Chapter 36: A New Friend

The two fighters crashed into each other. As expected, one had an incredible advantage over the other. The orange alien was blatantly surprised when his momentum was shut down. His body instantly lost its inertia and went backwards as the powerful viltrumite charged on. It felt like he'd gotten run over by a truck.

Taz's cape fluttered behind him as he manhandled the one eyed man. Their bodies were on a straight path to Thraxa. Allen threw multiple punches but they had no effect. The stoic viltrumite hadn't even struck a blow yet, and the orange alien was feeling the gap.

'This is NOT how things were supposed to go! Shit.' Allen transmitted. Absolver suppressed a smirk.

'And you're just realizing this now?' He mocked.

Their bodies burst into flames while entering the atmosphere. The one eyed man was unable to escape Taz's grasp. It was like a steel clamp on his torso. Eventually, they found themselves descending into the rocky plains.

The young elite finally deemed it time to raise his fist. A heavy force struck out, and the air wailed from the power. It was absolute. It couldn't be avoided.

BOOM

Allen's jaw was completely crushed in that single blow. His body shot down toward the plains. That wasn't the end. Absolver caught his foot and pulled him back toward his waiting hand. Another fist crashed down on his torso. Allen's body folded like paper before blasting off again. Finally, the orange man was allowed to crash into the ground. A crater was left in his wake.

In the distance, a sonic boom could be heard. Anissa had arrived. A smirk covered her face as she floated in the air and watched. Her arms were crossed. She knew that her favorite viltrumite wouldn't need any help. The woman had no intention of stopping his fun.

Allen rose out of the crater while covered in wounds. Blood constantly poured out of his mouth. There was a dent in his chest.

'If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me.' He transmitted. He wasn't able to talk.

Taz didn't respond. He got into a viltrumite boxing stance and waited. The orange alien burst forward, the ground behind him shattering. He appeared in front of the stoic soldier instantly.

PHOOM

The air detonated as he ducked below Allen's punch. The immediate response was a left hook to the liver. An uppercut to the chin followed right after. It was a beautiful two-piece combo. The orange alien's feet left the floor and he soared into the air. Absolver made sure to catch him in the air before hurling him back down.

The one eyed man crashed into the ground. Taz's feet softly touched down after him. He felt completely satisfied with the slight warm up. It felt good to move the limbs every now and then.

At this moment, Mark and Nolan arrived. It wasn't hard to miss their flaming entry from space. The commotion had gotten their attention. Invincible's eyes widened.

"Allen!" He exclaimed before flying over to him.

The alien's mind was hazy. He was seconds away from passing out. Upon seeing Mark, he tried to muster a smile. It was pretty gruesome with his jaw being crushed.

'Invincible…you're alive…' He transmitted.

Immediately after these words, he fainted. Invincible turned to the stoic soldier with anger. His fists were clenched.

"What the hell is your problem?! Did you just beat him up without finding out who he was?" He roared. Taz shrugged.

Nolan only shook his head. He remembered fighting the guy. It was pretty boring if he remembered correctly. Mark picked up the half dead man and rushed him to the thraxan hospital.

"I remember fighting him. Can't say it was memorable." Omni Man commented. Absolver floated up to Anissa.

"...Indeed."

…

…

…

Everyone's departure was delayed by another month because of Allen. When he finally woke up, everyone was surprised. He had grown much…bigger. The one eyed man was completely shredded.

"Allen, you…What alien steroids did you take?!" Mark exclaimed. The orange man smiled while scratching his head.

"Ah, geez…It's a trait of our race. If we survive critical injuries, we grow strong enough to resist them. Our people were strong until the Viltrum Empire slaughtered us. We weren't given any time to adapt." He explained.

After speaking, he turned his gaze to the stoic viltrumite, who was in the middle of getting a shoulder massage from his caretaker. It wasn't easy for her due to the hardness of his body.

"It seems I made a mistake. The fault is mine for assuming you were one of the bad ones." Allen spoke. Taz casually waved his hand.

"You don't have to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a massive orange fist was hurtling toward his face. The power behind it was incredible.

BOOOM

Still, it wasn't enough to phase the young elite. Taz caught it effortlessly with one hand. The entire wall behind him disappeared and the force made Anissa fall back a few steps.

The two fighters glared at each other for a moment. Luckily, the dangerous atmosphere quickly disappeared when Allen popped a smile. He pulled back his fist.

"Thanks for the boost, friend. And I still don't know your name." He commented. The stoic man raised an eyebrow.

"Taz…and you're welcome?" The soldier responded in confusion.

Mark and Omni Man heaved a sigh of relief. The funny part about it was that they had completely different reasons. Nolan didn't want to see anymore broken buildings and dead thraxans. Mark didn't want his new alien friend to almost die again.

Now that the confrontation was over, the one eyed man cracked his neck. A large smile adorned his face as he spoke. The entire room got swept up in his charisma.

"Alright…Now who's coming with me to Talescria?" He asked. Everyone looked at him weirdly.

"Where?" Mark responded.

"Talescria. The headquarters of the Coalition of Planets. The only safe haven from the Viltrum Empire." Allen explained.

He looked around the room with excitement. Having so many viltrumites on his side would be a boon to the alliance. Nolan fell into deep thought. Invincible didn't even give it any thought. He had a beautiful redhead woman to return to. He also had a mother waiting for him.

"I can't." Mark said.

"I may join you in the future, but not now." Taz answered. Anissa had no choice in the matter.

