Chapter 85: The Consequences Are Severe
As expected, Brainiac didn't seem seriously injured after taking that punch. He cracked his neck and quickly stood back up.
After all, Brainiac's body wasn't like the cannon fodder below, produced from Earth's raw materials. Even without his warship fleet and interstellar weapons, Brainiac's own body possessed combat power capable of rivaling Superman's. Of course, this generally referred to his main body.
Brainiac and Ultron from the neighboring franchise were cut from the same cloth, with Brainiac being an even more premium version. For a super AI like him, reanimation and possessing new bodies were naturally basic maneuvers.
"I see. Because your body is inherently light, you can move via communication methods simply by adjusting to a specific frequency."
Brainiac, the Figure Maniac, was also a master of knowledge. Even with his home base being invaded, his primary concern was still knowledge.
Orin Vale quickly scanned his entire body structure and the weapons and equipment he carried using Ultra Vision.
"You're not Brainiac," Orin Vale said in a low voice. "Or rather, you're not really here, are you?"
"I am, and at the same time, I am not," Brainiac said calmly. "There are countless planets in the universe, too many worlds to be archived, too much knowledge to be collected. Unlike you, I am not bound to a single shell. I exist simultaneously in countless galaxies, archiving multiple civilizations concurrently. I am here, but at the same time, I am not. I am everywhere."
Brainiac's spaceships were spread throughout interstellar space, constantly executing the steps of "collection, archiving, destruction" at every moment. Furthermore, this process was multi-threaded, running in parallel across multiple sectors and galaxies simultaneously.
"Behold, your city is about to become one of my great collectibles!"
As he spoke, the floor beneath their feet disappeared, replaced by a projection of the sky above Metropolis. A vast wave of energy erupted in the form of a ray, blasting towards Metropolis.
Then, nothing happened.
Brainiac: "..."
Evidently, the operation on the surface had also gone smoothly. Superman, Supergirl, and the armor controlled by Pal had all successfully completed their respective missions.
Orin Vale chuckled lightly. "The plan doesn't seem to be going so smoothly."
"A barrier generated by a Kryptonian crystal... Krypton's legacy? It matters not. The remaining Kryptonians will be eliminated sooner or later."
Brainiac's mechanical clone raised its left hand, which had already transformed into the dark, gaping muzzle of a cannon.
"You, as well."
Green plasma surged forth, followed by some kind of high-intensity light bullet. But Orin Vale was already on guard. He sidestepped with a somersault to evade the light bullet, and by the time he landed, his hands were already clasped at his waist.
Cutting Ray!
It was a technique used by the Original Ultraman in the TV series, a destructive ray fired from between both palms in the form of a continuous stream of arrows. Its power wasn't immense, but its advantage lay in its stealth. Its wind-up was short, and the casting time was so fast it was negligible, making it the fastest rapid-fire ray among all the skills Orin Vale had mastered.
Furthermore, he had intentionally waited for his opponent to make the first move. While evading with a somersault, he used the moment his body was airborne with his back to the enemy to bring his palms to his waist, maximizing the stealthy and rapid-fire properties of the attack. At the same time, he capitalized on the opponent's recovery lag, right after they had fired and were unable to react.
As expected, the Cutting Ray hit its mark. The arrow-like light bullets exploded against Brainiac's chest, the blast sending the mechanical body staggering backward.
Now *this* was the caliber of the top graduate of the class!
He kicked off the ground, charging at supersonic speed the instant Brainiac staggered, and launched a powerful swing punch.
But Brainiac's AI reacted just as quickly. A sweep of its mechanical arm deflected the heavy punch to the side. However, Orin Vale pressed forward, stepping in with the force of the deflection and using the momentum to launch a spinning back kick.
Brainiac crossed his arms in front of him to block. The powerful spin kick slammed into his arms, and a transparent shockwave exploded within the spaceship. Brainiac slid back several meters, his feet carving two deep grooves into the floor. The metal arms that had taken the kick also showed faint signs of deformation.
"Record updated. Subject is skilled in close-quarters combat. Recommended action: create distance and use ranged firepower..."
Brainiac suddenly soared into the air, with Orin Vale in hot pursuit. Two afterimages danced wildly through the ship like a gale, their figures flashing like lightning. The sparks of battle erupted in nearly every corner of the spaceship. The sturdy walls shattered one after another like paper, and countless fragments danced in the air, resembling stardust in the galaxy.
They fought from one room to another, crashing through layer after layer of walls and shattering several floors. The poor spaceship was instantly riddled with holes, its hull covered in rifts that looked like bruises. The air filled with the smell of smoke, dust, and metal.
Thrown back by a clash, Brainiac's left arm deployed a strange ray gun, its black muzzle firing a beam of light. Orin Vale, who was charging forward, suddenly shrank, reduced to the size of an ant in an instant, and was sucked into the gun along the beam's path.
It was one of the Figure Maniac's signature techniques: the Shrinking Ray.
Brainiac stood up calmly.
"Anomalous target, race code 'Ultraman,' containment comp—"
Before he could finish the word "complete," the firearm in his hand exploded with a loud bang. A silver-white fist shot out from between the bursting fragments and slammed squarely into his face.
