Cherreads

Chapter 488 - Chapter 488: A Silent Challenge

"Maybe… I really should do something," Shin muttered, his voice carrying the hesitant weight of someone caught between reluctance and duty. His gaze drifted into the distance, seeing far beyond the horizon, seeing the mess the world had become.

Earth was no longer just fractured, it was collapsing into chaos. Deep beneath the ocean's surface, Aquaman had allied himself with an unknown superhuman, using the ocean floor itself as a weapon. Their constant seismic disruptions rippled upward, creating periodic tremors across entire continents. Skyscrapers swayed, streets cracked, and entire towns had begun to sink into the sea.

The Amazons, on the other hand, had chosen an even darker path. They had seized control of all of Britain, turning the entire island into their empire's capital. But conquest wasn't enough, they began abducting women from across the world, forcibly transforming them into Amazons through cruel genetic and magical experiments.

On paper, the offer might sound tempting, immortality, strength, and agility beyond human limits. But the reality was grim. The survival rate was abysmally low, and the corpses from failed transformations were piling high. Vast concentration camps dotted their territories, filled with the unfortunate victims awaiting their "conversion."

In short, neither faction could be considered righteous. Humanity had been reduced to pawns, casualties, or property.

Shin exhaled slowly, as though the very air carried the stench of war. "I'll start by talking to both sides," he murmured. "It looks like the Flashpoint timeline wasn't restored after all. This whole thing's just a twisted parallel universe now."

His lips curled into a bitter smile. "The Amazons are bastards, the Atlanteans are bastards, the military's full of bastards… yeah, this world's a paradise for villains. Ordinary people don't stand a chance."

Without another word, Shin's form blurred into a streak of light, and in less than a heartbeat, he was gone.

When he reappeared, it was with a thunderous crack of displaced air right behind Wonder Woman herself.

The Amazon queen was in the middle of binding Steve Trevor with the Lasso of Truth. Her eyes burned with cold judgment as she prepared to extract answers from the man who, in another timeline, had been her first link to the outside world.

"This world really is something else," Shin remarked, his tone almost amused. "Wonder Woman about to kill Steve Trevor… What a fairy tale."

Diana's head snapped around, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you? And how dare you speak so disrespectfully to the Queen of the Amazons!" Her voice was regal, but the underlying sharpness betrayed her caution. The Amazons surrounding her reacted instantly, raising their spears and swords toward Shin.

"I'm here to mediate," Shin said flatly, rolling his eyes. "How about ending this war before you turn the planet into a wasteland?"

"Stop the war?" Diana's tone turned icy. "Tell that to the Atlanteans. They started this, flooded our lands, and slaughtered our people. You expect me to just forgive that?"

"Funny," Shin replied, smiling faintly. "I don't remember the Atlanteans building those concentration camps I've seen scattered across your territory."

Diana's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb," Shin said, his voice dropping into a disappointed sigh. "I thought you'd be the easiest to reason with. But if you need help… maybe I'll just give it to you. Physical help."

The tension shattered in an instant. Diana struck first, moving faster than most could blink. The God Killer, a divine weapon forged by the god of fire himself, flashed with lethal brilliance.

Shin's instincts screamed at him. He knew what that blade could do. It wasn't just sharp, it was a subatomic cutter, capable of slicing through matter at the atomic level. Even his enhanced Kryptonian body might not survive a direct hit.

But he wasn't defenseless. From his hand, a blinding silver glow erupted as a gauntlet formed, forged from the Galactic Glaze stored within him, a material so absurdly resilient it could withstand the collapse of stars, planetary annihilation, and even black hole singularities. 

In the Marvel Universe, it was one of the rarest and most indestructible metals known. The sword met the gauntlet with a resonant ping and stopped cold. Diana's eyes widened in shock. That brief moment of disbelief was all Shin needed. His grip tightened, and with a sharp crack, the legendary blade splintered into shards.

Diana barely had time to process the impossible before the silver metal in Shin's hand shifted and elongated into a katana. The weapon felt natural in his grasp, a blend of ninja discipline and pirate ferocity from his past lives.

Shin's swordsmanship wasn't legendary, he'd learned the basics in the shinobi world and sharpened them in battles on the high seas, but his sheer power and speed elevated every swing into something terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, the silver blade blurred. Diana's limbs went numb, and then she realized they were gone. Her arms and legs lay separated from her body before she even felt the pain.

And he didn't stop there. Shin became a streak of killing light, weaving through the Amazon ranks. Every warrior fell in pieces, including a robed sorceress whose green garments marked her as one of Themyscira's most powerful magicians.

This was the difference between Superman-level power and the rest.

For all his might, Superman in the comics rarely exerted his full strength. Even Injustice Superman, feared as a tyrant, had never truly unleashed himself. The truth was simple, if he did, opponents like Wonder Woman or Aquaman would be overwhelmed instantly.

Consider Atlantis's seismic weapon, a doomsday machine capable of tearing continents apart. Superman's punch, moving at light speed, could shatter the crust of the Earth with far greater force. His sheer strength could lift the planet itself.

Against that level of raw, physical supremacy, second-tier fighters stood no chance. And Shin, now matching or perhaps even surpassing that standard, made it brutally clear.

Wonder Woman's forces lay broken around him, the battlefield silent except for the faint hiss of falling dust.

Shin's expression didn't change. He simply looked down at the fallen Amazon queen and said, "That's one side quieted. Now… for the other."

*******************************

After my first week back, updates will return to the regular schedule: 1 chapter on weekdays and 2 chapters on weekends.

For each power stones milestone—25, 50, 100, 150, and beyond—I will release a bonus chapter.

If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion

70+ Advance Chapters Now Available!

More Chapters