Verlin looked down at the facility and replied, "The plan is simple. We go in and rescue Chleopatra and the other enhanced humans. If they had switched sides, I'll knock them out and find a way to turn them back to normal."

        Verlin turned towards Chloe after announcing his grand plan.

        Chloe looked at Verlin in disbelief. She would have thought he was joking if he wasn't staring at her and waiting for a nod of approval.

"Verlin, I think you're underestimating the enemy a bit too much."

        Verlin shook his head and said, " No, you're underestimating me too much."

        Verlin continued as he walked towards the exit of the ship, " I am a lot stronger than you think."

      The pyramid's entrance slid open as Verlin floated outside the ship. He looked straight down at the facility and locked unto one of the human bodyguards and looked directly into their brain, and he could see the frontal lobe had completely lost its function.

        They were pretty much puppets being completely controlled. Verlin could think of many ways to kill or disarm them, but the most efficient would be to create a sound frequency that would immobilize their body.

        Verlin opened his and released a sound impossible to hear to any regular mortal. He kept optimizing and changing the hertz to the ten thousandths of a decimal. Verlin kept his X ray vision on and could see all the human guards in the facility collapse to the ground.

        Chloe caught up to Verlin, which was levitating beside her, and couldn't help asking," What are you doing?"

"Making our job easier."

Verlin continued, "Come on."

Verlin flew down to the main entrance of the facility.

      Chloe was confused but still flew down behind Verlin, When they reached the ground, Chloe could see the guards completely immobilize on the ground. They were still conscious. Their eyes were moving, but their body remained on the ground.

        Verlin used his X ray vision to look into the facility. The enhanced humans had noticed the anomaly, and they gathered themselves at hall, but Verlin could still see some enhanced humans underground some locked up, some in huge tubes filled with some chemical liquid.

        Verlin arrived at the entrance and kicked the door flying into the building.

'Boom!'

          Verlin flew in, ignoring the guards that were staring at him on the ground. Chloe flew close behind, staring warily at the surroundings. She quickly caught up to Verlin, " Do you know where you're going? I know where they keep all their hostages. We can quickly rescue them and get out of here."

"I do."

"Exactly... Wait, you do?"

" I'll buy you time to go rescue the enhanced humans kept hostage."

"You don't have to buy us time."

Before Chloe finished her sentence, Verlin cut her off.

"They already know we're here."

        Verlin continued, " You don't have to worry, I'm not sacrificing myself or anything. Just focus on getting your aunt and the other enhanced humans out of there."

        Chloe looked at Verlin, her eyes shimmering with unspoken emotions. "Promise me you won't do anything reckless," she said, gripping his arm.

        Verlin smiled, his gaze softening. "I promise. Just yell Desna's name once you have all the captives outside, It'll help transport them to the ship."

        With a nod, Chloe turned around and dashed towards the underground chambers where the enhanced humans were held. She knew the directions to the basement as she had scouted out the place before.

        The smile on Verlin's face quickly disappeared as he made his way to the hall where the enhanced humans were gathered.

        In no time, he had arrived at the hall. Before Verlin had used his microscopic vision to look at the body density of individuals to see if they were enhanced humans or not, but now he found out using his electromagnetic spectrum vision was a much better identifyer.

        Every living creature, including humans, had an electromagnetic signature, a unique vibrational frequency that marked their existence in the vast spectrum of life. Enhanced humans, however, due to their powers far surpassing regular creatures, had a much more complex and intensified spectrum. It wasn't just about detecting them; these frequencies told a story about their powers, the depth of their enhancements.

        Every time Verlin tapped into his electromagnetic spectrum vision, the world transformed into a symphony of colors, lights, and patterns. The enhanced humans emitted vibrant, pulsating colors, each one unique in its composition. To an ordinary person, this vision would be overwhelming, but to Verlin, the information was easily processed. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough information for him to identify their abilities with just the energy they emitted.

