Godhood Unlocked: I Choose Sci-Magic Dual Cultivation

A thunderous boom erupted in the arena, as though it were about to shatter the entire sky.

The Decadent Batman

Dane threw a punch, sending Diana and her shield flying backward and smashing through the perimeter wall.

The stone wall was more brittle than tofu when it hit them, exploding into a cloud of dust several feet high.

He showed no mercy. Taking advantage of the brief moment Diana was down and off balance, he hurled lightning from his hand and struck her with precision.

Diana felt the pressure, but it only made her fighting spirit burn brighter.

She leaped to her feet with a resounding battle cry, bringing down the Sword of Vulcan in a savage slash.

Dane pulled back to evade it, as if he could still feel the blade's razor-sharp cutting force.

He swung a punch at her, but Diana dodged.

He was not the only one absorbing Diana's combat techniques; Diana was also adapting to his fighting rhythm.

She slammed the Divine Shield viciously into Dane's waist. In the brief instant he bent over, she raised her long leg and kicked him squarely in the lightning emblem on his chest.

Dane rode the force into the air, hovering at low altitude as he raised a hand and hurled another bolt of lightning.

Diana blocked it with her shield, bringing the lightning assault to a halt.

Seeing Dane close in again, she swiftly moved her shield behind her back.

She slammed her wrists together, unleashing a burst of divine power!

The shockwave tore through the air with a piercing hum. Dane planted his feet on the ground and was driven backward by the blast.

His feet plowed through the earth, carving two trenches before friction brought him to a stop.

Suddenly, Dane felt his arm tighten. Looking down, he smiled. The Lasso of Truth.

Diana exerted every ounce of strength she had, yet she could not move Dane even a single step.

Hercules possessed the strength to hold up the heavens. Diana was still a little short of being able to shake him.

Clark might have had a chance.

Dane flexed his arm, grabbed the Lasso of Truth, and gave it a violent tug, yanking Diana in front of him.

With one hand, he seized the strap securing her shield, lifted Diana into the air, and smashed his forehead into hers.

A booming thud carried far into the distance as Diana was sent flying once more.

Even Clark, listening from the stands, thought that sounded painful.

That blow had nearly given Diana a concussion.

She shook her head, and her long black hair fluttered in the wind.

Dane stood still, waiting for her to recover her senses.

This was only a spar. There was no need to kick someone while they were down.

A demigod was still a demigod. Diana recovered remarkably quickly.

Though she did not possess the Courage of Achilles, she had the same boundless passion for battle and fierce fighting spirit.

"Again!"

"Good!"

Dane was equally willing to see it through to the end.

As the scope of their battle gradually expanded, another half of the arena collapsed. Dane increasingly felt the disadvantage of having no weapon.

Most weapons could not harm him, but divine artifacts could. He could not exactly keep fighting opponents like this barehanded, could he?

The stalemate between him and Diana had largely been caused by his lack of a suitable weapon.

Even with a divine body, he had to give way before the Sword of Vulcan.

No. He needed a divine artifact of his own. He might not need to use it, but he absolutely could not be without one.

He did not know where else he could find an ownerless divine artifact, but perhaps he could forge one himself?

If he took Poseidon's Trident, would Poseidon be upset?

Better not. If the sea people found out, it would probably spark a war. It simply was not worth it.

As the fight continued, Diana became increasingly accustomed to Dane's lightning.

She knew it was because Dane himself bore no hostility, and because the power of his lightning originated from Zeus.

She could also tell that although Dane struck harder than Clark, he was still holding back overall.

He had not used his super speed to bully her, nor had he taken advantage of his superior aerial maneuverability.

Fighting an Amazon while standing on the ground was his way of giving her face. That was why their battle appeared so evenly matched.

She had already had her fill of fighting, so it was time to bring this spar to an end.

"Let's stop here."

Diana took the initiative to stop, and Dane promptly withdrew as well.

"Are you satisfied?"

She nodded and sheathed the Sword of Vulcan and shield on her back.

"So, is that man named Zod as strong as you two?"

Dane nodded. "He is probably a little stronger, but our powers are still developing. By then, we should be about evenly matched."

