The obsidian-like mask still held together, not completely shattered—several large fragments remained embedded in the helmet.
But even the shockwave that had pierced into the mech's interior was enough to make General Flaxan—who had undergone over a dozen biological enhancements—bleed from all seven orifices, his internal organs reduced to pulp.
"Ini... initiate self-destruct protocol!"
Through the cracks in his shattered visor, General Flaxan saw that godlike, devilish figure charging toward him again. Coughing up blood, filled with hatred and despair, he activated the sequence.
Beep. Beep. Beep!
Beyond just the visor, the entire mech—like a solid block of cold forged steel—began to flash with red lines. It was as if violent and terrifying energy was leaking through its weakest points.
Russell had just reached the mech when an unusual sensation made him halt. He could feel it—a rising threat.
"Die with me, monster!"
With the last of his strength, General Flaxan lunged forward, hugging Russell tightly in an attempt to ensure the mech's self-destruct blast would engulf them both.
"Damn it! The mech's energy levels are spiking rapidly! It's... self-destructing! If it detonates, all of Chicago could be leveled!"
Having just downed another Flaxan soldier, the warning system in the robot HUD flashed wildly. Seeing the red-glowing mech, he turned and shouted a warning to everyone nearby.
"What?Russell!"
A laser tank had just been hurled back through the portal when Mark heard this. His expression changed drastically as he dashed toward Russell, hoping to help him break free from the mech.
"Stay back, Mark."
Russell forced one arm free and quickly raised it, signaling Mark not to come any closer.
Though he sensed the danger, he was confident in his ability to survive. His defenses could withstand even a direct nuclear explosion—he might get badly hurt, but he wouldn't die.
Once the explosion passed, he'd switch templates, use Martian regenerative abilities, and recover from any injury in seconds. The self-destruct General Flaxan hoped would take them both would, at most, destroy his new battle suit.
But Mark—whose powers had only recently awakened—was a different story!
"No..."
But Mark misunderstood. Eyes wide with panic and fury, he thought Russell was trying to stop him from getting caught in the blast. He rushed in even faster, thinking the two of them could take down the mech together.
"Why is it that when others raise a hand, even Superman gets suppressed—yet I can't hold back Mark?"
With Mark closing in, Russell struggled harder to break the mech's grip. He was about to throw it back through the portal—
When suddenly, a red-caped figure shot through the air like lightning. A metallic hand grabbed the mech's head and yanked it off of Russell without hesitation, flying straight toward the portal.
"Dad!?"
Both Russell and Mark instantly recognized the figure—it was Omni-Man.
Russell knew that if he couldn't die, then Omni-Man certainly wouldn't.
But Mark couldn't help crying out in shock—thinking the one to die this time wouldn't be his cousin, but his father.
Fortunately, just before entering the portal, Omni-Man turned to glance back at his son and nephew, giving them a reassuring look—then vanished through the portal.
BOOM!
A distant explosion echoed from the other side. Moments later, the equipment maintaining the portals was destroyed. The three portals flickered and disappeared.
"Dad?"
Eve and the others also recognized the figure—it was Earth's strongest superhero: Omni-Man. Stunned, they turned to Mark, who had shouted.
"Omni-Man is your father?"
"Uh…"
Mark scratched his head awkwardly.
"Then that makes you Omni-Man's nephew?"
Eve and the others looked dumbfounded at Russell.
Is this family trying to monopolize all the top-tier superhero spots on Earth!?
Russell didn't deny it. He merely stared at the space where the portal had disappeared.
Omni-Man's journey wouldn't be a short one. Over on the other side, he'd spend nine months dismantling the Flaxan civilization before returning.
"For a long time, the Flaxans will be rebuilding their civilization from the ashes. They won't be able to launch another invasion any time soon."
But Omni-Man hadn't done it to save Earth. In his mind, Earth already belonged to the Viltrumites—no one else was allowed to touch it.
"Especially now that he's preparing to conquer the planet himself—he doesn't want the Flaxans interfering by opening more portals."
"Cousin, do you think Dad will be okay?" Mark asked worriedly.
"He'll be fine."
Russell waved dismissively. "You should be worrying about yourself."
"Me?" Mark pointed at himself in confusion.
What was there to worry about?
'Of course you should be worried—about whether your body and mind can survive the brutal reality check coming your way when your dad drops the act and starts conquering the world.'
"Train hard, Mark," Russell said, sighing as he patted Mark on the shoulder. "Or else that 'Invincible Kid' title of yours might become a bit... ironic."
Mark scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.
Yeah, maybe the name had been a bit rushed.
He had come up with it while playing catch with his dad—Omni-Man—who had been teaching him how to control his strength. Among the younger generation of heroes, his raw power was unmatched, and that had inspired the nickname.
But his dad hadn't expected Russell to awaken his powers the very next day—and surpass him in strength within days.
Thinking of his father again, Mark cast another worried glance at the vanished portal.
With the third Flaxan invasion resolved, the surviving citizens erupted into cheers, gazing gratefully at the young figure in the white cape hovering above.
[Conquest Point +0.1]
[Conquest Point +0.08]
[Conquest Point +0.18]
Not only the citizens in the city center, but even Eve and the other young heroes were still reeling in shock as they looked up at Russell's figure.
Infinity-Man had fought a mech capable of rivaling a nuclear bomb—and won handily—forcing the enemy to resort to a desperate self-destruct.
[Conquest Point +9]
[Conquest Point +12]
...
Conquest points poured in like a waterfall, refreshing rapidly on his interface. Russell glanced at it, pleased, before closing the alert.
"Conquest Points: awarded when someone experiences genuine admiration, respect, fear, or awe—emotions indicating their heart has been conquered to a certain degree."
Interestingly, according to the system, even non-human or background beings—so long as they were somewhat humanoid and not nameless NPCs—could provide conquest points, though in much smaller amounts.
Even so, a whole species like the Flaxans could yield quite a fortune!
"Especially this time…"
The first two Flaxan invasions had ended in retreat, but their forces hadn't been significantly depleted. With their time and tech advantages, their losses—while large by Earth's standards—weren't severe to them.
But this time was different.
Russell figured Uncle Nolan would reduce the Flaxan civilization to rubble.
And having repelled two invasions himself, Russell would now be regarded as a critical Earth defense force—feared and respected for a long time to come.
"Could conquest points spike by thousands… maybe tens of thousands?"
With the battle finally over, Russell and Mark returned home.
Aunt Debbie was at her desk, entering real estate data into a website. Seeing her nephew was fine, and her son looking a bit troubled, she turned.
"What's wrong?"
"Mom, Dad… he grabbed a self-destructing mech and flew into the Flaxan portal…"
"Oh, then he'll probably miss lunch?"
Debbie didn't even blink, turning back to her computer.
"Mom…?"
Mark stared in disbelief. He hadn't expected that reaction.
.....
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
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