Chapter 49: A Fight with Maeve!
"Ryan, how has your training been going these past few days?"
Locke looked at little Ryan and asked.
Ryan looked up, his tone carrying a hint of showing off.
"Aunt Starlight taught me some simple fighting techniques! And I'm not afraid of heights anymore; I can fly wherever I want!"
Locke had made Ryan call him uncle, so Sister Starlight had no choice but to become Aunt Starlight.
"You've done very well. You're still young, and as a natural-born Superhuman, you'll make progress very quickly." Locke stroked Ryan's head and encouraged him.
However, Ryan felt a bit down and lowered his head.
"Uncle Locke, I still can't learn how to use Heat Vision. My eyes only turn red when I'm angry."
Without anyone to guide him, Ryan couldn't control his Heat Vision well.
In the original plot, because of his extreme anger, his Heat Vision went out of control, crippling Stormfront's limbs and accidentally killing his mother, Becca.
Locke smiled and comforted him, "This isn't something you can rush. You'll learn it slowly. The more anxious you are, the harder it will be to control."
He looked at Homelander. "Your father is very good at controlling Heat Vision. Let him teach you more."
"Really, Father?" Ryan looked at Homelander with anticipation.
Homelander froze slightly.
When he first found Ryan, he had forced his son to use his superpowers, and Ryan had been extremely resistant. Now, however, Ryan was so eager to learn them.
'Could it be that Locke is better at raising a son than I am?'
He felt a bit sour inside.
But seeing Ryan's expectant gaze, he still reached out to pat his son's head, flashing his signature pearly-white smile.
"Of course, I will teach you."
Homelander also wanted to build a good relationship with his son.
"John, don't slack off on your own training, or you'll never be able to beat me."
Locke advised before leaving.
"I don't need you to remind me!" Homelander gritted his teeth.
Little Ryan looked at the two of them with a face full of confusion. The relationship between his father and Uncle Locke was truly subtle.
He was still young and didn't understand that Homelanderalready viewed Locke as his arch-rival.
The next step in this kind of relationship would be frenemies.
...
Ten o'clock at night.
The St. Regis Hotel, one of New York's luxury hotels, was not far from Vought Tower.
It was highly private, and guests were rarely disturbed by outsiders.
In the quiet corridor, soft footsteps echoed.
Maeve, dressed in her superhero suit, stood tall with a cold and elegant aura. She raised her hand and gently knocked on the door of Room 301.
The door opened in response.
Locke had just finished showering, and a faint mist of water vapor still clung to him.
A loose bath towel wrapped around his tall and well-proportioned body. His sharply defined muscles were partially visible, giving him a clean yet sharp aura.
Maeve looked at him, puzzled. "Why did you ask me to come over in my suit? It's so inconvenient."
"It helps get our emotions more invested."
Locke's gaze fell upon Maeve, looking at her graceful figure perfectly outlined by the suit, a smile curving his lips.
Choosing to come to a hotel instead of the penthouse in Vought Tower was to avoid bumping into Starlight.
Although Locke didn't mind, Maeve felt a bit embarrassed.
After all, Starlight had been there first and had established a relationship with Locke first.
"I'm going to take a shower," Maeve said as she walked into the room.
"Are you sweaty?"
"No."
Maeve had no missions and no training all day today.
"Then there's no need to wash."
Before she could finish her sentence, Locke had already taken a step forward.
Slipping one arm under the bend of her knees and supporting her back with the other, he lifted her up in a bridal carry.
"Ah~"
Before Maeve could react, a soft gasp escaped her throat as Locke gently tossed her onto the soft bed.
The mattress bounced twice, and Maeve sank onto her back into the duvet, her long blonde hair sprawling out.
She looked up at Locke standing by the bedside, a rare blush rising on her face, even the tips of her ears burning hot.
She was startled; she hadn't expected Locke to be so proactive.
Locke casually untied his towel, revealing a perfectly sculpted, powerful body.
Every inch of muscle was just right, full of a highly impactful aesthetic of strength.
Maeve looked up. The usually calm, powerful, and decisive Queen...
...now had her ears quietly turning red, a hint of shyness rising in her heart.
They say marrying an older woman brings good fortune, but she was far older than Locke.
"Am I a bit old?" Maeve asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Locke leaned over, brushing aside her long blonde hair.
"For a Superhuman's lifespan, you are still in your adolescence."
"But, I'm not a virgin anymore..."
Locke looked at her earnestly. "It doesn't matter. It's just my fault for being born too late and not meeting you sooner."
"Pfft~" Maeve was amused by his words, but her heart was deeply touched.
She hadn't misjudged him; Locke didn't mind her past at all.
At this moment, she decided to give her everything to Locke.
"Locke~"
Seeing Maeve's affectionate look, Locke knew the time had come.
Maeve's suit was modular, allowing parts of it to be unfastened separately.
Locke removed her breastplate and the restraints under her skirt, leaving the rest on for an authentic experience.
The two began their agreed-upon battle.
Locke grabbed her directly, letting her feel his strength first.
Maeve felt a bit of pain and frowned, realizing she couldn't just sit back and take it.
She pulled out all the stops, determined to show Locke what she was made of.
As expected of Queen Maeve, her combat experience was far superior to Starlight's.
If Locke hadn't possessed a Viltrumite Physique, he really wouldn't have been her match.
Relying on the fact that her suit was still partially on, Maeve gave Locke an extremely intense combat experience.
In the first few rounds, Locke was somewhat suppressed and put on the defensive by her.
But he possessed the Viltrumite Bloodline after all, and his physique utterly crushed Maeve's.
After a few rounds, he figured out Maeve's offensive rhythm and began to fight back.
Locke decided to show her what he was capable of, activating his Super Speed and repeatedly launching them into the sky!
Maeve only felt a blur before her eyes as the world spun, the ceiling in her vision constantly shifting positions.
Her brain fell into a brief chaos, completely unable to discern Locke's position.
This made it impossible for her to organize a counterattack!
Maeve felt like a small boat in a violent storm, repeatedly tossed high into the air by giant waves, only to crash down heavily.
She clenched her teeth, unwilling to cry out in pain and let Locke think she had lost.
But it was simply impossible; Locke's power was too overwhelming!
Maeve's mind went completely blank, all her thoughts scattered, leaving only the most primal sensations.
Who knew how much time had passed; just as Maeve felt her consciousness about to drift away, Locke finally slowed down.
She panted, drenched in sweat, without even the strength to lift a finger.
"Do you yield?" Locke asked in her ear.
"No..." Maeve shook her head stubbornly.
Hmph, as expected of Queen Maeve.
Locke chuckled softly, utilizing his Super Speed to soar into the sky once more.
...
At 11:40 PM, this battle finally came to an end.
Although it had been less than two hours, the intensity of the battle was something Starlight wouldn't have been able to bear at all.
"Locke, you are too strong. If I were an ordinary person, I really wouldn't dare to fight with you."
Maeve lay there, her long blonde hair messily plastered to her cheeks.
Locke reached out to brush the hair away from her forehead. "Ordinary people indeed cannot withstand my power."
"Are you praising yourself?" Maeve rolled her eyes at him.
"Just stating a fact."
Maeve turned onto her side, looking at Locke's sharp profile, a wave of contentment washing over her.
She had never imagined that she would reach this point with an eighteen-year-old youth.
But Locke's maturity and stability far exceeded his age.
"Will you stay by my side forever?" Maeve asked.
"I will."
Chapter 50: Omni-Man's Special Training, the Suit is Complete!
In the hotel,
An exhausted Maeve lay beside Locke, fast asleep.
Her breathing was steady, and a flush from their struggle still lingered on her face.
Locke checked the time; it was already past 11:55 PM.
He gently slipped his arm out, pulled the blanket over Maeve, and closed his eyes to wait.
Exactly twelve o'clock.
The familiar sensation of spatiotemporal displacement instantly swept over his entire body.
Locke opened his eyes, and the ceiling above him already belonged to another world.
Mark's light snoring sounded beside him.
Having released too many Viltrum Particles on Maeve, Locke also felt a bit tired.
For once, he didn't wake up fully alert immediately after crossing over. Instead, he rolled over and fell into a deep sleep for the rest of the night.
...
7:00 AM.
Sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
Locke opened his eyes, feeling much more refreshed.
