Beyond the Limit (DC)

In his pain-addled mind, Joseph had only one coherent thought:

'This guy is out of my weight class. I need to escape.'

Despero wasn't just strong—he was Superman-tier, and Joseph had no business fighting him. Why had he even tried?

Oh, right. His arrogance.

He thought he could play the hero for the Thanagarians, help defend their world, and then score a ride back to Earth. Instead, he'd gotten flattened, outmatched, and humiliated. Again.

He forced himself to take in his surroundings. The sky was dark, and the two motherships clashing in orbit had eclipsed the light of the sun, Polaris. Strangely, the cities below—when he'd been falling—had been dark too. No lights. No movement.

That could only mean one thing: evacuation.

But the warships hadn't stopped. An endless stream of Thanagarian and Gordanian vessels streaked toward the planet, the former under Despero's control. If Paran Dul's pride was anything to go by, the Thanagarians had likely evacuated civilians and left millions of warriors in Nth metal armor behind to die fighting.

So much for sneaking away.

Taking a ship in orbit was suicide. Lasers filled the void, and most of the ships were built for war—no faster-than-light capability or there probably would have been way more deserters. Even if he hijacked one, he'd probably be stuck limping home for years, assuming the ship survived launch through the barrage of lasers everywhere.

Maybe, he thought bitterly, he should've joined the Gordanians in targeting the planetary shield, then raided one of the cities. Maybe he'd find an unmanned FTL-capable vessel with voice controls or a pilot willing to bring him home.

But that was wishful thinking. Fantasy.

The truth was simple.

Despero had seen him. Marked him. And he wouldn't let Joseph go.

Joseph had only one option left: stall until he came up with a plan.

Despero had given him just enough time to execute a desperate plan. Joseph gathered what Nova Force he had left and discharged it through his eyes and one good arm—the only limb not shattered from the fall.

A wave of white-gold energy engulfed Despero, burning bright enough to bleach the crater in light and turn the dark sky bright. It was the most powerful blast Joseph had ever fired.

When the light cleared, Despero stood—naked, burnt, parts of his skeleton exposed—grinning like a maniac when his face reformed with all three eyes intact and open as his body rapidly regenerated before Joseph's eyes.

He hadn't defended himself.

He wanted Joseph to see that there was no hope.

Despero floated into the crater.

'I'm scared. I'm going to die.'

The thought struck like a whisper in the back of his mind. But Joseph didn't let it settle.

No.

With sheer force of will, he slipped into the Dream State.

The physical world receded. His pain followed him, dull and distant, as his mind entered a vast white expanse.

A translucent interface appeared before him:

/* Nova Control Center

(A menu displaying body's status before AI's termination with adjustable options in some categories.)

 Memory Archive (Before AI's Termination)

 Data Archive (Before AI Termination)

 Body Abilities

 Nova Avatar

 Mental Configuration

 [ Exit ]

He expanded Mental Configuration.

//* Mental Configuration

 Dream State Configuration

 Emotion Range

"Remove my fear for the next thirty minutes," he commanded. "Exit."

When he returned to his body seconds later, the panic was gone. Pain still wracked his limbs—his right arm and both legs were broken, along with ribs and his skull—but his thoughts were clear. Focused.

Paran Dul's helmet, half-melted by Despero's thermal strike, was fused to his cheek, still radiating heat. Nova Force wasn't working. His broken body couldn't sustain another blast like the last one, not that he had much in the tank left. And he couldn't pull Despero into the Dream State.

That left one last play.

"Wait!" Joseph shouted in Interlac, voice strained but pleading. "Let's talk this out. It's all a misunderstanding. I'm not even Thanagarian!"

Despero chuckled darkly as he hovered closer.

"Oh? Didn't you say you'd be the one laughing in the end?" He landed with a heavy thud, savoring each step toward Joseph's battered body. "I love the sound of warriors begging, just before I take their heads. Stand proud. You're strong. Your skull will lead the others on my wall."

Joseph winced but kept his gaze locked on him. At least he'd tried.

He triggered his anti-gravity field, trying to launch Despero away, but as he did, Despero's third eye snapped open.

Pain exploded behind Joseph's eyes, so intense it painted the world in white noise. He convulsed, vision splitting, blood dripping from his nose. Despero didn't need to kill him quickly. He wanted him to suffer.

Joseph's body seized as the alien tyrant reached down and hoisted him up by the neck.

Still, Joseph wasn't done.

He reached out with his one functioning arm and grabbed Despero's wrist, triggering his energy absorption ability—an act of desperation.

Nothing.

Despero's power was too deep. A bottomless well. Joseph might as well have tried drinking the ocean.

"Before you die," Despero said, voice like iron, "tell me your name."

Joseph glared at him, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"I am… Nova."

With the last of his strength, he summoned his anti-gravity field again—pointless, weak. Despero didn't even flinch.

But then he made his mistake.

He grinned and opened his third eye for one final psychic strike.

Joseph was ready.

Through blinding pain and broken bones, he channeled as much Nova Force as he could muster from his eyes into that glowing third eye and fired.

The beam struck true.

Just as Despero was about to scream in surprise, instinctively clenching Joseph's throat even tighter while closing his third eye, Joseph looked directly into Despero's rightmost eye.

And with all his psychic might, he pulled Despero into the Dream State.