(Grayson's House)
Angstrom Levy was furious. Allen had proven to be a bigger obstacle than he had anticipated, but he wasn't about to waste time on that. He immediately headed to the Grayson house. Debbie and Oliver were the perfect weapons to cause pain to Invincible.
"I don't care how much time it takes…"
Angstrom's words were interrupted when, once again, a door opened, and Invincible appeared, surrounded by dark energy.
"Angstrom!"
Invincible struck Angstrom with a blow that sent him crashing into a car. Angstrom got up, clenched his fist, and punched Invincible, sending him flying through a portal. Invincible was caught off guard as he hadn't expected this level of strength from Angstrom.
"I enhanced my body… no, he's…"
It didn't make sense to talk if Invincible was currently in an apocalyptic universe filled with zombies. Angstrom Levy was about to reveal the secret of his super strength, which he shouldn't possess since, despite having an absurdly powerful ability, his physical strength was no different from an ordinary human.
In the original story, Angstrom could have killed Invincible at any moment, or at least caused him misery. He only needed to leave him in another world and never open a portal again. It seemed incredibly easy, as Angstrom crossed dimension after dimension, but one must not confuse the fact that his power was terrifying—and more importantly, unique. For many civilizations, including those much more advanced, traveling through time seemed possible, but traveling to another universe was something entirely different. Angstrom Levy could have killed Invincible many times. The only justification the story had for this result was that Angstrom Levy hated Invincible so much that he wouldn't calm down until he killed him with his own hands.
Angstrom wasn't thinking clearly. He was only looking for a way to make Invincible suffer, not just kill him.
"I'm sorry Mark interrupted us Debbie~"
Angstrom went back to search for Debbie, but he didn't find her, and he exploded in rage.
"Damn it, you again?!"
...
(In Space)
Emperor Markus Grayson I of the Viltrumite Empire and Emperor of the Universe. No one knows which of the two titles is more impressive.
As expected, 'this' Invincible reached the peak of his world by the end of the story—there's no doubt about that, and it seemed he would remain there for a long time. But Angstrom Levy introduced the multiverse, one where there were many Mark Graysons, one where definitely more Invincibles reached the peak of their universes, and if what Angstrom said was true, most of them were evil bastards.
...
With a punch to the face, followed by one to his stomach, Allen was forced to retreat but he did not seem affected.
This reminded him of a golden rule: in 95% of stories, protagonists become the strongest by the end of their story, and the Mark in front of him wasn't in the epilogue but in the extra chapters!
"AH!"
He expelled a massive amount of energy and then punched Markus in the face, knocking out some of his teeth before sending him into the depths of space. He immediately followed, only to be greeted by a kick, which he blocked, then responded with one of his own, which Markus also blocked.
The Emperor was able to predict his attacks, and because of this, Markus struck Allen in the abdomen, causing him to spit air. However, Allen could do the same, and when he struck, Markus thought he'd be hit in the chest, but the blow landed in his stomach, making him open his mouth as he expelled air uncomfortably.
Markus felt disgusted because Allen used very unpleasant attacks that mimicked his own. The Emperor of the Universe grabbed Allen's arm and threw him toward the Sun. Then he followed.
Allen's eyes glowed gold as he released several concentrated energy attacks. Markus dodged most of them, but two hit him, and he felt as if Space Racer had shot him with the Infinite Beam.
"Ahhh!" Markus destroyed the attacks with his hands, barely burning his palms, then charged at Allen, accelerating to light speed in no time.
Allen elbowed Markus, making him suffer, but Markus resisted and slammed Allen into the Sun.
"This only works with Thragg, kid…"
Allen mocked him, then struck Invincible, sending him across the Sun's surface at high speed while massive nuclear explosions and solar radiation pummeled them, but neither was affected.
Markus clenched his fist, and Allen did the same. Both collided on the Sun's surface, pushing the plasma apart enough to burn Earth thousands of times. The plasma created a ring resembling Saturn's rings.
Allen broadened his smile while maintaining a serious look.
Markus couldn't afford to hold back or get distracted. His opponent was truly strong. They collided once more and flew out of the Sun, traveling through the solar system and exchanging blows that caused waves in space itself.
...
(Allen's Apartment)
"Is Mrs. Grayson alright?" Kate placed her hand on Debbie's shoulder. Debbie reacted and opened her eyes.
A moment ago, she had been dazzled, and now she was in Allen's apartment with Eve, Amanda, and Kate.
"Don't worry, we brought you here…" Eve said while checking Olga's head as she lay on the couch.
Amanda frowned as she silently watched a holographic screen.
Debbie looked around Allen's living room, at the girls, and then at Oliver, who was in her arms; she came out of shock and worried about Invincible.
