Mark obediently stuck to the agreement—no more flying. The two fought solely on the ground. Against someone whose speed was nearly three times his own, the battle was, unsurprisingly, completely one-sided.
No matter how strong you are, it's useless if you can't land a hit.
The canyon floor was scarred with craters and uneven terrain, as if it had been bombarded by a barrage of missiles. After being knocked down multiple times, Mark raised his hand in surrender and collapsed in defeat.
"I give up. I'm done," he muttered, lying flat on the ground.
Anyone constantly getting beaten would eventually lose the will to fight.
The battle was over, but Russell's system still hadn't recorded Mark's template. Russell frowned.
"Only counts if I really defeat him?
Play-fighting like this doesn't count?"
Oh well. He still had plenty of powerful templates he hadn't integrated yet—there was no rush to acquire Mark's.
As for security concerns, he was currently the fastest man on this planet. No one could keep up with him, not even Omni-Man.
And when it came to ground combat, even a Mark still unfamiliar with his powers was no match for him.
"The current Mark isn't the mid-game version wearing the blue suit, the one with 149% more strength, 65% faster speed, and 70% more endurance after extensive training and combat experience."
Besides, another thought occurred to Russell.
"Can a person's template be copied twice?"
If not, should he wait and copy Mark's template only after he becomes the upgraded, blue-suited version?
He turned back to look at Mark, walked over, and called out.
"Get up."
"I told you—I'm done fighting."
"This time's different. You can fly. I'm going to help you get used to your powers." Russell crouched down and flicked Mark's forehead.
"Really, cousin?" Mark sat up immediately, eyes sparkling.
"Of course it's real."
Thanks to Russell's presence, Mark had grown up with a cousin his own age—someone to go to school and grow up with. He was more cheerful and open than the Mark in the original animated series.
However, seeing his father, Omni-Man—the protector of their family and the Earth—fall into a coma after being severely injured by an unknown enemy, had instilled in Mark a sense of urgency and responsibility.
He was determined to follow in his father's footsteps and become a true superhero, to protect his family and the planet.
Russell spent the rest of the morning helping Mark become familiar with his powers.
Later, after they left for lunch—
"We've finally arrived, folks! The magnificent Grand Canyon of Colorado!" a cheerful tour guide announced, holding up a selfie stick and waving a small flag as he led a group of tourists to the canyon's edge.
Reciting the well-worn lines of his tour script with a smile, he turned his head—and abruptly fell silent.
"This natural wonder, carved by millions of years of river erosion, each layer of rock recording the history of Earth…"
The sight before them plunged the entire tour group into silence.
One tourist compared the pristine, majestic canyon featured in the brochure with the devastation before them and looked utterly confused.
The once awe-inspiring Grand Canyon now looked like it had been brutally ravaged by a giant's fists.
Dozens of towering rock pillars had been snapped in half. The canyon walls were covered in terrifying fractures.
The canyon floor was laced with brilliant, glowing trails—seemingly formed by intense heat and friction—while sand and gravel had crystallized into strange patterns, reflecting dazzling rays of sunlight.
Most chilling of all was a massive crater at the canyon's center, over a hundred meters in diameter. Its swirling pattern burrowed deep into the Earth, as if a massive tornado had just torn through it.
"What the hell happened to the Grand Canyon?"
The tour guide, Jack, stood dumbfounded, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Could it be… some sort of rare geological activity…?"
A middle-aged man in the group suddenly took off his sunglasses, eyes wide in shock.
He was a geological engineer, visiting specifically to admire this unique wonder of the world. More than anyone, he knew what kind of terrifying force would be needed to inflict this level of destruction.
"This… this wasn't caused by geological activity…" he said hoarsely, staring at the gaping hole—large enough to stuff the Eiffel Tower inside, upside down. "It's as if gods fought here."
A hot wind swept through the canyon, lifting shards of crystallized sand that glittered in the sun.
The tourists stood gaping, overwhelmed by a visceral sense of their own insignificance before this landscape, reshaped by unimaginable power.
Even after Mark regained his ability to fly, he still couldn't defeat Russell—Russell was simply too fast.
Likewise, Russell couldn't do anything to flying Mark. At one point, he even tried unleashing his full power to create a massive whirlwind that might drag Mark out of the sky—but it didn't work.
For now, it was a stalemate.
Inside Global Defense HQ, Cecil watched a replay of the battle, stroking his chin. His brows lifted slightly, a rare smile creeping into the corners of his eyes.
"Russell Hansen's power is no weaker than Mark Grayson's Viltrumite heritage," said his assistant, Donald, sounding stunned.
"Too bad Earth only has one Russell Hansen… and two Viltrumites."
At that, Cecil's eyes narrowed.
To be honest, Omni-Man had performed flawlessly on Earth for years. Even the Global Guardians had been won over by his strength and character. When he suddenly turned on them, most initially believed he was under some kind of mind control.
But someone like Cecil rarely puts absolute trust in anyone.
Especially when it came to the massacre of the Global Guardians. As far as he knew, there was only one person on Earth capable of doing that.
In a case where only one suspect has the means to commit the crime—the case is basically solved.
But Cecil didn't dare jump to conclusions. Or rather, he didn't want to imagine that someone as powerful as Omni-Man might actually be guilty.
He had assigned a special investigation team to look into it, praying that his worst fears weren't true. Because if they were…
"Russell only recently awakened his powers. Maybe he'll continue to grow stronger?"
Donald cautiously offered a more optimistic perspective to comfort the director.
"Let's hope so." Cecil rubbed his temples, visibly distressed.
Right now, the two seemed evenly matched, each with their own advantages. But Mark Grayson had Viltrumite blood—he could still get much, much stronger.
He could only hope that Russell's power hadn't already reached its peak.
"Stop staring at me, Mark."
The next morning on their way to school, Russell glanced at Mark with exasperation. They were flying side by side—ten thousand meters above the ground.
"Cousin, do you feel any new powers awakening?" Mark asked, sneaking glances at Russell like a thief.
After visiting Omni-Man at the GDA's internal hospital yesterday, they had returned home. Despite the family crisis, they were still students and had to go back to school.
This morning, when Mark woke up, the first thing he saw was Russell flying outside his window—practicing in the air.
He was completely stunned.
" You can fly?!"
After all, it was thanks to flight that he'd avoided defeat the day before. His airborne advantage hadn't even lasted twelve hours.
Then Russell said something that gave him a bit of relief:
"I discovered it this morning. Seems like I can switch between different modes.
Though I can fly now, and my strength has increased a lot, I'm way slower than before in this form."
"I call my old form 'Speed Mode,' and this one 'Aerial Mode.'"
....
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
If you want to read 30 advanced chapters before they get Thanos-snapped, check out my [email protected]/INTRAX (Replace @ with 'a')