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Chapter 265: VS Darkseid
A punch from Darkseid at full might—it was a blow so oppressive that even from hundreds of meters away, everyone on the ground could feel it, an impact that symbolized Destruction.
In fact, the superheroes present had a good idea of just how strong this New God was. The ones most renowned for their strength were Superman and Supergirl. With the recent, continuous awakening of their abilities, even they felt they had reached a considerable level of power. Yet, when faced with Darkseid, they stood no chance of matching him head-on.
And yet such a powerful being, with such terrifying power, had just punched Ultraman in his golden-bodied state... only to be knocked back by the recoil?
Just how durable was he?
In truth, it wasn't just the recoil. Darkseid's punch felt as if it had struck an immovable planet of steel. Moreover, that planet seemed to have reacted to the force of his blow, as an astonishing blast of energy immediately lashed back from within, violently shaking the fist Darkseid had thrown.
The immense power was tyrannical and incredibly scorching, shaking the God of Apokolips so hard his arm went numb. He staggered, falling backward as if weighted down by a mountain. His back foot slammed into the ground, creating an astonishingly deep crater and barely preventing an undignified fall.
But a look of astonishment also appeared on the Dark Lord's face.
It wasn't just because of his opponent's astonishing power—though that certainly surprised him. What truly shocked him were the attributes contained within that tyrannical, rebounding energy.
Kryptonian energy, mixed with the essence of the hope spectrum, a bizarre light-based power of a high intensity and tier that he had never seen before, and something else that was not unfamiliar—yet shocked him all the more.
The power of the Source.
But that was the power of creation, the privilege of the New Gods. Why would this Giant possess it?
The next moment, a cannon punch wreathed in golden radiance hurtled toward him.
Darkseid was startled. Even with the speed of the God of Apokolips, he only had time to sluggishly raise his arm to block. The immense power of the fist smashed into his arm, and the spiraling, explosive impact launched him into the air, the surrounding scenery receding as if a lens were zooming out. In a mere instant, the God of Destruction had been sent flying thousands of miles at lightning speed.
"Incredible..."
In a space interwoven with white light—the private pocket dimension of Ultraman's human host. At this moment, Superman was holding his punching pose, looking at his own fist in disbelief.
"Is this your power? I've never felt so powerful... No, I couldn't even have imagined that someone could be this strong," he murmured.
"'It's *our* power, Clark,' Orin Vale corrected. 'If you didn't have such a powerful light in your heart, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this.'
"But we can discuss this later. We have things to do right now."
As he spoke, Orin Vale pushed off with his feet. His figure transformed into a streak of golden radiance. The moment he launched forward, he had already flashed across thousands of miles, heading straight for the spot where Darkseid had been knocked down.
Darkseid had already recovered. The New God's expression was grave, as if he had decided to get serious. A string of interwoven light circled around him. Some invisible matter materialized out of thin air, coalescing into physical metal that formed a giant suit of armor around his body.
Then, at the very moment Orin Vale flashed before him to throw a punch, Darkseid vanished.
A red, spiraling vortex of energy, a small boom tube, opened in mid-air. Darkseid retreated, was sucked into it, and the channel immediately swirled shut. Orin Vale's punch hit nothing but air, and he screeched to a halt on the empty plain.
"What happened? Where did he go?" Superman, fighting a being from Apokolips for the first time, was surprised. "Was that a boom tube? But it felt different from the ones we've encountered before..."
"It's probably not an ordinary Mother Box. He's modified it into a form of armor that he wears. It's not the usual boom tube used for long-distance transport, but an instant-cast type for combat. It sacrifices a lot of conventional performance to achieve the effect of instantaneous movement," Orin Vale said in a low voice.
Even though a Mother Box has 'box' in its name, it doesn't have to be a box, and its functions are bizarrely varied. For example, the uniform worn by the famous son of Darkseid, the superhero Mister Miracle, is a Mother Box. And the "Mobius Chair" of the New God Metron, which knows all things, is also a Mother Box.
Most of Apokolips's technology is based on Mother Box technology, so it's not surprising that Darkseid has a suit of Mother Box armor.
Orin Vale and Superman were currently of one mind and body, so their telepathic communication was instantaneous. In a flash, Orin Vale had already captured the trace of the boom tube's energy signature and located Darkseid's teleportation destination.
"Behind us!"
The vortex opened, and the God of Apokolips threw a punch out of the blood-red channel. But Orin Vale had already predicted it, dodging to the side with a deluxe, upgraded version of Mach Movement, then spinning back with a hook punch that landed a heavy blow on Darkseid's cheek.