        Nonetheless, he could still tell who would be the most powerful among them. And from the looks of things. There was one person who stood out, It was a middle aged man that looked like he was in his fifties, he had deep-set, piercing red eyes that semmed to glow, and a long, flowing beard that was a mixture of black and gray. Even his body density was 50 times that of a human, similar to that of Alexander. It was safe to say he was the oldest, and without the use of abilities, he was probably also the strongest.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure?" The man's voice echoed through the hall, a deep resonance that seemed to vibrate through the very walls. His gaze locked onto Verlin, unblinking and intense.

        Verlin, returning his stare, answered, "Verlin. I'm here for the captives."

        Magnus stared deeply at Verlin and said, " Is there a way we can negotiate? Those captives are quite important."

      Verlin paused before replying, " Unless you can convince a child to willingly allow you kidnap their aunt. I don't think we can come to a consensus."

        Magnus smiled slightly and replied, "Alright, I'm sure I can convince them."

"How? Are you gonna brainwash them?"

"If I must."

          After the words fell, there was sudden silence. Verlin could see and hear the surrounding enhanced humans get ready for battle. Just as the tension was about to reach its peak. Magnum suddenly spoke. " This isn't the first time you've had an encounter with our organization. You had a run-in with Fiona when you rescued that escaped enhanced human. You are obviously not human, and you're not an enhanced human either. Why are you trying to interfere."

        Verlin's posture remained relaxed, though his gaze never left Magnus. "Interfere? I'm just helping a friend."

        Magnus' face twisted into a frown, " It seems negotiation is off the table. But before we take this further, understand that this isn't just about your friend or any enhanced humans here. it's about the future of enhanced humans."

        Magnus didn't move, but the other enhanced humans charged towards Verlin. The first one to arrive was Fiona, as she teleported behind his back. This would have been a good strategy as the other enhanced humans would be a distraction, but unfortunately, Verlin could quite literally see behind his head.

        But instead of dodging, he allowed the dagger to hit him. Fiona seemed to be holding a grudge as she aimed directly for his neck.

          The dagger came in contact with his skin and came to a halt. Fiona stared in disbelief at Verlin's unscathed neck. Verlin didn't want to kill any of the enhanced humans as there was a chance they were being mind controlled like the guards. He grabbed her arm and threw her towards the ceiling with an earth shaking boom.

        The force of the throw instantly broke the sound barrier. The whole builiding shook as Fiona became a mere speck in the distance before disappearing from sight. Verlin found this to be quite effective, as enhanced humans bodies could withstand the G force. However, they would be knocked out.

          The remaining enhanced humans unleashed their varied abilities. The ground beneath Verlin twisted and morphed, attempting to impale him with earthy spikes. Fiery projectiles streaked his way, while whirlwinds threatened to lift him off his feet.

          In response, Verlin shut his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, the world had changed. Every movement was sluggish, and everyone and everything had slowed down almost to a halt. He could see the ground underneath him had already started to change form into some sort of spike attack, every attack that was launched at him was dramatically slowed with the exception of one lightning based attack that zipped past him as he slightly moved.

            Verlin moved towards each enhanced human and shoved them with enough force to knock them out without putting their life in danger. He was even able to throw out the enhanced humans that could materialize their bodies into fire and wind elements. Supporting his theory that it was something that had to be activated.

        Verlin blink once more and returned to regular human speed. The whole facility shook from the series of Sonic boom Shockwave generated from the enhanced humans that had been thrown out. Rubble fell from the ceiling as the facility started falling apart, Verlin looked through the walls to see if Chloe had cleared out the captives. He wasn't worried her life was in danger, with the suit he gave her even if the whole facility collapsed on her. Her life won't be in immediate danger.

        Seeing as Chloe was clearing out the last of the captives, he returned his attention back to Magnus.

          Magnus had remained unmoved during the entire altercation, simply observing as Verlin single-handedly took down each enhanced human. The calm in his eyes was eerie, making it apparent that this wasn't the first time he'd seen such feats. Still, even he seemed somewhat taken aback by Verlin's efficiency and power.

"You know," Magnus began with a smirk, his voice dripping with arrogance, "I've encountered many beings in my time, but you, Verlin, are quite something else. I find it very hard to believe you have no ulterior motives behind your actions."

