Chapter 46 Birth Of A Villain, Rise Of A Hero

The world was trembling.

In the scope of a civilization that had endured wars, natural disasters, and cataclysms, this was an event that stood above it all, evoking unanimous fear in mankind.

The renowned superpower of the world, the United States of America, a nation feared for its unequivocal military might, had been ruthlessly crushed and usurped by one man and his unstoppable followers.

In just over a month, the entire country was now under the rule of the "New Order" and its mysterious leader—"Noir."

—

Noah, or as the public knew him as the masked tyrant "Noir", stood atop the White House, watching as his soldiers rebuilt the city on his orders. Since the beginning of the internal invasion of the country, he recruited more and more soldiers from gangs around the world, giving more abilities to those with potential.

The "New Order" forces, after casualties from the war, were at one-hundred and fifty-thousand.

"I still can't believe this went so smoothly."

Appearing beside him was his azure-haired accomplice in world domination: Yukio.

The world had been turned upside down, and they were there to witness it from the summit as the status quo was toppled.

"Of course," Noah replied with a smile, "This is what the world deserves after wronging me."

The glance that Yukio gave to his companion was one of intrigue as he noticed the shift in mental state from Noah, but smiled nonetheless, "Right. That's what this power is meant for; altering the world to your desired image–be it a utopia or a sea of flames."

Standing up, Noah looked up towards the smoky sky as embers flowed through the wind from the aftermath of the war.

"Got something in mind?" Yukio asked.

Noah clapped his hands together, answering briefly, "I'm going to pay my home a visit."

Just as he gave that information to his companion, he warped away, continuously teleporting across the sky.

Stopping for a moment amidst the clouds, something met his ears; the wind was vibrating as if something was piercing through the sky, and fast.

"Hm?" Noah turned around.

Just as he turned around, he found himself being rapidly approached by a figure that broke through the clouds with sound-barrier breaking speed before ramming straight towards him.

["Absolute Barrier"]

"--!"

He held his hand out in front of him, projecting the chromatic barrier just as the figure's fist clashed against it with tremendous, sky-rippling force. Even blocking the blow, the shock wave caused his mask to be flung away as his dark tufts were brushed in the wind.

It was somebody he recognized; a figure daunting in his own right, but to Noah, he found himself stumbling upon a wished opportunity.

[Clark] [Level 82 | Superhero System]

"Noah–!" The blonde-haired, caped man yelled with anger fueling his scream.

"Some superhero you are!" Noah smirked, "You're late!"

["Absolute Rejection"]

The extension of ["Absolute Barrier"] caused an unseen force to propel outward against Clark, knocking the Superhero System possessor backwards through the air, flipping through clouds.

Doing away with his barrier, Noah readied himself from the few moments of space given to himself:

["Absolute Enhancement: Godstrength"]

[Strength: 25000]

["Absolute Enhancement: Godspeed"]

[Agility: 2500]

["Absolute Enhancement: Elemental Infusion: ALL"]

Stacking amplifications upon himself, his muscles tightened, coiling with supernatural physical abilities as elemental power flowed through him, manifesting through crimson and sapphire streaks across his form to represent fire and lightning.

It was timed just well enough for him to be ready as Clark propelled through the sky towards him again, bolting around and sailing towards him with his mighty fist reared back.

Too obvious, Noah thought.

He managed to catch Clark's fist, stopping it outright and canceling out the power behind the blow as the wind cracked around them.

"--?" A puzzled expression came across the blonde-haired man's face.

"Surprised? You fought me when my System was deactivated," Noah smiled, pulling his fist back now, "--Let me show you what you missed out on."

Thrusting his fist through the air with his heightened strength, he slammed his knuckles against the chest of the stalwart man, unleashing a shock wave that rippled through the night sky.

"Grrgh–!" Clark spat out blood.

The Superhero System wielder was flung back, flipping violently from the force of the blow before catching himself with his flight, countering as his eyes conjured a crimson glow.

"Lasers? This will be a good chance to try this," Noah muttered with a smirk.

