Inconceivable Ch. 45 (Invincible AU) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Argan is angry.

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“I’LL KILL YOU!”

The last time Argan was even remotely close to this angry was when he found out Konan was dead. But even that was a low, simmering sort of anger compared to the current bonfire ignited within him. Knowing that yet another of their precious few remaining people had died on his father’s watch had certainly lit a fire under Argan, but it was one of duty and responsibility more than anything else.

This? This was personal. The moment he registered the Dornian looming over his pregnant mate and a young, barely breathing Maya Grayson, Argan had seen red. He’d slammed himself into the Dornian’s side and dragged him out of the building before anyone could so much as blink. And now? Now he was going to tear him limb from limb!

Argan recognizes this particular lion-headed menace, though he wouldn’t expect most of his people to do so. Battle Beast, originally named Thokk, represented a rare existence in the universe… someone capable of killing a Viltrumite in hand to hand combat.

He’d tried to be aware of all such entities in the galaxy, keeping what tabs he could on them over the centuries. Battle Beast was the sort of entity that he especially tried to keep an eye on, because he knew the moment that the Dornian found a Viltrumite, he would stop at nothing to kill or be killed by them.

Perhaps Argan should have dealt with the crazed alien much sooner than this. But he’d always considered it a bit beneath him. Battle Beast was like a maddened animal. So long as his people were spread out across the vast length of the Empire, constantly moving back and forth in order to make it seem like there were more of them than actually existed, the likelihood of them coming into conflict with Battle Beast was low.

In the end… it doesn’t matter. He can make up for lost time now and as he slams Battle Beast into the mountain closest to the city, his fingers curl on the Dornian’s armored chestplate, rending the metallic weave apart in his hands.

Meanwhile, Battle Beast finally recovers enough to start fighting back, snarling as he tries to bring his mace around in order to smack Argan off of him. When the mace merely glances off of Argan’s head and barely turns it to the side, Battle Beast blinks… and then laughs.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be then? No matter! You’re strong!”

Argan snarls and rips the Dornian’s chestplate off of him while stamping him into the crater he’s made in the side of the mountain. As he flings the ruined armor away, Battle Beast scrambles to his feet, growling and baring his fangs. Argan bares his own teeth right back, his hands itching to tear Battle Beast to shreds.

“You raised your weapon against my mate. For that, you die.”

Blinking, Battle Beast pauses and truly, properly looks at him for a moment.

“… Your mate huh?”

Then, he grins savagely.

“A good a reason as any to kill someone, no? Come and take my life if you think you c-urk!”

Argan’s fist slams into the underside of Battle Beast’s jaw a moment later, shutting the feline alien up and shattering a few of his teeth from the force of the blow. Staggering back as blood leaks from his mouth, Battle Beast brings a hand to his jaw, his red eyes focusing and unfocusing.

“Ah… you…”

Argan sneers.

“What’s the matter, feline? Bitten off more than you could chew?”

Battle Beast’s eyes narrow and he lets out a bloody roar, grabbing his mace with both hands and swinging it at Argan with all his might. The speed and power behind the blow is nothing to scoff at… is what Argan would say if he were anyone else. Dodging out of the way of the flanged mace head, Argan buries his fist in Battle Beast’s exposed gut next, doubling the hulking Dornian over his arm in the process.

To be fair, Battle Beast is easily one of the tougher foes that Argan has faced. He might even be stronger than Conquest. Was he as strong as his father? That, Argan couldn’t fully say. In the end, it doesn’t really matter… when even Thragg couldn’t do anything but die to him.

When Argan withdraws his fist, Battle Beast drops to his knees with a titanic crash, the ground shaking and cratering under the dense, powerful alien. Standing over the Dornian imperiously, part of him wanting to just finish this… but part of him enjoying drawing it out as well. The other warrior was already dead. It didn’t have to be quick though, not after what he’d done.

“You… V-Viltrumite…”

Argan tenses up, eyes widening slightly. Battle Beast lifts his head, sounding more excited than anything as he stares up at Argan with a bloody grin.

“I’m right… aren’t I? You’re a Viltrumite. I’ve been hunting for your kind for decades. To think I’d find you on a backwater like this!”

His eyes go past Argan, back to the city they’ve just left.