" Naturally, there is a motive behind my action, but unfortunately, it isn't as deep as you think. I advise you to give up now. Maybe we can discuss what you want to accomplish."

        Magnus let out a maddened chuckle, "Give up? Give up? I have spent the last two centuries trying to solve the population problem of enhanced humans, and you think I would give up at the first big hurdle?"

          Verlin squinted his eyes slightly, but he had already known that enhanced humans were an odd species, no matter how small a population is. If they had existed for thousands of years its impossible for the whole species to only have a thousand members. " If you really want to fix the population problem, you should have teamed up with the Hidden Society and worked out a solution."

          Magnus' gaze hardened. "The Hidden Society? Do you think I haven't tried? They've become complacent, too comfortable hiding in the shadows. Their ways are outdated, and they refuse to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. My methods might be extreme, but they get results."

        Verlin slightly raised an eyebrow, "By kidnapping and experimenting on enhanced humans? By mind controlling them?"

"Mind control? I don't have such abilities. All I did was bring out their darkest desire, and deep down in every enhanced human heart, they know their existence is on a much higher level than humans. But without a strong population, becoming the ruler of the planet is impossible. There is no mind control. We are just a group aligned by a singlur goal to elevate enhanced humans to their rightful place," Magnus responded with conviction.

        Verlin didn't have a huge problem with what he had said, so he remained silent before asking, " If you aren't using mind control, how do you have regular humans working here."

"I have been trying to create new enhanced humans for the past 200 years. Naturally, I have succeeded in creating artificial humans. Albeit incomplete, they follow orders, and thats all thats needed."

"I don't mind leaving and letting you continue as long as you are willing to let go of any enhanced human captives."

"Then it seems we can't come to an agreement," Magnus replied, his voice cold and unyielding.

        No sooner had he spoken, Magnus charged at Verlin with astonishing speed. As he surged forward, the air around him distorted and rippled. A thunderous boom echoed throughout the room, a testament to his incredible velocity. To Verlin's shock, it seemed as though Magnus had pushed the very limits of sound itself.

          Magnus's fist connected with Verlin's chest, sending shockwaves that resonated throughout the crumbling facility. Dust and debris spiraled into the air, making the atmosphere thick and foggy. The sheer force of the impact made the ground beneath them collapse, creating a crater with Verlin at its epicenter.

          Verlin could have dodged the attack, but he wanted to see what a peak enhanced human was capable of. The blow was powerful, but Verlin remained unscathed. The sensation felt more like a strong push rather than a direct, injurious blow. He looked up at Magnus, his expression calm yet intrigued.

        Magnus, on the other hand, looked taken aback. The impact of his punch should have obliterated or heavily injured any being he had encountered. Yet, here Verlin stood, his posture unchanged, his eyes locked onto his opponent.

"That was impressive," Verlin remarked, brushing off his chest where the blow had landed. "But you'll need more than that to harm me."

      Magnus' eyes flashed dangerously, "What are you exactly? You're not an enhanced human, nor are you a regular one. What could possibly motivate you to involve yourself in matters that don't concern you?"

"I already told you, Im just helping a friend,"

      Verlin sent a punch of his own back to Magnus. He made sure to measure his strength and speed to be similar to that of Magnus to avoid causing permanent harm.

        The impact, despite being restrained, was enough to send Magnus flying backward. He crashed into a nearby wall, leaving an indent in the shape of his body. Dust and rubble filled the air, obscuring the view momentarily.

        As the dust settled, Magnus slowly picked himself up, his face a mixture of surprise and grudging respect. "You have strength and resiliance," he admitted, brushing debris off his clothes. "But you have no idea of the extent of my abilities."

        Magnus was the first to make a move. His legs pushed off the ground, propelling him at Verlin with incredible speed, the shockwaves of his movement causing further disruption to the already damaged facility. His fingers turned into claws, ready to tear through Verlin.

