Thea had undergone training for over a year, nearly two years, and her physical fitness had improved significantly.
If it were just that, there was no way Thea could have beaten Deathstroke, who had been enhanced by the Mirakuru serum, let alone thoroughly overwhelmed him.
But Thea hadn't only learned fighting techniques. She had also learned magic and the Cosmo system that Ethan developed.
Learning magic gave Thea a more diverse range of attack methods in battle, which made things very difficult for Deathstroke, who had never encountered these types of powers before. Sometimes, he simply didn't know how to deal with such strange abilities.
The power of Cosmo allowed Thea to use magic freely and also unleash astonishing power when necessary, especially with moves like the Pegasus Meteor Fist. Ordinary people couldn't withstand such attacks, and they were extremely difficult to dodge. Even Deathstroke, enhanced by the serum, couldn't take too many hits.
If it were just that, Deathstroke would have been in a tough fight, and it wouldn't have been easy for Thea to defeat him. The result might have been a draw.
As luck would have it, Ethan had also given Thea a Pegasus Cloth. She had had this item for over half a year but hadn't figured out how to use it.
However, items given by Ethan usually had some hidden functions, such as automatically activating during a crisis.
Just as Thea was caught in a difficult battle, the Pegasus Cloth sensed that its master was in trouble. Coupled with their interactions over this period, Thea had already formed a certain bond with the Cloth. It hadn't responded earlier because her own power still needed to improve.
But facing danger was different. The Pegasus Cloth automatically activated and equipped itself on Thea, causing her Cosmo to surge several times over. For the first time, she unleashed the Pegasus Meteor Fist.
Although it was a version that lasted only ten seconds and released just a hundred meteors in total, even that level was more than Deathstroke could withstand. He was struck by a barrage of meteor fists, severely injured, and fell into a coma.
Moira, who had watched the entire process from the sidelines, was completely stunned. If she hadn't been unable to wake up, she would have thought she was having a ridiculous dream, the kind where you couldn't tell if it was a nightmare or a good dream.
At first, when Deathstroke burst in intending to kidnap her and Thea, she thought it was a nightmare. This nightmare was eerily similar to the future she had worried about countless times. She believed that after all the wrongs she had committed, she was finally facing the end she deserved.
The only thing that panicked her was that her daughter, Thea, was also involved. She only hoped someone would appear... or that this villain wouldn't hurt her daughter.
Unexpectedly, what followed took a complete turn. Her daughter, who had always been well-behaved and sensible, suddenly displayed astonishing strength and fought the terrifying villain to a standstill.
She knew her daughter had been learning some kind of self-defense from their neighbor, and she thought it was just basic techniques to handle thugs or hooligans. But seeing the martial arts skills her daughter displayed, her combat ability probably exceeded that of many professionals, right?
What was even more unbelievable was the variety of strange abilities Thea used. No matter how she looked at them, those bizarre powers didn't seem to come from any sort of device.
"Magic?"
Although her rational mind kept telling her it was impossible, she really couldn't think of any other word to describe what she was seeing.
In any case, the situation seemed to be turning for the better. Although Thea couldn't defeat the opponent directly, as long as she could stall for time, someone would eventually come to save them, and the crisis would be resolved.
Just as Moira was feeling relieved, something happened that she couldn't comprehend at all.
A ball of blue-white light flashed around Thea. In the faint glow, she seemed to see a group of pure white Pegasus horses gallop by. Moments later, the light faded, and a set of white metal armor appeared on her daughter.
The style of the armor was a bit unusual, and she didn't know how to describe it, but Thea, now wearing the strange armor, became very excited. Blue-white light, like flames, emanated from her body. She performed some strange gestures, then shouted, "Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
Then, streams of meteor-like light clusters shot out from Thea's fists, sending the large villain flying.
Unleashing countless meteors with her fists... If she hadn't just been talking with Thea in the car, she would seriously doubt whether the person in front of her was really her daughter.
When Thea walked over, dragging the unconscious man, Moira didn't even know what expression she should wear.
"Thea?"
"Of course it's me, Mom."