He went downstairs to wash up and saw his father, Nolan, sitting on the living room sofa, casually watching TV.
Mark had already gone to school, and Debbie had left for work.
The morning news was playing on the TV screen, showing a frozen frame of the downtown ruins after yesterday's Flaxan invasion.
Seeing Locke come downstairs, a rare gentle smile appeared on Nolan's face.
He pointed to the warm breakfast on the dining table and said,
"Your Aunt Debbie left some breakfast for you. After you eat, we'll go out and train together."
Locke nodded, quietly observing Nolan.
He could clearly sense that Omni-Man was in a much better mood today than before.
Locke pondered in his mind.
Had Omni-Man given up on his mission to conquer Earth?
That was absolutely impossible.
Or did Omni-Man have another plan?
Locke quickly finished his breakfast and flew with Omni-Man to the wilderness where they often trained.
Nolan was exceptionally casual today, not wearing his iconic Omni-Man suit.
Dressed in simple, casual everyday clothes, his presence was completely restrained. He looked no different from an ordinary middle-aged man,
showing absolutely no hint of the oppressive aura of a planetary-level powerhouse.
Hovering in the air with his arms crossed, he looked at Locke and said,
"Attack me with all your strength now. Don't hold back at all."
Locke nodded. The gap between him and Omni-Man was too vast.
In the face of absolute, crushing strength, hiding his capabilities made no sense and would only look utterly ridiculous.
The next second, Locke's figure suddenly burst forward!
A ring of shockwaves was left in his wake, and a patch of turf below was blown away.
Omni-Man raised an eyebrow slightly.
Locke's speed had increased again.
In just a few days since arriving in the United States, his speed had increased by at least Mach 2.
Such a rate of improvement was practically faster than that of elite Viltrumite Warriors!
Was Locke's talent really superior to Mark's?
Bang!
Thinking to himself, Omni-Man raised his hand to block Locke's fist.
But Locke's strength had also increased significantly. Because Omni-Man had held back too much, his body was knocked back over a dozen meters before he stabilized himself.
"Very good, son. Keep unleashing your potential," Omni-Man praised.
Name: Locke Grayson
Title: None
Rank: National-level
Strength: 700 tons
Speed: Mach 5.3
Physique: 34t/cm²
Abilities: Smart Atomic Physique, Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Physique, Super Regeneration, Super Senses, Vacuum Survival, Flight
Weaknesses: Severe Heart Damage, Specific Frequency Soundwaves
[To Be Updated]
Compared to when he had first awakened, Locke's strength and speed had both improved tremendously.
However, his physique was difficult to enhance through solo training.
Did he really have to get beaten up in actual combat for his physique to improve faster?
Was the "Punching Bag Hero" Mark actually right?
Shaking the random thoughts from his mind, Locke took to the air once more.
He began to fly around Omni-Man at high speed, moving so fast he became a mere afterimage.
He was looking for a flaw in Omni-Man's defense.
Omni-Man's eyes darted back and forth, easily tracking Locke's position.
"Your speed is sufficient, but your trajectory is too predictable."
Omni-Man critiqued, "You've been circling clockwise. Try changing directions."
Locke immediately changed direction, sprinting counterclockwise,
then suddenly doubled back, throwing a punch at Omni-Man's back!
Without even turning his head, Omni-Man blocked with a backhand, precisely parrying Locke's attack.
"Good angle, but your power is dispersed." Omni-Manturned around.
"When you punch, you need to focus your entire body's power into your fist, instead of just relying on your arm."
Locke nodded and launched another attack.
He constantly adjusted his method of attack, sometimes bursting forward in a straight line, sometimes curving around to the back, and sometimes hammering down from above.
Omni-Man neutralized each move effortlessly, offering guidance all the while.
"Keep your elbows tight. Your punches will have more explosive power that way."
"Watch your center of gravity when you kick. Don't throw yourself off balance."
"Raise your arms when defending to protect your head and chest."
"Especially the heart area."
Locke committed everything to memory.
He knew that Omni-Man had fought in countless battles,
and his combat experience ranked among the very best in the entire Viltrum Empire.
Being able to learn from such an opponent was a rare opportunity.
The two of them sparred for nearly two hours.
Locke attacked with everything he had, while Omni-Manonly defended.
Even so, Locke failed to touch Omni-Man's body even once.
The gap was just too massive.
Yet, Omni-Man's expression grew more and more astonished.
Because he realized that Locke's rate of improvement far exceeded his expectations!
At the beginning, it took Locke three seconds to find an opening to attack.
After ten minutes, it was down to two seconds.
After half an hour, Locke was already able to launch three consecutive attacks within a single second.
Although he still couldn't hurt Omni-Man, this learning speed and adaptability had already surpassed the vast majority of Viltrumite Warriors.
Omni-Man made a quiet comparison in his heart.
Mark had also awakened a few days ago, but his combat awareness and skills were far inferior to Locke's.
They were both his sons, so why was the gap so huge?
...
"Locke, Art called me this morning. Your suit is basically finished. He worked through the entire night, so you owe him one."
After training for two hours, Locke took a brief break, and Omni-Man spoke.
"It's already done?" Locke was somewhat surprised.
The old tailor, Art, was getting on in years, yet he had stayed up all night just to design Locke's suit. It must have been hard on him.
Locke felt grateful; there was now one more person he wanted to protect.
"I am curious, though," Omni-Man raised an eyebrow,
"just what kind of suit you customized that it actually required the rare materials kept by the Global Defense Agency."
Locke understood.
Nolan already knew about Cecil sending the materials.
But he definitely didn't know about Locke's private relationship with Cecil.
He would only assume that Cecil was willing to provide the rare, treasured materials out of respect for Omni-Man's status.
"I think it's going to be extremely cool, and in all likelihood, much handsomer than your suit, Father."
Locke smiled, his tone exceptionally confident.
"Oh? Is that so?" Omni-Man smiled faintly.
"My suit was designed very casually back then. My only requirement was that it shouldn't be a blue bodysuit with red underwear worn on the outside and an'S' on the chest."
Hearing this, Locke couldn't help but laugh.
It seemed Omni-Man was highly disdainful of Superman's classic suit design.
...
After a brief rest to recover some strength,
Locke didn't slack off. He proactively stood up to dive back into training.
He was very serious and still gave it his all.
Because Omni-Man was a veteran of countless battles with rich combat experience, ranking among the top few in the Viltrum Empire.
Locke could learn a great deal of combat techniques from Omni-Man,
and he could unleash his full power without worrying about hurting him.
Soon, it was 12:00 PM.
Facing Locke's heavy punch whistling toward him once again, Nolan gently raised his hand and firmly caught his fist.
Exhaling slowly, he said softly,
"That's enough. Debbie should be home from work by now, getting ready to make lunch."
Hearing this, Locke withdrew his fist and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Sparring with Omni-Man for a few hours was more exhausting than training solo for an entire day.
Just then,
the phone left on the grass below suddenly rang urgently.
Locke dropped to the ground, bent over to pick up the phone, and saw the caller ID was Eve.
Without hesitation, he answered immediately.
"Locke, Rex is at the base and found that Robot's early warning system went off. I'm afraid the Flaxans are invading Earth again.
I'm in the school cafeteria right now, about to tell Mark so we can head over together. What do you say?"
The Flaxans really are persistent.
Locke narrowed his eyes. "You guys go ahead, I'll be right there."
Hanging up the phone, he said to Omni-Man, "Father, there's an alien invasion. I'll go handle it first before coming home to eat."
Nolan nodded slightly, his expression calm, without asking a single question.
Locke soared into the sky, flying toward Art's tailor shop.
His custom suit was finally about to make its debut!
Chapter 51 Total Annihilation of the Teen Team
In the basement of the tailor shop, Art was dozing off behind his workbench,
his head nodding up and down, almost bumping into the table.
Hearing the sound of someone entering, he slowly raised his head, yawning with a tired expression on his face,
"You're here, kid."
Art stood up, rubbed his sore shoulders, and looked at Locke Grayson with a wry smile,
"My old bones were tossed and turned all night just for this suit of yours."
This exclusive suit of armor belonging to Locke Grayson,
was the most meticulously crafted and complex suit among the hundreds Art had designed over the past dozen years or so.
