Matthew Atkinson & Natalie Russell
Global Layer of the Supernatural Realm
After stepping onto the stage, Ma Dongwu immediately approached the Steppenwolf. The Steppenwolf also charged forward.
The two sides collided soon after.
Before Steppenwolf could even swing his axe, Ma Dongwu unleashed a punch with a golden light that suddenly appeared on his fist.
-Thump
The entire ring suddenly shook.
Even though the punch was still some distance away from Steppenwolf, it struck him as if it had been hit hard, sending his powerful body flying backward like a cannonball.
He flew straight out of the ring.
It finally crashed into the protective barrier, then fell, landing heavily on the ground.
Because the Steppenwolf went out of bounds, Ma Dongwu won.
Everyone was amazed by this scene.
Even a top-level sixth-rank powerhouse couldn't withstand a single punch from Ma Dongwu.
Moreover, it seemed that Ma Dongwu might not have used his full strength. No wonder he was called "One-Punch Man".
Even Matthew was a little surprised.
He knew how strong Steppenwolf's defenses were. It was something that could withstand even the punches of the real Superman.
Although Superman's fists could also easily throw Steppenwolf like a cannonball, the fact that Ma Dongwu could unleash such power made him a formidable opponent.
Shortly after Ma Dongwu left the ring, it was Aria Powell's turn to step in.
She was still the same as always, unleashing her laser eyes as soon as she steps onto the ring, giving her opponents no chance whatsoever.
Her laser eye beams struck Steppenwolf instantly.
However, the previously invincible Laser Eyes failed this time, unable to slice Steppenwolf in two.
On the contrary, it was actually blocked by Steppenwolf.
The Steppenwolf stood still, its body motionless, allowing Aria Powell's laser eyes to hit its body.
Then Steppenwolf, while tanking laser eyes, approached Aria Powell step by step.
Upon seeing this, Professor Isabel Grant, Grand Magister Russell, and the others were all taken aback.
They finally had a direct reference to help understand Steppenwolf's defenses.
They also understood just how powerful Ma Dongwu was, blasting the Steppenwolf out of the ring with a single punch.
"Oh no, Ms. Powell's laser eyes are blocked." A female professor said, "Ms. Powell isn't going to lose, is she?"
But Aria Powell certainly wouldn't lose so easily. She was rated a seventh-rank expert with her power, not through back channels.
After Steppenwolf took a few steps forward, Aria Powell immediately went all out, increasing the output of her laser eyes.
-Buzz
On the ring, a thick, crimson laser beam appeared, and its powerful impact forced the Steppenwolf to retreat repeatedly.
He tried to avoid it, but no matter how hard he tried to dodge, he couldn't possibly outrun the speed of light.
Aria Powell's laser eyes were fixed on Steppenwolf. Finally, she managed to force Steppenwolf off the ring.
Aria Powell won, but anyone with eyes could see that her victory was hard-won, even difficult.
Because Aria Powell's main method was laser eyes, and Steppenwolf's strong defense happened to counter her ability.
...
"Ms. Powell, thank you for your hard work."
"Ms. Powell is awesome. She won another challenge."
When Aria Powell returned to her seat, the two professors immediately began to speak kindly to her.
Aria Powell sighed and said, "If the next round's defender is another monster with strong defense, I'm afraid I'll be eliminated too."
Her laser eyes were powerful and fast.
She wasn't afraid of strong opponents, but she was afraid of opponents with high defense.
Upon hearing Aria Powell's words, everyone fell silent.
It was no exaggeration to say that Aria Powell was the team's only hope. If even Aria Powell were eliminated, then their team would have to stop here.
As for Matthew? Who would expect anything from a freshman?
...
Steppenwolf was truly formidable.
Of all those who fought Steppenwolf, very few were able to advance.
A morning passed, and even three sixth-rank experts from Director Hart's powerful team were eliminated.
And the reason the others hadn't been eliminated yet wasn't because they had passed this round, but because it wasn't their turn yet.
