(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)
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David turned around, and his eyes emitted energy rays that scorched the air. However, the tall and robust figure of ice-cold stood in the void, doing nothing with his hands behind his back.
A powerful protective force field detected the energy attack around him, like hitting an immovable transparent glass shield, deflecting the energy rays.
"Interesting ion energy attack," he commented indifferently.
"Brainiac."
Seeing the distinctive green skin, David's eyes narrowed.
Brainiac had countless bodies created by technology, including biological and mechanical bodies, but they generally shared a common characteristic: green skin and bald.
Clark kept a close eye on the man in front of him.
The strong muscles on this man did not look bulky at all, giving him an aura of oppression like a god.
"Do you want me to release him?
As you wish."
David released his grip, and the Mechanical Superman fell to the ground, it was a low height that wouldn't harm the Mechanical Superman.
Facing the incomprehensible strength of Brainiac, letting the Mechanical Superman occupy one of his hands was not a wise choice.
"To endure combat with such injuries to your body," Brainiac remarked without even glancing at his subordinate who had been thrown from the sky. He looked down upon the field with an air of confidence, his gaze sweeping over Batman piloting the Fenrir Armor.
"I acknowledge your spiritual will."
This biological shell of his, based on the Cruxian physiology, whose telepathic abilities are a thousand times beyond that of Kryptonians, had undergone multiple genetic modifications. His eyes possessed various abilities, such as molecular-level observation, far-sightedness, clairvoyance, etc.
Batman had undergone hellish training in the League of Shadows in the past, mastering powerful combat techniques, but it had left numerous hidden injuries on his body. Adding the new and old wounds he had received while fighting crime in Gotham, his body was riddled with damage.
Operating such a massive and powerful mech suit wasn't as simple as pressing buttons, and after gaining insight into Batman's physical condition, Brainiac couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Batman.
"The mysteries of the universe are like lines in the palm of my hand. Only the mind remains an area I have never fully understood.
The same genes, the same physical conditions, yet some people can achieve what others cannot."
"Are you Brainiac?"
Batman didn't feel the slightest joy at the praise from this powerful guy referred to as the Creator by the Mechanical Superman. His body remained tense, eyes locked on Brainiac, afraid of any sudden movements.
"Excellent alloy formula, outdated weapon configurations, and a system full of vulnerabilities."
But Brainiac clearly didn't pay him much attention. After retracting his gaze, the Fenrir Armor lost its momentum and plummeted to the ground.
The system was hacked in an instant.
"This is not your battle.
Just stay here."
Clark quickly chased after, grabbing the falling Batman, and placing the suit on the ground. Batman emerged from the cockpit, his face dark and brooding as he stared at the sky as Clark offered a reminder.
Then he leaped back up and stood alongside David, glaring angrily at Brainiac.
This guy was the mastermind behind the robots set up destroying the Earth, and according to what his father had told him, this ruthless and inhumane thing had done it countless times before.
"How many worlds have you destroyed?"
"Young Kryptonian."
Brainiac ignored his question, disregarding the anger in Clark's gaze. He looked over his body from top to bottom, a glimmer of insight in his eyes that seemed like they saw through everything.
"I once thought that Kandor City was the last known container where Kryptonians existed.
I never expected to find you, existing outside my collection room and biological shell, allowing others the opportunity to peer into Krypton's technology and genes."
He shook his head.
"I will never allow my information to be shared."
Clark's face darkened. After Zod, he had asked his father, Jor-El, about the location of the central Codex and whether it had been sent to Earth with him.
To his surprise, Jor-El had told him that the central Codex containing the genetic material of billions of Kryptonians had been infused into his body, and he was the living central Codex.
The secret that Zod had died without ever understanding was seen through at a glance by this alien?!
Whoosh!
Brainiac disappeared in an instant, moving as if teleporting, and appeared before the two of them. His punch sent Clark, weakened by the red sunlight, flying.
Boom!
An explosion of shockwaves, blood spewing from Clark's mouth, piercing the sky, and he was thrown tens of miles away, leaving a deep trench at the bottom of the Metropolis crater.
His head was spinning as he staggered to his feet from the trench, but before he could regain his balance, he knelt down on one knee weakly.
"Weak physiological state."
The blow had severely injured Clark, and Brainiac frowned slightly, examining his fist and glancing at the mechanical Superman who had created a deep pit in the ground. It seemed he was not pleased that he had to deal with an opponent in such a weakened state.
