With a sharp "crack," as the Kryptonian was sent flying, Blade seized the opportunity to deliver a killing blow. However, to his shock, as his sword struck the Kryptonian's body, it shattered instantly.
"What?!" Blade exclaimed in disbelief as the shards of his weapon fell away, leaving his hand throbbing in pain. Only then did he fully grasp the power of their adversaries. It was no wonder that vampires and werewolves were sent flying and bleeding after just a few exchanges.
Blade's current weapon wasn't his original silver sword. With vampires and werewolves nearly extinct—except for the few in the Avengers—silver was no longer as effective. Blade had switched to a specially crafted blade, but he never expected this "invincible" weapon to break so easily.
"Boom!" While Blade was still in shock over his broken weapon, he felt a heavy punch slam into his chest, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Cough, cough!" Blade spat out blood. He didn't need to check to know that his ribs were shattered. The only reason he wasn't killed outright was due to his vampire bloodline's regenerative abilities and vitality.
In truth, Blade's strength and speed were inferior to those of the vampires and werewolves fighting alongside him. He had previously managed to deal with these dark creatures easily because of his mastery of silver weaponry and other means to counter them. But now that it came down to pure physical strength, he was struggling to keep up.
Even the powerful vitality of the vampires and werewolves wasn't enough to hold back the Kryptonian. Only Bruce Banner, transformed into the Hulk, acted as a frontline tank, giving the vampires and werewolves a brief respite. Without him, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
The battlefield where Hulk was involved was already this challenging, so the other battlefields were even more dire. Apart from Peter Parker, who, in his Venomized state, had managed to suppress his opponent, the other Avengers struggled against the Kryptonians.
Tony Stark, clad in a new suit of armor made of Nth Metal and Vibranium, managed to hold off one of the Kryptonians. However, defeating them was another matter. His energy blasts weren't powerful enough to penetrate the Kryptonian's body and often caused more damage to the Earth itself. This forced Tony to engage in close combat. Luckily, his new suit was different from the nanotech suits of other universes, which would have been depleted after such an intense battle.
The only other relatively balanced fights were those of Hancock and Mary. Realizing the Kryptonians' strength, the two quickly distanced themselves from each other to maximize their powers. While Mary managed to gain an upper hand with her control over thunderstorms, Hancock struggled, though he wasn't in any immediate danger.
As for the battle between Morbius, Pietro, and Barry Allen, they were at a clear disadvantage. Morbius, Pietro, and Barry, all speedsters, usually had the upper hand in battles, even if they lacked destructive power. They could outmaneuver their opponents with ease. But against the Kryptonians, both Barry and Pietro felt the same frustration they had when facing Robert—these Kryptonians were just as fast. In fact, Morbius and Barry were even slower, with only Pietro able to slightly outpace his opponent, but not enough to gain a decisive advantage.
In such conditions, the three were quickly injured. The Kryptonians, bolstered by solar energy, were like six-dimensional warriors, especially since the Avengers lacked magic users or Kryptonite.
Among all the battlefields, one stood out as particularly different: the one where Susan Storm and Lorna were attempting to restrain a Kryptonian.
Unlike the more unpredictable and hard-to-defend-against psychic powers of the Martian Manhunter, Lorna and Susan's powers were closer to telekinesis—a physical force that, when applied to a strong enough target, could be resisted or even countered.
Though their battle seemed less intense, both Susan and Lorna were bleeding from the corners of their mouths, their faces pale, and their bodies trembling slightly. Lorna had tried to disintegrate the Kryptonian into dust using her evolved abilities, but his physical strength was far beyond that of any previous enemy. Her powers had little effect on him.
Susan's brother, Johnny Storm, was also struggling. After his initial clash with a Kryptonian, he realized he couldn't overpower him, even in his flaming form. Without being able to physically confront the Kryptonian, Johnny was left with few options. His flame blasts could barely scratch the Kryptonian unless he used his ultimate attack, which would leave him vulnerable if it failed.
This put Johnny in a difficult position, even though his flame form reduced some of the damage he took. Carter Hall, on the other hand, was in much worse shape.
Carter Hall was the first Avenger summoned by the Martian Manhunter, not just because he could fly but also because his speed rivaled Morbius, and his strength matched the Hulk's. He also wielded a sharp Nth Metal blade capable of cutting through the Martian Manhunter's body.
In the Martian Manhunter's eyes, such combat prowess should have been enough to hold off, if not defeat, a Kryptonian. But just as the Hulk couldn't always overpower other gamma-powered beings, there were differences in strength among Kryptonians.
In this group of Kryptonians, General Zod was undoubtedly the strongest, followed by his second-in-command, Fiona, and then the Kryptonian facing Carter Hall.
