Sam closed the notification, feeling new power rushing through his veins. The feeling after a threshold was almost enough to erase the pain of the process. Almost, but not quite. He felt like he could crush a building with his power. In fact, he wanted to test it. Rushing out of the barn, he leaped into the air, coming down like a thunderbolt. He clipped his hammer to his belt and raised his fist. As he hit the ground, he struck. A crater formed, blasting apart the ground underneath him for a dozen feet in every direction. With his stats, he was 75 times stronger than a normal human, which was an insane amount. It meant that, going by his abilities before the system, he would be able to deadlift fifteen thousand pounds. That was the weight of multiple cars. He wasn’t at Superman levels of strength yet, but he was getting up there. Besides, with his many other abilities, his actual destructive potential was far higher. All of his abilities acted as a force multiplier on one another, allowing his strength to reach untold heights. With a grin, he headed off towards the city hall. He deserved a break.
Kane City
New York was in ruins. Again. This time however, there would be no coming back. The Flood Titan, representative of the power of Water, had come out of the Atlantic, washing away the city with tides of its element. Only Rodney Kane and a few of his associates had survived. Now they were a faction dispossessed. It pained him to admit it, but Rodney needed help. As all three factions were based in the U.S, there was a clear answer. They would need to band together, at least until this threat was over. It was either that, or the world would end. However, he knew full well that he would never be able to put aside his ego to do so. He would need a different path to victory.
As they left the ruins of the city, Rodney looked back at the desolation behind him, like Edith looking upon the ruins of Sodom. Unlike Lot’s wife however, he did not turn into a pillar of salt. All that filled him was rage. The city had been destroyed in a matter of moments by the intense power of the E Rank monster. Rodney had invested more into his own strength than that of the city, and it certainly showed. At least he had managed to take the Metropolis Core with him. He had been forced to unbind it from its location, which had drained a large portion of his energy reserves. Kane City was not dead yet, but for now, it might as well have been.
Rodney had not spent the last month idle however, and his level had skyrocketed in that time, as well as his power. Rapidly approaching level 100, he had also gained multiple Mythical Skills. He knew that he was closing in on something past even that rarity, and he practiced every day in the field of mixing his different talents. He knew that he was not anywhere near the strength of the Titans however. He could reliably fight up about ten to fifteen levels against monsters, but that did not translate well to fighting an E Ranker. He had landed one hit against the impossibly large conglomeration of swirling water that was the Flood Titan. It had left a single scratch that had quickly been filled in by the water of its body. He could have done more damage, but there had been no point risking it for such a paltry reward. His city had still been destroyed. The Flood Titan could squat upon the ruins of New York for as long as it wanted. As he walked, a blaring message appeared in his notifications.
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Congratulations to the people of Earth!
The first Titan has fallen to the blades of the Arbiters of Justice!
Rodney gritted his teeth in rage at the sight of the message. Where he had failed, Sam Atlas and his insufferable league of do gooders had succeeded. It served to remind him of his own failures. With a roar of rage, he sent a crescent of dark energy streaking off into the sky.
In the Grand Canyon
The Overlord dashed around the massive bulk of the Solar Titan, the titan aligned with the element of Light. While it was a massive creature made out of compressed luminescence, it still possessed enough solidity to deal a massive amount of damage. Luckily for the Overlord, the section of the canyon that his headquarters was in was sheltered somewhat. His weapon, made out of the combined might of four of the Seven Seals, hummed with power as he engaged the monster. Over the last month, he had trained to the utmost, upgrading his Dao and his skills. On the last day, he had gained his first Ancient Skill, the result of comprehending the way that his Dao interacted with the real world.
The path of Supremacy was one that was both long and difficult, but intensely rewarding for those who could follow it. As the Titan was hammered by the artillery of the faction headquarters, the Overlord used his skill for the first time. Red light coursed around his weapon, creating a thick haze of Dao energy around it. The Overlord roared in primal exultation as he swung his weapon towards the Titan. In the face of his might, nothing could stand in his way. Not space, not time, not even the durability of the E Ranker standing in front of him. Up to a limited point, he could infuse his strikes with the power of superiority, which would render them almost inescapable, even to low E Rankers. However, it drained almost all of his energy in the process.
A massive hammer of red light began to descend from the sky, guided by his swing. The Solar Titan raised one glowing arm to block, but in the face of the concentrated energies of the attack, it was nothing. The Titan’s own Dao, while superior to that of the Overlord’s, was not of the right concept to resist such a potent attack. A moment later, the hammer made contact, obliterating the monster’s arm. The Titan stumbled, but was still alive. A moment later, a nova of white light exploded outwards, tossing the Overlord backwards.
Although his move had dealt significant damage, he could tell that this was a lost cause. It was time to leave. As he turned tail and fled, the message from the System, informing him of Sam’s victory put a rage filled spring in his step. It was time for him to embark upon his training journey. He was far too weak at this point. For his Dao to truly be free, he would need to be the strongest that there was. Until he reached that goal, all that he was chasing was a faint shadow of Supremacy.