"What just happened?"
"Is that girl dead?"
"She's really weak!"
"Someone interfered in the middle of a duel!"
"Who was it?"
"A man in dark golden armor appeared—he blocked the Cyborg Superman's particle-stream electron cannon."
"He broke the rules of the arena."
"Who is he? Who dares break Mongul's rules and challenge him directly?"
"He came from Mongul's exclusive viewing area. I saw it!"
In an instant, the entire arena was abuzz with voices. Among the spectators were thousand-eyed aliens, known for their extraordinary eyesight, capable of perceiving even the tiniest collision of explosive particles. They witnessed it—at a moment's notice, a dark golden figure had appeared from Mongul's private platform.
He arrived in a flash, faster than a meteorite, more violent than an explosion, bringing with him a howling wind. He appeared before Cyborg Superman's particle-stream cannon and withstood the shot.
The crowd burst into a furious roar of discussion.
As the murmurs grew louder and louder, a shout broke out.
"He's still standing!"
A strange-looking alien pointed and yelled.
Thick clouds of dust swirled, but through the thinning haze, they could faintly see a towering and dignified figure. His cape fluttered slowly behind him.
The emperor's armor, forged from metal steel, shaped a powerful and awe-inspiring form. Pale golden lines traced across his armor, outlining an invincible figure. His presence loomed tall and unshakable, as if the entire starry sky bowed beneath his feet.
Suddenly.
A massive gust of wind blasted the dust away, revealing the figure within as though a king had emerged from the abyss of the cosmos. His dark golden cloak flowed behind him.
The entire Warworld shook violently, as if a giant had stepped onto its surface.
From the exclusive viewing platform, Mongul shot down like a meteorite, landing in the arena and stirring up a massive hurricane.
Mongul stood tall, his muscles thick and gnarled like ancient roots. His skin-tight battle suit strained against the immense bulge of his muscular frame. His terrifying build seemed to swell with violent power.
He stomped to the center of the arena and clenched both fists. The air around him tensed, his bulging muscles brimming with explosive force. He grinned, flashing his white teeth.
"The third match begins!"
The millions of spectators erupted in excitement as they saw Mongul descend to the battlefield.
As the overlord of Warworld and master of the entire cosmic arena, it was a rare event for Mongul to step onto the stage himself.
It was said his strength could destroy stars. He had ruled the galaxy for countless years, undefeated. Now, witnessing him enter the arena in person stirred everyone into a frenzy.
They knew they were about to witness a battle worthy of being recorded in the chronicles of the universe, a clash that would make their blood boil.
"Kill him! He broke the rules!"
Someone roared in support of Mongul. The roar spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
The sound waves surged like an ocean. The deafening chants of over a million spectators, their blood surging with primal excitement, created a storm of energy.
Some aliens tore off their clothing and roared at the sky, as if their blood would burst through their chests.
A wave of unprecedented, explosive fury rippled through the arena, igniting everyone's passion.
Bardi's expression remained indifferent, his brows slightly furrowed. He turned his gaze to his left arm. A moment ago, he had used it to block Cyborg Superman's particle cannon, and now porcelain-like cracks had spread across it.
The armor was originally a prototype Raven had rushed to develop. It was designed to block and absorb Bardi's magnetic field. While capable of withstanding nuclear-level impacts, it was still not suited to fully absorb a direct hit from Cyborg Superman's cannon at full power. Cracks spidered out along the dark golden joints, tearing through the steel like shattered porcelain.
"I said I would let you live."
"Don't provoke me. Leave Warworld. Leave the solar system. Never appear in front of me again."
Bardi's voice was cold. His left arm gave a clicking sound as the cracks widened and deepened. He could feel the magnetic field in his left arm becoming unstable, on the verge of erupting and shattering the armor.
He didn't want to act recklessly now. If the armor exploded and the chaotic magnetic field poured out of his left arm, the resulting destruction would be uncontrollable. Warworld, which Bardi intended to claim for his own future use, would suffer far more damage than he was willing to allow.
He had to take care of what belonged to him.
Mongul grinned, veins bulging along his clenched fists. The musculature of his arms looked even more grotesque than any bodybuilder's. His explosive strength radiated like heat from a sun.
Ever since meeting Bardi, he had believed Bardi ruled Earth using a combination of technology and magic, relying on that so-called emperor's armor. Without hesitation, he had launched his challenge.
If he could defeat this Earth leader who relied on tech armor, General Ott and Earth itself would fall under his control.
That was the reason he had invited Bardi here.
Of course, Bardi came with the same goal—to show Mongul his true strength and force him into submission. Unfortunately for Mongul, the armor and magnetic field had concealed Bardi's terrifying power.
"You need to see true power!"
Mongul roared with laughter, stepping forward to strike. His foot smashed a crater into the arena floor as he charged, his fists tearing through the air with a screeching sound wave, blasting toward Bardi.
Bardi frowned slightly as Mongul's fist came at him. His expression calm, he raised his left hand and met the blow with his palm.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rocked the arena, sending a hurricane-like shockwave into the stands. The front rows of the audience were blown backward by the blast.
At the point of impact, the ground caved inward, forming a massive crater. Dust surged out in wave after wave.
Mongul felt as if his punch had struck an immovable wall of steel. Despite his overwhelming force, Bardi's figure didn't budge. Instead, pain began to spread through Mongul's fist.
His eyes narrowed in disbelief as he stared at Bardi's arm.
He saw the moment it happened. Starting from Bardi's palm, the steel gauntlet of the emperor's armor was shattered by Mongul's punch. The cracks in the metal spidered out with a harsh ka-rak, and the force spread along Bardi's arm like a tornado. The armor fragments peeled away, exposing an arm like polished white jade. Its lean, graceful musculature rippled faintly with a terrifying magnetic field reaction.
From within that arm, a turbulent energy, charged with a magnetic field strong enough to tear space itself, began to surface... as if a chasm of fear was hidden inside, waiting to unleash a force that could destroy worlds.
(To be continued.)