The first thing Clark Kent heard when he woke up was an incessant buzzing. It was tempo controlled, ever rising by the fleeting moment. His muscles spasm, and worms of arteries and veins twitched uncomfortably on his face, neck down to his body.
"….!" With a gasp Clark eyes opened wide only to see. "The sky?" He glazed blearily as he looked up to see the blue spamming sky, closing his eyes tight he opened again only this time to look upon an unfamiliar ceiling. Where there was supposed to be the accustomed creamy white, polished brown took its place.
He sat up looking down in a bed that was not his own, "Where am I?" He asked in wooziness. Just yesterday he sat down with his parents to celebrate his last year in high school, the end of a chapter in his life and the beginning of a new one. And most significant of all. The girl he loved for as long as that day when she had stretched her hand to him, had said yes. Yesterday was the happiest day of his life, and the omen of better days.
"Laurie," He whispered smiling, as he stood up from the side of his bed still drinking in the scene. Breaking away from the train of thought of his first girlfriend – he still couldn't process it no matter how many times he said it- the question of his present location was still a conundrum.
He went straight to bed after that fulfilling meal that he knew, but just remembering that irritating feeling that plagued him as he woke up, made him dizzy. Was this a kidnapping situation?
He crouched down, hands automatically clamped around his ears, as the noise returned.
"Everyone!thebjojddhsGoodddsksjkRimurujklnnsdskdk!Cmxcbmcbzzm!"
"God what is happening to me?" He whimpered. It wasn't painful, but it felt like millions of ants were crawling around his brain.
What followed right after was the smell! Acidic, sweet, fetid, fresh, pleasant, gag-worthy… they all overwhelmed his proboscis at once. It was so much that he felt lightheaded. Clark shot up to his feet at once swaying around struggling to remain at his feet.
'Did they feed me drugs?' He thought desperately, he turned searching for the door as his eyes also took turn and began to play tricks as well. The room began to blur? Or was it cleared? He did not know what was occurring but as he looked around what he saw made him consider that he was becoming mad. After all what would you say to someone who tells you that he could see what was inside the walls? He looked up to see the outline of the roof decking of the building too transparent.
This was beyond an ordinary drug! It felt too real, but first he had to get out, he decided.
Just as he made for the door his eyes caught an idle ant scaling idly up a wall. His felt his eyes unintentionally loosen as the image of the ant grew bigger and bigger until he thought he was seeing it's feelers under a microscope at full magnitude.
"Ah!" A light gasp escaped his mouth before he could even shut it. He had to leave, and he bounded to do so. The sounds of steps thundered loudly closing in to this room even through the buzzing cacophony slipping through his clamped ears.
And just as he neared the door, he stood frozen stiff as what entered appeared to be a short oval head green man with a tuft of hair dressed what looked like furs of animal skin. The thing entered looked at Clark brightening up with a smile lifting his hand greeting,
"Yo, so you're finally awake huh." The goblin caricature chirped.
Clark Kent was logical human being, and a rational one in fact. But when someone who is in place he does not know, experiencing things that was beyond normal… and now facing a creature that only existed in fantasy books.
Well what do you expect?
So Clark's hands fell down limply, he gave a hysterical huff and what followed was…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
….
Dust billowed out from the collapsed building spreading out as a hand shot out from the destroyed acreage. Clark clambered off, pulling himself out of the wrecked building.
"What has happened to me?" This time his voice held no hope that this was all a dream. It was just too real, all these sensation and now that goblin looking guy. He was afraid to even guess where he was even though he had an inkling.
Lumbering down from the debris, he looked at his hands his vision alternating between cloth and bone. He paused closing his eyes as he did the first time, opening them and the alternating vision was no more. Now that he was seeing the material that clothed him, it appeared familiar…
His stomach fell as he looked down to see the streamline red boots that meshed with the skin kelvar looking suit.
"This can't be real."
Looking up the belt around his waist was also just recognizable in his favorite comic books. Especially his latest ones, he shifted to his shoulders, relaxing a bit as the generic cape wasn't there.
'Now for the last one… please let me be wrong, please after all those time, just when I've finally let it go.'
