Under the watchful eyes of a hundred thousand spectators and arena cameras, with half of Sakaar population tuned in, their champion, the Two-Headed Man, furiously raised his fists and charged at Superman across from him.
As Sakaarians who knew nothing about Superman, they didn't believe that this slim, small figure could withstand the Two-Headed Man punches.
Although the universe doesn't strictly equate size with strength, it undeniable that larger individuals are generally perceived as more formidable.
With a nearly double size difference, nobody thought Superman could defeat the Two-Headed Man.
Now, the contrast between Superman and the Two-Headed Man was similar to that between Thor and Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok.
Of course, the gap in their strengths was even greater than their size difference.
The Two-Headed Man charged like a locomotive.
The arena floor cracked under his stomps, creating finely webbed craters, and the immense air pressure he generated, along with his cauldron-sized fists, came crashing down from above aiming directly at Superman head.
It was an overwhelming sight.
But Superman remained unfazed, even standing still, waiting for the Two-Headed Man to come closer.
Then he smirked coldly.
He too threw a punch, meeting the Two-Headed Man fist head-on.
The next moment, under countless shocked gazes, the Two-Headed Man didn't pause for a second after the clash, his body uncontrollably flew backward, smashing into the arena corner wall, creating a huge dent. Cracks even spread to the first row of the spectator seats below.
"This…"
"How is that possible?"
"Who is that guy?"
The audience showed expressions of sheer horror.
They knew nothing of Superman origins but were well aware of the Two-Headed Man capabilities.
Even among all of Sakaar, the Two-Headed Man was a warrior ranked in the top five in combat strength, capable of effortlessly tearing apart a heavily-armed interstellar spaceship by himself.
Yet, faced with this unknown man, the Two-Headed Man seemed to be effortlessly repelled.
"Damn it!"
The Two-Headed Man slid down from the wall to the ground, his inner rage uncontainable. He had never been so humiliated before.
Unforgivable!
"You damned bastard!"
As he cursed, his eyes bloodshot, muscles bulging, and strength inflated to its maximum, he charged at Superman once again.
But this time, Superman did not give him another chance.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Superman eyes emitted two beams of red energy, his heat vision in full force.
The intensely hot beams of heat vision directly pierced through the Two-Headed Man heads.
The huge holes, accompanied by the vaporized flesh and blood, turned the Two-Headed Man into a grotesque and horrifying corpse, instantly falling lifeless.
This scene sent shivers through everyone present they held their breath instinctively, and the entire arena immediately fell silent, a pin drop audible.
Then, spontaneously, everyone erupted into a vigorous cheer.
No one cared about the fate of the Two-Headed Man.
The people of Sakaar worship strength.
The Two-Headed Man was a champion when alive, but in death, he was just a corpse.
No one worships a corpse.
Now, the admiration that everyone had for the Two-Headed Man, and for strength, shifted to the arena new champion, Superman.
Even the host, until now, was unaware of Superman true identity.
"Let us congratulate this gentleman, who has defeated Sakaar fighting champion, the Two-Headed Man, to become the new champion of Sakaar—"
The host joined in the cheering.
In the VIP box of the arena.
The Grandmaster and the Black Order watched the unfolding events with varying expressions.
The former was somewhat annoyed the Two-Headed Man was supposed to be his money-making tool, but now he was dead, having failed to realize his potential value...
"Very good."
Black Dwarf from the Black Order spoke again, his eyes slightly glowing as he looked at Superman energized below.
"He more suitable than the Two-Headed Man..."
"What?"
The Grandmaster was startled.
"I mean, he more suitable than the Two-Headed Man to be my subordinate."
Black Dwarf stated.
"Don't forget his identity."
Ebony Maw reminded.
"The master won't mind this small issue."
Black Dwarf replied, "If we can subdue this guy, it will be more beneficial for us. It been a while since Thanos legion has recruited useful talent."
"Suit yourself."
Ebony Maw frowned slightly but knew he couldn't persuade Black Dwarf.