Given the formidable strength of the Steppenwolf, perhaps only the seventh-rank expert, Director Hart, was confident of defeating it.
It was a little after 2 p.m. when Matthew finally received the prompt to go on the ring.
He immediately stood up, and a portal appeared in front of him.
Seeing Matthew about to go on the ring, Professor Holland quickly said, "Matthew, don't be reckless. Just give it a try and then surrender."
Matthew smiled and nodded, then stepped into the portal.
Seeing this, Grand Magister Russell couldn't help but point out Matthew's shortcomings again.
"This kid gets cocky and arrogant after achieving a little success. He's not mature at all. Any girl who marries him will suffer a lot in the future."
Such a veiled comment was obvious even to a fool.
Professor Isabel Grant, Professor Holland, and the others all had strange expressions.
However, since Grand Magister Russell was advising his daughter, they couldn't say anything.
As for Natalie...
She really showed that she didn't spoil his father at all and said. "He's better than anyone you've ever known or will ever know."
The girl's tone was stiff, but her words were firm and resolute.
This infuriated Grand Magister Russell. "I want to see just how outstanding he is," he said through gritted teeth.
...
When Matthew appeared in the ring, he immediately attracted the attention of many people in the audience.
"Huh? Who's this kid? How come he's so young? Could he be a freshman?"
"How could he be a freshman? The second round of Bumblebees is enough to eliminate all the freshmen."
"He looks familiar... Holy crap, I remember now, he's that celebrity freshman, the pretty boy who teamed up with Natalie."
"It really is him. I remember his name is Matthew Atkinson."
"Mathew Atkinson!!! The Matthew Atkinson?!! The author of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings? OMG. I can't believe I'm seeing my idol with my own eyes."
"Mathew, please have a baby with me!!!"
"No... how did he, a freshman, manage to get to this point?"
...
In the audience, many people were discussing Matthew.
Previously, with thousands of rings, there were simply too many competing people, and everyone's attention was focused only on those well-known powerhouses.
Now that there were fewer rings, quite a few people have finally noticed Matthew.
Those who knew Matthew also saw him enter the ring.
"Holy crap, is he Matthew? He hasn't been eliminated yet?" Filip Walker was very surprised.
Denis Read, who was standing next to him, said, "I noticed it a long time ago. This guy is not simple. He killed the first three champions in a flash."
The two have some family ties, so they teamed up again this time, with an elder from their family leading the team.
"Huh? Is Matthew that strong? What about Natalie Russell?"
"She only participated in one round, and I didn't see her participating in the second round. She must have withdrawn."
An elder nearby asked, "Filip, is this your strategist classmate?"
"Yes." Filip Walker said, "He's always been acting as the strategist, but now it seems like everyone's been fooled by him…"
...
"Battalion Commander. That's my cousin, Matthew." Maximus Atkinson proudly pointed at Matthew and said.
"Oh?" The battalion commander next to him was somewhat surprised and said, "Your cousin is a freshman, right? Did he actually make it past the first three rounds?"
"This kid..." Maximus Atkinson said with a smile, "He's definitely hiding a big secret."
They would lose their memory once they leave anyway, so there's nothing Maximus couldn't say here.
"Max, what's your cousin's strength? Can he beat this monster?" a comrade asked.
Without a second thought, Maximus said with certainty, "How could that be? My cousin is just a freshman. It's already surprising that he passed three rounds. How could he possibly defeat this monster?"
"Maximus, I think your cousin is quite something." The battalion commander said with great interest, "Judging from his expression, he seems very confident."
…
"Huh? What's Matthew doing?" Professor Holland was surprised and said, "Why isn't he using his 'Fist Impact' skill? What does he plan to do by walking towards Steppenwolf?"
"He's not planning to fight Steppenwolf in close combat, is he?" Professor Richardson guessed.
Grand Magister Russell was in a bad mood after being rebuked by his daughter, and immediately said, "He's just an arrogant brat."
