Chapter 90: A heartfelt greeting
Without giving it much thought, I carried him to earth. A few seconds later, I chucked him onto the floor of my training hall and watched in fascination how his wounds wriggled and regenerated. After a few more moments, I figured it was best to break into his mind and control him just in case he went rogue when I was away and couldn't come back quickly.
The moment I telepathically reached into his mind, I was instantly shut out, or rather, I couldn't grasp his mind. "That never happened before." I frowned slightly as I made a second attempt only for the same thing to happen. The fuck had he for brains, a rock?
My telepathic powers just didn't connect with his mind, pausing through it like he was an inanimate object. The only thing that made me figure I was dealing with a living creature was the slight resistance I felt, even if it felt more like an object obstructing my telepathic abilities than a living consciousness.
However, I could only do with what I had and if it was only this bit of feedback, I would work with. After trying for a few more times, I was finally able to pinpoint his mind. It was a little inconspicuous, and hard like a diamond. If it was intentional, I would be impressed by the genius' willingness to sacrifice their intelligence for the ultimate safety.
This thing was truly dumb as rocks, though certainly safe from any form of mind control. Would have been too convenient to have such an ally... though let's see whether I couldn't learn a thing or two from it. When my thoughts went back on how to use him to optimize my telepathic skills even further, I remembered something, which might explain why Cadmus didn't create any further clones.
Initially, I had thought it was because of their funding being cut, but what if Metallo had killed her or the people with her? After all, the last command I had given him after I brought him out of that facility was to spy on her for me and to be close to her. I had only made him dislike her as an afterthought, so he could have a reason to be my spy for her, but who knew what crazy thoughts had entered his mind after so long without supervision?
He turned into a comically cartoonish villain all by himself, after all. Killing someone he already disliked wasn't something I would put above him. To be fair, calling him a cartoonish villain was a bit much, as he was rather intimidating to the normal populace. Most humans on this planet would probably shit their pants if they had that terminator on their ass.
I spread out my ki sense for his ki signature and quickly locked in on him. Just as I was about to have a chat with him, I sensed the Justice League's life force popping back up where they had disappeared.
Seemed like they swept the floor with the Justice Lords. Let's see what they had to say about almost being beaten by some electric shocks. I put two fingers on my forehead to concentrate.
Honestly, I could probably do it without it, but it somehow made it easier to locate someone's location via ki sense. I wasn't doing it because I thought it looked cool and otherwise felt awkward standing around with closed eyes for several seconds while someone might observe me... Besides, it made everyone think I had to do it to teleport, so I could probably surprise some, who try to take advantage of that telltale sign.
It was something I had come up with from my experiences of using the motherbox and Raven's teleportation method. Of course, now that I could push my power to where I could bend space, it made it easier for me to sense space as something ever-present and tangible. It also made me realize that space wasn't a fundamental law, just a suggestion to the strong and skilled.
I had even asked Zatara for some help to see how magicians violated space as a bounding force and used magic to circumvent its influence, something I was easily able to replicate with ki and with my minor insights into spirit control. Perhaps it was because I wasn't trained by the Yardrats that my technique relied on my influence of space itself instead of the manifestation of spirit control, but it wasn't something I could change.
I could only learn from those within my reach and based some techniques on what I knew was possible. Not having the right teachers for my abilities was limiting me somewhat, but after fusing with my other timeline, I did my best to bridge that gap with sheer talent and effort. There wasn't anything else I could do, after all.
After a few seconds, I finally was able to teleport to the league's side. They were tense for a moment as their eyes snapped toward where I popped up at. "Yo." I waved at them, making them realize it was me and, in turn, relax a bit.
I glanced at the group for a moment, "Where are Superman and Martian Manhunter?" Usually, we referred to each other by first name, but now we were in costume and most of them had secret identities, so I avoided using their names when I wasn't sure we weren't overheard.
We were currently at the location where they fought a villain group, so not someplace where I put my money on secrets being safe. "They are going to help the other planet. The Justice League of their world took a different route, and those two decided to help the world. At least, if they wanted their help," Diana said as she stepped forward.
"I bet Superman is staying to avoid getting an earful from mister 'I wouldn't have gone into that trap in the first place' here." Wally quipped, taking shots at Superman and me with how he thought I would react to their misjudgment.
