Flying above the clouds, Brandon scanned the ground until he found what he was looking for. He had expected their fight to take place in a high-tech facility or even at the Guardians' HQ, which would have made things easier. However, he ended up being completely wrong.
Looking around, all Brandon saw was desert for miles, with barely any life besides the occasional scorpion. In the center of this desert stood a tall woman who eyed him maliciously.
'War Woman, and by the look of things, I might be getting more than I asked for,' Brandon thought as he examined her appearance. She wore her usual Greek armor with her mace in hand, but the sound of her heart pounded like the drums of war. Every beat was practically directed at him, and War Woman didn't even bother to hide her battle hunger, her wide grin reflecting her eagerness.
"You kept me waiting a long time, Ultra-Man. I'd have understood if you didn't call because of an injury, but you were clearly fine with how active you became afterward."
"I'm sorry about that. I was just getting used to the hero thing and didn't have time, but I do now and that's what matters, right?"
"Indeed, and I hope you've come prepared to give your all. I've seen your recent fights, and you were clearly holding out on us."
Holding out? Maybe a little, but most of what he showed this month was due to rapid growth under the sun. Now that he thought about it, how well would he compare to her now? Previously, Brandon didn't get the chance to see what she was capable of because of her injury, but she was definitely not weak.
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't hold out and just got stronger?"
"Haha, to have that kind of growth, you'd need to be blessed by Heracles, and I sense no such thing from you. So let's stop the jokes and fight," War Woman said, not believing a word Brandon said.
'Wait, did she just say Heracles? Does this mean this world has gods?' Brandon wasn't sure what to think about this. If they were reclusive, then it was fine, but if they were to reveal themselves and pose a threat, that might be trouble. Wanting more information, Brandon was about to ask, but War Woman didn't give him the time as she rushed him.
Seeing her movements clearly, Brandon reached out and blocked her blow, blasting all the sand away from them and creating a circle in the desert.
"Wait, I want to know more about that Heracles thing," Brandon asked while holding onto her war mace, but War Woman was clearly uninterested in any more conversation. If anything, seeing her mace caught barehanded made her more excited for combat.
"You talk too much!" she shouted, taking advantage of their close distance and Spartan-kicking Brandon several feet away, allowing her to take her mace back.
'Ugh, that tingled. Fine, if she doesn't want to talk now, I'll just get it out of her after.' Looking at War Woman, Brandon decided he wasn't going to treat this like some practice spar. If she really wanted a fight, then he'd give her one, even if it ended quickly.
Now he wasn't underestimating her. He understood she was strong and even found himself impressed by it, but a lot had changed this month. Bathing in the sun wasn't for nothing, after all, and at this very moment in a desert without a cloud in the sky to block the sun, Brandon felt really good.
Lifting off the ground, Brandon's eyes turned crimson before he turned into a blur that reminded her of Red Rush. A person whom she was all too familiar with from spars, and because of those experiences, she knew what was coming. However, that realization came too late as she felt a fist make contact with her stomach.
"Argh!"
The punch was so heavy that his fist practically left an indent in her armor, and Brandon clearly wasn't done....
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every punch broke through her defenses, leaving her completely on the receiving end. Despite this, the smile on her face never ceased. In the midst of the punches, War Woman suddenly shifted her body and locked his arm underneath hers before yanking him close. Taking advantage of this, she proceeded to unleash her own flurry of blows into his stomach, each strike making him grunt in pain.
However, Brandon didn't take this lying down. He also began to smile. It looked like this would be the first time in a month that he'd have the chance to let loose.
At this moment, Omni-Man was gone from his thoughts. Being a hero was gone from his thoughts. All he had was the opponent in front of him, and he'd show why he was a Kryptonian warrior.
That he is Lor-Zod, the last son of Krypton!
Grabbing her by the hair, Brandon brought her face down right to his knee, making her tremble in pain. Not letting go of this momentum, Brandon began spinning her before tossing her up into the air where he blasted his heat vision.
