A/N: I found time to upload this chapter even during my finals week and plan on uploading a new chapter for the p-word users later today.
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The roof of the chamber exploded inward with a deafening crash, metal and concrete raining down like ash. The Coalition guards reached for their weapons, already aiming at the figures descending through the smoke. One led the group—tall, brutal, and unmistakable.
"Stand ready for my arrival, worms." Said the figure.
Nolan's fists clenched at his sides. "Conquest."
The smoke began to clear, revealing the grinning brute. His face was half-scarred, and one arm gleamed, made entirely of reinforced alloy. A monstrous Viltrumite survivor. A relic of brutality.
"If it isn't Nolan," Conquest said, his voice a mocking purr. "I remember when you were young. So much promise. It's a shame to see you throw it all away for… this."
Conquest's eyes flicked to Mark, and the smile on his face stretched wider. "And you must be the special boy. The Viltrumite… with magic. You look strong, as strong as your father. Maybe stronger. Lucky me, I get to kill you."
Mark smirked, stepping forward calmly. "You can try."
The chamber was on edge. Coalition soldiers, all on high alert. The other four Viltrumite warriors behind Conquest stood like statues, ready to pounce.
Thaedus's voice cut through the rising tension, firm and cold. "You've made a mistake coming here, especially with only five soldiers. That may be a tenth of your empire's strength—but here, you're outnumbered."
Conquest scoffed, waving off the threat. "So it seems that Nolan leaked our numbers. Figures. And here I thought he still had some backbone."
He turned to Nolan again. "But no matter. Five are enough. The Coalition's always been weak. The only reason we haven't crushed you is because we feared you might use the Scourge Virus again. But now that we know Nolan and his son are working with you… it's time to clean house."
Mark floated forward, a cocky smile still on his face. "I'll make you a deal, Conquest. Leave. Go back to Viltrum. Wait for us there. Or die here."
Conquest burst out laughing. "The balls on this kid! Nolan, are you proud?"
"I am," Nolan said with a smirk. "And you should leave before my son kicks your ass."
Conquest's smile faded. He raised his hand and brought it down sharply.
"Kill them all."
Everything exploded into motion.
Mark shot toward Conquest like a missile, his body a blur. Nolan went for one of the other Viltrumites while Thaedus launched himself at a third. The Coalition guards opened fire on the two remaining invaders, but the Viltrumites were already out of the chamber, flying toward the city.
"Allen!" Thaedus barked mid-combat. "Take one down!"
Allen hesitated, fear creeping up his spine. "Are you kidding me? I got destroyed last time!"
"You're stronger than you think! You can take them on now!" Thaedus shouted before slamming his opponent into a wall.
Allen gulped, then soared out of the chamber.
He spotted one of the fleeing Viltrumites careening through the skies of Talescria, blasting through a building like paper. Civilians screamed, chaos erupting in the streets.
"You two-eyed monkey!" Allen roared. "Take this!"
He punched the Viltrumite across the jaw. To his surprise, the impact sent the soldier spinning, blood spraying from his nose. Allen blinked at his own fist, dumbfounded. Then grinned.
"All right then!"
Meanwhile, Mark and Conquest collided mid-air with the force of a small explosion. Their arms locked as they pushed against each other, neither yielding. But Conquest's robotic arm began to groan and warp under the pressure of Mark's strength.
With a scream of rage, Conquest shoved backward, retreating midair. Mark hovered calmly.
"I'll ask one more time. Leave. Now."
"You think you've already won?" Conquest sneered, furious. "I was holding back. I wanted to savor it."
Conquest flew at him, throwing everything he had into a brutal barrage of punches. Mark parried every strike, barely moving. He ducked one punch, spun, and slammed his elbow into Conquest's side, denting his ribs. Conquest roared—and Mark ended it.
With a flash of speed, Mark chopped off Conquest's robotic arm with a Viltrumite chop, then slashed across his stomach with a sharp motion of his hand. Blood and viscera spilled out as Conquest's eyes widened. Before he could scream, Mark planted a heavy fist into his temple.
Conquest hit the ground like a meteor.
Unconscious. Broken.
Mark turned, scanning for his father. Nolan had just driven a stone pillar through the Viltrumite he was fighting, knocking him unconscious. Across the chamber, Thaedus stood over his enemy's unconscious body, his fist still coated in gore from the hole he put in his opponent's stomach.
Mark flew off toward the city where the last two Viltrumites were causing havoc.
One of them was being overwhelmed by Coalition forces, who were shooting at him. Mark just dove down from the sky, his boots landing directly on the soldier's back with a spine-shattering crack. The body went limp, and Mark threw it over his shoulder.