"I'll go." Omni Man announced. Invincible frowned.

"Dad! What about Mom?! You need to come back with us!" He exclaimed. The ex hero revealed a look of sorrow.

"I…I cannot return. The things I said about Debbie…they were too hurtful. I know she heard all of it. I don't know how to face her." Nolan responded.

"She NEEDS you, dad! Don't turn your back on us again!" Mark pleaded.

Unknown to his father, Debbie had become an alcoholic. Her mental state had fallen ever since her husband's disappearance.

"...I'm sorry." Omni Man concluded. It was final.

The room was silent for a while. As everyone mulled over their own problems, the silence was broken.

"There is something you can do, Allen." Taz spoke up. He could care less about their problems.

"What's up?"

"You can mark the coordinates to Talescria on our ship. That way we can head over once the time is right." He said.

"Easy. Consider it done."

"Son…I need you to do me a favor." Nolan spoke up. Mark frowned. He wasn't happy at the moment.

"What."

"I need you to take Oliver, my newborn son, with you. My hands will be full helping the Coalition. I wouldn't be able to care for him."

"...Fine."

Without anything else keeping them on Thraxa, the group dispersed. Nolan and Allen disappeared into the vastness of space. In Invincible's arms was the newborn thraxan-viltrumite. The spaceship took off and disappeared as it went into hyperdrive.

…

…

…

After dropping Mark off onto the lively blue planet, Anissa parked the ship on the dark side of the moon. The two then slowly flew toward Earth.

'I don't see how this barbarian planet is going to help me find a new purpose.' She transmitted through the communicator. The young elite shrugged.

'You will see. Even if you don't find it, you'll be that much closer.' He promised.

'I'll believe it when I see it.' She responded.

The two viltrumites soon entered the atmosphere. They created a sonic boom upon reaching the clouds. In only a few moments, they were at Taz's home surrounded by forestry. The stoic soldier didn't see Kate's motorcycle. She wasn't in.

As they entered the house, he checked the date. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Another six months had passed since his departure. It seemed that time was slower wherever he was. Absolver wasn't worried about time anymore since the chinese beauty was no longer mortal.

"I wasn't able to go inside last time. I must say, it's quite cozy here." Anissa declared while plopping down on the couch.

"Don't get too comfortable." He responded. His caretaker raised an eyebrow.

"What do you-"

Her words were interrupted by a flash of blue light. The old man Cecil had arrived. His eyes widened when he saw Anissa, but he refrained from commenting about her.

"So you've returned. I assume everything went well?" The government agent spoke. Taz frowned.

"I better not see you in my home again. If you're going to drop by, the door is right there." He declared. The old man sweatdropped.

"Ahh…the teleportation thing made me forget about them. I'll remember…I see you brought back a friend." He commented while gazing at Anissa.

"Hmph." She grunted.

The woman only regarded him with a bored expression. He was just another weakling to her. She could easily end his life.

"She is new here. If she needs you, you will help her. Do you understand?" Taz spoke calmly. Cecil frowned but agreed nevertheless.

"Well…It's good to have you back." He concluded before disappearing. Now that he was gone, the woman spoke.

"Who was that? He seemed pretty entitled." She asked.

Taz walked into the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he saw that it was empty. Kate had eaten everything. No wonder she hasn't returned. There wasn't any food.

"He is tasked with this planet's protection. He knew we arrived as soon as we entered the atmosphere." The young viltrumite responded. Anissa raised an eyebrow before frowning.

"Taz, what did you mean about me not getting comfortable?"

"...Because you won't be living here."

Upon hearing his words, his caretaker stood up and walked over to him. She didn't like what she heard at all.

"I can't live with you? Why?!" She questioned angrily.

"...." Taz didn't respond.

He was too busy downing a glass of water. It had been a while since he had the cold drink. Before he could even respond, she kept speaking.

"Is it because you have a mate? If so, she is just a human. A weakling doesn't deserve you. Just get rid of her!" She suggested.

The young elite frowned. He burst into motion, pressing her against the wall. His hand slammed into the wall beside her.

BAM

Anissa looked up into his cold eyes. She instantly realized that she'd spoken out of turn. His other hand was already squeezing her chin. His thumb pressed against her plump lips.

"Open." He growled.

The two didn't break eye contact. Her lips slowly opened, allowing his thumb to enter her mouth. It pressed down on her warm tongue. Taz leaned closer to her face.

"You can't stay here because you wouldn't be able to find your purpose. I am doing this for YOUR sake. Do not question me. Just shut up, and follow my orders." He spoke quietly. She needed to be independent like she always was.

"..."

Anissa didn't say anything. She only looked into his eyes with a bit of sadness evident on her face. His caretaker didn't know they'd be parting ways so soon. The powerful man's thumb rubbed her tongue in a circular motion.

"I never said that you couldn't see me. You can even stop by everyday if you'd like. You just can't LIVE here. Alright?" He soothed. The woman nodded.

Taz finally released her after seeing she was compliant. He licked off the saliva from his finger and sat down on the couch. His eyes closed as he relaxed. Anissa hadn't moved from her spot. She was still leaning against the wall, her gaze directed at the ground.

The room was silent for a few moments. He didn't hear anything from her side, so the young elite spoke up.

"...Go." He ordered.

Heeding his order, the woman stomped toward the front door. It quickly opened and closed with a loud slam. She immediately launched into the sky once she was outside.

BOOM

The sonic boom was extremely loud, which implied how she was feeling.