"I've visited countless planets to assess their defensive capabilities, but you're the strongest warrior I've ever encountered—almost on par with a Viltrumite. Damn it, you're not actually a Viltrumite, are you?!"
Feeling the overwhelming gap in power—like a child facing an adult—Allen's expression shifted from shock to seriousness. He threw a lightning-fast punch at Russell's abdomen, like Mars crashing into Earth. The impact bent Russell's back.
It was a punch powerful enough to take down a battleship. If it had landed on Earth, the resulting shockwave alone could have killed hundreds.
But all it did was cause Russell's grip on Allen's throat to loosen slightly. Before Allen could take advantage of it—
Russell retaliated instantly with a heavier blow, a punch like an intercontinental missile slamming into Allen's stomach. Allen's eyes bulged as he coughed up blood and was sent flying like a meteor, crashing dozens of miles away into the surface of the moon.
Boom!
Allen was much faster in flight, so the battlefield had to be confined to the ground.
Russell dove after him.
The moon's surface trembled as though struck by a meteor. A crater formed from the sheer force of the blow, sending up a cloud of lunar dust.
Allen clutched his stomach and had just managed to stand.
A figure in a white cape came barreling in, shattering the swirling dust with a howling gust of wind, and landed another brutal punch to Allen's face. The shockwave silently exploded in the vacuum, scattering the moon dust in concentric circles.
Allen's feet left the ground, his head slammed deep into the surface, and a web of cracks spread out several dozen meters. His face was left bruised and swollen.
"Whoa, that punch really had some weight to it! But… you're probably not a Viltrumite. Your attacks are still too gentle!"
Allen had noticed Russell was holding back.
Despite the brutal strength, Russell's blows didn't aim for vital points like a Viltrumite's would. Allen also discovered a weakness—Russell's flight speed was slow.
Whoosh!
Allen punched the ground, kicking up moon dust to obscure his trajectory, then looped in a wide arc and reappeared behind Russell in a flash.
Losing sight of his opponent, Russell sensed danger behind him and spun around.
But before he could fully turn, Allen had already locked him in a powerful hold, launching them like a supersonic missile across the lunar surface. They gouged a trench stretching for miles, smashing through several craters along the way.
But the attack barely fazed Russell.
Whoosh!
Just as Russell was about to elbow him in retaliation, Allen spun and flung him high into the air.
In terms of combat experience and hand-to-hand skill, Allen—despite his upbeat and goofy demeanor—was sharper and more seasoned than nearly anyone else in the galaxy.
Even with all of Russell's fixed templates and the Soldier Boy template combined, they couldn't compare.
Especially in low gravity environments like space and the moon—Russell had zero real experience.
"You're strong, I'll give you that—but I can't just sit here and get beat up!"
Catching up to Russell, who had been flung over a kilometer away, Allen shot into the sky with a grin. His right arm suddenly swelled, muscle fibers writhing like living creatures, bulking up considerably. He drove a powerful uppercut into Russell's abdomen.
Almost simultaneously, Russell adjusted his posture mid-air and countered with a flaming punch to Allen's chin.
Boom!
The shockwave exploded and spread for miles. Both figures were sent flying in opposite directions, one up, one down.
In the low-gravity environment, Russell was nearly knocked out of the moon's gravitational field. His slightly bloodied lip healed in a blink. Flipping in mid-air, he stomped hard onto a floating meteor, legs bent like springs, ready to launch again.
His sharp gaze locked onto Allen's figure on the ground.
Boom!
The meteor shattered as Russell propelled himself downward, so fast that even the thin lunar atmosphere sparked with ionized trails behind him.
Allen, with his jaw dislocated, staggered to his feet, pupils contracting in alarm.
Russell's fist descended like a meteorite.
BOOOOOOM!!
The strike drove Allen dozens of meters deep into the lunar bedrock. The impact zone rippled like a wave, then collapsed into a massive crater over a mile wide.
Dust spread like a tsunami, forming a spectacular gray mushroom cloud in the silence.
Russell landed and exhaled deeply, glancing down into the crater.
When it came to space combat, he couldn't match Allen's experience, so he didn't want to waste more time. He got serious—just a bit—and quickly ended the fight.
That punch should finally wipe the grin off Allen's face.
"Surrender, alien. You're no match for me or Russell"
At that moment, Mark finally arrived. Unused to the moon's gravity, he misjudged his landing and skidded several hundred meters across the surface, leaving a deep trench.
Though he instantly blinked back to his original position, fists clenched and ready to fight to the end if needed—
His clumsy entrance ruined the dramatic effect.
"Wait, wait… my ribs… okay, I give up!"
Thankfully, Allen wasn't a serious enemy. From the bottom of the crater, he clutched his ribs and grinned sheepishly, raising a hand to signal surrender.
"For real?"
Mark was a bit skeptical—it was all over too quickly. He edged closer to Russell, wondering if this might be some alien trick.
But Allen's surrender marked the end of this short but intense battle.
[Allen Template Acquired]
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Russell's eyes. Now he had a well-rounded combat template.
"Who are you, and why did you come to Earth?"
Even though he already knew the answer, Russell asked anyway—to give Allen a chance to explain himself, otherwise Mark might not trust him.
"I'm Allen, a planetary auditor from the Coalition of Planets. I travel around evaluating whether civilizations can protect themselves."
Allen sat down on a few moon rocks, gesturing for the others to join him.
His injuries from Russell's attack seemed to already be healing.
If not for Allen's known regenerative powers, Russell would've felt bad about injuring someone who meant no harm.
"Didn't your planet apply for a planetary audit this time?"
As they chatted, Allen explained his identity and mission, ending with a puzzled question.
"We applied?"
Mark blinked.
Since when did Earth have interstellar communication capability?
"See? It says right here."
Allen held up a handheld device. The registered audit target had a photo and name nearly identical to Earth—but it wasn't Earth.
"You made a mistake," Russell pointed out. He had Allen take a closer look at the differences between the image and the real Earth.
"Oh crap… you're right."
Allen widened his eyes, scratched his head, and gave an embarrassed smile.
After all that tension, it turned out to be a mix-up. Mark nearly fainted in disbelief.
"This is going to get me in serious trouble. Thanks for pointing it out.
Oh, by the way, I'm Allen."
Getting up in a hurry to leave, Allen offered his hand apologetically, trying to make peace and become friends.
"Infinity"
"Invincible."
Russell and Mark each gave their superhero names and shook his hand.
"Invincible? Hah! Are you sure you two didn't swap titles by mistake?"
Allen blinked, pointing at both of them with a clueless grin.