He was probably still salty that I trash-talked him about not living up to his potential, specifically about his inability to catch a guy with a freaking boomerang. This dude had one of the or maybe even the most powerful ability anyone could possess in the multiverse and he loses to a regular guy with a curvy stick.
"Naw, I would have gone just to see what they were planning, only to destroy it head-on, but you guys were almost down for the count the moment you stepped inside their trap. If it wasn't for my girl and Shayera here, who reacted instantly, you would probably have been caught like some regular scrub." To be honest, I didn't think they would have been caught, as Clark looked ready to burst out of the trap himself, as was John. Still, I gave the two a high-five before Diana realized what she high-fived.
"*Cough* It's not meant as an insult. However, you have to be on guard wherever you go." Diana turned towards me before she hugged my arm. Flash was grumbling as his lonely ass looked at us. I had already told him he could probably get with someone himself, but he just continued to fumble the bag disastrously to the point I figured he was doing it on purpose.
"You coming with us?" Shayera nodded before putting a hand on my shoulder, waiting to be teleported away.
Wally glared at us before sighing heavily. "I freaking hate you." He whined, making me smirk at him, which in turn made him flip me off before his jealous ass ran away. A blink later, he was there again. "I am not running away because I am jealous of you. This is how my powers work!"
I held my hand up. "I didn't say anything."
"You thought it!" With those parting words which made me think whether I was accidentally teaching him how to read minds, I turned to John, who looked at me with crossed arms.
"I am with Flash this time." He glanced at Shayera before he uncrossed his arms and let his ring take him away. Only Batman was left as he went through the area for anything important that the police might have missed. A workaholic as always.
"It's been one month already," I called out, referring to him wanting to get back with Selina. My words made his hands stop spreading the sheets of paper on a random desk of this industrial basement.
He looked over his shoulder. "I am working on it."
"Good, see ya in a week, then." I grinned as I put my fingers on my forehead.
"Hm? Wait, you aren't coming to Gotham, right?" He asked, almost sounding like he was panicking at the revelation. "Shallo-!" He called out just soon enough for us to hear him. Unfortunately for him, I didn't wait to give a more detailed explanation. And I certainly would not answer that earpiece of him calling.
I pulled it out before putting it in a box. It was now officially after work hours, so I couldn't be bothered to calm his paranoid ass, though I wasn't sure about the one that was now squeezing my shoulder. I hugged her waist and pulled her closer. "Don't worry, if I picked another new woman to fuck, it would be you." My response got me a slap on the shoulder.
"You know, I am a Thanagarian, not a crass woman. I would also like some romance. Besides, who said I want to fuck you anyway?" Shayera crossed her arms with her mace, dangling off her fingertips before cocking a hip and raising her eyebrow.
"Yeah, first, how are Thanagarian and crass two mutually exclusive things? Second, If you want romance you wouldn't come to me. No, don't say it. I already know your answer. You are just attracted to my looks." I ironically called her out, though there was some truth to the statement. Yeah, having an empath as a girlfriend who would point out that the other women were increasingly attracted to me certainly had its benefits.
She snorted at my retort as she looked me up and down. "Do you think you are cute or something?"
"...Bitch, I am adorable." She rolled her eyes, clearly missing out on that brilliant counter.
"You know, despite what the others think, I still get the feeling that you are more siblings than just two people with sexual tension." We turned to Diana, who said something potentially outrageous this casually, before looking back at each other.
"And you think it's weird. That's what you were trying to say?" Shayera asked for clarification and it was the same question resting on the tip of my tongue, though Diana was clearly confused at that conclusion before realizing something.
"Oh, no. I am Greek."
"..."
"Also, Nathan Is trying to become a god, right? I think it's a fitting development."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Alright, imma go eat." "Imma join ya."
We walked a couple of steps towards the exit of the training hall with Diana behind us, asking if something she said was weird. We wisely ignored her inquiries. "The fuck is that?" Shayera pointed at the healing Doomsday.
"Let's hope, useful. Don't worry about it. Maybe it will be your new training partner. We will see in the future."
"Cool, a new punching bag... So what do you think she wants to do this time?" I already knew what Shayera was referring to.
