Chapter 203: Dolores, God of Lies
Metropolis streets.
A towering robot, its skin a dull silver, walked indifferently. Flames erupted from its hands, igniting cars parked along the street.
Boom, boom, boom!
With massive explosions, car wreckage was blasted meters into the air. The sudden attack sent people on the street screaming, crying, and fleeing in panic.
"Help me, someone save me!"
"Police, Superman, someone save us!"
On the top floor of a skyscraper two blocks away, Lex Luthor, clad in a custom-made white suit, held a flute of champagne and admired the grand opening act of his empire's reconstruction.
"Burn, destroy. They're all evil minions of my damned enemies. They deserve no mercy."
Above Metropolis, Hawkgirl flew past, her brow furrowed with worry, carrying her Nth Metal War Hammer.
Just after the last battle between Transcendent and Captain Atom, Hawkgirl had sent some footage of Captain Atom's self-destruction back to her homeworld, Thanagar.
This time, the rulers of Thanagar had not allowed Hawkgirl to continue searching for Transcendent's weakness.
When a person only has a spear and sees hyenas, wolves, or even lions, they'll want to try their luck. If they can hit a vital spot, there's a chance of winning. But when they see a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it's a completely different situation.
Afterward, Thanagar fell into hesitation, telling Hawkgirl to lie low and halt her search for weaknesses to avoid alerting Transcendent. She was instructed to act like a true superhero and build good relationships with the Justice League.
Thanagar and Gordian Star had always been bitter enemies. With endless armies of Lizard Men and overwhelming star fleets, Gordian Star had been dedicated to expanding throughout the universe.
Hawkgirl was sent to Earth by Thanagar under the pretext that Earth might be targeted by Gordian Star and needed protection.
During this time, her mission objectives changed several times, especially the last one, asking her to find Transcendent's weakness. This made Hawkgirl feel bewildered and suspicious, suspecting impure motives from her homeworld.
"If my homeworld had any ulterior motives before, I hope they'll see Transcendent's terrifying strength and finally choose to give up!
I'd rather fight the Gordianians to the death than stand opposed to the people on this planet."
The thought of that possibility sent a chill down Hawkgirl's spine.
Could the man who protected this world truly be defeated and killed?
Boom, boom!
"Someone needs help."
The distant explosions below caught Hawkgirl's attention.
She snapped back to reality, her wings beating like an eagle's as she swooped down.
Bang!
A dull clang of metal echoed through the city. Amazo, who was busy causing destruction as instructed by Luthor, was sent flying backward over ten meters by a hammer blow to the head.
Crushing a car, Amazo looked up, his eyes locking onto Hawkgirl. A quick scan took only a second, and his body began to transform.
The nanites that made up his body flowed like mercury. A pair of wings sprouted from his back, and a war hammer appeared in his hand.
"Who made you?"
Before Hawkgirl could cold-ask her question, Amazo shot towards her like a released arrow, his war hammer smashing down. The overwhelming force slammed Hawkgirl into the ground.
Hard asphalt fragments scattered like bullets. Pain shot through her bones, and Hawkgirl felt as if she'd been hit by a Boeing 747, blood trickling from her mouth.
"Your appearance? Are you mimicking me?"
Seeing Amazo's transformation, Hawkgirl pressed a transmitter on her wrist to call for help from the rest of the League.
From their brief exchange, she could already feel the gap between herself and the robot before her.
But the next second, glancing at the injured people fleeing in terror, Hawkgirl still charged forward. She swung her Nth Metal War Hammer, her moves sharp and fierce.
As Thanagar's most outstanding female warrior, Hawkgirl was battle-hardened.
However, she was soon shocked to find herself facing another version of herself. The war hammer swings came like a raging sea, and the fierce onslaught threatened to suffocate her.
"You were just standing idly on the street moments ago, as if you'd never fought before, not paying attention to your surroundings, allowing me to easily land a blow. How is it that in the blink of an eye, you've become like an elite warrior who has experienced countless battles!"
