"Mera?"
"Mera?"
The water dispersed, and a vibrant life force permeated every cell in Lothar's body. The blood-stained trident's golden gleam dimmed, clanging to the ground and kicking up dust. In Lothar's line of sight, the woman's figure was gone.
"A new Atlantean technique?"
Darkseid, still injured from before, couldn't breach the shield created by the Golden Trident combined with Mera's life force. He could only stand by and watch as the two completed their exchange of life.
Mera, as a member of the Atlantean royal family, possessed enough vitality to heal most of Lothar's injuries. His near-dead cells, like famished men parched for decades encountering sweet nectar, devoured everything that belonged to Mera.
Pop...
The last of the water shield dissipated, and Lothar, within it, landed steadily. Solidified scabs flaked off, revealing freshly grown, tender white skin.
"Mera... is also dead...?"
Barry Allen, his legs crippled, tried to stand up. The instant, agonizing pain that coursed through every nerve, however, sent him sprawling. The self-proclaimed strongest hero league now only had a solitary Barry Allen remaining.
"Super Saiyan 1."
Lothar, having absorbed the new power, opened his eyes, his chilling gaze fixed on Darkseid. Before his words finished, the arrogant golden aura surged again.
"Oh?"
"Still putting up a meaningless struggle?"
Darkseid raised his hand, and an invisible energy field instantly descended. Lothar felt as if he had stepped into a muddy swamp, unable to move an inch.
"Super Saiyan 2."
Buzz!
The suddenly surging energy broke free from the restraints of the Apokoliptian force field. Lothar remained still, his eyes locked on Darkseid, his expression so cold it was chilling.
"Super Saiyan 3!"
Lothar pushed his power to its absolute limit in one go. His flowing golden hair finally made Darkseid's expression change. The image of Lothar self-destructing and attempting to drag him to his death flashed back in Darkseid's mind. That was power capable of threatening him.
However...
"How long can you maintain this state?"
As long as he could defend against the self-destruction technique, Lothar in Super Saiyan 3 posed no great threat to him. Not to mention, Lothar in this state had a fatal flaw: he couldn't endure prolonged battles.
"How long, you ask?"
Lothar paused, then his figure suddenly appeared behind Darkseid!
BOOM!!!!
His arms, spinning energy orbs, sliced past Darkseid's body. Lothar immediately backhanded several incredibly sharp energy discs!
"If I wanted to, I could fight you like this for an entire day."
He crossed his arms, his palms curving into claws. Dense energy converged, instantly unleashing a shockwave shrouded in transparent water!
"It's no use."
"Your body will always be the limit preventing your power from reaching the next level."
Omega Beams blasted out, neutralizing the energy shockwave Lothar had unleashed.
"You talk too much."
Lothar's face was cold, his figure flashing again, appearing behind Darkseid.
"..." Darkseid said nothing, responding with action instead. Fists and palms clashed. Lothar, at a disadvantage, instantly sank into the ground.
"It's over."
"This time, no Atlantean will share their life with you."
Darkseid, seizing the opening, pressed his advantage. He gripped Lothar's throat and slowly floated out of the deep pit.
"Cough, cough..."
Lothar, one eye open and one closed, gritted his teeth. A dazzling energy disc, about fifty centimeters in diameter, suddenly appeared in his hands!
Whoosh!
Darkseid directly pulverized it with his energy field. Lothar, using Darkseid's momentary distraction, managed to break free.
"Hah..."
After landing, Lothar exhaled heavily, as if preparing for something, then suddenly extended his right hand forward.
RUMBLE!!!!
Thunder suddenly roared in the azure sky, and gloomy dark clouds quickly covered the area.
"What?"
Darkseid frowned. The object coalescing in Lothar's hand puzzled him.
"Done."
Lothar looked at the surrounding techniques he had deployed. It was a method he had conceived earlier, influenced by Mera. If there was no full moon to trigger his Great Ape transformation, then he would create one himself.
Whoosh!
Using the principle of Mera's previous technique, Lothar directly extracted a portion of his own life force and combined it with his energy to create a small artificial moon, which he tossed into the sky.
No body strong enough to contain the power? Impossible!
Lothar, no longer critically injured, unhesitatingly chose the state he was least confident in. He had no other choice.
"GRAAAWGHH!!!!!!"
Beneath the sky-obscuring dark clouds, the light of the small artificial moon caused Lothar to gradually transform.
"What???" The well-traveled Darkseid was baffled for the first time. Lothar's original stature, at most 1.8 meters tall, swelled into a giant ape, estimated to be forty meters high. Its brown fur gradually turned golden yellow amidst the earth-shattering roar. A vivid red tail swayed back and forth, and an uncontrolled power relentlessly assaulted the remaining sanity in Lothar's mind!
Lothar — Golden Great Ape form!
"GRAAAAAAAAWGHH!!!!!!"
His massive feet stomped the earth. Under the gloomy sky, the golden great ape roared towards the heavens, surging energy continuously emanating from its body.
This won't do.
Feeling a danger like a thorn in his back, Darkseid summoned his weapon for the first time. An axe. A very sharp axe.
"Die!" Darkseid leaped high, brandishing his giant axe, and descended from the sky, fiercely striking the golden great ape's shoulder!
"GRAAAAWGHH!!!!!"
The expected sight of the axe splitting him in half didn't occur. The great ape, its golden fur stained red with blood, opened its gaping maw, and a beam of energy shot out from its mouth!
"?!"
Darkseid, having miscalculated, retreated immediately, barely avoiding it at the cost of an arm.
"How is this possible...?"
"This power..." Darkseid's face was grim. He rarely miscalculated, but he felt he had, once again.
Lothar, I like you.
Mera's vanishing face and voice appeared in Lothar's mind. The surging life force within him was like a gentle hand, calming all the rage in Lothar's heart.
The great ape, which had been on the verge of berserking, stopped its roaring, lowered its eyelids, and its energy began to contract. Its size also began to shrink.
He... he turned back into a human?
Barry Allen stared blankly at Lothar, who had reverted to his human form.
The red tail no longer wrapped around his waist but swayed freely behind him. The brilliant golden glow on his bare chest was gone, and his dark hair fluttered in the wind. At this moment, Lothar looked exactly like his normal state before transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Only...
"You shouldn't have gone for the shoulder."
"You should have gone for the head."
Lothar opened his eyes, his golden vertical pupils filled with the majesty of a king.
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