"Once again, my plan had a flaw," Leo spoke to himself with a serious expression on his face. "By relying only on what I saw in the series, I made hasty conclusions about this race. They didn't put Nolan in power just because of his age. If that were the case, I myself would've been eligible to be emperor of this planet."
During his time on Thraxan, Leo realized that the reason they put Nolan in power wasn't just because he was old — it was because he was strong. Nolan had enough power to subdue or protect this race. If Leo had the strength to destroy the Thraxan civilization, they never would've dared to try using his blood as an anti-aging drug. From the beginning, they would've bowed and knelt before him. That's the primitive instinct of survival: dominate the weak and submit to the strong.
"I didn't have too many problems, since there weren't many planets I could settle on, but this feeling of powerlessness bothered me deeply. I need more strength!" Leo clenched his fist tightly as he thought.
"Strange kid, lunchtime." A Thraxan guard opened the door to Leo's room and entered with his food.
All this time, Leo had been kept in a secret base on that planet. Since he wasn't a Thraxan, there weren't many places he could stay besides that one, where the Thraxan people could keep the best watch over him.
The room he stayed in had minimal security. During the first year, Leo spent a lot of time looking for cameras in every corner — but found none. The room had few objects: just a small space with a bed, a toilet, and a shower.
After the guard delivered Leo's lunch and left, he devoured the food. Not that he needed to eat every day anymore, but if he wanted to evolve quickly, eating was the best way.
Leo finished his meal and then began his basic training. Even before awakening his powers, he used to do this type of workout. Even though it was exhausting without a proper diet, he didn't care. Physical training was essential. On top of that, Leo was highly skilled in boxing and spent much of his time refining the art.
Back then, his training matched his body: three sets of a hundred push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running 1km in his small space — no more than that, as running in such a confined area was extremely tiring. Now that his powers had developed, he could increase the intensity of his training to better sharpen his abilities. He would push his body to its limits every day until he gained enough strength to control that entire race. That would probably still take a few more years.
Two years later...
Two years had passed. Leo was now six years old, but he looked like a twelve-year-old boy. His condition had improved: now he could develop easily with just one meal a day.
His intense training brought many results. He had considerably increased his brute strength and his boxing skills. He also gained good control over his flight ability. He didn't know his speed limit due to being confined in that room, but he felt he could reach incredibly high speeds, even without ever testing them.
Years locked in that room — Leo couldn't take it anymore. Today, the day of his escape had finally come. He knew Thraxan was a populous planet, but its technological capabilities were severely limited compared to a Viltrumite's power. He was confident that, with the strength he had now, he could take control of Thraxan without much trouble.
He quickly levitated above the cold floor and flew toward the metallic door that had kept him imprisoned in that base. His body tore through the door as if it were made of paper. The screeching sound echoed through the structure. The loud noise alerted some Thraxans standing guard. They rushed toward the ear-piercing sound.
There, they saw Leo cutting through a steel door like a knife through butter. They could barely believe the boy they had held prisoner was capable of that. The moment of shock didn't last long. After bursting through the steel door, the guards raised their weapons and began firing desperately — a completely useless effort. It was like a porcupine trying to pierce a sheet of metal.
Leo, completely apathetic to life, slowly approached one of the guards. He raised his hand vertically and, as if slicing paper, decapitated the guard. The other, witnessing everything while desperately trying to wound Leo with his weapon, wasn't spared either.
The guards monitoring the cameras couldn't believe what they were seeing. That outsider scum they had kept in captivity for generations, in their view, had just slaughtered two of their men with ease. All the soldiers in that secret facility were the strongest and best-trained on Thraxan — and even they couldn't resist a single strike from that little monster. The control room guards were in total shock.
Fear gripped their bodies, but it didn't stop them from acting. They sounded the base's maximum security alert. Elite guards were dispatched to the room where Leo was located. But this time, they brought a much more powerful weapon.
Leo flew through the place as if it were his playground. He passed by other rooms and saw many strange experiments.
"This base would be a perfect place to settle in and conduct a few experiments of my own."
Leo drifted into thought, but was interrupted as more guards arrived. This time, twenty moved in ahead to provide cover while eight others carried a large, strange weapon. Apparently, it weighed several tons — it was truly astonishing they could even carry it.
"Prisoner, return to your room and we may spare your life!" the lead guard shouted.
"You know... every single day I spent in that filthy, tiny room, every minute, I thought about how, when I got out, I'd crush each of your heads under my feet." Leo's face was expressionless, but it made the guards' hearts race with anxiety. "And I finally got out. But I'm not going to kill all of you... I'm going to use every single one of you for my experiments. You'll make me stronger."
The lead guard stepped forward and, as if his life depended on it, raised his voice:
"Prisoner, you failed to comply with the order to return to your cell. We will use all our power to restrain you!"
He made a hand gesture, and the guards carrying the weapon quickly positioned it toward Léo and fired.
It was simply overwhelming. A magnificent blast echoed throughout the base.
The ground trembled slightly with the shot.
The guards holding the weapon were overheated by the energy buildup and turned to dust, leaving the weapon to fall to the ground.
The sound echoed through the hallway, and for a moment, it seemed like everything had worked.
Thick smoke filled the area where Léo had been.
"What did you think!? Probably not very good, since you likely turned to dust.
This is the full power of Thraxan!
Many generations sacrificed themselves to create this weapon!" the lead guard said arrogantly with a smile, staring at the smoke.
The guards behind him nodded in agreement, but that arrogance didn't last long when a cold laugh was heard as the smoke began to clear.
"Hahahaha!" Léo laughed loudly.
"This is all the power Thraxan has!? What a disappointment."
The guard's smile vanished immediately when he saw Léo laughing and walking out of the smoke.
His clothes had been destroyed, but his body appeared untouched.
There was barely any damage — just a few dirt marks visible.
"Monster... no, he's a demon!" one of the guards said, seeing the sadistic expression on Léo's face.
While speaking, he stepped back and tried to run.
But compared to Léo, his speed was like a snail against a sports car.
Léo killed all 19 remaining guards, leaving only the leader of that small squad.
"Let's make this quick, Thraxan. Take me to the leader of this base or I'll kill you... and then I'll wipe out every inhabitant of this filthy planet, along with your family."
Léo grabbed the guard's neck and brought his face close, keeping the same expressionless look.
The guard, seeing Léo's face, felt he wasn't joking.
He seemed completely confident that he could destroy the entire planet without difficulty.
And more terrifying than that — he looked like someone who would actually do it... with a smile on his face.