Chapter 203: Confrontation

Bardi's vision was spinning. Sky and earth twisted together, and the ceiling and ground appeared to merge into a single plane.

He was on the ground floor of the Emperor Building, walking toward the structure. The polished floor, light-colored and reflective enough to mirror human figures, seemed to mix, twist, and tangle with the immense and majestic building before him.

At that moment, Bardi felt like the weakest human. He was riding the Earth's bus, barreling down the highway of time, and experiencing severe motion sickness. His body struggled to maintain balance.

Bang.

Bardi stomped down, leaned forward slightly, bent his neck, and stared at the ground. The dizziness persisted, like that of a drunkard. He stumbled forward suddenly, trying to stabilize himself.

The smooth, reflective floor beneath his feet suddenly collapsed like a shattered mirror.

His body, like a caged beast, exuded pressure. The air around him felt thick and heavy, filled with danger and tension.

The air had become so dense it felt solid.

Something was trying to pull him out, to draw his soul from his body. His spiritual essence began to merge, intertwining deeply with his genetic structure.

It was trying to extract his soul, his will.

It was trying to take him down another "path."

Suddenly, Bardi snapped out of the dizziness. Every cell in his body began to unleash its contained power. His body's magnetic field exploded outward. The connection between each cell became active in layers, starting from the nucleus. Energy surged from the cytoplasm, and under Bardi's spiritual control, he unleashed an overwhelming resistance.

It was resistance from the spirit, soul, and will.

Boom!

In an instant, without any wind, a shockwave erupted. A massive magnetic field burst out from Bardi's pores, forcing the surrounding air outward. The space rippled, and a loud noise followed.

At the center of the blast, Bardi stood upright. His tall frame loomed above the ground. Invisible shockwaves whipped his coat into a frenzy.

His eyes locked into a narrow focus. In that instant, he used his soul, willpower, and force to sever the mysterious pulling force.

That force, which had caused his soul to reel and filled him with discomfort and dizziness, was suddenly broken.

The world returned to normal before Bardi's eyes. It was as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination, a mere wave of nausea. But his soul and will had felt the pressure, the tugging, the vertigo. It was real. And it was infuriating.

A surge of rage rose in his chest.

"Hera! Where's Barry Allen?!"

Bardi shouted coldly, his face icy and stern.

His body lifted from the cracked ground. Air surged as his coat billowed. Then, with a whoosh, he shot into the sky, piercing the clouds and vanishing.

Behind him, Lex, who had been following closely, was wide-eyed from the moment the first shockwave hit. The impact felt like being struck by a train. His entire body was sent flying over ten meters, his organs churned, and he coughed up a mist of blood before crashing to the ground.

It had been too sudden. As the closest person to Bardi, he had taken the full brunt of the magnetic field's shockwave. He didn't even have time to react.

As he lay on the ground, fading into unconsciousness, he saw Bardi—like an enraged god—levitate and soar into the sky.

Those nearby, watching from a distance, were frozen in shock. The wind from the explosion tossed their hair wildly, but none of them blinked as they stared in disbelief at what had just happened.

"I… am I hallucinating…?"

"Mr. Bardi… he's flying…"

"Wow… what just happened?! Mr. Bardi can fly!!"

"This is… this is…"

"Mr. Bardi can fly!!!"

At the ground level of the Emperor Building, people screamed in shock at the unbelievable sight.

...

Rio.

In a mountain range far from the ocean, under a clear sky with thin white clouds.

The land here was a mix of brown and yellow, with sparse patches of green grass scattered across the terrain. It was a dry, barren area with minimal soil and moisture. In the distance, a few hardy trees grew, surviving on what little the land provided.

Mike had spent considerable time luring Ocean Master Orm to this place.

In truth, it hadn't taken much effort to lure him.

Arrogant and dismissive of humanity, Orm had already killed two beautiful waitresses at his hotel for fun.

Taking advantage of his arrogance, Mike had tempted him with promises of more entertainment. After offering him more lives to toy with, Orm accepted Mike's proposal to visit his "country" to inspect, indulge, and determine whether Atlantis should trade with humans.

Eagerly, Ocean Master Orm boarded the helicopter Mike had prepared.

They landed here. The battle began immediately.

Not far from the battlefield, behind a hill, two people were hidden. A bit farther back, Victor was stationed with a vehicle, ready for a quick escape.

Hal and Bruce were lying in wait behind the hill.

Bruce was still blind.

But even that did not hinder his ability to act.

When Barry entered the Speed Force, where one second felt like months, he had operated on Bruce.

The exoskeleton device's nerve interface was connected directly to Bruce's nervous system. An external light absorption module formed visual images in Bruce's brain, producing a 3D visual representation. As long as incoming light and shadows did not exceed the speed of light, even in blindness, Bruce could still clearly "see" the surrounding environment through the neural link.

This was Bruce's greatest work in recent years. The form-fitting, black sympathetic neural suit tightly hugged his body. Black steel mechanical joints were attached to every major joint, allowing him to exert strength exceeding dozens of tons.

"You okay?"

Hal leaned against the hill. His black exoskeleton suit, clinging tightly to his body, pressed into the sand. The heavy black steel boots beneath his feet left a deep imprint in the dirt.

Hal's expression showed slight concern. It had been previously confirmed that Bruce's lower body was paralyzed. But with Barry's help, he had connected his nervous system to the exoskeleton suit and forced himself to stand and fight.

While this display of determination and ingenuity was admirable—and seeing Bruce rise again was heartening—Hal knew Bruce was burning through his life. The upcoming plan was dangerously reckless.

If they weren't careful, all the lives they had risked everything to protect would be lost.

"I'm fine. My body is too weak. Without money and technology, I can't form an effective combat force."

Bruce spoke in a low voice.

"I need a stronger body to fight them."

(To be continued.)

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