The night sky boomed as the Thraggs clashed.
Their initial exchange sent shockwaves across Chicago, each impact creating thunderous booms that echoed through the city.
Grand Regent Thragg launched a flurry of strikes, each blow carrying enough force to kill any other Viltrumite instantly.
Emperor Thragg met him perfectly, matching every attack with equal force.
As they separated briefly, Emperor Thragg noted the Battle Beast coat had become slightly disheveled during their exchange.
His hands moved to the garment with surprising gentleness, considering the violence they had just unleashed.
"Roberta," he called, his deep voice carrying an unexpected warmth that made the woman in question straighten attentively. "This requires your protection."
He removed the coat with deliberate care, folding it with precision before tossing it to her.
Roberta caught it with both her hands and immediately creating a protective field that would keep the precious garment pristine.
A slight blush colored her cheeks as she cradled the coat, secretly smelling it as her fingers unconsciously stroked the white fur. "I'll keep it safe, Emperor," she promised.
"I know you will," Emperor Thragg replied, his tone carrying that same warmth that seemed reserved for her and few others. His mustache twitched slightly in what might have been the ghost of a smile.
Grand Regent Thragg observed this exchange with barely concealed contempt. "Sentiment," he spat, his voice hard with disapproval. "You've grown soft, allowing such weakness to cloud your judgment."
Emperor Thragg's expression returned to its usual impassivity as he turned back to face his counterpart. "You mistake connection for weakness," he stated. "Another failure in your understanding."
Their identical forms hung motionless in the air, now both in the traditional white-red uniform of Viltrum's highest authority - though the Grand Regent still wore his red sash while the Emperor's chest remained bare where the coat had been.
The Grand Regent attacked first, his fist aimed at Emperor Thragg's face, which he met with a strike with identical form, their fists colliding in mid-air with enough force to create a visible distortion in the atmosphere.
What followed was a mirror match. Each punch, each kick, each tactical maneuver was met with its perfect counter.
The two Thraggs moved through the night sky like twin forces of nature, their combat creating shockwaves that rattled buildings for miles around.
"They're physically and technically perfectly matched," Viltrumite Mark observed, his eyes tracking the blur of motion above. "Every move is countered exactly."
Mohawk Mark shook his head, his expression still troubled. "No... he's studying himself. Look at his eyes."
Indeed, Emperor Thragg's gaze held an analytical look even as he exchanged world-shattering blows with his counterpart.
Each strike was not just an attack but an experiment - testing the weaknesses and limitations of his own fighting style by experiencing it from the opposing perspective.
The Grand Regent launched a complex combination - a feint to the left followed by a right cross and an uppercut.
Emperor Thragg responded with the exact same sequence, their fists meeting at each point of contact with thunderous impact.
"You mock me," Grand Regent Thragg snarled, his composure cracking slightly. "Fight with your own style, not this pale imitation!"
"I fight as you do," Emperor Thragg replied calmly, "to understand what I once was. To see the flaws in my former self."
The Grand Regent's response was a sudden increase in tempo, his attacks becoming faster, more aggressive.
Emperor Thragg matched him perfectly, though those watching closely might have noticed him deliberately taking certain hits - not out of necessity, but choice.
Each blow that landed seemed to satisfy something in the Emperor's gaze. Each impact was a data point, each exchange a lesson in his own previous limitations.
Blood began to flow from both combatants, though neither showed any sign of slowing. The night sky became their arena, their battle transforming the very air around them with the force of their exchange.
A particularly vicious exchange sent both Thraggs crashing through a cloud bank, their impact dispersing the vapor.
The Grand Regent emerged first, his uniform torn and bloodied but his expression showing only cold fury.
Emperor Thragg followed, blood trickling from several wounds that seemed to heal slightly slower than usual - a deliberate choice that didn't escape Mohawk Mark's notice.
"Something's wrong," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "He's letting himself get hurt. But why?"
The battle intensified as the Grand Regent, frustrated by his counterpart's mirroring tactics, began incorporating more complex attack patterns.
