The Grayson family yard was packed with black SUVs.
More than a dozen agents moved through the ruins, scanners in hand beeping nonstop. The dining room area had been blasted into a massive crater, with broken bricks and shattered glass scattered everywhere.
Cecil Stedman stood at the edge of the pit, staring at Nolan trapped inside a force field.
Omni-Man curled up inside the translucent energy cage like a dead dog, skin pale, muscles limp, eyes unfocused. The force field was the result of twenty years of GDA research, designed specifically to deal with Viltrumites.
Of course, until today, nobody had ever imagined they'd actually need to use it.
Mark stood beside his mother.
Debbie was still trembling. Her tears had long since run dry. She didn't understand what had happened—only that her husband was a monster, and another, even more terrifying monster had beaten him into this state.
Cecil walked over and stopped in front of Mark.
The one-eyed old man wore a black trench coat, his expression unreadable. The way he looked at Mark was complicated—part dangerous weapon, part investment opportunity.
"I know you've got a lot of questions," Cecil said in a hoarse voice. "But I'll answer the most important one first—yes, we always knew what your father was."
Mark clenched his fists.
"You knew?"
"The Global Defense Agency exists to monitor threats." Cecil nodded. "When your father arrived on Earth twenty years ago, we locked onto him immediately. But we had no way to deal with him. All we could do was watch, wait, and pray he never showed his fangs."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what? That your dad's an alien who could destroy the planet whenever he wants?" Cecil sneered. "Kid, some truths only break people. Your mother's the perfect example."
Mark glanced at Debbie.
She sat inside the ambulance wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly into space.
"Who was that black-haired man?"
Cecil was silent for a few seconds.
"No idea." He shook his head. "There's absolutely nothing about him in our databases. He appeared out of nowhere, beat your father into the center of the Earth, then dragged him back out and used him like a battery."
Mark remembered what the man had said.
Fuel.
He treated his father as fuel.
"Will he come back?"
"Most likely." Cecil stared at Mark. "He said your father's people were his target. That means he's going after more Viltrumites. But before that… he may need more energy."
Mark felt his stomach churn.
"You want to recruit me."
Cecil didn't deny it.
"You're half Viltrumite. You carry the same potential your father does. If that man comes back again, you might be our only bargaining chip."
Mark fell silent for a long time.
He looked at his imprisoned father, his broken mother, the ruins all around them.
"I'm not joining you," he finally said. "But if Earth's in danger, I'll help."
Cecil nodded, as if he'd expected that answer.
"That's enough." He turned and walked away. "Remember my number, kid. You'll need it."
Mark watched the black SUVs drive away one after another until their taillights vanished into the night.
Then he turned and walked back into the ruins.
Debbie still sat in the ambulance while a female agent tried to counsel her. Mark walked over, sat beside her, and took her icy hand.
"Mom… let's go home."
Debbie said nothing. She only leaned against his shoulder, her body still trembling.
That night, Mark didn't sleep.
He sat atop the ruined backyard, staring at the broken bricks and shattered glass while replaying the black-haired man's words over and over in his head.
Mark lowered his gaze to his hands.
These hands could lift cars, fly through the sky, and punch through steel.
But in front of that man, those powers were a joke.
He remembered what his father once told him.
Viltrumites were one of the strongest races in the universe.
They had conquered countless planets and ruled countless civilizations.
And he, Mark Grayson, was half Viltrumite.
In theory, he should possess the same potential as his father.
But reality was that he couldn't even survive a single punch from that man.
Mark stood up and walked to the center of the yard.
He took a deep breath and began throwing punches.
One punch. Two punches. Three punches.
Every strike carried his rage and humiliation. The air tore apart with shrill screeches.
He didn't know how long he kept going. When he finally stopped, both hands were numb, blood seeping from his knuckles.
But a few seconds later, the wounds healed.
Smart Atoms.
That man had said it before—this was the source of Viltrumite power. Every atom was a programmable nanomachine capable of self-repair and limitless evolution.
Mark stared at his healed hands, determination filling his eyes.
If he carried the same thing inside him, then there was no reason he had to be weaker than his father.
He needed training.
Not the kind where he punched petty monsters around the city.
Real training.
