Bruce stood where he was, cloak half-raised in front of him in a posture that looked so heroic and theatrical it was almost like something out of Peking opera, as though he might break into song at any second.
Of course, that was only how he looked on the outside.
In reality, he was sweating like mad, because that last swing had genuinely almost sent him straight to the grave.
Thank God his passive ability was ridiculous enough, and this item called the Dodging Cape was even more ridiculous, or he really would have been chopped clean in two.
As for what the Dodging Cape actually did, it could be summed up in one word—
Bullfighting.
All Bruce had to do was flick the cape at an attacking target, and it would alter the trajectory of the opponent's attack. That was why Angron had so clearly seemed to be shoved off course by something just now.
Used well enough, it could even make an enemy strike themselves. Something like that had happened in the original Doraemon story before.
"What was that just now?!" Angron tightened his grip on the haft of his axe again.
That sudden loss of control over his own body had made him deeply uncomfortable. It felt as though some invisible chain had been thrown around his neck.
I'm a free gladiator! Dammit! This bastard actually dared humiliate me like this!
"A little trick," Bruce replied, giving the red cape a shake. "But I can assure you, it has nothing to do with psychic powers. It's fully compliant with the Imperial Truth."
"To hell with your Imperial Truth!"
Angron roared and lunged again.
This attack was faster and fiercer than the last. Even Bruce's absurdly accurate foresight showed the vision itself warping and breaking apart under the force of Angron's swing.
"?!"
And yet, just as he confidently thought he had him this time, Angron found his body once again veering off on its own.
Another miss!
"Not over yet!"
The instant the axe missed, Angron drove a punch in like a cannon shot.
But what met him was a lightning claw. Though it was only flesh and blood, Angron forced his way through it anyway, smashing Bruce flying with a single punch. Then he snatched up his axe, dragged a bloody arc through the air, and slammed it down again.
Clang—
A thin, invisible force shield blocked Angron's blow.
He froze for a split second, then gritted his teeth and powered through it by brute force alone, shattering the barrier before swinging again.
Bruce, staggering backward, relied on foresight to dodge every strike. Once he reached the point where he could retreat no farther, he rolled desperately and ended up half-reclining on the ground, waving the cape in front of himself again.
The axe blade passed so close to his nose it nearly brushed it, then smashed hard into the wall behind him.
Boom.
Angron's boot came down next. Bruce, having already foreseen the follow-up, scrambled away on all fours, then turned and flung several knives. One of them lodged perfectly into a key joint in Angron's armor.
"Tch. Cheap trick."
Angron yanked the blades out of his muscles, pulled his axe free, and simply crushed the piece of metal jammed in his armor joint by brute force.
To be fair, Angron would have preferred Bruce to stand and trade blows with him properly, whoever fell first losing. But that was unrealistic, so these little tricks of Bruce's only irritated him a little.
Still, from that brief exchange of punches, Angron could clearly tell that Bruce's strength was indeed a notch above that of an ordinary Astartes.
Rare. Very rare. An Astartes who could take one of my full-power punches without having his arm blown off.
"..."
Bruce clutched his fractured arm and stared grimly as Angron charged again.
This is rough. Only a little over ten seconds have passed, and I've already nearly died.
A full-power primarch is way too terrifying. Thank God Doraemon's survival gadgets are this ridiculous, or this would be impossible. Forget thirty-one minutes—even thirty-one seconds would be a huge question mark.
Angron's figure blurred.
He reappeared at Bruce's flank and changed from a vertical chop to a sweeping slash, deliberately broadening the range of attack.
If direct precision attacks won't land, then I'll just use area attacks!
Bruce foresaw it all again. He retreated while shaking the cape, and just like before, Angron's strike was knocked off line.
But this time Angron calmly let go of the axe handle and followed up with a flurry of punches.
Even an idiot could see there was something wrong with Bruce's cape. Angron was a primarch—of course he noticed. So he switched tactics at once.
Maybe you can bend the path of my weapon. But what about my fists?!
Bruce's foresight kicked in again. He had already seen Angron try this, so he kept working the cape, making the punches miss as well.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH—!"
A deafening roar rang out together with the rattle of chains.
The axe embedded in the ground was linked to Angron, and with a violent jerk of his strength, he swung it like it had a mind of its own.
The weapon flew straight at Bruce. Bruce twisted aside to evade it, only for Angron to yank the chain again and sweep it back across at him.
Clang—
With nowhere left to dodge, Bruce could only bring up both claws to block.
Only then did he realize just how absurd Angron's strength was. Even though he had braced for it, he was still sent flying.
The force crushed flesh and organs alike as Bruce was hurled into the air. Angron reeled the axe back into his hand.
Then he burst into hearty, exhilarated laughter.
He followed up immediately, launching himself into the air after Bruce, and brought the axe crashing down onto him. The two of them hit the ground like cannonballs, carving out a deep crater and gouging a long trench through the arena floor.
Angron planted a foot on Bruce's body and pounded blow after blow toward his head, while hacking at his armor with the axe, trying to tear it open. But because it was primarch-grade power armor, all he got for the moment was a shower of sparks rather than an explosion of gore.
At the rate Angron's punches were escalating, Bruce's skull should have cracked before the armor did.
"Die! Die for me, Bruce Wayne!"
Angron was like a mad beast, venting all his fury.
That's way too savage.
Not far away, completely hidden beneath an Invisibility Cloak, the real Bruce stood motionless, trembling as he watched the scene unfold.
Terrifying. He was really trying to beat me to death like I was some kind of alien monstrosity.
Thank God the Substitute Dummy was taking the hits and had successfully drawn all of Angron's attention. Otherwise I'd absolutely be dead.
Angron vented every ounce of his strength on the rag-doll "Bruce," and the more he attacked, the more exhilarated he became, because he realized this thing was unbelievably durable.
Compared to his other sons, Bruce could really take a beating—and somehow that made beating him up feel even better.
Damn, this was satisfying.
For a moment Angron even entertained the thought that maybe he should leave Bruce alive after all. If he really killed him, he'd never get such an excellent toy again.
Then, after his burst of excitement, he suddenly realized the problem.
No. This thing wasn't Bruce at all.
"?!"
His fists and axe stopped.
He frowned down at the mangled, barely recognizable figure beneath him.
This thing had taken that much damage without making a sound, and he hadn't seen any blood either. What the hell was this?
Bang!
The next second, a compressed blast of air shot out. Angron reacted fast enough to dodge, but the force still sent him flying a great distance.
"So you really do have an endless supply of weird little toys, don't you?!" Angron demanded, sounding close to losing it.
"What can I say? I've got plenty. A whole lot, actually."
Bruce stood there with an Air Cannon fitted over his left hand, smiling faintly.
That left thirty minutes.
As long as he endured, he would win.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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