Chapter 30: Irrefutable Might

"Come to your senses. Don't make me break rank." Taz reasoned one last time. Omni Man's cape fluttered behind him like a flag. His eyes were focused.

"The time for talk is over." He declared sternly.

The wind burst around him. It was as if the air had detonated. A single step was enough for Nolan to reach the young viltrumite. His arm reeled back for a heavy punch.

Taz wasn't idle. There was no time to sit and wait. The time to act was now. He burst into motion, dashing into the man's personal bubble. The stoic figure then shifted his body. Omni Man's heavy punch whistled through the air and missed its mark.

With the finesse of a trained fighter, Absolver raised his knee. A supreme force crashed into the older viltrumite's gut. A mix of blood and saliva flew out of Nolan's mouth. His muscular body hunched over for a second. He couldn't help but widen his eyes at the force. The young elite wasn't finished though. He raised both of his hands and slammed them down on the older viltrumite's back.

BOOOM

A shockwave exploded from the collision. The blow sent him crashing to the ground far below. A few miles away from the half dead Invincible, a crater opened up on a nearby mountain. Omni Man slowly floated out of the hole. Taz was suspended in the air above him. He watched with his arms crossed.

"...Can you feel it? The difference between us?" He asked. Nolan frowned.

"Difference? You should control your hubris…It's my turn." The mustache man retorted.

He already knew that he couldn't hold back. The kid was stronger than he thought. It was time for maximum effort. Nolan moved at an incredible speed, appearing beside Taz with a burst of air. His cape flapped wildly due to the harsh winds.

"You don't seem to understand…" Absolver muttered. His arm moved even faster than Omni Man could react, grasping his cape and throwing him back to the ground.

"...You don't get a turn." He finished.

A powerful aura washed over Nolan. It was the bioelectric field. The surroundings grew erratic and strange, materials of all sizes floating into the air. Large chunks of rock and gravel rose up as if there was no gravity. This scene left the hardened father disoriented. When Omni Man finally looked up, he saw the stoic man stomping down on him. He had no choice but to raise his arms and defend.

CRACK BOOM

The bones in his right arm shattered. It was like an unbreakable force collided with a tin can. Nolan had no idea the young viltrumite was so powerful. It was unbelievable. Taz's eyes glowed red. Two beams of intense heat drilled into Nolan's chest. It slowly dug into his skin, trying to break through.

"Aaaaagh!" He roared in pain.

His body contorted and sent a leg filled with strength. The kick slammed against Absolver's face, causing him to slightly turn his head. The lasers dragged across Omni Man's stomach before hitting the ground. A burning line could be seen on the side of his stomach. If the death beams had kept going for a while longer, it would have pierced his frame.

"...Seeing you like this is pitiful." The young viltrumite spoke calmly.

His concept of the viltrumite hierarchy had shattered. Who would've thought a senior officer would be thrashed like this? He wasn't even using most of his strength. Taz still hoped the man would come to his senses.

"......" Omni Man didn't respond.

Even though he was silent, he wasn't going to give up. He knew that death possibly awaited him, so he had to fight for a chance to live. It was the only way. When two viltrumites clashed, the weaker one wouldn't even be able to escape. The senior would be faster as well. In this case, Taz was now the senior.

BOOM BOOM

Punches reigned down on Nolan in an overwhelming show of force. His defense was slowly melting away. Taz was breaking through with every fist. The mountain they were on sunk with each impact.

Suddenly, the sound of aircraft resounded in the distance. Both of them turned to see news helicopters and government drone cameras arriving in the distance. Cecil was obviously behind the drones. Absolver could imagine the old man heaving a small sigh of relief seeing the two titans infighting.

Taz grabbed Nolan's collar and aimed at the news helicopter. He didn't like when weaklings got in the way. The older viltrumite tried his best to get out of the young man's grasp.

"Reporting Live! Omni Man is in a losing fight against an unknown villain! Invincible is nowhere to be seen after their battle which led to massive casualties. What's going on here?" The reporter spoke to the camera, which showed the villain aiming at them.

"Who is this villain? Wait! He sees us! Pilot, get us out of here! Aaahhh!!!-" The news channel went dark.

The public who were watching only saw the footage change to a black screen. Omni Man's body was thrown at the aircraft, smashing through it like glass. The momentum kept him going as he reached the crumbling city of Downtown Chicago. It was already partly destroyed from the one sided beating against Mark.

The elite soldier appeared over Nolan's traveling frame. A heavy fist, with the power to sink a continent, slammed down into his torso. The indomitable force spread through the older viltrumite's body. His capillaries burst along with some of his organs.

BOOM

It was one sided, the surge of strength sending Omni Man through the ground into an already destroyed subway station. It didn't end there. Taz appeared beside him, his leg already in motion. Like the man was a soccer ball, he kicked him in the stomach.

BAM

The sound of a gunshot echoed as Nolan crashed through the concrete walls. His body flew through a plethora of underground structures, before he found himself in the bottom floor of a shopping mall. Multiple citizens heard the loud arrival and pulled out their phones.

