Desperate Escape

Overwhelmed.

That's what I was at this point in time.

Completely and utterly overwhelmed.

Individually, Conquest and Tyrany'r would have proved challenging foes to deal with. Not as much as Thragg, but still incredibly difficult foes to beat. Together though, well they were perhaps the strongest enemy I had ever faced. Stronger than Doomsday and Thragg had proved to me.

Conquest was an incredibly skilled and experienced warrior and while not as strong as me or as fast, his skill as a warrior far surpassed me. I'd even wager that he was more skilled than Thragg but I couldn't be sure. Tyrany'r was equally as skilled if not more so and while his Lantern Ring was one of the original seven first created by the Guardians making it weaker than the modern ones today, he used it perfectly.

Powerful constructs of green energy intercepted my path ensuring that any momentary breather I gained was gone. Those two alone despite never having met or worked together before were at a level of skill and experience that enabled them to do so seamlessly.

They understood the flow of battle better than I did and most ever could.

My experience in warfare and combat was always to do with powerful guns, manoeuvring large divisions of troops to flank enemies. Fighting with powers and the different set of rules that came with that sort of battle was new territory for me.

They however had lived, fought and breathed this facet of warfare far longer than I had and understood it far better. One on one I would have had a very strong chance at gaining victory, but when they worked together in this way, I was being put on the back foot. And with Anissa and Lucian using hut and run tactics constantly I was slowly being beaten and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Escape was impossible.

Victory was forever getting further out of my reach.

Defeat getting ever closer.

A cool chill ran up my spine and for a moment I realised something. 'I'm going to die.' Surrender was unlikely, the Viltrumites especially would not accept, nor would the Vrangs. Tyrany'r might but I doubt he would do anything to stop the Viltrumites from taking me prisoner where they would later execute me. That left only one option for me, 'death.'

Gritting my teeth, I fired beams of energy from my eyes, striking against the approaching Conquest knocking him back slightly. But I was suddenly beset by dozens of constructs with clawed at me. I smashed them away with powerful blows but more and more kept on coming.

Anissa and Lucian came from my sides, fists smashing into my side and I felt my body vibrate violently. Only for Conquest to come next, a powerful haymaker slamming into my jaw.

'Fuck.' I cursed internally, spinning rapidly through the vacuum of space. 'These guys are really good. Killing those Viltrumites early was easy, but just landing a blow on these four is difficult. Let alone killing another one.' His earlier bravado was slowly ebbing away as reality once again dawned upon him. 'What do I do?'

This feeling, it was just like when first encountering Doomsday.

'If it hadn't been for that Solar Flare I created by expelling my stored yellow sun radiation I would have lost.' Just as those words ran through my mind, so did an idea that I wasn't particularly fond of. 'If I do that, I could kill them, or at least most of them. But I'd also be back to square one. No powers and plummeting through space. Landing Rao knows where.'

But as I continued to get pummelled by a group of four I realised I had no choice. It was either this or death and as much as I didn't like the idea of expelling all my stored power I had no choice.

Death was an option I would never accept.

Clenching my fists tightly, I glared out at Conquest who gripped my neck tightly with one hand, his other fist rocketing down into my face with titanic blows. 'I'm at least taking you with me.' I thought viciously, gripping hold of Conquest's flesh hand tightly. 'And when I return, I'll kill Kregg, I'll kill Lucian and I'll break you, Anissa. Then I'll come for you Tyrany'r, I'll enslave your people and make you watch as I do it before killing you.'

Revenge would be mine, that I would guarantee.

Gathering all my yellow sun radiation, I followed the feeling I had when first performing this technique against Doomsday. I just pushed it all out, every ounce of power I had I released it all, uncaring of the consequences. All I needed to do was survived that desperate drive to live fuelled me and erupting from my body a wave of powerful energy rippled out. Conquest didn't even get a chance to cry out before was engulfed by it entirely.

Flesh melting away, then muscle and then bone till nothing remained of the Viltrumite warrior.

