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Chapter 356: A Primitive Planet?
"For Earth!"
With a clear shout, Diana Prince, carrying her boombox—ah, no, that's wrong—wielding her divine sword, charged into the battle.
She dashed forward, and with a flash of her sword, countless Yellow Lantern constructs were torn to pieces by the divine blade.
"I'll take care of this one!"
A Yellow Lantern who resembled a scorpion roared and charged forward. He waved his Power Ring, creating two venomous worms that attacked from the left and right. But Diana deftly dodged the pincer attack, turned, and in a flash, was right in front of him.
The Yellow Lantern, not expecting her to be so ferocious, hurriedly materialized various blades, spears, swords, and halberds, all aimed at her vitals. Diana's longsword flashed. It seemed like a single strike, but that one slash shredded all the constructs filling the sky.
Her speed never faltered. In a swift motion, she brushed past the Yellow Lantern and continued charging toward the rear with a war cry. The Yellow Lantern stood stunned for a moment before realizing his protective force field had been severed by the divine sword. Fine cracks spread across his neck, and by the time he came to his senses, his head was already separated from his body.
More Yellow Lanterns closed in from all directions. Diana shouted, striking her silver bracelets together. Instantly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and ripples of divine power exploded outward with flashes of lightning. The Yellow Lanterns hurriedly raised barriers to defend themselves, but the barriers of several, along with their force fields, were pierced through. They were killed instantly by the lightning.
Superman punched his way through the Yellow Lanterns and flew to Diana's side.
"Was that a new move? I haven't seen it before."
"It seems the divine position of God King has had some effect on my bloodline from Zeus. I only discovered it recently myself." Lightning coiled around Diana's sword. With a flick of her wrist, her longsword moved, and another Yellow Lantern fell. "It seems I'm being changed by the divine position, whether I like it or not."
Wonder Woman's strength was never weak, but had she faced this tide of Manhunters and Yellow Lanterns before, she would have undoubtedly been under immense pressure. But now, not only was she the God King, but she had also come to terms with her identity and bloodline. She was a completely different person from who she was back then.
Also in peak condition was The Flash. The current Flash routinely moved at sub-light speed, and reaching faster-than-light speed with a little effort was no problem at all.
Yellow Lantern projections were indeed at light speed, but the feedback from the Power Ring and the ring-bearer's reaction time could never be that fast. So even though the Yellow Lanterns were not slow, trying to catch someone moving at light speed was still a fool's errand.
"What is that thing!?" a Yellow Lantern exclaimed in astonishment after repeatedly missing the electric afterimage. "My Power Ring can't lock onto him! How can any creature be this fast?"
"Maintain the offensive rhythm, rookie!" another Yellow Lantern roared. "He's faster than our reaction time with the rings, but he can't be faster than the light from the rings themselves! Use your imagination, cover the area with as much firepower as... urgh!"
A fist trailing electric light shattered the shield before his face, sending the Yellow Lantern reeling backward.
In a moment of frozen time, The Flash leaped off a light construct bullet fired from a Yellow Lantern, grabbing a light ray spear suspended in mid-air. Like a gymnast, he spun a half-circle along the spear, and the instant he let go, his entire body was catapulted forward by the momentum.
It was a pity that at this speed, no one could hear him speak. Otherwise, he would have liked to offer a greeting to this group of Yellow Lanterns.
Have you ever been kicked at half the speed of light?
A flying kick so fast it was invisible, like a roaring wind rolling through with lightning. An entire squad of Yellow Lanterns had their shields shatter in unison, sending them tumbling to the ground in disarray.
Power Girl and Huntress also arrived on the battlefield to provide support. Although Power Girl wasn't as strong as Superman, she was a true-blue member of the Superman Family, and her punches packed a serious wallop.
Kara, naturally, refused to be outdone. She even started a kill-count competition with her other-world counterpart, Power Girl. Even the Kryptonian orange cat, Stryker, joined the battle, bravely charging through the enemy ranks at supersonic speed.
