031. The Appearance of Ares
"Aaaaaah! Aaaaaah!"
"Oh, shit!"
Duke dragged Steve and Samir down from the sky. The latter was fine, but Steve's hair had been blown straight up, looking just like the character from The King of Fighters...
"Hey, how are you doing, 'Benimaru Nikaido'?"
Come to think of it, if he put on a tight suit, he really would look just like him.
"What?" Steve was stunned. The sudden ascent and subsequent descent had made him feel like his heart was about to jump out of his throat. He clumsily patted his upright hair down and demanded, "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Hey, Steve, I saved you twice, don't go accusing me. If I hadn't brought you out, you would have died in the poison gas explosion at the castle. If I hadn't carried you away, you would have been caught and poisoned by the spreading gas. Is a few scratches from tree branches really worth all this? This is a forest; it's unavoidable that you'd get hit while I was flying you out," Duke said, curling his lip.
"What do you mean 'a few'? Is this really just a few?" Stevepointed to the red welts on his face from the branches and leaves. "And..."
"By the way, Diana, you found the base, right? How is the situation?" Duke turned around and asked.
Mentioning the base made Steve stop. That was important after all. His anger earlier was just because he had been whipped by leaves and branches, which had really pissed him off.
Anyone would be angry if they were whipped by branches over and over again!
Besides, what did he mean by saving him twice?
The gas explosion itself was caused by Duke. Did that count as'saving' him?
Even without being carried, he could have run away. Look at Charlie and the Chief; they were fine. Although he couldn't outrun Doutzen Kroes, he was confident he could outrun those two.
So, it didn't count as saving him at all!
And why weren't you hit by any branches? You must have held something back, right?
But since the base was mentioned, he could only sulk.
Diana wanted to laugh, but she had to hold it in. This guy really had the temperament of a child; he was merciless when it came to a 'love rival.' Still, she didn't blame Dukemuch; after all, this was a matter between men.
On Themyscira, in London, and on the battlefield, Duke had told her so much. She was no longer the simple blank slate she used to be, knowing nothing. Especially regarding the personality of Easterners—they were very wary of things like 'love rivals.' Simply put, they were very 'possessive.'
"It's in the southeast corner," Diana said.
"Hmm, that's what I figured," Duke nodded.
The wind direction here was blowing towards the east and south. The mustard gas just now had blown towards the south where they were. If something went wrong with the base, it would ensure the gas wouldn't blow into the castle. It was very scientific.
"I tried, and you can't see the castle from there. By the way, is Ludendorff dead?" Although Diana couldn't see the castle explosion, she had guessed it.
"Yeah, he was the one in charge of firing the cannon. He was with Doctor Poison, and the barrel exploded, the gas..." Duke shrugged, the result was obvious.
Those two were lucky because they weren't poisoned to death by mustard gas; they were shredded by the shrapnel from the exploding cannon barrel. It was fortunate; they wouldn't have to feel the pain of inhaling mustard gas. They were blown to pieces before they could even feel pain.
"What now?" Diana asked.
Her goal was Ares. Ares would appear after killing Ludendorff, but Ludendorff hadn't died at the base; he had been blown to pieces at the castle. So how could they determine where Ares would appear?
"Go destroy the base, take out the German Army soldiers blocking us. Destroy the gas while you're at it. I believe... Ares will appear. Or rather, he has already appeared." As he spoke, Duke slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, as if 'listening.' A moment later, he opened his eyes. "He has appeared!"
"Who? Ares?" Diana immediately perked up.
"Yes, the magic flow senses him. He is in the southeast. And, I sensed a familiar scent... it's the same one from the London pub," Duke said.
The London pub?
Logan and Victor didn't understand, but the others thought about it and their eyes widened, especially Diana's.
"You mean—Sir Patrick?!"
"Yeah, the feedback feels the same." Duke nodded.
Diana was a bit angry, and also a bit embarrassed. Back at the pub, she had accused Duke, but now... she believed Duke wouldn't lie to her, because for something like this, one just had to go see it to know if it was true.
"Sir Patrick?!" Steve frowned.
Back at the pub, Duke had said this person was unfathomable and didn't seem like a good person. He hadn't believed it then, but now... in the blink of an eye, his superior had become the 'God of War,' Ares?
Logan and Victor, however, were excited.
"That son of a bitch Ares has finally appeared. Let's go, let's take his head and use it as a urinal," Victor laughed vulgarly.
"We should be a bit more cautious," Logan felt that, after all, he was a deity.
"What do we do?" Diana asked.
"Let's go!"
Duke spread his wings again, grabbing Logan with one hand and Victor with the other, and flew into the sky. Dianaglanced at Steve and the others, then grabbed Doutzen Kroes and flew up to follow closely behind.
The four left behind stared at each other.
Chief: "What do we do?"
"Go home and sleep?" Charlie said.
"Steve—"
"Huh—? Oh, I... let's follow too." Steve thought about it and decided to catch up, because there were poison gas bombs there, and that was his mission, so he mounted his horse.
"Alright, let's go together."
"Besides, we'll finally get to see that so-called God of War, right?"
"Even if we die, it'll be worth it, hahahaha."
The four mounted their horses. Although it was dark and they couldn't see any trace of Duke and Diana, they just had to chase towards the southeast.
The other four were flying in the sky.
"Diana, you go deal with the 'God of War,' Ares. I sense that he is in the observation command room."
"Got it!"
"Logan, Victor, Doutzen Kroes, you guys go handle the planes loaded with poison gas bombs."
"Huh, handle how?" Victor asked, confused.
He still wanted to fight the God of War Ares, but thinking that the opponent was a god, he might not be able to beat him, so taking his anger out on those soldiers for now was fine. Once those guys were dealt with, it would still be in time to go join the siege on Ares.
Doutzen Kroes had no objections. Along the way, she had recognized her own strength; close combat was fine, but dealing with long-range gunmen was a bit troublesome. Fighting the God of War... heh, better not.
"Slaughter the German Army soldiers blocking you. You must not let the planes take off, but you cannot destroy the planes."
"Why?" Diana asked.
"I thought of a possibility, not sure for now, I'll know once we get there," Duke replied.
"What about you?" Logan asked.
"I need to make some necessary preparations. Ares's strength is too great; I need to reduce his strength as much as possible," Duke said.
Diana understood; Duke was probably going to set up a 'Spell Formula' trap.
032. Don't Know If We Can Withstand It
"Go, brothers. Come back alive, and I'll buy you a drink. If you die, I'll carve your names on a tombstone." Dukesmiled.
Logan shook his head: "Writing names on tombstones, I reckon that's a job for us brothers."
Victor grinned broadly: "That's right, you're more likely to die than us!"
Doutzen Kroes rolled her eyes.
"Ha! Diana, let's go!" Duke transformed into'Shadow' again, skimming the ground as he flew to the other side.
"Good luck to you all." Diana turned her head to say, then leaped up, soaring toward the observation command post.
"Good luck to you too."
Logan said slowly, then he and Victor crept in from the other side under the cover of darkness.
The battle was about to break out!
On Logan and Victor's side, it was like tigers breaking out of their cages. With their rapid assault, the German Armysoldiers were no match at all; one by one, they were torn apart, throats slit, hearts ripped out, and tossed aside. Doutzen Kroes finally found her own battlefield; wielding her dual swords with agile footwork, she slit the throats of the incoming German Army soldiers one by one. Within 10 minutes, she had firmly secured the plane.
On the other side, the battle between Ares and Diana had also erupted.
'Boom!'
The entire observation command post was destroyed by the explosion. Glass shards flew everywhere, like a nuclear blast, and the fierce shockwave surged outward, nearly making them lose their footing.
Diana, who hadn't awakened yet, was naturally no match and was blown away by the explosion.
"Oh, my god!" Victor stood there with his mouth agape, dumbfounded. Is this a god?
Under that intense explosion just now, even he would have been scorched black, right? Although he wouldn't die, it definitely wouldn't feel good.
"If that really is the 'God of War' Ares, we have no way to deal with him for now. Let's just secure the plane first," Logan said.
"Good idea." Victor chose to back down; that donkey-brained guy was better left for Diana to handle.
Just then, a shadow pounced over.