Nearby, Allen was locked in combat with the last Viltrumite. The fight was obvious. Allen was winning. The Viltrumite was bruised and bloodied, but Allen was barely scratched.
Still, Mark acted fast before Allen could deal the finishing blow. His eyes lit up, and a searing beam of heat shot through the Viltrumite's back, rendering him unconscious.
Allen staggered back. "You… you stopped me. I had him!"
Mark landed beside him, the second unconscious Viltrumite slung over his shoulder. "I don't want them to die. They can be reformed."
"They were trying to kill you!" Allen shouted. "Trying to kill everyone!"
"They're still my people," Mark said firmly. "And if I'm going to rule them one day… I'm not going to weaken the empire before I have a chance to change it."
Allen stared at him. "That's insane."
"Maybe. But this is what leadership means. Mercy when you can afford it. Ruthlessness and power when you need it."
Mark flew back to the Coalition chambers, Allen following reluctantly. He dropped the two unconscious Viltrumites beside the others.
"Thaedus," Mark said. "Do you have a ship ready? One with medical chambers? We're going to Viltrum."
XXXX
Thaedus stood tall, his cloak billowing faintly in the breeze of the Coalition's launch bay. Before him stood Mark, Nolan, and a handful of trusted Coalition pilots. The five unconscious Viltrumite captives were held in medical chambers on the ship, unconscious and healing from their wounds.
"I hope the next time we meet," Thaedus said, "it will be during a time of peace between our peoples."
Mark nodded. "That's what I'm aiming for."
Thaedus's tone hardened slightly. "Which is why I'm sending someone with you. A representative."
He turned toward Allen.
Allen blinked. "Wait—what?!"
"You brought them to us. You've seen their strength. I trust your eye, Allen. If things go south, I need someone I trust to get out alive and report back."
Allen's singular eye darted between Mark, Nolan, and Thaedus. "I… right. No pressure, huh?" He sighed and walked up the ramp, muttering under his breath, "I swear, I didn't sign up to spend more time with Viltrumites."
The doors sealed shut behind them, and the Coalition vessel blasted off, angling sharply toward the stars.
XXXX
As the ship soared through the silence of space, Nolan sat across from Mark in the common room, the soft hum of the engines surrounding them.
"You know," Nolan said with a small smile, "I always imagined bringing you to Viltrum one day… after you got your powers. I had this whole idea of watching you take your first step on the soil of our homeworld."
Mark let out a soft chuckle. "Well, it's a good thing I got them late, then. Otherwise, I might've ended up a proper Viltrumite zealot."
He said it lightly, but internally, Mark couldn't help but reflect on it. Would he have still clung to his morals—the memories of his past life—if he'd been raised under Viltrum's warlike ideals from the start? He'd seen other evil versions of himself in alternate timelines. So it was some food for thought.
Nolan nodded. "It was a blessing in disguise. I stayed on Earth long enough to unlearn some things… and you—well, you became more than I ever expected."
There was a pause between them. A comfortable one.
Then Nolan asked, "How's the device coming for your mother?"
Mark's face brightened slightly. "It's done. It can completely halt her aging process. But I haven't given it to her yet."
"Why not?"
"Two reasons. One, she's pregnant right now. I don't know how the anti-aging stasis would affect the baby. And two…" Mark hesitated. "I might have something better in mind."
Nolan tilted his head. "Better?"
"I want to give her powers. Not just prolonging her life but also making her strong like us. Probably even stronger than you."
Nolan's brows furrowed. "You're talking about turning her into a Viltrumite?"
Mark shook his head. "No. A Kryptonian."
Nolan blinked. "Come again?"
"You remember the device that gave me my powers? From the Flaxan dimension?"
Nolan nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Well, it's called the codex, and it stores the entire genetic blueprint of a race called the Kryptonians. Their planet exploded a long time ago, and when the codex fused with me, I became a hybrid. My body can metabolize yellow sun radiation, enhance my Viltrumite powers, and grant me more abilities—heat vision, enhanced intelligence, and heightened perception. It's what makes me so… overpowered."
Nolan leaned back in his seat, clearly trying to process everything.
"So you're saying… you can use that codex to make your mother like you?"
"Exactly. She'd get the same benefits. And the longer she absorbs yellow sunlight, the longer she'll live. She could outlive even Viltrumites if she wanted to. No aging. No frailty. Just… more time."
Nolan looked amazed. "How did a race that strong go extinct?"
Mark exhaled. "Their planet orbited a red sun. Kryptonians can't absorb energy from red sunlight. So while they were extraordinary under a yellow sun, they were normal, less fragile than humans, on their own planet. When Krypton exploded, they were wiped out. I found their legacy in the Flaxan dimension."
"That's… humbling," Nolan said. "To think, a race like that vanished… they kind of sound like the Viltrumites. Even down to experiencing an extinction-level event, although we managed to survive."
