Somewhere on Earth...
Inside a boxing gym.
A tall young man with short black hair was hammering away at the heavy bag, dumping all his energy into it.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each punch was like a cannon round, making the bag boom with a dull, brutal sound.
Huff... huff... huff...
He kept going for more than an hour, until his arms started to go numb. Only then did he finally slow to a stop, breathing hard in great gulps.
"Training's done for today. That's a wrap."
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the towel slung over his shoulder, then casually patted the heavy bag.
BOOM!
With a deafening blast, the bag exploded on the spot, stuffing and scraps scattering across the floor.
"This..."
He stared, eyes wide, like he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Then he looked down at his hands. He could feel it—power surging inside him, a vast, roaring vitality bursting from every cell in his body.
Seventeen years and six months. In that damn summer, he finally awakened.
He closed his eyes and smiled.
His name was Jovian Grayson—full name Jovian Sebastian Grayson. He had a twin brother named Mark Grayson, full name Markus Sebastian Grayson—the guy who would one day be known as Invincible. He also had a father named Nolan Grayson, the strongest man on the planet, the Omni-Man who was always flying across the sky. And as for Jovian... he was someone who didn't originally belong in this world.
Back when Jovian first realized he'd crossed over into the world of Invincible, he'd been terrified. When he learned he was Mark's twin brother, he'd panicked even harder—because that meant he couldn't just hide in some corner and coast through life. Even if he wanted nothing to do with all the chaos, the chaos would come looking for him anyway. In the end, all the future conflicts boiled down to one thing: the ugly family drama of their race.
Jovian didn't know whether he would ever awaken powers and become a true Viltrumite. From the moment he was old enough to move around on his own, he kept pushing himself—Taekwondo, Karate, boxing, kickboxing—he trained in all of it. It was like he was trying to forge himself into the kind of super-soldier you only saw in legends, like Deathstroke or Batman.
Even though he knew it was pointless in front of real monsters—one supersonic hit and he'd be turned into paste—he still trained every day. He trained to control his body, like all of it was a life raft he couldn't let go of.
That was normal. Anyone who suddenly found themselves in a strange world would desperately grab onto something—anything—as an anchor for their mind.
But not anymore.
Now, he didn't need that anchor.
Because he'd made it.
He'd done it.
He'd awakened.
"Hey! Jovian, you bastard—are you trying to provoke me?!"
Right as Jovian stood there with his eyes closed, savoring his joy, a tall blond guy marched up to him.
"Tom. You healed up yet?"
Jovian opened his eyes and looked at him, calm and gentle—like a person looking at a stray cat or dog, distant and above it all.
"Jovian, don't think getting that club invitation means you can act smug in front of me!"
Tom was furious. He jabbed a finger at Jovian's nose, eyes burning.
Last week, he'd lost to Jovian in the ring because he'd been sick with a cold. After that, the club dropped him and chose to sign Jovian instead—a kid three years younger than him. Tom was livid. At his age, if he couldn't get signed, his dream of going pro was basically dead. He'd gambled everything on that match—the one the club's big shots were watching—only to get beaten by this young Asian guy, Jovian, like he was being toyed with.
And then just now, Jovian had blown up the heavy bag with a punch. No normal person could do that. Tom was convinced Jovian had pulled some trick and made it explode on purpose—just to humiliate him.
"That tryout and the contract stuff... you can have it."
Jovian knew exactly why Tom was raging. When someone's on the verge of snapping, any little thing becomes "a provocation."
He didn't care.
He truly didn't care anymore—because everything had changed a moment ago.
He'd blown up the heavy bag with a single punch.
He could feel it.
His body wasn't the same now.
He wasn't human anymore.
He was a Viltrumite.
"You're mocking me?!"
"Bastard!"
"I don't need your pity!"
Tom's fury boiled over. He couldn't accept losing to someone—only for that someone to talk down to him with that lofty tone. They were both human, weren't they? What made this guy so different?!
The more Tom thought about it, the angrier he got. His muscles bulged as he drew back his arm and threw a punch straight at Jovian.
"Hey! Tom, what the hell are you doing?!"
A few boxing hobbyists nearby shouted to stop him. They didn't want things to get out of hand.
Thump!
Tom's fist landed solidly on Jovian's cheek.
"Jovian—are you okay?!"
A few of them rushed closer, staring at Jovian like he'd just been blindsided.
"Was that all you've got, Tom?"
"Hit harder. Use everything you have."
"You know why you lost to me?"
"Because your punches are soft and weak—like you're a complete sissy."
Jovian stared at him with a blank face. He didn't even move. It was as if Tom's punch hadn't done a single thing.
"You—!"
Veins popped across Tom's forehead. His muscles swelled even more. He poured everything into it, swearing he'd teach this arrogant, condescending bastard a lesson.
"...!"
He clenched his teeth and launched another punch. His fist cut through the air, kicking up a gust as it shot toward Jovian's face.
"Jovian!"
The onlookers yelled—but not one of them stepped in. Some were smirking. Some were clearly here just to watch the show. They all put on the act of trying to break it up, but it was only for appearances—so if something went wrong, they'd have an excuse.
What they were really hoping for was that Jovian would fight back.
Because the club wouldn't sign a boxer who couldn't control his temper and threw hands outside the ring. If Jovian got into a brawl, that contract would open up...
And then it could be theirs.
Thump.
After a soft impact, right when everyone thought Jovian was done—or that he'd finally explode and start swinging back—something happened that left them stunned.
Jovian faced Tom's punch...
And only lifted a single finger.