Chapter 31: Then Don't I Seem Superfluous?
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Until today, Doctor Fate had always been a failure.
He was one of Gotham City's most ordinary, insignificant pieces of scum, an ant that anyone could step on. He grew up amid the scorn of others and was locked away in Arkham Asylum—a place called the "Cursed Land" even in a city like Gotham, an abyss abandoned by society.
And now, he had returned from the abyss.
He possessed power that no one could match, capable of freely dominating the dream world. Anyone who faced him had to feel fear, had to submit to him.
That's right, this was his home turf, wasn't it?
He could be as strong as he wanted, as fast as he wanted. The only thing that could restrain him was the limit of his imagination.
Here, he was the one and only god!
At this thought, a dangerous red glow flickered once more in the skeleton's eyes. A powerful aura erupted from his entire body, his purple-black cape flying up with the gale, as a domain filled with fear swept out from him.
*Bang.*
Ultraman punched him in the face again.
The skeleton's cheek was nearly shattered, and the emotions that were just building up were abruptly cut off.
It was as if the giant had silently commanded him, "Sit down." And so, he obediently sat right back down.
So fast!
Doctor Fate's skeletal eyes seemed to widen even further.
How could he be so fast?
Orin Vale pressed his advantage, relentlessly closing in. He made a grabbing motion with his left hand, baiting Doctor Fate to raise a hand to block, but it was just a feint. With his right hand, he lifted Doctor Fate up and delivered a fierce strike with his knee to his abdomen.
Doctor Fate staggered backward, but a continuous flurry of fists followed close behind. The immense impact pierced through his skeletal head, repeatedly striking his face and body. Fiery pain flared up all over him, one wave after another, stimulating his nerves.
He couldn't keep up with Orin Vale's speed at all, and even his strength was being completely crushed. Doctor Fate was starting to feel numb.
Go away, this is my dream!
More and more citizens began to look up.
The dark cloud called fear was slowly dissipating. With every fist that Ultraman threw, the pressure on their hearts seemed to lighten.
The nightmare that had dominated the entire city seemed to have faded at some point. The red and silver giant was like a sliver of dawn breaking the silence of the night, and the entire slumbering land began to gradually awaken.
By now, everyone had raised their heads. Countless gazes from all corners of the city converged upon the giant.
The nightmare was gone; there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
Because he was here.
"Go for it!"
From some corner, a child took the lead and shouted.
"So noisy!"
Doctor Fate gritted his teeth and roared. His body, already a hundred meters tall, grew even taller as his energy erupted.
He shot up to over three hundred meters in an instant!
However, the silver fist swung down once again, making a cracking sound against his skeletal face.
To his horror, he discovered that the giant before him had also grown to be just as tall as he was!
"Arghhh!"
Doctor Fate bellowed, and then his massive body began to rapidly split!
The moment Ultraman's fist swung over, Doctor Fate's form split in two, dodging to the left and right. Then two became four, and four became six...
Until the entire sky was filled with three-hundred-meter-tall Doctor Fates, standing amidst the gothic buildings, completely surrounding Orin Vale!
"I said, this is my territory! I am omnipotent here!" Doctor Fate roared. "No matter who you are, you can't..."
Huh!!??
Before he could finish, he saw Ultraman push off with his feet...
and also manifested countless clones!
Each was also a three-hundred-meter-tall giant, their forms blotting out the sun. The number of clones he created seemed to be even greater than Doctor Fate's!
"Uh, this..."
Doctor Fate was dumbfounded.
This isn't right.
I'm the dream administrator, so I can make up skills and change stats as I please. What's your excuse?
Are you cheating?
And so, the one-sided beating of Doctor Fate by Ultraman evolved into... a one-sided group beating of the Doctor Fates by the Ultramen.
Shock was no longer sufficient to describe what the citizens felt as they witnessed this scene.
Some even began to think of more unscientific terms.
A battle between gods.
No, to say it was a "battle" wasn't quite accurate. Because the entire time, it was mostly the sky full of Ultraman clones relentlessly punching and kicking, occasionally throwing out skills with special effects so flashy they looked like they were free. The sky was lit with brilliant light effects, and the countless Doctor Fates exploded one after another with a series of *bangs*, like fireworks.
