Arrival on Earth

Solar System.

A spaceship... no, to be precise, for the sake of escaping at maximum speed, this was merely a stripped-down, shuttle-type escape pod with its energy reserves nearly depleted.

As the alarm for critical energy levels beeped incessantly, a black-haired youth sleeping in a cryo pod opened his eyes with some sluggishness.

Detecting the awakening of an organism, the white mist inside the cryo pod began to slowly retract, and soon, the sound of a powerful, slow heartbeat began to echo within the chamber.

The lid of the cryo pod slid open to both sides. A moment later, a pale, powerful hand reached out, stirring the lingering white mist, and gripped the edge of the pod's opening.

"So... so stiff."

Shane's brain waves gradually became active.

How long have I been frozen?

Immediately following, a dull pain, like the biting of countless tiny ants, slowly crawled over the youth's body.

Several massive, jagged lacerations stretched diagonally from his right shoulder down to his abdomen. Within the distorted ravines, the wounds were crusted with blood-red crystals, which emitted tiny cracking sounds with his stiff movements.

As his nervous system recovered, his strong heart began to pump blood vigorously through his body once more. Along with it came a pain that grew intense enough to make an ordinary person faint.

Yet, Shane's face remained as indifferent as if he were accustomed to it. After slightly leveraging himself up, he even freed his other hand to grope around and assess his condition.

To escape from that horrific environment, Shane had paid a brutal price. After killing several guys a few years older than him who were participating in the coming-of-age ceremony, he had seized an escape spaceship that did not belong to Viltrum and fled into the stars.

Although the ships of Viltrum possessed complete medical repair equipment, Shane had no choice but to use the escape pod prepared by the remnants of a broken civilization—a civilization already half-destroyed by their own bloody coming-of-age rituals. He did this to prevent those cruel warriors from recovering from their civil war and using the ship's tracking signal to hunt him down as a traitor to Viltrum.

Afterward, to shake off any potential pursuit, he had abandoned the ship mid-journey, performed a crude, simple modification on a single escape pod, and moved a cryo pod into it to prevent his injuries from worsening during the long space voyage.

The result was that Shane's injuries had not improved; as soon as the cryo-stasis ended, the massive wound spanning his chest and abdomen began to fester again.

That was not all.

Four broken ribs, a mildly sprained spine, and a shattered nasal bone...

There were at least twenty life-threatening injuries across his entire body.

However, this would not kill a Viltrumite.

Especially since his bloodline came from a warrior who had been exceptionally brilliant during the civil war—an invincible man who was outstanding even by the standards of Viltrum.

Shane groped around for a while, and after gaining a general understanding of his condition, he stopped to rest and recover his strength. Waiting for the effects of the cryo-stasis to fade, he sat up, bracing himself against the edge of the pod.

The cryo pod was oriented toward the main cockpit window of the escape pod, and his bloodshot eyes reflected a blue planet.

Infinite hope surged in Shane's heart.

"Damn it, I finally made it!"

"Damn Viltrum!"

"I traveled back in time too early. I don't even know if the civil war on Viltrum is over yet, and there certainly won't be anyone on Earth like Omni-Man or Invincible who could threaten me!"

Shane thought excitedly.

Although this premature time travel had caused Shane to suffer for over a decade, now that he was about to return to that weak "homeland," he could finally no longer contain his excitement.

"At this point in time, Earth has no Omni-Man, no Invincible, and no Atom Eve—none of the powerhouses from the original story. Even that knock-off Justice League hasn't been formed yet. The only one who could pose a threat to me is that guy, the Immortal!"

One had to know that the databases of Viltrum contained records of Earth.

It was a planet evaluated to be at least several hundred years away from developing into a threat of even a common level, and it didn't even have the value of being specifically conquered.

Shane's plan was beautiful.

With a few small lies, he would let himself recover from his injuries on Earth.

No one could stop him from enjoying life. If the Immortal wanted to be his enemy, then Shane wouldn't mind using some dirtier tactics—like an ambush—to kill the Immortal once, and then figure out a way to seal his remains.

Relying on the physique of a Viltrumite, even just an ordinary Viltrumite Warrior could become the king of the world on Earth at this point in time.

But immediately after, Shane's expression changed with a click, and his mood turned as gloomy as the interior of the escape pod, which had completely lost its lighting.

Although the technological level of Viltrum was quite good, the technology of Viltrum served only for combat or war.

They did have researchers, but they were basically weaklings born with deficiencies, or those who had been permanently disabled in cruel competitions and were forced to engage in that industry.

Although Shane had been mentally exhausted by the competitive mechanisms of Viltrum, it did not mean he wanted to be crippled and thrown into those departments that lived in darkness forever.

In other words, the time Shane had after traveling back was precious, and he didn't have much time to spend on absorbing scientific knowledge.

Therefore, he had made a miscalculation in his total energy consumption.

The escape pod had almost no energy left, and he was severely injured. Although a Viltrumite could physically traverse space, he feared his remaining strength would not be enough to support him flying to Earth alive.

The corners of Shane's mouth twitched with a helpless smile.

"I've made it this far, and Earth is right before my eyes."

Just as he was about to crawl out of the cryo pod in desperation, intending to tear open the escape pod and fly the remaining distance on his own, a strange sense of being enveloped made his whole body tremble.

Years of competition and slaughter made Shane realize instantly that some powerful life form was rapidly approaching him, and the aura it possessed had already enveloped him.

Or perhaps, locked onto him.

What kind of person would possess such an aura?

Unlike the hostile peers or the powerful indigenous warriors who resisted invasions in the past, this aura lacked the cold, bone-chilling intent to kill. Instead, it radiated a warmth like the brilliance of the sun.

But whether it was cold or warm, Shane could be certain that the owner of this aura was incredibly powerful.

Powerful enough to make his muscles, already exhausted to the limit, tremble uncontrollably.

He had once seen the future absolute powerhouse of Viltrum from afar. During a civil war mobilization, the future Regent had swept his indifferent gaze over the batch of young warriors, including Shane, who were waiting to participate in a cruel trial.

And this life form radiating warmth—its power, like a majestic sun, was no weaker than the aura of the future Regent?

It might even be stronger.

Shane's movements were somewhat sluggish.

At this period on Earth, or perhaps outside of Earth.

Where could such a powerhouse come from?

Through the transparent glass, Shane stared stiffly at the black shadow rapidly approaching outside the escape pod.

The extraordinary vision brought by his powerful physique allowed him to immediately lock onto the thick beard on the newcomer's face.

His brain frantically squeezed through distant memories. The only person who could match that full beard was the Immortal—the very person he hadn't deemed worthy of much attention in his hypothetical scenarios.

"No way! Buddy?"

Shane could not hide his shock.

Hell! How could the Immortal be this strong?!