Slowly his optical orifices drifted slowly to his chest, his heart drumming so hard he felt it was about to fly out of his chest. And there it was that symbol etched on the suit, crimson contrasting ocean blue, the S emblem presented as the symbol for hope. The sign of the most celebrated hero in all the universe at least in the comics. A hero as a result of his bizarre characteristics being similar to his own life made him lampooned for being a Kryptonian wanna-be. And at last here it was finally here.
Clark Kent, son of Jerry Kent and Naomi Kent has finally become… Superman.
But this did not bring him joy. It only resurfaced the one emotion he buried deep in the recesses of his heart.
His Rage.
"Why now," He shook, the surrounding temperature shot up to an uncomfortable degree as his eyeballs grew warm, his vision dyed red, but he was too angry to care. "After I'm now finally getting a life for myself. After things are just getting better, you had to take me away from them. My parents, my friends… Laurie." His fist clenched white. The grains of dust around him floated swirling around his fist. Clark felt like he just wants to punch somebody, but now he knew, if he really has become Superman, then the results won't be pretty.
He growled like an incensed animal, before taking a deep breath, "Calm yourself Clark Kent, remember what Laurie said anytime we feel the rage."
You are more than the rage, more than the anger… so do not let it define you.
Exhaling out roughly, he could feel the raging anger ebbing back, "Laurie…" From his left eye a drop of tear dribbled down. Opening his eyes, the red hue was absent and warmth it held wasn't there anymore as the surroundings returned to their normal temperature and the particles settled back down. Now calm or at least reasonably calm. He decided on his next line of actions; find someone, or at least someone like that goblin lookalike, and if that someone isn't friendly...
He halted just in time. Luckily he held the anger at bay before it took hold of him, he dithered no further and set out. Entering where the buildings congregated, he could tell this was obviously not Kansas anymore. Wooden structures conjoined with stones were everywhere, some appeared to be completed and from the wooden truss of some others not so much. While they appeared neat and scenic, it obviously wasn't the norm nowadays, and from the dress that the goblin freaky thing wore made him surmise he was in a village at least.
On the way he passed around the bodies of creatures all littered around. Some with the appearance of that goblin, the others looked like wolves and some looked like humanoid pigs.
He felt a twinge of guilt as he knew he was obviously the one who made them all to collapse like that, even though it was unintentional, but he squashed the feeling down. He does not know what kind of species they are and if they were hostile, then what he did was for the best. And from the way he could hear the heartbeat beating stridently from their bodies, they were all still alive. He turned curiously back to the toppled building, as he listened intently for signs of life. Wincing from selecting sounds –expertly picking apart frequencies like Superman was still far off, it seems- he could pick up the faint makings of breathing and heartbeat even though it felt loud to him all the same.
"So he's still alive after a building had collapsed on him," He noted with small surprise but not with much curiosity. He was the same as well. He shook and spun continuing his trek.
But just as he was about to go, he paused again looking at the bodies that slept regardless of the summer sun.
It would be reasonable of him to just carry on and leave the bodies to regain consciousness on their own. The worse that could happen would just be an excess intake of vitamin D and tanning if that were possible. But it won't be right, and maybe he might gain positivity with the local populace if he decides to help taking them to any of the building.
With an inhalation, he idly picked a building by the side as the location. Moving to pick up one of the green men there. He suddenly heard the sound of imminent movement, he turned sideways as the world slowed to see a female human… nope he corrected himself as he saw the horn. Was she a devil or something? He didn't know but the in slow motion she swung down an odd looking sword which shot at a purple light that cratered the earth mowing towards him. But…
It was too slow.
'Is this how Superman, Flash and other comic book characters see the world in superspeed? Nice.' He thought in wonder.
He stood up at his own pace, at the pace the light approached it could take forever. He could stay still for the attack to hit him but since he could dodge why should he? And maybe he could sort this out somehow.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw the goblin he was about to pick was in the perimeter of the attack. So he decided to pick him up as well, but he underestimated his speed for that matter.
