"Has the battle really lasted this long without conclusion?" Joel, the top Kryptonian artificial intelligence on the Savage Islands, occasionally observed the fight between Robert and Carol. He could clearly see the battle, and this made him rather astonished.
By now, Robert and Carol had demonstrated combat strength surpassing that of Kara, a Kryptonian known for her steel-like physique. This meant that a normal Kryptonian, even powered by a yellow sun, would not be a match for either Robert or Carol unless they were exceptional like Clark.
As Krypton's leading scientist, Joel had encountered data on many races, but he remained curious about Robert, a Saiyan, and Carol. To him, Carol was no longer considered an Earthling, even though both her parents were.
Genetically speaking, Carol had fundamentally transformed; her life force had been replaced by a formidable energy that sustained her with incredible physical capabilities. As long as this energy was not fully depleted, Carol needed not worry about survival.
This mutation intrigued Joel, but just as he could not fully understand the hidden genes within Robert, he could not decipher the mutations within Carol either. He speculated that Carol must have encountered some terrifying energy that had altered her very essence...
During the ongoing battle between Robert and Carol, Clark arrived on the Savage Islands, intending to help construct the base. He hadn't expected to witness Robert fighting Carol upon his arrival.
Indeed, as the battle progressed, Robert showed no signs of fatigue. With the enhancement of the Giant Ape's Fury, Robert had once again surpassed Carol's normal combat level and even managed to push her back.
Carol chose not to use her Binary State, preferring to refine her normal strength since a combatant like Robert, who matched her in power, was hard to find.
In his normal state, Robert's combat strength was comparable to Kara's. With the activation of the Giant Ape's Fury, he matched Carol's normal state. Unfortunately, Carol in her Binary State was still no match for Clark; otherwise, the family would have reached a sort of dynamic equilibrium in strength.
Before Clark's arrival, Robert and Carol had been fighting intensely, but as Clark appeared on the islands, Carol, under pressure from Robert, changed her expression slightly and instantly activated her Binary State.
With a loud "bang," Robert was sent flying back by Carol's punch, reverting him from his Giant Ape's Fury state to his normal form. He looked up at Carol in the sky with a somewhat speechless expression.
"Are you really going to hit that hard when it's just between us? A bit embarrassing, isn't it?" Robert shook his head, glancing at his healing wounds and muttered softly.
Robert also glanced at Clark, understanding why Carol suddenly changed tactics; Clark's ill-timed arrival must have spurred her. It seemed Carol didn't want Clark to think she couldn't beat him or his brother.
"So, we're all on the same side, why do you keep aiming for my face? No one would notice if it wasn't for Clark showing up. Should I just let you keep hitting me in the face?" Carol approached, her luminous face showing traces of Robert's hits, and she looked at him irritably.
"Why are you aiming for Carol's face?" Clark, noticing the injuries on Carol's face, also looked puzzledly at Robert. "That's not your usual fighting style..."
"No choice, her body is too tough. Plus, her battle suit seems as good as ours, maybe even stronger in defense, so I had to aim for the weak spots..." Robert shrugged, indicating it wasn't intentional but merely a habit to exploit an opponent's weaknesses in battle.
Of course, this wasn't the whole truth. Robert targeted Carol's face also because she wasn't his girlfriend; hitting her face wouldn't make him feel remorseful...
Even if Kara learned of today's battle, given Robert's combat style, she wouldn't worry about him falling for Carol, especially since Carol hadn't minded before Clark's arrival.
Clark, sensing Robert's reasoning, didn't expose him, especially since Robert hadn't shared anything about Lois with Lana and the others.
"Kryptonian battle suits are a bit more advanced than mine, whether it's what you're wearing or what the Kryptonian squad wears in the universe..." Carol said, the light on her face not fading, quickly healing the injuries on her face as she shook her head and spoke softly.
"Your suits are easy to wear, strong in defense, not only have storage capabilities but also quickly regenerate when damaged. They're among the top tier of battle suits..."
"And the Kryptonian squad's suits are even more special. Really, calling them battle suits is an understatement; they're more like battle armors. Those wearing the armors have strength comparable to your normal state, Robert..."
"Isn't that about the same as Kara? After soaking up the sun for so many years, she can only match a set of K
ryptonian armor?" Robert's mouth fell open, amazed at such technological prowess, far surpassing Tony Stark's armor. Stark would surely be fascinated if he knew about Kryptonian armor, he thought.
"General Zod, who leads them, is even stronger. If they didn't have such strength, they couldn't possibly stand a chance in the cosmos," Carol added with a smile.
"That makes sense," Robert nodded in agreement, realizing that without at least demon lord-level strength, they wouldn't be considered formidable in the cosmos.
With a hum, the energy barrier outside the Savage Islands dissipated as the battle ended, prompting Joel to no longer isolate Robert and Carol, especially not with his son Clark outside.