He deliberately made Zod sound stronger to put a little pressure on Diana.

Today's spar had shown that after going too long without an evenly matched battle, her condition had declined somewhat.

No wonder trash like Steppenwolf had dared to fight four of them alone and had nearly succeeded.

Wonder Woman, their main damage dealer, had not held up. She could clearly solo the God of War.

Now, she should have some motivation to improve her strength.

Sure enough, upon hearing Dane's words, her expression turned solemn.

"I need to train harder."

"Don't worry. Umbrella will prepare a training ground and equipment for you."

"Umbrella? I thought your company was called Vanguard."

"That is another one of my companies, specifically for people like us..."

Dane gave her a look that said, you know what I mean.

At that moment, Clark flew down from the stands.

"Finished?"

"Finished."

Dane looked at the two of them and nodded in satisfaction.

The Justice League now had three god-tier powerhouses. Their visible strength was enough; what they needed now was a tactical master to coordinate that power.

Bruce Wayne, what state were you in now?

Gotham, Wayne Manor.

Today, it received three unusual visitors.

Three "gods" descended from the sky and landed on the lawn before Wayne Manor.

More than half a year had passed since Clark's last visit, and this place had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Of course, for the worse.

The weeds had grown nearly as tall as a person, as though no one had ever tended them. Fallen leaves carpeted the driveway, left unswept.

An autumn breeze stirred the bare branches.

Leaves scattered across the ground and struck the manor's doors, as though no one had ever lived here.

Only a year had passed, yet the manor already felt utterly dilapidated, transformed into an abandoned haunted house.

But all three of them could clearly sense someone inside, though only one person.

"This is where the man you mentioned lives?"

Diana lightly furrowed her brow at the ruined sight before her.

"He does not seem to be doing very well."

"Bruce Wayne's butler is an outstanding man. When Bruce became Batman, aside from managing his company and estate, he also provided logistical support for Batman."

Dane channeled his magic and changed all three of them into suitable casual clothes. Their combat suits were far too conspicuous.

Diana looked at the women's trench coat she now wore and thanked him with a smile.

He continued, "With such an excellent butler around, Bruce Wayne should not have let his home become like this."

"Unless he is deliberately exiling himself and giving up on himself."

"It seems what happened to Jason hit him very hard. His calmness back then was an act."

Clark frowned. He had occasionally come to Gotham to check on things after that day.

At the time, Bruce had still been operating normally as Batman. Clark had thought he had already moved on.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Dane took the lead and pushed open the manor's front doors.

The wooden doors creaked from disrepair. How strange—only a few months had passed.

The three entered and found that the furnishings inside were still very clean.

It seemed only the exterior had been neglected; inside, everything remained as it had always been.

Dane truly felt a little envious of Bruce now. With a butler like that, no wonder he dared to run wild everywhere.

Dane thought Alfred's abilities could be put to use on a much greater stage, such as the Justice League. Keeping him solely in Gotham was too wasteful.

Cortana was good too, but some matters still had to be handled by people.

"Clark, can you see him?"

"Of course. He is in the basement, in a place that looks like a kitchen."

Clark's X-Ray Vision was always convenient for finding people.

"What is he doing there?" Diana asked in confusion.

"I can see liquor bottles," Clark answered.

"Drowning his sorrows in alcohol? That will not do. Alcohol can damage the brain and mind. Let's go."

The three entered the kitchen and found empty liquor bottles all over the floor. The air was filled with the pungent stench of alcohol.

A disheveled-haired man lay sprawled on the floor of bottles like he was dead, completely motionless.

"He stinks."

Diana took one sniff, covered her nose in disgust, and stepped back.

Perhaps sensing someone nearby, the man lying on the floor moved, then...

He continued sleeping.

Clark could not believe this was Bruce Wayne. He hurried forward and easily lifted him up.

His messy hair fell aside, revealing the face of Bruce Wayne.

He slightly opened his bleary eyes and breathed out an alcoholic stench.

"Who. The. Hell. Are. You? Motherfucker!"

Scarecrow's Declaration