The garb ripped like paper as he picked up the goblin by his cloths. He looked confused for a moment before his eyes opened in understanding, as he smacked his head for his obliviousness, lightly amused by the distortion it caused.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Of course he wasn't the Flash idiot, so he couldn't just carry someone at that kind of speed, the G-force would kill them. So he moved to the goblin's side giving it a light push. As soon as the goblin as out of the way and he as well, time resumed normally.
Boom!
Where the light attack passed serrated the earth, sonic boon resonated from where Clark had smacked himself and a green blur shot away punting the opposite building.
"Whoa, Whoa lady please if you can understand me I am not here to fight." Clark rose his hands up and said, before awkwardly adding, "Umm, I come in peace?"
The unknown lady clicked her tongue in irritation, pointing her sword at him, "Then I shall send you back to where you came from in pieces," She hissed, "How dare you impudently waste away the magnanimity of our lord Rimuru-sama and so ungraciously attacked our town in his absence. You will leave your head for me this day."
Clark eyebrow ticked in irritation at the woman's belligerent tone, 'No need to aggravate things, be the peace maker.' He told himself. To the woman he replied, "Look am sorry. I know you blame me for all that has happened and you are right in doing so. But please it's a mistake, I seriously apologize."
But the horned woman stonewalled his efforts to apologize. Positioning she angled her sword in a stance, "I don't want to hear your apologies. I want your head!" And she rushed towards him.
The world dialed down again, as the speed of the woman slowed down to a crawl. Giving an irritated he sidestepped the attack she threw, "Lady for the last time. I'm offering my apologies. Accept it for your own good."
But she gave no answer only swinging her moronic looking sword even more. Clark gritted in annoyance, 'Well at least I warned her.' He waited until she swung again, this time he made no effort to dodge. He had no knowledge of how strong he was so decided to test with a light tap.
But even that was too much. And apparently the strength of a kryptonian had been underestimated.
With a crispy sound the thrown fist shattered the sword like it wasn't there, traversing before stopping a few centimeters before the lady's face, but the momentum it carried cuffed her jaw with enough force it lifted her off her feet sending sailing through the air smashing into a nearby house.
"Wha…" Clark's jaw struggled to close at the power he displayed. "What the hell was that?" He gawked bringing his fist so that he could stare in wonder. Superman, the name resounded within his core at the utterance, he felt a surging rushing through his veins like an invisible lid had been opened.
'So this is his… my power now.' His lips quirked, before remembering he had punched someone with enough force that they could die. Like before he flittered the noise listening for her heart beat and when he got it. He sighed before chuckling wearily, "Everyone here seems to be a hard head. No way will someone struck like that in my world would have survive that." All of a sudden he was tired, not physically as he felt great that energy he could feel surging made him feel like he was the top of the world. But the events of today was just too much.
"Shion!"
And here come another one, Clark winced at the sudden volume. He would have snapped at them in anger if it wasn't for his poor now superhuman ears.
He turned to the group, "Yep they're the same as her." Clark groused as he saw the horns on their forehead. 'And what's with their dressing. The horned lady was dressed in a slutty business suit. Now this one in traditional garb… and is that girl wearing Japanese priestess clothes. How cliché.' He decided to try at least one more time for this group. Maybe they were stronger than the horn lady from before or they were not. But he should give them a chance.
"Look I know how this look like to you and I'm sorry." He said giving them a smile that had the opposite effect, as they all scuttled back a few steps with the girl in priestess clothes moving even further, with bleached face. 'Alright this isn't working.' Clark winced, but he still persevered, "See I'm unarmed…" He presented himself obviously leaving the part that, his body was now more dangerous than any weapon he ever know. "I mean no harm at all, so please." He raised a hand hoping they understood what the global sign of a handshake was.
"Where's Shion?" The red hair horned guy asked eyes narrowed. "What did you do to her?" Black flames manifested swirling around his palm as a sign of unspoken aggression.
'Just where did I land in? Some monster Themisceria? Why do all these be-damned horned guys want to kill me, without me getting a word?' Anger boiled in Clark as he began seeing literally red. "Look," He said this time without any form of amicability, "I have extended a hand of settlement, its eithers you listen or don't for your sake I hope you do listen."
