章 351: Chapter 351: The Path of Inquiry
Honestly, Robert didn't know how to answer Diana's loaded question. In matters of affection, can there be a measurement of more or less? Especially for Robert, there was no clear preference in his heart; his feelings were balanced.
When Diana was in danger, Robert indeed nearly transformed into a Super Saiyan out of anger, ready to avenge her. The same would likely have happened if Kara had been in danger.
Thus, facing this question, Robert initially wanted to refuse to answer. While he could somewhat resist the power of the Lasso of Truth in his current state, he couldn't completely negate its effects.
Especially when Diana, not getting the answer she wanted, tightened the Lasso even more, Robert's resistance began to weaken.
"Initially, I did like you more because at that time, Kara wasn't a warrior..." Robert recalled his earlier response to Kara, which truly reflected his feelings. Under the compulsion of the Lasso of Truth, he ended up confessing, his words becoming a sort of confession of a fickle heart.
"But now, in my heart, both of you hold equal importance. On the scale of my heart, there's no clear preference or favoritism!"
Upon hearing Robert's words, Diana's expression darkened. She clenched her teeth while glaring at him. If not for Robert's chest wound, she might have already lashed out at him, especially since he no longer had the advantage of his transformed state, and she could overpower him in his normal state.
"Wait, initially you liked me more, so what happened that made her just as important to you?" Diana quickly pinpointed the crux of the issue, her eyes narrowing as she pressed him.
"Uh!" Feeling his consciousness assaulted again, Robert's expression grew more conflicted. He clenched his teeth and murmured, "I really can't say..."
"Hmm?" Seeing Robert's reluctance, Diana's curiosity intensified. She wanted to know what had caused Kara to turn the tables. Was it because Kara had become a warrior? But that didn't seem right. Even when they faced the gods of Asgard, Diana noticed Kara, and while there were some differences from their last encounter, Diana didn't think Kara's combat presence matched her own as a formidable Amazon warrior.
"I really can't say..." But facing Diana's curiosity, Robert clenched his teeth harder, blocking his thoughts, resisting the Lasso's power while trying to meditate and keep his mind stable.
"Could it be that...?" Diana stared intently at Robert, recalling the changes in his interactions with Kara, and then it dawned on her. Her expression grew even darker as she sternly accused, "So, she seduced you, didn't she?!"
"Ah?! How did you know...?" Startled by Diana's thunderous tone, Robert froze, not even realizing how he had given himself away. He looked guiltily at Diana, nearly stopping his words mid-sentence, though it seemed it made little difference now.
"I knew it! I just knew it!" Hearing Robert's inadvertent confirmation, Diana gritted her teeth, "So, she seduced you, and you felt you needed to take responsibility, which is why you haven't come to see me. And because of this, your heart's balance was achieved, right?"
"It's not all her fault; I'm responsible too..." Robert thought back to that day. Indeed, Kara had taken the role of a valiant knight, but some things wouldn't have happened without his cooperation, so he felt he bore much of the responsibility.
Hearing Robert's explanation, Diana's eyes flared with anger. If Robert had genuinely changed his feelings, she could accept Kara's victory, but she couldn't accept being deceived by such tactics.
With a swift movement, Diana, not loosening her grip on the Lasso of Truth, flew through the sky with Robert, bound and injured. Quickly, she brought him back to her place...
"Diana? What are you doing? Don't tell me..." Robert, bound by Diana and taken back to her home, sensed something amiss and asked hesitantly.
"What? Kara had her way, and I can't?" Diana glared fiercely at Robert.
"It's not that, I haven't decided how to handle this yet..." Robert replied somewhat helplessly, but Diana cut him off before he could finish.
"I don't care. After I have my way, we'll see which side of your heart weighs more!" Without any intention of releasing Robert, she threw him onto the bed. Suddenly, she conjured a divine shield in her hand, casting a beam of divine light that enveloped both of them and the bed within its glow.
"Uh!" Robert tried to speak, suddenly feeling as though his mouth was bound by the Lasso of Truth as well, compelling him to struggle against every inch of his being for freedom.
From his toes to his hair, from his organs to his
tongue, Robert tried everything, but the Lasso of Truth had bound him completely, leaving him utterly helpless.
Gradually, Robert realized that some of the restraints weren't from the Lasso but rather a new artifact Diana hadn't used before.
Thinking this, Robert fought back against the constraints of the new artifact, and after what felt like ages, he finally freed his mouth. Tasting the air once again, he licked his numb lips, looking at the nearby Diana, unsure of what to say.