This Kryptonian had spent the third longest time under the sun, gaining the most power. Once he realized that Carter Hall's blade could hurt him, he quickly adapted his fighting style, even discovering how to unleash heat vision.
Once he mastered heat vision, Carter Hall was no match for him. Carter couldn't even get close before being blasted away.
After several clashes, even with the protection of Nth Metal, Carter was overwhelmed. Another blast of heat vision sent him flying, and he lost consciousness, becoming the first Avenger to fall.
But the Kryptonian didn't stop to check if Carter was dead. He knew their plan was being thwarted, and breaking the stalemate was crucial. As the first to secure a victory, he became the key to doing so.
With a hiss, the Kryptonian unleashed a blast of heat vision towards the Martian Manhunter. Since the battle had begun, the Martian Manhunter had focused entirely on Zod. Zod was already furious with this green-skinned being, as the continuous psychic assaults were causing him immense pain.
Although killing Zod with psychic power was impossible, it effectively restrained him. More importantly, the constant barrage was painful.
Thankfully, a Kryptonian was now free to assist. The Martian Manhunter's psychic power was strong enough to temporarily restrain Zod and several other Kryptonians, but it was only temporary. Given enough time, Zod would find an opportunity to break free and counterattack.
And now was such a moment. As the Kryptonian's heat vision forced the Martian Manhunter to dodge, Zod seized the chance, flashing in front of him and throwing a punch at his chest, intending to kill him with one blow.
However, to Zod's surprise, his punch passed through the Martian Manhunter's body as if it were a phantom, leaving Zod momentarily confused.
"General! That guy just turned into a shadow! Your punch went right through him!" one of the other Kryptonians, watching from nearby, called out, giving Zod a clearer understanding of what had happened.
"Is that so?" Zod narrowed his eyes, giving the Martian Manhunter a deep look before glancing towards space. Then, with a cold smile, he said, "Listen up! If they want to protect this planet, we'll destroy it! Once you're free, cause as much destruction as you like! Reagan, keep this guy busy and watch out for his mind-clouding powers."
Zod barked his orders at Reagan before deciding not to waste more time on the Martian Manhunter. Instead, he targeted the nearest Avenger, intending to free more Kryptonian warriors to wreak havoc on Earth.
But just as Zod was about to strike, he looked up and saw a beam of light descending from space. A moment later, a valiant female warrior wielding the Sword of Vulcan leaped down, slashing towards Zod.
"Huh?!" Zod's eyes narrowed as he sensed the sharp danger emanating from the sword. He quickly recalled Reagan's heat vision and began charging his own, his eyes glowing red as he fired a blast at the descending warrior.
But Diana, unfazed by the heat vision, didn't even try to dodge. Her sword, glowing with divine energy, cleaved through the heat vision, splitting it in two as she continued her assault on Zod's head.
"Damn it!" Zod was startled by the unexpected turn of events, but his reflexes, honed as a Kryptonian warrior, saved him. He dodged Diana's blade just in time.
"Kryptonian? Can't you be more peaceful like the others?" Diana glared at Zod, her voice stern. "Surrender now, and considering you're Superman's kin, you might be spared. But if you continue to resist, not even being Superman's kin will save you when the Saiyans arrive!"
"Surrender? There's no such word in a Kryptonian's dictionary! Earth's strength is greater than I expected, but nothing will stop us from rebuilding Krypton!" Zod's eyes glinted with malice as he lunged at Diana. He sidestepped her sword and aimed a punch at her face, but it was blocked by her divine shield.
The two engaged in fierce combat. As the leader of the Kryptonian squad, Zod was incredibly powerful, living up to the Kryptonian race's reputation as a species that thrived under pressure ...and adapted quickly to any situation. Despite Diana's skill and divine power, Zod matched her blow for blow, proving that even among the Kryptonians, he was a force to be reckoned with.
"Ugh!"
"Thud!"
As Diana and Zod battled fiercely, on another front, Susan Storm and Lorna were reaching their limits. The Kryptonian they had been restraining finally broke free from their telekinetic hold. Although he didn't bother with the exhausted Susan and Lorna, his focus turned toward the city below, following Zod's orders to wreak havoc. He shot off toward the densely populated area, intent on causing as much destruction as possible.
"Damn it!" Lorna groaned, struggling to stand as she watched the Kryptonian speed away. She and Susan had poured everything into holding him back, but now he was free, and the consequences could be catastrophic.
The battlefield was descending into chaos, with the Avengers struggling to hold their ground against the relentless Kryptonians. The situation was growing increasingly dire, and unless something drastic changed, Earth could face unimaginable destruction at the hands of these alien invaders.
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