I'm a Villain, So I'll Take Over The World!

Chapter 48 Clash Of Heroism And Villainy

?["Howl of The Abyss"]

A blast of darkness, forged by intertwined creatures of the abyss and howling spirits of the damned, spread through the sky, shooting across the entirety of the city as it engulfed the hero in its mass of matter and soul-eating energy.

The unleashment of the abyss shrieked and howled, ringing the ears of those who watched from below as the hero of the people was slammed into the mountain lining the outskirts of the city. As soon as the stream of the abyssal energy reached the mountain formation, it exploded into a mass of deathly, harrowing darkness, completely eradicating the range of mountains in totality.

Noah was surprised at the bolstered capabilities of his own, looking at his own hands with a small smile, "There's no need to worry anymore; I can't be touched–not by the Sentinels, not by anyone."

Manifesting in front of him, the Creator's Grimoire flipped through its pages as cosmic seals bearing swirling hieroglyphs spun around its form.

[Level 250 Reached: [300] new pages of the grimoire have been unlocked.]

Fueled with a new arsenal, Noah waved his finger like a conductor, causing the book to rapidly flip through its papers as he discovered a new spell to test amidst the battle, almost paying no mind to the threat of the wounded hero, who was still laying in pain from the last attack.

Noah set his sights on the city below, finding himself intrigued by the possibility of one of his new spells:

["Universal Authority: Conceptual Sphere of Life"]

As he pointed down to the city of Seattle, the spell encapsulated the entirety of it, invoking a cosmic light that sprouted from the outskirts of the city before condensing it rapidly. In a flash, with the civilians inside screaming from the jarring magecraft, the massive city was scaled down into a sphere, resembling that of a snowglobe.

Noah brought it into his hand, levitating above the massive crater that sat in place where Seattle used to inhabit, peering into the sphere that contained the living city.

"Interesting," Noah remarked.

Inside, cars still drove on the roads and people screamed at the sight of the man who appeared colossal to them.

Witnessing what had just happened, Clark stumbled out from the desecrated crater which the mountain range once sat, witnessing the horrific destruction that laid in the wake of simple gestures from the evolved villain.

"...No…" Clark muttered.

The man was covered in wounds from the abyss' terror as bites marks were left in his flesh and bruises o' plenty blemished his skin.

"Noah…!" Clark yelled out, shooting up from the ground as the barren soil shattered from his takeoff.

As the battered hero charged towards Noah, who was distracted while studying his improved grimoire, a punch was thrown towards the Creator's Grimoire user, though the man simply leaned back while still keeping his eyes on the grimoire.

Clark grunted, continuing to swing aggressively without any form or plan, angrily thrusting his fists in Noah's direction as he yelled, "I'll stop you."

"I'm waiting," Noah calmly replied without moving his eyes from the pages.

Each blow was dodged effortlessly as Noah showed something akin to a sixth sense, able to casually hover out of the range of each punch, much to Clark's frustration.

This was due to a new skill unlocked, a passive ability: ["Universal Instinct"]

Giving up on fisticuffs, Clark's eyes lit up with a crimson glow before he shot a wide-spread burst of his heat vision towards Noah.

Finally, the man lifted a finger in response, though still not even paying the Sentinel a moment of his gaze.

["Universal Gate"]

In front of Noah, a portal opened, filled with a kaleidoscope of cosmic apparitions within before the heat vision clashed against it, flowing straight through the portal as another opened to the right of Clark.

"Huh–?" Clark paused, glancing to the side.

From the second kaleidoscope gate, the very same flow of kinetic heat unleashed, slamming directly into the Superhero System user.

To Clark's surprise, the lasers were more potent than anticipated as it sent him crashing back down against the ground, leaving his body steaming as half of it was reddened from a light degree of burns.

"...Huff…" Clark breathed out.

Noah hovered above him, "I amplified your heat through my Universal Gate, if you're wondering why that took the breath out of you."

Picking himself up slowly, Clark's body was left in a deathly state, breathing heavily as blood trickled from his lip, yet still holding that unbreakable resolve in his eyes.