Unlike any standard suit in the past, this suit incorporated special alien beast skin materials sent by the Global Defense Agency.
Art spent the entire night repeatedly polishing and stitching it together, making the suit balance extreme toughness with a soft texture,
allowing it to freely stretch and retract with every inch of Locke Grayson's muscle movement, fitting tightly to his body,
as if it possessed life itself, perfectly adapting to all his battle stances!
Locke Grayson's gaze passed over Art and fell upon the workbench.
He was immediately captivated by the suit on it.
The design was flawless, exactly as Locke Grayson had imagined!
He strode forward and reached out to stroke the texture of the suit.
It was soft and silky, as tender and comfortable as a young girl's skin.
"I am very satisfied, Art. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."
"As long as you're satisfied." Art waved his hand,
"Your father and I have been friends for so many years, and since you're his son, of course I have to put some extra effort into it."
"I'll provide for your retirement." Locke Grayson said seriously.
"Hahaha, good!"
Hearing this, Art laughed cheerfully, "You and that kid Mark can provide for my retirement together."
Locke Grayson smiled and didn't say anything more.
He picked up the suit and walked into the side compartment to put it on.
The size was just right, as if it were growing on his body,
and after moving his limbs a bit, there was no sense of restriction at all.
"Not bad." Locke Grayson walked out of the compartment, his cape swaying gently behind him.
"Of course, my craftsmanship is no brag." Art stroked his chin proudly.
"I still have things to deal with, I'll be leaving first."
Finished speaking, Locke Grayson pushed open the basement door and walked up to the surface in a few steps.
Bang——!
Arriving above ground, Locke Grayson soared straight into the sky!
His cape swayed violently behind him, snapping in the wind.
...
Downtown Arlington.
It was already in complete chaos at this moment,
thousands of Flaxans had come again.
The giant circular portal appeared once more right in the middle of the road.
Green Flaxan soldiers filed out, holding new laser weapons and wildly strafing the surrounding buildings and crowds.
Unlike last time, the Flaxans' equipment was obviously upgraded this time.
The mechanical tanks were larger, the armor thicker,
and there were some never-before-seen spherical mechanical bodies floating in the air, resembling cold eyes.
The time flow rate of the Flaxan planet was completely different from Earth's,
where one day on Earth was equivalent to several decades on the Flaxan planet.
After retreating back to their home planet from their defeat last time, they relied on the extreme time difference to rapidly iterate technology, developing a large number of brand-new high-tech weapons!
Mark and Eve flew to the roof of a building, joining the other three members of the Teen Team.
"How did the two of you come together?" Rex looked at Eve, his tone somewhat displeased.
Eve explained, "Mark and I go to the same high school."
"Hmph, I've never been to high school."
Rex curled his lips, his tone carrying an inexplicable sourness.
Eve frowned.
Why did Rex like being jealous so much?
And even if he was jealous, he should be jealous of Locke Grayson; what did it have to do with Mark?
She wasn't familiar with Mark at all, and besides, Mark already had a girl he had a crush on.
"Mark, didn't your brother come?" Kate asked.
Eve explained again, "He told us to come over first, maybe he'll be here soon."
"Why do you know so clearly?" Rex complained again.
"Enough! Rex!"
Eve was a bit angry and couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with him anymore, taking the lead to rush towards the Flaxans below,
"Let's handle the important business first!"
Rex shrugged and jumped with Kate onto the fighter jet piloted by Robot.
Mark looked back at the sky.
Locke Grayson hadn't arrived yet.
He took a deep breath and pumped himself up:
"Mark, this time you're prepared, don't be like last time!"
Having finished encouraging himself, Mark's eyes turned resolute as he dove down and plunged into the battlefield.
...
On the street battlefield, the flames of war were flying.
Everywhere below, fleeing civilians were running amok, and screams rose and fell one after another.
"Run!"
Eve spread her arms, and pink subatomic energy condensed in front of her,
forming a wide protective wall that blocked dozens of civilians behind her.
She held her breath to sustain it for a few seconds, then violently pushed her hands forward,
and a giant pink energy shockwave swept out in a fan shape!
Dozens of Flaxans ahead, plus three new mechanical tanks, were instantly and completely destroyed by the shockwave!
"Huhu hu~"
Eve panted, her chest heaving up and down.
Large-scale energy attacks consumed a lot of physical strength and mental energy.
On the other side, the remaining four were also fighting individually, killing over a dozen Flaxans.
But except for Eve, who possessed large-scale clearing ability, the combat efficiency of the others was very low.
Mark fought relying purely on physical strength, sending a Flaxan flying with a single punch.
But his current combat skills were green and immature; he didn't know how to use hand blades or explosive rushes, and his fighting style was single-minded and clumsy.
Coupled with the constant interference from the Flaxans' new laser weapons, every time a laser hit, it would knock his body back repeatedly.
After several bouts of entanglement, Mark's efficiency in killing enemies was extremely low, and he was completely pinned down.
The situation slowly began to deteriorate.
Rex seized the opportunity and threw a few bombs toward the Flaxans.
But before the bombs could explode, several Flaxansimmediately activated a new type of wave weapon.
Invisible waves spread out, directly bouncing back all the incoming bombs!
"Hey! Don't shoot me!"
Rex was terrified and turned to run.
But the distance was too close, and he was still blasted away by the aftershock of his own bomb, heavily crashing to the ground.
A Scarred Leader of the Flaxans,
standing on a giant tank, let out a hoarse roar as if giving commands.
The Flaxans immediately aimed at the fighter jet piloted by Robot and fired electromagnetic interference missiles!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The blue electromagnetic missiles accurately hit the fighter jet.
Robot and the fighter jet suddenly malfunctioned, plunging from the sky trailing black smoke.
Boom!
The fighter jet crashed into the street, igniting a raging fire.
Kate the clone was also in imminent danger.
The Flaxans' laser weapons had a faster firing rate and greater power than last time.
A single shot could blast Kate's clones into pieces!
Left with only her main body, Kate had to hide behind the ruins, panting heavily.
And weapons targeting Eve had also arrived.
Several spherical mechanical objects rushed toward Evetogether!
Eve raised her hand and fired several energy spikes, piercing through a few of them.
But there were still ones that slipped through the net.
The final spherical machine rapidly unfolded, covering Eve's face instantly like a facehugger!
"Mmm——!"
Eve pulled desperately, but that thing was tightly adhered to her face, making it almost impossible for her to breathe!
"Eve!"
Seeing that all four members of the Teen Team were in danger, Mark slammed directly from the sky toward the ground!
Boom!
Several Flaxans were knocked flying.
But immediately afterward, dozens of lasers shot onto Mark's body!
Mark crossed his arms in front of him, gritting his teeth to withstand the damage head-on,
his body being pushed continuously backward by the kinetic energy of the lasers.
The Scarred Leader let out a hoarse laugh and waved his hand.
Several Flaxan grunt soldiers immediately stepped forward, firing balls of gray sticky liquid at Mark.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The extremely sticky liquid instantly enveloped Mark's limbs and torso.
In the blink of an eye, Mark was firmly stuck to the surface of a mechanical tank, unable to move his limbs, completely trapped.
"Hehehe!"
Seeing victory within its grasp, the Scarred Leader strode up in front of Mark.
It looked down condescendingly at Mark, then aimed at Mark's face and smashed down punch after punch!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Brother... Can I still not do it?" Mark's mouth bled as he muttered to himself.
"They seem to have made very good use of their time."
Robot knelt on the ground, his body still interfered with by electromagnetism, unable to move.
After returning to their own planet, the Flaxans had developed corresponding countering weapons targeting each member's attack methods and weaknesses of the Teen Team.
At this moment, the Teen Team was completely wiped out!
Chapter 52: I am the [Viltrumite Emperor]!
"Cecil, we have to go over there!"
In the Global Defense Agency command hall,
on the giant circular screen, the live footage of downtown Arlington was being broadcast in real time.
All seven members of the Guardians of the Globe were here, and everyone's expression was extremely grave.
Seeing the Teen Team completely wiped out, War Womanglared angrily at Cecil,
"You actually handed over the task of defeating the alien invaders and saving the Earth to a few youngsters?!"
"I could send that Scarred Leader back to his hometown in just a few seconds," Red Rush said.
"Wait a little longer." Cecil had his hands in his pockets, his expression calm.