“Your mate… she’s a Viltrumite too? A pregnant Viltrumite… she-”

Argan’s hand closes around Battle Beast’s mouth, cutting him off as his fingers squeeze into the Dornian’s jaw. And then… Argan shoots them both straight up into the air, dragging his opponent with him as he flies faster than the speed of sound. In mere seconds, they leave Earth’s atmosphere behind and enter space.

Battle Beast’s eyes widen at this, even as Argan looks down at him imperiously.

If you wished an ‘honorable’ death, you should have kept your mouth shut, Dornian. Instead you forced me to bring you somewhere no one can hear you scream.

Battle Beast’s eyes narrow, even as he struggles in Argan’s grip. By covering his face as he had, Argan had prevented the Dornian from taking in any extra oxygen before leaving the planet below. And unlike Viltrumites, Battle Beast’s species was not particularly good at traversing space. For all their potential power, for all Battle Beast’s supposed strength… this was the one battlefield where he was at a clear disadvantage.

Argan releases Battle Beast and crosses his arms over his chest, watching as the Dornian realizes he’s going to float and likely suffocate up here. And without the ability to fly… there’s nothing he can do about it. It might take some time, but Argan… Argan is willing to spend that time watching the Dornian die.

… Take me back down to the planet’s surface, Viltrumite. I will not say another word so long as you give me an honorable death in combat… a death I crave with my whole being.

It doesn’t surprise Argan that Battle Beast has a thought-transmitter himself. Most civilized species utilize such things. Argan just shakes his head though, glaring at Battle Beast.

You have not earned an honorable death by my hand, Dornian. And you will not endanger my planet with your presence any longer.

Battle Beast’s eyes slide down to Earth below contemplatively. He does not seem all that worried about dying ignobly up here.

Your planet, you say? How interesting.

Argan scowls, hands curling into fists as Battle Beast looks back at him with a calculating stare.

You truly won’t fight me properly? You are the strongest being I have ever faced. Our battle would be glorious… and you would surely kill me. There is no doubt to the outcome between us.

See, this was the thing about Battle Beast. He was a bloodthirsty maniac solely concerned with finding a worthy opponent who could grant him a glorious death in battle. Argan just didn’t care.

There are things more important than your glory, Dornian.

…

Then you leave me no choice.

If Argan hadn’t already noticed Battle Beast’s strange calm and utter lack of panic, he might not have been able to react in time. The Dornian times it perfectly, activating the portal right at the moment his suffocating body can float through it.

I will not die here.

Argan’s eyes widen as Battle Beast begins to pass through the glowing yellow rectangle that forms behind him.

NO!

In an instant, he moves forward… and grabs hold of the feline alien by his braids. Yanking Battle Beast back out of the portal, Argan swings him away from the egress, even as the Dornian’s eyes widen in disbelief at his speed. His hand snaps out and destroys the bracer that Battle Beast had used to create the portal in the first place as well, ripping it off of his wrist and crushing it in moments.

Enough of this!

His desire to draw this out had nearly cost him and his people their secrecy. With a roar, Argan yanks Battle Beast closer, one hand grabbing the top of his head while the other digs into his solar plexus. Battle Beast does try to fight back, clawing at him with all his remaining might… but he’s already weakened from the lack of air. And even if he wasn’t… he’d been right before. He’d never been a match for Argan in the first place.

GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!

With a silent, mental roar, Argan rips the Dornian’s head from his shoulders, granting Battle Beast the death he has sought for so long before his opponent can even speak his final words. Honorable? Glorious? Undoubtedly no. Argan could care less. The warrior needs to die right here and right now. And so Argan sees it done, killing one of the galaxy’s greatest fighters in a single moment of titanic strength.

It mirrors the death of his father Thragg, but then to be fair… there’s not many humanoids in this universe that can survive having their head ripped from their shoulders. Adrenaline runs through Argan, not because the fight was particularly difficult, but because of his momentary slip up. If Battle Beast had escaped… Argan didn’t like to imagine what the Dornian would do next.

Of course, now it doesn’t matter. Battle Beast is dead and the Viltrumites’ secret remains secure. Flying back down to Earth with the feline alien’s head and body in his grasp, Argan stops by one of the planet’s active volcanos and disposes of Battle Beast’s remains properly in the caldera there. Then, he returns to Chicago with all possible speed.

By the time he’s arrived, Maya has already been taken to GDA’s medical facility. Anissa has gone with her, at least. When he arrives to find humans operating on the young hybrid, Argan’s eyes narrow and his jaw clenches.

“How is she?”

