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Chapter 248 I Have Superpowers
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"Yes, I said it. This isn't Superman."
Trickster was surprised by his own extraordinary patience as he explained to Kalibak.
"This is just a weak, ant-like, useless human. Capturing him is pointless. Besides, it will only put the Man of Steel on his guard. It won't be so easy to succeed with the same trick next time," Trickster said, annoyed.
By now, the reporter, Zod, had already woken up and realized he'd been captured and brought to some kind of demon lord's stronghold. But it's a well-known fact that Western reporters, much like archaeologists, rank high on the list of daredevils who court death. Especially a reporter from the Daily Planet who had seen it all; he wouldn't be intimidated by a situation like this.
Hearing this, Zod was immediately displeased. "Hey! Before you stands a strong contender for a future Pulitzer Prize. Show some respect, you disgusting skeleton and you fluffy, ugly monster."
Trickster gave him a cold glance. "This human is useless. Turn him into raw material for the Parademons. Kalibak, you watch him... Kalibak?"
Trickster turned his head and was surprised to see Kalibak staring wide-eyed, frozen on the spot with a look of shock.
"What's wrong?" Trickster asked, puzzled.
"Fluffy... ugly monster? Talking about me?"
The big guy pouted, looking aggrieved.
"But... Mama said I was handsome... Did Mama lie to me?"
Trickster was speechless.
It took a great deal of self-control for him to suppress the urge to strike.
*The boss's son, the boss's son, calm down...*
Although Darkseid disliked this son and was clearly not the protective type, Kalibak was still his offspring. Darkseid might be able to kill his own son without batting an eye, but that didn't mean his subordinates could do the same.
He had no feelings for his son, but there was still the matter of face. Trickster knew his place.
He didn't dare touch Kalibak, so there was only one target left to vent his anger on.
"You asked for this, human." Trickster floated in front of Zod, speaking sinisterly as he extended a skeletal claw. "I've changed my mind. One more or one less Parademon makes no difference... you might as well just die."
His claw clamped down hard on Zod's wrist.
Zod instinctively swung his arm, struggling.
The next moment, something completely unexpected happened.
With a single swing of the middle-aged reporter's arm, Trickster was yanked off the ground by an immense force, sent flying uncontrollably across the entire room. With a series of rumbles, he crashed through an unknown number of walls and was thrown outside.
Everyone in the room was momentarily stunned.
Even Zod himself was dumbfounded.
He looked at his own hand, then in the direction where he had casually tossed Trickster out of sight, his jaw hanging open in astonishment. "Good grief... D-d-did I do that?"
*So I've had superpowers all along and just never realized it?*
The big guy, Kalibak, also stared wide-eyed, muttering dazedly, "See, I told you he was Superman, and you didn't believe me..."
The thrown Trickster: @!#￥*&
The Parademons snapped out of their stupor, quickly taking to the air and firing their weapons at Zod. A dense web of energy beams swept toward him. Zod panicked and instinctively dodged to the side. With a flicker of his body, an electric current suddenly erupted around him, accompanied by a ripple of spatial energy. When he came to his senses, he had already flashed over ten meters away. The spot where he'd just been standing was blasted into a gaping crater by the intersecting lasers.
"Super speed!"
Zod was overjoyed.
*Super strength and super speed... Doesn't that basically make me a mini-Superman?*
Of course, as an obscure side character in the Superman series, he naturally didn't have any superpowers. The reason he was suddenly so strong was that Orin Vale was inside his body.
In a state of Ultraman possession, a Human Host can also gain superpowers to a certain extent. However, the strength and type of these superpowers vary from person to person and, due to various restrictions, are naturally far from comparable to Ultraman's own incarnation.
After taking over the body to save Zod in that critical moment, Orin Vale immediately separated from him. By the time he landed, his mobile armor had already activated, encasing his entire body.
"You're that... Ultraman!" As a veteran reporter, Zod recognized him at a glance.
However, it was clear that to him, Orin Vale had just materialized out of thin air. Zod hadn't realized that Orin Vale had been possessing him the whole time—after all, no one knew Ultraman had this ability.
So, naturally, he also didn't realize that his own sudden burst of superpowers was related to the Ultraman before him.
"Thank you for your assistance, sir. But I'll take it from here," Orin Vale said in a gentle and polite tone.
Zod froze for a moment, realizing he was being spoken to.