This punch nearly tore the New God's head off. Blood trickled from the corner of Darkseid's mouth as his head snapped to the side, and he was sent flying again. But while still in mid-air, he immediately activated the boom tube, was sucked into the vortex, and vanished.
"He ran again," Superman frowned.
"No problem. It's just teleportation. As if he's the only one who can," Orin Vale smiled.
Superman was stunned. "Huh? We can do that?"
During their exchange, Orin Vale had already activated his ability. The Giant of Light flashed and, with a soft 'pop,' vanished into thin air.
Darkseid emerged from the boom tube in a flash, only to see the golden-bodied giant also appear out of nowhere from a ripple of distorted space. He was greatly alarmed and hastily tried to block, attempting to deflect the opponent's punch, but didn't expect it to be a feint. Orin Vale, taking advantage of his superior speed, changed his move mid-way, bypassing the defense with a straight punch that changed trajectory to strike Darkseid's chest.
Another earth-shaking punch struck so hard that Darkseid's chest nearly cracked open. The New God retreated, enduring the excruciating pain of his divine body almost being pierced through, and his boom armor activated again.
He teleported again, this time directly to the other side of Earth, just wanting to create some distance for a brief respite. But unexpectedly, when he turned around, Ultraman had still pursued him, appearing in a flash and sweeping a whip kick at him in mid-air.
Darkseid was utterly astonished and had no choice but to raise his arm to block again. The kick seemed to be infused with immense strength. The moment it hit, half of Darkseid's body went numb, and his several-hundred-meter-tall frame was sent flying sideways again as if it were as light as a feather.
He gritted his teeth and teleported again in mid-air. But this time, he left Earth directly. The Dark Demon God's massive body tumbled down amidst a desolate, reddish-brown mountain range.
Mars.
His body flipped in the air as he slammed his right hand onto the ground. The momentum from the teleportation was so great that his hand carved a trail hundreds of miles long before he managed to stop.
The boom tube built into his battlesuit was a simplified, modified version, sacrificing much of its conventional performance for instantaneous, combat-ready teleportation. A teleportation of this distance was already approaching its limit.
However, before he could even regain his footing, he looked up.
A burst of golden radiance so blinding he could barely open his eyes.
The Giant of Light emerged from a ripple in space, bringing a powerful hand-chop down on his head.
Darkseid's eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief in them.
He can keep up even with this?
Why???
(end of chapter)
A punch from Darkseid at full might—it was a blow so oppressive that even from hundreds of meters away, everyone on the ground could feel it, an impact that symbolized Destruction.
In fact, the superheroes present had a good idea of just how strong this New God was. The ones most renowned for their strength were Superman and Supergirl. With the recent, continuous awakening of their abilities, even they felt they had reached a considerable level of power. Yet, when faced with Darkseid, they stood no chance of matching him head-on.
And yet such a powerful being, with such terrifying power, had just punched Ultraman in his golden-bodied state... only to be knocked back by the recoil?
Just how durable was he?
In truth, it wasn't just the recoil. Darkseid's punch felt as if it had struck an immovable planet of steel. Moreover, that planet seemed to have reacted to the force of his blow, as an astonishing blast of energy immediately lashed back from within, violently shaking the fist Darkseid had thrown.
The immense power was tyrannical and incredibly scorching, shaking the God of Apokolips so hard his arm went numb. He staggered, falling backward as if weighted down by a mountain. His back foot slammed into the ground, creating an astonishingly deep crater and barely preventing an undignified fall.
But a look of astonishment also appeared on the Dark Lord's face.
It wasn't just because of his opponent's astonishing power—though that certainly surprised him. What truly shocked him were the attributes contained within that tyrannical, rebounding energy.
Kryptonian energy, mixed with the essence of the hope spectrum, a bizarre light-based power of a high intensity and tier that he had never seen before, and something else that was not unfamiliar—yet shocked him all the more.
The power of the Source.
But that was the power of creation, the privilege of the New Gods. Why would this Giant possess it?
The next moment, a cannon punch wreathed in golden radiance hurtled toward him.
Darkseid was startled. Even with the speed of the God of Apokolips, he only had time to sluggishly raise his arm to block. The immense power of the fist smashed into his arm, and the spiraling, explosive impact launched him into the air, the surrounding scenery receding as if a lens were zooming out. In a mere instant, the God of Destruction had been sent flying thousands of miles at lightning speed.
"Incredible..."
In a space interwoven with white light—the private pocket dimension of Ultraman's human host. At this moment, Superman was holding his punching pose, looking at his own fist in disbelief.
"Is this your power? I've never felt so powerful... No, I couldn't even have imagined that someone could be this strong," he murmured.