Mark sat back. "Yeah, they seem so similar to Viltrumites that I had an idea. What if I used the codex to make the Viltrumites stronger? Not just better fighters—but more intelligent."
"You'd use Kryptonian DNA to enhance Viltrumites?" Nolan asked, stunned.
Mark nodded. "Call them… Krypto-mites, maybe? Or, Viltr-onians?"
Nolan snorted at the last name. "Sounds ridiculous."
"Maybe. But think about it. We'd be smarter than ever. With longer lives. This new strength and intelligence would be used to bring peace all throughout the universe. Since we wouldn't need to conquer other planets for their resources and go about different ways of gaining them with our new powers."
Nolan stared at him, awestruck. "You really do mean to rebuild the empire."
"I do. And the first Viltrumite I want to enhance," Mark added with a sly grin, "is you."
"Me?" Nolan laughed, surprised. "Why?"
"The emperor can't have a weak dad. And I can't give it to Mom first and let her watch you wither while she thrives."
Nolan rubbed his face, clearly overwhelmed. "Well, I guess it'd be embarrassing to have a weak father. Can't make it worse by being outlived by my wife, too."
Mark chuckled. "Exactly."
At that moment, Allen walked in from the helm. "Hey, uh… we're about to arrive at Viltrum."
Mark and Nolan stood and moved to the viewport. The descending door of the ship opened as they hovered over the landing pad.
Mark paid homage to one of the greatest phrases he'd ever heard. "Alright, Maximum Effort."
XXXX
The ship touched down on a smooth, silver platform. Three figures descended from the sky in perfect unison. Lucan, Thula, and Anissa.
They had healed well since their last encounter. No signs of their prior defeat remained, but the tension in the air was thick.
Anissa stepped forward, posture confident. "Follow us. The Grand Regent is waiting."
As Mark stepped down, he couldn't help but notice the way Anissa's eyes lingered on him. Seemed like she was showing him interest.
He didn't comment on it, walking alongside Nolan and Allen. Lucan followed at their rear, clearly bristling at Nolan's presence. Mark didn't miss the way he glared at his father.
Nolan, on the other hand, just smirked.
They passed towering corridors, engraved with murals of ancient Viltrumite battles and legendary victories. The empire had pride, no doubt. But the energy was cold and unyielding.
Finally, they arrived at a set of massive stone doors. Anissa reached forward and pushed them open with little effort.
Inside was the throne chamber.
And on that throne sat Thragg.
A mountain of muscle and menace, 6'10 inches and 400 pounds, draped in a regal red cloak trimmed with white fur. His eyes were as sharp as his hairline.
"It seems that dog, Conquest, failed," he said with venom. "So… the traitors return."
Mark stepped forward, unfazed. "I'm not a traitor. I was never part of this empire. But I've come to claim the right to change it."
Thragg's gaze narrowed. "You wish to challenge me?"
Mark nodded. "Yup, for the throne."
Thragg chuckled. "You haven't even been alive a full century, and you think you're fit to rule?"
"I do."
He turned his eyes to Nolan. "This is your fault. You raised a fool."
Nolan stepped forward. "No. I raised a better Viltrumite than I ever was."
Thragg's face darkened. "So be it. He has the right to challenge me. Viltrumite laws dictate that the throne may be challenged through combat ever since the heirs to Argall went missing. To the death—or until mercy is granted."
He raised a hand.
"Bring him to the Colosseum."
Mark was led away.
Nolan was taken to the viewing chamber.
Anissa followed Mark, stepping into his waiting chamber. Mark raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to go over the rules."
She leaned in, unintentionally protruding her busty rack. "No weapons. Just natural might. You fight until one is dead—or the stronger spares the lesser. No surrender."
Mark gave a light nod and smiled. "I understand. And I don't plan on losing."
She held his gaze for a second longer, a little fazed at his smile. "We'll see."
She turned and left.
Moments later, the bell rang.
And Mark walked into the arena.
Standing across from him, shedding his regal cloak and handing it to another Viltrumite, was Thragg.
The announcer's voice echoed across the Colosseum.
"For the first time in a millennium, a challenge has been issued for the throne of Viltrum! The traitor-born... or the Grand Regent. Who shall rule?!"
The few Viltrumites who were on the planet watched in silence. The bell rang again.
Mark and Thragg launched themselves at each other.
And the battle for the empire began.
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Author's Notes:
Be sure to check out my p*tr-eon where you get early access to my chapter and you'll be able to talk to me as I'm writing the story. You'll be giving me ideas I can incorporate into the story or feedback as I am a new writer so there may be plot points or mistakes that I haven't thought about. My p*tr-eon name is Bah_Goat.