However, the Yellow Lanterns getting thrashed by it were on the verge of a mental breakdown. They couldn't even beat a damn orange cat? Seriously?
Also arriving was the Thundering Mor... ah, no, that's Shazam.
And he brought the entire Shazam Family with him.
To put it simply, Billy Batson inherited the power of Shazam and later fought Black Adam of Kahndaq. That battle matured him, and in the end, just like in the movie, he shared his divine power with his foster brothers and sisters.
Now, his whole family can transform by sharing Billy's "Shazam!" spell. Each of them can fly, move through the earth, and are impervious. They are collectively known as the Shazam Family.
Next to appear was the superhero Firestorm, who had only recently begun to make a name for himself—a guy whose head was on fire. Being a newcomer who had made few appearances, his abilities were still largely unknown.
Based on his appearance, one might assume he could only fly and breathe fire. Normally, that would seem pretty powerful, but in this battle of gods, he seemed to be the weakest link.
That is, until someone saw him casually wave his hand and turn a ship thrown at him by a Yellow Lantern into a ball of cotton candy.
That Yellow Lantern's eyes went wide.
That was matter recombination, right? That guy with his head on fire just used matter recombination, didn't he!?
Which dumbass rated the place where a goddamn overpowered individual who can use matter recombination lives as a Level Three civilization???
"That one looks a little new."
Superman glanced at the newcomer called Firestorm out of the corner of his eye as he threw a punch.
"What's that ability?"
"Firestorm. His abilities manifest as flight, releasing flames, and as you just saw, matter recombination," replied Batman, The League's foremost expert on collecting superhuman archives.
"According to my investigation, he seems to be able to restructure matter at the subatomic level, creating new objects with different atomic characteristics by rearranging subatomic structures."
"That powerful?" Superman was surprised.
"But it doesn't seem to be without limits," Batman said. "His transformations need to follow the principle of 'equivalent exchange.' The mass of the transformed substance must be equal to that of the raw materials.
"Furthermore, this technique likely doesn't work on the human body, or perhaps any living creature at all—this point requires further verification. For now, it seems he has only ever used matter recombination on inorganic substances."
"That's still impressive enough," Superman said seriously, then added after a thought, "Perhaps after today's battle is over, The League should also consider expanding its roster."
The battle had only broken out a few moments ago, but the Yellow Lanterns had already received enough shocks from Earth.
You smurf, I smurf, and the Bronze-rank match turns into a King-rank game.
Right now, this was a perfect description of what some of the Yellow Lantern members on the Earth battlefield were feeling.
A planet of Level Three primitives?
Heh heh.
Look at that brute slaughtering his way through the Yellow Lanterns, look at that overpowered individual who runs faster than a goddamn warp drive... and then there's even matter recombination?
Looking at these things, you're telling me this is Level Three??
However, although the Yellow Lanterns were greatly shocked, they were still outnumbered. Facing such an overwhelming swarm of invaders, Earth's defenders, though all elites, were not yet having a significant impact.
Besides, the enemy had yet to truly exert their full strength.
"Do not be alarmed, Yellow Lanterns..."
A low, mechanical voice seemed to ring out from mid-air, yet it also seemed to echo in everyone's ears.
"These rare specimens will all be contained, their knowledge will be collected, their civilization will be preserved, and Planet Earth... will end, just as countless civilizations have before it."
Power Girl's expression changed. "That voice is..."
"Brainiac."
Superman frowned, looking up at the sky.
"Show your true self, Brainiac."
"As you wish, Kal-El."
Everyone involuntarily raised their heads, following the direction of the voice.
And then they all saw it.
A colossal warship, like an ancient behemoth. Its cold metal glinted with a chilling light, its massive turrets like the eyes of a giant, looking down indifferently upon everything below.
A vast, seemingly endless armada of warships, arranged in orderly formations, appeared beyond the atmosphere.
This time, Brainiac hadn't just sent a clone with a single warship.
This time, he had brought an interstellar fleet.
