The death of the Black Swan was like a moth plunging into a flame—utterly silent and without the slightest ripple.
Neither Bruce nor the God-King Doom was likely to notice anything amiss with the Black Swan. Doom's energy had already obliterated everything in the surrounding environment.
In the very next second, he took up a defensive stance—a punch slammed into the energy shield he had set up around him.
"Clang!!"
Though it was a collision between a fist and an energy shield, it rang out like clashing steel.
Bruce attacked once and immediately withdrew.
As expected, right after Bruce left, a massive surge of energy exploded outward, aiming to claim his life.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too slow.
It couldn't even leave a mark on Bruce.
Let alone hinder his movements.
"You really think you can land a hit on me?" Doom turned to look at Bruce, his gaze icy cold.
That earlier blast of energy had been a full-force effort meant to kill Bruce outright.
Of course, he also knew that Bruce was not someone who could be taken down with a single blow.
Especially with that strange speed.
Later, Doom had even asked the Molecular Man if they could replicate the kind of speed energy Bruce possessed.
Even the Molecular Man could only shake his head.
It wasn't for lack of trying—he had attempted to analyze and simulate the bizarre energy that emerged when Bruce activated his speed.
Unfortunately, he failed.
At most, he managed to gather a small amount while Bruce was running.
But after collecting it, he didn't even know what use it could serve.
Other than making someone run fast, it seemed pretty useless.
Before they could figure out anything from the research, all the energy had been depleted with nothing left behind.
"Why do you all choose to show up at times like this?" Doom looked at Bruce, perhaps reminded of Mister Fantastic from before.
He couldn't understand why they appeared only now.
Leaving him anxious and uneasy for so long.
"Still daydreaming?" Bruce's words were blunt and left no room for courtesy.
Upon hearing this, Doom stared into Bruce's eyes. "I am a god. And you… you're turning into a demon in this world."
"You've turned yourself into a monster."
Bruce wasn't fazed by Doom's words. He responded earnestly, "If becoming a demon is the only way to drag down a so-called god like you, then I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Besides, you, as a god, haven't done a single good thing!"
As Bruce spoke, his Speed Force flared once again. Clenching his fists, they were now coated with the divine power of the Merciless Iron Fist.
The Phoenix Force surged through him as well.
In a flash of blinding light, the combination of Speed Force lightning and Phoenix flames lit up every corner around Doom.
Bruce was simply too fast. Even as Doom tried his best to locate him, he couldn't catch a clear glimpse.
Let alone track his movements.
And Bruce's explosive strength wasn't just about Speed Force and Phoenix power.
His raw physical power kept surging upward.
Doom could see his energy shield beginning to show cracks under Bruce's relentless assault.
By the time he reacted, Bruce's attack had already shifted to a new position.
Bruce's strength had become increasingly violent.
His energy shield was visibly weakening.
"Clang!!"
Another punch landed on the energy shield, and this time, Doom was stunned to see it cracking.
Clearly, his shield could no longer withstand this kind of high-intensity, high-frequency attack.
"Enough!"
Doom roared in anger, unleashing a massive energy burst. He paid no mind to the environment or any potential collateral damage—he just wanted to disrupt Bruce's attack rhythm.
To his credit, Doom's move was very effective. The blast forced Bruce to retreat from the white-clad God-King and keep his distance from the energy surge.
The moment Bruce landed, Doom launched his next attack.
He channeled a huge amount of energy toward Bruce's landing spot.
And to prevent Bruce from dodging, he expanded the blast radius to a staggering degree.
Doom's attack was highly effective—it sealed off Bruce's escape route.
But Bruce, faced with the attack, remained calm.
He quickly vibrated his body, adjusting his frequency to match Doom's energy wavelength.
Moreover, Bruce had already fought Doom in a similar battle before.
He was familiar with the frequency of Doom's energy blasts—especially now, when Doom was using power beyond even that of the gods.
Bruce had once experienced it firsthand, so he could quickly find the right frequency to counter it.
Of course, what Bruce could think of, God-King Doom had thought of too.
His eyes locked on the point of impact, but he had no intention of stopping.
He kept pouring energy into that patch of ground.
He knew Bruce could dodge his blasts by matching the energy's vibration frequency—but he didn't believe that trick would keep working forever.
However, Doom was clearly mistaken.
Although Bruce had indeed used that method to evade the first surprise attack, that didn't mean he had to rely on it for all subsequent waves.
As Doom's energy bombardment struck Bruce—
Bruce could feel every inch of his skin screaming in pain, but it quickly healed.
The Merciless Iron Fist's resistance, combined with the Ravager's incredible regenerative power, allowed Bruce to endure Doom's energy onslaught head-on.
Not to mention, Bruce now also possessed the power of the Phoenix.