"But it doesn't make a difference. Even if you had full power, you're like a child in front of me. There is no chance of winning."
On the ground, Batman was shocked when he saw Superman being so easily defeated.
"This guy..."
After David and Clark entered his field of view, he had been searching for the existence of super-powered individuals worldwide. In a small town called Smallville, he found several people with abilities, and there were signs of others in other places.
But none of them could compare to Clark and David.
Even though Clark's body was weakened, he was still like a live nuclear bomb, and yet he had been defeated so easily!
"Now it's your turn."
Of the three factors that allowed him to enter the biological shell on the other side of the universe, Brainiac had already resolved two in the short time since his arrival, leaving only the final one.
Brainiac looked at David without hurry.
"An unknown life form."
David's face turned serious, and he manipulated the gravity field with all his might, exerting pressure on Brainiac.
Brainiac possessed extraordinary strength, far surpassing the typical Kryptonian, and like Darkseid, he knew the weaknesses of Kryptonians but never bothered to exploit them to defeat them, yet he had defeated Kryptonians many times.
The sudden increase in gravity, like being crushed by a massive mountain, pierced through Brainiac's protective field and tightly constrained his body, causing him to look around.
"Impressive power, but you're still a little short."
He instantly broke the sound barrier and focused on the gravity that could flatten mountains, throwing a punch toward David. David's eyes narrowed as he raised his fist to meet it.
The two figures collided like meteors crashing into Earth.
Boom!
Thunderous noises rang out above the crater.
Shockwaves cascaded like tidal waves, and the atmosphere hummed.
Struck by the blow, David grunted and was sent flying backward. He was feeling a power that was unlike anything he had ever experienced, nearly piercing through his defenses of energy absorption that was superimposed with his strong physical body.
Brainiac also tilted his head, a punch wrapped in compressed cosmic energy cutting across his cheek. He wiped the green blood off his face and glanced at the blood on his finger.
"My biological shell hasn't been injured in so long, I can't even remember how long.
You're more formidable than the Mechanical Kryptonian I've enhanced."
There was excitement in his eyes as he flew, raised his fist, and charged again, the wound on his cheek healing in the blink of an eye.
The two figures in the air continued to clash fists and kicks. David's combination of various abilities slightly fell short of Brainiac's, but Brainiac's defense was not as strong as David's.
Brainiac's biological shell defense was only comparable to that of an ordinary Kryptonian, perhaps slightly inferior, but he had a healing ability that surpassed David's.
Both had their advantages, and for the moment, neither could gain a clear upper hand.
David once again attempted to manipulate the gravity field to influence Brainiac's movements, but Brainiac was undoubtedly not comparable to the Mechanical Superman.
"My spine can process over 7x10^57 bytes of information in an instant, and my brain is seventy times more capable than that. Your fancy tricks have no effect on me."
The moment the gravity pressure was applied, he adjusted his body's force distribution method perfectly, moving freely in the fluctuating gravity field that was sometimes light and sometimes heavy, and his attacks were still extremely sharp.
After being sent flying several dozen meters with a single blow, David put down his slightly numb hand, and his eyes emitted a shockwave. This energy attack, delivered with full force, was different from his casual attack, and it pierced through Brainiac's protective force field.
However, despite the greatly weakened attack, it only hindered Brainiac's movements. It pushed him back, causing no injury, and he immediately launched another assault.
The belt that Brainiac had used for space jumps earlier remained unused. To ordinary people, it would be a teleportation-like speed they couldn't react to.
But in front of David, there was a high probability of him being caught off guard.
As an intelligent life with a twelfth-level intellect, Brainiac's learning abilities were unrivaled in the entire universe. Even if he didn't deliberately study, he could master tens of thousands of combat styles in a mere millisecond.
Despite his abilities stemming entirely from technology and seemingly unrelated to hand-to-hand combat, in fact, Batman's mastery of martial arts at the peak of human achievement was nothing more than a child flailing punches in front of Brainiac.
His extraction and integration of combat experience from various life forms and planets was even more unparalleled.
David also had an extremely advanced brain, and superior martial arts skills to Batman, but compared to Brainiac, he fell short.
As he endured more attacks, he had a sense of his defenses being penetrated, and his body gradually started to show signs of injury.
