Bang bang bang!
On the narrow pier, Diana and the newborn fought ferociously.
But she was clearly outmatched.
Despite her upgraded equipment and her new status as the God of War, having transitioned from a demigod to a true deity, she was still no match for the newborn. He rampaged like a tank on a narrow road, crushing everything in his path—no matter how luxurious the car, it was easily flattened by him.
"I can hardly bear to watch this!" Su Sheng tilted his head slightly, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Promise me one thing, and I'll help you—I'll take him down."
"What condition? What are you planning to do?" Diana shouted, barely holding her ground.
"Just say yes or no!" Su Sheng replied firmly.
"You have to promise to restore my mother and the rest of Paradise Island to their original state, and I'll agree!"
Su Sheng chuckled. "You've changed. You used to be so pure, but now you've learned to haggle."
"No deal!"
Diana, struggling to fend off the newborn's attacks, turned her head and shouted at Su Sheng.
"Alright, I promise," Su Sheng finally agreed, chuckling.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself," Cassandra sneered from the side. "Who do you think you are? No one and no god can stop the firstborn!"
Before Su Sheng could respond, Riley immediately shot back. "And who do you think you are? No one and no god dares to speak to my master like that!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Riley waved her hand, sending a flame hurtling toward Cassandra.
Though Cassandra was a demigod, her spirit-speaking ability had been destroyed. Even if it hadn't, she was little more than a loudmouth. Facing Firestorm's attack, she could only dodge clumsily.
Riley pressed her advantage, relentlessly chasing after Cassandra, launching flames at her from the air as Cassandra fled in disgrace.
"Help me… someone, help!" Cassandra cried out in desperation.
Diana had no time to see what was happening with Riley; the newborn's strength was growing overwhelming, and she was barely holding on.
Boom!
A thunderous noise that seemed to shatter the world suddenly echoed. Su Sheng now stood where the newborn had been moments ago, slowly retracting his fist. "What did you say?"
He was so fast!
Diana hadn't even seen Su Sheng's movements; all she knew was that the pressure she had been under suddenly vanished, and the newborn had been sent flying.
"You're getting stronger and stronger," Diana said, her voice tinged with complexity.
"No, I've always been this strong," Su Sheng corrected her with a chuckle. "I've just never met an opponent that required me to use my full strength."
Were all his previous enemies just too weak? Diana thought back to the ease with which he had crushed foes like Eris, the goddess of strife, and Ares, the god of war. She realized she had never truly seen the full extent of his power—she didn't know where his limits lay.
A strong wind blew past, and in the distance, the newborn suddenly charged at Su Sheng, his fist aimed squarely at him.
Su Sheng met the punch head-on.
The collision sent a shockwave through the pier, pushing Diana back several steps. The sea beside them rose up like a waterfall, and the ground beneath Su Sheng and the newborn instantly sank. As their fists met, time seemed to stand still.
It felt both like a moment and an eternity.
"You're going to lose," Su Sheng said, a bright smile on his face.
"Hmph," the newborn grunted coldly.
Almost simultaneously, they attacked again.
The newborn's fighting style was primitive and barbaric, but his strength and recovery abilities were formidable. His divine power carried a unique energy—hatred. A deep, seething hatred that drove him to kill the gods, to destroy the world.
War and death lay before his eyes.
This intense hatred worried Diana, making her fear for Su Sheng, while it caused Hera to collapse in terror, and the woman in the plaid shirt to consider fleeing.
"Diana's power doesn't even compare to yours. Even at her peak as a demigod, she's five times weaker than you. But you're still a worthless scumbag!" the newborn roared, his hatred pouring out, making Diana tremble and forcing her to kneel on the ground.
This hatred was so potent that it turned the world dark, and the gods on Mount Olympus couldn't help but shudder.
"You…" The newborn's face twisted in confusion. Why did this power feel so familiar? It was his power!
"Infinite stacking, double!" Su Sheng shouted, though he rarely did because it felt too childish. But now, he was genuinely enjoying himself.
With a flash of excitement in his eyes, Su Sheng threw a punch.
Boom!
The newborn tried to resist, but the sheer force pushed him back—one step, two steps—before Su Sheng punched him again. The blow sent the newborn staggering to the side, but before he could recover, Su Sheng struck him again from the opposite side.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The newborn was like a punching bag, swaying back and forth under Su Sheng's relentless assault. After more than ten punches, his face was unrecognizable. Though his facial features remained, his skin was completely gone, exposing raw, bloody flesh.
Suddenly, Su Sheng leaped into the air and delivered a powerful punch.
Boom!
The newborn crashed to the ground, creating a deep crater. His body bounced a few times before finally coming to a stop.
He didn't move at all.
The newborn, who had effortlessly killed Lennox with a single strike and left Diana with no chance to fight back, had been utterly crushed by Su Sheng.
What incredible power!
"It's really tough to beat," Su Sheng remarked, glancing down at his injured fist. But the injury was already healing at a visible rate.
Su Sheng turned to look at Diana, who subconsciously lowered her head to avoid his gaze.
"Are you hiding from me?" Su Sheng asked, his divine power receding as the overwhelming hatred and pressure vanished instantly.
Diana sighed in relief and looked back at him. "Your eyes just now… they were terrifying!"
"I'm not going to eat you. Why are you so scared?" Su Sheng teased, then paused. "Wait, can I actually eat people?" He seemed to recall that the newborn had an ability to acquire language and memory through devouring. When he emerged from the earth, he had swallowed a scientist who discovered him, thus learning English.
Author's Note: The Olympian gods in the New 52 Wonder Woman series are portrayed as a pretty twisted bunch, with even fratricide being common. Greek mythology itself isn't exactly a moral beacon! The firstborn is a truly powerful being, having killed nearly all the gods, and even after Diana became the God of War, she was repeatedly humiliated by him.