"Whoosh!" On Earth, in a daze, Darkseid felt as if he was gradually comprehending everything. At that moment, the intricate patterns on the ground vanished, and a beam of light struck Darkseid.
This wasn't the kind of light from a spotlight—it was an impact! A strike!
A figure, moving like a beam of light, flew toward Darkseid and punched him!
"Boom!" Even with Darkseid's formidable physique, the punch sent him reeling. His body trembled violently as he was sent flying out of Earth and into the void of space.
"This…" In the cosmic void, Robert and Ancient One exchanged glances. They had been waiting for Earth's dimensional consciousness to act, but Clark had suddenly awakened.
Next, Robert and Ancient One saw Clark leave the sun at a speed surpassing light, as if he had transcended spatial distance, appearing directly on Earth in front of Darkseid and punching him into space.
"If I had known this would happen, I should've stayed on Earth. What exactly happened on Earth? I sensed the fluctuations of Earth's dimensional consciousness, but they were weaker than when Galactus arrived…" Robert said helplessly, looking at Ancient One.
"I didn't notice either. I was also focused on Clark. But it seems there was no conflict between Earth's dimensional consciousness and Darkseid?" Ancient One shrugged, but soon a green light gathered in her hand as the power of the Time Stone emerged.
This wasn't about reversing time for the entire Earth but using a small spell to glimpse what had happened on the planet earlier.
As for Darkseid, there was no need to worry about him for now. Clark, glowing with intense solar energy and radiating a golden aura—as if he had entered a new form—was currently battling Darkseid.
"Whoosh!" An image appeared before Robert and Ancient One, showing Darkseid arriving on Earth, preparing to act but then stopping.
In the image, Robert and Ancient One vaguely saw some mysterious patterns, but they couldn't make them out clearly. This piqued their curiosity, and without Robert needing to say anything, Ancient One began manipulating the magic to zoom in on the image.
However, no matter how much the image was magnified, the blurry patterns remained indistinct, as if they were something that couldn't be observed.
"What's going on?" Robert asked, puzzled.
"That's probably what Darkseid was trying to find. Even with the true power of the Time Stone, we can't see it. This suggests that those patterns might be on par with the Time Stone in terms of origin!" Ancient One shook her head, her expression grave.
"So it has nothing to do with Earth's dimensional consciousness? Did he obtain that power, or not?" Robert frowned, his gaze shifting to the battlefield where Clark and Darkseid were fighting.
Clark and Darkseid were moving further away from Earth, likely by Clark's design. After all, Clark wouldn't want Earth to be destroyed by their battle, so it was better for them to fight far away—the farther, the better.
Even though Clark didn't know about the countless star systems Robert and Darkseid had destroyed in their earlier fight, he still directed the battlefield beyond the solar system, showing no signs of stopping even after leaving it.
As for why Darkseid wasn't resisting during the fight, the truth was that Darkseid hadn't even regained his senses. His consciousness seemed to still be immersed in deciphering the Anti-Life Equation. His body was undergoing subtle changes, but his mind hadn't snapped back to reality.
This was why Darkseid was being punched away by Clark like a punching bag, showing no intention of fighting back.
However, it wasn't just Darkseid who was acting strange—Clark wasn't quite himself either. From the moment he appeared, Clark hadn't said a word, and there was no emotion in his eyes. It was as if he had only sensed the immense threat Darkseid posed to Earth and acted on instinct.
"Clark's state isn't right, and neither is Darkseid's," Robert observed, frowning as he watched the battlefield. "Darkseid hasn't fought back at all, but his aura has undergone subtle changes. Could he have really obtained that power?"
"Whoosh!" With a thought, Robert teleported to a spot near Clark and Darkseid.
At that moment, Clark punched Darkseid's body away again. It seemed that Clark sensed Robert's presence, as he instantly became alert, turning to look at Robert. Even after recognizing Robert, Clark didn't lower his guard. However, after a brief hesitation, Clark continued chasing after Darkseid.
"Does Clark not recognize me? Did he lose his memory?" Robert was baffled. Clark's expression had not only been alert but also carried a hint of hostility. If Robert had made any sudden moves, Clark might have abandoned Darkseid and attacked him instead.
"What's going on?" Robert muttered, watching Clark move further away. "Is it because Clark's been asleep for too long and his mind isn't fully awake yet? But even if that's the case, he shouldn't have forgotten me, right?"
Robert couldn't accept that Clark, even if not fully conscious, would forget his own brother. So, Robert's mind began racing, trying to figure out how to jog Clark's memory.
