Swanwick stared at the man on the screen, locking eyes with the man facing Superman, steadying himself as he ordered the technicians, "Zoom in on the footage!"
Zoom in on that man's face!
Cross-match with the database!
"Yes, sir!"
The technicians quickly complied. The screen zoomed in and the man's face became clear. The moment they saw it, there was no need for data comparison—every high-ranking official in the command center instinctively felt their pupils contract violently.
"Yes… It's him!"
"The Unknown God! The Asgardian god Lucci, who defeated the Chitauri army with a single sword!"
"My god! Is he really… can he really go toe to toe with Superman?"
Superman's return from death was already shocking and unsettling enough. Now, the appearance of the 'Unknown God', even stronger, completely upended their understanding of the world's power structure!
Swanwick's hands clenched into fists as he realized the world was about to change.
…
At the edge of the battlefield in front of the monument, Bruce Wayne, Diana, Arthur, and the others were also stunned by the "god versus god" scene unfolding before them. They had said they trusted Lucci, but deep down, how could they not be worried? After all, their opponent was the legendary Kryptonian, the very symbol of strength!
But now, with their own eyes, they saw Lucci using an ability similar to heat vision—and not only was he not losing ground against Superman, he seemed to be gaining the upper hand!
Uncontrollable excitement and awe surged from deep inside everyone!
"Great Father above…" Diana gazed into the heart of the energy storm, her cloak unmoving, her beautiful eyes shining. "He… still possesses such power?"
"Amazing!" Arthur's face was full of excitement. "I knew it! My boss could never lose!"
"This is real power!"
Beneath the bat mask, Bruce Wayne's eyes were fixed on the center of the battlefield. His tactical computer desperately analyzed the energy data generated by the two combatants, and the results made his heart race.
The energy Lucci was emitting—in terms of purity, stability, and output—was…
…faintly overwhelming Superman!
"As expected of Prince Lucci…" Bruce murmured inwardly, finally releasing more than half the tension that had been gripping him since Superman lost control. Maybe, just maybe, this Prince Lucci really could stop—or even defeat—Superman!
…
In front of the monument, the eye of the energy storm. Lucci and Superman, four terrifying energy beams clashed in midair, forming a destructive singularity, wrestling fiercely, colliding, annihilating!
The deep crimson beams represented the violent energy from the Kryptonian planet, hot and overwhelming, as if intent on burning the world to ashes!
The crimson lasers in Lucci's eyes were restrained and solid, theoretically drawing from infinite laser energy from another dimension. As long as his eyes could withstand it, he could release virtually endless energy.
At first, the four beams maintained a terrifying balance, the singularity floating eerily in midair. But after a few seconds of stalemate, the battle situation changed visibly!
Superman's two beams began to shorten one after another. Meanwhile, Lucci remained unfazed, his laser beams not only unfading but growing even stronger!
Those two crimson rays, like immortal god-spears, advanced bit by bit, pressing Superman's heat vision back!
The energy singularity moved unstoppably towards Superman!
The superhuman pushed forward, his bio-field straining to the limit, the heat vision output peaking instantly!
But it was useless! In the face of Lucci's boundless energy, Superman's resistance was as feeble as a mantis trying to stop a car!
BOOM—!
Under the absolute suppression of the crimson lasers, Superman's heat vision completely collapsed! He twisted aside just in time, barely dodging the pursuing destruction beam.
The super laser, having lost its target, didn't stop—instead, it slashed through the sky and struck the bronze monument tens of meters behind Superman!
There was no earth-shaking blast, not even a sound. The monument, cast from the hardest alloy and symbolizing Metropolis' spirit, vaporized instantly on contact with the beam—like ice cast into the sun, it vanished into nothingness, not even dust remaining, transformed into primal particles, as if erased from reality!
Everyone—Batman and the rest—gasped in shock. But then they realized—
Now's the chance!
"Now! Go!" Batman ordered, and everyone who was ready sprang into action!
ROAR!
Hulk let out an earth-shaking roar, his massive green body leaping forward like a cannonball, grabbing one of Superman's arms in his huge hands!
Arthur roared as well, leaping from the opposite side to lock Superman's other arm with all his might!
Wonder Woman and Batman also lunged in!
Four people working together restrained both of Superman's arms.
In the distance, Magneto suddenly made his move!
All nearby cars, street lamps, and underground metal pipes twisted and warped under his terrifying magnetic field, surging like a living tide of metal, binding and locking Superman's limbs joint by joint!
In an instant, Superman was restrained by five of the strongest heroes!
But they all underestimated just how terrifying a Kryptonian acting on pure combat instinct could be!
ROAR—
Bound, Superman threw his head back and let out a furious, primal roar!
An unprecedented force, like a solar flare erupting, exploded from his body!
Crack! Crack! BAM—!
Magneto's chains, under such pure, unrestrained physical might, shattered like biscuits! They held for only an instant before bursting apart with a grating, metallic shriek, flying into countless fragments!
"Not good!" Those holding his arms felt an irresistible, star-crushing force radiating from Superman!
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Four heavy thuds rang out in quick succession! Batman, Diana, Arthur, even Hulk were thrown aside like ragdolls struck head-on by a bullet train!
In a single outburst, the combined restraint of five top-tier heroes collapsed in an instant!
"My god…"
From afar, Barry was dumbfounded. He knew Superman was strong, but not this unbelievable!