A shockwave erupted from his face. Orin Vale, who had rapidly expanded back to his normal size, had physically shattered the Shrinking Ray gun and sent Brainiac flying far away with a single punch.
"Record updated. Shrinking Ray ineffective against target. Target can negate the ray's effect with physical ability alone. Threat level increased..."
Flying in mid-air, Brainiac swept his arm, and a mass of transparent blue energy instantly captured Orin Vale, flinging him like a cannonball in the direction of the sweep.
It was some kind of tractor beam, similar to a gravitational wave. Orin Vale crashed through another wall, his body wrapped in a faint blue, misty energy and electric current as he was thrown into the next room.
But he rolled with the impact to disperse the force, and by the time he rose into a half-crouch, an Eight-Split Light Wheel was already forming in his palm.
A sharp, cutting edge. The spinning, saw-toothed disc tore through the smoke screen, flying toward Brainiac.
Brainiac was no pushover either, recognizing the power of the Light Wheel at a glance. He didn't meet it head-on. Instead, he spread his five fingers, and the blue tractor beam was released again, enveloping the spinning Light Wheel.
Then, Brainiac spun, and the gravitational wave redirected the Light Wheel in a full circle, flinging it back toward Orin Vale's face along its original path.
Orin Vale was amused.
*Heh. Throwing my own Light Wheel back at me? Trying a little cosmic judo, are you?*
However, fine telekinetic control was a classic derivative of the Eight-Split Light Wheel, and Orin Vale had excelled in this subject. Splitting the Light Wheel into eight and making it turn corners mid-air was child's play. The thought of him being hit by his own reflected Light Wheel was simply absurd.
With a flick of his hand, Orin Vale caught it, and with a reverse motion, he threw the Eight-Split Light Wheel right back, adding a little something extra to it. It flew back faster and with even greater power!
Seeing that this move was ineffective, Brainiac immediately changed his strategy. He crossed his arms, and light green particles formed a transparent barrier in front of him, directly blocking the Light Wheel's cutting trajectory.
However, to Brainiac's surprise, the Light Wheel never actually landed on his barrier.
Just less than two meters away from the particle barrier, the light wheel...
It split!
Without any warning, it split into two, carving two magnificent arcs to the left and right.
Like a brilliant feint to get past a defender, it sidestepped the frontal defense with incredible maneuverability, splitting to strike Brainiac's left and right flanks!
With two crisp sounds, Brainiac's arms were cleanly severed by the light wheels. The particle barrier instantly dissipated, and the severed stumps of his arms revealed exposed circuits and parts, as well as a black liquid that spurted out like blood.
Orin Vale chuckled inwardly.
*Fine telekinetic control, kid.*
Trying to counter his Eight-Split Light Wheel? To quote a senior from the Land of Light—
—You're 20,000 years too early!
Brainiac staggered back two steps. But he felt no pain and immediately adjusted after the setback. His chest armor plate opened, revealing a hidden cannon barrel that lit up as energy began to gather for a blast.
Orin Vale made a split-second decision. He drew his left palm to his waist and placed his right palm flat on top of it.
Mist Beam!
This was a technique used by Ultraman Jack in the TV series, but since its only appearance was easily blocked by an enemy's barrier, the technique was often overlooked. But having learned it himself, Orin Vale knew it was an incredibly powerful control technique that could instantly reach absolute zero, capable of freezing almost any target in an instant.
And it worked perfectly on Brainiac.
Already heavily damaged, Brainiac was hit by the Mist Beam, and more than half of his body was frozen solid, leaving only his head sticking out.
"Record updated." With only his mouth still able to move, Brainiac was still diligently making records. "A powerful, remotely-controlled cutting technique. Instantaneous freezing ability. Target is stronger than expected. Threat level continuously increasing... But the luring tactic was successful."
Luring tactic?
A dangerous premonition struck him. Orin Vale whipped his head around to see a hidden hatch open, revealing an enormous, large-caliber cannon that was already loaded.
Scorching light, the infinite energy of all things. The moment the engine ignited, it was like the detonation of a supernova. A torrent of boundless, searing energy erupted from the giant cannon, like a colossal blade that devoured the light of the sun.
The intense light instantly engulfed Orin Vale's entire body!
The Stellar Cannon, one of the heavy weapons mounted on the spaceship. It was a cannon that achieved terrifying destructive power by absorbing the energy of stars from nearby galaxies, possessing a might that none of the individual weapons carried by this Brainiac mechanical clone could compare to.
A single blast from this cannon should have been enough to turn most known creatures in the universe to ash...
"...Huh?"
Brainiac's semi-biological, semi-mechanical eyes blinked a few times. He looked at the red-and-silver body that had fully withstood the Stellar Cannon, a flicker of bewilderment in his gaze.
How is it that after that blast... his opponent feels like he's actually grown stronger?
Orin Vale patted his body, which was now shrouded in a faint golden light, and silently looked at Brainiac.
His gaze seemed to say, "Seriously? You're hitting me with solar energy?"
For half a second, Brainiac froze on the spot, as if his system had crashed, taking no further action.
Half a second later, he dutifully resumed his recording.
"Record updated. Subject codename 'Ultraman.' Note updated: absolutely do not attack the target with any solar-based weapons."
After a moment of thought, he added a further note in the remarks.
"The consequences could be severe."
(end of chapter)