Seeing the rays coming, War Woman ignored her pain and slammed her mace down on the rays, blasting them away. This wouldn't have been possible for most weapons, but War Woman's mace was special. Created from divine metal and blessed by the gods, it had the power to withstand and repel even the fiercest attacks.
"Not bad," Brandon muttered, impressed by her resilience. "But let's see how long you can keep up."
War Woman, still airborne, adjusted her stance and prepared to counter. She wasn't just a brute; she was a seasoned warrior with centuries of experience. She used the momentum from the blast to angle herself back toward Brandon, her mace raised high.
Brandon watched her descent with a mix of admiration and anticipation. This was the kind of fight he craved, a battle that pushed his limits and tested his skills. He prepared himself for her next attack, every muscle in his body tense with readiness.
As she closed the distance, War Woman swung her mace with all her might. Brandon braced himself, crossing his arms to absorb the impact. The force of the blow was tremendous, pushing him back several feet and creating a crater in the desert floor where he landed.
"Impressive," he said, shaking off the pain. "But I'm just getting started."
With a burst of speed, he launched himself back at her, their movements blurring as they exchanged blows at incredible speeds. Fists and mace clashed, creating shockwaves that echoed across the desert. Both warriors were relentless, neither willing to back down. Before long the landscape changed with several sand storms being generated.
At this point, Brandon knew that things had already gone a bit far and if they didn't stop soon then their fight might reach places with people. So he decided to give her the Superman special.
Kicking her up into the air Brandon flew fast enough to reach her again and combined his two hands into a tight grip before slamming them down at her with a bit more force. In response to this War Woman's eyes suddenly turned white as she crashed down into the earth.
Usually, she would have gotten back up again but this time she remained unmoving. Brandon panicked for a moment thinking he might have killed her but the sound of her heart eased his worries.
"Dammit, I still need to work on my control" Brandon muttered as he floated down. Checking her with X-ray vision Brandon found only bruising and some internal damage but her body was already working remarkably fast healing the damage. In this state, he did his best to look away from her more private areas which was a battle in itself.
'I can't do that, I need to be a gentleman!' Brandon told himself but it was like he had a little demon on his shoulder that said 'But a little peak won't hurt and besides no one will know. I bet Kal-El did this plenty of times'
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt…" Brandon muttered while turning his head but War Woman's voice caught him completely off guard
"What wouldn't hurt?"
"Ah, you know rest. It never hurts to do so after a battle I mean just look at you you're already recovering" Brandon said making up a lie as fast as possible.
War Woman had a feeling that Brandon wasn't telling the full truth but it didn't matter. In the end, she got the fight she wished for and these bruises were proof of her challenge.
"Agreed rest is beneficial. Now onto your questions I briefly remember you asking something before our battle" War Woman asked honestly as she really had ignored most of his words at the time.
'Great, I can finally ask about those guys. I just hope it's not some DC-level stuff and that these gods are more like Marvel ones. Simply being aliens who live on a floating space island.' Brandon thought to himself as it would be the best scenario.
"Yeah, I just was curious about where you're from. Earlier you mentioned a god's blessing and I've seen videos where you've said similar things."
"Pretty heavy question to ask, don't you think? We've only met three times now" A question about work or experience would be more appropriate than practically asking a hero's origin.
Brandon also realized that he might have overstepped and quickly apologized. "Sorry I didn't mean to, we can just talk about something else then," He said with his last words carrying some regret. This information could be useful down the line.
"Apologies accepted but if you truly want to know then I need to hear your story as well. It's only fair" War Woman asked, truly curious about how Brandon gained such power.
Hearing the offer Brandon hesitated for a moment and took a moment to think but he really didn't want to miss this opportunity. As far as he was aware she might be the only character he knows that's connected to the gods. Now he could be wrong and there might be more but he only watched the first season of the show so he wouldn't even know where to start.
Besides, knowing that he's an alien shouldn't be too surprising and War Woman was honorable making it unlikely that she'd share what she learned.
"Alright you got yourself a deal"