His movements became less predictable, drawing on centuries of combat experience against various opponents across the galaxy.
Emperor Thragg met each innovation with perfect replication, though now he was allowing more hits to land.
Blood flowed more freely from his wounds, yet his expression remained one of calm concentration rather than pain or concern.
"Your technique is flawed," Emperor Thragg stated between exchanges, his voice carrying easily despite the thunderous impacts of their combat. "You rely too heavily on overwhelming force, neglecting the subtleties of molecular control."
To demonstrate, he caught one of the Grand Regent's punches, allowing the force to travel through his body in a way that seemed to disperse it harmlessly.
"Observe," he commanded, then struck back with identical force but perfect molecular balance, causing his counterpart to stagger in the air.
The Grand Regent's response was a roar of fury and a barrage of attacks that would have obliterated lesser beings.
Emperor Thragg took these hits deliberately, each impact driving him back, blood now flowing freely from multiple wounds.
"He's going to get himself killed," Original Mark muttered, concern evident in his voice.
Roberta, still cradling the Battle Beast coat, watched. "No," she said softly, her instincts informing her of something magnificient soon to happen. "He's implementing something new. Something... evolutionary."
Above them, the battle had reached a new level of intensity. The Grand Regent, sensing his opponent's apparent weakening, pressed his advantage with increasing savagery.
Emperor Thragg's blood painted the night sky, yet his expression remained one of focused concentration rather than pain or fear.
The savage smile that had appeared earlier returned to his face, growing wider with each devastating blow he allowed to land.
Suddenly, Emperor Thragg's demeanor shifted. In a display of speed that made his previous movements seem glacial, he vanished from the Grand Regent's sight, reappearing behind him before anyone could track the movement.
His hand closed around the Grand Regent's face with casual ease, the sudden show of superior strength causing his counterpart's eyes to widen in shock.
"This arena has grown too small for our entertainment," Emperor Thragg stated, his voice carrying a subtle hint of excitement. "Let us find somewhere more... appropriate."
With that, he hurled the Grand Regent skyward with devastating force. The impact alone created a sonic boom that shattered windows across Chicago.
Before the Grand Regent could stabilize himself, Emperor Thragg was behind him again, his speed now deliberately reduced to match his counterpart's.
What followed was a brutal ascent through Earth's atmosphere.
Emperor Thragg drove his counterpart higher with a relentless barrage of strikes, each punch calculated to maintain their upward trajectory while inflicting maximum damage.
The Grand Regent attempted to counter, but found himself caught in a rhythm of attacks that kept him off-balance and ascending.
As they broke through the atmosphere into the cold void of space, Emperor Thragg's savage smile widened.
With precise timing, he delivered a kick to the Grand Regent's chest that sent him hurtling away from Earth at incredible speed.
For a brief moment, Emperor Thragg allowed his true speed to show again, crossing the vast distance instantly to grab his counterpart's head in an iron grip.
Without pause, he altered their course toward the sun, accelerating to speeds that made light itself seem slow.
They passed through the star's corona, then its surface, their Viltrumite physiology protecting them from the intense heat and pressure - luckily their clothes were durable enough to survive.
The Grand Regent struggled in his grip, but Emperor Thragg's hold remained unbreakable as they emerged on the other side, shooting through space toward a distant solar system.
Their impact on the desolate planet created a crater visible from orbit, the force of their arrival reshaping the landscape for miles around.
As dust and debris rained down around them, Emperor Thragg released his grip, once again limiting his speed and strength to match his counterpart's.
"Now," he said, his voice carrying across the alien wasteland, "we can continue without concern for collateral damage."
The battle resumed as their attacks reshaped the barren landscape with each exchange.
But something had changed in Emperor Thragg's approach - he was deliberately leaving himself open, allowing the Grand Regent's strikes to land with even more than before, any this time, not even blocking.
Blood sprayed across the alien soil as the Emperor took hit after hit, his healing factor seemingly suppressed, allowing wounds to linger and accumulate.
