Kaito Kid is Superhero

Back when he was watching superhero movies, Liu A'dou always had one big question: why did superheroes, despite having wildly different species and powers, always seem to take the same amount of damage from the same enemy attacks?

For example, an attack that sent Superman flying would just knock Batman back too. Seriously? That made no sense. If something could launch Superman, it should've killed Batman on impact. Yet Batman always got up like nothing happened and kept fighting.

Or take Hulk and Wolverine. Hulk could fight Thor, and Thor's divine-level strength was in a completely different league from Wolverine's mutant abilities. But somehow, Hulk would punch both of them and send them flying the same way. No difference at all.

So Liu A'dou figured all the villains in this world were holding back.

But now that he was here, in this world, he couldn't count on his enemies going easy on him. He had to get stronger on his own. And Themyscira was the perfect training ground.

Sure enough, these were the Bracers of Heracles—damn, they were heavy. The wrist guards on Liu A'dou's arms weighed five hundred jin each, the heaviest load on the island. According to legend, these were left behind by Heracles himself when he invaded the Amazons.

One of Heracles' Twelve Labors was to steal the war belt Ares had gifted to the Amazon queen Hippolyta. As a nation of warrior women, of course the Amazons didn't hand it over without a fight. Heracles had to defeat the seven greatest warriors of their tribe before Hippolyta finally gave it to him willingly.

Out of respect for those warrior women, Heracles left behind his bracers—crafted from meteorite. But they were so ridiculously heavy and had no divine properties aside from durability that no Amazon had ever been able to wear them. Over time, people forgot they even existed.

But when Liu A'dou asked for the heaviest equipment possible, the Amazon queen remembered them.

Heavy.

By the end of the long-distance run, Liu A'dou was soaked through with sweat, but he gritted his teeth and stayed right on Diana's heels. If Heracles could do it, then so could he.

Go!

Diana was stunned that Liu A'dou had caught up. She hadn't even gone all out yet. She powered up her legs for the final sprint.

Now was the time.

Ripple—he had to rely on Ripple now. Liu A'dou channeled Repulsion Ripple through the soles of his straw sandals, using the force to propel himself forward.

Repulsion Ripple. Repulsion Ripple...

By using Ripple to enhance his stride, he could also feel the fine-grain structure of his muscle cells.

The crowd roared. Now the match was getting exciting. With only a few meters between them, Diana pumped her arms harder, her long legs blurring as she closed in on the finish line.

But Liu A'dou's Repulsion Ripple acted like rocket boosters, launching him forward at incredible speed. At the same time, he used Healing Ripple to recover his stamina—simultaneously healing and accelerating. His Ripple mastery took another leap.

Let's go!

Just as Diana was about to cross the line, Liu A'dou activated Repulsion Ripple with both legs at once, launching his entire body forward like a missile parallel to the ground.

Who was faster? The spectators craned their necks to see the result.

The princess—or the man?

Diana—or Liu A'dou?

It was the man—Liu A'dou!

His hair crossed the line just ahead of Diana's chest. Victory belonged to A'dou.

"Waaaahhh!" The Amazon warriors screamed and cheered without an ounce of restraint, completely ignoring their princess's feelings.

Diana stared at Liu A'dou collapsed on the ground like a dying dog. "You win the first round. But judging by your condition, there's no way you'll finish the other three events. So victory will still be mine."

Gasping for air, Liu A'dou replied, "Let me catch my breath. We'll keep going."

"At least you've got some backbone," Diana said.

After about three minutes, Liu A'dou stood up. "Let's go—next event."

Ripple of the Immortal Way wasn't originally a combat technique. It was meant to explore the mysteries of the human body. It only became a battle method because of its effectiveness against vampires. But Liu A'dou followed the traditional method of cultivating Ripple from the Immortal Way, allowing the healing aspect of Ripple to reach its fullest potential.

Second event: weightlifting.

Diana went straight for the heaviest stone barbell, gripped it with both hands, and lifted it overhead with ease. She looked smugly at Liu A'dou.

He figured that stone barbell must weigh at least two hundred jin. Judging by how effortlessly Diana handled it, there was no doubt—she really was the future Wonder Woman. That strength was no joke.

"This one's a pass. Even if I lift the same barbell, at best we'd be tied. No point in that. I'll count this one as a loss. So that's one win each—let's move on to the third event."

Diana thought to herself, You probably just can't lift it, huh? Though Liu A'dou was no longer gasping for breath, his stamina had clearly taken a hit. She, on the other hand, had barely even warmed up.

"Alright, on to round three. Get ready to lose."

Third event: sword and shield combat.

The two of them picked up short swords and round shields and stepped into the center of the training arena, facing each other.

"Ah!" Diana struck first, launching a leaping overhead slash.

Liu A'dou raised his shield to block.

Clang—

It was a direct clash. Liu A'dou could feel Diana's power surging through the impact. Sparks flew from the shield as Diana followed up with a front kick aimed at his stomach.

Damn, this girl's ruthless. Liu A'dou quickly dropped his sword hilt and cracked it against Diana's ankle to break her momentum. Jeet Kune Do could still work—even with weapons.

He twisted his arm, pinned Diana's short sword with his shield, and countered with a thrust straight toward her chest. Not his fault—her chest was close.

But Diana was fast. She lifted her shield and brought it down hard on his sword, knocking it off course just enough to avoid tearing her clothes. At the same time, she yanked her sword free from under his shield and jumped back, widening the distance between them.

In a single moment, they each executed one attack and one defense. Diana, still dressed in simple cloth—not her divine armor—realized her strength was only equal to this man's.

"Again!" Diana shouted. She wasn't about to let Liu A'dou win.

She raised her shield to cover her body and charged forward.

What is this, a battlefield charge? Liu A'dou thought, amused. He smirked, then twisted his body, whipped his waist, and sent his round shield flying.

A perfect tribute to Captain America—shield throw!

Boom—

The impact echoed through the arena. Diana felt a huge force crash into her shield. Her whole body was thrown backward and slammed into the ground.

Liu A'dou instantly activated Repulsion Ripple, dashed forward, and pressed his sword to Diana's neck. "This round's mine."

"Not so fast," Diana gritted out.

She wasn't about to admit defeat that easily. Her legs snapped up like scissors, trying to trap Liu A'dou's calf and take him down.

But Liu A'dou was quicker. Repulsion Ripple flared again. Golden energy wrapped around his legs.

Diana's thighs struck him—then twitched. It was like she'd been electrocuted. Her strength vanished.

Liu A'dou's Ripple was getting faster and more precise—proof that his cells were adapting to channeling the energy.

"Now it's my win," Liu A'dou said with a smile.

Seeing that her sneak attack had failed, Diana gave a reluctant sigh and dropped her short sword. "Fine, you win. But don't get cocky. There's still one more round."