Chapter 405: The Battle Between Women (2)
The Kryptonian's Power
If the DC world has a protagonist, it is undoubtedly the Kryptonians.
They need to do nothing more than bask in the yellow sun to become top-tier cosmic powerhouses.
However, the ease with which this power is gained makes it difficult to master. Both Linda and Clark Kent (who possesses the Codex) primarily rely on close-quarters combat, heat vision, and cold breath—superpowers that come naturally.
They possessed a treasure trove of power but lacked the key to unlock its full potential.
This all began to change for Linda the moment she encountered the old beggar.
Ancient Chinese martial arts have mysterious origins and a long history. They can not only enhance the body but also harness the body's life energy for materialized energy attacks. Initially, Linda was entirely uninterested and certainly didn't want a master.
After trying it out, she had to admit: it was truly amazing.
The ancient martial arts focus on cultivating Inner Breath (Neixi). Without Inner Breath, one cannot inflict harm. Linda didn't have to worry about this; she possessed an endless supply of life energy, which translated to an infinite amount of Inner Breath. Once unleashed, the destruction she could cause was unimaginable.
As the word "Break!" exploded in the air, a tiny column of light suddenly appeared in the dark sky. The light column instantly swelled into a massive light wave that illuminated the entire world.
The light wave began at the beach and spread out in a fan shape, covering a kilometer of the sky.
In that moment, night turned into day. The violent shockwave blew sideways. The Cape Villa, perched atop the hill, shattered like paper. Broken stones flew everywhere—roof tiles, furniture, floorboards—everything was lifted up, tumbling outwards with the hurricane.
Fortunately, the butler reacted quickly, leading everyone to hide below the hillside. Even so, their situation was dire; everyone hugged the ground, terrified of being swept into the sky by the fierce wind.
Siobhan tightly clutched a tree trunk, her eyes wide with shock at her friend.
Was this truly a power a human should possess?
Luke's Project Ghost-3
Inside the underground base of Cape Villa, Luke, who was receiving knowledge from Apokolips, opened his eyes. His soul returned to his body in a flash of green light. The long-lost physical sensation felt unfamiliar to him, who had grown used to the soul state.
"What's happening?"
A light flickered, and Ava materialized, raising her hand to project a virtual screen that displayed the battle between Linda and the Demon Queen Crone.
"A demon?"
"Yes."
"Who brought her?"
The image shifted, focusing on Siobhan hiding on the hillside. Siobhan was still in her Banshee form, and with the Crone's manifestation, her bloodline had begun to awaken, making her less and less human and pushing her toward a dark creature transformation.
"So it was her?"
Luke murmured. Silver Banshee Siobhan McDougal, a poor, unlucky girl. He had met her once during Christmas two years ago, and she seemed to have a good relationship with Linda.
"Master, how shall we proceed?"
Luke rubbed his brow. Faint bloody streaks occasionally flashed across his tired eyes. Apokoliptian technology was vast and all-encompassing; it was impossible to learn in a few years, let alone decades. To accelerate his progress, he had not only used the psychic technology of the Zamarons but also experimented with the soul witchcraft recorded in the ancient book, splitting his soul into thirteen separate consciousnesses with independent personalities.
With fourteen Lukes learning simultaneously, the progress far exceeded expectations. Of course, the side effects were equally apparent: prolonged use of psychic technology caused mental trauma, leading to various negative emotions like fatigue, depression, madness, and irritability. Soul magic, meanwhile, caused insanity, delirium, bloodlust, and loss of reason.
While in the soul state, Luke hadn't felt anything amiss, but upon returning to his physical body, the suppressed negative emotions burst forth.
"Master, are you alright?"
Luke shook his head, forcefully enduring the pain in his skull. He hoarsely commanded,
"Begin the synthesis now!"
"No more modifications?"
"It's not necessary. The current materials can only achieve this much. The rest will be minor programmatic adjustments."
"Start immediately!"
"Yes, Master."
Robots hidden in the corners came out and moved Luke's collection of the past years into the lab one by one: the silvery-gray Prometheum metal, the pale gold Amazonian metal, the Kinetic Alloy invented and refined by Luke, the Dionesium, the body of the deceased demon Ghast, and the Golden Key found in the Kryptonian space station.
Luke hadn't originally planned to include the last two items.
However, after analysis by the Mother Box, they proved to be quite unusual. Ghast's body contained ancestral demon blood factors. Fusing them with the Dionesuim could create a new change, not only giving the armor powerful magic resistance but also providing an automatic repair function.
This discovery delighted Luke. The Golden Key was even more mysterious; he still hadn't figured out why the energy emitted by a simple key could affect space itself.
With the materials gathered, the synthesis officially began.
The Mother Box, serving as the primary carrier, was forcibly awakened. Whether this would attract the attention of Apokolips was not Luke's immediate concern.
Large red light spots emanated from the Mother Box, enveloping the surrounding materials.
A miraculous sight occurred: the materials began to soften and decompose into molecular-level particles. Even the indestructible Amazonian metal and the incredibly tough Prometheum metal were affected. The only material that remained untouched was the Golden Key; the red light spots could drain the key's energy but could not harm the key itself.
Luke had anticipated this. He stared intently at the swirling red liquid above.
This liquid contained the essence of three super metals and the exotic energy provided by the Golden Key. It was the genesis of Project Ghost-3.
Under the control of the pre-set program, the liquid began to stretch and grow. Simultaneously, Ava injected the core system Luke had meticulously designed into the liquid.
A progress bar appeared in mid-air:
The Blast
The underground base was silent, but outside, chaos reigned.
The moment the light column appeared, the world fell silent.
The endless light wave, carrying the power of total destruction, shot into the sky. Strong winds whipped up, the sea surged, and the terrifying force seemed poised to smash a hole in the heavens.
The Crone was stunned.
Is this the power of a human?
Is she truly a descendant of the Old Gods?
The fear of death intensified. The Crone dared not be careless, injecting all her magical power into the black cloud. The red light flashed violently, causing the entire cloud mass to tremble.
Crack!
A deafening sound tore across the sky. Red lightning struck down from the cloud, a crimson python flying from beyond the heavens, colliding with the massive light wave.
The next second!
The python shattered. The light wave surged onward, shattering the black cloud with unstoppable force, punching through the atmosphere and leaving a clean, clear night sky in its wake.
The black cloud was gone. The sea calmed, and the fierce winds gradually subsided.
Siobhan and the villa servants, who had been hiding, stared blankly at the sky.
Stars glittered across the expanse. The moonlight was clear and brilliant, its light seemingly within reach.
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