Chapter 91: Is Something Still Missing?
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"Hah!"
Having received his orders, Sas shot out from his hiding place with a loud roar. His super-fast form became an afterimage as a heavy punch smashed toward the red-and-silver back!
However, Orin Vale had actually noticed him long before the hostile attack alarm was triggered.
Orin Vale calmly spun around. Composed, he raised one hand, fingers splayed.
Boom!
The sound of a heavy punch striking steel resounded as the clash of fist and palm unleashed an exaggerated impact. A shockwave radiated outward, sweeping up the surrounding trees and sending leaves and branches spinning endlessly in the gale.
The formidable power of the fist overturned nearly the entire patch of ground. Only the spot where Orin Vale stood was unharmed. Seen from above, he was like a stubborn rock in a stream, the torrent helplessly splitting around him.
Sas's powerful and heavy punch felt like it had struck an iron plate. His pupils contracted slightly as he looked up at the steel body in bewilderment.
"This strength... Someone with a superpower? Or, an alien?" Orin Vale frowned slightly behind his internal display.
Sas didn't speak, just roared again as a left hook, whistling through the air, came crashing in.
But the other party was faster!
Orin Vale's right palm shot out, his arm a blur of red-and-silver afterimages. He struck first despite moving second. Sas's hook punch was only halfway through its motion when the steel hand had already struck his fleshy cheek.
Ultraman Palm!
With a dull smacking sound, the impact spread across the skin of Sas's face like a wave. The Strong Man's head snapped to the side, and under the palm's monstrous force, he was sent tumbling backward through the air.
The maid watching from the shadows stood with her mouth agape.
"H-How is this possible?" She looked completely bewildered. "Sas is one of the Royal Family's finest soldiers, this... this..."
She turned her head to look at the Red-haired Woman beside her, only to see the woman's eyes flashing with excitement.
"Exactly," the Red-haired Woman said excitedly. "Not only did he completely overpower Sas's strength, but he also has speed... and did you notice his technique? That move, that graceful motion, it's simply like a work of art..."
Maid: "?"
Wait a minute, Your Highness, aren't your priorities a bit skewed?
As they spoke, the battle continued... well, to call it a battle was no longer quite fitting. Sas had fallen into his opponent's rhythm within two moves and was now basically just covering his head and taking a beating.
The Red-haired Woman's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she watched. "Did you see that joint lock? The movement was simply perfect... That was a beautiful hook punch! That poor sap's jaw should be dislocated now!"
The Maid quietly reminded her, "Um... Your Highness, you do realize that 'that poor sap' is one of ours, right?"
"What? Oh, of course," the Red-haired Woman said. "I was just having him test the opponent's strength. He looks very strong, doesn't he?"
"He does... But if this 'testing' continues, Sas will die, won't he?" The Maid's voice got even lower. "Of course, I'm just mentioning it..."
"..."
When the two appeared before Orin Vale, Sas was already bruised and swollen, lying on the ground on the verge of death.
This was even with Orin Vale intentionally holding back. Although the other party had ambushed him first, the Ultraman Race still had to act with reason. At the very least, he needed to figure out where this person came from, if he had accomplices, and what their purpose was.
Orin Vale watched the two newcomers warily. The sensors quickly fed him the scan results.
Two more aliens.
"A pleasure to meet you." The Red-haired Woman approached with a beaming smile. "You are a valiant soldier. Your power and technique are both incredibly admirable. Especially that hook punch just now, it was truly beautiful..."
Sas, lying on the ground: "?"
"Who are you? What are you doing on Earth?" Orin Vale asked.
"We come from the planet Almerac. My name is Maxima..."
She had only stated her name and hadn't even had time to mention her background before Orin Vale instinctively recoiled, his gaze toward her growing even more vigilant.
Good grief, she's Maxima?
Orin Vale remembered her because she had appeared in the *Superman: The Animated Series* cartoon that was broadcast on repeat many times during his childhood.
Maxima, the eldest princess of the Almerac Royal Family, was a notorious problem throughout the galaxy. The lore says she's highly skilled in martial arts, possessing super strength, super speed, invulnerability, and even telepathy. Her strength is considerable, yet her greatest weakness is that she can't get married...
To be precise, that's not quite accurate. It's mainly because her standards are too high and she looks down on everyone. The Princess has a fiery temper and is an exceptional fighter; it's said she once fought her way across the entire galaxy without finding a worthy opponent. But she just had to find someone who could fight as well as she could.
However, this "fought across the galaxy" lore wasn't very rigorous, because the places she challenged were obviously limited, and at the very least did not include Earth. Ever since the Princess's scouts discovered a place called Earth in the galaxy, her reputation for "being unbeatable in the entire galaxy" turned into "being unable to beat anyone" on Earth.
Okay, it wasn't actually that bad. After all, the Princess is still strong; it's just that Earth has too many overpowered individuals. When this character first appeared, she set her sights on Superman. Then, after shamelessly pursuing him for a long time to no avail, she turned her attention to Captain Atom, and even flirted with Amazing Man from Extreme Justice...
In short, her character was that of a love-struck, yet powerful brawler who hit on superheroes all over the place. Her values followed the fist—she'd throw herself at whoever was the strongest.
This Princess wasn't generally considered a threat. After all, although her main motivation was always to find a man, she did join the Justice League for a time and got a lot of work done.
However, once you get involved with her, the subsequent trouble is endless.
"Hello? Are you listening?" Maxima's voice pulled the distracted Orin Vale back to reality.
Of course, Orin Vale hadn't been listening to her self-introduction since she'd said her name.
"Ah, sorry, please continue," Orin Vale said, snapping back to his senses.
"I've long heard of your name and know that you are one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. That is why, in this time of crisis, I have traveled a great distance to seek your help." She blinked, her eyes glittering with a light that, to Orin Vale, looked like a danger signal.
Sas, lying on the ground, looked up in a daze. "Huh? I thought the strongest in the galaxy we heard about was Super-dude—uwaaah..."
Before he could finish, the Princess irritably stomped on his head, shoving it back into the ground and stuffing his mouth with dirt.
"So, what do you think?" She put on a gentle and demure expression.
It was just that this expression seemed rather jarring on a violent woman who was currently stepping on a man's head.
"What do I think? I have a suggestion," Orin Vale said dryly.
"What? Tell me, as long as it's something I can do..." Maxima hurriedly leaned closer.
"Go back to your Almerac."
As he spoke, Orin Vale had already shot into the air, transforming into a meteor that streaked into the Night Sky.
Princess Maxima raised her head, staring for a long while at the disappearing tail flame in the sky. The more she looked, the more satisfied she seemed, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled.
"He's far stronger than he looks, I can feel it," Maxima said with conviction. "My instincts for the strong are always sharp."
"Then His Majesty will surely be very satisfied with him too," the Maid said.
"The people of Almerac will be very happy too," Maxima said cheerfully.
Finally freed from under the Princess's boot, Sas lifted his head, panted a couple of times on the ground, and frowned. After some thought, he felt that things weren't that simple.
"Something feels wrong. Look, His Majesty is satisfied, the Princess is satisfied, and the people are satisfied... But doesn't it feel like something's missing?"
The three of them fell silent for a moment.
Maxima shot him an expressionless glance and stomped his head back into the ground with one foot.
Sas (another mouthful of dirt): "Uwaaah... urgh..."
***
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(end of chapter)