There was a moment of silence. Omni Man shakily stood up and limped over to the big water fountain beside him. When he saw his reflection, he chuckled self-deprecatingly.

His body was bleeding everywhere. There were holes in his chest and stomach. Blood poured from his nose, ears, and mouth. He could barely breathe. The bones in his arms could be seen. One of his eyes was swollen shut. He realized that he now looked just like how his son did. Maybe this was karma?

'I have to escape…' He thought.

The man wasn't scared of death. He just wanted to live. Deep inside his mind, the image of Debbie appeared. How nice it would've been to lay down with her once more and sleep. The man slowly took to the air. His speed slowly increased as he made it out of the building.

It was at this moment that Taz made it to the mall. He had followed the trail of destruction. When he used his supervision to locate Nolan, the man in question was already breaking the sound barrier.

"Running? Who would've thought." He exclaimed.

Absolver immediately accelerated. The speed he traveled made Omni Man's speed look embarrassing. He would catch up in a few seconds. The older viltrumite turned to see that the kid was gaining on him. His direction curved upwards, as he decided to try one last time to leave the planet.

By the time they left the atmosphere, Taz had caught up. His arms wrapped around Nolan's body. He then squeezed in an attempt to crush the man. Omni Man smiled sadly. He wouldn't be able to get away. His life was over.

Absolver squeezed harder and harder. He could feel Nolan's bones creaking. If he squeezed any harder, he would be crushed to death. It was at this moment that the mustached man stopped resisting. He had accepted his fate. Taz's eyes widened when he felt the change.

There was a moment of stillness as the two remained drifting through space. A surge of emotion washed over the stoic viltrumite. His eyes closed and he relented. Nolan's expression turned into one of extreme shock. Taz had released him from the death grip. Both of them looked at each other before tapping their ears.

'...Go.' Absolver transmitted calmly. Omni Man gulped.

'You're letting me free?!' He responded in disbelief.

'Leave before I change my mind.' Taz ordered.

'Taz, if you let me go, they'll kill you. If they're feeling nice, they'll drag you back to Viltrum in chains.' Hearing the statement, the young elite shook his head.

'That's my problem, not yours.'

The two stared at each other for a while longer. Nolan eventually nodded and slowly flew away.

'Thank you. I won't forget your kindness.' He transmitted before disappearing.

Absolver slowly flew away and returned to Earth's atmosphere. He couldn't help but release a sigh.

"This may have been one of the worst decisions I've made." He muttered.

Taz thought for a moment. If he wanted, he could continue to conquer the planet by himself. The question was, should he even do it? He'd have to explain Nolan's disappearance in his next report. If the Viltrum Empire arrived and didn't see Omni Man, they'd question Absolver on why they weren't informed earlier. It would lead to imprisonment since the empire didn't tolerate mishaps.

The stoic viltrumite heaved a massive sigh and rubbed his temples. He had truly put himself in a bad situation. Nolan really owed him one. Without wasting any more time, he flew back to his apartment. It only took a few moments.

Dead bodies and blood still covered the floor. The walls were riddled with bullets. Ignoring the scene, Taz grabbed his belongings and left the room. He would need to find a new place. The young viltrumite was going to lay low for a while.

…

…

…

A day later, the elite soldier could be seen in a brand new home. It was in the middle of the wilderness and had beautiful scenery. There were plenty of floor to ceiling windows that showed the outside environment.

Taz sat on a comfortable lounge chair in front of one of the windows. A holographic screen was in front of him, showing his caretaker, Anissa. She didn't seem happy whatsoever.

"Taz, Thula has read your report. It's not satisfactory." She said. The young soldier frowned.

"I don't understand…"

"You said that Nolan escaped. How?"

"I was overwhelmed. Dealing with the world's defenses and fighters while battling him as well. It was too much." He lied. The woman frowned.

"Emperor Thragg has also read your report. This planet is very important. You made great strides toward conquering the planet, but it's not enough."

"But I've done so many things for the empire! I have an army at our beck and call!" He retorted while thinking about Thokk's homeworld.

"The Grand Regent cares not for inferior armies. A squad has been sent to find you. I'll also be coming. It may take a year or so, but we'll eventually arrive. If you aren't here when we get there, it WILL turn into the worst case scenario." She stated. Taz smiled slightly.

"At least I'll get to see you." He spoke casually. Anissa smiled. After a few moments of silence, she bit her lip.

"Taz…do you think I'm stupid?"

"...What?" He frowned.

"Your strength was already nearing mine when you were sent to Earth. I'd assume you're much stronger now. You're telling me that Nolan still got away? They won't buy it."

"Anissa, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. You've always been a bad liar. Even though it was supposed to be a vacation, allowing traitors to run free is a sin. Await our arrival." She commanded. Her figure disappeared and the hologram shut off.

Taz rubbed his temples in frustration. He had done so much for the empire his entire life, and now they're turning on him due to one mistake. Maybe if he didn't resist, they'd give him one more chance. The only reason he didn't want to immediately resort to violence was that it was his home. He grew up on Viltrum. The young viltrumite wasn't eager to abandon it.

In the meantime, he'd relax and see how the world healed from all of the destruction.