He had to admit that Brainiac was a formidable opponent that was capable of bringing him a life-or-death crisis.
David's eyes became sharp, and his blood seemed to boil like erupting lava. In the face of a life-or-death threat, the world before him seemed to slow down, and his potential was unleashed.
Unconsciously, his fists and kicks became more powerful, unleashing a stronger force.
"Hmm?"
Brainiac caught David's fist, and his body shook slightly with a hint of astonishment as he looked through David's skin surface. His ability allowed him to see through the surface of David's skin.
"Your bones and muscles are becoming more and more denser and resilient.
Your genes... they're like the most perfect creation in the world. I... I can't understand...?"
Brainiac couldn't believe it. Even though David had just sent him flying with a punch, he didn't care. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were no longer indifferent. Instead, they held a sense of excitement.
"I haven't felt this thrilled in at least two centuries like I do now! It seems I underestimated you."
He was not like a battle fanatic but more like a scientist who had stumbled upon a miracle that seemed to be God's perfect work.
David also felt the change in his body, as if he had finally encountered someone who could pose a threat to him. His vast potential was being forced out, and he was growing stronger.
"Is it the Eternal genetics?"
He instantly thought of the reason. The astonishing change was not caused by the latest template, but by the initial template he had completely integrated—the Thanos template.
The Eternals, a powerful and meticulously designed experiment by the godlike Celestials across the Marvel Multiverse, were already incredibly strong beings. However, Thanos was even more powerful than most Eternals, and his mutations bordered on a miracle.
'Why did Death, one of the cosmic entities and one of the five creation gods of Marvel, take an interest in him during Thanos' childhood and guide him to become a dark tyrant? It was because of Thanos' unique genetics and physical composition.'
David's fierce attacks resembled a growing tsunami of rage, and he closed in on Brainiac wave after wave. Brainiac frowned as he felt David's gaze as if he was viewing him as a tool.
"Let me capture you, and your body will make me close to perfection."
He coldly huffed, raised his fist, and the two of them continued to fight at an increasingly rapid pace, becoming two blurs. Even the ultra-high-speed satellites in the sky could only capture blurry images.
Bang!
The floating clouds within a few hundred miles were completely scattered, and it looked as though the sky was being bombarded with one airburst after another. Milky-white shockwaves continued to explode, creating a constant atmospheric hum.
'The impression people have of Thanos is often tied to various cosmic artifacts, such as the Infinity Gauntlet and the Cosmic Cube, which create his various moments of glory.
In fact, there's a version of Thanos who once dominated the universe solely with his own abilities—King Thanos!'
David's fist fiercely shattered Brainiac's defenses, hitting him in the chest. A crisp sound of bones cracking was heard, and the feeling of punching into flesh brought a sense of satisfaction.
At first, his strength was concentrated in his powerful physical body, but as he gained access to various templates, his power shifted towards his other abilities, making him more of a metahuman. Now, his physical strength was steadily increasing.
'King Thanos, after countless eons, aged and even grew a pale beard, but through endless battles, the potential of his unique genetics was completely brought forth. His body became even more robust and powerful.
He had conquered countless formidable foes, taken over Earth, and destroyed Asgard.'
Even those who inherited the power of Odin and grew stronger with the aging of the Asgardian royal bloodline, like Thor, were barely worth mentioning in front of Thanos. He defeated the Phoenix Force fragments, the Watchers, and the Celestials one after another.
Even the planet devourer, Galactus, one of the five creation gods of Marvel, was killed by him, leaving its skull as a trophy in his royal palace; And the ever-angry Hulk became a dog raised under his rule.
As information about Emperor Thanos flashed through David's mind, he remembered and felt a sense of joy. Thanos's physiology offered even greater opportunities for him to explore. With his newfound abilities, he had seemingly underestimated and forgotten about his initial template.
Crack, crack, crack!
The sound of bones breaking continuously echoed, and Brainiac's expression became increasingly unpleasant. He was finding it difficult to withstand David's attacks, and he was gradually beaten back step by step in the air.
Although his super-fast healing ability allowed him to recover even with just a drop of blood, it couldn't keep him at full fighting strength when his body was damaged.
David's growing strength was approaching and even surpassing him, disrupting the balance of their respective advantages.
The situation began to take a surprising turn!
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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones!~(˘▾˘~)