The Immortal frowned, "You said there was still one person who hasn't arrived; do you trust him that much?"
"I can't hold back anymore! I came out from the bottom of the sea not to watch a show!"
Aquarus wore an irritated expression and turned to walk outside.
He had a very impatient temperament and found staying at the bottom of the sea extremely boring. Having been summoned here by the Defense Agency today, he certainly didn't want to do nothing.
"The unknown alien enemies have been eyeing us covetously. During special times, you must obey orders, otherwise you will be regarded as an enemy!"
Cecil looked at Aquarus and said coldly.
Hearing this, Aquarus stopped resentfully.
If he were regarded as an enemy of the Defense Agency, he wouldn't be able to come out from the sea in the future.
Green Ghost Alana did not transform, maintaining her human form, and she asked doubtfully:
"Was the emergency call signal sent to the Guardians of the Globe last time really from alien enemies?"
Darkwing crossed his arms, stood in the corner, and looked at Cecil's back without speaking.
He had always been suspicious.
Perhaps there were no unknown alien enemies at all.
But he couldn't figure out why Cecil would fabricate an enemy.
Omni-Man's plan to wipe out the Guardians of the Globewas not successfully implemented, so Darkwing couldn't think of Omni-Man no matter what.
"He's here."
At this moment, Cecil spoke calmly.
The seven members of the Guardians of the Globe all looked toward the screen.
When they saw the youthful figure clad in a combat suit with a stern aura high up in the sky,
everyone's face instantly revealed an expression of astonishment.
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
On the downtown streets, the Scarred Leader punched Mark dozens of times in succession, making its own hands sore.
Mark's entire face was covered in blood, mangled beyond recognition, and he looked extremely battered.
Fortunately, Viltrumites had tough physiques, and these injuries were merely superficial.
"Ah!"
Not far away, Eve, whose face was covered by a spherical machine, was desperately grabbing at it, wanting to pull it off.
Seeing this, the Scarred Leader dropped Mark and walked toward Eve.
It grabbed a handful of Eve's hair with one hand and raised a laser gun with the other, aiming at Eve's neck.
The cold touch of the gun barrel made Eve's whole body stiffen, completely daring not to move.
"No!!"
Except for Robot, the other three shouted with terrified expressions.
Seeing that Eve was about to meet with disaster, the atmosphere of the battlefield was depressed to the extreme.
Boom——!
Suddenly, a figure heavily smashed down from high altitude into the exact center of the street!
The ground within a radius of more than ten meters was smashed into a huge deep crater!
Gravel splattered and smoke and dust filled the air.
The street violently trembled, and several cars parked on the roadside were flipped over by the air wave!
The Scarred Leader was staggered two steps by the shockwave and let go of Eve's hair.
It narrowed its orange-yellow vertical pupils, looked at the smoke-filled deep crater, and let out a hoarse roar from its mouth.
The surrounding Viltrumite grunts immediately gathered around, raised their laser guns, and aimed at the deep crater.
After a few seconds, the smoke gradually dissipated,
and the Viltrumite grunts looked into the deep crater, but there was no one inside.
They looked at each other in dismay, making confused grunting sounds.
Sensing something, the Scarred Leader suddenly looked up!
It saw a human youth wearing a combat suit standing ten meters high in the air, looking down at it with indifferent eyes!
The charcoal-gray combat suit gleamed with a low-key luster in the sunlight, outlined with gorgeous dark gold textures.
The belt, wrists, ankles, and shoulders all featured golden armor plating,
with sharp angles, exuding a heavy metallic sense.
On the chest was a gilded letter "W", shining brilliantly under the illumination of light,
symbolizing the Viltrumites and Locke's imperial bloodline!
Behind him was a lightweight black cape, edged with thin dark gold borders, swaying gently in the high-altitude breeze.
The entire combat suit was neatly tailored, perfectly fitting Locke's muscle lines,
losing neither a sense of power nor exuding a noble temperament akin to an emperor!
The Scarred Leader was stunned for a second, then roared angrily, raising the laser gun in its hand.
Before it had time to pull the trigger, its vision blurred,
and that black figure had already disappeared from the spot.
The next second, Locke appeared in front of the Scarred Leader, and his fist smashed into its face!
Bang!
The Scarred Leader's body flew backward like a cannonball!
It plowed a trench over a hundred meters long on the street ground, flipped over seven or eight abandoned cars,
and finally embedded itself into the exterior wall of a building, the wall cracking with spiderweb-like fissures!
Locke didn't spare it another glance, turning around and walking to Eve's side.
He reached out and easily removed the spherical machine from Eve's face.
That thing was still struggling, with several metal tentacles attempting to wrap around Locke's arm.
Locke exerted force with his five fingers, and with a snap, directly crushed it into scrap metal.
Eve took large gasps of fresh air, her chest heaving violently.
Just now she was almost suffocating to death.
"Are you alright?" Locke said softly.
"You are... Locke?!"
When Eve saw clearly that the handsome youth wearing the combat suit in front of her was none other than Locke, her face was filled with shock.
Her emerald-green beautiful eyes lingered on Locke, as if forgetting that she was in the middle of a battlefield at this moment.
Locke was inherently handsome.
With his deep brows and eyes, three-dimensional mixed-race profile, matched with this noble and handsome combat suit, she found him even more charming.
Eve couldn't help swallowing hard.
She was once again smitten by Locke's good looks.
Moreover, Locke had just saved her,
and at this moment in her eyes, Locke was just like her dark prince charming.
Why not a prince on a white horse?
Because Locke's combat suit was dark-colored, somewhat similar to Black Adam's combat suit.
"Big brother?"
Mark's eyes were glued shut with blood, half-opening them, unable to believe that the person wearing the noble combat suit in front of him was Locke.
Looking again at the yellow-and-blue spandex suit on his own body,
he suddenly felt a bit low-tier.
"Dude, who are you?!" Rex yelled in surprise.
Kate and Robot also looked at Locke, waiting for his answer.
Locke smiled faintly,
"I am the [Viltrumite Emperor]."
Chapter 53: Locke Teaches Mark
"Viltrumite Emperor?"
The members of the Teen Team silently repeated Locke's title,
feeling it was even more high-profile than Mark's Invincible.
An emperor, that was the symbol of dragons!
However, given the formidable combat power Locke displayed, coupled with the noble aura emanating from this cool suit,
calling him "Viltrumite Emperor" didn't seem problematic at all.
Eve couldn't help but want to chuckle inside.
These two brothers, one called Invincible and the other called Viltrumite Emperor, were quite interesting.
"Thank you for saving me." Eve brushed aside a strand of messy hair, her tone carrying an imperceptible shyness.
Locke smiled slightly, "We are friends; you don't need to thank me."
"Friends..."
Hearing this, Eve's emerald-green eyes curved into crescents, and a charming smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Locke looked at Mark, who was still stuck to the tank,
"Mark, what are you still lying there for?"
"Brother." Mark gritted his teeth, wanting to get up, but his body was still stuck fast.
He shook his head, "I can't get up."
"You can get up." Locke's tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable certainty,
"You lack too much self-confidence,
and you have no idea how powerful the Viltrumite Bloodline is, nor do you know the strength within your body.
Burst it out; stop cowering anymore!"
Hearing Locke's reprimand, Mark felt a stifled anger burning in his chest.
Cowering...
Ever since the day he awakened, he had indeed been cowering all along.
Afraid that Flight was too high, afraid of hurting others in a fight, and upon seeing enemies, thinking of peace talks first rather than battle.
"Ah——!"
Mark let out a loud shout, clenched his fists, and exerted force abruptly!
The mucus on his body was forcibly broken free by him, making a tearing sound!
Bang!
The mechanical tank was knocked away by his back, rolling more than ten meters away and crashing heavily to the ground.
Mark stood on the street, his chest heaving, with traces of mucus stretching on his hands.
He looked down at his hands with a face full of surprise, "So I really can do it!"
He had always been self-limiting, constantly underestimating his true strength!
"Oh! Man!" Rex looked at Mark in surprise,
if it weren't for the blood from getting beaten still hanging on Mark's face, he would have thought Mark being trapped just now was just an act.
Locke's lips curled up as he turned to face the crowds of Flaxans,
"Follow me and watch how I do it."
