"Damn it—have all civilians been evacuated yet?!"
Nick Fury stared at the video feed, his voice tight with urgency.
"Director, about seventy percent have been evacuated so far."
"Police, firefighters, and the National Guard are all still coordinating to move the remaining people."
On the screen, Coulson could be seen leading a large number of agents as they assisted with the evacuation.
"Not enough. Expand the evacuation radius to at least three times the current area," Fury said gravely.
"Director, isn't that a bit—"
Before Coulson could finish, Fury slammed his hand on the table.
"You don't know a damn thing. If that guy truly cuts loose, the destruction will be no less than a missile saturation strike. If you don't want to witness hell on earth, then do exactly as I say!"
Fury had personally witnessed the power of Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers. Combat at that level could reduce an entire city to ruins with ease—it was absolutely not something to underestimate.
"Yes, Director," Coulson replied immediately.
As that video feed ended, another one connected.
"Fury, why are you stopping us from deploying troops?" a middle-aged man asked sternly from the screen.
It was Secretary Myerson of the American Department of Defense.
"Secretary Myerson, your troops can no longer stop this battle," Fury replied calmly.
"What about mechanized units?" Myerson pressed, clearly unconvinced.
The U.S. military dominated battlefields across the world—how could they be powerless within their own borders?
"If you're still capable of rational judgment, then watch this battle to the end before deciding whether to deploy your forces," Fury said, no longer interested in explanations.
Some things simply couldn't be conveyed with words. They had to be seen.
---
On the battlefield.
The energy dome finally stopped expanding once it reached a diameter of nearly a hundred meters.
Less than three seconds later, it violently contracted, collapsing inward until it completely fused back into Kro's body.
Everything that had been enveloped by the dome—ground, cars, buildings—had vanished without a trace.
From above, it looked as though some colossal beast had taken a massive bite out of the land, leaving behind a gigantic crater.
The sight left Secretary Myerson and the members of Congress staring in horror. This was far more terrifying than a missile strike.
Within the crater, only two figures remained standing—Lucas and Kro.
Lucas's body, wrapped in Ki, showed no signs of injury. Even his tailored suit remained immaculate and upright.
At his feet lay Ikaris, already unconscious.
Kro, meanwhile, had shrunk from nearly four meters tall to around one point nine meters.
His skin had fully transformed into a pale blue hue, smoother and more lustrous than before.
At this point, if one didn't look closely, his appearance was almost indistinguishable from that of a human.
"The energy before was too unstable—I couldn't use it freely," Kro said calmly.
"Now, I have complete control over it."
He then looked at Lucas and asked, "You're definitely not from Earth. What are you—Kree? Shi'ar?"
"I'm a Saiyan," Lucas replied flatly.
"Never heard of it. If you leave now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened," Kro said. He had no desire to waste time or energy fighting a powerful opponent whose limits he couldn't gauge.
Hearing this, Lucas grabbed Ikaris by the arm and hurled him far away.
As long as he wasn't caught in the crossfire, that level of injury meant nothing to Ikaris's body.
Kro didn't care. Once Lucas was dead, Ikaris would still be his prize.
No—all the Eternals would be.
And compared to the Eternals, the energy emanating from Lucas felt far more tempting.
With a brief sweep of his senses, Lucas confirmed that there were no human presences left within nearly a kilometer.
"Ha!"
He clenched his fists and let out a sharp roar. The Ki surrounding his body surged once more, blazing outward as scorching currents rippled through the air.
The violent fluctuations caused the ground beneath them to tremble, pebbles lifting into the air as if gravity itself had weakened.
"Your name's Kro, right?" Lucas said evenly.
"I hope you can keep this interesting."
The moment his words fell, Lucas charged forward with a piercing sonic boom, and Kro moved to meet him.
They clashed once again.
Boom—fists collided.
Lucas immediately sensed it: Kro's physical strength and energy had undergone a comprehensive enhancement.
Compared to before, the difference was like that between a child and a fully grown man.
"Interesting," Lucas said, surprised—but unconcerned.
They engaged in rapid close-quarters combat, every part of their bodies becoming lethal weapons.
Each exchange sounded like two heavy trucks crashing into one another, shockwaves booming again and again.
As they fought, both continued moving, quickly crashing into the school grounds.
Even reinforced concrete structures began to fracture under the residual shockwaves.
Buildings designed to withstand magnitude six or seven earthquakes were smashed apart like tofu under their terrifying blows.
Bang!
Lucas suddenly landed a punch that sent Kro flying, smashing straight through the school's rooftop and tearing open a massive hole.
Lucas immediately followed, lifting off and shooting upward in pursuit.
As Kro was hurled back, he desperately activated his regenerative ability, repairing his injuries whenever possible.
But before much healing could take place, Lucas was already upon him again, launching another relentless assault.
Every strike Lucas delivered was wrapped in Ki.
His attack power, explosiveness, and overall combat attributes surged higher and higher with each blow.
"Hahaha—this is incredible!"
Lucas laughed loudly.
This was the most exhilarating, most satisfying battle he had ever experienced since coming into this world.
It was also the first time he was truly applying Ki in combat.
Only now did he fully understand why Clark—after being suppressed for so many years—had been so exhilarated after finally fighting freely.
The next instant, the blazing Ki around Lucas suddenly compressed.
The flame-like aura vanished, condensing tightly around his body instead.
Years of uninterrupted mental meditation had forged an extraordinary level of control, and now that mastery came into play.
This time, Lucas didn't defend.
He didn't dodge.
He even stepped past Kro's incoming punch—and drove his own fist straight into Kro's face.
At the same time, Kro's attack slammed into Lucas's chest.
For the first time, both of them landed clean hits on each other.
But what Kro didn't realize—
Was that this entire exchange was a trap Lucas had deliberately set.
__
T/N:
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