At this moment, the Phoenix Force chose to protect Bruce as well. Although Bruce wasn't its ideal host, God-King Doom had previously killed one of its former hosts.
The Phoenix Force had emotions of its own—especially now, when this multiverse had already been destroyed.
Doom's attack lasted a long time. By the time it ended, the ground where Bruce had been standing had long since turned into scorched earth. The shockwave from the energy had even blasted a deep, seemingly endless ravine before him.
They could all clearly see the lava still flowing within the ravine.
Yet Bruce remained standing firmly in place, staring at the visibly stunned God-King Doom.
It had to be said that the latter part of Doom's energy assault had indeed caused Bruce some suffering.
His body was now completely charred, but the blackened skin quickly began to peel away, revealing his original, intact flesh underneath.
Just as Doom was about to speak, he saw Bruce's figure vanish from where he stood, leaving behind only a burst of flames and lightning—a fusion of Phoenix Force and Speed Force.
Before Doom could even react, Bruce's fist had already landed on his face.
Even while unleashing his energy, Doom hadn't forgotten to maintain a defensive shield around himself.
But even with that protective energy, when he encountered this utterly unreasonable force, he couldn't help but be shocked.
He had completely underestimated the level Bruce's power had reached.
Even though the energy shield helped to absorb part of the blow, Doom still felt like Bruce's fist was about to shatter his skull on impact.
His head still throbbed with a dull, lingering pain.
"Don't forget—I too once wielded that power," Bruce said.
The next moment, he appeared beside the still-recovering Doom and landed another punch.
But this time, he didn't strike Doom's head.
Instead, he drove his fist into Doom's abdomen.
The energy shield Doom had put up for defense shattered instantly under Bruce's blow, and his entire body shot backward like a kite with a severed string.
"You and I both know we're merely borrowing that power. The divine-level strength stored within our bodies is very limited," Bruce said, appearing beside Doom once more.
Doom hadn't yet recovered from the previous blow when Bruce's foot slammed into him.
Like a rolling gourd, Doom tumbled across the ground, occasionally bouncing into the air from raised ridges on the earth.
When the strength of the Ravager merged with the speed of the Flash, Bruce became a perfect combat machine.
No one could withstand him.
Doom clearly understood that once the divine power in his body was depleted, he wouldn't stand a chance against this demonic version of the Bat, even if he relied on his past strength alone.
The only thing he could do now was to endure the agony and gather what little strength remained in his body to cast a teleportation spell that would return him to his castle to recover.
But unfortunately, Bruce was never going to give him that chance.
Before Doom could muster his energy, Bruce was already standing before him, grabbing both his arms and forcibly preventing him from casting any spell.
Doom looked up at this Bat. The mask that had always hidden his face had long since been knocked off by Bruce's earlier punch, revealing a face that could inspire fear.
"I brought them to this world. I allowed them to grow and live peacefully here. Why must you destroy it?" Doom looked at Bruce, confused and unable to understand why he was doing this.
Everything in this Battle Realm was functioning properly. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.
"If this were a real world, I wouldn't stop you. But what you've given them is nothing but an illusion—a myth woven entirely by your own hands. Just as you said, you are a god in this world. And you truly believe you are one," Bruce replied calmly, without the slightest fear or disgust toward Doom's exposed face.
What Doom had created was indeed remarkable, but it wouldn't stop Bruce from tearing down this so-called peaceful and harmonious Battle Realm.
"You even stole other people's lives."
If Bruce's earlier words had simply laid out the differences between him and Doom, this sentence directly pierced Doom's heart.
Because, in a way, this was the original motive behind everything Doom had done.
"You don't understand," Doom said. He didn't believe the man before him could comprehend his emotions.
He sensed none of the typical human feelings from Bruce—he was always eerily calm.
In the next moment, radiant light began to shimmer around God-King Doom.
Bruce recognized this light immediately. The last time he saw it, Doom had used it to defeat him completely. It belonged to Molecule Man Owen—an energy that surpassed even the divine.
Even if Bruce's power could suppress Doom's actions, he still seemed insignificant before the full might of Molecule Man's strength.
Molecule Man easily took Doom away.
And the moment he did, Bruce took off, flying directly toward Doom's castle.
On the other side, Molecule Man looked at the reappearing Doom.
"There's something we both forgot," he said, trying to speak, but was interrupted by another voice.
"People have the freedom to choose. You took that from them—just like how the gods who created you took yours. They forgot that humans always choose. They only wanted to turn you into a bomb."Bruce appeared before the two of them. This time, however, he didn't look at Doom, but at the figure hanging upside-down above his head.
"Long time no see, Owen Reece."
"You want to ask me whether I regret helping Doom fight you back then, don't you?"Molecule Man looked at Bruce calmly. Despite the massive changes in Bruce's appearance and physique, he still recognized him.
"I just want to ask how you managed to take him away."
(End of Chapter)
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