The kind that would push him to his absolute limit.
---
Three weeks later.
Earth orbit, four hundred kilometers above the surface.
Levi floated in space, his back toward Earth and his face toward the sun.
Golden sunlight poured across his body, greedily absorbed by the Smart Atoms beneath his skin. Those atoms were operating under new directives, switching from physical defense mode to energy-conductive mode.
Progress: thirty percent complete.
Not enough.
Nolan had stored thousands of years' worth of energy in his body, but even that had only been enough to start the process. To fully reconstruct every atom in his body, Levi still needed more fuel.
Eyes closed, Levi carefully sensed the changes within himself.
The reprogrammed atoms were like microscopic solar panels, absorbing solar radiation with terrifying efficiency. The sensation was strange—like every cell in his body was breathing, feeding.
His enhanced senses swept across space.
Empty. Silent. Nothing but the whisper of solar winds.
Then he detected an abnormal signal.
A biological lifeform moving at extreme speed from the edge of the solar system toward Earth. Fast—barely slower than light itself.
Levi opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
A guest had arrived.
The lifeform drew closer and closer.
Levi looked at the slowing point of light in the distance. His enhanced vision made everything perfectly clear—a humanoid figure with blue-gray skin, a massive build, and most notably, a single eye in the center of his face.
A one-eyed alien.
Levi searched his memory and recognized him immediately.
Allen.
An evaluator from the Coalition of Planets.
His job was to visit worlds occupied by the Viltrum Empire, test the local enforcer's strength, and gather intelligence.
In the original story, he later became one of Mark's closest friends—and a complete chatterbox.
Allen stopped roughly a hundred meters away, his single eye scanning Levi up and down.
"Hey there!" Allen waved cheerfully, sounding more like a friendly neighbor than an interstellar operative. "I'm Allen, from the Coalition of Planets. You're the Viltrumite assigned to this planet, right?"
Levi said nothing.
Allen seemed used to that reaction and continued on his own.
"Don't be nervous. This is just a routine evaluation. You know how it is—the Empire requires regular assessments of every colony's defense strength. We fight a bit, I write a report, and that's it."
He rubbed his hands together, excitement gleaming in his eye.
"Honestly, I've been looking forward to this. I heard Earth's enforcer is one of the Empire's strongest warriors. I've always wanted to see for myself."
Levi finally spoke.
"You've got the wrong person."
Allen blinked.
"What?"
"I'm not a Viltrumite," Levi said. "The actual enforcer is currently locked up on Earth, so weak he couldn't even beat an ant."
Allen's expression twisted into confusion. His eye blinked repeatedly as if trying to process the information.
"Wait—you're not a Viltrumite? Then what are you? The energy signature coming from you…" He frowned. "No, that's wrong. Your energy is far stronger than any Viltrumite I've ever met. Who exactly are you?"
Levi couldn't be bothered explaining.
He moved.
Before Allen could react, Levi appeared directly in front of him and drove a fist into his chest.
Allen's body shot backward like a cannon shell, tumbling through space several times before stabilizing himself. Looking down at the dent in his chest, disbelief spread across his face.
"You—"
Levi didn't give him the chance to continue.
The second punch came immediately, aimed at Allen's face. Allen barely managed to raise an arm to block, but the impact still sent him hurtling toward Earth.
Levi pursued.
Allen's body was undeniably durable—Levi had to admit that. A normal person would've been turned into paste by those two punches. Allen, however, had only suffered superficial injuries and still had enough strength to counterattack.
His fist swung toward Levi with impressive speed and power.
But in Levi's eyes, the punch was laughably slow.
He sidestepped effortlessly while driving a knee into Allen's abdomen. Allen doubled over, and Levi's elbow smashed down onto his back immediately afterward.
Allen spat blood as his body spiraled out of control again.
"Wait!" he shouted. "I surrender! I surrender!"
Levi stopped and floated in place, calmly watching the battered Allen.
This guy's recovery ability really was astonishing.
Those attacks would've killed an ordinary superhero instantly, but Allen's wounds were already healing at visible speed.
More importantly, Levi could feel Allen's energy signature growing slightly stronger than before.
The more he got beaten, the stronger he became.
Levi's eyes lit up.
