Beyond the Limit (DC)

Joseph reappeared above the construction site within a minute, using Nova Force to amplify his anti-gravity-assisted flight and break into the air at a speed eventually reaching Mach 3. The white and gold Nth metal armor of Paran Dul significantly enhanced his manipulation of the anti-gravity field.

He hadn't taken the helmet for tactical advantage—at least, not originally. He'd taken it to conceal his identity, knowing he would finally have to use Nova Force and figured he might as well take all her other equipment that luckily fit him.

He had delayed using Nova Force as long as he could. But with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, staying anonymous no longer mattered.

Wearing a helmet also gave him a strange sense of comfort—familiarity. He'd worn one every time he'd taken on the role of Nova. In a way, it helped him slip into character.

This armor, however, was more than a disguise. The psycho-reactive metal had remarkable properties. In the brief time he'd worn it, he could feel its effects: enhanced anti-gravity control, an increase in raw physical capability, enhanced vision, and enhanced durability. More intriguingly, it seemed capable of absorbing energy. Small amounts of Nova Force were being stored inside it—he could sense that clearly through his Nova Sense.

Below him, the human workers had already evacuated—likely with assistance from Green Arrow and Captain Marvel. Now, roughly thirty Thanagarian soldiers hovered above the construction site. His arrival, marked by golden light trailing from his feet in the darkening sky, hadn't gone unnoticed.

They moved toward him swiftly. He briefly considered unleashing his Nova Force directly at the generator below—but that could be disastrous. He didn't know how the generator would react to a high-energy blast. Worse, Nth metal could seemingly absorb energy. If the generator soaked up a large amount of Nova Force… who knew what might happen?

Too risky.

That meant the only logical move was to eliminate anyone who might activate it and wait for someone qualified to dismantle it safely.

Joseph cursed himself under his breath. Ever since A.I. Nova had gone dormant, he'd stopped pushing himself intellectually. School felt easy, so he let himself coast. That had been a mistake. Even without the A.I., his intelligence and cognitive speed had been augmented. If he'd bothered to acquire deep knowledge of engineering, physics, and other sciences, he might have figured out a solution on his own.

That was a mistake he'd correct—after saving the world.

He focused, extending his anti-gravity field outward, enveloping the oncoming Thanagarians and locking them in place midair. With Paran Dul's armor amplifying him, it felt almost effortless.

Almost.

The warriors strained against him. Their Nth metal armor resisted the field, pushing back with raw force. Maintaining control over dozens of struggling enemies at once quickly became unsustainable.

Fine. Back to basics.

He released them—and immediately, several shot toward him, weapons ready. Maces, clawed gauntlets, swords, axes. No blasters. Strange. But fortunate.

Close-quarters combat was his domain.

As he'd demonstrated when he knocked out Paran Dul, Nth metal was extremely durable, but it didn't absorb kinetic force particularly well. Enough raw power could still pulp a Thanagarian body through full armor.

Nova capitalized on that. He ducked under a mace swing and countered with a crushing punch to the helmet. He briefly manipulated an approaching sword's trajectory with his anti-gravity field, then spun and drove a kick into the attacker's midsection.

He hadn't stopped training.

Every night, he sparred with Nova's avatar in the Dream State. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if he ranked among the top 100 martial artists on Earth in pure hand-to-hand combat.

He ignored the groans and shrieks around him. A warrior flew in from the side—Nova fired twin Nova beams from his eyes, aiming for the exposed fabric not covered by Nth metal. The blast scorched through his sand-colored mask, but instead of searing flesh, it left only light burns. The armor had done more than protect. It had extended its effects across the body, creating a field that granted energy absorption and—judging by the rapid healing—regeneration as well.

He didn't stop.

One by one, he took them down, sending warriors tumbling through the sky. The Nth metal would protect them from death, but not from the pain of broken bones or concussions as they landed hard on the generator below.

He kept the fight loud and chaotic while keeping his speed and strength at their level. The goal wasn't efficiency—it was distraction. Give the agents enough cover to escape from the Thanagarian tents.

Otherwise, he would have blitzed through them by now.

He'd calculated that it would take time for Thanagarian command to issue a command. He had a window.

Paran Dul's thoughts confirmed it: final hyperspace calculations hadn't yet been made. The brass responsible for that were either back on Thanagar or near Gordanian territory. The engineers here were builders, not decision-makers.

That meant they wouldn't activate the generator prematurely—not without the destination coordinates as it would just be a pointless suicide.

Which meant Nova could take a few more minutes breaking bones.

He had to admit: they were tough. They didn't stay down unless their bodies gave out completely. Their stamina, like their armor, was impressive.

More emerged from the tents, raising the total to about forty.

Still not enough.

Within minutes, only 16 Thanagarians remained airborne, hovering with weapons raised and apprehensive expressions. 

Nova smiled. Fighting like this was fun even if it felt like he was bullying weaker people. Not that he felt bad about soldiers who were knowingly trying to blow up his planet. 

He flew toward them to finish the job—

Then caught something red in the corner of his eye.

A blur. Too fast.

A fist smashed into his face before he could react, sending him careening down from the sky like a meteor, slamming into the desert floor with a thunderous crash.