"Mark! He's in danger!"
"Don't worry," Eve tried to calm Debbie and gave her a serious look, "If it looks dangerous for him, someone will intervene. You have to trust us…"
"But…" Debbie, worried, wanted to argue, but Eve's confident and steady gaze stopped her.
"Impossible!" Amanda gasped in disbelief. Behind her, a clone of Kate also peeked in to see what the screen was showing and was equally stunned.
Eve had to attend to Olga, so she couldn't be distracted. But at that moment, 2B appeared and, with a glance, told Eve she would take care of it. With that, Eve, still concerned, opened her interface and joined the transmission to see what was happening. But like the others, she was left in shock at the scale of the fight unfolding right then. It was on an absurd level that words couldn't describe.
(Flashback)
– "Eve, don't worry about me, I'm stronger than you think~" –
With a mocking yet proud look, Allen wouldn't let the girl show any worry every time he faced danger. Eve couldn't help but feel that no matter how strong she was, how could a girl not worry about her boyfriend in a dangerous situation?
– "I won't say I'm the strongest, as there are countless places I haven't been, But I won't be beaten by just anyone~" –
That smile, which was both annoying and charming, sometimes made Eve feel like Allen didn't take any fight seriously. However, that wasn't true. It was thanks to experience that he could maintain that smile even against opponents as strong as the one he was facing now.
(End of flashback)
"Allen…"
Eve touched the screen and wondered if she should go try to help Allen as Anissa did. However, this time, it seemed no one could intervene; this was a battle between Emperors.
...
Angstrom looked at the sky, with auroras forming above due to the remnants of the battle taking place in space, capable of altering the Earth's electromagnetic field.
"What monsters..." Angstrom knew it was foolish to stay in this world, which could be destroyed by the Invincible 'Emperor of the Universe' and The Regulator.
But...
Angstrom gripped his head.
"I can't! I can't forget this hatred!!"
That incandescent hatred burned inside him; it felt unreal, and it was. At this moment, Angstrom was no longer a person—he was dozens of minds of Angstrom mixed together, to the point where he couldn't tell which memories were his own.
Angstrom could see how many of the lives he had were miserable. In one, he was a police officer, and a sports-themed Invincible tore off the heads of all his teammates in front of him. In another universe, he was in prison, and along with others, he was lined up to be decapitated. In another, he and his wife were running when Invincible crashed into them, creating a shockwave of destruction; his wife was impaled by a metal rod and died in front of him.
'THEY ARE MONSTERS! THEY ARE ALL MONSTERS!'
In another universe, a sinister Invincible found him while he was hiding with his son. He mocked him and then killed his son in front of him.
"ANGSTROM!"
Invincible returned, but Angstrom's rage was greater than Invincible's, and he struck him back.
"SHUT UP! YOU'RE A MONSTER! YOU ALWAYS ARE! NO MATTER THE WORLD I GO TO! IF IT'S REMOTELY LIKE THIS WORLD, YOU DO HORRIBLE THINGS! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Invincible was stunned by Angstrom's words. Mark knew he was at fault for the deformity Angstrom was suffering from, but this hatred that was reflected in his eyes was too much for one person. Invincible knew he wasn't perfect, but he hadn't done anything to deserve being hated like this.
"Stop saying nonsense. I don't know what other versions of me did to you or what you think I did, but I am not them. You came to my house, threatened my mother and brother, and now you want to kill me. There's no justification for that."
Invincible attacked Angstrom, who opened another portal, but Invincible didn't fall for the trap and dodged it. Angstrom created more portals, preventing Invincible from getting closer.
"You don't understand! I could save the world! All the worlds! But even when you try to be good you ruin everything! I'm already a monster because of you and you condemned the whole multiverse to be consumed by your evil variants!"
...
In the Sky, Makima, Albedo, Wednesday, and Esdeath watched this.
Makima narrowed her amber eyes while her crimson hair swayed in the wind. "It's absurd... how easily he opens portals to other worlds..."
Albedo snorted. "That's why we can't kill him; only Allen-sama is worthy of that power...."
"That, and because we are ordered to give Invincible a chance to grow in strength and mentality..." said Esdeath impatiently.
Wednesday, with her umbrella on her shoulder, watched the Invincible of this dimension. "Sooner or later, Allen and we will leave. If this kid doesn't grow, his world will be doomed..."
"How long must we wait?" Makima shifted her gaze to the night sky, filled with an aurora.
Albedo looked at the sky worriedly. "Until Allen-sama wins, or until that human is about to die..."