"Who's there!"
"It's me." The black mist dissipated, revealing Duke's figure. "How is it?"
"Why are you here? Aren't you going to help your woman? She's being suppressed right now," Victor said, pointing.
"Diana, she…" Doutzen Kroes was a bit worried.
"Not yet. Don't worry, Diana needs to experience battle to unleash her true potential. Although Ares is the God of War, don't forget that Diana is also a 'female God of War'." Duke said with a smile, not worried at all.
Sometimes, he felt that Zeus, that lecher, was doing it on purpose, splitting Ares's power. Because Ares was the God of War, and his power came from war; if human warfare decreased, he would become very weak. And now, although the war was still ongoing, it had reached its end. Battles across Europe had ended one after another, and his strength was gradually weakening.
And Diana was also a 'female God of War'; although she didn't possess the God of War divinity and her power source didn't come from war, war could still enhance her strength.
Duke suspected that Zeus just wanted to screw Ares over.
Just a moment ago, the system had told him that although Ares was still a demigod, his current strength had dropped to the peak of Legendary. And it told him that if he killed Ares now, he would still receive demigod talent points, not Legendary peak points.
This was the only great stroke of luck in thousands of years. From now on, wanting such a heaven-defying opportunity would be difficult.
And right now, Diana was only at the mid-Legendarystage, two minor ranks weaker than Ares.
His 'Spell Formula' was already taking effect. Although weak, it could still influence Ares. As long as Wonder Woman seized the opportunity, killing Ares wouldn't be a problem.
"How is it over here?" Duke asked.
"Things aren't looking good here." Logan shook his head.
"Why?" Duke frowned. It wouldn't be the same as the original plot, would it?
In reality, Ludendorff and Doctor Poison were both seduced and corrupted by Ares, and to a certain extent, were under Ares's control. Even if those two were dead now, Ares could still control the person in charge of the base and could still launch the 'Poison Gas Deployment Plan'.
Therefore, the poison gas bomb on the plane had still been activated.
"According to my calculations, once the poison gas bomb is destroyed, people within a radius of fifty or sixty square miles will suffer; they will slowly die in agony. Even those who are lucky enough to survive will only be slowly waiting for death for the rest of their lives," Logan said, "In short, we cannot let it take off."
"The bad news is, there's a timer on it. Even if we don't let it take off, it will still leak," Victor said regretfully.
Once this high-concentration mustard gas erupts, with them at the center, even with their self-healing abilities, they don't know if they can withstand it. Even if they can withstand it, the process is probably... going to be quite painful.
You have to know that they are not immune to poison, but rather that the poison cannot have an effect on them for more than a few seconds.
But, there will still be an 'effect'.
It's just that after the cells are destroyed, they regenerate quickly, so the pain of burning the trachea will definitely be felt.
Victor doesn't know if the poison destroys cells faster than they can heal, would it actually kill them?
Duke was also thinking, if he threw the 'Captain America' version of Steve over here, would he be fine? It is said that the Captain is immune to toxins!
"Can't it be dismantled?" Duke asked.
In the original plot, it was to embody individual heroism that Steve resolutely went to his death. It's an American blockbuster, after all; they all have those plots that glorify American soldiers, and the final outcome is inevitably that the Americans save the world. And letting Steve die could also allow Diana to awaken through great sorrow, changing her view that 'humanity is not worth saving'.
Her soul is sublimated!
But in reality, there should be a possibility of dismantling it.
However...
"Sorry, I don't study this kind of thing." Victor shook his head.
"Neither am I." Logan apologized, "Based on my limited knowledge of that area, I believe it cannot be dismantled; once you try to dismantle it, it will inevitably detonate prematurely. And judging by the German Army's crazy actions, they were originally planning on a last stand... or mutual destruction!"
Duke understood: "So, there is no possibility of dismantling it at all."
"Yes." Logan nodded.
"Shit—fine, it seems that's all we can do."
Duke nodded and began to draw the 'Spell Formula' again.
"What are these?" Logan asked curiously.
"This is called a 'Spell Formula'. I can limit the explosion to a certain range. Once it explodes, the shockwave won't spread beyond this runic line."
"That's amazing?" Logan noticed that these black runes had just perfectly wrapped around the back half of the cabin. "That means the explosion will only happen in here? The back half, and the front half... won't be affected?"
"That's right!" After finishing the drawing, Duke saw Steveand the others run in, so he rolled his eyes and said, "The three of you, do me a favor. Don't leak this matter."
Logan and Victor looked at each other, thinking the same thing.
"Sure."
"Don't worry!"
"Tch! Just let him die!" Doutzen Kroes pouted.
Duke was sweating profusely: "Hey, Steve, over here!"
033. The God of War's Abilities
"You guys are fast."
Steve and his group ran over and discovered that not a single German Army soldier was still standing; they had all fallen to the ground, either dead or wounded.
"It's just that you're too slow," Duke said with a smile.
Steve curled his lip. You can fly, but I can't, he thought, though he didn't dwell on the issue.
"So... what's the situation?"
"The situation is..." Logan explained the issue with the poison gas bombs on the plane.
Actually, there was no need for him to say it; Steve could already guess the gist, and it matched what Logan had said. Once the poison gas leaked, there wouldn't be a single living thing within a 50-mile radius!
"We can't let that happen!"
"Unfortunately, there's a timer on it. When the time is up, it will leak. I'm no bomb disposal expert. Do you think you can dismantle it?" Victor said.
Doutzen Kroes waved her hand: "Don't look at me. I never studied that subject."
"It can't be dismantled." Steve sighed, then suddenly turned to look at Duke: "Can't your magic take care of these poison gas bombs?"
Duke turned around and blinked with a confused look: "Were you talking to me just now?"
"Who else would it be?"
Duke smiled and patted Steve's shoulder quite kindly: "Buddy, you've got it wrong. magic is very powerful, but it's not omnipotent. Facing this poison gas, I have no solution. Besides, did you get something mixed up? Whose mission is this?"
Steve was stunned: "It's... it's mine."
"Ah, exactly. I'm here to help Diana take down the 'God of War' Ares, not to help you deal with poison gas bombs. Furthermore, we've already cleared the 'obstacles' in your way. You want me to step in and help you with the gas bombs too? Aren't you being a bit too much?!"
Steve felt a bit awkward.
"We've done all the work for you. What are you doing? Just leading the way? Bear your own responsibilities and complete your own mission." As he spoke, he patted Steveagain: "Good luck. I'm going to help Diana finish off Ares."
"..." Steve gritted his teeth, watching Duke's departing back without saying a word.
"Hey—Chief, why are you looking at me? Even though you've been alright in my book on this trip, I was invited by Duke to deal with Ares. You guys need to finish your own mission. My brother and I have already helped you take out these annoying German Army soldiers. Come on, Logan, let's go see just how tough this bastard Ares is." With that, Victor jumped off the plane and chased after Ares.
Of course, he didn't want to go up and fight head-on just yet; instead, he stayed on the flank to observe, intending to take a bite out of him if he found an opening.
"Good luck." Logan also patted Steve's shoulder and followed Victor.
"Good luck!" Doutzen Kroes waved her fist and left as well; she was actually hoping Steve would die.
With everyone gone, Charlie stared with wide eyes, looking completely bewildered: "This... what do we do now?"
Steve took a deep breath: "They're not wrong. This was my mission to begin with."
Duke wasn't here to help him; he was here to help Diana.
The brothers, Logan and Victor, were also invited by Duketo deal with the God of War and had nothing to do with them. Besides, they had already helped him countless times along the way. If he kept asking them to do the heavy lifting, what was he doing?
And Doutzen Kroes... she probably really couldn't do it.
Although that was what he said, but...
The Chief watched as Steve pulled out the detonator and was immediately alarmed: "Steve, what are you doing?"
He tried to snatch it, but Steve dodged him.
Taking a few deep breaths, Steve forced a smile: "Don't try to talk me out of it. This is... this is what I have to do."
Perhaps because he was about to step into the jaws of death, his face looked half-red and half-white from his heart pounding violently, his forehead covered in sweat. Not everyone can face death with composure; even though Steve had made his decision, he hesitated when he stepped into the cabin door. He thought of his comrades, his friends far away in the United States, his family, and... the girl he had once liked.
