Bruce let Namor and his people go after giving him a warning. The next time, he tries anything like this, that will be his and his entire kingdom's last day on earth. Bruce even placed a couple of Sentinels around his Kingdom, just in case Namor gets any funny ideas.
Harley hugged him from behind, "I did well, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did. Thanks to you I got another Ring. Now only 2 to go," Bruce replied looking at his fingers. He could feel the power of the Rings pulsing through him, each one amplifying the others.
"How is it? The power?" She asked curiously.
"It's intoxicating. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before," he admitted. "It's hard to explain, but it's like I can feel the power surging through my body. Every movement feels effortless. Everything seems so clear. Anyway, I'll reward you later. Right now, we gotta find the other two rings."
Just then a call came from Natasha. Bruce activated the holographic pop-up display on his right arm, "Yeah Nat?"
"We found the Nightbringer Ring. Well, Ami found it. She heard a voice and sneaked out and took down a group of cultists. We were able to take them into custody and get the ring. I think there's some girl trapped inside it."
"Yeah, that's an ancient soul. I'll tell you more later. By the way, how is she?" Bruce asked.
"She's fine. With her powers back, taking down a bunch of cultists is easy for her. Moving on, I have located the final Ring, thanks to the ancient soul'd voice. It's at an underwater Shield lab that was supposed to be abandoned years ago. No idea what the hell it's doing here," Natasha informed with a serious expression.
"Good work, Nat. Send me the coordinates and I'll be there to get it soon." Bruce closed the call and turned to Harley. "Looks like we got another one. You girls go back to the base and protect that Ring. With Mephisto pulling the strings, it's only a matter of time before someone or something attacks it."
"Alright," Selina said, hugging him. "You go take care of things."
"Be careful out there, Dad," Morgan said with a smile. She was satisfied with her first mission with her dad. She got to fly side by side, kick some butt, and save many people. Her dream of being a hero with her power came true today. 'I can't wait to go on another mission with my Dad.'
Bruce nodded, giving Morgan a proud look before flying away toward his next destination.
"Don't leave me, Brucie!" Harley was about to fly behind him, but Selina caught her pigtails and pulled her back.
"You heard him. Back to the base," Selina gave her a stern look.
...
Bruce flew through the sky at a blinding speed. As he approached the coordinates Natasha had sent, Jarvis warned him.
"Sir, gravitational distortions are increasing as you approach the location. Energy readings are... unusual."
Bruce scanned the area, his enhanced Kryptonian vision piercing the ocean's depths. Below, an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. lab lay shrouded in an unnatural glow, tendrils of distortion rippling through the water like visible fractures in reality.
"Daimonic is down there," He muttered. He could feel the unusual energy in the air and the eight rings in his fingers were humming.
As Bruce descended, the water around him rippled with eerie vibrations. His nanite suit shifted, forming a reinforced layer around him to handle the immense pressure. Although he doesn't need a suit, one can never be too careful. His Kryptonian strength and speed made traversing the ocean depths almost effortless, but the further he went, the heavier everything felt. The gravity distortion intensified.
At last, the lab came into view. It was a crumbling structure half-buried in the seabed. Glowing cracks spiderwebbed across its exterior, emanating pulses of energy. Bruce landed softly on the seafloor, his boots creating a dull thud.
The main entrance was sealed, but a wave of his hand sent a pulse of energy from his suit, breaking the reinforced steel door apart. He stepped inside, his senses immediately on high alert. The corridors were eerily silent, save for the occasional creak of twisted metal.
Jarvis' voice chimed in. "Detecting life signs, sir. One individual—extremely volatile energy signature. Graviton."
In the heart of the lab, Bruce found the source of the distortions. The Daimonic Ring hovered in the center of a containment field, its glow pulsating with ominous white light. But it wasn't alone.
Standing before the containment unit was Franklin Hall—Graviton. His body radiated with energy, his figure appearing almost blurred as the air around him rippled with gravitational force. His expression was twisted with anger and madness, a result of years of isolation in a forgotten prison.
