In the dark night, the starry sky shone brightly.
The river beneath Aquaman's feet was blue, like a stream of starlight under the brilliant night sky, as he walked upon it, heading toward Bardi.
He could not fly. Although he could leap thousands of meters and use the magic within his body to maintain temporary suspension in the air, strictly speaking, he was unable to fly. This was the limit of his strength.
Bardi's trench coat fluttered beneath the starry sky. His cheeks were puffed slightly as the cold wind howled, and the waves beneath his feet froze instantly. The ice spread across his body and the surging sea beneath him, turning him into an ice sculpture, temporarily immobilizing him.
Immediately after, Diana unleashed her full power.
The two clashed in the sky, erupting with a massive impact, each blasted backward but quickly regaining their footing midair.
The two stood poised beneath the starry sky. Bardi's white trench coat billowed, his presence towering like a mountain, looking down upon the world.
Facing him was a beautiful figure. Her skin was crystal clear, radiating a brilliant golden glow. Under the night sky, she appeared as a peerless beauty.
They charged across the sky, cutting through the starlit night, and collided again. Each strike resounded with deafening force, their battle echoing endlessly through the heavens.
Even with Bardi's current physical strength, Diana did not dare to strike him directly with the full power of the God Killer Sword. The God Killer Sword was an artifact capable of splitting matter at the atomic level, possessing tremendous destructive power.
It could faintly suppress Bardi's formidable Kryptonian physique.
But Bardi was too powerful. Over the past decade, he had absorbed solar energy continuously every day, reaching a level of strength surpassing that of the original Superman, combined with masterful combat skills.
Even though divine power could suppress Kryptonian cells, Bardi's body alone was powerful enough to contend against such forces.
Diana's strength was formidable. No matter how hard she tried, she could not easily wound Bardi.
'Clang…'
As they fought in the sky, the sound of clashing metal rang out. Bardi seized an opportunity, striking the side of Diana's God Killer Sword with his fist. The impact produced a thunderous metallic crash.
Diana's golden expression turned fierce and stern. She gripped the sword tightly, her hands trembling from the force. The massive impact nearly knocked the weapon from her grasp, and golden blood trickled from the torn skin between her thumb and forefinger.
Bardi's strength clearly shocked her. She had unleashed the divine power sealed within her body, yet she still could not overpower him. This shook her deeply. Her eyes filled with both awe and fear.
"This is already the power of a god…"
Diana's heart trembled. Her own power approached that of the gods. She carried the blood of the supreme god, Zeus. Though she did not know Zeus was her father, she was aware that divine power came from her potent bloodline. Its magnitude and strength were undeniable.
At least on Paradise Island, within the entire Amazon race, no one could stand shoulder to shoulder with her or contend with her strength.
This was why her mother had instructed her to wear the silver bracelets, suppressing the divine power that might otherwise terrify the outside world.
Yet here, Bardi's strength was on par with hers, if not greater. She even found herself at a disadvantage in battle. This was simply unimaginable to her. This was godlike power.
The so-called gods of Olympus were only this strong.
Diana narrowed her golden eyes, raising her divine shield to block Bardi's oncoming assault.
'Boom…'
The divine shield endured the full brunt of Bardi's devastating attack, a force on par with a planet-level powerhouse.
The golden divine energy shimmering on the shield's surface shattered under the blow, the scattered starlight fading into the night. The immense force blasted Diana backward.
Her body shot across the sky like a meteor, burning red with supersonic heat along her exposed shoulders and back.
Even though the divine shield had absorbed part of the impact, the remaining force was still terrifying. It transmitted through her arms, shaking her internal organs. She felt nauseated, blood rising in her throat. Clenching her teeth tightly, she endured stubbornly. A trickle of golden blood slid from the corner of her mouth, floating in the air.
Just as Bardi prepared to pursue and finish Diana off completely—
At that moment.
Aquaman broke free from the ice. His muscular body twisted midair like a statue of Greek beauty and strength. The trident in his hand emitted a blue magical glow, screaming through the air with a sonic boom as he hurled it at Bardi.
Bardi halted in midair, his gaze cold. The trident was also an artifact, imbued with the magic to control the ocean. Its power could rival divine energy.
It seemed that magic dealt even greater damage to Bardi's Kryptonian physique. While divine power could restrain Kryptonian cells, it did not have the same fatal effect as magic.
Bardi had sensed this during his earlier battle with Diana.
Though much magic derived from divine energy, high-level divine power lacked the raw, destructive properties of magical energy.
Divine power was a higher-tier energy, attacking both the body and the will. It could destroy the flesh while shaking the spirit.
But Bardi's willpower was unbreakable. Not even Diana's divine energy could crush it. Even the Green Lantern ring had abandoned Hal Jordan and chosen Bardi instead. This alone showed how resistant his mind was to divine interference.
Magic, on the other hand—especially powerful soul magic or pure elemental magic like water magic—directly attacked his body, causing significant harm.
The trident, radiating blue magical energy, tore through the night sky once more with an ear-splitting shriek.
Bardi's heat vision adjusted to its strongest shockwave mode.
The heat vision had two modes. One could release an explosive shockwave fueled by the body's energy. The other emitted a concentrated thermal beam known for its ultra-high temperatures.
In the dark night, Bardi's heat vision collided violently with the incoming trident. A massive sonic boom cloud appeared instantly, only to be shattered by the sheer force of the impact.
The trident was knocked high into the sky again, spinning like a windmill under the bright stars.
This time, however, Aquaman was unable to retrieve it.
Bardi leapt into the air, intercepting Aquaman before he could regain control of the trident.
Aquaman's face filled with horror. Suspended in the air without the support of land or ocean, his power had dropped significantly. He had never been Diana's equal to begin with, and now, facing Bardi midair, it was nothing short of a disaster.
Aquaman tried to summon the sea behind him, hoping to reconnect with the ocean and regain his strength.
But Bardi was faster. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Aquaman.
In Aquaman's terrified gaze, Bardi stepped on his chest. His body caved in, the sternum crushed outward as the sea below lost Aquaman's control, pouring down like heavy rain.
The trident spun through the sky like a windmill before Bardi caught it effortlessly with his left hand.
In the darkness.
Bardi's eyes remained cold. Holding the trident in his hand, he stood atop Aquaman as if riding a surfboard, pressing him down until his sternum sank, blood dripping beneath him.
Under the dark night and the shining starry sky, Aquaman bled, utterly powerless to resist.
(To be continued.)
***
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