But Zod's ego was swelling. He put his hands on his hips, puffed out his beer belly, and said proudly, "No need. You may not know this, but I also have super—"
Before he could finish, an electric arc burst from the red-and-silver armor in front of him. An afterimage flashed, Zod's vision blurred with a dizzying change of scenery, and by the time he came to his senses, he was already on a street several miles away.
"—powers."
Only then did his last syllable fall.
The person in front of him was gone.
Zod stood stunned for a moment, then looked around and quickly understood what had happened.
"Heh heh, super speed, as if I don't have it too," Zod grinned. "Fine if you don't want my help, but make me miss the story of the century? No way! This time, I'll definitely beat Clark Kent and Lois Lane to the scoop..."
As he spoke, he lowered his center of gravity, tried his best to suck in his beer belly, and struck what he believed to be a very cool starting pose, like a sprinter about to break a world record.
He took a deep breath, as if accumulating energy, brewing the power to break through time and space.
The next moment, his feet pushed off powerfully, his whole body like an arrow released from a bow.
Huff... huff... huff...
On the empty street, under a lonely streetlight, the silhouette of a middle-aged uncle running with all his might, but slowly, was illuminated, his shadow stretched long behind him.
In less than a minute, he was already bent over with his hands on his knees, panting, while looking around in confusion.
"Huh? Why am I still here?"
*Where's my super speed?*
"For my great Father!"
Kalibak roared, swinging his massive club down at Orin Vale's head. But he didn't even see his opponent move; there was just a flicker of a silhouette, and the massive club had already slammed into the ground, blasting a giant crater with a boom.
Kalibak tried to pull his club back, but when he exerted his strength, the massive club wouldn't budge an inch. He looked up in astonishment, only to see his opponent's metal combat boots calmly resting on his weapon. That foot seemed to carry the weight of an entire planet; no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't pull the club free.
Kalibak flew into a rage and swung a fist at him. But Orin Vale didn't dodge or evade, only leisurely throwing a punch when his opponent's fist was about to touch the nose of his helmet. His punch, thrown later, arrived first. Trailing an electric arc, it slammed squarely into Kalibak's forehead. The latter's head snapped back, and he was sent flying.
Just then, the nearby wall was blasted apart, and Trickster, who had been knocked away, flew back looking disheveled and enraged, his body wreathed in violet light.
"How dare you come looking for us! Be prepared to pay the price—with your brain and your sanity!"
(end of chapter)
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"Yes, I said it. This isn't Superman."
Trickster was surprised by his own extraordinary patience as he explained to Kalibak.
"This is just a weak, ant-like, useless human. Capturing him is pointless. Besides, it will only put the Man of Steel on his guard. It won't be so easy to succeed with the same trick next time," Trickster said, annoyed.
By now, the reporter, Zod, had already woken up and realized he'd been captured and brought to some kind of demon lord's stronghold. But it's a well-known fact that Western reporters, much like archaeologists, rank high on the list of daredevils who court death. Especially a reporter from the Daily Planet who had seen it all; he wouldn't be intimidated by a situation like this.
Hearing this, Zod was immediately displeased. "Hey! Before you stands a strong contender for a future Pulitzer Prize. Show some respect, you disgusting skeleton and you fluffy, ugly monster."
Trickster gave him a cold glance. "This human is useless. Turn him into raw material for the Parademons. Kalibak, you watch him... Kalibak?"
Trickster turned his head and was surprised to see Kalibak staring wide-eyed, frozen on the spot with a look of shock.
"What's wrong?" Trickster asked, puzzled.
"Fluffy... ugly monster? Talking about me?"
The big guy pouted, looking aggrieved.
"But... Mama said I was handsome... Did Mama lie to me?"
Trickster was speechless.
It took a great deal of self-control for him to suppress the urge to strike.
*The boss's son, the boss's son, calm down...*
Although Darkseid disliked this son and was clearly not the protective type, Kalibak was still his offspring. Darkseid might be able to kill his own son without batting an eye, but that didn't mean his subordinates could do the same.
He had no feelings for his son, but there was still the matter of face. Trickster knew his place.
He didn't dare touch Kalibak, so there was only one target left to vent his anger on.
"You asked for this, human." Trickster floated in front of Zod, speaking sinisterly as he extended a skeletal claw. "I've changed my mind. One more or one less Parademon makes no difference... you might as well just die."
His claw clamped down hard on Zod's wrist.
Zod instinctively swung his arm, struggling.
The next moment, something completely unexpected happened.
With a single swing of the middle-aged reporter's arm, Trickster was yanked off the ground by an immense force, sent flying uncontrollably across the entire room. With a series of rumbles, he crashed through an unknown number of walls and was thrown outside.