He remembered the traits of Allen's species. They were called the universe's perfect warriors—not because they were naturally overwhelming, but because they possessed a unique physique.
Every time they recovered from injury, they became stronger than before.
Wasn't this basically a Saiyan?
Levi mocked inwardly, then activated his copying ability without hesitation.
A torrent of information flooded into his brain—Allen's genetic structure, cellular traits, evolutionary mechanisms—all analyzed and copied instantly.
[Adaptive Evolution].
At its core, the ability was a self-optimization mechanism. Whenever the body suffered damage, the cells upgraded themselves during the healing process to resist similar threats in the future.
The worse the injury, the more dramatic the improvement.
Compared to Darwin's previously copied [Survival of the Fittest], this ability suited Levi far better.
Perfect.
Levi nodded in satisfaction.
This was exactly what he needed.
The Smart Atoms inside his body were currently switching from physical defense mode to energy-conductive mode—a process requiring enormous energy and carrying significant risk.
But with [Adaptive Evolution], even if something went wrong during reconstruction, his body would automatically repair and optimize itself.
It was essentially an insurance policy for his transformation.
Allen floated there panting heavily, completely unaware that his ability had just been copied.
"W-what kind of monster are you?" Fear crept into his voice. "I've never seen anyone this strong. You're stronger than any warrior in the Empire—even stronger than—"
He stopped himself, but Levi already knew what he meant.
Stronger than the emperor of the Viltrum Empire.
Levi drifted closer, looking down at Allen from above.
"I have a few questions," he said calmly. "Answer well, and I'll let you go. Answer badly…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Allen swallowed hard, terror filling his eye.
"What do you want to know?"
"The location of the Coalition of Planets," Levi said. "And the patrol routes of the Viltrum Empire."
Allen hesitated.
Levi slowly raised his fist again.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Allen shouted immediately. "The Coalition headquarters is on the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. The coordinates are…"
He rattled off a long string of complicated numbers and symbols. Levi's brain processed them rapidly, converting the information into a comprehensible star map.
"And the Empire's patrol routes?"
Allen supplied another series of coordinates—this time including fleet sizes, rotation schedules, and travel routes between colonies.
Levi memorized everything.
"Good." He nodded. "You can leave."
Allen looked as though he'd just been pardoned from execution and immediately backed away. But after retreating several steps, he suddenly stopped, a complicated emotion flickering in his eye.
"You… what are you planning to do to the Empire?"
Levi glanced at him, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Hunt."
That was the only word he gave.
Then his body flashed into a streak of golden light and vanished into deep space.
Allen floated there motionless, watching the golden trail disappear into the sea of stars, an icy chill rising through his body.
He looked down at the wounds still healing across his body.
Every one of that monster's attacks had struck his vital points with terrifying precision. The force had been perfectly measured—strong enough to inflict maximum damage, but never enough to kill him outright.
That hadn't been combat.
It had been dissection.
Allen had lived for centuries and met countless powerful beings, but never one like this. The oppressive presence… the absolute control over power…
It reminded him of ancient legends.
Legends about beings that had existed since the birth of the universe itself.
Gods.
Taking a deep breath, Allen turned and flew toward the Coalition of Planets.
He had to report this immediately.
A monster had appeared on Earth.
A monster even more terrifying than the Viltrum Empire.
And that monster was heading directly toward the Empire itself.
Allen had no idea what would happen next, but he had a feeling—
The balance of the universe was about to change because of the existence that had emerged from Earth.
Meanwhile, inside a secret facility on Earth—
Nolan Grayson lay within his force-field prison, his pale face expressionless.
His body was slowly recovering. The drained Smart Atoms were gradually accumulating energy again at a snail's pace.
At this rate, it would take at least half a year for him to return to peak condition.
But he wasn't worried.
Because he knew the black-haired man would eventually return.
And before that happened, he needed to prepare.
Nolan closed his eyes, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The Viltrum Empire had ruled the universe for thousands of years. It had never lost.
No matter how strong that man was, there was no way he could fight the entire Empire alone.
That was what Nolan believed.
What he failed to realize was that somewhere deep in space, a streak of golden light was advancing faster than light itself.
And its destination—
Was the Viltrum Empire's border patrol line.
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