The one with the dark blue hair vanished in a splash of splattering black, but Clark paid no mind in his anger. He was so focused on the group he failed to notice his twitching shadow. The missing oni jumped out of his shadow and immediately enveloped him in threads.
" Sticky Steel Threads!" "Demon Binding!"
Clark remained unmoving as the threads pressed tightly around his frame, "Twice I had offered a hand of peace. I try to be the good guy and what do I get. Psychos trying to kill me!" What was a little tinge became a full blown crimson. Like melted candle sticks the threads slide off his frame without any single one remaining. "Laurie knows I've tried my best." An invisible energy pulsated out cratering the earth below him, "So you want me to be the bad guy?! Fine, I'll be the bad guy!"
His figure felt bigger overshadowing the others who readied themselves, "Don't worry I'll try hard to hold back as much as I can so that you can all survive? But at what stage would that count I wonder."
From the clique before him even though the pink haired horned girl whispered to the red hair fearfully, Clark could still hear her words like she was shouting to him right in the ear with a microphone.
"We shouldn't have instigated him like Rimuru-sama said."
A dark chuckle arose from Clark's lips, "Yep you shouldn't have."
…
To the kijins the present ambiance resurfaced that which they buried ever since they had been given a new name by Rimuru.
Helplessness. That day their tribe had been massacred there was nothing they could do but look on powerless to stop it.
'But we're different now,' Benimaru thought as sweat gathered around his brows from the sudden blistering temperature, furtively calling upon the flames that symbolized his power. Flight or Fight reactions had been triggered and they chose to Fight.
'We won't fail this town or Rimuru-sama. I swear it.'
With an unnoticeable nod they initiated their attack.
…..
Souei who still hidden, jumped around from shadow to shadow using ( Shadow Movement) in rapid speed all in order to create confusion for the enemy Light God, but Clark Kent was not so impressed.
"What's this supposed to mean, ninja?" Turning around Clark caught Souei as he hung frozen midair after jumping out of the shadow of an unconscious Tempest wolf.
To Souei his heart paused, eye pupils constricted as the Light God's form flickered, evaporating before his very eyes, and then orbs of fire appeared staring right at him cynically. He tried to beat a retreat, but he was just too slow.
Clark moved grabbing him by the scarf, "Like we say back at my place. Eat dirt!" With one full 360 spin, Clark punted Souei into the earth, with such strength it forced Souei upper body planted under the ground, while the leg above twitching as the sudden concussion. Souei was out with that attack.
Clark felt something padded struck his neck, swiveling just in time to see the old horned man with a long silver goatee dressed in white overcoat with a scarf that covered his mouth, ebbing cautiously, "What did you just hit me with old man?" He asked slowly. Looking down he picked on the way the old man held the flat cane on his hand and it only made made him suspicious. So he narrowed his eyes as the covering of the cane disappeared, revealing that it wasn't a cane but … a sheathe housing a blade.
'This old crone just tried to behead me,' Clark narrowed dangerously at the impassive old man.
Hakurou, at that moment felt an undesirable urge to flee. The kijin breathed heavily to stabilize his breath. From that one slash he could already surmise the rest. 'Rimuru-sama, your forewarning was true. Forgive your lonely servant for making this mistake.' Maybe it was intentional or not, but all he knew that what was before him was a something frightening.
With a lopsided grin, Clark sauntered forward easily, "I want you to try that again old man. No I dare you to try that again." He could smell the acidic pungent sweat heavily even from that one drop that appeared at the side of his head. He was clearly nervous, Clark knew that. Even he would be when facing someone like him. But he had to give the man credit as not once did his sheathe quiver.
He was prepared to die. And that was what frustrated Clark the most. Why couldn't they just listen! He ragged as he arrived just in front of the goatee horned man.
The Demonic Saint Swordsman and Kryptonian stared one at the other. A grin on one and an expression of intense concentration on the other.
"Well what are you waiting for, do it!"
Before Clark could continue Hakurou executed his ultimate attack. In a flash his sword left its scabbard, set on a trail for the neckline of the Light God.
'CrestWater Slash!'