"'It's *our* power, Clark,' Orin Vale corrected. 'If you didn't have such a powerful light in your heart, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this.'
"But we can discuss this later. We have things to do right now."
As he spoke, Orin Vale pushed off with his feet. His figure transformed into a streak of golden radiance. The moment he launched forward, he had already flashed across thousands of miles, heading straight for the spot where Darkseid had been knocked down.
Darkseid had already recovered. The New God's expression was grave, as if he had decided to get serious. A string of interwoven light circled around him. Some invisible matter materialized out of thin air, coalescing into physical metal that formed a giant suit of armor around his body.
Then, at the very moment Orin Vale flashed before him to throw a punch, Darkseid vanished.
A red, spiraling vortex of energy, a small boom tube, opened in mid-air. Darkseid retreated, was sucked into it, and the channel immediately swirled shut. Orin Vale's punch hit nothing but air, and he screeched to a halt on the empty plain.
"What happened? Where did he go?" Superman, fighting a being from Apokolips for the first time, was surprised. "Was that a boom tube? But it felt different from the ones we've encountered before..."
"It's probably not an ordinary Mother Box. He's modified it into a form of armor that he wears. It's not the usual boom tube used for long-distance transport, but an instant-cast type for combat. It sacrifices a lot of conventional performance to achieve the effect of instantaneous movement," Orin Vale said in a low voice.
Even though a Mother Box has 'box' in its name, it doesn't have to be a box, and its functions are bizarrely varied. For example, the uniform worn by the famous son of Darkseid, the superhero Mister Miracle, is a Mother Box. And the "Mobius Chair" of the New God Metron, which knows all things, is also a Mother Box.
Most of Apokolips's technology is based on Mother Box technology, so it's not surprising that Darkseid has a suit of Mother Box armor.
Orin Vale and Superman were currently of one mind and body, so their telepathic communication was instantaneous. In a flash, Orin Vale had already captured the trace of the boom tube's energy signature and located Darkseid's teleportation destination.
"Behind us!"
The vortex opened, and the God of Apokolips threw a punch out of the blood-red channel. But Orin Vale had already predicted it, dodging to the side with a deluxe, upgraded version of Mach Movement, then spinning back with a hook punch that landed a heavy blow on Darkseid's cheek.
This punch nearly tore the New God's head off. Blood trickled from the corner of Darkseid's mouth as his head snapped to the side, and he was sent flying again. But while still in mid-air, he immediately activated the boom tube, was sucked into the vortex, and vanished.
"He ran again," Superman frowned.
"No problem. It's just teleportation. As if he's the only one who can," Orin Vale smiled.
Superman was stunned. "Huh? We can do that?"
During their exchange, Orin Vale had already activated his ability. The Giant of Light flashed and, with a soft 'pop,' vanished into thin air.
Darkseid emerged from the boom tube in a flash, only to see the golden-bodied giant also appear out of nowhere from a ripple of distorted space. He was greatly alarmed and hastily tried to block, attempting to deflect the opponent's punch, but didn't expect it to be a feint. Orin Vale, taking advantage of his superior speed, changed his move mid-way, bypassing the defense with a straight punch that changed trajectory to strike Darkseid's chest.
Another earth-shaking punch struck so hard that Darkseid's chest nearly cracked open. The New God retreated, enduring the excruciating pain of his divine body almost being pierced through, and his boom armor activated again.
He teleported again, this time directly to the other side of Earth, just wanting to create some distance for a brief respite. But unexpectedly, when he turned around, Ultraman had still pursued him, appearing in a flash and sweeping a whip kick at him in mid-air.
Darkseid was utterly astonished and had no choice but to raise his arm to block again. The kick seemed to be infused with immense strength. The moment it hit, half of Darkseid's body went numb, and his several-hundred-meter-tall frame was sent flying sideways again as if it were as light as a feather.
He gritted his teeth and teleported again in mid-air. But this time, he left Earth directly. The Dark Demon God's massive body tumbled down amidst a desolate, reddish-brown mountain range.
Mars.
His body flipped in the air as he slammed his right hand onto the ground. The momentum from the teleportation was so great that his hand carved a trail hundreds of miles long before he managed to stop.
The boom tube built into his battlesuit was a simplified, modified version, sacrificing much of its conventional performance for instantaneous, combat-ready teleportation. A teleportation of this distance was already approaching its limit.
However, before he could even regain his footing, he looked up.
A burst of golden radiance so blinding he could barely open his eyes.
The Giant of Light emerged from a ripple in space, bringing a powerful hand-chop down on his head.
Darkseid's eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief in them.
He can keep up even with this?
Why???
(end of chapter)
