Chapter 65: Allen's Rescue Method
"Please, trample me as much as you like."
Allen lay on the ground, clad in a full-body alloy suit, waiting for a relentless beating.
His armor, forged from vibranium combined with magical metal, provided an all-encompassing, seamless defense, integrating the best of both worlds. Through the craftsmanship of an alchemist, it was nothing short of an artifact.
"Nanaue, unleash your fury!"
Grabbing Allen by the ankle, Nanaue swung him wildly, slamming him into the ground over and over.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deep craters formed on the ground with each impact, the scene reminiscent of the Hulk mercilessly thrashing Loki.
"Nanaue, Justice Stomp!"
After the brutal swings, Nanaue leaped high into the air and stomped down hard on Allen's chest.
"Again!"
"Keep stomping!"
"Still not enough!"
"Go wild!"
…
Namor stood to the side, dumbfounded as he watched the entire ordeal unfold.
From beginning to end, Allen never fought back. Nanaue rained down blows as if he were venting some deep-seated grudge.
Namor couldn't comprehend the purpose of creating a suit designed solely for taking a beating. Was the idea to let the enemy exhaust themselves before counterattacking?
"Stop!"
Allen got up, dusted himself off, and felt the energy stored within his armor.
He raised a hand and slapped the ground. A shockwave burst out, sending dust into the air while jagged cracks radiated from the impact point.
"The Punching Bag Hero is officially online."
The magical metal provided by Atlantis was specialized in water-element properties, making it ideal for underwater mobility. However, Allen had never learned water magic, so he couldn't utilize its full potential.
Vibranium, on the other hand, absorbed kinetic energy and negated impact. Instead of merely reducing damage, it stored the energy to be unleashed later.
Before taking a beating, the armor was merely a defensive tool. But the more damage it absorbed, the stronger its explosive power became.
After a month of testing, Allen was satisfied with the results.
But don't expect any high-tech marvels—it was just an enchanted suit of armor.
Creating something on par with Iron Man's suits wasn't feasible, let alone dealing with the energy constraints.
To put it bluntly, if Allen pushed his armor's energy absorption to the max, he could drain Namor's entire kingdom dry.
Carrying an energy battery was pointless when a few punches from Nanaue did the job just fine.
"No time to waste."
Allen glanced at his wrist—where a nonexistent watch would be—and turned to Namor with a serious expression.
"I'm heading back to the surface to save the world."
"Do you need a lift?"
"No need."
Having obtained what he came for, Allen saw no reason to linger. It was time to reunite with Captain America and the others.
Farewells were always bittersweet, but as Namor watched the departing submarine, he felt more relief than anything.
---
Themyscira.
Diana donned her battle gear and, taking advantage of the guards' shift change, stealthily made her way to the shore before diving into the sea.
Ares, the God of War, was once again sowing chaos in the world of men. Queen Hippolyta, upon hearing the news, forbade Diana from interfering.
Matters between gods should be settled by gods.
In truth, Hippolyta's real concern was that of a mother fearing for her daughter's safety.
Since returning to Themyscira, Diana had changed. She often trained alone, experimenting with her divine arsenal in combat scenarios, all while replaying her battle with Ares in her mind.
She thought of nothing else but avenging her defeat.
On the palace balcony, Hippolyta gazed toward the sea, her eyes filled with worry.
"Sister, if you're so concerned for Diana, why let her go?" Queen's sister, Antiope, asked, puzzled.
"When Diana sets her mind on something, nothing can stop her. No hardship or obstacle will deter her."
As her mother, Hippolyta knew her child well. Even if the path led to near-certain death, Diana would charge forward without hesitation.
Antiope parted her lips, wanting to retort, but held back. After all, wasn't Hippolyta just as stubborn?
---
Nightfall.
Moonlight shimmered across the vast ocean.
Allen surfaced, frowning.
"Did they give me fake potion?"
Before leaving Atlantis, Allen had asked for a potion that could attract the Trench.
It was supposed to save him the trouble of searching for them.
He diluted the potion into the seawater and waited, but nothing happened.
Bang!
He fired a flare into the sky, casting a crimson glow across the night.
Then, to his shock, he found himself surrounded by countless grotesque, feral Trench creatures, all staring at him with bloodthirsty eyes.
"Uh… hey there! Out for a late-night snack?"
Allen cheerfully waved at them.
The very next second, the Trench swarmed him like a school of piranhas, dragging him beneath the waves.
The sea churned violently as an endless tide of Trench surged forward, boiling like a storm-tossed ocean.
Soon, corpses began floating to the surface.
The surviving Trench tore into their fallen kin, devouring them in a frenzied feeding frenzy.
Long ago, Atlantis had been a land-based nation. However, when their advanced technology dared to challenge Poseidon's divine authority, the sea god unleashed a great flood, sinking the kingdom beneath the waves.
The survivors adapted, evolving to live underwater.
Among them, the Trench had mutated incorrectly, losing their intelligence and becoming mindless, bloodthirsty beasts.
More and more corpses surfaced, littering the ocean.
"Drink this and die, you pestilent freaks."
Allen floated to the surface, gazing at the carnage.
"Now tell me—are you scared yet?"
Killing them one by one would take forever.
Thor had already left, so Allen had no choice but to resort to Plan B—poisoning the Trench for easy experience farming.
As an alchemist, brewing poison was second nature to him.
Once the potion entered a living organism, it triggered a chemical reaction, instantly turning into a lethal toxin.
Of course, Allen had put in safety measures.
Once diluted in seawater, the toxin would break down within an hour. Alternatively, the natural enzymes released from decaying corpses would neutralize it.
[You have slain a Trench creature. EXP +150.]
[Level Up! Alchemist Level: 60.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Alchemy Emperor.]
[Alchemy Emperor: Increases all alchemy skill levels by +1. Enhances alchemical creations by 20%.]
…
[You have slain a Trench creature. EXP +150.]
[Level Up! Alchemist Level: 120.]
[System Prompt: Conditions met. You may return to your original timeline at any time.]
…
Allen felt a newfound sense of security.
"I can do whatever I want now. If things go south, I'll just peace out. Let's see them punch me through time and space!"
Grinning mischievously, he imitated a villainous tone.
"That precious little blue gem—it's mine!"
"Master, look! Nanaue found someone!"
Nanaue dragged a figure through the water, but the darkness made it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman.
"Could it be Hotpot?"
Allen swam closer, then his eyes widened in surprise.
"Whoa! It's the Princess!"
Indeed, the unlucky victim was Diana.
She had been swimming toward the mainland when she unknowingly entered Allen's poison zone, accidentally inhaling a mouthful of toxic seawater.
Since Allen and Nanaue had taken the antidote in advance, they were completely unaffected.
"Uh-oh, I didn't bring any extra antidote."
Allen had never expected to run into a friendly in the middle of the ocean, so he only made two doses.
After a moment of hesitation, Allen made a decision.
"Guess I'll have to take one for the team."
He pried Diana's mouth open, took a deep breath—
And spat the antidote straight into her mouth.