Afterglows of aquamarine, flapped where the sword swept pass, Hakurou's infamous sword strike that set him among the Rank A class, being multiplied by the physique of a kijin. It was a skill that was invisible to all but the most perceptive of beings. And a sure hit attack. But steel turned fragments as the sword shattered contemptuously against the body of the kryptonian. The blow neither left a white mark nor showed a sign that it was even there, Clark only looked down on what remained of the sword with an arched eyebrow, with his lips twitching in amusement, he relished the look of incredulity on the swordsman.
"Is that really the best you got old man?" Clark snidely asked. It was just as the kryptonian had suspected. As a result of his now eidetic memory he could tell clearly which between the suit wearing female horn lady and this old man, whose sword strength was stronger. While his was faster –even though it was still too sluggish in his eyes- it lacked the strength the woman held.
"Well now it's now my turn, eh" Clark at super-speed darted at the swordsman and backhanded him lightly across the face, "Now go to sleep." Indenting the kijin against the stone walls against the building.
Clark winced as he heard the crunching of bones smattering against the wall. He still couldn't dial his strength it seems. Ah well if this is a magic world or something of that kind, then surely something like health potions must exist in some manner.
He began turning back to the group, "And now whose nex-…!"
"Burn to ashes, Hell Fire!"
"Oh come on!" Must they always attack from behind? This is already becoming ridiculous. Why are they trying so hard to fight a battle they clearly cannot win? The dome of fire felt like a warm breeze but unfortunately doesn't possess the capability to clear away his stress.
This time he turned just in time to see that Shion? At least that was what they called her staggering forward rearing for more. Even though blood trickled from her forehead, her suit ruffled losing its pristine appearance, although it miraculously spotted no tear. So Clark did the one thing he promised Laurie never to do.
He let his frustration led his actions.
Before Shion could comprehend what was happening, one second she was ready to deal with the intruder with Benimaru, the other her throat had been griped tightly by the Light God. She tried gasping for air, her hands moving to the hand clamped around her throat trying to pry it off. But her kijin strength was utterly helpless compared to the Light God. She could feel her blood gathering around her head, as her feet kicked helplessly around the earth moving her hands to press away the Light God's face was futile as a result of the intense heat, the kryptonian eyes generated. The magical enchantment her suit provided was losing effects, as the heat felt unbearable.
"You know if could have just listened all this would have happened you know." Clark said contritely looking at the purple haired woman in vexation. She was beautiful he noted –Not that he cared. He has Laurie- but her annoying attitude truly chagrined him.
"Shion! You get away from her!" The fire horned man roared, charging at the kryptonian with his hands wreathed in Hell Flames.
"See," He pointed out Shion, "I could just increase my strength even more and kill him. But no I won't. Because I'm not like you." He punctuated this by dodging the flaming fist with strangled victim in tow, moving to the side of the red horned man giving him a love tap at his ribs flank, turning him into a volley canon bolt that held enough destructive potential to topple the building behind him.
But in the course of flight, Clark held the voice of someone young from behind the priestess girl cry out 'Benimaru.'
He dropped his head in exasperation, "Even more reinforcements. Just how many are you people." The flames increased, and the hand around the woman's throat vised more tightly triggering rasped coughs.
"Shion!"
Clark turned to look at the voice owner who he saw was a young beautiful girl of lithe figure, with flowing blue hair, piercing beige eyes, dressed in blue overcoat and scarf with a katana strapped to her waist.
"Ri… muru…-sama. Please… run."
Clark turned back to his victim? In amazement, before turning to the addressed person, 'So this is him huh. Doesn't look like much,' He observed, but quickly chided himself, appearances can be deceiving, there will always be someone stronger and he knew that all too well.
"So you're the Rimuru I've been hearing all this time," He began. Releasing Shion from his grip who fell down and began heaving. The pink hair girl dressed in priestess garb, gave a gasp and hurried over only pausing as she neared the Light God. With a sigh Clark gave way passing ahead of the girl towards the new arriver, who balled her fist as she took in the scene.
"And the reason why these… people have been giving me a hard time without giving me a chance to explain myself, so for courtesy I will ask again." He raised a hand as a sign of handshake, "Please can you give me a chance to explain all that has happened here peacefully, or are we gonna' fight."