Chapter 541: Blue Beetle Scarab Armor
Luke Deflects Luthor's Attack
Lex Luthor's objective was to escalate the conflict and split the heroes, so Luke naturally wouldn't let him succeed.
"My initial intention in creating powered armor was to elevate humanity's civilization level and provide protection for law enforcement. It worked well; I accomplished it. With police powered armor, crime rates in major cities plummeted. And then, you appeared."
"You copied Tesla's core technology, outwardly cooperated with the CIA, but secretly colluded with the League of Assassins. The three of you joined forces to manufacture bootleg powered armor. The armor held by gangs, terrorists, and drug dealers—you supplied it all."
"Mr. Luthor, if you don't mind, answer one question for me: Why did you do this? To retaliate against me? Or to retaliate against the entire world?"
This single speech immediately shifted the narrative. All eyes focused on the Reach spaceship, waiting for the person inside to respond.
Luthor snorted.
"Luke Shaw, you are still so adept at sophistry. The core technology came from Tesla. There was a problem within your company. What does that have to do with me? To pin the blame on me is quite presumptuous."
Luke sighed. "It's come to this point. What is there left to deny? I'm perfectly clear on what you've done. Likewise, Batman over there is also clear. Lying is useless; it only earns contempt."
"Enough talk. Since you've come, then stay here."
One figure after another shot out of the ground entrance, hovering in the sky. The first thirty had the same face and body—they were the Superman clones of Clark Kent. The fifteen behemoths behind them had purplish-brown skin, enormous bodies, and ugly exteriors covered in various tumors, radiating a terrifying and savage aura.
Parasite-Supermen!
The heroes involuntarily gasped. Luke's expression also grew serious. Back on the ocean, it took him over ten minutes of relentless lightning from his thunder-refining technique to kill just three of these monsters. Their vitality and defense were frighteningly strong.
Barry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and whispered,
"We might be a little short-handed."
Thirty clones and fifteen behemoths made forty-five combatants. On their side, there were a total of four and a half (Barry counted as half; Batman was excluded). Four and a half against forty-five—how could they fight that?
Linda said grimly, "The clones' weakness is their heads. They have a parasite larva in their brains. Destroy the larva, and they lose consciousness. As for the Parasite-Supermen..." She paused, her face exceptionally solemn.
"You must be careful. They are extremely difficult to deal with."
Diana and J'onn took note. Linda was a strong-willed person who rarely used the word "difficult" to describe an opponent. Her use of it now meant the behemoths' strength far exceeded imagination.
Lex Luthor broke into an excited, cold smile.
"Luke Shaw, I've been waiting a long time for this day. None of you are going to escape."
"Capture them!"
At his command, the clones and the behemoths charged the yacht from all directions.
Luke said intensely,
"Cover me for seven minutes."
With that, he leaped up and flew toward the sky.
The Blue Beetle Threat
Barry activated his hover platforms, running on air, turning into a streak of swift lightning. His armor contained Kryptonite components, and everywhere he went, the surrounding clones were affected. Some even fell from the sky.
Martian Manhunter used his psychic abilities to slow the movement of the behemoths. As for the clones, they were mere husks and had no self-awareness.
Linda and Diana plunged into the horde like arrows. They wore specialized battle armor and weren't afraid of the Parasite's energy-draining ability. Diana's armor also contained Kryptonite, causing the clones and behemoths to lose strength whenever she got close. Using this advantage, they instantly took down four enemies.
Linda and J'onn pressed the attack, cooperating to quickly eliminate six more foes.
Kryptonite's influence on the clones was immense. Just getting near it made them lose strength and become ordinary men. In a battle of this magnitude, ordinary men were just cannon fodder.
"Of course!"
Lex Luthor clenched his fist. He used Kryptonite against Superman, so it was impossible for Luke Shaw not to consider it.
"Don't think this is enough to win."
The spaceship hatch opened, and three behemoths wearing bizarre armor flew out. They reacted incredibly fast and seemed to possess strong self-awareness. One lunged at Diana, its right leg transforming into a sledgehammer and sending her smashing towards the ground. Another rushed at Linda, its hands morphing into high-frequency vibrating energy hammers that, in a single strike, shattered her protective tiger projection and knocked her away. The last one fired a high-temperature beam directly at the Martian Manhunter.
The three attacks instantly shattered the heroes' coordinated offense.
Linda's expression was grave as she stared intensely at the eerie blue armor on the behemoth. The armor's design was strange: the eyes were large and round, the mouth was flat, and the sides protruded outward. It had a pair of thin wings on its back, and sharp barbs on its shoulders, wrists, and back. From a distance, it looked like a fat, blue beetle.
"Blue Beetle Scarab Armor?"
"How can it be that?"
Linda's face turned extremely pale. Unlike powered armor, which relies on energy, the Scarab Armor was a super-weapon derived from the pinnacle of bio-engineering technology. It used bio-energy and typically resided within an organic host. It activated autonomously when needed and stored energy through photokinetic reactions while dormant.
Furthermore, the Blue Beetle Scarab possessed a strong self-awareness and was the Reach's secret weapon for invading other planets.
"That scoundrel actually installed the Blue Beetle Scarab Armor inside the Parasite-Superman!"
"He's insane."
Linda's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Seeing the enemy about to attack, she quickly shouted,
"Be careful of the armor on them! That thing is extremely difficult to deal with!"
Diana wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"I've dealt with worse."
Suddenly, the clones and behemoths in mid-air gathered together, forming a fan-shaped formation. Red light suffused their eyes, and to the heroes' shock, they simultaneously fired high-temperature heat vision.
In an instant, the entire area seemed to ignite. Dozens of light columns converged into a gigantic, world-destroying energy wave, aimed directly at Diana on the ground.
No!
The heroes' faces changed drastically. They wanted to intervene, but it was too late.
Diana gritted her teeth, raising her shield in front of her.
Boom!
The energy wave slammed into the shield. The hills on both sides were instantly pulverized. The devastating red energy carried unimaginable force, causing Diana to vomit blood as every bone in her body groaned.
Crack!
The God-Killer Shield—made of high-purity Amazonian metal and infused with the ultimate defensive magic by Hephaestus—developed a crack. The crack spread rapidly and shattered after only three seconds.
The energy wave struck her body. Her protective armor instantly carbonized.
Aaaaaah!!!
She cried out in pain. Enduring the agony, she raised her Bracelets of Submission. The bracelets collided, emitting a powerful shockwave.
Bang!
Using the recoil of the shockwave, Diana escaped the energy wave's assault, flying out like an arrow. She smashed through four consecutive mountains, sliding across the ground for several kilometers before finally stopping.
"Diana!"
Barry's eyes widened. He was completely shocked.
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