Kara had been out of pocket for quite some time already. It started when the house was seeing more women coming in and out for training. Perhaps she thought she was establishing dominance among the other women, which she admittedly kind of did, though it was more like she was unintentionally giving them a show... or perhaps it was part of why she did it. Wait, was Kara an exhibitionist?
"Hey, Nathan. Do you want your meat with tzatziki or do you want to give your meat to me with a blowjob as an appetizer?" Kara directly asked the moment we came into the kitchen.
"Only the food today. Thanks." I answered as I sat down on the couch in the living room.
"Oh, you sure?" She asked, following me with a giant plate in her hand while wriggling her eyebrows.
"How is your training?"
"Urgh... Good, I guess." She plopped down next to me on the couch before handing me the giant plate filled with bifteki and gyros, while she took the fries for herself, even though I was pretty sure they were initially part of the meal for me. "Diana said I am getting better, right?"
She stated while searching for backup from the other woman, who just gave her a thumbs up as she picked a smaller plate for her own and another plate with little bite-sized fried dough. It looked crispy and smelt rather sweet. No idea what it was called, but it smelt delicious.
Kara had been the one that was cooking for the entire group, which made her experiment with different recipes. Currently, she was trying her hands on Greek recipes, which Diana was pretty excited about. I couldn't complain either. Although I wasn't particularly picky as a Saiyan, I could still enjoy good fucking food. Not to mention, Kara had turned into a phenomenal cook. Probably a side effect of being with a Saiyan or this large of a group in general. One certainly would get the practice.
I picked up a piece of meat with the fork and stretched out my hand towards Raven on the other side of the couch. She was immersed in her book, but when she saw me hand over a piece, she smiled happily before leaning against me, waiting to be fed by me, while she continued to read.
Apparently, it made them extremely happy when I hand-fed them because "it showed that I truly loved them" or some nonsense. As if me feeding them was the most sincere declaration of love I could give them, just because I was a Saiyan. Honestly, it was not that deep. Just because I loved my food and would kill any stranger that would dare to steal my meal...
After dinner, I walked upstairs to sleep. Today Diana followed me into my room, while Kara slept inside Raven's room while Shayera stayed in the guest room. Yeah, Shayera was living with us now and it had been one of the major contributors to why there was some sexual tension between us.
I had offered a place for her to stay since I knew she was living inside the Watchtower and honestly that wasn't a way to live, especially if she needed to come to my house almost every day to train. On the other hand, Maxima and Felicia could teleport here every day, so I didn't offer them to stay here as there were already too many living at my place.
Kara, Raven, and I still had to adjust to the situation, though they had a better time even when some jealousy reared its hair from time to time. It had been better after we had some designated time for one on ones. Tonight and tomorrow morning was Diana's time. She had once again brought her lasso, placing it visibly on the bedstand.
It was clear she wanted me to use it on her regularly after experiencing it for the first time a month ago. However, she refused to ask for it and always made it seem like it was my idea and put up a show of resistance each time. Honestly, I wasn't sure whose fault it was that all my girlfriends were masochistic, exhibitionists, or were into bondage. Did I just attract those types or did I make them this way?
I lay down on my side before watching Diana strip out of her armor. She then crawled into the bed. I followed her every graceful move as she made her way on top of me before giving me a smooch, only to then lie down next to me. She picked up my arm and pulled it over her side, so she could be cuddled as the little spoon.
I kissed the top of her head while trying to ignore how incredibly she smelt. Some divine power bullshit, I assumed, before I closed my eyes. Of course, it wouldn't end just like this as we continued to talk about random stuff into the night. She certainly was sophisticated, so the topics stayed on art or, like now, a new book she read, the beauty of rope...
...
Metron was stuck in this place because of this being which controlled the time and space of a cluster of universes as if it was easy as breathing. A terrifying creature with an innocent appearance. As a new god powered by his life work, the Mobius chair, he had the displeasure to know what she was capable of and she... that thing, it scared him.
Not to mention the two barbaric 'Saiyans' that followed her. Their powers showed him a depth that made it seem like the entire multiverse was at their mercy. They could flood the entire place with their power, with some to spare. The destructive force they could unleash at a moment's notice made him shiver.
