Chapter 157: Who's Hitting Me?
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Swamp Thing, whose real name was Alec Holland, was a botanist who transformed into a half-man, half-plant monster after an accident in a swamp.
Of course, this refers to the most well-known version of Swamp Thing in the comics. In fact, Swamp Thing has existed since the distant past, with each generation being an avatar of The Green.
The legend the Old Man mentioned most likely originated from a past generation of Swamp Thing.
Swamp Thing isn't closely tied to the mainstream DC Universe, operating outside the main storylines. He neither pursues justice nor fights criminals, only being responsible for maintaining the balance between plants and the outside world. In a way, he is similar to Poison Ivy, but if one had to assign an alignment, Swamp Thing should be classified as a superhero, while Poison Ivy is a villain most of the time.
So, Orin Vale found it a bit strange to see Swamp Thing here.
Although he speaks for the plants, he's not usually so extreme. Taking over a city with plants didn't seem like his style.
Of course, strange as it was, since the other party had launched an attack, he couldn't afford to hold back when it was time to fight.
Dense vines shot out. Orin Vale's speed flared, his figure flashing continuously between the crisscrossing, stabbing vines. Like countless sharp spears, they pierced through, tearing through one afterimage after another to strike the ground. Large machinery was torn apart, and a building was blasted full of holes.
Countless green branches erupted into the air like a green storm. In mid-air, they wove into a massive net that blotted out the sky, creating an almost suffocating pressure.
But Orin Vale moved effortlessly through the barrage-like attack, his afterimages trailing electric current like a butterfly dancing among flowers. The explosive sounds of piercing and collapse formed a continuous roar around him, and the kicked-up dust swirled like a golden storm, yet nothing could touch him.
Orin Vale's gaze locked onto the source of the attack—that blurry green shadow in the darkness.
He spun lightly, passing through the gap between two intersecting vines, and raised his palm to aim.
A decisive shot.
An unstoppable azure beam pierced through the dense net of vines, scoring a direct hit. The green shadow let out a muffled roar as the light energy tore through him, and nearly half of his body was blasted away by the impact.
Then, he moved.
His eyes seemed to burn with wrath as his green body turned, revealing his appearance.
He was indeed a massive and ugly monster, with dark green skin covered in green slime, and branches and vines all over his body. His wide mouth was filled with sharp teeth, his eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, and his wrath-filled gaze seemed to emit green flames.
That last blast had blown away the left half of his body, completely pulverizing one of his arms. However, it seemed to have little effect, because in the next moment, branches and vines spiraled together, transforming into a new arm. In the blink of an eye, he was fully restored.
Extreme regeneration, one of Swamp Thing's abilities.
And this wasn't ordinary self-healing, but a top-tier healing ability in all of comics. Swamp Thing could recover from any injury. Records showed he was even capable of regenerating from ashes after a single blow from a super-boss on the level of the multiverse-destroying Anti-Monitor.
This is because he is connected to The Green. As long as the abstract concept of The Green exists, he can regenerate limitlessly an infinite number of times.
Orin Vale glanced over and detected other life signs deeper in the area, behind Swamp Thing.
It was the workers from the construction site.
It seemed Swamp Thing had captured them, but hadn't harmed them. They were currently just unconscious.
Something was strange.
"I don't want to fight you. I'm just here to investigate the plant rampage in Gotham," Orin Vale said, flying forward. "I saw you spared those people. So if you're not the one behind what's happening..."
"Roar!"
Swamp Thing roared, his right arm transforming into a long spear of an entwined trunk and branches, and thrust it forward. Orin Vale slid half a meter to the side, calmly watching the strike flash past him. With a series of loud bangs, it pierced through several layers of machinery and reinforced concrete behind him.
"Hmph, alright. It looks like talking is off the table. Fists first, words later. Got it."
As Orin Vale spoke, he kicked off the ground. An electric arc flared, and he accelerated towards Swamp Thing.
Similar to mainstream heroes, the difference in strength between a newly-awakened Swamp Thing and one that has mastered its abilities is enormous. Many people underestimate him because he rarely appears in the main Justice League storylines, but in fact, Swamp Thing is not weak.
His infinite regeneration makes him virtually immortal. He can manipulate plants to form any shape or weapon, and the empowerment from The Green grants those plants a toughness and strength far beyond the ordinary, like super-powered beings among the plant kingdom.
Although he hadn't tested the power level of this particular Swamp Thing, Orin Vale felt it was safer to dodge rather than rely on brute force. Once entangled by these things empowered by The Green, even Superman had once struggled to break free.
However, having said that... weren't there a few too many of these things?
It all seemed to happen in the instant Swamp Thing let out a great roar.
The entire forest floor instantly cracked open with countless rifts, accompanied by the heavy sound of collapsing earth. Innumerable vines and branches shot out from the ground, connected to a vast expanse of trees.
Thick, exaggerated tree trunks, containing the endless energy of The Green, burst through the earth's shackles. Countless high-speed vines shot out like lightning, crisscrossing like vicious snakes and sealing off nearly every inch of maneuverable space within the forest.
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
Okay, of course that's impossible. It's just that the move had such a strong sense of déjà vu...
Nearly every inch of standing space was squeezed out of existence.
Almost.
Rays of light shot out from the gaps between the trees. An afterimage, like an agile water snake, sped through the cracks and burst out from the sea of trees.
His hypervelocity body left a winding path of light through the gaps in the sea of trees, like a glowing snake. The fist was so fast it was nearly invisible. The moment it landed, a white ripple exploded on Swamp Thing's forehead, blasting away half of his face.
Swamp Thing tumbled backward, sent spinning far into the distance. When he rose again, his head had already restored itself, but he didn't charge forward angrily to attack.
Instead, he touched his slimy green forehead and looked around in a daze.
Then he asked the classic three questions.
"Who am I? Where am I? Who's hitting me?"
Orin Vale landed in front of him, keeping his palm cannon aimed in alert, and asked, "Seems like you've cleared your head a bit?"
"Sort of... Can you turn off the light first?"
Facing the glow of the palm cannon, Swamp Thing raised an arm to shield his squinting eyes.
"It's really annoying."
"Not until you answer my questions," Orin Vale said. "The plant rampage in Gotham, was that your doing?"
"A plant rampage? Me? Of course not."
Swamp Thing shook his head repeatedly.
"Why do you ask?"
(end of chapter)