But he quickly recovered—now was not the time to freeze!
"Speed is power!" he silently chanted, transforming back into golden lightning, planning to use his speed to flank Superman from behind!
Blessed by the Speed Force, the world seemed to slow to a crawl in his eyes. He was absolutely confident he could land the attack before Superman could react!
But just as he circled behind Superman, about to strike, to his shock, Superman's "slow motion" head gradually turned—at a speed defying the laws of physics—
—and those cold, crimson eyes pierced the wall of time, locking onto the Flash with terrifying precision!
He… he actually kept up with my speed?!
Barry's mind went blank, swallowed by a wave of dread!
The next moment—
In Barry's "static" perception, Superman's fist shattered the very concept of "speed," tearing through space to strike his face!
It's over! He couldn't dodge!
At that instant, Barry could feel death approaching!
But just as the fist carrying destructive power was about to smash Barry—
—a hand, as if reaching across dimensions, grabbed Superman's wrist in a vice grip.
It was as if time itself resumed flowing.
The violent fist wind ruffled Barry's hair, but the fatal punch stopped less than a centimeter from his nose.
Prince Lucci!
Whew—
Escaping death, Barry retreated at once, his legs almost giving out beneath him. He gasped, heart pounding like a drum, back drenched in cold sweat.
At that moment, he truly thought he would die! To have his speed completely seen through, and to be countered even faster—he'd never experienced such despair.
"Thank you… thank you, Prince Lucci…"
Barry, still shaken, stared at Superman's fist, his voice trembling.
If Lucci hadn't intervened, he was certain that Superman's punch would have landed, and his head—his whole body—would have been pulverized instantly.
At the same time, Superman, whose wrist was now caught, showed a ripple of clarity in his otherwise vacant eyes.
He looked down at the hand gripping his wrist. It didn't look thick, almost slender, but the power within felt like the mass of the entire universe!
No matter how much strength he mustered, no matter how hard his muscles strained, his wrist was locked, as if welded in place!
How was this possible?
In the chaos of pure combat instinct, a clear concept surfaced for the first time—Power.
Could the man before him really match him—in pure strength?
Meanwhile, the others, thrown aside, struggled to rise from the rubble.
Batman, looking at the distant wrestling match, heard the explosive red warnings about Lucci's physical stats from his suit's computer, and could only smile bitterly.
"We… are outclassed."
"It's better to leave this fight to Prince Lucci."
"If we joined now, we'd only be a burden, not help."
His voice was filled with deep helplessness.
As a human, he had challenged his limits with wisdom, technology, and willpower, standing with gods.
But today, he felt how flimsy plans and tactics were before overwhelming power.
"I agree!" Arthur shook off his dizziness and grinned. "Superman's a monster! Our power's nothing but a tickle to him. Leave it to the boss!"
"I agree." Diana's face was pale, her arm still tingling from holding the sacred shield. "We're not on the same level as their power. If we intervene, we'll only hold Prince Lucci back."
Even Hulk, who had never admitted defeat, dropped his head, shaking it grumpily.
The explosive force he'd just felt made him truly understand what an "unshakable existence" was.
Magneto was even more silent. As a mutant who had mastered one of the universe's four fundamental forces—electromagnetism—he felt the greatest shock of all.
The moment Superman broke free of his control, he displayed a power that could ignore everything!
This was no longer a matter of strength, but an overwhelming difference in the very level of existence!
As a result, an unspoken consensus was instantly reached among them.
They scattered, each taking up a position, acting like sentinels to contain the aftermath of the battle.
They pinned all their hopes on the man standing at the heart of the storm.
For only a god can truly compete with, and surpass, another god!
…
At the center of the battlefield atop the steps.
Seeing his thunderous strike stopped, Superman made his next move with the remaining combat instinct.
His right hand, gripped tight, suddenly exerted force, trying to break free. At the same time, his free left hand gathered bio-energy at lightning speed, forming a destructive fist, aiming for Lucci!
This punch—utterly without hesitation!
Its power could easily pierce an asteroid!
Yet, even in the face of this blow, Lucci did not move, didn't even blink.
As the fist neared, Lucci calmly raised his left hand—not dodging, but directly meeting Superman's fist, gripping it!
BANG!
Fist and palm collided in midair!
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the battlefield, as if space itself was being compressed and warped!
At the center of the clash, the air compressed instantly, forming a visible white shockwave that spread in all directions, blasting away all the debris on the ground!
Pure power!
This was the most primal, savage, and direct collision of pure strength!
Superman's fist was gripped tightly by Lucci, and the two entered a strange wrestling stance!
"Argh—!"
A beast-like roar erupted from Superman's throat. His powerful muscles bulged like steel, veins visible beneath the skin, magma seemingly coursing through them. He poured endless yellow solar energy into his arms, determined to tear his opponent apart!
But Lucci's expression never changed.
He simply applied a bit more force.
Click… click…
Beneath their feet, the granite paving of the square couldn't withstand the terrifying pressure, slowly cracking!
From beneath their feet, massive cracks spread outward like a spiderweb!
The entire ground of Hero Park shook violently, as if a magnitude 10 earthquake had struck!
Then, everyone witnessed an astonishing scene!
In this contest of gods, the scales representing "absolute power" began to tip—irreversibly.
And the losing side—was Superman!
…