seconds.
Then came the blood-curdling screams.
When The Newborn left, all that remained was a floor of scattered limbs and pools of blood.
He was a child of a god raised in nature, believing only in the Law of the Jungle. Eat or be eaten. He wouldn't have survived to this day otherwise.
Now, he was unprecedentedly powerful, and unprecedentedly furious. He was going to take back what was his.
"The throne of the God-King that belongs to me... I can feel the connection. The one who took my place is here," The Newborn murmured softly as he walked.
"The Amazon Demigod, Wonder Woman."
"Sister Diana, you're amazing!"
Arriving at Wonder Woman's workshop, Kara looked around and couldn't help but praise her sincerely.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a corner of the workshop where an ancient statue of a Greek goddess stood quietly. Damaged and faded details had been brought back to life by Diana's work, exuding a serene and mysterious beauty. A broken mural hung on the wall; though faded, its unique charm could not be concealed.
"So this is your job?" she asked, looking at Diana.
Diana smiled. "It's more of a hobby. The work is just a side thing. You know, people like us always need to find our place in the Human World."
The young reporter Clark nodded in deep agreement. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I think."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned down so many high-paying jobs just to become a reporter who runs his legs off.
As Clark spoke, he looked at his new friend, Martian Manhunter, and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll grow to like this place. We all have our own ways of fitting in here. You'll find something you like to do."
Martian Manhunter tilted his head, thought carefully for a moment, and then asked everyone with a serious expression, "Is there a job where I can eat those Oreos all the time?"
Everyone: "?"
Two Kryptonians and one Demigod were momentarily stumped by the question.
A Martian who could fly, phase through walls, read minds, and shapeshift—and his greatest ambition was an endless supply of Oreos. They didn't even know where to begin with their retorts.
As she was leading the way, Wonder Woman's cellphone rang. Diana pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, swiped the screen, and answered, "Speaking... Oh, hello Mr. Sandeken, I'm happy to restore it for you... A meeting? Yes, that's fine, but could it be a little later? I'm with friends right now... Oh, alright. Okay."
She hung up and said apologetically, "Sorry, that was work. I have to go meet a client."
"No problem, no problem."
As the only one there with a real nine-to-five job, Clark waved his hand in understanding.
"We'll just look around on our own, it's fine."
"My apologies, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Diana put away her phone and turned to leave.
And this entire scene was witnessed by a phantom figure lurking in the crowd.
A New God, the Trickster.
Sent by Steppenwolf, her targets were the Kryptonian and the Martian.
Many New Gods have their own unique abilities, and even among their brethren from Apokolips, there are great individual differences. And the Trickster's innate talent was controlling the mind with the power of Chaos. In short, she specialized in psionics.
Her mental power allowed her to quickly and easily scan the crowd to find hidden heretics.
For example, Kryptonians and Martians.
When she discovered two Kryptonians and one Martian all clustered together, the Trickster was pleasantly surprised.
Perfect. This saved her some trouble; she could catch them all in one fell swoop.
Although Kryptonians and Martians are both powerful, they share a common trait: their weaknesses are very pronounced.
And there's a certain irony to their designs. Kryptonians fear Kryptonite, and Martians fear fire. As long as one exploits their weaknesses, they are easy for a New God to deal with.
Not to mention, the Trickster—true to her name—was a New God who excelled at deception and trickery.
Seeing Diana part ways with the group, the corner of her mouth twitched. She immediately saw an opportunity.
Her plan was simple: shapeshift into their companion to gain their trust, then stab them in the back when they weren't looking, striking at their respective weaknesses to take them all down in one go!
If she could take down these three high-level combatants at once, she would undoubtedly be the primary contributor to Apokolips's current invasion. Even the great Darkseid himself would reward her.
Heh heh heh...
She thought gleefully, approaching the trio step by step.
Before she could reach them, she suddenly heard a loud crash behind her. She turned her head to see that one of the venue's floor-to-ceiling windows had been violently shattered from the outside. A hulking figure flashed through and, with astonishing speed, landed a punch squarely on her nose, sending her flying backward.
The beast-like, hulking figure landed, flexed his arms, and roared in fury, "You took what belongs to me! You will pay the price for it!"
The Trickster, sent flying by the punch: ???
Who the hell are you?
Do we know each other?
(end of chapter)