(end of chapter)
"For Earth!"
With a clear shout, Diana Prince, carrying her boombox—ah, no, that's wrong—wielding her divine sword, charged into the battle.
She dashed forward, and with a flash of her sword, countless Yellow Lantern constructs were torn to pieces by the divine blade.
"I'll take care of this one!"
A Yellow Lantern who resembled a scorpion roared and charged forward. He waved his Power Ring, creating two venomous worms that attacked from the left and right. But Diana deftly dodged the pincer attack, turned, and in a flash, was right in front of him.
The Yellow Lantern, not expecting her to be so ferocious, hurriedly materialized various blades, spears, swords, and halberds, all aimed at her vitals. Diana's longsword flashed. It seemed like a single strike, but that one slash shredded all the constructs filling the sky.
Her speed never faltered. In a swift motion, she brushed past the Yellow Lantern and continued charging toward the rear with a war cry. The Yellow Lantern stood stunned for a moment before realizing his protective force field had been severed by the divine sword. Fine cracks spread across his neck, and by the time he came to his senses, his head was already separated from his body.
More Yellow Lanterns closed in from all directions. Diana shouted, striking her silver bracelets together. Instantly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and ripples of divine power exploded outward with flashes of lightning. The Yellow Lanterns hurriedly raised barriers to defend themselves, but the barriers of several, along with their force fields, were pierced through. They were killed instantly by the lightning.
Superman punched his way through the Yellow Lanterns and flew to Diana's side.
"Was that a new move? I haven't seen it before."
"It seems the divine position of God King has had some effect on my bloodline from Zeus. I only discovered it recently myself." Lightning coiled around Diana's sword. With a flick of her wrist, her longsword moved, and another Yellow Lantern fell. "It seems I'm being changed by the divine position, whether I like it or not."
Wonder Woman's strength was never weak, but had she faced this tide of Manhunters and Yellow Lanterns before, she would have undoubtedly been under immense pressure. But now, not only was she the God King, but she had also come to terms with her identity and bloodline. She was a completely different person from who she was back then.
Also in peak condition was The Flash. The current Flash routinely moved at sub-light speed, and reaching faster-than-light speed with a little effort was no problem at all.
Yellow Lantern projections were indeed at light speed, but the feedback from the Power Ring and the ring-bearer's reaction time could never be that fast. So even though the Yellow Lanterns were not slow, trying to catch someone moving at light speed was still a fool's errand.
"What is that thing!?" a Yellow Lantern exclaimed in astonishment after repeatedly missing the electric afterimage. "My Power Ring can't lock onto him! How can any creature be this fast?"
"Maintain the offensive rhythm, rookie!" another Yellow Lantern roared. "He's faster than our reaction time with the rings, but he can't be faster than the light from the rings themselves! Use your imagination, cover the area with as much firepower as... urgh!"
A fist trailing electric light shattered the shield before his face, sending the Yellow Lantern reeling backward.
In a moment of frozen time, The Flash leaped off a light construct bullet fired from a Yellow Lantern, grabbing a light ray spear suspended in mid-air. Like a gymnast, he spun a half-circle along the spear, and the instant he let go, his entire body was catapulted forward by the momentum.
It was a pity that at this speed, no one could hear him speak. Otherwise, he would have liked to offer a greeting to this group of Yellow Lanterns.
Have you ever been kicked at half the speed of light?
A flying kick so fast it was invisible, like a roaring wind rolling through with lightning. An entire squad of Yellow Lanterns had their shields shatter in unison, sending them tumbling to the ground in disarray.
Power Girl and Huntress also arrived on the battlefield to provide support. Although Power Girl wasn't as strong as Superman, she was a true-blue member of the Superman Family, and her punches packed a serious wallop.
Kara, naturally, refused to be outdone. She even started a kill-count competition with her other-world counterpart, Power Girl. Even the Kryptonian orange cat, Stryker, joined the battle, bravely charging through the enemy ranks at supersonic speed.
