Chapter 21 — The Blood of a Viltrumite
After arriving home, Arthur didn't waste a second. His body was still buzzing from the thrill of the day's events, his mind already planning the next phase of his plan. Without even sitting down to rest, he walked straight to the bathroom. Steam soon filled the room as warm water poured over his tired muscles. The heat relaxed his body, but his thoughts remained sharp, focused.
"Today," Arthur whispered to himself as droplets rolled down his face, "I'll enter the world of Invincible and get Mark's blood. Or maybe Conquest's. Either one will work."
He ran his fingers through his silver-and-black hair, now damp with water. His eyes glowed faintly with the residual energy of Shadow's powers. The plan was simple, but the stakes were high. As long as I'm fast enough, he thought, there won't be any problems. In and out before anyone even notices.
After drying off and getting dressed, Arthur made his way to the living room. He turned on the TV, not out of interest, but to appear normal to anyone watching. The screen flickered on, and a news anchor's voice filled the room.
> "Reports continue to rise about the escalating violence and unsolved murders plaguing Gotham City..."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
"Looks like they've still got a rough road ahead," he muttered. "That annoying bat still hasn't started his crusade yet. Too bad for them."
Before he could sink deeper into the news, his mother's voice echoed from the kitchen.
— "Arthur! Dinner's ready!"
He responded with a quick "Coming!" and joined his family at the table. The scent of freshly made food filled the room—rice, beans, roasted chicken, and vegetables. His parents chatted about small things, the day's work on the farm, and little updates from the neighbors. His younger brother talked about school and some silly thing his friends did. Arthur nodded, smiled, gave short replies. His mind was somewhere else.
He finished his plate quickly, politely excused himself, and made his way to his bedroom. The door clicked shut behind him, and the silence was immediate, like a curtain falling between two worlds. He waited. Patiently. He could hear the soft creak of the house settling, the murmurs of his parents preparing for bed. Eventually, the silence grew deeper—everyone was asleep.
Arthur stood in the center of his room and took a deep breath. The air around him began to pulse, his fingers crackling with energy. "Time to begin."
With a smooth gesture, he activated his dimensional portal. A deep purple light cut through the air, forming a swirling vortex of power. His hair lifted slightly, caught in the surge of energy as the space around him bent and cracked.
"Let's go," he whispered, stepping forward into the unknown.
---
On the other side, the world of Invincible greeted him not with silence but with chaos. The city was a mess of shattered buildings, overturned cars, and debris. Fires crackled in the distance. Sirens wailed. Screams echoed. The air was thick with dust and the scent of blood. Arthur crouched low behind a crumbling wall, taking in the destruction.
His silver eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon. There. Two figures were locked in brutal combat—Mark Grayson, better known as Invincible, and the terrifying Viltrumite Conquest. They tore through the city like hurricanes, every punch demolishing concrete, every slam cracking the earth.
Arthur's heart raced.
"This is it."
He activated Shadow's power, and a wave of black and red energy exploded around him. His body blurred, becoming almost invisible as he dashed forward with blinding speed. Lightning-like streaks followed his path. As he moved, time seemed to slow around him, the world dragging behind his velocity.
He raced across broken streets, over cars and fallen lamp posts, darting between pockets of flame and flying debris. Then—he saw it. A crimson droplet of blood falling through the air, cast off from one of Mark's wounds mid-battle.
Everything froze.
The wind stopped.
Arthur lunged forward with perfect precision. In an instant, he caught the drop of blood midair, landing on the cracked pavement below with grace. The blood shimmered in his hand like liquid fire.
"Got it."
His eyes glowed with triumph.
Without hesitation, he activated his devouring ability. The blood dissolved into his palm, and he felt it—the raw, alien power of the Viltrumite lineage flooding his veins. His body tensed violently, as if resisting the change. Pain tore through him like fire, but he grit his teeth and endured.
He opened a portal just as the shockwave of another punch from the battle approached. Behind him, the battle raged on. In front of him, his room waited—quiet and familiar.
He leaped through the dimensional tear, which sealed behind him like a closing wound.
---
Back in his room, Arthur collapsed onto his bed, breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his face, but a grin spread across it. The transformation had begun.
His muscles tensed and expanded. His bones ached as they strengthened. His senses sharpened, hearing every insect outside, every heartbeat in the house. His speed increased again. His body was evolving, adapting to the new genetic code now written into him.
"Viltrumite blood," he muttered. "This power... it's insane."
His heartbeat thumped louder, more powerful, like the engine of a jet.
He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts swimming.
"Phase Two just became a lot easier."
Sleep took him soon after, but even as his mind drifted off, his body continued changing, growing stronger with each passing second.
The plan was working. His dream of becoming unstoppable was no longer just a fantasy.
It was inevitable.
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