"Should I try to force his soul out or what?" Robert pondered. "With Clark's current strength, even Ancient One probably can't extract his soul. Martian Manhunter's abilities might not work either. Looks like I'll have to do it myself. This feels a bit awkward…"
With that thought, Robert vanished again, reappearing near Clark and Darkseid. At the same time, Ancient One stepped through a fiery portal, catching up to them. Clark, already on edge because of Robert's presence, became even more wary as a large group of people appeared behind Ancient One.
"Their battle is over. I brought them here," Ancient One explained to Robert.
The fiery portal was convenient, but it couldn't match the efficiency of instant teleportation. Moreover, with Constantine and the others' current abilities, they couldn't open portals back from the cosmic void, so Ancient One had to fetch them.
Yes, the battle on the other battlefield had ended. With Silver Surfer and Galacta providing support, and Sentry—who had significantly improved his combat skills by learning from his enemies—taking the lead, it was only a matter of time before Darkseid's remaining forces were wiped out.
Once the strong subordinates of Darkseid were gone, the Parademon army, despite their numbers, stood no chance against the combined might of the Avengers and their allies. Under their coordinated assault, the Parademons were completely annihilated.
After dealing with all the enemies, the Avengers didn't linger to interact with the civilization of the rescued planet. Instead, they called for Ancient One to open a portal for them.
However, to allow the cosmic battleship to pass through, the portal had to be quite large. When the battleship appeared, Clark, who had already been on high alert, suddenly changed his expression. He vanished instantly, and so did Robert.
"Boom!" The next moment, Robert and Clark collided, an invisible force radiating outward.
"Whoosh!" Ancient One's expression shifted slightly as an invisible barrier formed in front of the group, only to shatter under the impact. It wasn't until the Space Stone in her hand glowed that the force was completely contained.
"What happened? Why is Clark fighting Robert? And why did Clark try to attack us earlier?" Kara, who had just snapped out of her shock, asked in disbelief. While most of the Avengers couldn't follow Clark's speed, Kara could, and she stared into the distance, confused.
"My fault. I shouldn't have brought you here. Robert sensed that Clark's state might be off, but I didn't pay much attention. I didn't expect him to attack you, even ignoring Darkseid," Ancient One sighed, blaming herself.
Earlier, Ancient One had noticed that Clark wasn't quite himself, but she hadn't anticipated that he would turn on his allies. It seemed Clark's condition was indeed serious.
However, dealing with Clark wasn't the priority right now. Robert could handle him for the time being. Ancient One's hands moved rapidly, her magic locking onto Darkseid in the distance.
"Whoosh!" In the next moment, Darkseid's body was teleported over without any resistance, floating motionlessly in space. If not for the aura and energy emanating from him, many would have thought he was already dead.
But only Ancient One was paying attention to Darkseid now. The Avengers were all focused on the battle between Clark and Robert. Under their worried gazes, Robert retreated slightly, putting some distance between himself and Clark.
It had to be said that Clark's current state was incredibly powerful. Robert's Super Saiyan 2 transformation was struggling to keep up, even though it had previously allowed him to dominate Darkseid.
"Impressive. As expected of Clark. I thought I had widened the gap between us, but now I see you've caught up. Good thing I developed a new ability recently, or I'd have to rely on a prolonged battle to defeat you," Robert said, shaking his slightly numb arm as he praised Clark through telepathy.
"?" Clark frowned at Robert's words but didn't respond. His expression was a mix of confusion and coldness, as if he hadn't heard Robert or didn't understand why Robert was speaking to him like this.
"Honestly, this cold demeanor of yours has a bit of a silly vibe, but I'm looking forward to snapping you out of it. After all, in this state, you can really go all out," Robert said, sensing that Darkseid wasn't an immediate concern. He then challenged Clark to a fight.
"Whoosh!" Almost the moment Robert released his fighting spirit, Clark reacted. His eyes turned icy as he shot toward Robert like a beam of light.
No! Clark's speed now surpassed light itself, leaving speedsters like Pietro in awe.
"Whoosh!" However, just as Clark reached Robert, Robert's aura shifted dramatically. His appearance and the energy around him changed as he transformed from Super Saiyan 2 to his unique Super Saiyan God state.
"Smack!" This time, Clark's punch was caught by Robert. Robert no longer felt any numbness in his arm. Even in his current state, Clark was no match for Robert in his Super Saiyan God form, especially since Clark's consciousness was unclear, and his combat skills were rudimentary.
Clark's fighting style now was reminiscent of the Hulk's early days—pure brute force. When Clark realized his fist was caught and Robert was countering with a punch, he coldly reached out to grab Robert's fist, attempting to mimic Robert's move.
"Boom!" Unfortunately, the next moment, Clark's hand was knocked aside, and Robert's punch landed squarely on his face. If Robert hadn't still been holding Clark's fist, Clark's body would have been sent flying, streaking through the cosmos like a meteor…
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