Severe pain.
It wasn't a gradual pain, but rather a sensation like someone had pressed a hot iron directly into my temple and then yanked it out, ripping out half my brain.
The field of vision first turned blood red, then snow-like noise, and finally it was barely focused.
He found himself lying in the shambles of his living room.
The expensive sofa beside him looked like it had been torn apart by a giant beast, with the stuffing scattered like internal organs. There was a hideous human-shaped hole on the wall, and the bricks and stones on the edge were still shedding dust. The air was filled with dust, ozone and a strong smell of blood.
Memories rushed into his mind like a flood that broke through a dam, fiercely and chaotically - memories belonging to "him" and also memories belonging to another "Mark Grayson".
And now they have all merged into one person.
A high school student, the son of a superhero, an invincible young man who had just acquired superpowers... and the nightmare-like truth that had just happened.
Father Nolan Grayson, Earth's greatest defender, "Omni-Man," is actually an agent of an alien conquering empire!
Nolan was exposed, and in order to silence him, he personally crushed the heads of almost everyone in the Guardian League, as easily as crushing grapes.
And Mark, his son, tries to stop him...
"Uh…"
Meaningless groans emanated from his throat, and every breath he took brought with it excruciating pain from his broken ribs and internal organs.
Mark struggled to stand up, but found that this body, which should have been extremely strong, was now as heavy as if it was filled with lead.
Looking down, he saw that his uniform was torn into pieces, and a wound deep enough to see the bone ran across his chest. The skin and flesh were rolled up, and blood gushed out, staining the broken "Invincible Young Hero" logo red.
I'm Mark Grayson!
He had just been swatted away by his own father, the warrior of the Vitrum Empire, like a fly, and was almost killed on the spot.
Buzz!
The air made a low roar, and a huge shadow enveloped him.
Nolan Grayson was suspended outside the hole, hovering in the air, his body covered in blood that didn't belong to him, his white uniform stained scarlet.
The usually kind and dignified face now only showed cold scrutiny and a hint of impatience.
"Don't you understand, Mark?"
Nolan's voice was eerily calm, piercing the silence of the ruins like the friction of cold metal.
"You wasted too much time on useless pity, look at these bugs"
Nolan casually pointed to the chaotic firelight faintly visible in the distance of the city.
"Weak, chaotic, and tearing at each other, they need order and need to be ruled."
The newborn Mark, or rather, the Mark with two souls fused together, forced himself to raise his head.
Fear was like a cold poisonous snake coiling around his heart, but something more primitive and fiery roared deep in his blood; that was Vitrum's violent instinct.
Mark licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, the salty and fishy taste stimulated his nerves.
"rule?"
Mark's voice was hoarse and frothy with blood.
"Like you did? Crush the Guardians... and Mom's friends... like garbage?"
Nolan's eyes instantly became as sharp as a knife.
"They are obstacles! And you, my son, should have been on my side. Your hesitation, your weakness, almost ruined everything!"
"One last chance, Mark. Come with me and embrace your bloodline, your power, your destiny, or else..."
"What else?"
Mark suddenly stood up from the rubble. The movement pulled at his wound and the severe pain made his eyes go black, but he gritted his teeth and stood straight.
The broken ribs rubbed against his body, and the burning pain in his internal organs reminded him of the fragility of life, but it also ignited unprecedented anger.
Anger towards the traitor and executioner father in front of him.
"Or else kill me like a chicken?"
Nolan didn't answer, only his body exuded a heavier sense of oppression.
Boom!
Nolan moved. There were no fancy moves or unnecessary words. It was just a pure, straight-line impact that exceeded the speed of sound. The air was instantly compressed and torn apart, making a deafening sonic boom!
Mark's pupils suddenly shrank, and his fused soul and instinctive fighting reaction made him subconsciously turn sideways and raise his arms to block.
That is the muscle memory formed through countless times of "training" by my father.
Bang-Crack!!
It was like two high-speed trains colliding head-on!
Mark felt as if his blocking arm was hit by a planet. Severe pain exploded instantly, and his arm bones made a teeth-grinding sound of cracking.
The enormous force knocked him flying again, like a cannonball, crashing through the remaining half of the load-bearing wall behind him, and then knocking down the walls of two adjacent buildings in succession.
The reinforced concrete collapsed like a paper toy, and smoke and dust rose into the sky!
puff!
Mark fell into a new pile of rubble, blood spurting out.