With that, Locke burst forward, skimming close to the ground!
His cape fluttered violently behind him!
Like a bolt of black lightning, he charged into the ranks of the Flaxans!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One Flaxan after another was smashed to pieces!
Severed limbs flew into the air, and light purple blood splattered everywhere.
Locke shuttled back and forth through the crowd, as if entering an uninhabited realm.
Watching his brother's peerless and domineering posture,
Mark's eyes hardened with ferocity, and imitating Locke's operation, he charged out as well!
Boom!
He head-butted and sent three or four Flaxan foot soldiers flying; although his speed was slower than Locke's, the effect was already obvious.
Compared to the clumsy one-on-one fistfights before, the efficiency was countless times faster!
"Use hand-blades!"
Immediately afterward, Mark heard Locke's voice.
He knocked away the Flaxan in front of him and turned his head to look.
He saw Locke burst forward while using his hands like blades, decapitating all the Flaxans on both sides of his body as easily as chopping melons and vegetables!
Green heads flew up one by one, their cuts flat and smooth.
Mark's eyes lit up.
There was this kind of attack method?!
He immediately imitated Locke's posture, forming his hands into blade shapes, and began decapitating during his charge.
At first, he was a bit rusty, and the angle of his hand-blade chop wasn't tricky enough, only slicing off half of a Flaxan's shoulder.
But after trying a few times, Mark quickly grasped the essentials.
Hand-blade horizontal cut—the neck was the most vulnerable part.
Snap!
A Flaxan's head flew up.
Snap! Snap!
Two more Flaxans fell to the ground in succession.
One neat hand-blade fell after another, quickly killing several Flaxan soldiers.
The battle instantly became incomparably exhilarating!
"Is this even human..."
Rex watched the brothers' performance with his jaw dropped in astonishment.
Especially Mark; compared to before Locke's arrival, he had completely changed into a different person!
The contrast before and after was simply too absurd.
"The two of them are too strong!" Kate exclaimed.
Robot had already recovered from the electromagnetic interference, and he quickly calculated in his heart,
if both Locke and Mark joined the second-generation Guardians,
their future combat power would probably not lose to the members of the first-generation Guardians of the Globe.
While pondering, he suddenly noticed a Flaxan corpse on the ground,
the opponent was wearing a special technological wristband on their wrist,
Robot walked over, bent down to take it off, and began quickly scanning and analyzing the internal data.
"Stop just watching!"
Eve snapped out of her shock and reminded the others to jump into the battle.
Although the two Locke brothers were strong, they couldn't just stand around as spectators.
Her hands condensed pink subatomic energy, transforming it into streaks of energy spikes that shot toward the distant Flaxans.
Rex also climbed up from the ground, patted the dust off his body, took out a few coins, and began throwing bombs.
Kate split out several clones again and joined the battle.
The battlefield situation instantly reversed!
...
Global Defense Agency command hall.
The seven members of the first-generation Guardians remained silent for a long time after witnessing Locke's stunning entrance and shocking performance.
They didn't know that such outstanding young teen heroes had actually appeared on Earth now.
"Are these the candidates for the second-generation Guardians you mentioned, Cecil?" The Immortal spoke up.
Cecil nodded, "Strictly speaking, all six of them are."
"Alright, I approve."
The Immortal had previously disagreed with Cecilestablishing a second-generation Guardians.
He believed that the first-generation seven were already enough; if the chosen youths lacked combat power, it would just be a waste of resources.
In the future, it would be utterly impossible to succeed the first-generation Guardians.
But now,
The Immortal felt that the two brothers Locke and Mark, along with the atomic superheroine Eve, were all youths with huge potential.
With them joining, the second-generation Guardians would truly be formidable.
"Compared to those two boys, I'm more interested in that pink girl."
War Woman's face faded of its previous impatience and anger, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.
As a surviving Amazonian warrior, she naturally had a greater fondness for powerful, special female superheroes.
Green Ghost nodded slightly, "Her superpower is very special, and her growth potential is extremely high."
Aquarus, on the other hand, watched coldly from the sidelines, not saying a word and brooding in anger.
Just now he wanted to go out and fight, but Cecil stopped him,
now that the battle situation had been turned around by Locke alone and he was no longer needed, he felt even more miserable.
Martian Man stood silently at the very back of the group like Translucent, having never spoken.
"How come I feel like Locke and Mark... their names are Locke and Mark, right?"
Seeing Cecil nod, Red Rush raised a question, "I feel like their abilities are exactly the same as Omni-Man's."
At this moment, Darkwing suddenly spoke up: "Both of them are Omni-Man's sons."
Cecil narrowed his eyes slightly.
As expected of Darkwing, his intelligence was always more abundant than everyone else's.
"What?!"
The other six members of the Guardians were extremely shocked.
Locke and Mark were actually both Omni-Man's sons!
"This family of three... is just too strong..." Green Ghostexclaimed.
"Fortunately, they are all fighting for Earth." War Womannodded.
Hearing this sentence, Cecil frowned.
He still couldn't be sure of Locke and Mark's ultimate intentions,
and right now, Omni-Man was probably not wholeheartedly fighting for Earth.
That was what troubled Cecil the most.
Chapter 54: Allen from the Coalition of Planets Arrives
The Scarred Leader pushed away the slab pressing down on it and stood up from the ruins of the building.
It shook its head, its orange-yellow vertical pupils scanning the surroundings.
When it saw that its Flaxans troops had been slaughtered by Locke and the others, leaving corpses scattered everywhere,
it let out an infuriated roar.
Seeing that their leader was not dead, the Flaxansinstantly found their backbone and began to reorganize a counterattack.
They gathered together, raised their weapons, and began firing wildly at Locke!
Having witnessed Locke's power this time, the Scarred Leader decided to use human-wave tactics,
and at all costs, take Locke down!
Otherwise, the invasion of Earth would fail again.
Buzz—!!
Suddenly, an ultrasonic wave of a specific frequency, centered on the Robot on the street,
triggered resonance and spread in all directions.
Bang, bang, bang...
Under the effect of the ultrasonic wave, all the anti-aging wristbands on the wrists of the Flaxans were completely ruined!
The wristbands shattered, sparking.
One Flaxan after another aged rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Their green skin quickly shriveled and wrinkled, and their strong bodies hunched over.
Within seconds, patches of Flaxans fell to the ground, turning into mummified corpses!
Seeing this, the Scarred Leader roared in anger.
It looked down at the similarly shattered wristband on its own wrist,
then looked at the surrounding Flaxans falling in droves, a trace of fear flashing in its eyes.
Then, without hesitation, it turned around and sprinted toward the portal!
Their wristbands had been cracked, so they had no choice but to retreat to their home planet first.
Over ten thousand Flaxans had come, and only a few thousand remained when going back.
Most of them were killed by Locke.
Followed by Mark.
"I will definitely come back!"
Running in front of the portal, the Scarred Leader turned back, waved its fists, and let out a roar of reluctance.
Then its figure disappeared into the halo of the portal.
The huge circular portal began to shrink, finally turning into a speck of light and completely disappearing.
The war was over.
The street was a mess, littered with Flaxans corpses and broken mechanical parts everywhere.
The few of them gathered together.
Rex patted Robot on the shoulder. "Great job! Next time we'll just directly destroy those bastards' crappy wristbands."
Robot wasn't so optimistic, saying calmly, "The Flaxans' technological progress is very fast, and next time probably won't be that simple."
"No need to be afraid! We have Locke, oh no, the Viltrumite Emperor!" Rex joked.
Kate smiled and then voiced everyone's doubt,
"Locke, why did you name yourself the Viltrumite Emperor?"
Fearing that Locke would misunderstand, she continued to explain, "It's not that it doesn't sound good, it's just... it feels a bit too high-profile, even more so than your brother's Invincible..."
Mark scratched his head.
He didn't feel that Invincible was very high-profile, because that was what his father, Omni-Man, said.
Locke smiled faintly. "Young people need to have confidence in themselves. Consider the Viltrumite Emperoras one of my goals."
He didn't explain too much.
His hero title was [Viltrumite Emperor], which implied that he was going to become the new emperor of the Viltrum Empire!
It's just that he didn't need to explain it so clearly to others.
Hearing this, everyone accepted it.