Both Anissa and Cecil turn to regard him, Anissa having noticed his approach and Cecil caught off guard but doing his best to hide it.

“Argan. She’s alive… for now. That lion alien you fought did a number on her. Nearly killed her.”

Argan grunts, approaching and looking at Maya through the observation window. To his mild surprise, he feels a strange welling of emotion in his chest. It even pricks at his eyes and threatens to close up his throat, powerful as it is. Obviously he did not want the young hybrid to die… but he also did not expect to feel this strongly about it either.

Of course, he marshals himself all the same, forcing down his emotions and controlling his reaction as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Battle Beast. A galaxy-renowned warrior. What he was doing on this planet, I don’t know.”

Cecil makes a concerned noise in the back of his throat at that, even as Anissa is giving Argan a long look from the side.

“Huh. Apparently he was hired by a local crime lord. One ‘Machine Head’. No clue how the guy got in touch with a so-called ‘galaxy-renowned warrior’, but he did. The rest of his recruits were small potatoes in comparison.”

Argan nods slowly, still unable to tear his eyes off of Maya’s form. Where were Nolan and Debbie? They should be here too. The stray thought feels like it comes out of nowhere and once it’s passed through Argan’s head, he can’t help but feel a strange dissonance. Why did he just think that? No… more importantly…

“Have you contacted Nolan and his mate to let them know what has happened?”

Cecil inclines his head.

“Yes, they’ve-”

That’s when the doors fly open and Nolan and Debbie rush in. Argan feels strangely relieved at their presence. If this were Viltrum, the parents would not be called. They would not even care. And yet… Argan knew Nolan and Debbie would care. Just as he knew here on Earth that this was appropriate.

He steps back, giving the pair space to check on their daughter. At the same time, Cecil and Anissa step with him. Anissa is quiet at his side. Cecil… Cecil’s tone is quiet but no less sharp.

“This alien warrior you just fought… what happened to him? You told me you had enemies… if he got away…”

Argan shakes his head.

“He’s dead. He recognized me for what I was. At that point, letting him take knowledge of a Viltrumite presence on Earth back to the greater galaxy… could not be allowed.”

Cecil lets out a low breath at that, slowly nodding.

“We’re in agreement on that. I don’t want anyone you would consider an enemy anywhere near Earth if I can help it.”

Argan snorts derisively, though the noise lacks any amusement.

“You needn’t fret, Director. We will protect this planet with our lives. Still, our greatest weapon remains secrecy and stealth.”

After all, they had never figured out who sent the Scourge Virus in the first place. The last thing Argan wanted was to invite another biological attack upon the world they now called home. No… Earth needed to be safe. Earth needed to be secured.

“… To that end, there are other technologies I want to share with you. Sensor technologies that you will see are incorporated into your satellites.”

Cecil’s gaze sharpens at that, his eyes narrowing.

“Oh?”

Argan nods, even if a part of him wonders if they’re going too far. And yet…

“Our enemies have launched clandestine attacks upon planets within our empire in the past. Attacks that we did not register until it was too late. In the centuries since such attacks, we have developed far greater security measures designed to give us… localized omniscience. Once you’ve launched enough satellites, your GDA will be able to detect literally anything entering your star system at any time instantly. No more delays. No more range issues.”

Cecil pauses for a moment… and then nods again.

“Sounds good to me.”

Argan holds back the urge to scoff, knowing full well that Cecil is already thinking about using the new technology he’s releasing to him to upgrade their own surveillance capabilities so they can spy on Argan and the others better.

But it’s fine. They’ll still have Flaxa for the time being… and it’s not like there’s a pressing need to talk about anything to do with the Empire anyways these days. No, the past was the past. Let it remain there.

Fortunately, nobody knew they were here. Battle Beast had died before he could tell a single soul. The galaxy was still unaware of where the remaining Viltrumites had gone.

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A/N: Three guesses on who’s POV we’re going back to next chapter and the first two don’t count! ;]

And yes, I know, I killed off Battle Beast and some people aren’t going to be happy about that. Unfortunately, it was the only way this was ending unless I made Argan really hold the idiot ball for long enough for Battle Beast to escape and that felt like it would be a little contrived…

Throw me a comment if you can but please leave a Like if you don’t want to, it’s the main metric I use to track whether a story is doing well or not!

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/163JFaxDet1UwDVLnbxFw7TpYVE1KtJidubXyGu6Z2E4/edit?tab=t.0