"...Why do you keep getting up?" Noah asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Clark told him, taking in a breath, "...It's my sworn duty to protect this world. Unlike you, I love humanity; the power I obtained, I vowed it to them–I want to protect their futures, their dreams, their smiles…To do that, I'll stop you."

Looking down at the man for a moment, his grimoire began flipping through its pages as he briefly closed his eyes before opening them once more–

"Be my guest," Noah replied.

Rushing towards him once more, Clark threw his fists, though it held little merit as once again, the hero failed to so much as graze the stoic villain.

"What happened to that fire in you? You were stronger than this," Noah asked, intercepting the man and placing his finger against his chest.

["Universal Agony"]

From his pointed finger, Noah inflicted an otherworldly level of pain onto Clark, stifling him mid-punch as the man convulsed from the full-body surge of agony.

While the Sentinel was stunlocked from the overwhelming pain that gripped his body, Noah reached his hand out towards the man's head.

"Now…let's poke around your head a bit and see where the other Sentinels are–" Noah said.

Before his fingertips could touch Clark's blood-slick, blonde tufts, the man suddenly came to, breaking free from the cage of agony as he knocked Noah's hand back.

"--?" Noah looked more confused than anything.

[Superhero System: Innate Ability: "Final Stand"]

An ability unknown even to Clark himself, of which activated at the premonition of his own demise. Yet, headstrong and fearless, the man stood tall as his veins flowed with a bright, chromatic glow.

"I see," Noah remarked, readying himself, "An evolution in response to an evolution."

The hero's eyes shined not of crimson heat, but a kaleidoscope of silver, emanating a supreme flow of energy.

[Clark]

[Level:150]

"...Don't be mistaken. Heroes don't fall that easily. Somebody as weak-willed as you wouldn't understand that, though," Clark said.

A golden radiance surrounded the Superhero System wielder's body, like a cloak of godliness flowing off of his body. As a breath left the lips of the blonde-haired man, it escaped him in the form of a chaotic gust.

"Oh?"

Noah could feel the mighty winds pushing against his body, yet he remained as still as a statue in the air, though it was an impressive feat of raw, inhuman power nonetheless from the Sentinel.

There was an unrestrained pressure exuding from Clark now; as he flexed his muscles, they coiled with a tremendous strength.

'…As I am now, I can't hold anything back. It feels as though I could crush mountains with my fingertips. This is my will given form–I can't lose!' Clark thought.

Noah accepted the challenge, finally meeting eye-to-eye with his foe as he lifted his gaze from the Creator's Grimoire, "Come, then. I'd like to test my new capabilities."

Nothing more was needed as Clark's will and rage manifested through his response to the open invitation from the world's villain; in a flash of golden sublimity, the hero warped forth with his incredible speed.

Noah's irises tracked the movement of Clark, following him seamlessly even at the swiftness that surpassed light itself swirling around him.

As a blue of seraphic light, the Sentinel rushed in with his arm cocked back for a massive swing incoming, to which Noah reacted instantly–

Swerving out of the way, he witnessed the missed punch penetrate the skies with a massive shock wave; through the sea of clouds, it cut through like a blade, parting their dormant form.

"Careful now. If you're careless, it's not me you'll be hurting with those wild blows," Noah said, glancing over.

It was clear what he was referring to as Clark realized such as well, obviously not adjusted to his increase in power: civilians still occupied the region, watching hopefully for the victory of the Sentinel.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? You take joy in the despair of others," Clark said in a disgusted tone.

Noah took a moment to respond, "At times."

The malignant reply sent Clark into a fury as he flew forward in a rush, expelling the supreme heat from his eyes as the flash of red shot towards the wielder of the Creator's Grimoire.

"Try not to be so predictable," Noah calmly said, raising his hand.

["Universal Gate"]

Once more, he manifested the colorful gate of spatial distortion, siphoning the ray of heat into another dimension entirely. At the wave of his hand, he manifested the companion to the first gate, which spawned directly above Clark with a redirection of his own magnified energy.