After all, Locke was stronger than any of them, so taking a high-profile title was no big deal.
"Brother, you are the strongest young person I've ever seen. Never vent your anger on me in the future." Rex joked with a smile.
"That's not necessarily true." Locke made a joke in return.
Rex only felt a chill, shrinking his neck in fright.
Locke glanced at the time; it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.
He said to Mark, "We should go back. I'm afraid lunch is already cold, and Aunt Debbie will be angry."
Mark nodded and flew away into the distance together with Locke.
Eve stood in place, looking up at the back of Locke's suit with a somewhat complicated expression.
...
"You two brothers are back? Go wash your hands and eat quickly."
After Locke and the others returned home, Debbie glanced at the bruises on Mark's face,
without saying much, just calling them to eat.
The pizza and cheese baked rice on the dining table were carefully covered with heat-insulation covers to prevent them from getting cold.
Debbie turned and walked into the kitchen again, carrying out a freshly cut fruit platter.
Nolan had already eaten. He sat on the sofa, watching the two brothers.
Actually, he had gone out just now.
Standing high in the air, watching the downtown battlefield, he saw everything Locke and Mark did.
When he saw Locke inspiring and teaching Mark how to use his power and how to kill enemies more efficiently,
Nolan was very gratified.
Although Locke was only one year older than Mark, his mental maturity, mastery of power, and macro perspective far surpassed Mark's by too much.
Perhaps this is what family is... Omni-Man thought to himself.
This feeling of family members helping each other was something he had never experienced in the Viltrum Empire.
But he had never forgotten the Empire's mission.
It's just that he had to wait a bit longer.
...
Twenty minutes later, Locke and Mark had eaten almost everything.
Debbie came over to clean up the dining table.
Right at this moment, Cecil's figure suddenly appeared outside the window.
He stood in the yard, dressed in a suit and tie with a serious expression.
Seeing who it was, Debbie's expression instantly sank.
She heavily put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hand, suppressed the anger in her heart, stepped forward quickly, and opened the door,
"Cecil, what are you here for again?!"
Sensing her anger, Cecil hesitated slightly before saying in a deep voice, "I'm here for Locke and Mark on urgent business."
"I've had enough, Cecil!"
Debbie's voice suddenly rose, carrying long-suppressed anger,
"Those two brothers are still kids!
Fighting some alien invaders in the downtown area just now, and right after they came back and finished eating, you're here again!
Saving the Earth is your Defense Agency's job. Don't you have the Guardians of the Globe? Do you really have to find two kids?!"
Debbie scolded Cecil fiercely.
She cared deeply about her son Mark and also about Locke, who had newly joined the family.
In her eyes, they were at the age of studying during puberty, and could even date,
instead of bearing the heavy responsibility of guarding the Earth.
If Cecil had come looking for Omni-Man, Debbie wouldn't have been so angry.
Cecil was left speechless by the rebuke.
He was silent for a few seconds and could only say, "Debbie, with great power comes great responsibility."
The three of them in the house were also drawn out by the shouting outside.
Seeing Nolan, Debbie seemed to have found a backing and complained to him.
Thinking that Nolan would support her, who would have known Nolan said, "They really need more training now and to experience more things."
Omni-Man and Cecil currently shared the same goal:
to nurture Locke and Mark as quickly as possible.
Seeing that her husband didn't stand on her side, Debbie's eyes instantly turned red, and she was so sad she was about to cry.
Locke quickly stepped forward to comfort her: "Aunt Debbie, since Mark and I live on Earth, and Earth is our home,
and we possess powers, then guarding Earth is what we ought to do."
"Moreover, Mark and I don't hate these things, and we also want to grow up quickly."
Mark also gently stroked Debbie's back and persuaded, "Yeah, Mom, after what happened these past few days, I'm more confident and stronger than before. Experiencing more is a good thing for me."
Hearing the two children say this as well, Debbie wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said nothing more.
She turned and went back into the house, continuing to clean up the dining table.
Cecil breathed a sigh of relief.
He took out a tablet and brought up the screen display.
On the screen was a blurry thermal image showing a humanoid object moving at high speed.
"Half an hour ago, we detected a humanoid flying object near Mars moving at a very high speed."
Cecil said, "He's back. In 15 minutes, he will arrive on Earth."
"Who is he?" Mark asked.
Nolan spread his hands. "He came once before and wasn't that strong. You just need to punch him a few times to knock some sense into him, and then throw him back to his hometown—piece of cake."
Locke's eyes narrowed slightly. Allen from the Coalition of Planets had arrived.
Chapter 55: Allen beats Mark, Locke beats Allen
Tens of thousands of meters high in the air, the air grew thinner and thinner, and the clouds had already been left far beneath their feet.
"Brother, how do we breathe in space?"
Just as they were about to fly out of Earth's atmosphere, Mark asked Locke.
Wearing a charcoal-black suit, Locke refracted a dark golden halo at the edge of the thin atmosphere.
He smiled slightly, "Viltrumites don't need to breathe."
After saying that,
Locke rushed out of the atmosphere first, his figure plunging into the pitch-black universe.
Looking at his brother's calm back, Mark still felt somewhat apprehensive,
Thus, he took a deep breath, tensed his muscles all over, dashed forward, held his breath, and rushed out of the atmosphere.
The cold, pitch-black universe came into view, dead silent yet vast,
A sense of weightlessness struck, with not a single sound around, save for the distant twinkling stars.
Mark tightened his mind, struggling to adapt to the unfamiliar space environment.
"That is the target."
Locke pointed at the orange-skinned alien flying from afar and said to Mark, "Go beat him up."
"Alright." Mark didn't hesitate and obediently rushed over.
He believed this was a training opportunity specially given to him by his brother,
letting him take the lead alone to hone his practical combat abilities.
Allen had a stalwart figure with muscles knotted all over his body,
his head was bald without hair, he had no nose, and his face possessed only a single huge cyclops eye, with a pair of pointed ears growing on both sides.
Both his hands and feet had only three fingers, and he wore a white jumpsuit with a magenta vest layered over it.
"Hey, you're here, and you even shaved!"
Seeing Mark, Allen mistook him for Omni-Man.
"You are not allowed to approach my planet!" Mark clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth.
Finished speaking, he rushed directly at Allen and punched Allen in the chest.
Bang!
Allen was smashed flying, rolling several turns in space, and hit an artificial satellite.
Stabilizing his posture, he grabbed that artificial satellite and hurled it toward Mark!
Mark didn't have time to dodge, and the artificial satellite collided and exploded on him!
Boom!
The firelight swallowed Mark's figure.
Mark blocked his head with both arms and didn't suffer any damage, but the impact of the explosion pushed him dozens of meters away.
"You've got some tricks."
Seeing this, Allen rushed toward Mark again, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat using skilled fighting techniques.
Ever since his birth, he had received systematic life-or-death combat training.
It could be said that he was born to be a fighting machine!
Therefore, Allen's combat skills were much stronger than Mark's, beating Mark to the point where he could only defend constantly.
"Is this what you call protecting your own planet?" Allenmocked, "I feel sorry for your compatriots!"
Mark blocked with both arms and shouted: "Why is your voice appearing in my brain?!"
"Because I communicate with my brain, idiot!" Allenhugged Mark from behind, making him unable to move.
Mark struggled a few times, but Allen's strength was greater than his, locking him down tightly.
Bang!
Mark knew Locke was watching his performance all along, and he couldn't lose face in front of his brother!
His head slammed backward, the back of his head heavily hitting Allen's single eye.
"My eye!"
Allen closed his eyes in pain, his hands loosening their restraint.
Seizing the opportunity, Mark wrapped his arms around the front, tightly hugging Allen's body.
Taking advantage of the inertia of Flight, he dove down with all his might!
Rumble!
The two smashed heavily onto the barren surface of the moon, dust filling the sky with a roar, obscuring their vision.
Allen patted the dirt off, stood up from the ground, and tackled Mark to the ground with a body slam!
Punching Mark in the face one punch after another, he still said: "Are you really that guy from three years ago? How are you so weak?"
Allen came to Earth three years ago and had crossed paths with Omni-Man,
and the opponent was extremely strong, leaving him with no ability to fight back at all.
Fortunately, the other party did not choose to kill him.
"I am not!" Mark screamed while blocking his face.
