Forged in Chaos: A Transmigrator’s Tale in the DC Universe

**Chapter 20: Breaking Limits**

Ethan barely had a moment to react before the armored figure was on him again, moving like a phantom through the battlefield. Each strike came faster, more precise, forcing Ethan to tap into every ounce of his reflexes to evade.

The air itself seemed to ripple with their movements, every clash of their attacks sending out shockwaves that shattered glass and cracked pavement. Ethan gritted his teeth, his body already feeling the strain, but something inside him burned hotter with every exchange.

*I can't keep dodging forever. I have to end this.*

Gotham's skyline loomed around them, the flickering streetlights casting eerie shadows across the battlefield. Ethan's mind raced, piecing together a strategy. He had no idea what kind of tech this guy was packing, but it was clear that brute force alone wasn't going to cut it.

His fusion ability flared in response to his desperation. He snatched up a discarded manhole cover and a jagged steel pipe from the wreckage around them. The objects melted together in his grip, reshaping into a massive, reinforced shield with a sharpened edge. Without hesitation, he hurled it forward.

The armored figure twisted his body to avoid the projectile, but Ethan was already following up, launching himself forward in its wake. His opponent barely had time to react before Ethan's fist, crackling with kinetic energy, slammed into his visor.

The impact sent the stranger staggering back. For the first time, Ethan saw a genuine crack in the armor. But the victory was short-lived.

The stranger growled and pressed his palm against his chest plate. Instantly, his suit recalibrated, the damage repairing itself in real-time. Energy pulsed through his form, and his movements became even sharper, even faster.

"You're starting to amuse me," the stranger said, his voice now clearer, devoid of the robotic distortion from before. "But you're still holding back."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You don't know anything about me."

The stranger tilted his head. "Don't I?"

In a blur of motion, the stranger reached down and touched a piece of the wreckage at his feet. To Ethan's shock, the debris shifted and fused with his suit, reinforcing it. It wasn't just armor—it was *alive*.

Ethan's mind reeled. This guy… he had a power similar to his own.

"That's not possible," Ethan whispered.

"Oh, it's very possible," the stranger replied. "And if you think you've reached the peak of your abilities… you're dead wrong."

The realization hit Ethan like a freight train. His fusion ability, the one thing that set him apart, wasn't unique. And that meant he had just met someone who had been using it *far longer* than he had.

His opponent flexed his fingers, and the reinforced armor along his arms sharpened into jagged, bladed gauntlets. "Let's see what happens when you stop holding back."

Ethan clenched his fists. He had no choice.

He had to break past his limits.

**To be continued...**