I Reincarnated as Superman’s Brother, But I’m an Anti-Hero"

Chapter 34 – Blood, Portals, and the Rift of Darkness

After running into Yamato on the street, Arthur returned to the hotel with Black Maria. As soon as she went to rest, he told her he'd be gone for a few hours.

In a dark alleyway, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then he thought to himself:

— Can I open a dimensional portal directly from here to the Invincible universe, or do I need to return to my own world first...?

He stared into the empty space before him, took a deep breath, and raised his hand.

— Well, no harm in trying.

Focusing on the Invincible universe, Arthur channeled his dimensional energy. A portal began to open, crackling with violet and blue hues. To his surprise, a glowing interface appeared before him like a holographic projection.

"Do you want to enter the same timeline as before, or a random one?"

He chuckled to himself, recalling his last visit.

— Last time, Mark was getting beat up like a stray dog... Eve and Dupli-Kate bleeding like it was a blood donation campaign. — He crossed his arms. — Perfect.

Without hesitation, he stepped through the portal.

The moment his feet hit the ground on the other side, he realized he was exactly where he had left off. Maybe only an hour had passed. The sky was still crimson red, Chicago in ruins, smoke and chaos everywhere.

Activating his Shadow Speed, Arthur became a black blur, racing through the destroyed streets, dodging debris, and locking onto two targets: Atom Eve and Dupli-Kate.

— If I ever want to terraform Mars, I'll need the right powers... and theirs are essential.

Above him, Mark was trading brutal blows with Conquest, the sheer force of their clash shattering buildings and tearing through the sky. On the ground, Eve and Kate lay unconscious, covered in blood and surrounded by wreckage.

Arthur let out a sarcastic smile.

— This'll be easy. With all this blood, no one's gonna notice if a few drops go missing...

In a flash, he appeared beside them, discreetly collected samples of their blood, and vanished, reappearing atop a nearby building to absorb their powers.

As he devoured the blood, an electric heat surged through his body. His cells vibrated, his nerves burned, and Eve's signature pink energy pulsed in his hands. Then he activated Dupli-Kate's power — and a perfect clone of himself appeared beside him, arms crossed, smirking.

— Wow... pink really suits you. Want me to grab a princess dress too?

Arthur rolled his eyes. Silently, he focused and shifted the energy's color into a black-and-white swirl — like a distorted yin-yang.

— That's better.

With a snap of his fingers, he dismissed the clone.

He was about to open a portal back to the One Piece world when he saw Mark tossed like a ragdoll by Conquest.

Arthur sighed.

— Dammit... I only got these powers because of them. Would be pretty damn ungrateful not to return the favor.

Conquest shot down like a missile, aiming straight for Eve's chest — just like in the original timeline. But before the blow landed, Arthur appeared in a flash of black, landing a colossal punch to the side of the Viltrumite's face. The impact was so brutal that Conquest was sent flying across the sky, crashing through flaming buildings.

Arthur scooped Eve into his arms and landed beside Mark.

— For personal reasons, I'm helping you take this bastard down. Get up — he's coming back.

Mark, bruised and bloody, stared at him in shock.

— Who... who are you? Why are you helping us?

Arthur reached out and pulled him up with firm grip.

— We can talk later. Right now, it's kill or be killed.

From above, Conquest reappeared, grinning madly with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

— Another bug? What a wonderful morning.

Arthur activated his Shadow Power, pushing his Viltrumite lineage to the limit. His aura thickened, nearly suffocating, and the air around him trembled.

The battle began.

Arthur charged like a black comet, unleashing a barrage of lightning-fast punches. Conquest countered with titan-like strength, each strike shattering the ground beneath them. The city, already in ruins, crumbled further under their clash.

Conquest landed a solid punch to Arthur's stomach, launching him into a building that collapsed on impact. But Arthur rose, blood dripping from his lips — and a manic grin on his face.

— Is that all you've got?

He vanished and reappeared midair, above Conquest, with a spinning kick that cracked the air. Conquest barely blocked it, but Arthur took the opening to unleash a flurry of shadow-infused blows, each one corroding everything it touched.

Meanwhile, Mark was doing his best to keep up, but got tossed around like a pinball. Even so, he refused to fall.

Arthur landed a devastating punch to Conquest's chest, making the Viltrumite spit blood and crash into the earth like a missile, shaking the ground with a seismic boom.

Arthur landed next to Mark.

— If this keeps up, even if we win... no one else will survive.

Mark panted.

— You got a plan?!

Arthur nodded, eyes glowing like embers.

— I do. A final attack. It'll either finish him... or cripple him for good. But I need you to hold that bastard just long enough.

Mark took a deep breath and nodded.

— I'll hold him with everything I've got!

Mark flew into the sky with fury and grabbed Conquest midair, locking him in place with a desperate roar.

Meanwhile, Arthur shot into space at unbelievable speed. Once he reached the Moon, he stopped in the vacuum, gathering all of his Shadow Power. His aura ignited into black flames, dancing like a stellar inferno.

Then, he activated the ability he'd gained from the Devil Fruit, multiplying his strength and speed a hundredfold.

He hurled himself toward Earth like a divine missile.

As he re-entered the atmosphere, his body burned like a shooting star. He raised his leg like a black axe, eyes locked onto his target.

— Now, Mark! — Arthur shouted, his voice echoing through the thinning air.

With the last of his strength, Mark flung Conquest straight into Arthur's path.

An instant later, impact.

— TAKE THIS SHADOW SONIC KICK, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!

Arthur's strike hit Conquest with such force, it was like the planet itself cried out. The explosion ripped open the ground, carved a colossal crater, and obliterated everything in a massive radius — trees, Mountains, Rocks — all reduced to dust.

At the bottom of the abyss, Conquest lay unconscious, his body mangled beyond recognition. Arthur also lay there, his clothes shredded and blood pouring from countless wounds. But thanks to his Viltrumite healing factor — and the regenerative abilities he'd absorbed from monsters — his body was already beginning to recover.

He glanced around at the absurd destruction they had caused.

— If I didn't have regeneration... that move would've been suicide.

He closed his eyes, breathing heavily — but smiling.