A sense of frustration arose in his heart once again.
Why does it seem like he can't beat any of the enemies he encounters?
Name: Mark Grayson
Title: None
Level: National
Strength: 600 tons
Speed: Mach 4
Physique: 32t/cm²
Abilities: Smart Atomic Physique, Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Physique, Super Regeneration, Super Senses, Vacuum Survival, Flight
Weaknesses: Severe heart trauma, specific frequency sound waves
[To be updated]
Compared to when he first awakened, Mark's data had already made great progress.
But...
Name: Allen
Title: None
Level: National
Strength: 650 tons
Speed: Mach 5
Physique: 30t/cm²
Abilities: Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Physique, Super Regeneration, Super Senses, Vacuum Survival, Flight, Telepathy, Stress-Adaptive Evolution
Weaknesses: Vulnerable single eye, emotions easily influenced
[To be updated]
Allen's current strength and speed were both a bit stronger than Mark's.
Coupled with the fact that Allen had received systematic life-or-death training since childhood, his combat skills were much more proficient than Mark's.
It was completely normal that Mark couldn't beat him.
However, Mark would soon surpass Allen, provided Allendidn't evolve.
...
"Did you have my permission to bully my brother?"
Allen suddenly heard a voice coming from behind him.
His heart skipped a beat.
When did the other party get behind him?!
Bang!
Before he could turn his head to react, a heavy, domineering fist smashed fiercely into the back of his head!
Tremendous force erupted with a roar.
Allen's entire body, like a cannonball, smashed fiercely into a giant rock on the lunar surface!
Boom!
The hard rock instantly shattered and collapsed, with rubble piling up layer upon layer, directly burying Allenunder the pile of stones.
"Cough cough!"
Allen struggled to stand up from the pile of rubble, shook his head, and looked at the figure ahead.
A teenager wearing a charcoal-gray suit was hovering a dozen meters away,
his cape fluttering slightly in the zero-gravity environment,
and the dark golden "W" on his chest gleaming with a cold light under the starlight.
Allen was greatly alarmed, "So you are the protector of this planet?!"
Locke didn't speak. With a flicker of his figure, he rushed over at a speed exceeding Allen's by Mach 1!
Allen only saw a residual image appear before him and instinctively raised his arms to block,
Boom!
Allen was sent flying once again, this time smashing a huge deep pit on the lunar surface!
Locke's strength was even higher than his!
"Wait! I..." Seeing he couldn't beat Locke, Allen wanted to pause the battle.
But Locke had no intention of stopping at all.
He just happened to lack an opponent of equal strength to hone his practical combat and temper his combat power, how could he easily let him go.
Moving his figure again, Locke dove down, closing in once more!
Mark, standing to the side quietly, was full of envy,
thinking that his brother was still far stronger than him.
He had just been pinned to the ground and beaten by Allen, but now Allen was being pinned down and beaten by Locke.
Locke's speed was extremely fast, leaving behind trails of afterimages on the lunar surface.
At times launching frontal attacks, and at other times flanking from behind, his fists fell on Allen like raindrops.
Allen was beaten back step by step, but after all, he was a trained warrior of the Coalition of Planets, with rich combat experience.
He quickly adjusted his defensive posture, no longer colliding head-on with Locke,
but instead utilizing the low-gravity environment of the moon to continuously jump and evade.
Seeing this, Locke accelerated his attack frequency, slamming a fist toward Allen's face.
Allen sidestepped to dodge, but Locke followed up with a sweep kick, striking Allen's knee.
Allen staggered and dropped to one knee.
Giving him no chance to catch his breath, Locke delivered another uppercut, striking Allen's chin!
Allen's entire body was knocked flying, flipping twice in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground!
...
One hour later.
"Stop! I surrender!"
Allen had been beaten to the point of exhaustion, raising both hands to indicate he wouldn't fight anymore.
His body was bruised black and blue, the area around his single eye was swollen in a circle, and even that magenta vest had been beaten into several holes.
Locke had finished his workout more or less, and naturally stopped.
Standing on the lunar surface with his cape gently fluttering in the vacuum, his breathing was steady,
as if the battle of the past hour had merely been a warm-up.
"I am an evaluator for the Coalition of Planets, and my duty is to travel across the universe, visit various planets, test the combat power of the local strongest protectors, and ensure those planets are not destroyed."
On the lunar surface, Allen spread his hands and explained to Locke and Mark,
"Your planet registered for this evaluation project, which is why I came over."
He took out a high-tech device and brought up a holographic screen, "Look, Tu-Ye-Qiu requested an evaluation."
Mark leaned over to take a look, and loudly complained: "Tu-Ye-Qiu? This is Earth!"
"Uh..." Allen's single eye rolled slightly, showing an expression of embarrassment,
"Did I get it wrong?"
Seeing Mark nod, Allen rubbed his bald head and extended a hand, "Sorry, my name is Allen."
"I am Invincible."
Seeing that the other party didn't seem like a bad person, Mark shook hands friendly.
"You couldn't beat me just now, you don't look like you're Invincible." Allen looked him up and down and said in a straightforward tone.
Hearing this, Mark felt his face burning slightly.
He increasingly suspected whether he had chosen the wrong title.
"Mark will be Invincible in the future." Locke said faintly.
"Brother." Seeing that Locke still believed in him, Mark was deeply moved.
"Who are you?" Allen gave Locke a wary glance.
The other party was stronger than him, and didn't seem easy to get along with,
just now he didn't want to fight anymore, yet Locke relentlessly beat him for an hour!
Not to be messed with, extremely not to be messed with.
"Viltrumite Emperor." Locke's expression was calm.
Allen frowned slightly, always feeling that this title was vaguely a bit off.
But for a moment he couldn't figure it out.
He could only suppress his doubts and said to the two of them,
"As long as I don't get fired, we'll see each other again in the future, Invincible, and... Viltrumite Emperor."
Finishing speaking, Allen flew toward the depths of the universe, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
In fact, he hadn't mentioned his other mission just now:
Screening for allies in the universe who could oppose the Viltrum Empire.
But meeting Mark and Locke for the first time, he wasn't very familiar with them, and prepared to go back to investigate before deciding.
On the lunar surface, tranquility returned.
"Brother, Earth is truly beautiful!"
Seeing Allen leave, Mark stood on the moon, looking at that azure planet in the distance.
"Indeed." Locke nodded slightly.
This was his home planet, and he absolutely would not allow it to be destroyed by others.
Otherwise, wandering in interstellar space would not be pleasant.
Chapter 56 The Deep's Allegiance and Return to the Team
Exactly twelve o'clock at night.
The familiar sensation of spatial transition suddenly washed over him.
Locke's vision blurred as he instantly broke away from the Invincible world and traveled back to The Boys World.
Overhead was the crystal chandelier of the St. Regis Hotel,
and the warm yellow lights cast onto the ceiling, refracting rings of soft halos.
Outside the window were the lights of New York late at night, and a thin ray of light penetrated through the gap of the curtains, falling onto the carpet.
He turned his head sideways.
Maeve was still sleeping beside him, the white quilt covering only half of her,
revealing a section of fair shoulders and smoothly contoured arms.
Her breathing was steady and deep, her long golden hair scattered on the pillow, and her sleeping posture was very relaxed.
Since Locke had already rested in the Invincible world,
his fatigued body from previously sparring with Maeve was revitalized once again.
At this moment, he was energetic and completely without sleepiness.
Looking at Maeve's sleeping appearance, Locke's interest in sparring ignited once more.
He rolled over on top of her.
"Mm-hmm~"
Maeve was sleeping soundly, suddenly woken up by the movement of the sparring.
Her long eyelashes trembled gently, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking drowsy with a hint of lazy reproach,
"How do you still have the energy to spar?"
Locke looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile, his tone calm,
"It's all your fault for being too beautiful."
As his voice fell, he stopped hesitating and exerted force to spar once more!
"I really can't do anything with you."
Maeve closed her eyes, letting Locke fight a solitary battle.
She had originally wanted to rest first, but Locke kept sparring, making it impossible for her to sleep.
Two hours later, the sparring stopped.
Maeve was too tired to say a single word and fell into a deep sleep.
Along with the sparring, the Viltrumite particles were slowly absorbed by her, nourishing her body.
...