"You dare intrude on my domain?" Graviton's voice boomed, the room shaking with each word. "This power... my power... will reshape the universe!" He grabbed the ring.
Bruce stepped forward, his voice calm but commanding. "That ring isn't yours, Hall. Stand down before this gets ugly."
Graviton sneered. "Stand down? Do you even comprehend the power I wield? I am gravity itself! You're nothing but an insect to me."
With a flick of his wrist, Graviton unleashed a wave of crushing force. The walls bent inward, and the floor cracked under the pressure. Bruce stood his ground, the nanite suit's stabilizers countering the distortion. His Kryptonian physique kept him unyielding.
"Is that all you got?" Bruce taunted.
Graviton roared in fury, sending another gravitational wave. This time, Bruce moved. In a blur of speed, he dodged the attack, closing the gap between them in an instant. His fist collided with Graviton's chest, sending him flying into the containment wall.
The impact shook the lab, and the containment field flickered.
'Tsk. Using gravity bubble. Ha! A nice trick,' Bruce thought with a smirk.
Graviton recovered quickly, floating into the air as debris swirled around him. "You're fast. But gravity is everywhere. You can't escape it."
He raised his arms, and the room erupted into chaos. Panels tore from the walls, and fragments of metal swirled around them, forming a deadly storm. Bruce activated his heat vision, slicing through the debris as he darted toward Graviton.
Graviton countered by increasing the gravity around Bruce, trying to pin him down.
Bruce felt the gravitational force intensify, pressing down on him like an invisible mountain. The floor beneath his feet cracked and buckled, yet he remained upright, his Kryptonian physique resisting Graviton's attempts to immobilize him. "You really don't understand who you're dealing with," Bruce said, his voice steady despite the pressure. He clenched his fists, the Rings on his fingers glowing brighter with each passing second. The power within them coursed through his body, amplifying his already immense strength.
Graviton sneered, his eyes gleaming with madness. "I control the very forces that bind the universe together! You are nothing!"
With a deafening roar, he unleashed the full power of the Daimonic Ring. A gravitational singularity formed above his head, pulling everything in the room toward its center. The lab trembled as walls, machinery, and even water from outside the facility began to spiral into the vortex.
Bruce planted his feet firmly on the ground, "That's an impressive light show, but you're forgetting something important." He raised his hand, and the eight Rings on his fingers flared with radiant energy. With a flick of his wrist, he sent out a shockwave of pure force, disrupting the singularity.
The vortex collapsed in on itself, the energy dispersing harmlessly. Graviton's expression twisted in rage. "Impossible!"
Bruce dashed forward, his speed blurring him into near invisibility. He delivered a hard uppercut to Graviton's jaw, the force sending the villain hurtling through several walls. Before he could recover, Bruce followed up with a barrage of punches, each one amplified by the Rings. The lab shook with the intensity of their battle, debris raining down around them.
Graviton snarled, his body glowing with gravitational energy. "You're strong, but I can do this all day!" He clapped his hands together, creating a gravitational shockwave that sent Bruce skidding backward.
With the base destroyed, water began to rush in from outside, filling the room. Graviton shot out and went straight for the surface. But before he could get far, a wave of energy slammed into him from behind, knocking him off course.
Bruce caught him by the neck, his grip like a vice. Graviton struggled, but Bruce held firm. "As much as I would have liked to play with you, I'm in a hurry."
He brought his fist back, and then slammed it forward, right into Graviton's face. The impact created a shockwave that rippled through the water and his face splattered open, his brain and flesh exploding in a spray of blood.
The Daimonic Ring slipped out of Graviton's hand. Bruce caught it with ease and then released the corpse. It fell to the ocean floor, sinking into the darkness. He aimed his fist and sent a raw blast of energy, destroying the last of the base and Graviton's body. Then, he flew up toward the surface, the Daimonic Ring in hand.
...
In the depths of Hell, Mephisto paced back and forth across the throne room. His eyes were fixed on the image of Bruce flying toward the surface of the ocean.
"Damn it! Every single one of them is useless. If not for the pact we made, I would've killed them all a long time ago," Mephisto grumbled.
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