Hum!
The moment Gilgamesh's fist lashed out, the air itself seemed to tremble. A cascade of golden energy ripples spread outward from his knuckles—the telltale signature of the Eternals' power. His already monstrous strength surged even further, his double fists carrying the weight of a collapsing mountain.
Boom—whoosh!
The punch tore through the air with an explosive roar, splitting the atmosphere with sheer force. Even to bystanders, it was clear: this blow was meant to crush anything in its path.
But unfortunately for Gilgamesh—
He was up against Alex.
Alex's baseline strength had long surpassed two thousand tons. His body was a living fortress, an indomitable weapon forged through countless battles. Against that kind of physical foundation, even an Eternal who specialized in raw power was destined to fall short. After all, this was the movie Gilgamesh, not the mythic comic book version.
Whoosh!
Alex raised his own fist in a casual, almost effortless motion. The collision came an instant later.
BOOM!
The impact sounded like a thunderclap. The ground beneath them cracked like shattered glass, a shockwave rippling outward in a circle. Dust, gravel, and loose debris were flung into the air like cannon fire.
Yet the results could not have been more different.
Alex stood firm—his figure as unyielding as a mountain peak, not moving an inch. His expression was calm, his eyes cool and detached, as though this titanic clash were nothing more than a test of strength between children.
Gilgamesh, however, convulsed violently, as though lightning had torn through his body. His legs buckled, his chest heaved, and the next instant—BANG!—he was hurled backward, tumbling end over end through the air before slamming heavily against the cracked ground.
"What!"
The sharp cry escaped both Thena and Makkari simultaneously.
This was Gilgamesh! The mighty warrior of the Eternals, the one whose explosive might was legendary among his people. His fists were considered unstoppable, his strength rivaling even the most powerful of his kin. In the Eternals' long history, perhaps only Ikaris could challenge him in raw power.
And yet—
He had been dismissed. Overwhelmed. Broken by a single punch from this stranger who looked uncannily like their old acquaintance.
Shock coursed through their eyes. For the first time, an unspoken thought slithered into their hearts:
Just who… is this man?
Swoosh!
Before hesitation could take root, Thena acted.
Her queenly aura sharpened into something far more lethal. With a fluid, practiced motion, she summoned a radiant energy broadsword into her grip. The blade glowed with killing intent as she lunged, her strike precise and merciless.
Zap!
Alex's eyes glowed red. Twin beams of concentrated heat vision slashed through the air, slicing directly toward Thena.
Her expression tightened. She had sensed it—the immeasurable destructive force packed into those beams. She dared not meet them head-on without protection. At once, she willed a shimmering shield into existence with her other hand.
Crack!
The shield absorbed the brunt of the blast, molten sparks spraying outward. But the heat still seared against her skin, leaving her no time to pause. Without breaking stride, she twisted, her glowing blade arcing toward Alex in a vicious slash.
Swoosh!
And then—Alex vanished.
By the time Thena registered what had happened, he was already at her exposed flank. His sudden presence was like a looming shadow, suffocating and unrelenting.
"Too slow."
His fist crashed forward, aimed directly at her ribs.
"TINA!"
Gilgamesh's panicked shout echoed as he hurled himself back into the fray, his body rocketing forward like a launched boulder.
"Get lost!" Alex's voice was sharp and merciless.
With a dismissive wave of his free hand, a massive psionic shockwave burst forth, striking Gilgamesh mid-charge.
BOOM!
He was sent flying again, coughing blood, his form skidding across the ground in a violent tumble.
In the same heartbeat, Alex's main fist slammed into Thena's raised shield.
BANG!
The blow detonated like an artillery shell. Though the shield prevented her immediate death, the overwhelming impact blasted her backward like a cannonball. She streaked through the air before crashing to the ground, carving a long furrow in the earth.
Swoosh!
Makkari moved. She could no longer stand idle. Her body blurred into a streak of motion, speed tearing her into the fight with the force of a storm.
Her acceleration was terrifying—so fast it bent the air into shockwaves. Compared to Alex, her velocity was unquestionably superior. To the naked eye, she was a phantom, impossible to track.
Yet against Alex… speed alone was not enough.
Because Alex had too many abilities.
With an almost lazy motion, he ascended into the sky. His body lifted effortlessly, breaking free of the ground, leaving Makkari to skid to a halt beneath him.
She couldn't fly.
And that was enough to doom her from the start.
If Alex had wanted, he could have clad himself in psionic armor, rendering her lightning-fast strikes utterly useless. But why waste the energy? Flight was the simpler, cleaner solution.
And from above—he held the advantage.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Heat vision rained down like divine punishment.
Sweeping arcs of crimson energy slashed across the battlefield, forcing the three Eternals into desperate evasions. Alex's telekinesis surged at the same time, invisible waves seizing their bodies, disrupting their rhythm, slowing their movements.
Boom! Crack! Crash!
In mere moments, the mighty warriors of the Eternals were reduced to a disheveled, battered state. Their once-elegant forms were covered in dust and blood, their breathing ragged.
"Stop! Stop—enough! We surrender!"
Gilgamesh's frantic voice rang out as he dodged another burning beam by mere inches, his massive hands raised in frantic surrender.
Alex finally relented. His heat vision faded, though his body remained hovering high above, eyes cold and merciless. He was ready—if they dared move against him again, his wrath would descend without hesitation.
"Flight, heat vision, super-speed, telekinesis, monstrous strength…" Gilgamesh gasped heavily, disbelief etched across his features. "You're practically another Homelander."
His tone was equal parts awe and dread.
"Though I don't know who you are," Gilgamesh continued, his chest rising and falling, "you cannot possibly be unrelated to Homelander."
Alex said nothing. His silence was heavier than words, his gaze boring down like a predator eyeing prey.
"Listen!" Gilgamesh raised his voice desperately. "I can't give you all the answers you want. Not because I won't—but because I can't. We don't know who you are. If you truly want to understand, if you want the truth… then go to Homelander."
"Everything you asked before… he can answer it."
Alex's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable.
"So that's your answer?" His tone was cold, sharp as a blade. "I'm not satisfied."
Yes, Gilgamesh had revealed one critical detail—that the Eternals' connection to Alex was real, and perhaps even favorable. But Alex was no fool. Trusting words alone, especially from an immortal warrior who had lived thousands of years, was not his way.
Bang!
Before the tension could snap, the air itself shattered.
A sonic boom roared through the battlefield as a figure appeared in an instant, faster than even Alex's senses could fully register. A violent gust of wind blasted outward, forcing even Alex to brace himself.
When his vision cleared—
He froze.
Standing across from him was a figure identical in every detail. The same face. The same body. The same piercing gaze.
The only difference was the aura, darker and far more oppressive.
Homelander Alex.
The one who had ruled 2016 with suffocating terror.
"So… this is the future me?" Alex's heart gave a faint tremor. His eyes studied the doppelgänger before him, marveling silently at the suffocating might that radiated from him.
At the same time, Homelander Alex's cold, emotionless eyes swept across Alex.
Two men. Two monsters. Two sides of the same coin.
The air grew heavy—like the calm before a storm.
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