His left arm was twisted at a strange angle and was completely useless.
Vitrum's self-healing ability was working like crazy, and he felt a tingling and severe pain in his broken bones, but the speed was far behind Nolan's destructive power.
In the smoke and dust, Nolan's figure descended like a demon, standing on the top of the ruins, overlooking his struggling son below.
"See? This is the gap!"
"Your power is nothing compared to my bloodline."
Nolan floated down and walked towards him step by step. The sound of his boots crushing the bricks was like a death knell.
Mark struggled to support his body with his right hand, which was still able to move. The severe pain almost made him faint, but one thought was screaming madly
Can't die! It can't end like this! Mom is still waiting for him! Atomic Eve...
And the innocent people in this world!
"Whether it's worth it or not... you'll know after you fight!"
Mark roared and suddenly grabbed a broken steel bar beside him that was as thick as a bucket!
Superman's strength poured into his right arm, his muscles bulged, and his blood vessels bulged like a dragon. He ignored the severe pain in his left arm, used the steel bar as a javelin, and used all his strength to throw it towards the approaching Nolan!
Woo.
The steel bars tore through the air, emitting a sharp shriek! The speed was so fast that it even drew a white wave in the air!
There was a flash of surprise in Nolan's eyes, followed by deeper contempt.
"You've impressed me, son."
Nolan didn't even dodge, just casually raised his left hand.
clang!
A resounding clang of metal clashed with the earth! The steel bar struck Nolan's palm with pinpoint accuracy, instantly releasing a massive amount of kinetic energy! The shockwave exploded in a circular pattern, shattering all glassware within a few dozen meters into dust!
The ground beneath Nolan's feet collapsed, forming a huge pit several meters deep!
But he himself remained motionless! The steel bar, powerful enough to pierce a tank, was forcibly crushed into a ball of twisted scrap metal in his palm! Sparks flew everywhere!
"Is this your resistance?"
Nolan's voice was filled with cold anger and disappointment.
Throwing away scrap metal is like discarding garbage.
Then, he moved!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This time it was a close-range attack like a storm!
Nolan's figure turned into a blurry afterimage in Mark's eyes! Every punch and kick carried destructive power, hitting Mark's body with precision!
Bang!
A heavy uppercut hits the chin!
Mark felt like his cervical vertebrae were almost broken, and he was thrown several meters high! Teeth and blood splattered!
This was followed by a fierce knee strike to the abdomen!
A clear sound of bone cracking was heard, and Mark felt as if his internal organs were turned into a ball of mud, and his body instinctively bent like a shrimp!
But the attack didn't stop as Mark was in pain.
Nolan's whip kick swept across like a battle axe, hitting Mark's side hard! Several ribs were broken instantly, and his body flew out like a broken sack, knocking down the roof of a low building and slamming heavily into the street below.
A deep hole was smashed into the asphalt road, and spider-web-like cracks spread out.
Mark was lying at the bottom of the pit, covered in blood, almost like a bloody man.
Every breath carried shards of shattered internal organs, and the excruciating pain washed over him like a tide.
Vitrum's self-healing ability was working desperately, the broken bones were forcibly connected, and the wounds were wriggling and healing, but this instead brought about an added hell of pain.
Nolan slowly landed at the edge of the pit and looked at his dying son at the bottom of the pit with an expressionless face. The firelight of the city reflected on his bloody face, making him look particularly hideous.
"Now, tell me your choice, Mark."
"Submit, or...annihilate."
Mark lay in a pool of blood and rubble, his body badly broken, but his eyes, filled with fear, anger, despair and unwillingness, stared at his father at the edge of the pit.
The severe pain made Mark's thinking become blurred, but one thought was extremely clear.
Can't give up!
Even if I die, I will tear a piece of flesh from this bastard father!
He used up his last bit of strength, plunged his right hand, which was still able to move, deep into the asphalt road beneath him, and grabbed it suddenly!
Swish!
He forcibly dug out a large piece of heavy asphalt road surface mixed with steel bars! He ignored the groaning of his bones and muscles and raised this huge "weapon" high above his head, a crazy and ferocious smile on his blood-stained face.
"My choice..."
"FUCK YOU, DAD!!!"
Mark roared hoarsely, his voice like an old bellows.
Mark used up all his remaining strength to push the huge asphalt concrete block towards Nolan Grayson, his father, the enemy he had to defeat. Even if it took the last bit of his life, he had to respond fiercely!