Chapter 166: A Powder Keg?
Fallen Realm.
"What a strange place."
A disordered, inverted space filled with islands and plants floating across the sky. The Sun God Apollo navigated through this chaos, squinting as he surveyed his surroundings.
"The Eye of Argo, the legendary item that grants Zeus his divine power... hmm, this is truly like finding a needle in a haystack," Apollo muttered to himself as he flew. "But it's strange that you would allow it to exist for so long, Father.
It's as if you long foresaw that you would one day fade into oblivion, and that it would be bestowed upon an offspring worthy of the position... Hm?"
Apollo's gaze shifted, having noticed something.
A figure was flying in from not far away.
A red and blue afterimage, weaving through the floating islands in this eerie space.
Superman.
Apollo's brow furrowed slightly.
"A mortal, in the Fallen Realm? No, not even a mortal... an alien from the stars?"
Apollo was instantly on alert.
Could this guy be here for the Eye of Argo as well?
Apollo immediately felt he could not stand by and watch. He was determined to obtain the Eye of Argo on this trip and would never hand it over to another, especially not some strange species from beyond Earth.
Since they had crossed paths, it was better to simply eliminate this competitor here and now.
Just as this thought emerged in Apollo's mind and he prepared to pursue for a full-power surprise attack, suddenly, an island ahead of them violently split open, and a great green dragon burst forth from the ground!
A body about seven or eight meters long, covered entirely in shimmering, emerald-green scale armor that extended from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. The scales emanated a crystalline glow, each possessing a gentle luster like melting snow. Its long, narrow golden pupils revealed a thick killing intent.
Seeing the giant dragon appear, Apollo immediately halted.
It was an ancient demon creature, quite powerful. It seemed they weren't the only outsiders in the Fallen Realm.
If the intruder could be dealt with like this, it would save him the trouble of doing it himself.
However, just as this thought crossed Apollo's mind,
Bang!
A muffled thud of a fist hitting flesh.
The next moment, before Apollo's disbelieving eyes, the dragon split apart.
A single punch, accompanied by a sudden gale, an exaggerated shockwave, and a terrifying impact that shook several of the surrounding islands. The trembling floating islands seemed to bow in submission to that god-like super strength. With a spray of blood and shattered scale armor, the giant dragon was killed instantly by the unimaginable heavy punch, without even a chance to scream.
Watching the scene of swirling yellow sand before him, Apollo fell into thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he felt it was necessary to adjust his strategy.
A direct confrontation was not a good idea. This time, he had to win with cunning.
It wasn't that he, the Sun God, was afraid of this strange creature. He definitely wasn't afraid. Its strength was just a tiny bit exaggerated, nothing to be scared of.
It was just that the main objective of this trip was the Eye of Argo, and he still didn't know how many other competitors there were. Wasting too much time and energy on this guy would be unwise.
He had to think of a clever way to take it...
"Uh, sir?" Superman had appeared before him at some unknown point. "Excuse me, are you a local?"
Apollo: "!"
He was startled.
He was clearly hiding behind cover, yet this person not only saw him, but how did he Flash over so silently in an instant?
Apollo snorted in a low voice, "You should have heard my name, mortal. I am the Sun God Apollo."
"The Sun God, the one from the myths." Superman nodded, indicating he had heard of him. "So, you're saying your father is Zeus?"
"That's right."
"So you're Diana's brother? That's great. I'm looking for her, but this space is somehow causing interference with my X-ray Vision. I can't see as far as I usually can..."
Apollo narrowed his eyes.
That Amazon has come too?
That was perfect. She was already on Apollo's kill list anyway, so this saved him the trouble of hunting her down.
However, it sounded like this eccentric before him was actually an ally of Diana. Having witnessed that astonishing divine power just now, Apollo immediately classified him as a high-threat target in the enemy camp. Now he had yet another reason to execute him here.
Thinking this, Apollo's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly. "What a coincidence. I'm also looking for my sister. We can travel together."
"That's great," Superman said with a smile. "We got separated as soon as we came in. I was just worrying about how to navigate this strange space. I could really use an expert to lead the way..."
"Oh, you can set your mind at ease then," Apollo said with a cunning smile. "I guarantee I'll lead you down the right path."
Apollo sneered inwardly.
This eccentric from the stars had nothing but brute force; his mind was surprisingly simple. In such a dangerous environment, he so easily trusted a stranger after just a few words, even carelessly turning his back to him.
Ridiculous, utterly foolish.
Today, he would learn just how treacherous the world can be.
With Apollo intentionally leading the way, they hadn't gone far before rocks erupted from a stony cliff. Stone shattered, and a massive body drilled out from within. It was a monster that resembled a giant worm, its pitch-black skin covered in hard scales that glinted with a matte luster. It opened its cavernous maw and lunged at them!
Without a word, Superman flew straight up to meet it. Several tentacles instantly wrapped around Superman's body, but with divine power in his arms, he forcefully snapped them with a *crack*. Grabbing a tentacle with one hand, he lifted the tens-of-meters-tall giant worm rumbling off the ground, and then slammed it back down.
Stone rumbled and the earth cracked, giving off a sense of overwhelming power that could uproot mountains.
Apollo silently floated behind Superman. Blazing flame surged in his palm, coalescing into a fiery orb of light, as if a micro-sized sun had been condensed in his hand.
He timed it for the exact moment Superman was hovering in mid-air, his back completely exposed and defenseless.
Now!
The corners of Apollo's mouth twitched into a vicious sneer. He unleashed the attack with both palms, and the scorching orb of light hit its mark without any resistance.
Die!
But just a moment later, his smile gradually vanished.
It had no effect at all.
No, that's not right. It wasn't entirely without effect...
Superman, who was in the middle of throwing the monster, suddenly froze. His expression changed slightly as he felt an inexplicable power erupt from within him, a warm current surging up from the depths of his body. He was completely unprepared as an incredibly intense light burst forth from every cell within him.
Like a supernova!
The giant worm bore the brunt of it, letting out a wretched howl as it was burned to ashes. The entire island next to Superman was also blown to smithereens, crushed into dust. The impact of the explosion continued to sweep outward, catching a completely dumbfounded Apollo in mid-air.
Apollo's body shot through several mountains and boulders with a series of booms. Covered in dust and soot, his body scorched black, his mind completely shattered as he flew through the air.
No, what the hell was that?
What the hell did I just hit?
A powder keg?
(end of chapter)