BOOM!
The world shook.
It wasn't just sound—it was pressure, a rolling tide of raw force that devoured everything in its path. The ground quaked as if the planet itself had taken a breath and scread. Windows shattered, buildings trembled, and the air burned hot enough to sting the lungs.
For a brief, haunting instant, it felt like the end of days had arrived.
The explosion of divine and cosmic power rged into one cataclysmic symphony, a clash that could have leveled mountains. To any bystander, it was the sa as standing on the lip of an erupting volcano—helpless before sothing greater, sothing godlike.
Then, silence.
The shockwaves faded into distant echoes, and the storm of dust began to settle. Out of that swirling haze, a solitary silhouette erged.
A man.
Calm. Upright. Unscathed.
Each step he took was deliberate, the crunch of debris beneath his boots cutting through the silence. The light caught his face—perfectly composed, expression unreadable. Not a scratch marred his skin. Not a strand of hair out of place.
He might as well have been taking a casual stroll through the park rather than standing in the aftermath of a demigoddess's wrath.
> "How… how is that possible?"
> "What kind of monster have I run into?"
Diana's voice trembled as she stared at him. Her eyes, usually steady and unshakable, were wide with disbelief.
That last move—the Bracelet Shockwave, her trump card—had leveled cities before. No mortal could have survived it. Yet here this man stood, utterly unhard.
She had faced gods, titans, and monsters in her ti… but none had ever made her feel this powerless.
> "So this is the real strength of Holander?"
From his vantage point on a shattered rooftop, Batman watched in stunned silence.
He'd always known Holander's strength defied logic—records, reports, none of them ever matched the scale of what he was seeing now.
But witnessing it firsthand was sothing else entirely.
The way Alex had stood against that divine blast…
It wasn't human. It wasn't even Kryptonian.
No. This was sothing beyond.
A being that mocked the very idea of limits.
In that mont, Batman understood sothing chilling: even gods might fear him.
> "Impressive, Diana."
Alex's voice cut through the silence—smooth, steady, almost amused. He even offered a small nod of acknowledgnt, like a teacher praising a student who'd shown promise.
And yet… there was no arrogance in his tone.
If anything, he sounded genuinely impressed. That attack had been strong enough to make even Thanos hesitate. Few beings in any universe could have endured it head-on.
But to Diana's ears, his calm praise was nothing but mockery.
Her pride flared like fire.
With a furious cry, she lunged forward again—her fists blurring in a storm of motion. Every punch cracked the air like a gunshot.
She wasn't fighting for victory anymore. She was fighting for her honor. For the divine weapon that had been stolen from her.
The shield fragnts? She could accept losing those.
But the Lasso of Truth—that was sacred.
That was hers.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The alley beca a hurricane of gold and red, power colliding with power. The shockwaves tore through the night, windows bursting, walls collapsing.
And through it all, Batman could only watch, his mind struggling to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.
Because no matter how hard Diana fought, it wasn't enough.
"Furious" didn't an "equal."
Alex dominated the battlefield with effortless precision.
Every ti she swung, he countered. Every ti she tried to block, he broke through her guard.
Within seconds, bruises began to bloom across her perfect skin, her breath growing shallow from the relentless onslaught.
THUD!
A heavy strike sent her crashing to the ground again. The pavent cratered beneath her impact.
Alex landed softly beside her, brushing dust off his hands as if he'd just finished a workout. His voice was calm, casual—almost gentle.
> "Give it up, Diana. You're not my match."
> "It's too soon for that! An Amazon warrior never admits defeat!"
Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth, but her eyes burned brighter than ever. She sprang forward once more, swinging with all her might.
Alex sighed, shaking his head, an almost fond smile crossing his face.
> "Stubborn woman."
If she insisted on continuing, then he would simply have to keep knocking her down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The sounds of destruction filled the night once more. Every strike they exchanged shattered another section of the street. Lampposts crumpled. Cars flipped. The sky itself seed to tremble.
Diana's breathing grew ragged. Sweat and blood streaked her face. Her armor was cracked, her arms trembling from exhaustion.
And then—
Wee-oo, wee-oo!
The sound of distant sirens pierced through the smoke.
Both combatants paused.
Even Diana had to admit it.
This fight was over.
She had given it everything she had—and it still wasn't enough.
> "Holander, this isn't over."
Her voice was low but steady, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
Alex t her eyes and smiled faintly. There was no mockery now, only quiet confidence.
Then, without another word, Diana turned.
She leapt into the night sky, vanishing into the shadows of Gotham like a phantom.
Alex exhaled softly, rolling his shoulders.
> "I'll be taking these for now," he murmured, glancing down at the vault under his arm. "Better find the remaining fragnts before anyone else does."
He tilted his head toward Batman, still perched on a cracked wall nearby, and gave him a small, knowing smirk.
Then—
In a blur of motion, he was gone.
---
A short while later—
Alex's apartnt.
> "You're back, Holander!"
The door hadn't even fully closed before Catwoman was in his arms, wrapping herself around him like a cat greeting its owner after a long night. Her warmth pressed against him, her tone teasing and sweet.
For all her supposed indifference, she was remarkably affectionate.
> "What's that? A safe?"
Her eyes sparkled as she noticed the heavy tal vault in his grasp. It didn't take a world-class thief to know it wasn't from the local pawn shop.
Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.
Maybe her dear Holander wasn't so different from her after all. Maybe he liked stealing shiny things too.
How romantic.
Alex chuckled softly, shaking his head. He didn't bother explaining. There were so things she didn't need to know.
After a brief exchange, he slipped past her and into his room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.
Silence.
Then—
He reached into his jacket and drew out the Lasso of Truth, its golden strands pulsing faintly with divine energy. The artifact glimred like liquid sunlight in his hands.
He could already feel the hum of power within it, resonating with his Ultimate System.
> [Special energy source detected!]
[Analyzing…]
[Energy Value: 2000 Origin Points. Status: Extractable.]
The familiar holographic interface flickered before his eyes.
A slow smile spread across Alex's lips.
Two thousand points wasn't earth-shattering for him anymore, but it was nothing to scoff at either.
After all, even the AllSpark—one of the most potent energy sources in existence—had only given him three thousand.
He turned his attention to the shield fragnts next.
Only eight hundred points.
Not surprising. There were just two shards, fragnts of what was once a whole.
Bruce Wayne had spent weeks finding them. Most of the shield still remained scattered—hidden across the world.
Which ant Bruce had more work to do.
Alex thought for a mont, then nodded to himself.
He'd extract the Lasso's power now, but leave the fragnts untouched.
> "Let's do it."
He wrapped his fingers around the glowing rope and gave the command.
> [Extracting energy…]
[Extraction successful!]
Fwoosh!
The Lasso disintegrated before his eyes, turning into streams of golden dust that swirled around him before fading into nothingness.
His Origin counter blinked, numbers climbing by two thousand.
Not a massive leap—but definitely a good start.
Considering he'd only been in this world for a little over a month, his progress was nothing short of miraculous.
Once, he had scraped by earning re hundreds of points.
Now, he was devouring thousands.
At this pace, even the gods would beco stepping stones.
He leaned back, letting the quiet hum of new energy settle into his veins.
Then, a faint grin curved his lips.
> "Guess I should thank little sis Diana for the free al."
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