Ethan Drake had to admit that brain activation was an incredibly useful ability. Not only did it allow him to remember every detail he observed, but it also dramatically enhanced his ability to analyze powers in real time. In combat, that advantage was almost unfair.
In truth, Ethan hadn't actually copied Carol's powers themselves. What he had copied was the principle behind how she used them. The foundation was already there—he had always been capable of absorbing cosmic energy.
Carol had simply opened the door.
The light of nearby stars, the gravitational pull drifting through space, the countless stray energy fluctuations scattered across the universe—all of them suddenly became tools he could manipulate. Watching Carol fight had broadened his understanding, allowing him to grasp entirely new ways to harness the energy around him.
And once Ethan finished learning, he had no intention of continuing the playful sparring.
"It's time for you to wake up completely."
Every one of the trillions of cells in his body roared to life like miniature furnaces. Cosmic energy poured into him continuously, and his heart began beating with thunderous strength. His blood surged through his veins like a raging river, carrying unimaginable power to every corner of his body.
As his momentum rose higher and higher, a faint glow surrounded him. Against the endless backdrop of the star field, Ethan looked less like a man and more like a god standing above the cosmos.
Boom!
His foot pressed against the void itself. The explosive force launched him forward like a blazing meteor streaking across space.
In an instant, Ethan caught up with Carol's drifting body.
She had barely regained control when she saw him closing in again. Her instinctive reaction was to throw a punch straight toward him.
"Bring it."
Ethan met the attack head-on.
Boom!
His own fist shot forward.
The movement was simple and direct, but the force behind it was terrifying. The punch exploded like artillery fire, distorting the surrounding space itself. Carol felt a dull shock ripple through her arm before the impact hurled her backward.
"Damn it… this—"
Before she could even catch her breath, a sudden pull tightened around her right hand.
She looked down in shock.
Ethan had already grabbed her wrist.
A violent force yanked her forward. Her body was dragged straight toward him, and the next thing she saw was a massive fist filling her entire vision.
Boom!
The punch smashed directly into her head.
For an ordinary person, a blow like that would have meant instant death. At the very least, their skull would shatter on impact. Even someone as powerful as General Zod would likely suffer severe injuries from a direct strike like that.
But Carol was different.
As one of the universe's favored champions, her body possessed astonishing resilience. She staggered from the blow, momentarily dizzy, but quickly began struggling to resist Ethan's grip.
Boom!
Another ruthless punch followed.
"Tell me something," Ethan said coldly. "Are you a Kree? Remind me who you really are."
There was no hesitation in his attacks.
No mercy.
Ethan showed absolutely no concern for the fact that his opponent was a woman. His fists crashed down mercilessly.
Still, Carol's durability was truly impressive. Even after several brutal blows, her injuries remained relatively minor, and her body began healing almost immediately.
"Damn you…"
Her real problem wasn't the damage.
It was distance.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't create any space between them. The difference in strength between them was simply too overwhelming.
She had no way to escape his grasp.
"Still can't remember who you are?"
Ethan's voice echoed near her ear.
In the next moment, he grabbed both of Carol's slender arms and lifted her slightly. Then he leaned forward and slammed his forehead directly into hers.
Boom!
The headbutt struck with brutal force.
Carol's vision instantly spun. The powerful impact made her mind go completely blank, as if someone had switched off her thoughts.
Her body felt weak and powerless, unable to gather any strength.
It was like drifting in a strange state between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Through the haze, she could only hear Ethan's voice scolding her.
Where are you from?
Where do you belong?
Where… am I from?
Fragments of memory flickered through her mind.
The Kree Empire.
No…
Scenes flashed past like drifting clouds.
A childhood classroom.
The Air Force Academy.
Fighter jets roaring across the sky.
The memories grew clearer and clearer as the pain intensified.
"No… I'm not from the Kree Empire…"
Her voice trembled as the truth surfaced.
"I'm from Earth."
Tears gathered in her blue eyes. Blood from the wound on her forehead mixed with those tears, sliding down her face and leaving streaks of crimson across her flawless skin.
Carol finally remembered.
She remembered who she was—and the choice she had made.
The Kree Empire had threatened Earth itself. Faced with the safety of her home world, she had been forced into an impossible situation. After all, the Kree Empire was one of the three great interstellar powers in the universe.
Compared to them, Earth was nothing more than a fragile speck.
If the Kree wished, a single command would be enough to wipe the planet out completely.
To protect Earth, Carol had no choice but to join their interstellar task force. She allowed her immense cosmic power to be used in service of the empire.
That was the price she paid.
The tragic path she had chosen.
"I remember now… but what difference does it make?"
Carol clenched her fists tightly. Her beautiful face twisted with anger as she glared at the man standing before her.
She couldn't understand it.
How had he seen through her secret so easily?
"How did you know?"
As soon as the question left her mouth, Carol instinctively pulled her arms free from Ethan's grip. The memory of the merciless beating she had just endured made her retreat several steps, putting some distance between them.
Ethan couldn't help laughing when he saw her rubbing her head while wincing in pain.
Still, he answered her honestly.
"We were never enemies," he said calmly. "In a way, you could even say we're on the same side."
"The same side?"
Carol frowned in confusion.
"The Kryptonians respect you," she said slowly. "Aren't you a survivor of Krypton? How could you possibly be on my side?"
Explaining the truth wasn't exactly easy.
After all, Ethan couldn't exactly tell her that he had once been a man from Earth too.
"You don't need to worry about that right now," he said instead. "I only want to ask you one thing."
His gaze locked onto hers.
"Do you want to save Earth?"
"Of course I do!"
Carol answered immediately, the response bursting out before she could even think.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and extended his hand toward her with a faint smile.
"Then that makes us allies."
His voice carried a calm certainty.
"You and I are going to overthrow the Kree Empire."
Carol froze.
The words hit her like a thunderbolt.
The blonde hero stared at him in complete disbelief, her entire body trembling with shock.
....
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