---
(Orbit around Jupiter)
Allen and Markus arrived at Jupiter, where they fought at incredible speed throughout the atmosphere. Luckily, this planet is mostly gas, or it would have been destroyed.
Allen grabbed Markus by the face, and although Markus kneed him, Allen blocked it with his other hand, then began flying while opening a portal near TON 618, the largest known black hole with 66 billion solar masses.
Markus looked at Allen like he was crazy; the bastard wanted to fight near that thing.
"Bastard!"
"Oh, Emperor of the Universe, are you afraid of this little black hole in your kingdom?" Allen's taunting made Markus angry. "Kid, it's time to show you what it's like to be in the major leagues."
Markus shivered. He had faced weapons capable of generating gravity comparable to a black hole, but you had to know the difference between a black hole the size of a head and one so large and massive that it is dozens of times the size of the solar system.
The massive amount of gravity capable of distorting the fabric of reality began to restrict Markus's movements. Allen smiled and started hitting him.
"What's wrong?!" Allen laughed as he hit Markus unilaterally. "At this rate, you will not be able to destroy the earth, brat!"
Each punch to his body and face made Markus feel pain, a lot of pain and caused internal injuries. It robbed him of air and brought him closer to Ton 618.
'What's wrong with this human?... How can he hurt me so easily?... How can he treat the Emperor of the Universe like this?!'
Markus gritted his teeth as the fury inside him returned. Since he killed Thragg, he hadn't needed to fight so desperately, but it was precisely in these moments when Invincible usually brought out all his strength.
"Human, do you think you're the first to give me problems?!"
Allen took a punch to the face, which confused him for a moment. Markus's strength had increased, but soon Allen returned the punch with even more force, and Markus did the same.
"Sure, I'm not the first, but definitely the first in a long time, so much that you forgot what it was like to be a punching bag for everyone!" Allen kept mocking Emperor Markus, who began to be affected by Allen and his ability to anger people, which had evolved to an iridescent level.
"I definitely did well in killing them, you're a disgusting species!" Markus kneeled Allen in the stomach.
Allen spat and elbowed him in the chest. "Stupid brat, did you forget that you're also human?!"
"Yes! I know! And it's the greatest humiliation of my life!" Markus grabbed Allen and headbutted him, then another, and kept holding his head.
"You little bastard, you really needed a good beating!" Allen broke free, putting his arms between Markus's hands, punched him in the throat, then grabbed him again and headbutted him. "You're not the only one with a hard head!"
Markus kicked Allen away and they exchanged blows again with massive force.
"HAAAH!!"
*CRACK!!*
*THOOOM!*
"NGH—!!"
*BAKOOM!*
The amount of blows had decreased, but their strength was increasing exponentially. This felt strange to Allen. Viltrumites could increase their power, but not in this way. Then he thought of an unpleasant possibility: one of the most unpleasant things about most protagonists is when they increase their power in the middle of a crisis.
'I see... Also... the world is helping you...' Allen thought.
...
Allen smiled and unlocked his limiter. His strength increased even faster and more massively, each punch capable of pulverizing stars and tearing through planets. However, Allen felt an external force entering Markus's body—it was the world.
In an instant, Markus reached him. Allen created an energy mirror, which took Markus's punch, cracking a little but stopping it.
[So... this is what happens when you antagonize the protagonist by being a stranger to the world?]
An intruder, a poison, a parasite. Allen had no idea what image the world had of him, but he was like a disease, and this seemed like the immune system of the world acting.
If Allen had come to this world as a part of it, like being the hero Sigurd in the Record of Ragnarok world or being the new Ywach in the Bleach world, this wouldn't have happened. But being a stranger, the world felt the need to protect itself from him. And this was simply because Allen had proven to be so powerful that he represented a threat.
"Ahhh!"
Markus broke through the shield and then struck Allen in the face with an immense force that created a gravity wave that spread in all directions. Markus himself didn't realize he was being used as the Avatar of the world.
"Dammit!"
Angry, Allen not only unlocked his limiter but also used ki and activated The Absolute. He returned the punch to Markus's stomach, making him spit blood.
"So what if you have the power of the world?!"
With a bold statement, Allen struck Markus again and again, this time breaking some of his bones. Markus didn't fall unilaterally; he managed to return one punch for every five, but these seemed to only enrage Allen further.
"Ahh!" Allen punched Markus through a star, which collapsed into a supernova.
Markus recovered from the shock, his Emperor's clothes torn to shreds. Emperor Markus removed the top part of his outfit.
Allen wasn't spared either, with a torn shirt, he looked at Markus with resentment.
"I really liked that shirt..." Allen spat blood with distaste and disdain. "Ok, let's finish this..."
===
A/N: 🍷🗿
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