Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1562 Stalemate
The blood in my body seemed to freeze completely in that instant! My mind went blank; all complex thoughts, self-deprecating ideas, and reflections on life were instantly wiped out by this pure premonition of death!
Only the most primal instinct of a living being remained, flashing wildly like a blood-red warning light:
Can't escape!

will die!

Now!immediately!immediately!

The will to survive trumped everything! Reason, strategy, and hesitation vanished in the face of absolute death!
Hachiman Hikigaya didn't even have time to think about when he drew his weapon, nor did he have time to consider whether the "Demon Sword" could withstand the gem fist carrying destructive energy.

My body has betrayed my sluggish thinking once again!

"Qiang——!"

A clear, resonant dragon's roar, accompanied by a metallic tremor, echoed through the alley!
Just before the shadow of death completely engulfed him, in the blink of an eye as the fist, gleaming with destructive blue light, was about to strike his back, Hachiman Hikigaya twisted his upper body in an almost contorted posture!
He gripped the hilt of the longsword, which suddenly burst forth with a deep, dark purple light, with both hands. Using all the remaining strength in his body, and even squeezing out every last bit of his will to survive, he recklessly and with all his might slashed down at the figure behind him that crashed into the moon like a comet, at the gem fist that radiated a heart-palpitating energy!

The moment Hachiman Hikigaya gripped it tightly with both hands, a chilling yet strangely resonant power instantly flowed through his entire body, as if the sword itself was yearning to resist the raging blue magic.

Gemstone Fist: The gauntlet worn by Shizuka Hiratsuka on her right hand, the gemstone inlaid in its core is no ordinary object.

It presents a deep indigo blue, like the starry sky of the universe, with liquid energy surging and flowing inside, and countless tiny points of light appearing and disappearing within it, like a condensed nebula.

The gauntlets themselves are made of some kind of silvery-white unknown alloy, and their streamlined design perfectly wraps around the palms and forearms. At this moment, they have turned red and hot due to magic overload, creating an eerie contrast with the cold light of the core gem.

The energy emanating from the surface of the gemstone creates a visual effect of high temperature distortion in the surrounding air.

The instant before the collision:
Time seems to be stretched infinitely.

The trajectory of the demonic sword's slash was accompanied by a dark purple light of certain death.

The trajectory of the jeweled fist's charge was that of a deep blue comet capable of destroying everything.

Two vastly different yet equally powerful energies are about to collide in the narrowest, almost impassable alleyway in the most primal and violent way!
The air at the point of contact between the sword blade and the gauntlet (gem) emitted a high-frequency hissing sound due to the extreme energy pressure, and even small spatial distortion ripples appeared.

In Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes, there was only that rapidly magnifying indigo "star" that filled his entire field of vision—the core gem on Shizuka Hiratsuka's gauntlet.

It was no longer a beautiful mineral, but a manifestation of destruction, its interior a swirling, collapsing nebula of light, radiating terrifying energy capable of tearing apart steel. He could almost "see" the high-temperature force field formed by magic on the gem's surface, distorting light.

In Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes burned a pure, insane fire of shame and anger, enough to extinguish reason.

The dark purple-black demonic sword lying in front of her, radiating an aversion that even the depths of her soul, was merely an obstacle on the path to her goal of "physical elimination."

Overloaded magic surged and roared within her, her muscle fibers groaning under the strain of the extreme output. The silver alloy of her gauntlets turned a glaring orange-red from the intense heat, like a branding iron about to melt. "Clang—!!!!!"

It wasn't the crisp sound of metal colliding, but rather a destructive sound, like a massive bell being struck deep within the soul, a sound that combined energy annihilation and spatial tremors!

The dark blade of the demonic sword, which devoured light, carrying a resolute will to die and a deep dark purple radiance, slashed fiercely and without any frills at the very center of the core gem of Hiratsuka Shizuka's gauntlet!

The destructive energy of deep blue and the devouring energy of dark purple clashed like fire and water, resulting in a violent annihilation reaction at the point of contact!
A blindingly bright incandescent sphere of light was instantly created and expanded!

This sphere of light is not pure light, but rather a core composed of two diametrically opposed, mutually canceling and tearing energy turbulence.

It greedily absorbed the surrounding light, while frantically spewing out blue-purple arcs of electricity and dark purple energy fragments from its edges.

Centered on the point of contact, the air is no longer a transparent medium, but rather like the surface of water where a stone has been thrown in, with violent and distorted ripples visible to the naked eye!

Fine, spiderweb-like black cracks flashed by around the sphere of light, a terrifying sight of space itself being compressed by extreme energy and on the verge of collapse!
What followed was a low, unsettling buzzing sound, as if the very foundations of the world were groaning.

The impact of an annihilation reaction far exceeds that of a physical collision!

A violent and unparalleled ring-shaped energy storm swept outwards in all directions from the point of contact, like a nuclear shockwave!

The storm was a mixture of shattered blue magic fragments, dissipating dark purple energy streams, ionized air, and dust that was instantly vaporized!
The shockwave slammed into the walls of the towering buildings on both sides of the alley, producing a dull, deafening roar! The hard bricks and stones crumbled and shattered in large sections, like crisp biscuits!
The windowpanes high up instantly turned to dust, cascading down with a whooshing sound, reflecting countless deadly flashes in the sunlight.

The already fragile concrete floor suffered another devastating blow! Centered on the two people, a larger, irregularly cracked pit instantly formed, and spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly. The old pipes buried deep underground were squeezed and deformed, emitting a piercing metallic twisting sound, and even turbid water gushed out from the cracks!

Stalemate!

A brief but terrifying balance was formed between the two forces at the core of the annihilation sphere.

The dark purple energy of the demonic sword, like greedy vines, frantically coiled around and eroded the indigo light of the gemstone.

The gem, like a raging star, attempted to evaporate the vines along with the swordsman using a torrent of pure energy.

An energy storm raged through the smoke and light, with rubble and metal fragments flying wildly like bullets in the narrow space, striking the walls, the ground, and the two people with a series of crackling sounds.

The alleyway was groaning, the structure was loosening, and large chunks of brick and stone began to peel off from the high walls on both sides, crashing down with a deafening roar!
The shadow of death has not dissipated; on the contrary, it has become even more deadly and chaotic due to the loss of control over energy and the collapse of the environment!
Hachiman Hikigaya's vision was blurred by sweat, blood, and billowing smoke, and the excruciating pain in his arms and the numbness in his body were almost consuming his consciousness.

(End of this chapter)