Tyrany'r on the other hand summoned a powerful shield, he, Anissa and Lucian hunkering down behind it. That was the last thing I saw before I was blasted away, the solar flare carrying me through space far away from them all.

My destination was unknown.

-X-

Straining, Tyrany'r gripped hold of his arm tightly, claws digging into the flesh of his arm as he funnelled as much power as he could into his ring and out into the shield. But as time ticked by, the power of the solar flare smashing into the shield and carrying the three of them further and further away, more cracks began to appear.

He tried to withstand the tide of energy, trying to repair his shield but it was futile.

Just as he feared it would be too late, that his shield would break and the solar flare would engulf them all. The energy slowly subsided, the strain upon his shield lessening until it fully dissipated.

'Yet we are nowhere near our initial fight and if Tah-Zod is still alive then he will have long since escaped by this point.' That thought alone made Tyrany'r clench his fist tightly in anger. 'He knows who I am, I saw it in his eyes. He recognised me and when he returns, he'll come for me.'

Turning to look at the two Viltrumite warriors beside him, an idea formed in his mind. 'He'll also come for them as well. Perhaps if we allied together then we could better prepare ourselves to face Tah-Zod if he returns?'

-X- Line Break -X-

I don't know how long I had floated through space.

All I knew was that I felt weak, my body was heavy. Even as I felt yellow sun radiation once again coursing through my body, I still felt sluggish and weak. Like I was waking up with a hangover and having climbed up the greatest of mountains. It was an odd feeling and one I didn't enjoy.

It was why I didn't like the technique and also why I imagined that Superman didn't use it so often either. That and the writers either didn't know it or existed or didn't know how to properly write it into the story.

But I suppose an in-universe explanation was that it just wasn't a nice feeling to endure. Because even as I felt my body strengthening, felt my muscles coiling and enriching with yellow sun radiation, my body just wouldn't respond to my orders. This was far worse than how I felt after my battle against Doomsday, far, far worse.

I suppose it might be down to how much stored yellow sun radiation I had then compared to now. The difference was night and day, I was so much stronger now than I was then and I had expelled it all in a single instance.

'But it's still an effective move.' I reminded myself. 'A powerful and destructive area of effect attack. If I learn to use it properly, I might be able to use it numerous times in a day, expelling not all my energy but portions of it. Kind of like how I can change the power of my heat vision.'

Despite that, I wasn't overly eager at the thought of trying that move anytime soon.

Feeling my fingers flex, the first instance of movement in my body. I watched the planet I was heading straight for draw in closer and closer. 'This going to hurt.' I realised as more and more feeling returned to my body. Yet, in turn, I had already broken through the atmosphere of the planet. A sonic boom echoing out and my form were engulfed in flames, a testament to the speed with which I plummeted to the ground.

And I couldn't stop myself as I slammed into it.

Smoke and debris erupted into the sky as my body cratered the ground, large cracks spreading out from the epicentre. "Ow," I muttered lowly, laid there unmoving as I allowed the pain erupting across my body to slowly die down. "I hate my life right now."

Groaning, I reached out digging my hand into the ground and dragged myself up onto my knees. As I did, looked up to the sky and through bloody lips, smiled victoriously. I may have lost the fight, but escaping their alive was a victory all the same. That had been their attempt to kill me and now that I had escaped, I would be a threat constantly in the back of their mind.

With Conquest and Thragg dead, their strongest warriors were gone and all that remained was Nolan. That was all that stood between the Viltrumites and my wrath and I couldn't help but smile widely. 'That was their only chance and they let me slip through their fingers. They'll spend all their time now fearing my arrival, fearing when I will return and enact my revenge.'

Until then, I simply needed to bide my time.

Allow my body to rest and recover, to absorb more yellow sun and grow stronger. Then I'd return, stronger than ever and enslave them all. 'They spat in my face despite the generous offer I gave them. I'll make sure that they suffer for it.'

Hearing chittering surrounding me, I watched a number of bug-like creatures carrying blades surrounding the crater, some coming down towards me. 'Now let's see what this primitive race is like. Are they hostile? Or friendly? Do they have potential? Are they useful? Or simply useless?'