The others also had strange expressions, puzzled by Matthew's behavior. Only Natalie's pretty face remained calm.
And on the ring, Matthew really was walking towards the Steppenwolf. He walked slowly, as if taking a stroll, and his expression was relaxed.
As for why he didn't use his "Fist Impact" skill as he did with other champions...
It was because Matthew knew that against a tough monster like the Steppenwolf, "Fist Impact" would definitely be useless. Especially in an attack carried out from a distance.
That's why Matthew chose to use his fists. He also wanted to test his strength.
In contrast to Matthew, Steppenwolf, while wielding a giant axe, charged rapidly toward him.
The two sides collided soon after.
When the distance was close enough, the Steppenwolf suddenly raised its giant axe, aimed it at Matthew, and chopped it down on his head.
-Whoosh
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out. It was as if the air itself had been split open.
Then flames appeared on Steppenwolf's axe. This demonstrated the power of Steppenwolf's attack.
The Danger Sense skill instantly warned Matthew that this attack was dangerous and could probably break through his Steel Body.
But the warning level was low, indicating that Steppenwolf's attack could at most injure Matthew.
Of course, the premise was that Matthew stood still and did nothing.
Matthew sighed inwardly.
The fact that his "Danger Sense" triggered a warning indicated that his current Kryptonian defensive capabilities were still not as powerful as Superman's.
The Superman, Kal-El, when faced with Steppenwolf's attack, simply ignored it and didn't even try to dodge.
It seemed that Matthew was still not good enough.
Matthew turned his head slightly, revealing his shoulder, and then activated his Armament Haki.
-Buzz
His shoulders and even half his neck instantly turned a shiny, pitch-black.
Matthew's Armament Haki was now at its maximum level, reaching the unparalleled, Supreme Level.
Even Garp, the "Marine Hero" known for his strong Armament Haki, could not gain the upper hand against Matthew.
A fully upgraded Armament Haki provided a 1000% increase in defense.
Frankly, this surprised Matthew a little. Based on the increases in the other levels, Matthew expected the final level, the Supreme Level, to give him an 800% increase in defense and a 480% increase in attack.
But he noticed that when his Armament Haki reached Supreme Level, it increased his defense by 1000% and his attack by 500%.
This meant his Armament Haki strengthened his defense tenfold and his attacks fivefold.
And a tenfold addition in its defense, combined with Matthew's Steel Body, meant that he was practically indestructible.
The warning from his Danger Sense skill vanished instantly.
At the same time, the giant axe in Steppenwolf's hand also came down.
-Clang
An ear-irritating sound echoed throughout almost the entire arena. That was exactly the sound of metal clashing with metal.
The immense impact caused the ring beneath Matthew's feet to collapse instantly, revealing numerous cracks.
The power of Steppenwolf was really terrifying.
However, despite taking such a direct hit, Matthew remained standing, unyielding.
He even had a smile on his face.
Matthew might not have reached the level of Kal-El with his Kryptonian Physique, but the Kryptonian Bloodline wasn't his only power.
He possessed other abilities and skills as well.
And even just his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability and Supreme Level Haki would be enough to close the gap between him and Kal-El.
Perhaps Matthew could even surpass Kal-El if he put everything on the line.
The next moment, Matthew clenched his fist and punched the Steppenwolf in its chest.
-Boom
A thunderous sound, like a deafening roar, echoed across the arena.
The moment Matthew hit the Steppenwolf, a terrifying shockwave was generated, spreading outwards from the point of impact.
As for Steppenwolf…
Its body flew backward like a cannonball, directly off the ring, and crashed into the protective barrier around the ring before landing on the ground.
The attack was almost identical to that of Ma Dongwu, the "One-Punch Man".
And as a result, Matthew easily won another round even though many people thought otherwise.
---------------
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.179: Secret of the Kryptonian Bloodline
Ch.180: The Fifth Champion – Diamond Jozu
Ch.181: A Terrifying Punch