Steppenwolf flew into a rage, but how much of that anger was real and how much was fake, probably only he knew.
The white-haired woman who had come as support, on the other hand, looked calm and expressionless. Vera's few words did not affect her mood at all.
Steppenwolf no longer shouted like before. This frontline commander of Apokolips simply adjusted his power, causing all the energy in his body to roar and rise continuously.
As his power was mobilized, the blue light shining from Steppenwolf's eyes became dazzling.
Every muscle on his massive body trembled continuously, giving off a shocking sense of strength.
The spikes on his armor rose and fell like waves, and a faint glow emerged from the gaps between them.
Steppenwolf glanced at his companion. Seeing that she had no intention of attacking, he remembered that the first thing this woman had said after stepping through the portal was: ("The Mother Box is under my protection.")
Her meaning was obvious. She would only act if someone tried to take the Mother Box.
Steppenwolf snorted beneath but did not show it on his face. He looked at Vera as the light shining from the gaps in his armor became brighter.
When his power reached a certain peak, Steppenwolf took a deep breath and suddenly moved.
Surging power drove him forward like a cannonball. In an instant, his body reached top speed.
The distance of over a hundred meters between him and Vera was crossed almost in the blink of an eye under the push of that terrifying force.
Only then did Vera seem to react, her mouth slowly opening.
Then she said, "Just kidding."
Steppenwolf threw a vicious punch at Vera's chest, but the woman had already shot into the sky. His fist struck empty air, blasting out a ring of white shockwaves.
While suspended in midair, faint sounds came from Vera's body.
Crack! Pop!
Every joint in her body rang out. In an instant, Vera's body expanded by a full size.
Her arms and legs became exceptionally thick, with muscle lines clearly outlined beneath her combat suit.
Although she had already possessed an athletic figure before, it had been balanced and slender.
Now, however, Vera seemed to have become a giant woman. Her body grew slightly taller, and her skin turned grass green.
She-Hulk Gene Enhancement.
Immediately, just the power leaking from her body stirred a storm inside the nuclear power plant.
Within the howling airflow, her figure became blurred, with only two bright golden lights on her face standing out.
The expression of the white-haired woman near the metal monument finally changed, turning from indifference to seriousness.
She could feel that Vera's power was now earth-shaking, terrifying like a god or demon.
This was the qualitative transformation produced by combining "She-Hulk Gene Enhancement" with Homelander's own strength.
Even if the relationship between them was not multiplicative and merely additive, it was still terrifying, still frightening.
"To be honest, I don't like looking like this."
"Even though my power has reached a dangerous level, it's just too ugly."
"So anyone who sees me like this..."
"I can only send them to their death."
While Vera's voice still echoed through the storm, the storm exploded apart, and a blurred shadow charged straight toward the metal monument.
Vera closed the distance at an unbelievable speed. However, Steppenwolf suddenly stepped between her and the white-haired woman.
Without retrieving his Electro Axe, Steppenwolf let out a roar and reached toward Vera.
Vera did not dodge. She brought her fingers together, and her hand sliced forward like a blade with a terrifying howl, aiming directly at the center of Steppenwolf's chest armor.
The next second, Steppenwolf grabbed Vera by the throat, intending to crush her neck bones. However, he discovered that the muscles in her neck were extremely tough. Not only could he not crush her neck, even squeezing her windpipe proved difficult.
'Such overwhelming muscular strength.'
At the same time.
Vera's arm pierced straight into Steppenwolf's chest without any resistance. Steppenwolf's spiked armor originally possessed tremendous defensive power.
When struck by projectiles or sharp weapons, it would clamp onto the foreign object and "bite it off".
However, when those spikes tried to bite through Vera's arm, they shattered themselves instead. Spikes clattered to the ground in large numbers.
Vera's hand buried itself deep into Steppenwolf's chest and continued pushing in.
A warm, sticky sensation reached her palm. Vera's expression twisted as she forced her arm deeper into her opponent's body, intending to rip Steppenwolf's heart out in one pull.
Steppenwolf let out a world-shaking roar. He no longer tried to crush Vera's neck and instead slapped both hands onto her shoulders.
BANG!
Amid an eruption of white airflow, Vera was blasted back, smashing straight out of the nuclear power plant.
Steppenwolf staggered backward. Blood poured from the wound in his chest like a spring. He quickly covered the wound, tightened his muscles, and activated the healing ability granted by the Mother Box. In the blink of an eye, he had fully recovered.
But he was already drenched in cold sweat.
This was actually Steppenwolf's third encounter with Vera.
However, Vera's strength this time was simply too terrifying.
It was the first time Steppenwolf had ever felt death so close.
At this moment, Vera flew back through the hole in the nuclear power plant and landed on the ground, creating a dense web of cracks.
Brilliant light burst from Steppenwolf's eyes. Between his two horns, energy rapidly gathered and stacked together. In an instant, a torrent of violent energy surged outward.
The energy flood roared toward Vera.
Vera did not retreat. Her eyes lit up, and scorching golden beams shot from her pupils, colliding directly against Steppenwolf's blue energy torrent.
After one second of stalemate, Vera began smiling as she walked forward. With every step she took, the scale and temperature of the Heat Vision increased.
Color flushed across Steppenwolf's face. He ground his teeth, clenched his fists, and a cross-shaped vein pulsed faintly on his forehead.
Compared to the smiling Vera, Steppenwolf was clearly struggling more.
And that was indeed the case.
Under the impact of the Heat Vision, the blue energy torrent rapidly retreated. In moments, it had been pushed back to less than ten meters in front of Steppenwolf.
"Die!"
Vera burst into laughter. The Heat Vision became dazzlingly bright, making Steppenwolf feel as though he were staring directly at the midday sun.
The blue torrent was forced entirely backward. Just as it was about to hit Steppenwolf, a hand rested on his shoulder.
With a pull backward, Steppenwolf spun as he retreated.
The white-haired woman stepped forward. The metal staff in her hand spun and swept, instantly redirecting Vera's cannon-like Heat Vision. It shot diagonally past the woman's left side, blasted through the dome of the nuclear power plant, and became a meteor streaking into the sky.
The dome shattered and collapsed. Rocks of all sizes rained down.
When they struck Vera, she did not move at all. Instead, the rocks shattered on their own.
The woman also remained standing. She made no visible movement, yet every rock that fell toward her seemed to be knocked away by something and bounced off in other directions.
As a result, she too remained completely unharmed.