Everyone in the room was momentarily stunned.
Even Zod himself was dumbfounded.
He looked at his own hand, then in the direction where he had casually tossed Trickster out of sight, his jaw hanging open in astonishment. "Good grief... D-d-did I do that?"
*So I've had superpowers all along and just never realized it?*
The big guy, Kalibak, also stared wide-eyed, muttering dazedly, "See, I told you he was Superman, and you didn't believe me..."
The thrown Trickster: @!#￥*&
The Parademons snapped out of their stupor, quickly taking to the air and firing their weapons at Zod. A dense web of energy beams swept toward him. Zod panicked and instinctively dodged to the side. With a flicker of his body, an electric current suddenly erupted around him, accompanied by a ripple of spatial energy. When he came to his senses, he had already flashed over ten meters away. The spot where he'd just been standing was blasted into a gaping crater by the intersecting lasers.
"Super speed!"
Zod was overjoyed.
*Super strength and super speed... Doesn't that basically make me a mini-Superman?*
Of course, as an obscure side character in the Superman series, he naturally didn't have any superpowers. The reason he was suddenly so strong was that Orin Vale was inside his body.
In a state of Ultraman possession, a Human Host can also gain superpowers to a certain extent. However, the strength and type of these superpowers vary from person to person and, due to various restrictions, are naturally far from comparable to Ultraman's own incarnation.
After taking over the body to save Zod in that critical moment, Orin Vale immediately separated from him. By the time he landed, his mobile armor had already activated, encasing his entire body.
"You're that... Ultraman!" As a veteran reporter, Zod recognized him at a glance.
However, it was clear that to him, Orin Vale had just materialized out of thin air. Zod hadn't realized that Orin Vale had been possessing him the whole time—after all, no one knew Ultraman had this ability.
So, naturally, he also didn't realize that his own sudden burst of superpowers was related to the Ultraman before him.
"Thank you for your assistance, sir. But I'll take it from here," Orin Vale said in a gentle and polite tone.
Zod froze for a moment, realizing he was being spoken to.
But Zod's ego was swelling. He put his hands on his hips, puffed out his beer belly, and said proudly, "No need. You may not know this, but I also have super—"
Before he could finish, an electric arc burst from the red-and-silver armor in front of him. An afterimage flashed, Zod's vision blurred with a dizzying change of scenery, and by the time he came to his senses, he was already on a street several miles away.
"—powers."
Only then did his last syllable fall.
The person in front of him was gone.
Zod stood stunned for a moment, then looked around and quickly understood what had happened.
"Heh heh, super speed, as if I don't have it too," Zod grinned. "Fine if you don't want my help, but make me miss the story of the century? No way! This time, I'll definitely beat Clark Kent and Lois Lane to the scoop..."
As he spoke, he lowered his center of gravity, tried his best to suck in his beer belly, and struck what he believed to be a very cool starting pose, like a sprinter about to break a world record.
He took a deep breath, as if accumulating energy, brewing the power to break through time and space.
The next moment, his feet pushed off powerfully, his whole body like an arrow released from a bow.
Huff... huff... huff...
On the empty street, under a lonely streetlight, the silhouette of a middle-aged uncle running with all his might, but slowly, was illuminated, his shadow stretched long behind him.
In less than a minute, he was already bent over with his hands on his knees, panting, while looking around in confusion.
"Huh? Why am I still here?"
*Where's my super speed?*
"For my great Father!"
Kalibak roared, swinging his massive club down at Orin Vale's head. But he didn't even see his opponent move; there was just a flicker of a silhouette, and the massive club had already slammed into the ground, blasting a giant crater with a boom.
Kalibak tried to pull his club back, but when he exerted his strength, the massive club wouldn't budge an inch. He looked up in astonishment, only to see his opponent's metal combat boots calmly resting on his weapon. That foot seemed to carry the weight of an entire planet; no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't pull the club free.
Kalibak flew into a rage and swung a fist at him. But Orin Vale didn't dodge or evade, only leisurely throwing a punch when his opponent's fist was about to touch the nose of his helmet. His punch, thrown later, arrived first. Trailing an electric arc, it slammed squarely into Kalibak's forehead. The latter's head snapped back, and he was sent flying.
Just then, the nearby wall was blasted apart, and Trickster, who had been knocked away, flew back looking disheveled and enraged, his body wreathed in violet light.
"How dare you come looking for us! Be prepared to pay the price—with your brain and your sanity!"
(end of chapter)