At eight o'clock in the morning, Locke returned to the 99th floor of Vought Tower.
Maeve remained sleeping at the hotel,
because Locke's continuous sparring had been a bit too much for Maeve, who hadn't done it in a long time.
Locke walked slowly towards the door of his suite, his gaze pausing slightly,
only to see The Deep standing alone in front of the door, his posture awkward, with a thick circle of white bandages wrapped around his waist.
It was obviously the area where Locke had injured him previously, which had not yet fully healed.
Locke walked up behind The Deep and gently patted his shoulder.
The Deep trembled violently all over. Turning around to see Locke, he became even more nervous, his mouth opening and closing without being able to say a word.
The Deep's current mental state was completely different from the night Locke had first traveled over.
That day, he dared to make a move against Locke because he didn't know Locke,
thinking the other party was just some small fry who popped out of nowhere.
But now, what Locke had done inside Vought Tower—injuring The Deep, defeating Homelander, joining The Seven, establishing the Guardians of the Globe...
Every single thing was frantically refreshing The Deep's understanding.
The oppression that Locke brought him nowadays had long surpassed Homelander!
"M-Mr., I have been here waiting for you for two hours."
After pausing for a full several seconds, The Deep barely managed to steady his mind, his voice trembling slightly with extreme reverence.
Locke looked at his awkward and humble appearance and smiled faintly,
"Oh? Is there something you need?"
He didn't hate The Deep that much.
When it all came down to it, The Deep was just a pitiful person who was extremely insecure and craved recognition.
The Seven had a strict hierarchy where the strong preyed on the weak, and everyone in the team was arrogant and domineering, with no one looking up to him.
Being marginalized, suppressed, and ignored for a long time
was what gradually distorted his mindset and values, leading him to try to sexually coerce Starlight.
The Deep's superpower was communicating with creatures in the deep ocean.
At first, he cared deeply about the living environment of marine life, but later he stepped by step toward extremes.
In order to show his loyalty in front of Homelander, he caused the deaths of countless fish, and ultimately trapped himself in a cocoon of his own making, dying at the hands of marine life.
At this moment, The Deep had not yet completely fallen, and deep down he still wanted to do something for marine life.
"I heard that that bastard Translucent harmed children and committed countless evils, and has already been personally sanctioned by you!"
"I completely support what you did! That kind of scum deserved to die!"
The Deep flattered Locke for a wave first, and then said:
"Although with your joining, The Seven only has six people now, I..."
A flash of understanding crossed Locke's eyes.
It turned out that The Deep wanted to return to The Seven.
"I know what you mean." Locke wore a half-smile, looking at him calmly,
"But what use are you?"
A simple sentence, straightforward and heart-piercing.
The Deep lowered his head slightly, his face showing embarrassment.
In his heart, he was well aware that his ability was the most useless and bottom-tier existence in today's The Seven.
In terms of combat power, he couldn't compare to Locke, Homelander, or Maeve.
In terms of speed, he couldn't compare to A-Train.
In terms of special abilities, he couldn't compare to Starlight or Black Noir.
But he was unwilling to accept this.
He was unwilling to be abandoned by Vought just like that, and unwilling to hide in a remote corner for the rest of his life, obscure and forgotten by everyone.
The Deep raised his head abruptly, his left fist clenched and pressed against his chest, his expression extremely firm,
"Mr. Locke, I can do all the dirty and hard work! I can handle all trivial matters for you and obey all your instructions!"
He laid down all his dignity and made a complete declaration of stance.
As long as he could return to The Seven, he was willing to become Locke's most loyal vassal and unconditionally obey all arrangements.
Locke looked at his loyal appearance and chuckled,
"You should be clear that I established the Guardians of the Globe. Everyone in there can likewise do anything for me."
Hearing this, the light in The Deep's eyes instantly dimmed, filled with disappointment.
He clutched the bandages on his abdomen, his wound aching faintly, his figure desolate as he slowly turned around to leave.
Madelyn had long notified him that whether he could return to The Seven was decided entirely in Locke's hands,
and even Homelander had no right to interfere!
If Locke refused, he would be completely fired by Vought and left with nothing.
Just at the moment when The Deep's mindset completely hit rock bottom, a calm voice suddenly sounded,
"The Deep, you can return to The Seven."
Boom!
The Deep's body shook, turning his head abruptly, his eyes widened into circles, his face full of disbelief,
"What?! Mr. Locke, you... what did you say?"
"You didn't hear wrong." Locke raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone calm,
"I agree to your return to the team, but you must join the Guardians of the Globe at the same time, obey arrangements, and execute missions."
"I'm willing!"
Huge surprise instantly washed away all disappointment,
and The Deep was so excited that the torn wound on his abdomen directly burst open, oozing bright red blood.
But he didn't care at all, his heart filled with wild joy as he endured the discomfort and bowed deeply,
"Thank you! Mr. Locke!"
Locke said, "Address me by my title as the Viltrumite Emperor from now on."
"Yes! Viltrumite Emperor!" The Deep quickly changed his words, his attitude becoming even more respectful and humble.
...
Inside the conference room of The Seven.
A-Train, Starlight, and Black Noir were sitting upright on both sides of the conference table, their expressions serious and silent.
Homelander stood alone to the side, his back facing everyone,
staring coldly at the screen on the wall.
The screen displayed photos of four men, who were precisely the four members of The Boys,
Butcher, Frenchie, Marvin, and Hughie.
The door to the conference room was gently pushed open.
When he saw Locke walk in looking casual, with The Deep respectfully following behind Locke, Homelandernarrowed his eyes.
He didn't dwell on The Deep's return to the team, because he didn't care.
As for Starlight, seeing The Deep, who had attempted to sexually coerce her, she showed an expression of extreme disgust.
She looked at Locke in puzzlement, not understanding why Locke brought The Deep in.
Locke glanced at The Deep.
The Deep immediately understood, quickly walking in front of Starlight's seat, bowing ninety degrees with a sincere posture,
"Starlight, I'm sorry! I sincerely apologize to you for my previous absurd mistakes!"
In his heart, he was extremely clear that the Starlight before him was Locke's woman.
Even if you gave him a hundred guts, he would not dare to breed even a shred of malicious intent again.
Seeing Locke nod slightly, Starlight frowned and said, "Get lost."
"Thank you."
Although he didn't get forgiveness, the other party not pursuing accountability was already the best outcome.
The Deep nodded sensibly, quickly retreating to the furthest empty seat to sit down, not daring to approach Starlight by even a fraction.
He felt extremely fortunate in his heart.
Back then he hadn't truly succeeded, otherwise, given Locke's protectiveness and strength,
on that night Locke descended into this world, he would already have been a corpse.
"Where is Maeve?"
Homelander asked, though his gaze was looking at Locke.
He knew that these past few days, both Maeve and Starlight had been walking very close to Locke.
He didn't care about Starlight, but Maeve once had an ambiguous past with him,
so Homelander was a bit jealous.
Starlight also turned to look at Locke, her eyes full of confusion.
Why was Locke clear about Maeve's whereabouts?
What on earth did the two of them do together last night?
Could it be...
"Maeve went through a battle yesterday and is too tired; let her rest for a while." Locke said with a calm expression.
As for what specific battle it was, who she fought with, and where she fought, that was hard to say.
Homelander was sensitive in mind and sensed something, his brows furrowing tightly.
But he couldn't beat Locke, so he could only forcibly suppress the jealousy and anger in his heart, enduring it without erupting.
As for Starlight, she guessed what kind of battle it was, because she had also experienced a battle with Locke.
Locke actually hurt Maeve.
Could it be that she would have to be sisters with senior Maeve in the future?
Starlight's heart was filled with a mix of complex emotions.
But she was extremely certain that asking her to give up Locke and leave Locke was impossible.
Ignoring everyone's varied expressions, Locke walked straight to the main seat in the very center of the conference room and sat down lazily.
This was the position belonging to the captain, previously always Homelander's exclusive seat.
Nominally, Homelander was still the captain of The Seven.
"John." Locke raised his eyes to look at him, his tone casual,
"Instead of going to train, you gathered The Seventogether; what do you want to do?"
Watching his own seat being occupied by someone else, Homelander's expression grew even uglier, dark clouds gathering in the depths of his eyes.
He pointed to the screen on the wall, "We have an enemy."