In the original plot, the reason he resolutely boarded the plane wasn't without the influence of Wonder Woman's disappointment in him.
But now...
"Making him walk the 'Road of death'—that's a pretty tough choice, isn't it?" Logan watched from afar.
"You don't actually want to kill him, do you?" Victor looked at Duke with a grin.
Those black magic runes were invisible due to their location and the Darkness of the night.
"You're overthinking it! If I wanted to kill him, he would have been dead long ago, and Diana wouldn't have even noticed." Duke shook his head, stopped paying attention to Steve, and stared intently at Ares on the battlefield.
Watching a movie is nowhere near as shocking as actually facing it in person.
He didn't make a move, but instead analyzed the God of War's abilities—Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Telekinesis, Superman-level speed and stamina, immense strength, and... excellent strategic skills.
Fire: The raging sea of flames caused by the bomb explosions couldn't hurt him.
Wind: When Diana threw the Lasso of Truth, it was blown away and couldn't get near him.
Lightning: He could manipulate massive bolts of lightning to attack his enemies.
Earth: With a light wave of his hand, he could upheave dozens of tons of ground. Of course, this might be the power of Earth, or it could be telekinesis.
Telekinesis: Similar to the abilities of Jean Grey or Ebony Maw, but stronger; he could easily utilize surrounding metal fragments to create powerful battle blades.
From the perspective of Taoist philosophy, this guy could be said to possess all the Five Elements abilities.
It's just that I don't know if he can use 'Water'?
It seems...
Just then, the two battle blades created by telekinesis were thrown from afar, knocking Wonder Woman away, and Ares swooped in again. As he flew, he was already condensing new battle blades.
"My turn!" Duke said, sweeping a playful glance at Loganand Victor. "Do you guys want to go up and try?"
"No, no, you go first." Victor laughed heartily; no kidding, a battle of this level...
"Let's observe for a bit first." Logan was cautious as always.
"Suit yourselves. Doutzen Kroes, watch your own safety. I'm going in—"
"'Darkness'"
'Darkness'——a forbidden magic that transforms one's body into a demonic form.
This was also Freed Justine's strongest magic.
As the Dark Script was carved onto his chest, Duke's body underwent a shocking transformation, leaving the two brothers beside him stunned.
"De...mon!"
Duke transformed into a hideous 'demon', his height suddenly shooting up to nearly three meters, with two black devil horns curving outward from the sides of his forehead.
He grew a pair of wings on his back—black, leathery wings similar to a bat's.
Muscles bulged across his body, and irregular patterns crawled all over his chest.
The whites of his eyes disappeared; his eyes were pitch black, emitting black flames from the sides!
Hideous teeth protruded, with four sharp, pointed fangs on the top and bottom.
His hands were claws, and his legs were twisted into reverse joints.
If you've played World of Warcraft, you'd definitely shout on the spot: [Holy crap, Illidan!]
Of course, there were still differences from Illidan.
His eyes were black, whereas Illidan's were green; likewise, the irregular patterns on his body were black, while Illidan's were green; his wings were thinner and lacked the imposing presence and exaggeration of Illidan's; furthermore, although his legs were reverse-jointed, his feet were not the hooves that Illidan had.
Whoosh—
The transformation was instantaneous; Duke shot out like a cannonball.
The speed was quite fast.
Ares only felt a black shadow pounce from the side, and before he could react, his entire body was blasted away by a tremendous force.
"What the hell?!"
034. Husband and Wife Slash the God of War
"What the hell is that!"
Even though the God of War was knowledgeable and experienced, upon seeing this strange creature before him, he still gasped. What on earth was this thing?
He had never seen it before.
Diana was also somewhat shocked.
"God of War Ares, is it? Let me test you!"
"Hmph, just a petty sneak attacker." Ares sneered and lunged forward again.
Duke was actually quite shocked inside. Although his previous strike wasn't full power, he had used at least ninety percent of his strength, yet it only sent the God of War flying back about thirty meters.
Furthermore, that punch felt like slamming into an iron plate; it hurt so much he wanted to scream. He didn't even need to look to know his fist was definitely red.
This bastard's defense is truly strong!
The gap in rank was too obvious. His 'Darkness' demon transformation only barely allowed him to enter the peak of Hero Level, while Ares was at the peak of Legendary. The two were a whole major rank apart.
He couldn't go head-to-head with him!
The effects brought by the 'Spell Formula' were somewhat weak. This grandson didn't really use magic; he was the God of War and was more accustomed to close combat. Therefore, magic-based restrictions were ineffective.
When Ares swung his sword, Duke dodged in time.
His body spun at high speed, and streams of black wind gradually formed.
"Darkness Aura!"
'Darkness Aura': Creates a vortex of Darkness that blows towards the target.
Simply put, it's also called a Darkness Tornado.
"Holy crap." Logan and Victor, who were watching from afar, both opened their mouths wide, looking somewhat bewildered.
Doutzen Kroes was also dumbfounded. With this power, was Duke actually this strong?
Once the Darkness Tornado formed, it grew larger and larger as if it had been injected with adrenaline—growing bigger and bigger, surrounding Ares completely. With a diameter of nearly a hundred meters and reaching over a thousand meters high, it shot straight into the sky, endless to the eye.
The Darkness Tornado wasn't a real tornado; its dark wind currents acted throughout the entire interior, like dense, sharp blades, gnawing away at Ares.
What surprised Duke was that the wind fueled the Fire! The moment the Darkness Tornado formed, it swept in the flames caused by the earlier grenade explosions, effectively becoming a [Darkness Fire Tornado].
Its power was even greater!
"Damn it, ahhhhhhh—"
The move was bizarre and tricky; Ares couldn't break out immediately. He swung his dual swords in anger, but the effect just knocked him to the other side.
The dark wind blades were like knives, slicing rapidly across his body, gradually stripping away his steel-forged armor. Then, small cuts were sliced into his flesh and skin. Following that, the flames burned in, making him howl in pain.
Of course, most of it was due to anger.
Although the Darkness Aura cut his skin, that was all it could do; it couldn't advance any further, after all, the gap in strength rank was there.
"Duke, is that you?" Diana ran over.
"Darling, we spent a wonderful night together, and you've already forgotten me?" Duke wanted to make a sad expression, but unfortunately, his 'demonized' face... turned into a hideous smile.
"How did you end up like this?"
"This is 'Darkness', and it's also my strongest move. Diana, have you forgotten what I told you? There are no evil abilities, only evil users." Duke continued to bluff, "Also, now is not the time to discuss this. My Darkness Aura can't hold him; the gap in strength is too big. By my estimate, he'll be out in less than a minute. Darling, I'll have to rely on you then..."
Before he could finish, a roar was heard, and Ares slashed through the Darkness Tornado and broke out.
Because it lost its support point, the Darkness Aura gradually dissipated.
"Holy crap!"
Speak of Ares and Ares arrives; my jinxed mouth.
"Brat, you're courting death!"
Ares looked like he was going mad, with small cuts all over his body bleeding, looking quite disheveled. In his memory, the most disheveled he had ever been was the first time, when his father, Zeus, the Father of Celestials, led the Celestials to besiege him; this was the second time. His armor was already tattered, so he simply abandoned defense entirely and converted it all into attack power.
He stomped his legs hard and shot forward like a cannonball!
"Holy crap—Honey, you take the lead!" Duke was practically not a man, slipping away nimbly.
Logan and Victor, the two brothers, looked at each other in dismay.
He actually ran away and left the danger to his wife?
It wasn't that Duke lacked masculinity; it was mainly because he was a mage. If his wife, who was a warrior, wasn't tanking in the front, did they expect him, a mage, to act as the tank???
His wife was truly reliable; a female warrior, exchanging blows, punches landing on flesh!
Suddenly, Duke thought of a sneaky tactic, turned around, and charged at Ares's back.
"Damn Ares, let go of my wife, if you have the guts, come at me!"
His wings closed, and he dove like a cannonball, immediately throwing a punch.
"Brat, you actually dare to sneak attack again?"
Ares grabbed Diana by the neck, threw her far away, crashing into a barracks and smashing it to pieces. Then he sprang up and punched at Duke.
