The Solar System.
A spacecraft... well, to be more precise, in order to escape as quickly as possible, this is a small emergency escape pod that is on the verge of running out of energy.
"BEEP"
"BEEP"
"BEEP"
As a loud alarm starts beeping, a young boy with black hair, who resembles a mummy, slowly opens his eyes from a deep sleep in a cryogenic chamber.
After detecting the presence of an awakened organism, the white mist within the cryogenic chamber began to slowly retract. Then, the powerful yet slow beating of the heart echoed throughout the chamber.
The lid of the cryogenic chamber slid open, and after a brief moment, a pale yet strong hand reached out, pushed through the last bits of white fog, and grabbed the edge of the lid.
"Ugh... my body feels so stiff."
Viktor's brain is slowly waking up.
"How long have I been frozen?"
Suddenly, pain began to spread through his body, and slowly began to crawl up his body. There are huge, deep cuts on his right shoulder that go across his body.
Viktor's heart barely pumped the remaining small amount of blood as his nervous system began to activate, causing it to flow again within his body with pain strong enough to make most people pass out.
However, Viktor's face stayed calm. After he slowly rose with some effort, he used his other hand to feel around his body to see what was happening.
In order to escape from that terrifying place, Viktor paid a really terrible price.
After killing several Viltrumites who were slightly older than him, he stole an escape pod from the planet they conquered and fled into space.
Even though the ships from Viltrum had great medical equipment, Viktor couldn't use it. He didn't want those ruthless warriors to come after him, as he's a traitor from Viltrum.
He had no choice but to use a broken spaceship from an old, destroyed civilization that had been half-destroyed by the fellow Viltrumites.
To avoid being tracked, Viktor abandoned the spaceship and made a quick, rough fix to just one escape pod. He also took a cryogenic chamber to prevent his injuries from worsening during the long space journey.
The result was that Viktor's injuries didn't improve. As soon as the cryogenic freezing ended, the massive wound crossing his chest and abdomen began to worsen again.
That wasn't all.
There are more than fifty shattered bones, his right thigh almost completely torn off except for a small piece of skin, his spine torn and stretched, his throat completely ripped out, half of his skull cut off, and some brain tissue lost…
He had at least twenty deadly injuries covering his entire body. However, these wouldn't be enough to kill a Viltrumite.
Especially since his bloodline came from an elite warrior who had stood out exceptionally during the Great Purge, a person who was invincible and exceptionally extraordinary even on Viltrum.
After probing around for a while and understanding his condition, Viktor stopped to rest and regain some strength, waiting for the effects of the cryogenic freezing to gradually wear off.
Then, he propped himself up using the edge of the cryogenic chamber and sat up.
The cryogenic chamber's position faced the main cockpit window of the escape pod, and in his bloodshot eyes, a beautiful blue planet was shining in space.
Immediately, a wave of hope rushed through his heart.
"I finally arrived!"
"Fuck Viltrum!"
"I came here way too early. The Great Purge on Viltrum might not even be finished yet, and on Earth, there's no Omni-Man or Invincible who can threaten me!"
He thought excitedly.
Even though traveling so early had caused him to suffer for more than ten years, Viktor couldn't help but feel excited as he was finally about to return to that weak "hometown."
"There are no Omni-Man, Invincible, or Atomic Eve on Earth; none of the strong characters from the original works are in this time. Even the pirated Justice League version hasn't been formed yet. The only one who could pose a threat to me is The Immortal!"
The database on Viltrum has information about Earth.
It was a planet that, according to their records, would take hundreds of years to even become a small threat, and even then, wouldn't be worth conquering.
Viktor's plan was quite perfect.
He just needed to tell a few tiny lies, and no one could stop him from enjoying life.
If Immortal Man became his enemy, Viktor wouldn't mind using some even dirtier methods like launching a sneak attack, killing Immortal Man once, and then figuring out a way to seal his shattered body.
Even a normal warrior from Viltrum could become an emperor on Earth at this point in time.
"Snap"
After a sudden noise, Viktor's face became as dark as the escape pod. Even though Viltrum had advanced technology, their technology was mainly focused on battle and war.
They also had researchers, but they were mostly weaklings by nature, or individuals who, after being rendered incapable of continuing to fight due to the brutal competition, were forced to work in this field.
He hated that life.
He had already suffered so much from the crazy "strongest survive" rules on that planet. The last thing he wanted was to end up crippled and stuck doing boring research in the shadows for the rest of his life.
However, Viktor made a mistake in calculating how much energy he had left.
The escape pod's energy was almost gone, and with his serious injuries, even though Viltrumite could survive in space for a while, his remaining strength probably wasn't enough to keep him alive long enough to reach Earth.
A helpless smile twitched at the corner of Viktor's mouth.
"I'm so close… Earth is right there in front of me!
He felt totally helpless.
Just as he helplessly crawled out of the cryogenic chamber, planning to tear apart the escape pod and fly the remaining distance himself, a strange sense of being enclosed suddenly made him shudder.
He slowly climbed out of the cryogenic chamber. He was ready to rip open the escape pod's door and try to fly the rest of the way himself using just his own body.
Suddenly...
The years of fighting and bloodshed had made him quickly realize that some powerful life form was rapidly approaching him, and its aura had already locked onto him.
What kind of person would possess such an aura?
It wasn't like the cold, dangerous, furious feeling he got from enemies or alien warriors he faced back home. Instead, it felt warm, like the light of the sun.
But whether cold or warm, Viktor knew for sure that the one who owned this presence was incredibly strong. It's so powerful that it made his already exhausted muscles tremble uncontrollably.
He had once seen the future ruler of the Viltrum Empire during training. Thragg looked over Viktor and the other young warriors preparing for a conquest with a calm gaze.
However, this warmth felt just as strong as Thragg—maybe even stronger.
Viktor's movements slowed.
This Earth might not even be the same Earth anymore, or maybe it wasn't Earth at all.
"Where did such a powerful being come from?"
Through the transparent glass, Viktor stared stiffly at the shadow rapidly approaching outside the escape pod.
He looked at the figure of the newcomer with his face covered by a thick, dense beard.
Viktor's brain quickly searched through old memories, and the only one who could match the thick beard was, in fact, The Immortal, whom he had previously dismissed as not a threat in his imagination.
"No way! This guy?"
Viktor couldn't hide his shock
"What the fuck! How could The Immortal be this strong?!"