All the universes that were part of their cluster could only tremble in front of their might. The moment they decided to not control the damage their powers could cause like they did now, every living being that wasn't multiversal would instantly die. He would even go so far as to say that it might be able to affect a higher realm of reality altogether.
This knowledge of their might reaching heights he couldn't fathom even after spending all his life in pursuit of knowledge had shaken him to his core. It was for the first time in his life that he truly regretted not staying ignorant. Ignorant of the bombs in the form of humanoid creatures that could erase him and everything he had and stood for to nothing with a wave of their hands.
Even trading critical knowledge with Darkseid didn't make him fearful for his safety, but he guessed that was the price of knowledge. Sometimes ignorance was bliss and knowledge a curse. Too bad he understood this only after he pried too deeply.
Either way, he tried to activate his chair's tractor beams, though it hardly did anything to the solidified reality around him. Honestly, he didn't even need to try to know that he wouldn't be able to get out of this despite all his efforts.
At least, not until this 'Supreme Kai' died and the shackles of this place loosened. Or maybe once this old monster left this universe and her influence vanished from this reality, then he could free himself.
Perhaps it was because he had no other interaction or entertainment, no new information to keep his mind occupied that he suddenly noticed how the surrounding space seemed to shake. At first, it was subtle, but as time went on, it grew more pronounced. Something was rattling it and it was growing stronger by the minute.
"What's happening?!" He shouted to no one in particular. However, the shaking only worsened to the point some people would get motion sick. Suddenly, a bit of light entered this place of eternal darkness. A little crack appeared in this rigid space that had previously brushed off the abilities to traverse space, time, and dimensions from Metron's Mobius chair.
The little crack grew bigger, which made Metron hope he could finally exit this place, so he activated his chair to bring him out of it. The chair worked at full blast, trying to bring him away from this wretched place, trying to influence the surroundings.
When his chair moved slightly towards the ever-increasing crack, the hope in Metron's heart ignited, making him yearn for his release. He hadn't been here for long, but isolation for the past couple of dozen years, especially for the new god hungering for knowledge, was purely maddening.
The green light coming through the crack grew brighter with every moment and every increase in the crack's size. With every tiny bit, the crack grew. He could feel this place loosening its hold on him. The moment the crack was big enough for an adult human to squeeze through, he felt his chair move toward the crack at incredible speeds.
He exited the crack and found himself in the familiar storm of space and time. The universe was now open to be traveled by him once again. However, just before he could enjoy the taste of freedom, a figure revealed its presence ahead of him. Said figure looked at him like a feral beast preying on its victim. Just before he was about to teleport away, the other person had already reacted and crushed his hands into the armrest.
His surroundings changed as he teleported them away despite the pain he was feeling, but unfortunately for him, this being that looked somewhat familiar was somehow able to hold on to him, even though they were traveling through the ever-deadly spacetime storm, which should shred even the most powerful gods to pieces without something akin to his chair.
The being's aura was powerful, easily far beyond him, like the other invaders from another reality. A sickly green aura around him. His muscles were clearly pronounced, but the most obvious physical change was his golden hair, which was tinted green. It was at that moment that he remembered the Saiyan, which had threatened the timelines of his universe. Something he couldn't tolerate, so he planned for the Saiyan to die inside the storm of space and time.
What had happened during the time he had been away? Metron thought as he tried to ignore the feeling of his crushed hands. He opened his mouth to plead. "Shallot, it's a misunder- hmmm." Shallot's hand was pressed over his mouth as he grasped his jaw and lifted him out of the chair.
Metron could feel his connection to his chair being cut as he was lifted out of it. Shallot put up a hand before blasting his lifework into smithereens. If it hadn't been for Shallot's sickening smirk, Metron might have tried to plead or resist at all, but at this moment he was a deer caught in the light of incoming death.
His mind was blank as his body just hoped that the savage man lifting him with one arm was going to leave him be if he didn't move. A foolish idea, but the mind was capable of the strangest mental leap when death was knocking at one's door. New gods were no exception, and he was currently terrified that a single noise was enough to set this Saiyan off and kill him.
