"Haah!"
The furious roar echoed above the energy barrier. Two blurs, moving so fast they left afterimages, clashed in midair. In just a few seconds, they had exchanged blows dozens of times!
Bang!
Forsaking defense entirely, Lothar charged head-on. He exposed his chest to Ego's assault, just to land a devastating punch square on his face!
Boom!
The moment Lothar's fist connected, Ego's counterattack pierced his right shoulder clean through!
Tap…
Flipping backward to absorb the force, Lothar landed hard, breath ragged. Blood poured from his mangled arm; from Hela's vantage point, even fragments of bone were visible.
"Unforgivable...!"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood and shattered teeth, Ego's expression twisted in rare fury. For the first time, the self-proclaimed god's normally impassive face cracked with emotion.
"Ego!"
"Lothar!"
Jennifer leapt out from the rubble, her heart in turmoil. One was her beloved. The other, a powerful ally her master had personally summoned, at the cost of the Power Stone.
"You've still got time to worry about others?"
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself right now?"
Rodus's voice slithered through the chaos. He moved like a shadow, his violet armor gleaming as his blade slashed downward. Jennifer narrowly dodged.
"I'll kill you… then I'll finish off that decrepit old man."
"Once you're gone, no one on Gafa will stand in my way."
He glanced up at Great Sage Gubo, still straining to maintain the barrier high above. Rodus shook his head and advanced casually, forcing Jennifer back with every strike.
His master… after all these years, still clinging to foolish dreams.
Even now, in the face of death, Gubo worried about the people of Gafa's capital.
"Rodus…"
Jennifer's monstrous strength surged through her arms, but Rodus's armor shrugged it off. After all these years, he once again displayed his overwhelming power.
Ego's timely warning rang out.
Rodus shifted from blade to palm. A shockwave of energy struck Jennifer squarely, sending her reeling and coughing blood.
"She betrayed you, and you still want to spare her?"
With ease, Rodus pinned her beneath his boot, then turned to Ego, who was wiping blood from his lips.
"She's mine to deal with," Ego said coldly. "I'll handle her myself."
His voice was glacial. The force of his aura alone made it hard for Jennifer to breathe beneath Rodus's foot.
Behind Ego, massive silver tendrils danced through the air like serpents, lashing out and interfering every time Lothar tried to grab another nutrient vial to heal himself.
Damn it!
Another vial sprang from his wristband, only to be skewered midair by a silver tendril. Lothar's energy condensed into a blazing blade, cleaving downward, only to be surrounded again by even more tendrils.
Endless…!
"Lord Lothar, our supply of nutrient vials is nearly depleted," Woz's voice chimed in over comms.
"I know," Lothar responded through gritted teeth, his breathing labored.
His eyes scanned the battlefield below, looking for any advantage.
"Lord Lothar, Woz recommends summoning the Energy Devourer Beast."
A glowing blue interface displayed analysis data: Ego's energy tendrils versus the Devourer's innate counters. After prolonged computation, Woz had finally found the optimal counter-strategy.
"Ego's tendrils aren't truly infinite. The Energy Devourer Beast holds a natural advantage against this form of energy."
Landing on solid ground, Lothar sliced apart a ring of encroaching tendrils. The glowing ring in his hand flashed, summoning a fluffy orange cat mid-pounce, chasing a ball of fur.
"A Flerken?!"
Ego's face changed.
"Eat his tendrils, and I'll give you dumplings later," Lothar said, knowing full well how to motivate the greedy little beast.
He patted its fluffy head. The cat's eyes gleamed, and it dropped the ball of fluff in its mouth, turning its gaze toward Ego with mischievous intent.
"Rua!"
With a single gulp, it devoured Ego's energy tendrils whole!
Now!
Seizing the opportunity, Lothar downed the nutrient vial in his hand. His right arm began to heal, golden ki roaring to life around the wound like a burning flame!
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The exploding shockwave blinded Ego. A blinding surge of energy tore through his chest!
"Hah… hah…"
Panting hard, Lothar watched Ego dissolve into a pile of sand before his eyes.
"Not bad."
Ego's voice, calm, amused, made Lothar whip around.
Too late.
A brutal knee struck his gut, folding him in half.
"But… still not enough."
"You're weak. Still so weak."
Grabbing a fistful of Lothar's hair, Ego slammed him to the ground.
"I am this universe's god."
"And you? Just a foreign invader."
"What makes you think you can defy me?"
"Hmm?"
Ego chuckled, then—crack!—stomped down and shattered Lothar's right arm!
"AHHHHH!!!"
The sickening crunch of bones, mixed with Lothar's scream, was music to Ego's ears.
"Such a delightful sound."
Eyes closed, Ego savored the moment. Then with a flick of his wrist, he hurled the lunging Flerken across the sky.
"Thanks to you, I haven't had this much fun in ages."
"So then…"
With his right hand, Ego froze Lothar in place, his body suspended midair. He raised his left index finger and pointed it at Lothar's left knee. Energy pulsed at his fingertip…
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
Another scream—raw, primal. Ego was pleased.
"A gift. Do you like it?"
"Look at me. Tell me… are you satisfied?"
Still writhing, Lothar refused to answer. Ego's expression darkened. His boot, stained with dust, slammed down—crack!—shattering Lothar's right knee!
Grahkk!
The bone-breaking sound chilled everyone who heard it.
The golden shimmer in Lothar's hair began to fade, returning to its usual obsidian black.
"Oh?"
"Your power is fading?"
"What was that line you said earlier?"
"That pose, was it like this?"
Ego arched an eyebrow, yanked Lothar up by the hair, and raised his right fist with his thumb pointed inward.
"Full power from start to finish?"
"Tch…"
Lothar gritted his teeth. Despite everything, the pride in his gaze hadn't dimmed one bit.
"Right arm, right leg… and now your left leg."
"You're down to one limb. Is this your so-called peak?"
"Hmm?"
Ego's smile twisted. His ferocity sent a shiver down Hela's spine.
Backup protocol initiating…
On Lothar's wrist, his interface began transmitting emergency data…
Outside the energy barrier, far away at the rebel base, The Other sat slouched beneath an eave, bored, staff in hand, staring at the stars.
"Waiting for the signal… what signal? What in the galaxy is Woz talking about…?"
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