American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

336. The Weakness of Paradooms.

"The entrance to the Boom Tube is close, just above us!"

As they sprinted forward, Lois checked the information on her tablet and called out to the others. By now, they had reached the higher floors of the tower, where the security guards were no longer just ordinary people with firearms; they were now joined by an army of parademons.

Jason kicked one parademon away, then turned and twisted another's neck. Noticing multiple gun barrels aimed at him, he quickly raised the parademon's corpse as a shield, absorbing the hail of bullets.

Damian's unique Batarang whizzed through the air, embedding itself in a guard's eye. The guard dropped lifelessly, colliding with others and momentarily halting the gunfire.

Seizing the opportunity, Dick slipped through the shadows, drawing two short sticks and targeting vital spots like the temples and necks, swiftly taking down the human guards.

Wave after wave of enemies rushed at them, seemingly unafraid of death. Seeing this, the heroes were reminded of Scarecrow's fear-suppressing toxin.

"The good news is that these guys aren't particularly strong," Damian said as he weaved through the enemies, using his agility to redirect the battle line and support the others.

"Sounds like you have bad news, too. What's that?" Dick asked, breaking a guard's neck before tossing a smoke bomb and melting into the darkness.

Damian sighed heavily. "Bad news is, I'm running out of energy."

It couldn't be helped; other than Jason, the Robins were all regular humans. Despite their combat skills, there were limits to their stamina.

Fighting from the ground floor to the higher levels of LexCorp Tower without a break had drained everyone's strength. They hadn't paused or had a moment's rest the entire way. Moreover, as the one drawing enemy fire and distracting opponents, Damian's energy had been depleting even faster.

"I got his hint, Clark," Lois said with a wry smile, glancing at Superman as he targeted the parademons. "Are you still holding back?"

Hearing Lois, Clark incinerated a group of parademons with a single blast of heat vision, then let out a complicated sigh. Finally, he nodded silently. "Got it."

Without hesitation, Clark turned to the staircase where more human soldiers were charging up. He unleashed a deep blue frost storm from his mouth.

"Arghhh…"

"No—!"

"Ahhh!!"

The first row of soldiers didn't even have time to react before they were frozen into statues. Those behind tried to retreat, but it was already too late. The frost spread rapidly, encasing them in ice and freezing their blood. Unlike normal ice breath, Clark didn't hold back this time—his intent was to kill.

Unable even to resist, the soldiers lost all signs of life in an instant.

Seeing that Clark had finally taken off the gloves, none of the heroes commented, though their faces relaxed somewhat.

With Superman no longer holding back, they advanced even faster. It wasn't long before they reached the location of the Boom Tube. However, as Lois hurried up the stairs, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

At the same moment, Clark seemed to sense something as well and quickly stepped in front of Lois, shielding her.

When the rest of the team reached the floor, they realized why there had been fewer guards—it was guarded by over a dozen Paradooms.

Unlike regular parademons, these Paradooms radiated a brutal, uncontrollable energy. These mindless creatures could only follow the most basic commands.

Their attacks were governed purely by the combat instincts embedded in their genes, meaning they were incapable of "cooperating" with other types of beings. To these monsters, everyone was an enemy, except other Paradooms.

For this reason, Apokolips rarely deployed these indiscriminate killers alongside other teams, unless absolutely necessary.

"I thought all the Paradooms had been sent to reinforce the Apokolips engines. I didn't expect there'd be so many left inside LexCorp Tower… This could be a real problem." Lois clenched her fists, feeling a chill down her spine.

Clark's expression wasn't reassuring either. Having faced these creatures himself, he was well aware of their power.

Back when the Justice League invaded Apokolips, he'd been overwhelmed by just eight Paradooms. Now, with over a dozen blocking their way, even he might have trouble handling them alone.

"I'll distract them; you all get inside," Clark said immediately.

"No!" Lois objected first, grabbing Clark's arm. She wanted to say something but didn't know how. She'd nearly lost him once, and now seeing him risk himself again tore at her. But thinking about all those who'd already sacrificed themselves made her feel selfish.

"Enough chatter. I'll handle these guys," Jason said, pushing past Clark and drawing a Kryptonite blade he'd taken from Ra's al Ghul after a recent fight with Damian.

"Jason…" Dick started to speak.

"Save it. I've got a score to settle with these monsters." Without another word, Jason charged forward.

Oddly, the Paradooms didn't react to him at all, as if they were oblivious to his presence, still mindlessly drifting around.

This was new; Paradooms were created solely for slaughter. Their hearing and sense of smell were highly tuned, and they would typically swarm and tear apart any foreign scent they detected.

But now, these terrifying creatures weren't reacting, almost as if they hadn't noticed Clark and the others at all. Even when Jason closed within five meters, they didn't make a single move.

"What…"

Jason's rapid footsteps slowed, and halfway through his charge, he came to a stop.

"What… the heck?"

Realizing something, Jason turned and looked at the others.

Clark and the team had noticed this strange behavior too. Following Jason's gaze, they all looked to the back of the group. Everyone's eyes eventually landed on Alex, who was bringing up the rear.

Alex stood there, one hand pressed to his temple, and though his lips didn't move, his voice echoed in everyone's mind.

"Don't be alarmed; this is just a form of telepathic ability, similar to Martian Manhunter's."

Sensing everyone's gaze, Alex gave a small smile.

"The feint attack revealed quite a few of these creatures' weaknesses."

And thanks in large part to Professor X.

"Although they're powerful, these creatures have virtually no mental defenses. If you can override the commands of whoever controls them, they're as helpless as the blind."

.....

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
337. 'The Sleeper' Lex Luthor.
338. Time Is of the Essence.
339. The Coming of Galactus!!!
340. Doctor Doom vs. Galactus!
341. I Am Doom!!