He wasn't sure if he became delirious, but he seemed to see a man behind Shallot. Someone that man that looked like the spitting image of Shallot. A companion, perhaps? A moment later, his mind suddenly turned blank as an invisible force unceremonially smashed into it, causing it to instantly shut down his consciousness.
...
After my day break, which I now had to take for every week of training, I was out in deep space again. However, unlike before, I wasn't searching for a giant planet or star. I wasn't looking for a Blackhole yet either, but somewhere, where there was nothing around me for light years.
A place where I could let loose for a bit and see how my body moved and felt when truly pushed to its limit. Something I needed to know if I wanted to fight whatever was willingly going against Kakarot and Vegeta, beings that could punch out and lay waste to entire universes.
After finding a sufficiently secluded place, I started my transformation, letting the mixture of my Super Saiyan power, coupled with the power of an Oozaru, while also giving it a healing factor, flow through my body. Energized by the mixture to create a legend.
It still took me a second before I transformed as the energy traveled to every part of my body. Every mutated cell was touched by the irresistible power of my legendary ki, boosting my abilities higher and higher.
It hadn't taken long, but the surrounding space had already vanished, torn up, revealing the space-time storm behind it. A few months back, a storm with this element would have killed me easily. Now I could feel each piece of spacetime shattering on top of my ki-layered skin without being able to do me harm as if it was a snowflake touching a blazing flame.
My power continued to grow. Too high for me to easily estimate my current power level, but I could wipe the floor with the former peak me, easily at that. It wouldn't even be a competition. A power level of 14 trillion at the least, as I still wasn't at my peak yet. However, with this much strength, I was already at the point where I could travel to another universe if I wanted to, but this was hardly enough to see how I would perform at my best.
Despite having entered the place where chaotic space and time reigned supreme, I could feel my surroundings turning strange, as if there was too much pressure on the fundamental laws of this universe. My ki pumped my body full of ki and I felt like an unstoppable force. It gave me the feeling that I was at the top of the world and nothing could beat me, at least until I thought about my defeat against Vegeta and Kakarot.
The reminder, in turn, pissed me off. My wrath increased as I thought about the fact I wasn't closer to beating them than I was a month ago, despite the ludicrous increase in power. My strength soared, overriding the surrounding white-bluish light of time and space with my green aura.
As I pushed further, I felt the reality of this universe almost breaking apart. At this point, I finally saw it. I was able to peer into a hidden dimension that shouldn't exist in this universe. It was so out of place in this dimension, something that existed beyond time, space, or any other laws of this universe.
In a place where time and space interacted with each other on a fundamental level, only one thing attracted my attention. A large crystal with a person suspended inside of it as if it was a snow globe. Once I saw the figure's appearance, I felt the anger boil inside my stomach for this sucker-punching fucker. That motherfucker was the one that had almost killed me and Raven by collapsing the wormhole tunnel.
I raised my fist before smashing it into the crystal. The crystal shook slightly, but I was hardly done and started beating the crystal until it was vibrating heavily. My fist clearly impacted the crystal, but it stood steadfast as if it was indestructible and couldn't be destroyed this easily.
The fact I wasn't able to destroy it in a single punch reminded me of my loss once again. It seemed like something that was beyond me, something unreachable. I continued to unleash a fury of fists into the crystal as my anger and unwillingness to submit to a mere crystal took hold of me.
When the first crack appeared on the surface, I wasn't happy. I was pissed off that it took me so long and I put my whole back into each punch I threw. My fist cracked dozens of times, staining the crystal with my blood, only for my ki to heal me and strengthen me just a tiny bit, making it ever so slightly easier to crack this crystal.
I wasn't sure how long it took for me to crack it open enough for me to enter. However, when I saw Metron fly out of it, I was already feral. I just wanted to crush this bastard!
The moment I put my hands on his and crushed them, the surroundings changed as I held onto him. I could see him trembling as I stared into his eyes. He was about to beg for forgiveness, but I wasn't having it.
My hand grasped his jaw, and I squeezed to shut him up, while I picked his brains for a clue whether I had to kill someone else for his deeds. Just as I wreaked havoc inside his brain, a voice suddenly called out behind me.
"Shallot?" A familiar voice that tingled a memory of a life I hadn't lived. Of a person who only knew of me as the Saiyan. I turned around and looked at a familiar face.
"Giblet?"