However, the Yellow Lanterns getting thrashed by it were on the verge of a mental breakdown. They couldn't even beat a damn orange cat? Seriously?
Also arriving was the Thundering Mor... ah, no, that's Shazam.
And he brought the entire Shazam Family with him.
To put it simply, Billy Batson inherited the power of Shazam and later fought Black Adam of Kahndaq. That battle matured him, and in the end, just like in the movie, he shared his divine power with his foster brothers and sisters.
Now, his whole family can transform by sharing Billy's "Shazam!" spell. Each of them can fly, move through the earth, and are impervious. They are collectively known as the Shazam Family.
Next to appear was the superhero Firestorm, who had only recently begun to make a name for himself—a guy whose head was on fire. Being a newcomer who had made few appearances, his abilities were still largely unknown.
Based on his appearance, one might assume he could only fly and breathe fire. Normally, that would seem pretty powerful, but in this battle of gods, he seemed to be the weakest link.
That is, until someone saw him casually wave his hand and turn a ship thrown at him by a Yellow Lantern into a ball of cotton candy.
That Yellow Lantern's eyes went wide.
That was matter recombination, right? That guy with his head on fire just used matter recombination, didn't he!?
Which dumbass rated the place where a goddamn overpowered individual who can use matter recombination lives as a Level Three civilization???
"That one looks a little new."
Superman glanced at the newcomer called Firestorm out of the corner of his eye as he threw a punch.
"What's that ability?"
"Firestorm. His abilities manifest as flight, releasing flames, and as you just saw, matter recombination," replied Batman, The League's foremost expert on collecting superhuman archives.
"According to my investigation, he seems to be able to restructure matter at the subatomic level, creating new objects with different atomic characteristics by rearranging subatomic structures."
"That powerful?" Superman was surprised.
"But it doesn't seem to be without limits," Batman said. "His transformations need to follow the principle of 'equivalent exchange.' The mass of the transformed substance must be equal to that of the raw materials.
"Furthermore, this technique likely doesn't work on the human body, or perhaps any living creature at all—this point requires further verification. For now, it seems he has only ever used matter recombination on inorganic substances."
"That's still impressive enough," Superman said seriously, then added after a thought, "Perhaps after today's battle is over, The League should also consider expanding its roster."
The battle had only broken out a few moments ago, but the Yellow Lanterns had already received enough shocks from Earth.
You smurf, I smurf, and the Bronze-rank match turns into a King-rank game.
Right now, this was a perfect description of what some of the Yellow Lantern members on the Earth battlefield were feeling.
A planet of Level Three primitives?
Heh heh.
Look at that brute slaughtering his way through the Yellow Lanterns, look at that overpowered individual who runs faster than a goddamn warp drive... and then there's even matter recombination?
Looking at these things, you're telling me this is Level Three??
However, although the Yellow Lanterns were greatly shocked, they were still outnumbered. Facing such an overwhelming swarm of invaders, Earth's defenders, though all elites, were not yet having a significant impact.
Besides, the enemy had yet to truly exert their full strength.
"Do not be alarmed, Yellow Lanterns..."
A low, mechanical voice seemed to ring out from mid-air, yet it also seemed to echo in everyone's ears.
"These rare specimens will all be contained, their knowledge will be collected, their civilization will be preserved, and Planet Earth... will end, just as countless civilizations have before it."
Power Girl's expression changed. "That voice is..."
"Brainiac."
Superman frowned, looking up at the sky.
"Show your true self, Brainiac."
"As you wish, Kal-El."
Everyone involuntarily raised their heads, following the direction of the voice.
And then they all saw it.
A colossal warship, like an ancient behemoth. Its cold metal glinted with a chilling light, its massive turrets like the eyes of a giant, looking down indifferently upon everything below.
A vast, seemingly endless armada of warships, arranged in orderly formations, appeared beyond the atmosphere.
This time, Brainiac hadn't just sent a clone with a single warship.
This time, he had brought an interstellar fleet.
(end of chapter)
