The golden energy beam lasted for more than ten seconds before slowly dissipating.
The huge gully that cut through the battlefield was still emitting wisps of white smoke.
Everyone stopped their movements and looked towards the source of the energy.
Barry, in the distance, clutched his knees, panting heavily.
"Ha… ha… did this guy detonate a nuke in someone's mouth?"
Hal Jordan removed the energy shield in front of him, and the green light of his ring had dimmed considerably.
"My ring says the energy reading from that last shot fried its processor… it's now demanding compensation for emotional damages."
And in the very center of the battlefield.
Steppenwolf was still standing, his body swaying slightly.
His iconic pair of massive curved horns on his head were gone.
Only half of the grotesque helmet on his head remained, revealing his grayish-blue scalp and a few strands of burnt hair.
The indestructible silver armor on his chest had been directly vaporized in a large section, revealing the bulging muscles and intricate scars beneath.
He shook his dazed head, a rattling sound coming from his throat.
He looked up at the golden figure floating in mid-air dozens of meters away.
"Ha… hahaha… cough…"
Steppenwolf let out a disdainful laugh.
"I thought… you were stronger…"
He tried to raise his hand to point at Tel-Rol and mock him, but his words got stuck halfway.
He noticed a very strange problem.
The golden-haired Kryptonian was clearly dozens of meters away from him.
But how were his two personal divine weapons, the battle-axe and the great red sword, still in his hands?
No, that's not right.
Steppenwolf's mind was a bit muddled.
He looked at the battle-axe and the great red sword Tel-Rol was holding.
On the hilt of the battle-axe, there was still a silver arm with grotesque armguards.
On the hilt of the great red sword, there was also an identical arm.
Dark green blood was still dripping from the severed ends of the two arms.
"…"
Steppenwolf's laughter stopped.
He lowered his head and looked at his shoulders.
His shoulders were empty.
Where his arms used to be, there were only two torn stumps, from which dark green blood was gushing.
His arms… had been forcibly ripped from his body by that guy!
"Ah… ah?"
Steppenwolf let out a confused monosyllable.
Tel-Rol, in the distance, also looked down at the things in his hands.
He held the battle-axe in one hand and the great red sword in the other.
Both weapons still had a complete arm attached.
He expressionlessly released the hand holding the battle-axe.
"Clang!"
The heavy battle-axe and the severed arm fell to the ground together with a dull thud.
Then, like discarding trash, he flung off the other arm that was hanging from the great red sword.
Having done all this, he held the still glowing great sword in one hand, and his body vanished from its spot.
The next second.
He appeared in front of Steppenwolf.
In Steppenwolf's eyes, wide with shock, only a red sword light, rising from bottom to top, was reflected!
"Pfft!"
The blade of the great red sword sliced into Steppenwolf's lower abdomen, moving upwards, leaving a bone-deep wound on his chest!
Muscles were torn, and internal organs were faintly visible.
Tel-Rol did not pause; he abruptly reversed his body, and the great sword in his hand drew a perfect arc.
"Pfft!"
Another sword strike.
The same location, different direction.
A conspicuous, ugly "X" was carved onto Steppenwolf's chest.
"You…"
Steppenwolf had just squeezed out a word through gritted teeth.
Tel-Rol had already gripped the great sword with a reverse grip and plunged the entire blade into his wound!
"Ugh ah!"
Steppenwolf let out a painful roar.
This was not over yet.
Tel-Rol pressed one hand on the hilt to prevent him from retreating.
With the other hand, he brought his five fingers together, his palm aimed at Steppenwolf's face, which was already indistinguishable.
"Goodbye, Minotaur."
"Boom—!"
Another golden energy torrent, smaller in scale than the previous one, but more concentrated in power.
The energy beam pushed Steppenwolf's body, blasting him fiercely away.
He tumbled through the air, flying hundreds of meters, finally crashing heavily into a pile of ruins, stirring up a sky full of dust.
"Roar—!!!"
A mournful shriek came from deep within the ruins.
The shriek was filled with pain, anger, and a command.
On the edge of the battlefield, the Parademons army, which was entangled with Diana, Hal, Barry, and others, suddenly stopped their attacks in unison.
They twisted their ugly heads, their crimson compound eyes all turning in the same direction.
The next moment.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz—!"
A cacophony of piercing wing beats filled the air.
The overwhelming Parademons army, having received some command, automatically split into two groups.
One group, smaller in number, roughly a third, had a clear target: the figure that had crashed into the ruins.
They swiftly rushed over, and several strong Parademons directly burrowed into the ruins to drag out the heavily injured Steppenwolf.
The other group, comprising the vast majority of Parademons, turned around and surged towards Tel-Rol in an overwhelming tide!
"Oh my god! They're crazy!"
Barry looked at the overwhelming sea of bugs, his scalp tingling.
"Tel! Get out of the way!"
Diana raised the sword of vulcan and shouted a warning.
But Tel-Rol just stood silently, his emerald green eyes coldly watching the surging black tide.
He didn't even assume a defensive posture.
In just a few seconds.
The black wave completely engulfed the golden figure.
Layer upon layer, one after another.
Countless Parademons stacked together, forming a black hill made of flesh and carapace.
The hill was still constantly wriggling, emitting a spine-chilling gnawing sound.
On the other side.
Several Parademons had already worked together to drag the blood-soaked, armless Steppenwolf out of the ruins.
They supported Steppenwolf, desperately flying towards the sky.
There, a huge alien warship was slowly tearing through the clouds, descending a beam of light for retrieval.
"Don't let him escape!"
Hal roared, the ring's light shining brightly, constructing a huge green net to block Steppenwolf's path.
But more Parademons fearlessly rushed forward, tearing at the energy net with their bodies, claws, and teeth.
"Zzzzt!"
The net lasted only a few seconds before being torn to shreds by the endless Parademons.
Just as Steppenwolf's figure was about to enter the teleportation beam.
Just then.
"Haaahhhhhh!!!"
A furious roar erupted from within the black hill of Parademons.
Immediately after.
Dense, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the black hill.
The cracks grew more numerous and brighter.
An energy that made everyone's heart palpitate was brewing within it.
"Bang!"
Golden light burst forth!
The entire hill made of stacked Parademons exploded from within!
Tens of thousands of Parademons' severed limbs and torsos, mixed with dark green blood, were directly vaporized.
Golden flames swept out like a storm.
Tel-Rol's figure reappeared before everyone.
He was unharmed.
Only his emerald green eyes were brighter and colder than before.
He looked up at Steppenwolf, who was about to escape into the spaceship, and shot into the sky, reaching the light beam in the blink of an eye, blocking the fleeing Steppenwolf and the Parademon soldiers.
"Trying to run?"
"Did you ask me first?"