"--I won't fall for that twice!"
With a vicious shout, Clark spun to the side before kicking off of the air, beelining straight for Noah once more as the redirected attack failed to catch the Sentinel.
"I was hoping it wouldn't," Noah taunted with a straight face.
There was a certain confidence that exuded from the villainous, evolved man as he openly met the physical powerhouse that was Clark in open air. A simple reason existed why he neglected to counter with long-range spells:
["Universal Enhancement: Divine Master of Combat: Stage One"]
A silver light etched itself into his irises as tattoos of the same glow were drawn on his body, inlaying a new self-enchantment onto him.
Just as Clark threw a wild haymaker towards him, Noah seamlessly countered with a sidestep in the air before redirecting the power of the blow and tossing Clark to the ground. It was a masterful usage of martial arts, borrowing from the likes of Aiki and Judo.
This was the nature of the ["Divine Master of Combat"] enhancement: it granted Noah temporary mastery over many styles of fighting, able to replicate the supremacy of lifetime masters with a single buff.
"Ghh–!"
From the sublime redirection, Clark was sent plummeting into the ground below like a meteor befalling the Earth, crashing harshly.
Noah was in no rush to follow-up, instead slowly descending from the sky as he savored the battle, allowing himself to experience the new evolution to his system.
Just as his feet touched the surface, the ground violently shook as cracks extended and chunks of rock were flown away from where Clark had landed. A massive release of energy propelled outward from the desperate hero's body in the form of golden-and-silver lightning–
"Enough—!" Clark's singular yell boomed, causing the air to crack.
Noah was unphased, though the surrounding land wasn't as a storm brewed around the enraged Sentinel, who found himself driven against a wall.
The Superhero System wielder presented speed more impressive than before, and a warcry that boomed through the valley like a roaring thunderstorm. Moving as a construct of light, abandoning physical matter as such inaccessible speeds were used, Clark circled around the evolved villain at a rapid pace.
"This again?" Noah boredly said.
The radiant light warped space around itself, contorting to perform an instantaneous attack, yet even that was perceived by the unequaled villain. Light itself could not reach Noah as he simply leaned out of the boundary of Clark's attack before reaching out, grasping the seemingly intangible material.
It was as he gripped the arm of the Superhero, whose fist missed its target, that the man was forcibly turned back into his physical form.
"Got you," Noah said.
"Ngh–?!" Clark winced.
Strength monstrous enough to powderize mountains was what squeezed around Clark's arm before Noah flung him up then slammed him down with a thunderous impact.
"You're weak. Don't they always say that those who fight for others are stronger? Funny how that works out," Noah said.
There was an ungodly difference between the villain now and from the start of the battle.
Clark was helpless to such power; even as he ignited his heat vision while laid out on the ground, Noah simply redirected the blast into one of his immutable barrier spells.
"I won't let you—! You can't get away with this!" Clark growled, "Power doesn't belong in your hands!…A fiend! A monster! That's what you are!"
The words spoken from the hero's bloody mouth left as maledictions as Clark returned to his feet, though wobbly as if a strong breeze could knock him over,
"A monster? Maybe. All I am is what this world made me…but I'm not making excuses for myself," Noah smiled, "I love it. If it makes me a monster to use my power to do what I want, then call me one."
Clark huffed, "…I may not be the one to do it, but you'll fall one day. If it isn't me, another will do it. It's only a matter of time."
"You're boring me now."
Without any semblance of mercy, causing the Sentinel's words to simply fall on deaf ears, he pointed a finger at Clark before invoking a new spell:
[Universal Petrification]
Before Clark could defend himself, a ripple across the air passed against his body, causing his skin to shift into an encasing of stone, paralyzing him a it quickly stretched over his body.
"Die along with your childish ideals, 'hero'," Noah apathetically said.
The stone gripped the Sentinel's body, who weakened as he was, couldn't fight against it as it already petrified him from the neck down.
"…Yeah. I'll be passing, but my ideals won't die with me. You're mistaken if you think humanity will accept you without a fight. This is just the start, Noah grays," Clark warned, "—Be ready for when you get that wake up call."
The final word was gotten in by the Superhero System wielded as the petrification completely enveloped his body following his last words. Like a statue risen in the valley made hollow by the battle, the Sentinel's battle met its end.
For a moment, Noah watched the now stone-turned figure with his arms crossed over his chest.
'I have to thank you for providing me with a meaningful evolution at the very least, naive hero,' Noah thought.
The transformation he had gone under was still a mystery to him in many ways, but the power it granted him was undeniable. After dismantling the heroic Sentinel, he took his leave from the valley with a snap of his fingers–
[Universal Warp]
–Just like that, he warped back to the White House, the historic centerpoint of the country that he now called: his.
As soon as he arrived, there were strange looks from his subordinates, and some of reverence; there was no doubt the changes he'd undergone from his evolution spurred from a near-death experience were drastic.
Still, none of the subordinates he created through the bestowment of powers said a word; it was ruling through fear. There wasn't much left to do in the city; the capital was already his and defending it was a piece of cake. What truly had his attention was the growth in power he had undergone.
"Hey, you guys," Noah called out to some of his trusted fighters.
"Yeah, Boss?" A man with fuzzy, golden hair responded, bearing tattoos of radiant light.
"Hold down the fort–I'm going on a trip," he said.
"You got it!" The man saluted.
Without wasting a moment, he used [Universal Warp], bringing himself in front of a mirror in a random, unoccupied room as he checked on his own appearance. There was no doubt he'd grown several inches of height, along with gaining some muscle mass and his hair itself having grown to some length.
'Weird. I suppose even death is not enough to defeat my system. Maybe I am destined to make this world my own, then,' he thought.
Either way, he decided it was time for some fun for himself, though he'd need to make sure he wasn't recognized as himself, seeing as he was now an infamous man.
With a snap of his fingers, he invoked [Universal Tailor].
Though the name of the powerful spell did pertain to being able to weave his battle-damaged clothes into more "casual" wear, like a pop culture t-shirt and gray sweatpants, it allowed him to manipulate other facets of his appearance as well.
He trimmed his lengthened hair, bringing it down to the length of his chin before checking the mirror again, finding himself satisfactory.
Pressing his palms together, he set his destination for his desired free time: [Universal Warp: Tokyo, Japan]
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