Even though Robert couldn't see the Extinguisher's face, he sensed something unusual as the colossal being shrank to human size. The Extinguisher's power remained unchanged despite the reduction in scale, which wasn't surprising. However, what caught Robert's attention was that the Extinguisher's aura didn't only emanate from his body but also flowed seamlessly through the armor he wore, as if the armor was an extension of his own body.
Robert was familiar with powerful artifacts that held their own energy, like the Tesseract or Mjölnir, so it wasn't strange for a Celestial to possess such armor. However, the Extinguisher's armor was different—it felt like it was a part of him, inseparable from his very being.
"If Venom completely controlled Peter Parker and somehow created a full-body armor, would it feel like this?" Robert mused, comparing it to symbiotic armor or Tony Stark's nanotech suits. "This might even be a new type of organic armor… Wouldn't it be interesting to take this back for Reed and Tony to study?"
"Kid! What are you plotting now?" the Extinguisher's voice boomed, his gaze narrowing suspiciously as he sensed Robert's intentions.
The Extinguisher couldn't read minds, but like other powerful beings, he was attuned to shifts in others' intent, especially if directed at him. Even though he didn't see Robert as a threat, the Extinguisher's patience had worn thin. He decided that Robert needed a lesson in respect for the Celestials—a lesson he'd remember well.
Celestials rarely faced defeat. The one time Odin bested a Celestial, he was beaten within an inch of his life by the others. When another Celestial was killed, the Host didn't avenge him immediately but instead allowed his head to be mined and exploited, treating it as a way to observe any potential threats. This was a sign of the Celestials' cold, calculating approach to any perceived slight against them.
Without further warning, the Extinguisher launched his attack. A wave of terrifying energy surged towards Robert, one he recognized as the same force that had annihilated the Kree without harming their infrastructure. Though not as absolute as the power of destruction wielded by gods like Beerus, this energy carried a similar weight. Robert instantly braced himself, his instincts fully alert.
Robert countered with a powerful ki blast, clashing against the Extinguisher's energy. Yet instead of creating an explosion, the two forces met in a deadlock. Robert noticed something strange: while his ki blast attempted to push back, the Extinguisher's energy was steadily eroding his attack, and a devastating force continued pressing toward him.
This wasn't due to a lack of power in Robert's attack. Rather, his ki's very nature was incompatible with the Extinguisher's energy. Just as Destruction energy trumped nearly all other forms of attack, the Extinguisher's energy seemed to nullify anything it touched, rendering Robert's ki blast ineffective. This energy was, in essence, a form of "eradication energy"—precisely the force that had enabled him to wipe out the Kree so effortlessly.
As the Extinguisher's energy forced Robert backward, he disappeared just before colliding with a nearby asteroid, which disintegrated under the Extinguisher's blast.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Robert reappeared at the Extinguisher's side, firing a Special Beam Cannon that drilled toward the Celestial with relentless precision.
"Ah, more condensed energy now?" The Extinguisher looked at the incoming attack with interest, observing the unusual quality of Robert's energy. He noted that it wasn't derived from any external source like other enhanced beings, such as Kryptonians or dimensional entities. Robert's energy—his ki—came entirely from within, continually growing with him.
The Extinguisher raised a hand, releasing another blast of eradication energy. As the two forces collided, the Special Beam Cannon gradually lost ground, overpowered by the unique quality of the Celestial's energy.
Seeing this, Robert quickly formed another attack in his free hand—a spinning, razor-sharp disc of energy, the Destructo Disc, which he hurled at the Extinguisher.
The Extinguisher's eyes gleamed behind his helmet as he watched the disc. "Interesting! An attack that transforms from raw power into a cutting edge…"
Releasing a secondary wave of eradication energy, he attempted to intercept the Destructo Disc. Yet, to his surprise, the disc sliced cleanly through the eradication energy and barreled toward him.
Unable to dodge at this close range, the Extinguisher remained rooted, seemingly unperturbed. The Destructo Disc struck his armor, producing a sound like metal grinding against metal before shattering, leaving only a faint white mark on his armor.
"What armor…" Robert muttered, watching as the disc's impact left little effect. He'd suspected that damaging a Celestial would be challenging, but this was a level of resilience he hadn't expected.
"Why aren't you taking this seriously?" The Extinguisher's voice reached him, tinged with annoyance. "Where's that golden-haired form of yours?"
"You know about that?" Robert's eyes narrowed. His Super Saiyan transformations weren't widely known, and his recent transformations had taken place beyond the universe's primary dimensions. That the Extinguisher knew meant the Celestials had been watching him for some time.
"When you first transformed after Superman's death, the energy spike was significant. Many sensed it," the Extinguisher explained. "You bring together fury and composure, a contradiction… but powerful."
Robert responded by letting his ki surge, transforming into Super Saiyan. A golden aura surrounded him, sparking a whirlwind of energy even in the vacuum of space. In an instant, he disappeared and reappeared in front of the Extinguisher, landing a powerful punch against his armor.
The blow forced the Extinguisher back a few meters before he managed to stabilize himself, scanning for Robert, who'd already vanished. Before the Extinguisher could react, Robert struck again from another angle, his fists blurring as he launched a relentless series of punches.
Unlike his previous opponents, the Extinguisher didn't budge much under each hit. Even though his form had shrunk to match Robert's, his mass and density remained unchanged, anchoring him firmly against Robert's attacks. With the Extinguisher's immovability, Robert couldn't use his instant transmission to chain attacks, relying purely on speed to keep up the assault.
Robert's blows continued to rain down, each punch denting the Extinguisher's once-impenetrable armor. Though it was clear the armor had taken some damage, Robert couldn't determine if he was hurting the Celestial himself.
"Enough." The Extinguisher released a surge of energy that formed a field around him, thick and impenetrable, slowing Robert's movements as though he were wading through quicksand.
Within this field, Robert's golden aura fluctuated, resisting the energy's corrosive effect. He managed to counterbalance the field with bursts of ki, but his speed was undoubtedly diminished.
"Fast, but you'll need more than that. Without my defenses, you'd make me look like a fool in front of our spectators." The Extinguisher appeared beside Robert, his voice laced with irritation as he threw a punch.
Robert met the punch head-on, blocking it without being forced back, surprising the Extinguisher.
"How did you—" The Extinguisher began, caught off guard by Robert's resistance, despite his strength advantage.
Robert grinned, his aura intensifying. "I thought you'd figured me out by now. A Saiyan only grows stronger the more they fight."
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