He had long since figured out Duke's strength; apart from that strange move earlier, his power actually wasn't that strong.
He prepared to go fist-to-fist, smash the other's arm bone, and see if he dared to sneak attack again!
Just as the fists were about to collide, Ares noticed a sneer curling at the corner of Duke's mouth. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought, "Not good."
—Damn it, he was tricked!
Subsequently, he truly felt the consequences of being tricked!
The fists did not collide as expected; he was struck in the chest by a black... black light sphere about half a meter in diameter.
"Damn cunning brat, ahhhhhhh—."
'Darkness Light Bomb': Duke's strongest magic attack, using his hands to condense a powerful 'Darkness magicbomb' to shatter the target.
The magic bomb carried explosion, tearing, and corrosion effects.
Due to a miscalculation, Ares was slammed heavily into the ground, causing an astonishing crater.
"Haha, idiot, there's more coming."
"Take that, take that, take that, take that————"
His left and right hands waved rapidly, as [Darkness Light Bombs] smashed towards Ares, exploding in a chain of blasts, 'boom boom boom boom'—ringing endlessly in the ears.
And the crater Ares was smashed into was expanding rapidly; clearly... he was being bombarded in a terribly disheveled state.
In terms of "Dragon Ball", this thing is called a 'Ki Blast'. One of Vegeta's moves, the principle is similar to a Ki Wave, using 'Ki' to form an energy sphere; the power isn't as great as a Ki Wave. It can be single-fire, single-rapid-fire, or double-fire, double-rapid-fire, with diverse uses.
Of course, later on, almost anyone could perform this kind of attack.
"Oh yayayaya—take that!...Cough cough, I'm exhausted."
He didn't know how many consecutive Darkness Light Bombs he had thrown, but in any case, a crater hundreds of meters wide had been smashed into the ground, and it had even exhausted Duke.
Ares lay disheveled in the middle of the crater, motionless as if dead, but Duke knew this wasn't enough to kill the God of War.
035. 'Duke' Dead?
(PS: Only one chapter today. I have a cold and a fever, so my thoughts are scattered. I'm sweating all over, worst of all on the back of my neck.)
The gap in rank was too obvious.
Hero Level peak perfection vs. Legendary Level peak perfection—a whole major rank difference.
If not for the 'Spell Formula' weakening Ares's defense, he probably would have only managed to shatter the armor and that would have been it.
Based on Duke's judgment now... it was just a flesh wound, unable to damage his bones or muscles at all.
Besides, Ares surely possessed impressive regenerative powers.
"You have already used your full strength, while I have yet to exert any!" Ares slowly stood up from the crater.
Huh?
Why does that line feel so familiar?
Duke frowned. Before he could react, he saw Ares rush in front of him like a 'cannonball'.
The biting gale messed up his hair—er, can a buzz cut even be messed up?
He couldn't react at all...
At this moment, [death] was only 5 centimeters away from him.
Am I going to die?
The speed was too fast; there was simply no time to react.
He had no moves, he even forgot to step back, his mind was completely blank.
Simply put, Duke's combat experience was just too lacking.
'Puchi—'
A heart-wrenching pain shot through him. Duke slowly looked down and saw... an arm piercing through his chest.
A single punch had punched through, shattering his sternum, crushing his heart, destroying his lungs, exploding his spine, and coming out from behind... Ares's fist had punched all the way through!
"Cough—ah—" Duke opened his mouth, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out.
Breathing was so difficult!
His chest felt super hot... the thump-thump-thump-thump feeling of his heart disappeared, and his body suddenly became so cold!
He knew this was the result of massive blood loss.
Damn it, is this death?
This is really messed up!
I haven't lived enough yet...
Just transmigrated, just activated his golden finger, and he was going to... die?
Damn it, he had just been mocking Steve Trevor earlier, calling him an idiot for going to court death right after taking Wonder Woman's first blood.
Never would he have thought that the tables would turn, and now it was his turn... his turn to take Wonder Woman's first blood and then go court death.
"Cough, cough!"
By the way, is Wonder Woman cursed? The closer someone is to her, the unluckier they get?
"Duke—NO—"
This heart-wrenching, agonizing cry must be Wonder Woman, right?
Cough, cough, at least it wasn't in vain that we were intimate for a night.
Anyway, it wasn't a loss, right?
Transmigrated, bedded Zeus's daughter, got with a high god—life can be considered fulfilled.
Trading his own life to bring about Wonder Woman's awakening, it seems... worth it... worth it my ass!!!
I refuse to accept this!
His fading eyes became sharp once again!
Ares's heart jumped violently: "!"
"Go to hell, you bastard!"
At this moment, Duke erupted with two hundred percent of his power.
'Dark Light Bomb' gathered once again, but this time it was no longer a sphere of light, but an awl!
His left hand gripped Ares's hand tightly to immobilize him, while his right hand gripped the 'Dark Light Awl' and forcefully stabbed it toward the God of War's right eye.
[Pop—shhh—]
The 'Dark Light Awl' entered as if unopposed, successfully piercing into Ares's right eyeball.
Two hundred percent of the power of explosion, tearing, and corrosion instantly detonated inside the eye socket.
Boom—
'BOOM!!!'
"Ahhhhhhh—"
Even the God of War couldn't withstand this close-range internal explosion, especially when it was the eyeball, which had the weakest defense.
Under the explosion, tearing, and corrosion, half of the God of War's skull was almost blown off.
In extreme pain, he waved his hand violently, throwing Duke's 'corpse' far away.
"Damn it—ahhhhh, I will kill you, I will tear you into pieces! Ahhhhh—damn inferior race, I will kill all of you—ahhhhh, I swear, I will kill you all!"
Duke was like a kite with a broken string...
"No—"
Diana, who had arrived in time, was unable to catch Dukein mid-air, watching helplessly as he slammed heavily into the ground, tears streaming down.
She didn't pay attention to Duke anymore; she only knew that this was the best opportunity Duke had secured for her, and she couldn't waste it in vain.
Ares's right eyeball had been permanently destroyed; even as a god, being hit by such an attack at close range meant being finished.
The right side of his skull was almost blown off, bulging high up... it looked quite terrifying!
"A—re—s!"
The erupting, violent energy struck the God of War head-on, blasting him flying into the distance.
"Wait, wait..." Ares was truly a bit terrified!
His right eyeball had been blown out, the right side of his skull almost blown off, directly severely injuring him.
He still had a left eye, but that didn't mean he could use his left eye to see the world.
Although a god, he still had 'optic nerves' and such things. The 'Dark Light Awl' had already torn and corroded his brain, leaving him 'blind' for a short time.
He couldn't see at all where Diana was attacking from!
The violent explosion pain inside his skull caused his sensing ability and judgment to drop severely.
Diana's enraged strike was no joke.
With a heavy punch, she struck, actually causing Ares's bulging right skull to cave in, with half of his skull completely collapsing.
With one opening and closing, Ares fainted again.
"A—re—s!"
"Stop, I am your... brother."
Completely at a disadvantage, the God of War could only beg for mercy.
Of course, he wasn't truly begging for mercy; he was secretly gathering strength, waiting for the moment to deliver a fatal blow.
—On the ground.
Doutzen Kroes, Logan, and Victor, the two brothers, scrambled forward.
"Duke! Duke! Can you hear me, Duke—"
Logan didn't dare to shake him hard. Duke's chest had been punched through, a penetrating wound over 20 cm in diameter that had completely blasted his bones and internal organs.
If it were an ordinary human, they would have died instantly.
Duke still had one breath left, slowly opening his eyes: "Lo...gan... cough, cough!"
As he opened his mouth, he started coughing violently again.
But no more blood was coughing out; the blood had already drained from his chest cavity...
"Don't say anything more, rest... rest..." Logan gently pressed on Duke's shoulder. He didn't dare use force, and he didn't know how to comfort him, with this kind of injury...
"Cough, cough... By the way... I'm a bit unwilling. I never expected that our... previous... joke... would... would come true. Cough, cough..."
Logan slapped himself hard: "I really have a foul mouth! Do you... have any last words you want to leave?"