Yet that savage smile never left his face, growing wider with each devastating blow.
"Why?" Grand Regent Thragg demanded, driving his fist through his counterpart's shoulder. "I saw your true speed. Your real strength. Why do you allow this farce to continue?"
Emperor Thragg took a knee, blood pouring from numerous wounds across his body. The Grand Regent stood over him, confusion and fury warring in his expression.
"You mock me with this display," the Grand Regent snarled. "Show me your true power! Fight me as an equal!"
Slowly, deliberately, Emperor Thragg raised his head. His smile had transformed into something primal - a predator's grin that showed all his teeth, stained red with his own blood.
The expression sent an unexpected chill down the Grand Regent's spine, an instinctive warning that despite his apparent vulnerability, the being before him was anything but prey.
"You still don't understand," Emperor Thragg said, his voice carrying a hint of something that made even the hardened Grand Regent take an involuntary step back. "This isn't about mockery. This is about evolution."
He rose to his feet, blood continuing to flow from his wounds, yet his posture remained one of absolute control. "Every blow you land, every wound you inflict... they're not weakening me. They're making me stronger."
The Grand Regent's eyes widened as understanding began to dawn. "What have you done to yourself?"
Emperor Thragg's blood-stained grin widened further. "Let me show you."
The battle once again continued.
Emperor Thragg's apparent vulnerability seemed to infuriate the Grand Regent further, his attacks becoming increasingly vicious as his counterpart continued to weather devastating blows with that unsettling smile.
Mountains crumbled as they crashed through them, valleys formed where their impacts met the ground.
Emperor Thragg's blood painted the landscape, yet his expression remained one of anticipation rather than pain or concern.
Finally, the Grand Regent saw what appeared to be a fatal opening, the warrior that he is, immediately noticing it and capitalising on it drove his fist through Emperor Thragg's chest, fingers closing around his still-beating heart.
"Die," the Grand Regent snarled, ripping the organ from his counterpart's body.
Blood poured from the massive wound as Emperor Thragg dropped to his knees.
But instead of falling, instead of dying, he began to laugh - a deep, resonant sound that echoed across the alien wasteland.
"Finally," Emperor Thragg said, blood spilling from his mouth with each word. "You should know, with my control over molecular structure, I can survive without a heart for at least another day. But this..."
His grin widened impossibly. "This is exactly what I needed."
Before the Grand Regent's stunned eyes, Emperor Thragg's body began to change.
For unknown to all, the Emperor had finally understood and integrated the ability of Allen the Alien.
The ability to become stronger after nearing death.
His muscles swelled, his frame expanding as his already impressive height increased. The wound in his chest began to close, new tissue forming at an accelerated rate.
A new heart materialized within his chest cavity, constructed from perfectly arranged atoms under his absolute control.
When he rose to his full height, he stood noticeably taller than his counterpart, his enhanced frame radiating power that made his previous strength seem insignificant by comparison.
"Do you understand now?" Emperor Thragg asked, his voice deeper than before. "Every near-death experience makes me stronger. And you, my other self, just gave me exactly what I wanted."
The Grand Regent took an involuntary step back, for the first time feeling something he had never experienced before - fear.
"Now," The Emperor began as he cracked his neck to the side with his hand, taking a step forward, "Ready for round two?" And with these words spoken, he simply by blowing air out his mouth,
Caused the Grand Regent - who, shocked by the wind blast appearing in front of his face, having raised his hand protectively in front of himself - to fly as he was unable to stop himself as he flew into the distance, flailing like a child.
The Emperor seeing this spit a bit of blood in his mouth to the side and with a grin full of teeth took another heavy step forward, imprinting his foot into the earth as it quaked, and sped after him.
Playtime was over.
----------------------------
(Author note: Ready for round two my dear readers?
Tell me what do you think the Grand Regent's fate will be?
Death or submission?
I'm interested in hearing your perspectives.
Also, do tell me how you found the "fight" (can it be called a real fight?) this chapter.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)