Blown back by the immense force, her palms tingled, and the skin between her thumb and forefinger cracked. Hawkgirl was utterly confused.
Moreover, Amazo's towering form utilized his wings with no sign of awkwardness, like a true eagle, agile and ferocious.
"Besides mimicry, can you also mimic combat thinking?"
On the rooftop of a distant skyscraper, Arthur took a sip of wine and murmured to himself.
"Amazo, what other surprises do you have in store for me!"
Earlier, he had worried that Amazo, like a clueless brute with no understanding of combat, and with his already low intelligence, might be targeted by Transcendent and his current teammates in that regard.
But now, it seemed he didn't need to worry.
"Hawkgirl, are you alright?"
A blue and red figure flew rapidly, appearing in the sky nearby. Clark asked.
"Be careful, I don't know which faction made this robot, it's quite strange."
Hawkgirl wiped the blood from her mouth, her eyes fixed on Amazo.
Unlike her, who didn't have a fixed location for fighting crime, Metropolis was famously the city Superman protected. The Transcendent also appeared occasionally, so Superman's rapid arrival wasn't unexpected.
"Bizarre?"
Clark turned his head, his eyes trying to scan Amazo's internals.
He wanted to find company or military markings inside the robot.
"Nanobots?"
But Amazo's internal state shocked him. There were no chips or circuit boards, no metal skeleton. His entire body was composed of nanites, operating with flawless fluidity.
When did Earth develop such technology?
"Superman."
Amazo, who hadn't spoken until now, uttered Superman's name.
Lex Luthor had told him to pay special attention to this person, and he recognized him the moment he appeared.
"Replication complete."
After a brief scan, a symbol identical to the one on Clark's chest appeared on Amazo's chest.
"Just printing the same symbol won't give you my abilities, robot."
Seeing this, Clark tilted his head, smiled, and threw a punch.
...
In the woods outside Kent Farm.
"Esteemed Transcendent, Dolores pays his respects."
Accompanied by a ripple of energy, a middle-aged man dressed in red noble court attire appeared in the woods. He slightly bowed, placing a hand over his chest, and gestured to David.
He looked like a bored, languid, yet noble duke from a royal palace, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, as if he might at any moment orchestrate a drama of joy and sorrow, life and death, for others to entertain himself.
"Dolores?"
David raised an eyebrow.
The creator of the Wishing Stone had indeed appeared.
"Indeed, Dolores Mendachus, I pay my respects."
Even though David hadn't known his name when he summoned him, Dolores politely placed his hand over his chest again and repeated himself, showing no disrespect.
The person before him was not a mortal he could look down upon or toy with. While not a god, he was more powerful and dangerous than almost all the gods in the world!
And…
Dolores looked up cautiously at David.
Is he truly not a god?
Although the information he had indicated the other party was nothing of the sort, he could feel a noble and ancient aura emanating from him, like an primordial deity that had existed since the birth of the universe.
With just a glance, he felt like a small cricket in the grass looking up at an unimaginably ancient behemoth, his soul trembling inexplicably.
"Are you a Greek god?"
David asked.
"But I heard Ares killed all the Greek gods and they returned to Mount Olympus."
He had long suspected that the owner of the Wishing Stone was still on Earth; otherwise, creating the Wishing Stone would be meaningless, as he couldn't derive amusement from it.
"Not all of them. I rarely reveal myself to others, so I escaped the God of War's slaughter of the gods."
Dolores replied, then asked.
"Esteemed Transcendent, Dolores has heard of your undefeated fame even in the most remote corners of the mortal world. Even Hades, King of the Underworld, retreated before you. May I ask why you summoned me?"
His tone and attitude at this moment were more cautious and respectful than if he were facing Zeus, King of the Gods.
Before responding to the summons, Dolores hadn't intended to be this deferential, planning only to show a modicum of respect. But after seeing David in person and feeling that terrifying ancient aura, he had changed his mind.
"You..."
David was about to state what he wanted Dolores to do when the deafening roar of a collapsing skyscraper in the center of Metropolis interrupted him. He turned to look.
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