"You were asking about that cerulean cube earlier, right? Let's go inside and talk..." Carol glanced at Robert and said with a smile as they headed toward the Savage Islands.
"Cerulean cube? What's that?" Clark, who hadn't been privy to Robert's previous encounters, looked puzzled as he asked.
"It's a remarkable object I encountered before arriving here. From the memories I accessed, the cube's energy seemed even more potent than the energy within the twelve sigils, perhaps even surpassing their combined power," Robert gravely told Clark.
"More powerful than all twelve sigils combined?" A hint of surprise flashed in Clark's eyes as he spoke more seriously, "Based on what you know, the Saint originally had the power of a Lesser Celestial Father, and the twelve sigils were the core of his power, which means the essence of the sigils was at the Lesser Celestial Father level..."
"So, if this cerulean cube you mentioned is more terrifying than all the sigils combined, does that mean its contained power is on par with a Celestial Father, like myself?"
"Initially, I thought the cube was quite powerful, but now that you've explained it, it suddenly doesn't seem that impressive..." Upon hearing Clark's analysis, Robert's mouth twitched slightly, and the cube's prestige in his mind took a nosedive.
"What? You think my power isn't impressive?" Clark raised an eyebrow, looking at Robert with a smile.
"It's definitely impressive, but the sense of crisis and mystery just vanished!" Robert grimaced, heading in Carol's direction. Although Clark had deduced the cube's power level to be somewhat disappointing, Robert quickly regained his interest.
"What if the cube, like the sigils, is divided into twelve pieces or even more? Wouldn't that be even more interesting?" A thought crossed Robert's mind as he reached Carol, looking at her expectantly, hoping the clues she would reveal wouldn't disappoint.
"That cerulean cube is known as the Tesseract, and it's also called the Space Stone," Carol began, catching Robert's hopeful gaze. "Actually, that's the source of my powers. I was hit by a blast from the Tesseract in an accident, and instead of dying, I was taken by the Kree. When I woke up, I had the powers I possess now..."
"At that time, I was brainwashed by the Kree, believing I was one of them, and that my powers were bestowed by them. But during a mission back to Earth, I discovered the truth, broke free from the Kree's control, and that's when I met Nick Fury."
"That's your power source? But it doesn't quite sound like it. Could it be a mutation like Barry Allen or Lana, then?" Robert mused hesitantly after hearing Carol's explanation.
"Right, it must be a mutation, or rather, I only received the pure energy inside the Tesseract, not the part of the power that pertains to the Space Stone..." Carol nodded, smiling. "Otherwise, I would be able to teleport directly!"
"Space Stone? Teleportation? No wonder that power affected the teleportation portals!" A realization dawned in Robert's eyes. He finally understood why Nick Fury's base could always block the power of the portals; it was a more potent form of spatial power.
"I know about the Space Stone too," Joel chimed in, materializing an image to show Robert, Carol, and Clark. "Eons ago, when the universe was young, six Infinity Stones came into being: Time, Space, Reality, Power, Soul, and Mind..."
"Some say these six stones are the foundation of the universe, but that's not entirely accurate, as the universe has also seen powers that match or even surpass the Infinity Stones. These too seem like the foundations of the universe, but sadly, no one can fully explore the mysteries of the cosmos, not even the civilization of Krypton..."
"Six Infinity Stones? That seems a bit few," Robert blinked, initially thinking there would be at least twelve cubes like the twelve sigils, only to find out there were just six.
"Six is quite a lot already. From what Krypton knows of cosmic history, no one has ever managed to gather all six Infinity
Stones since their creation," Joel said with a smile, shaking his head softly. "These six stones are supposed to be a set that can be combined. It's said that the universe once discovered two fundamental forces that are diametrically opposed yet unified, but sadly, no one can possess both forces at the same time, just as no one can gather all six stones."
"According to ancient, nebulous legends, if someone could gather all six Infinity Stones, they could fulfill any wish within the current universe!"
"Huh?" Robert blinked. This sounded like the Dragon Balls, which in themselves held no miraculous power unless united as the Super Dragon Balls.
However, it seemed the Infinity Stones might not measure up to the Super Dragon Balls, as the latter could influence beyond the universe, whereas the stones emphasized power within the current universe.
"Hasn't any genius created something like an Infinity Stone radar based on these stones?" Robert snapped back to reality, looking at Joel.
"The universe is vast and limitless, teeming with countless civilizations, yet there are only six Infinity Stones. Many civilizations rise and fall without ever seeing a single stone. Who could create the Infinity Stone radar you speak of?" Joel remarked wistfully.
"Besides, the six stones don't seem to have any apparent connection on the surface, and their powers are distinct, making them hard to locate with a radar. Of course, that's based on my assumption, having never seen an Infinity Stone. Perhaps there is some connection between them..."
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