        Verlin, sensing the incoming strike, dodged to the side with almost casual ease. But Magnus wasn't so easily thwarted. Twisting in mid-air, he landed and immediately launched himself again, this time sending a flurry of punches toward Verlin. Each blow was like a miniature sonic boom, the air around it crackling with the force of his speed.

          Verlin deftly blocked and evaded most of the punches. His movements were fluid, his reflexes otherworldly. It was clear he was holding back, as each of Magnus's punches that did connect did nothing to harm the kryptonian.

          But Verlin didn't stay on the defensive. With a swift movement, he landed a knee to Magnus's abdomen, lifting him off the ground. Before Magnus could even react, Verlin followed with a spinning kick that sent the enhanced human crashing into a pile of debris.

        As Verlin was about to continue his attack, he could hear Chloe yell Desna's name, signaling that she had cleared out the captives and they were ready for transportation.

        Magnus climbed his way out of the ruin and rubble, coughing and gasping for breath. His face, although scratched and bruised, bore a defiant expression.

      Magnus once again charged at Verlin. Verlin couldn't help commending his bravery. Even when severely outmatched, he still kept on charging, but since the captives were already safe, it was time to end the little skirmish.

        Verlin caught the punch Magnus threw at him but instead of throwing a punch of his own, he placed his hand on Magnus's chest and shoved him backwards with enough force to move him 10 meters away while grounded. Verlin looked at Magnus, " It's unfortunate that we couldn't see eye to eye. If your goal hadn't conflicted with mine, perhaps we could have worked something out."

          Looking at the enraged look in Magnus' eye, Verlin knew that their conversation was at an impasse. There would be no common ground today.

        Magnus slowly rose, fury evident in every feature. "You think this is the end? Even if you take away every captive, there will be others. My vision for enhanced humans will be realized, no matter how many obstacles stand in my way."

        Verlin looked up to make sure the pyramid of solitude had gotten all the captives and had moved far enough away from the facility. Once he was sure of their safety, he turned back to Magnus,  "Alright. I wish you the best."

      Verlin spread his arm far apart and brought them back together with a thundering clap, releasing an overpowering shockwave that seemed to hold the force of the universe itself. The clap was so powerful that it momentarily silenced every other sound, creating a split-second of absolute stillness, a vacuum where only the two combatants existed.

        The air around them was instantly compressed, forming a visible ripple that expanded outward with terrifying speed and intensity. As the shockwave traveled, the very atoms of the surrounding materials seemed to vibrate and scream in protest. Everything in its path faced annihilation. Buildings, once towering and magnificent, crumbled to dust as if they were mere sandcastles being washed away by a tidal wave. Trees were uprooted, becoming nothing more than wooden shrapnel caught in a storm of Verlin's creation.

        The ground itself, once solid and reliable, ruptured and fractured in response, creating a maze of fissures that spread and snaked their way across the landscape, swallowing anything that stood in their way. The sky turned a tumultuous shade of red and orange, as if the very heavens were ablaze, and the atmosphere was filled with a deafening roar that echoed with the pain and devastation brought upon by the cataclysmic clap.

        Magnus, who was just 10 meters away from Verlin, was sent flying into the distance like a leaf caught in a tempest and was instantly knocked unconcious by the force of impact. As the shockwave finally reached the boundaries of the 3 km radius, an eerie calm followed. The once bustling facility and its surroundings now resembled a war-torn wasteland, completely unrecognizable from its previous state.

          Verlin, standing amidst the destruction, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his actions. He flew up into the sky and witnessed the destruction he had caused. Verlin ascended higher, granting him a bird's eye view of the wasteland below. The expanse of the devastation was mind-boggling.

          The verdant patches of forest that had once surrounded the facility were now replaced with flattened ground, devoid of life. Trees that had stood for centuries, providing shelter and sustenance to countless organisms. Even the Articial humans whose bodies housed multi trillion micro-organisms obliterated in a split second. Although there were much simpler life forms, they were still forms of life.

        Verlin continued to look down at the destruction. Although he showed sympathy, his expression remained indifferent. He couldn't help muttering to himself, " All life truly are not equal."