Even if it was a dream, it was probably the most magnificent and coolest dream they would ever have in their lives.
Finally, nearly all the clones in the sky were eliminated. The last remaining Doctor Fate fell from the sky, crashing down with a rumble, demolishing another section of the dreamscape's pavilions as he slammed into the street.
Orin Vale's countless clones all retracted back into his main body. He floated down lightly, landing in front of Doctor Fate.
By this point, Doctor Fate's skeletal face had been beaten to fragments. He felt as if his body was collapsing, and could even feel the power he had accumulated for so long continuously draining away.
He soon realized it was because he was losing his fear.
The appearance of this red and silver giant had dispelled the fear. The citizens were no longer afraid, so he had lost his source of power.
That's how a nightmare works.
When you face it head-on, it grows weaker and weaker.
"No!"
An unwilling roar escaped from under Doctor Fate's shattered skeletal face.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He was the lord here.
This was supposed to be his story.
It was supposed to be a story about fear, about despair.
It was supposed to be a...
*Bang.*
Hysterical, Doctor Fate gathered the last sliver of energy he had left and poured everything into a single fist. It was caught, easily and steadily, by the other's outstretched hand.
As he caught the fist, Ultraman's arm, forged as if from steel, didn't even tremble. It was like punching into a boundless sea.
Then, Orin Vale raised his right fist.
In the instant that the silver fist shot forward, leaving an afterimage as it tore through the air, it was as if light appeared in Doctor Fate's hollow, dark eye sockets.
With a dull thud, a fully powered rising dragon punch landed. The terrifying divine power sent Doctor Fate's body flying straight up, soaring into the air out of the urban area like a rocket.
And then he understood.
This was a story about light, about hope.
Orin Vale stood firm in the urban area, his head tilted up as he locked onto the massive figure he had sent flying into the sky with a single punch.
He held his arms at his sides, briefly charging up. Immense energy surged into his hands. Blue lightning radiated outward as roiling energy churned restlessly in his arms.
Taking aim at the giant shadow in mid-air, he snapped his arms into a cross-shape.
A tempestuous, azure cross-shaped blast roared out, like a blue blade that split the sky as it shot towards the heavens!
Specium Ray!
In the instant he was filled with light, a dazed look flashed through Doctor Fate's eyes.
So powerful, so dazzling...
I must be dreaming, right?
*BOOM!*
Doctor Fate was blasted to smithereens. A cerulean shockwave exploded in the sky above the dream city, like a blue sun, illuminating the entire dark metropolis.
And as Doctor Fate was obliterated, the dream domain crumbled along with him.
Buildings collapsed, streets shattered. The sky fell, and all scenery became ethereal. Countless golden bubbles gurgled and rose, as if carrying the entire space up to the surface of the water called reality.
The world collapsed, and everything in the dream began to blur. In the final moments before waking, the last image every resident in the domain saw was that of the red and silver giant standing between the heavens and the earth. He slowly turned his head back towards them, his divine back outlined by the hazy light, a faint glow rippling in his golden eyes.
This scene was destined to be seared into the deepest part of every person's heart in Gotham City, never to be forgotten for the rest of their lives.
The dream ended.
Orin Vale opened his eyes and turned his head to see the Old Wizard staring at him with a complex expression.
"What?" Orin Vale looked at him strangely.
"Nothing... I just suddenly realized you're more complex than I imagined."
The Old Wizard seemed to want to say more but hesitated.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen gods or aliens before, but he had never seen anything like this.
This wasn't about simple strength, but something more fundamental, concerning the very nature of life and individual existence.
Even if the strength Orin Vale had displayed wasn't the most powerful he had ever seen, his potential for growth was absolutely immeasurable.
"But this matter isn't over yet."
The Old Wizard didn't forget to remind him.
"The method you just used was to shatter the nightmare's domain through brute force. It should have caused a certain degree of trauma to that madman who calls himself Fate, but it's mainly on a spiritual level.
"His main body in reality is still around. He just needs some time to rest and he can recover..."
"It's fine, I know where his main body is," Orin Vale said.
The Old Wizard continued on his own tangent, "Don't worry. As long as I cast a simple little spell, I should be able to track... huh?"
He stopped mid-sentence and raised an eyebrow.
"You already know?"
*Then don't I seem rather superfluous?*
(end of chapter)