"I guess I see why you said you were also responsible. You didn't fight back like this, did you?" Diana asked with narrowed eyes.
"..." Robert was momentarily lost for words. What could he say? That he indeed had done so? How embarrassing!
Especially since Robert had never imagined that, as a mighty Saiyan, his first times would be under such circumstances, a reality he found hard to accept.
But unfortunately, during his last battle with Kara, although Robert's power had surpassed hers, he had just fought a fierce battle with the Demon Lord Valentine and was at his weakest—not a match for Kara.
And now, the situation was somewhat similar. Although he had almost transformed into a Super Saiyan, his drop to normal state left him weak, coupled with the chest wound from the Eternal Spear, which had not yet healed. This left him powerless against Diana, especially in such close quarters where even the Lasso of Truth was not retracted...
"Did she use this move?" Under the divine light of the divine shield, Diana occasionally asked questions, leaving Robert unsure how to respond. This was just the beginning of Diana's path of inquiry.
"Hmph! Not talking? So she did use it? What about this one?"
"Uh?! Oh! Looks like she didn't use this one! Good!"
...
Their struggle and inquiry went unnoticed, causing no disturbance. The divine shield's ability to contain such interactions was unexpected, but at least it prevented the bed and house from being destroyed.
On the other hand, Clark, who said he wasn't eavesdropping, really wasn't. His condition wasn't great either; he had been injured in the battle with King Odin and would have been worse off without Robert's effectiveness.
Moreover, Clark realized several issues with his own abilities during the fight. While he could dominate weaker opponents thanks to his physical prowess, his methods fell short against equally strong or stronger enemies.
His heat vision and freeze breath, the rare energy or ranged attacks he possessed, posed no threat to King Odin. Odin's divine power in terms of destructiveness and versatility far exceeded Clark's abilities.
In terms of strength, speed, and defense, Clark could not gain an advantage over King Odin. Perhaps only in defense and healing did Clark surpass Odin; aside from the Eternal Spear, it was difficult for Odin to harm Clark.
But the defensively strong Clark also struggled to inflict real damage on Odin, especially when Odin was fully focused. The injuries Odin sustained were often when Asgard was in turmoil due to Robert, giving Clark opportunities to strike.
"I learned a lot of combat techniques from Robert; otherwise, even when Odin was distracted, I would have struggled to harm him. But his energy blasts, I can't learn. How can I develop abilities beyond heat vision and freeze breath?" Clark, not returning home, hovered above Earth, basking in the sun to heal, his mind racing with ideas.
"Maybe I can transform my heat vision, using my internal energy to create an energy blast similar to Carol's..."
"Or perhaps, I can control the temperature of my heat vision to make it more destructive. The ice from my freeze breath is too weak against a Heavenly Father-level adversary. I can only reduce the temperature, not instantly reach freezing point or absolute zero, which poses no threat to such powerful foes..."
"So, do I transform my heat vision into a different form of attack to diversify like Robert, or do I enhance its temperature and destructiveness?"
"What should I do? Should I visit the sun? Since learning that the sun is the source of my power, I've never observed it up close..."
Clark looked towards the sun, hesitating. Although he knew the sun was his power source, he felt a certain fear about observing it up close.
Not just theoretically—since the sun is a no-go zone for life—but more importantly, considering the immense power he derived just from Earth's distance, could his body withstand even greater power if he approached or entered the sun?
This was a question no one could answer for Clark, not even Kryptonian records covered it. Clark might be the most powerful Kryptonian in the universe at this moment, and the path ahead would have to be explored by him alone.
Though he had progressed rapidly and grown stronger, Clark still felt uncertain about his future path compared to Robert, who seemed to know his way forward.
Ultimately, Clark decided to investigate, to at least observe the sun closely and sense the connection between its power and his own.
Clark had noticed that Robert, whenever he
encountered new extraordinary items, would explore their essence if they intrigued him, using that essence to develop corresponding abilities.
Clark thought that if Robert applied this exploratory spirit to academic learning, he could easily excel in university. But clearly, Robert wasn't interested in that area.
Of course, Clark had no place to criticize Robert since his brain, placed on Earth, was probably the most powerful on the planet, far surpassing even the most advanced computers, yet he hadn't mastered much knowledge or wisdom.
Now, Clark felt he should emulate Robert, exploring the essence of his power source. If he could understand the deeper connection between the sun and his powers, it would greatly assist in improving his abilities.
And so, Clark set off on his path of inquiry into the nature of his power, vanishing from Earth in a flash, having only managed to tell Lana goodbye. He hadn't found Robert, and it wasn't convenient to tell Kara and the others he was back...
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット