บท 53: Last Day I
Verlin hovered above City A, taking in the familiar sights. It had been a long time since he'd been this close to human civilization. He was here to say his farewell to Chloe before leaving the planet. Using his x-ray vision, he peered into her home and spotted her in her room. She looked different now— just like him, she was no longer wearing the armor she'd had on for months.
He heard her mother call her downstairs and shifted his focus to the rest of the house. Her mom was there, and her dad, who had served in the army. Funny enough, this was the first time Verlin had ever seen him. Cleopatra and Fiona were in the living room too. He always found it odd that Chloe's parents were regular humans but had an enhanced human as a child.
But then again, enhanced humans were always a bit of a mystery. He thought about going down to see her but decided against it. After everything that had happened, Chloe's life seemed to be returning to normal. Despite having aged herself to adulthood, she could go back to how things were before he arrived—no more fighting, no more wars, no more death. And unlike when he first met her, she wasn't alone anymore. She had friends now, other enhanced humans.
A small smile formed on Verlin's face. Chloe had come a long way. She wasn't the lost, lonely girl he'd met when he first arrived. She'd grown—become stronger, more resilient, capable of moving forward without him. That thought gave him a sense of peace.
Whispering a silent goodbye, he turned away from Chloe's home and began making his way back to the Arctic. Usually, he'd fly out of the atmosphere and re-enter to reach his destination quickly, but knowing this was likely his last time seeing the planet for a while, he chose to fly within the atmosphere, taking his time.
Just as he was leaving the city's airspace, he felt a subtle shift in the air—a disturbance so slight that at first, he thought he was imagining it. But the feeling grew stronger—a strange energy pulsing around him. He stopped abruptly, expanding his senses. It was as if every molecule in the atmosphere had been charged with adrenaline. The whole planet seemed to be holding its breath.
Unsure of what was happening, Verlin suddenly saw a ball of light, the size of a baseball, appear directly above his head and explode.
Caught off guard, he was sent spiraling toward the ground from several hundred meters in the air. He crashed with a force that sent shockwaves rippling through the earth. Debris and dust filled the air as a crater formed around him. He lay still for a moment—not because he was injured, but out of caution. He didn't know who or what had attacked him.
His eyes cut through the dust and locked onto the source of the attack. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the last thing he anticipated was this: standing high up in the atmosphere was a figure exuding an overwhelming aura of power. The being was tall and imposing, almost humanoid but with skin that shimmered like polished obsidian and hooves instead of ordinary legs. Two majestic horns curved elegantly from the sides of its head and eyes like swirling pools of color that shifted and blended like living currents.
Verlin instantly recognized the figure—it was the so-called god he'd seen in the Coratian records. He wasn't sure why it was here, but judging by the recent attack, it definitely wasn't friendly.
Not wanting to start a conflict with such a powerful being, Verlin picked himself up and soared into the sky. He had only caught glimpses of what this god could do, and he was already impressed—and cautious. Fighting someone he knew almost nothing about was among the last thing he wanted.
As he approached the god, he kept his eyes locked on it, never letting its figure slip from his sight. Before reaching it, Verlin heard a voice in his head, " Impressive. You survived. And completely unscathed."
Verlin halted mid-air, surprised by the telepathic communication. "Who are you?" he projected his thoughts cautiously.
The being's eyes—the swirling pools of color—fixed on him. A faint smile crossed its face. "That is of little concern. I came to this planet in search for something you would know as 'god seeds', I was also informed you would try to dissuade me from this."
Verlin's frown deepened. Not only did this god know about the enhanced humans, but he was also aware of Verlin himself. He realized that conflict was unavoidable; there was no way he would allow Chloe to be taken against her will. However, he wanted more information.
"And if I agree to let you take the god seeds?" he asked.
"That would make you wiser than most mortals," Radae replied, a smirk forming on his face. "However, I still require a bit of your essence—a mere drop of your blood will suffice. Then you can go on your merry way and live out the rest of your mortal life as you wish. A fair deal, isn't it?"
"Why would my blood be of interest to you." Verlin questioned
"It's of no use to me personally, but i have a little agreement with another mortal. " Radae's words rang in Verlin's mind as he processing the being's request and its potential consequences. He knew he couldn't allow this self-proclaimed god to take the enhanced humans, nor could he risk giving away even a drop of his own blood to an unknown entity with unknown motives.
Verlin's gaze hardened. " The god seeds you speak so lightly off. You are aware they are Sentient beings right?"
Radae's smirk persisted. "Sentient? To beings like me, they're merely fragments of godhood waiting to be harnessed. Their so-called sentience hasn't allowed them to unlock even a fraction of their true potential. I'd say their power is better suited in my hands."
A trace of anger flashed through Verlin's eyes, though his voice remained steady despite the tension building in his muscles. "I'm afraid I can't agree to either of those terms. Among the god seeds you speak of are people I care about—people with their own free will, lives, and choices."
"You mortals and your insignificant attachments." Radae scoffed, disdain oozing out of his voice. He continued, " But, I can't say I didn't expect such a response, it's a pity you would forfeit your life for such meaningless thing."
Verlin's eyes narrowed, "My life doesn't end today."
Radae's smirk deepened, his voice resonating directly within Verlin's mind. " Such Hubris."
With a mere flick of his wrist, Radae unleashed a devastating gust of wind. The air itself seemed to compress into a solid wall, hurtling towards Verlin at incredible speed.
Verlin braced himself, every muscle tensed in anticipation. The impact struck him like a freight train, a wall of force that would have obliterated most beings. Yet, Verlin barely budged, hovering back only a few inches. His gaze remained locked on the god, unwavering. He made no move to counterattack—he was waiting, watching, intent on learning what Radae was truly capable of.
Radae, meanwhile, was perplexed. He had expected resistance, but for an unknown mortal to shrug off such a powerful blow with ease was something beyond his experience. And what was more curious, Verlin exuded no fear, only calm vigilance. The brief flare of anger Verlin had shown earlier had vanished, replaced by calculating caution.
"Interesting." Radae's voice echoed in Verlin's mind.
He made the same gesture as before, but this time the force generated completely dwarfed the previous attack, if the impact of the previous attack was like a gentle breeze, the one was akin to raging hurricane.
The impact slammed into Verlin like an invisible tidal wave, completely obliterating his attempt to stand ground. Verlin's world became a blur of colors and sensations. Cities, mountains, and lakes flashed beneath him as he was catapulted across the globe at hypersonic speeds. He could feel air around him heated to near plasma temperatures from the friction, creating a blazing trail for hundreds of kilometers.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was merely seconds, Verlin's uncontrolled flight came to an abrupt and violent end. He crashed into a remote mountain range with devastating force, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the earth. The mountain crumbled under the force of his collision, creating a massive crater and sending plumes of dust and debris billowing into the air.
Verlin lay still for a moment, his eyes still honed in on the distant horizon where Radae remained. Despite the tremendous force of the impact, his senses were still sharp, his mind racing to process what had just occurred. He had definetly felt that attack, but it didn't really hurt. He had paid close attention to the attack, all it was air compressed to the extreme and then rapidly expanded in his direction. Although the expansion is fast its still avoidable.
As Verlin stood up from the rubble, he lost sight of Radae momentarily; the god seemed to have vanished without a trace. Verlin quickly scanned his surroundings, extending his senses to detect any sign of his adversary. His eyes were immediately drawn to a new light source in his vicinity.
High in the sky, several hundred meters above the ground, the god stood with five radiant orbs of light resting in his palm. Each one gleamed brighter and larger than the one he'd unleashed in his surprise attack earlier. Verlin found it strange that he hadn't heard Radae appear; usually, when someone teleports, the surrounding air displaces with a noticeable sound.
In less than a thousandth of the time it takes a human to blink, the five orbs crossed the distance and exploded. In that infinitesimal moment, Verlin's perception of time slowed to a crawl. The rapidly expanding orbs seemed to move through molasses, their intense light illuminating the frozen tableau of the Landscape.
Verlin shifted his gaze to the god looming in the sky, locking eyes as he assessed whether its abilities allowed it to match his own speed. Fortunately, like the rest of the surroundings, the god was completely stationary. Doing a quick calculation, the speed he needed to move at, to dodge the attack would be more than his bioelectric aura can contain. At those speeds he might do more damage to the surroundings by dodging. Making a decision, time resumed to normal pace.
Verlin was immediately engulfed by the expanding light, the simultaneous explosion set off like a nuclear bomb. The shockwave rippled outward, vaporizing the surrounding landscape and creating a massive mushroom cloud that stretched into the stratosphere. The crater left behind stretched out for miles.
Radae stood in the air, far from the center of the explosion. Before the dust and debris could settle, two red piercing beams of intense heat and light burst forth from the epicenter of the explosion. The beams sliced through the thick clouds of smoke, heading straight toward Radae with unerring precision.
And like a hot knife through butter, the heat vision easily sliced through Radae's torso with little resistance.
Verlin emerged from the dust and debris, his eyes still glowing with residual heat, his clothing had been slightly damaged but he was all round still unharmed. He would be lying if he said he expected those orbs to be so destructive. Taking a mental note to not eat any of those anymore, he turned his attention back to his adversary.
Verlin was still surprised that his attack had actually worked. However, he quickly noticed something was off—there was no expected smell of charred flesh. In fact, there was no smell at all.
Scanning the god with his X ray vision, his vision passed through the god as if he weren't there. There were no bones, no organs, no circulatory system. He strained his super-hearing but detected no heartbeat, no blood flow—just an eerie silence. Verlin came to a conclusion- this so called god had no physical body, it was just pure energy.
Verlin could only watch as the hole closed up like it never existed.
Radae's voice transmitted to Verlin, the usual smugness was gone, " Tell me, what manner of creature are you."
Verlin's brow furrowed slightly before replying, " I am Verlin, the kryptonian."
"Very well, kryptonian. I have underestimated you for the last time." Radae voice echoed in Verlin's head.
Radae's form shifted as his once smooth and detached demeanor darkened. The air around him seemed to crackle with unbridled energy as his mouth opened for the first time, and when he spoke, it wasn't the telepathic voice Verlin had heard before. Instead, Radae's voice rumbled like thunder, "Ra Kalthar dae."
Verlin wasn't sure what Radae was up to, but he was done being on the defensive, even if Radae was made out of energy, that energy must be getting used up. All Verlin had to do was scatter Radae's energy form to the point he wouldn't be able to reform. Without waiting for Radae's words to take effect, Verlin moved and appeared behind the god in what would have seemed like an instant.
Before Radae could react, Verlin delivered a thunderous kick to the god's back with unimaginable force. Radae's form cut through the debris and smoke of his own attack and sent hurdling through the sky , cutting through the clouds like a meteor. The sheer power of the kick sent him tens of kilometers away in the blink of an eye.
Verlin didn't stop there. Before Radae could gather his bearings, Verlin surged forward at breakneck speed. Appearing in front of the tumbling god, Verlin's fist crashed into Radae's chest, sending shockwaves that rippled through the air like the detonation of a bomb. Even though they were hundreds of meters in the sky, the force was so destructive that it created a massive crater on the earth below—large enough to swallow entire mountains. The earth trembled violently, fissures splintering the ground. Trees were uprooted, and every animal within a 20-kilometer radius instantly had their eardrums ruptured from the concussive blast.
The impact sent Radae flying upward, smashing through the atmosphere as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll caught in a storm, completely removing him form the Western Continent. His form streaked across the sky, leaving a blazing trail as he was propelled toward the Arctic wasteland.
Verlin wasted no time. He rocketed upward into the upper atmosphere, allowing himself to move at speeds unrestrained by the planet's atmosphere. His body became a blur as he ascended higher, eyes locked on Radae's still-tumbling form as it crossed the ocean and neared the icy wasteland below.
Then, like a missile launched from the heavens, Verlin descended. The air around him ignited into plasma as he broke through the atmosphere, hurtling toward Radae like a living weapon. He slammed into the god's body feet-first with a force dwarfing that of an asteroid impact.
The collision generated a blinding flash of light, visible from space, as if a miniature sun had ignited on Earth's surface. The frozen Arctic landscape erupted in a massive explosion of ice, rock, and mist as the snow instantly evaporated.
Massive ice sheets shattered for hundreds of kilometers in every direction, the sound of cracking ice echoing like thunder across the barren landscape. The force of Verlin's impact sent the very ground beneath them buckling and cracking, creating new chasms in the polar landscape that plunged deep into the Earth's crust.
A towering tsunami of snow and debris, like a white wall of death, rose from the impact site, stretching toward the sky and towering over the horizon. As the icy surface rippled like a pond disturbed by a stone.
Verlin wasn't finished. With the force of the impact still echoing through the atmosphere, he reared back his fist and began hammering down at Radae's body.
Each punch felt like a detonation of raw power, sending shockwaves that expanded the crater below with every hit. Massive cracks splintered through the earth's crust, reaching deeper into the planet with each devastating blow. The Arctic landscape continued to shatter, ice and rock breaking apart as the ground crumbled beneath them.
The god's form, however, wasn't reacting as expected. Verlin's fists, despite their overwhelming power, weren't making direct contact. There was something hindering his blows—a barrier, some kind of shield enveloping Radae. It shimmered faintly with each impact, almost imperceptible, but Verlin could feel it resisting his attacks. Frustration began to build in his chest.
Verlin doubled his efforts, his strikes growing even more fierce, each punch now focused on a singular purpose: shattering that barrier. His movements blurred, his body a machine of destruction as he pounded at the invisible shield, the energy radiating from his blows causing the air around them to boil, waves of heat rolling outward, turning the frozen wasteland beneath them into a chaotic landscape of fire and ice.
Finally, Verlin noticed it—a fracture in the shielding, a small, spiderweb crack that expanded ever so slightly with each of his blows. At the same time Verlin could see the god's mouth moving slowly, at the speeds he was moving at it seemed like Radae was speaking in slow motion. And even with all the chaos around, the words cut through the boiling air clearly.
"Ra Rakal Daroth vel dae"
Suddenly, Verlin felt the full force of the god's voice as if it had bypassed every natural defense he had. The impact of the word was not physical—it struck directly at his mind and spirit. He was thrown backward, his vision briefly going white, his entire body convulsing as if his muscles had momentarily lost their coordination. It felt like the ground had been pulled out from under him, and he could swear for a moment that he tasted blood in his mouth.
In his mind, he felt a sudden rush of panic—was he injured? Was he bleeding? He wiped at his nose, but there was no blood. It was just his imagination.
He regained control of his flight, skidding to a halt a few kilometers away, suspended in mid-air around the edges of the crater from his assault. Now that Radae was no longer the complete focus of his attention, he could clearly see the devastation their battle had wrought upon the Arctic landscape. The once pristine expanse of white was now a chaotic mess of molten rock and scorched air.
Verlin shook his head, trying to clear the lingering effects of Radae's voice. The good news was, he now knew exactly how hard he needed to punch to crack Radae's shield. The bad news was, Radae was nowhere to be seen.
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