"Hey—you are not allowed to die, Diana will be sad!" Doutzen Kroes shouted.
"Heh!" Duke coughed and smiled, slowly reaching out his hand: "Lo...gan..."
His vision had already begun to turn black; he couldn't see people clearly.
"I'm here." Logan quickly reached out, firmly holding Duke's hand, which was already ice cold.
"Last words, well... nothing really! Right, help me... keep an eye on Diana... she is just a blank... blank slate... I'm worried she will... will be... bullied by someone..."
Before he could finish speaking... Plop!
His hand fell heavily to the ground. Duke, [Dead].
His last thought in his mind—'Damn it, Steve, if you aren't dead, I guess I've paid you back.'
036. In the Nick of Time
(￣ω￣= Haha, you all guessed it, hmm, this really wasn't hard to guess.)
...
Steve, having just boarded the plane before takeoff, turned back to look and was instantly stunned. This, Duke had been punched through by the God of War, dead... Did he die? With that kind of injury! He suddenly felt a little 'happy', but quickly felt guilty for his own base emotions.
Everyone is human and cannot avoid being conventional; when a romantic rival dies, naturally one would...
But Steve's long-standing military discipline slapped him hard in the face. Duke was a hero; he died on the battlefield fighting the 'God of War', Ares.
Now, it was his turn!
He absolutely could not let Duke's sacrifice go to waste. Buzz, buzz, buzz—the propellers began to spin, and the plane slowly lifted off.
The three below looked at each other in dismay.
Samir: "My master died just like that, so what do I do now?"
Chief: "If even that powerful Duke couldn't stop Ares, then it all depends on Diana!"
Charlie: "It's over, it's over, it's over, we're all going to die..."
— —
After being hit by several consecutive heavy punches, Ares's recovery ability finally restored his vision a little; it was no longer pitch black. Although still very blurry, he could finally distinguish Diana's silhouette.
"Aaaaaah—"
He went berserk.
Ares roared: "I—will—destroy—you!"
He grabbed his arms violently toward the sky. In the dark night sky, countless bolts of lightning gathered together, finally slowly transforming into two streams of electricity capable of tearing the sky apart, descending upon Ares.
The moment he spread his arms, a powerful burst of energy blew away Diana, who was still throwing heavy punches.
"Go to hell—Diana!"
The two powerful currents of electricity, capable of shattering a mountain, suddenly struck at Diana. However, the confident Ares was dumbfounded; his proud finishing move actually failed to kill Diana, but was instead blocked by a pair of bracers... and absorbed?
What kind of bracers were those?
Bracelets of Submission!
What kind of blade was that?!
A pig-slaughtering knife.
"Goodbye... brother!"
"How... how is this possible!"
The result was just as in the plot: Diana jumped up violently, the Bracelets of Submission clashed together, and in an instant, the 'Godly power'... plus the absorbed lightning power, was unleashed. A lightning pillar, even more domineering than the original, directly pierced Ares's chest, followed by a total 'big explosion'!
Fortune turns; this year it turned especially fast!
If Ares could have seen the future, he definitely would not have punched through Duke's chest. This turn was just too fast!
Ares... was dead. On the horizon, sunset clouds appeared, and the sun began its shift.
Diana slowly turned around and saw... saw... saw... Hmm???
!!! ∑(?Д?)ノ → (￣—￣) → (￣.￣) → (￣□￣;) — —
A momentary change in expression.
"You—you... you aren't... you aren't—" Diana's eyes widened, stunned. Turning around, Duke was standing not far away. It was unbelievable... with such a fatal injury, how could he possibly have survived?
Even if it were her, getting hit like that would mean death.
"Oops... O(∩_∩)O Haha~, that really was in the nick of time." Duke looked very shy (￣３￣)a, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly, "Just when I was about to die, one foot already inside the gates of hell, just then... I luckily obtained Logan's talent [Healing Factor], and then—I survived."
Just as his hand fell and his consciousness was about to enter complete Darkness, the system's voice rang in his mind.
'Congratulations to the host, you have successfully obtained Logan Howlett's talent—[Talent: Healing Factor]. Body modification is in progress... in progress... in progress... 10% → 20% → 30%... 90% → 100%, modification complete! Body missing parts, healing in progress... healing in progress... healing in progress...'
At this time, the two brothers closest to him, Logan and Victor, were already dumbfounded. The massive puncture wound in his chest was rapidly growing 'granulation tissue'... healing.
Damn, why was this so familiar?
Because the 'Healing Factor' exists in the blood DNA, it is not like the talent [Rifle: Entry Level], where after obtaining it, one instantly masters it and can use a rifle. This type of firearm talent belongs to memory/learning-based talents, which are instantly imprinted in the mind.
But 'Healing Factor' like Logan's belongs to the modification-type talent; it must first modify the body to let the Healing Factor fuse with the DNA before it can heal.
Fortunately, the speed of modification is actually very fast, about 1 minute is OK, and the brain death time is the golden five minutes, so... Duke ultimately survived.
At this moment, Diana's expression was like this: (￢_￢)!
Of course, it quickly turned into — → (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～...
Wonder Woman lunged forward, grabbed Duke, and started kissing him.
"Woo... re... restraint... re..."
Duke swore, this was the first time in his life he had been actively kissed by a girl, and with such force. Duke was a bit shy because there were two lightbulbs in the way, but Wonder Woman didn't care!
Of course, Duke soon didn't care either, because he completely sank into it.
"System, thanks!"
'You're welcome! But please remember, host, this is the only time I will help you.'
"Got it."
Duke blushed a little; he had indeed been a bit reckless, thinking that with 'Darkness' he wouldn't be injured, but unfortunately, he completely failed to switch to Dark Text magic in time.
The 'Talent magic' he drew was passive growth, which would automatically upgrade as his rank upgraded. For example, 'Dark Text magic', which is currently at the peak of Hero Level, once he enters the Legendary rank... Dark Text magic will also advance to Legendary rank magic.
But spells purchased from the mall, as well as talents obtained from the outside world, require him to spend talent points to upgrade.
Mall spells are fixed according to the host's rank after purchase, for example, [Eye of Truth], which is currently at the peak of Hero Level. After he advances to Legendary, [Eye of Truth] will still be at the peak of Hero Level.
But talents obtained from the outside world do not get fixed with the rank; this thing is random in nature, or it can be said to be determined according to the strength level of the target obtained. For example [Pistol: Slightly Accomplished], [Rifle: Entry Level].
And [Talent: Healing Factor] is a passive talent; according to Logan's strength level, it should be [Talent: Healing Factor (Elite Level Late Stage)]. Duke obtained Logan's Healing Factor talent at the critical moment of his final death, but this could not resurrect him! He is Hero Level; relying only on Elite Level healing ability, the chest wound would not have recovered after five minutes of brain death. The system helped him by breaking the rules to upgrade the ability to [Passive Growth].
That is, it will automatically upgrade as the host's rank upgrades, and the Healing Factor instantly became Hero Level peak healing capability. After he upgrades to Legendary, the Healing Factor will also advance to Legendary.
Just when Duke and Wonder Woman were tightly embracing and (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～ passionately kissing, in the sky... a violent explosion spread all around.
037. Hurry Up and Say Thank You, Honest Steve
Not everyone can face death calmly; even Steve, who had made up his mind, was no exception. When he pressed the detonator, he hesitated.
But, this was his mission.
After taking a few deep breaths and letting the figures of his family, friends, lover, and companions pass through his mind one by one, he finally pressed the detonator.
'Boom—'
The violent blast and the monstrous, raging Fire blew Steve away instantly. Well, it actually blew him away along with the front half of the cockpit!
Originally, Steve was smiling as he waited for death.
The moment he pressed the detonator, he expected to either be killed by the shockwave, pierced by countless fragments, burned to death by the Fire... or perhaps poisoned. He had thought of N ways to die, but he never imagined that he would fall from the sky with the entire front cockpit of the plane—only to 'die from the fall'!
— — What the hell?!
"This..."
Steve was dumbfounded. He looked back blankly at the 'cut' behind him, which was as neat as if it had been sliced by a single blade, and he was completely stunned.
What? What happened?
Then, illuminated by the sky-high Fire behind him, he discovered the black magic runes at the 'cut' and immediately understood that Duke had saved him. For a moment, he didn't know what to feel; in short... it was like overturning a spice rack. Logically, he should say thank you, but... he just couldn't get the words out.
Because of the 'Spell Formula', the poison gas explosion, shockwave, and Fire wouldn't break out of the restricted circle marked by the runes, so Steve wasn't slammed headfirst into the front glass by the blast wave.
It felt like... the back half of the plane had suddenly 'rotted' away. The front half maintained its upward flying posture, while the entire back half had exploded into a sea of Fire. Of course, the subsequent blast wave still blew the nose of the plane a distance away.
Without the back half, there was no power. After a brief upward trajectory, the front half of the plane just 'Duang'—dove straight down.
Steve was stunned. He hadn't died from the explosion, was he going to die from the fall now?
Then he discovered a parachute nearby.
How awkward.
Parachutes that could be folded and packed with the canopy and lines inside the cabin for flight crew use had appeared in 1911, and by 1914, they began to be equipped for bomber aircrews.
Is it strange that there's a parachute here?
Securing the parachute pack, Steve gritted his teeth and jumped out, however...
There was an explosion in the sky, and Duke and Dianafinally separated their lips, looking up.
Victor laughed: "I thought you let him fly the plane because you really wanted to kill him? Haha!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Duke placed the parachute pack right next to the pilot's seat; if he didn't see it, that's not anyone else's fault." Logan patted his brother, then frowned, "He isn't slowing down!"
"The parachute won't open? Could it be broken?" Victorgrinned.
Logan: "..."
"Maybe the person in charge of this base didn't want the pilots to escape at all?" Duke said, then spread his wings and [whoosh]—flew over.
Steve was terrified; he couldn't open the parachute pack. For some reason, the activation mechanism of the parachute was broken and wouldn't pull at all!
Dammit, am I really going to die from the fall?
He was at least 200 meters up!
If he fell, he probably wouldn't even find a complete piece of flesh!
"Shit!"
He suddenly realized that Duke might want him to die from the fall, but immediately threw that suspicion away. If he wanted him dead, he wouldn't have deliberately written the magic runes during the previous explosion to save him.
A black shadow was speeding over from afar. Was it Duke?
With one hand, he grabbed his parachute pack, and the entire downward momentum stopped.
"Whew..."
"Are you f*cking crazy? Why didn't you open the parachute pack? Were you so scared that your hands and feet went soft, and you didn't even know where the pull cord was?" Duke teased maliciously.
"This parachute pack is broken!" Steve defended himself; he wouldn't go soft in the hands and feet.
"Oh? Broken? Then maybe the Sir of the base didn't want the pilots to escape, so they intentionally placed a broken parachute pack there," Duke said. He didn't say anything like 'This wasn't my doing.'
Steve: "Maybe?"
This possibility definitely existed!
This was clearly a suicide mission, leaving no survivors; even their own people had to die. They tricked the pilots into going up, gave them a parachute for psychological comfort, only for them to find out it wouldn't open when they tried to jump.
"You... didn't you die? Pfft pfft—" As soon as Steve opened his mouth, a mouthful of sand sprayed in, almost choking him to death.
"What, are you looking forward to me dying so you can make a move on my wife?" Duke asked with a hostile tone.
Come to think of it, he actually was.
Just when Duke was pierced, he really did have that thought for a split second, but he quickly discarded it.
"Stop slandering me, I am an honest soldier." Steve yelled.
"Then you have to thank me. Hurry up and say 'Thank you', honest soldier."
"Th... Thank you."
He was completely checkmated.
"That voice is too small, like a mosquito. Didn't you eat enough?"
He really hadn't eaten enough.
"Thank you—!"
He roared.
"Ah, that's more like it."
"By the way, how did you survive? I saw you get pierced by a punch from the God of War..."
Good grief, why did this guy turn into a walking encyclopedia of questions? Sigh, headache! Seeing that they were about two or three meters from the ground, he gave an 'Ah' and let go of his hand holding the parachute pack.
"Oops—oh no, my hand lost its strength."
"Waaaaahhhhh—"
Steve, free fall.
Thump—!
He landed heavily on the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
It was fine; falling from over two meters wouldn't kill anyone, especially not a battle-hardened airman; it was just that Steve hadn't reacted in time. Although he managed to take off the parachute pack and cushion himself with it at the last second, he was still jolted enough to cough up a little blood.
Minor injury, it was nothing.
"You—" Steve pointed at Duke, furious, and cursed.
"Oh my, I just had a fight with Ares, my hand... is a bit weak, this isn't my fault, oh." Duke gently rubbed his wrist, looking as if he really had no strength in his hand.
This really was a flawless excuse; no one could say a word against it.
Diana shook her head with a smile.
She had heard the conversation just now; Duke was annoyed and had intentionally dropped him, acting like a total child. She didn't mind, after all, he didn't really want to kill him.
"Let's go, time to go home." Duke put his arms around Diana, Doutzen Kroes, Logan, and Victor, laughing loudly, "This time I'm going back to sleep for three days and three nights without getting up."
"Hahahaha—" everyone laughed.
On November 11th (Singles' Day), the German Armyofficially surrendered. German representatives signed the armistice on a train in the Forest of Compiègne, north of Paris.
Thus, the First world War finally ended!
038. Going to Visit Hong Kong Island
The war was over, and Duke had truly slept for three days and three nights.
It was hard to believe that Samir, who to him looked like a poor peasant, actually had a residence in London that could be called a'small apartment.'
Of course, in this era, it counted as an apartment, but if placed in the future, it would just be a tenement building.
The area was quite decent, 100 square meters, which was a huge fortune in this era.
The first rays of morning sunlight shone in; Duke rested his head on his arms and looked at Diana, who was still sleeping sweetly beside him, a slight curve on the corner of her mouth.
Was she having a sweet dream?
Duke did not ask for a morning 'romp'; he was a bit overdrawn during these three days.
Without waking Diana, he thought about the future.
Judging by his lifespan, he could undoubtedly live until the year he traveled back from.
Perhaps by that year, he would still look like he was 20 years old.
Since that was the case, he had to make some preparations for the future.
He glanced at Diana; because of his intervention, 'Wonder Woman 2' should be gone.
Of course, 'Wonder Woman 2' hadn't been released the year he traveled from.
According to the limited information dug up, Wonder Woman's 'boyfriend' Steve Trevor was said to appear in 1984. Given that he had already passed away in the first movie, the method and reason for his return were unknown.
However, regardless, Steve Trevor's fate had already been changed by him, so there would be no more Wonder Woman 2.
As for 'Cheetah'?
He only remembered those rather shocking bountiful assets in the animation.
"Hmm~~?"
"Ah... you're awake? Sorry, I woke you up." Duke quickly withdrew his hand.
He had been thinking about Cheetah's assets just now and subconsciously reached out his hand.
"What are you thinking about?" Awake now, she didn't go back to sleep. Having already been at 'negative distance' countless times, Diana naturally wouldn't mind her assets being played with by Duke.
"Thinking about being 'lost'." Duke smiled.
"Thinking about being lost?" Diana was stunned for a moment, and then her face was also filled with a look of confusion.
The war was over, and her mission to kill Ares was complete. Standing by the seaside, looking at the boundless Atlantic Ocean in the distance... where was home?
Where was Paradise Island? She could no longer find it.
On the 91.655 million square kilometer ocean, how could one possibly find a small island of a dozen square kilometers!
Even though it was certainly closer to Britain, that only changed the search distance from 90 million square kilometers... to a few million square kilometers.
Wonder Woman could not find her way home; she could only stay in the human world.
She felt lost about how to 'live'. It seemed like her innate mission was to kill Ares, and after the task was completed, her whole heart felt empty!
It was easy to leave Paradise Island, but it would be hard to get back in.
On the vast Atlantic Ocean, heaven knows where that island was?
Unable to return, Wonder Woman would face the difficult problem of how to live.
Money?
With her strength, she could easily control a consortium, but she certainly wouldn't do that. If she did, she wouldn't be Wonder Woman.
Duke was also lost about how to live in the future; where should he go from here?
After all, one moment he was a college student, and the next he had traveled to the battlefield and killed people, and even slaughtered a god.
He felt like he had reached the peak of his life in an instant, but after the climax came a post-coital cigarette, no... it was confusion.
How should he live in 1919?
Well, it was about to be 1920.
Two little students, pitiful, helpless, weak...
Of course, after eliminating the God of War Ares, he had obtained a massive amount of talent points, as well as a super awesome talent.
'Congratulations to the host for successfully killing the 'God of War' Ares. You will receive 365,892 talent points.'
That was 365,892 points!
Although Duke was very suspicious, why was it so precise?
However, he hadn't even been happy for 1 second before he collapsed.
'Since the host cooperated with Diana to kill the God of War, the system judges: the host's contribution was half, and the talent points obtained are 182,946.'
Damn it!
'Also, because this system helped the host upgrade [Talent: Healing Factor], 100,000 talent points are deducted, leaving the host with 82,946 points.'
Damn, it was cut down to a quarter all at once.
?!
He thought the system's help was free, but he didn't expect it to be a paid upgrade.
But Duke had no choice; it was better than being dead, right?
Although 100,000 points were deducted, there were still over 80,000 points, enough for him to splurge for a while.
Buy, buy, buy in the mall, no... it should be draw, draw, draw.
After all, the drawn 'Talent magic' was a passive growth type that would automatically upgrade as his rank upgraded. As for the spells purchased in the mall, they would be fixed according to his rank after purchase.
Of course, he still had to check out the magic in the mall, after all... who knows, there might be some very useful ones?
As for drawing 'Talent magic', Duke was not that eager to splurge; he would save them for now.
After all, the biggest danger at the moment had been removed, so there was no urgent need to draw.
'Congratulations to the host for obtaining one of the God of War Ares's talents — [Talent: Telekinesis (Demi-God Level)]'
The previous feeling of depression instantly disappeared without a trace.
It was [Talent: Telekinesis (Demi-God Level)]!
Although he could only exert Hero Level peak strength now, there were infinite possibilities after advancing!
"Are we going to stay in Britain?" Diana asked.
She had no ideas at all right now.
Duke hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "No, I plan to go to Hong Kong Island to take a look."
"Hong Kong Island?"
"Yeah, a city in my hometown; it should be a British colony now, right?" Duke smiled.
His plan was to go to the United States. After all, Marveloccupied 60% of this world, and the exciting days of the future would naturally be over in the United States. He also wanted to see what the 'Captain America' version of Steve looked like.
Although he still had to wait more than 20 years.
However, before going to the United States, he decided to return to his motherland first to take a look.
There was World War I, and there would definitely be World War II.
In the World War II of the original world, his motherland suffered severe damage. Although it was unlikely to happen in this world..., he still couldn't put his mind at ease.
Although his motherland had Kunlun and others, Japanalso had experts.
He wanted to leave a seed in his motherland to prevent the Stone City tragedy that might occur in the future.
1919, it should still be the period of warlordism, but Hong Kong Island was already occupied by the British.
"Are you going to save them from their suffering?" Dianawas a bit excited.
"No, I just want to go and take a look."
Kunlun didn't care, so why should he bother?
China had Kunlun, and Britain also had experts in charge.
Although he didn't have any good feelings for Britain, it was undeniable that it had built a small fishing village into an international metropolis, even though it was severely poisoned afterward.
[Knock, knock——]
A knock on the door sounded.
"Boss, are you awake?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
It was Samir.
"Steve is here; he wants to visit you."
"...?"
Visit?
039. Doutzen Kroes's Coffee
Duke walked out a step earlier. Women, after all, always have to wash their faces, wash their hair, and brush their teeth, tidying up properly before they can come out to see people; even goddesses are no exception.
Pushing open the door, before he even saw Steve, he saw Doutzen Kroes: "Wow—what happened to you? You have two huge dark circles under your eyes!"
"Isn't it because of all your commotion? Can't you keep it down?!" Doutzen Kroes glared at him.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Duke curled his lip; he didn't believe it for a second. He had clearly set up a 'Spell Formula', so it was impossible for any sound to be heard outside. That's right, nothing could be heard, but that didn't stop Doutzen Kroes from imagining things herself.
Apart from coming out to eat, the two of them stayed holed up in the bedroom all day. What were they doing? Only a fool wouldn't be able to guess.
"Hmph!" Doutzen Kroes made a face.
Then Duke saw Steve Trevor sitting in the living room with a constipated expression. He immediately understood and gave her an approving look. To this day, although they had fought side by side, Doutzen Kroes still loathed Steve. It was for no other reason than the fact that Steve had accidentally intruded upon Paradise Island, causing trouble for many of her sisters.
Actually, Duke felt that Doutzen Kroes should be blaming him; after all, it was he who had crashed into Steve's plane.
But he wasn't foolish enough to 'take the blame' for Steve; besides, it was Steve who had intruded upon Paradise Island in the first place.
"I'll train with you for an hour today." Duke smiled at her; she was clearly trying to annoy Steve. This girl was too cute; he liked her even more now.
"Yes!" Doutzen Kroes pumped her fist in excitement.
This 'training' wasn't the kind between a man and a woman; it was mainly because Doutzen Kroes had discovered that she was completely useless on the battlefield. Even Samir could shoot and kill the German Army, while she could only follow behind and be a bystander.
After all, she was just an ordinary Amazon Warrior, and one who wielded dual swords at that. To hit an enemy, you had to charge forward with all your might, while the enemy could kill you from afar with a single bullet.
She wasn't Diana, so she couldn't block bullets at all.
So, after returning, she pestered Duke, demanding devilish training.
However, over these past three days, Duke had already been lost in a bed of pleasure, only giving her 10 minutes a day.
Samir's face twitched; he realized his old friend was being completely shunned.
"Boss!"
"Hmm."
Duke nodded, acknowledging the greeting, then leaned back against the sofa and rubbed his waist. This action made Steve's eyebrow twitch once again.
"What brings you to 'visit' me?"
Steve gritted his teeth and said, "I'm going back."
"Back, where to?" Duke hadn't reacted yet.
"Of course, back to the United States. My mission in Britainis complete. Over these three days, I've finished the handover work, and I'm preparing to return to the United States to report for duty," Steve said.
Duke thought about it; that made sense. Steve was a pilot in the 94th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service, and also a captain in the American Expeditionary Forces and an Allied spy during World War I. He was originally stationed in Britain, but by coincidence, he was sent to go undercover in Germany. With World War I over, he had to return to the United States to report to his unit.
"And so... what does that have to do with me?" Dukeshrugged. You're going back, so go back—why did you specifically run over here to tell me about it?
"Duke, we can be considered comrades who fought side by side, right? You can't deny that?" Steve suddenly said.
"Hmm..." Duke thought for a moment, then waved his index finger. "NO! NO! NO! Not side by side; it was you following behind me!"
Samir felt a bit awkward, and Steve was very depressed, but this... this was indeed true. On the battlefield, wasn't he just following behind Duke? While Duke was charging at the front, he could only run behind, and honestly, he hadn't even fired many shots.
Being called out to his face was a bit awkward.
"Then we can at least be considered comrades, right?"
"Hmm, that's true. So, what do you want to say?"
"I am... thank you."
Just as Steve started to speak, he saw Doutzen Kroes walk over, carrying two cups of coffee, and handed him one. However, after taking a sip, 'Pfft'————
He spat it out.
"What is this? Why is it so bitter?"
Although coffee is inherently bitter, the taste in Londonduring this period generally favored adding milk. Of course, there were those accustomed to drinking bitter coffee, but this—damn it... was it too bitter?
"What, is the coffee I brewed that hard to drink?" Doutzen Kroes tilted her head. Look at my kind gaze.
Mama mia, this dangerous gaze, carrying a bone-chilling coldness within its sweetness.
"Cough, cough, how could that be... I just... I'm just not used to it yet."
"Then are you used to it now?" Doutzen Kroes continued to stare at Steve with her 'kind gaze'.
"U-used to it, used to it."
What else could he say?
Drink it!
Forcing himself to endure the bitterness in his mouth, Stevetilted his head back and gulped it down, not even daring to taste it. Come to think of it, he felt the color was a bit off earlier; damn it... was this bitter melon juice?