Wearing the Pegasus Cloth, Thea felt as if her body was filled with boundless strength. The armor, called a Cloth, should have been made of metal, but she didn't feel any weight at all. It didn't affect her limb movement either, as if she were just wearing ordinary clothes.
The Pegasus Cloth that Ethan made for Thea was slightly different from the original version.
He hadn't chosen the first or second version, but had gone directly with the third version, the one before the God Cloth mode.
Additionally, since Thea was female, parts like the chest armor had been designed to be more feminine.
Why not the God Cloth version? Ethan naturally didn't overlook the powerful God Cloth mode, but activating it required specific conditions. Whether Thea could reach that point depended on her.
"What is this...?"
"A gift from Ethan. Looks pretty good, right?"
Just as Thea was about to show off a little more, the Pegasus Cloth automatically disassembled, returning to its pendant form that resembled a dog tag, which now hung around her neck.
Moira saw another magical, completely unexplainable scene. She felt like she had a lot of questions, but now wasn't the right time to ask, especially with Thea still holding that terrifying man.
At this moment, Oliver, who had already learned about the situation, had rushed over. Deathstroke had just attacked Thea and Moira and hadn't had time to deal with Oliver yet. In Deathstroke's mind, this mother and daughter pair could be easily taken down, and then he would deal with the more troublesome Oliver.
Unexpectedly, he was defeated by Thea and even captured by her.
Although Oliver had arrived in full gear as the Green Arrow, when he saw Thea holding Deathstroke and the chaotic scene around them, he was reminded once again of what Ethan had told him before.
Your loved ones, from the moment you decided to walk this path, were inevitably drawn into it.
This isn't something you can protect them from by hiding your identity. When an opponent targets your family, your secrecy only leaves them unaware and unprepared, making them more vulnerable to danger.
Ethan's words kept echoing in his mind, so he pulled off his hood in front of his mother. Since Barry hadn't officially become connected to the Green Arrow yet, Oliver hadn't received the special mask Barry would eventually give him and was still using dark green paint around his eyes for disguise.
Oliver noticed that while his mother was surprised for a moment, it seemed more like she was surprised that he took off the hood, rather than shocked that he was the Green Arrow.
It seemed his mother had long suspected his identity. After glancing at his mother and sister, Oliver looked at the unconscious Deathstroke, Slade Wilson.
"Let's go to Ethan's place first."
His feelings toward Slade were complicated. Slade had helped him and taught him many things back then. Without Slade, Oliver might have died on Lian Yu.
But because of some events, they had become enemies. Oliver had always believed it was the Mirakuru serum that drove Slade mad. He had wanted to ask Ethan if he could 'cure' Slade and remove the side effects of the serum.
Just as he was racking his brain over how to capture the powerful Slade, he found that Slade had already been taken down by Thea. The situation left him speechless, and he also began to doubt whether his own strength was truly too weak.
Using special tools to bind Slade, Thea also casually added small spells like "Sturdy" and "Sleep" to ensure nothing would go wrong. Then, they left the scene before the police arrived.
As the car drove, Moira wanted to ask questions countless times, but in the end, she held back.
But this couldn't be hidden from Thea, who had trained in Cosmo. Her senses had become incredibly sharp thanks to her training, and she had long noticed her mother's state.
"Just ask directly. I won't hide anything from you. After all, you're my mother."
Moira nodded. For some reason, she felt very reassured, and then she asked the key question.
"That Ethan... who exactly is he?"
Moira was a successful person. She had achieved success in both the business and political worlds, which proved her intelligence. So it wasn't strange that she had found the core of the issue.
In fact, it was already very obvious. The key to everything lay with Ethan. All the changes in her daughter were tied to him.
Not to mention that strange armor was a gift from Ethan to Thea. Those bizarre abilities must have been learned from him as well.
Could someone who could teach these extraordinary powers really be just an ordinary young man? Moira didn't need anyone to tell her the answer. It was absolutely impossible.
So who exactly was Ethan? Why did he teach Thea these things? Thea's answer made her wonder if her daughter had been brainwashed.
A god? How could that be possible?
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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