A beam burned through the sky in the form of heat vision, piercing towards Noah before he countered by condensing a stream of flames, mixed with his mastery of lightning to create a blue-and-red beam of elemental energy that he clashed against the heat vision with.

The air expanded from the sudden magnitude of heat, causing the clouds to part around the two as their powers clashed amidst the sky.

"Grrgh…! Argh–!!!" Clark strained himself, putting everything he had into the exchange.

Only a look of satisfaction came across Noah's face as he heightened the output of his elemental blast, causing it to break through the man's heat vision, slamming against him into a massive explosion of crimson.

THWOOM.

The smoky skies were parted, leaving Clark plummeting down into the city below like a falling star.

Noah watched from above as the Sentinel fell, crashing through the streets of the lively town below as the durable man scraped through the asphalt like a meteor before coming to a stop.

It seems like I overprepared. This is too easy, Noah thought with a smile.

["Spatial Warp"]

Appearing on the same street, Noah watched the man as he laid on the street, coughing out smoke as his uniform and cape alike were tattered, his skin beneath covered in scratches and bruises.

"Aren't superheroes supposed to stop villains like me?" Noah asked, "Maybe I'm being too unfair; this is reality after all, not some comic book. This is how the world works now."

The civilians witnessing this spontaneous scene screamed, froze, or outright ran away, though people quickly began to recognize Noah, or more infamously known as–"Noir." Even without the mask, he kept his clothes consistent and those malignant eyes of his alongside his superpowers were unmistakable.

"Grh…" Clark coughed out blood, sitting on a knee as he struggled to stand.

A nefarious idea sprouted in the chaotic mind of Noah as he noticed the frantic civilians spectating the scene in the desecrated street.

"I think you need some proper motivation, hero," Noah said.

"What…?" Clark looked up, his eyes widening at the realization of what those words entailed.

A fireball conjured in front of Noah's hand, which he pointed to the right of himself, directly in the line of sight of dozens of inhabitants of the city.

"No, don't…!" Clark yelled out desperately, reaching out.

It was too late.

The flames howled as the sphere of destruction carved through the street, approaching towards a grouping of people–including a family with a father standing in front of his children fruitlessly.

"Dadda, what's going on…?" A small girl said.

The father clutched the small girl close to him, protecting her as he kept his back to the incoming, massive ball of flames, "...Don't look! Just keep your eyes closed!"

Desperation was heard in those words, and in the hearts of the innocent; that existence of dread and yearning to be saved was felt by Clark.

In that moment, the wielder of the Superhero System was overwhelmed with a mystical sensation; like lightning threading his veins, shooting through his body with a resurgence of vigor.

To Noah's surprise, the bloodied-and-bruised Sentinel who was on his knees a moment prior, coughing up blood, vanished with speed and force that cracked the street.

It all happened within seconds; as the fireball reached the sidewalk, it exploded in a brilliant shine of orange embers, breaking the windows of nearby shops.

"...Woah there, where'd this come from?" Noah muttered.

In total surprise, the people on the street found themselves not to be reduced to ash by the flames, looking back to find the man wearing a tattered cape, covered in burns and bruises, standing with his arms out as a shield for them.

"Are you alright?..." Clark asked, wincing as he coughed out crimson fluid.

"...Mister…" The man holding his daughter mumbled in tears.

Witnessing the heroic act, Noah felt disgusted by it, but more so perplexed as he looked upon Clark's sturdy back, finding that it was still intact; the flesh didn't melt off from the mystical flames nor did his skin burn to a crisp.

He had endured.

The act of selflessness resounded as the people of the city stopped screaming and running, instead looking towards the blonde-haired man as he stood there, regaining his breath after sustaining such an attack.

One by one, people began talking.

"That's him…! That's Noir!"

"Seriously?!...Crap…"

"But who's that other guy? Is he fighting Noir?"

"...I don't know who you are, but please! Take Noir down!"

"You can do this!"

The encouraging words bestowed to Clark seemed to have an effect on him as his body bolstered; an air of unequivocal determination swirled around the man in the burnt hero costume as he looked towards the people on the street.