After finishing it, he still had to force a smile, even though his tongue had gone numb and his forehead was covered in sweat.
Samir watched, his teeth aching. Old friend, oh old friend, how did you offend her to make her strike so ruthlessly?!
"Hmph, you're sensible enough. Shall I brew you another cup?"
"No need, no need, thanks, thanks, really no need." Stevewaved his hands hurriedly; if he drank any more, he'd probably die.
Originally, she didn't want to let Steve off the hook, but seeing Diana come out, Doutzen Kroes turned and left.
"What are you talking about?" Diana had just finished washing her beautiful hair, and it was still a bit damp.
"We were discussing the deliciousness of the coffee; Stevereally likes the coffee Doutzen Kroes brewed." Dukesuppressed his laughter and picked up the coffee in front of him, taking a delightful sip.
Hmm, fragrant, sweet, silky.
In this period, the origin of Blue Mountain coffee was still a colony in British hands, and it would be another forty years before it broke free from British control.
"Is that so? Doutzen Kroes really likes brewing coffee; she's been learning for three days." Diana smiled; she had already abandoned her previous name, Venelia.
Only three days?
Steve almost choked.
Duke, however, knew that Doutzen Kroes had a real talent for brewing coffee.
"Since you like it, Doutzen Kroes—"
"Coming."
"Uh... no need, no need, I just had some. By the way... cough, cough, I came to talk to Duke about business." Steve hurriedly refused; he didn't want to drink another cup of bitter melon juice coffee.
"Alright then, please brew a cup for me." Diana seemed to have noticed something and glared at Doutzen Kroes with a playful reproach.
The latter stuck out her tongue and turned away, leaving prettily.
040. Invitation to Develop in the United States
"What is going on with Doutzen Kroes?" Diana turned her head and asked in a low voice.
"How would I know? Maybe it's because of the Amazonsisters who died on Paradise Island?" Duke also said in a low voice.
Mentioning the Amazon sisters who died in the beach defense battle on Paradise Island, Diana's expression gradually became heavy.
Seeing Diana so intimate with Duke, and then seeing the radiant look on Diana's face, how could Steve Trevor not know what had happened? He suddenly felt a twinge of heartbreak! However... although the two were speaking in low voices, he still heard them, and guilt immediately filled his heart.
If it weren't for him, those innocent women wouldn't have died!
He was originally a bit annoyed with Doutzen Kroes, but now... bitter melon juice coffee is just bitter melon juice coffee. As long as drinking it could make her less angry, it was worth it.
"Trouble, another cup of coffee, please."
"..." Samir's heart skipped a beat. Old friend, are you trying to die?
However, unfortunately, Doutzen Kroes was not having it. She turned her head and glared fiercely: "Who do you think you are? You say you don't want it, then you do? You say you want it, then you do?!"
"Uh..."
How awkward. This raised hand, it was neither here nor there...
Duke watched and wanted to laugh a little. Forget it, let's help him out: "You said you came to talk about serious business. What serious business?"
"Ah, that's right..." Steve Trevor gave a grateful look, took the opportunity to retract his arm, and took out the briefcase next to him. "Duke, Diana, have you two thought about where you are going next?"
As for Diana, he already knew.
A race isolated from the world, the legendary Amazon Warriors. For a long time, having lived on the isolated Paradise Island for hundreds, thousands of years, she had no status in the outside world. And it looked like she couldn't go back, so she would inevitably stay in the outside world.
And Duke, he never knew his background; he was very mysterious.
Looking at his appearance from their first meeting, the unfamiliar clothing and style, those clothes, those shoes, that exquisite bracelet... and a strange iron box, everything revealed an atmosphere of not being from this world.
He didn't know where Duke came from, and he didn't want to pursue it, because he was destined not to get an answer.
But this did not prevent him from taking the opportunity to win over the two of them to work for the United States.
"We are going to..."
Diana had just opened her mouth when Duke grabbed her hand.
"You seem to have some ideas?"
"Uh... I think neither of you has a status in the outside world, right? If you don't have a place you want to go, why not go to the United States?" Steve Trevor stated his purpose.
"Go to the United States?" Diana looked at Duke curiously. Their eyes met. Was their decision surprisingly consistent with theirs from the beginning?
"Why, Steve, do you have other identities, for example... S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Duke bluffed.
S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't even been born yet! Let alone born, it didn't even have a predecessor yet.
"What S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve Trevor looked confused.
"Are you trying to recruit us? For your government, or the military?" Duke did not dwell on the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' question.
"That depends on your attitude. I'm just buying a 'boat ticket' to the United States for you." Steve Trevorshrugged.
Of course, he didn't have any other identity. He just noticed the powerful strength of Duke and Diana and considered that they might help the American people in the future, that's all.
"Fine!" Duke thought for a moment and accepted. Although he still felt that the guy with the same name as Captain America was thinking about his Wonder Woman, he did need 'help' at this time.
Samir was quickly thinking about the procedures to go to the United States, etc. In addition, this small Villa had to be sold as soon as possible. After going to the United States, he would have to start from scratch and consider building good relationships with local forces.
"Really?" Steve Trevor was a little stunned. He actually hadn't thought that Duke would agree. Why? The other party had always been guarding against him because of Diana.
By now, he no longer intended to pursue Diana. Don't talk about the nonsense that you can compete fairly if you're not married. Compete my foot. If he really did that, who knows when a corpse would be floating on the Manhattanriver, a corpse named Steve Trevor.
"Yes, really. But before going to the United States, I still need to make a trip to Hong Kong Island." Duke said.
"Go to Hong Kong Island?"
"Yes."
Steve Trevor wanted to ask for the reason, but his intuition told him that Duke wouldn't say, so he didn't bother to waste his breath. He took out the documents from the briefcase: "These are the military officer IDs for the three of you."
"Oh? I'm a military officer now?" Duke curiously picked it up and opened it. Goodness... isn't this the kind that costs three bucks on the street in later generations?
This stamp, this material, it looked fake at a glance.
Identity verification in this period was too chaotic. Every place had its own style, with 'Resident Certificate', 'Property Deed', 'Population Archive Retention', etc., etc.
It was too troublesome, too complicated, and the two of them didn't have fixed property, houses, or anything, so they just handled military officer IDs.
This thing was circulated all over the world (except for enemy countries), and now there was no computer network, so verifying authenticity basically relied entirely on the eyes...
"British military officer?" Duke was curious, why not American?
But that was fine. Hong Kong Island was still in British hands, so it was more convenient to go over with this.
"Hey, Doutzen Kroes, this is your document."
"Oh, put it aside for now."
"I currently still have British status, so I can only handle this kind of... marginal, powerless, unestablished document. As long as you pay a little money, you can get a handful of them." Steve Trevor said.
Britain was currently waiting to be rebuilt. Did fighting not cost money?
As long as they could raise money, they would issue a bunch of these. Anyway, it was just for those with money to have some fun.
"Is this thing real?" Duke was stunned. He thought it was handled on the street.
"Of course it's real."
"Oh."
He fell into habitual thinking again. The material, steel seals, red seals, etc., of the documents in this period, of course, could not be compared with later generations. That was why the little booklet in his hand looked like the three-buck standard on the street.
"As for the U.S. documents, after you go there, I will help you handle them in more detail." Steve Trevor said.
Duke nodded. Apart from the British military officer ID, there was also the U.S. "Registration Form AR-1" in the folder. This should be fake. Speaking of which, Duke didn't know about this thing either. It was a document from the 1920s, and he was completely clueless.
"You can buy your own boat tickets. I don't know your exact departure time. I'm leaving London tomorrow." Steve Trevor stood up, reached out to shake hands with Duke, but didn't shake hands with Diana for fear of making Dukeangry, "See you in the United States!"
"See you in the United States!"
After going to the United States, would he still need him to help handle the certificates?
Duke snorted coldly: Tsk!
"Boss, when are we planning to set off?" Samir asked suddenly.
"You go prepare. We'll leave when you're packed." Dukeunderstood what Samir wanted to do, which was nothing more than selling the property in London. Anyway, he probably wouldn't be coming back in the future.
"Then I'll go out first."
"Go ahead."