Among the Black Order, although he was technically the highest-ranking, the other three didn't really see him as their 'boss.'
After speaking, Black Dwarf stood up, punched through the glass wall in front of the box, and leaped forward.
He descended vertically from nearly a hundred meters high.
Superman looked up, his expression indifferent, watching a man whose size was comparable to the Two-Headed Man descending from the sky.
Boom!!
The ground of the arena was smashed into a shocking circular crater with Black Dwarf arrival.
And by Black Dwarf side, a massive battle axe was deeply embedded in the ground.
"Who is this?"
"He a distinguished guest of the Grandmaster, why is he here?"
"Is he also here to fight?"
The audience buzzed with speculation.
But regardless, the situation had deeply captivated their attention.
"Superman, I didn't expect to encounter you here."
Black Dwarf pulled out his battle axe, looking at the man before him with a cold smirk, and slowly spoke, "We meet for the first time, I am Black Dwarf, from Thanos legion."
"I know."
Superman nodded, "I came here for you."
"Oh?"
Black Dwarf was taken aback.
Not only him, but the others in the VIP box also showed surprised expressions upon hearing their conversation.
Ebony Maw surprise turned to contemplation he felt he had caught on to something crucial.
Superman presence here didn't seem accidental.
He came for them...
In a flash of thought, Ebony Maw eyes widened with disbelief.
Just then, without further dialogue, the battle between Black Dwarf and Superman erupted instantly.
Szzzzz!
Black Dwarf dragged his battle axe along the ground for a short distance, sending sparks flying before he ferociously lifted it and swung it down at Superman.
The latter remained unfazed, as if indifferent to the huge battle axe swinging towards him, merely clenching his fists and lightly stepping forward.
Bang!!
The deafening clash and the spray of shattered stone resonated in everyone ears.
However, no one cared about the noise they were all visibly shocked, watching the scene unfold in the center of the arena.
The man referred to by Black Dwarf as "Superman" had just shattered the massive battle axe with a single punch.
The handle of the axe was twisted like a pretzel.
Moreover, what was most shocking was the condition of the axe owner, Black Dwarf, one of the Black Order of Thanos legion.
His chest was deeply caved in, and he had been blown back nearly a hundred meters, slumped against a wall, his body covered in blood, looking at Superman with extreme shock.
He hadn't expected to be defeated by Superman with just one punch.
He was not just any ordinary fighter like the Two-Headed Man.
The Two-Headed Man might be comparable to a weakened version of Hulk, but the movie version of Hulk, in the time after Thanos appeared, was far from a match for Black Dwarf, and already outdated.
Only a few could keep up with the times.
Iron Man, Thor.
Captain America, due to his evenly matched nature and, in the final battle, the hammer Mjolnir that Thor reluctantly wanted, managed to barely keep up with the times.
Apart from these three, only Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch Wanda, and Captain Marvel Carol were capable of standing on their own in later stages.
Everyone else was just filler, Hulk included.
Superman knew this well.
But for Superman, defeating anyone was just a matter of one punch, which was quite normal.
After all, Superman ethos was to not dodge anyone if one punch didn't settle it, then a second punch would be unlikely to resolve it either.
Kryptonite would be an exception.
Regrettably, this is Marvel, not DC, and there is no Kryptonite here.
In this universe where Superman has no weaknesses, Anton, as Superman, undoubtedly became the most exceptional being.
Even if Thanos himself stood before him, he would be fearless, let alone just Thanos underlings.
The reason he hadn't gone after Thanos right now was purely because it was troublesome.
Not that he was afraid.
Over the years, Thanos had accumulated substantial power in the universe.
Even though Superman could easily defeat Thanos, dealing with Thanos legion wouldn't be so straightforward.
Even if he were to kill them, until when would he have to continue?
Besides, they wouldn't just stand around waiting to be killed one by one.
So, while dealing with Thanos might be simple, it was not easy and had to be approached slowly.
At worst, wait for Thanos to come to him.
Of course, before that, it made sense to collect some interest.
Superman, looking at the now incapacitated Black Dwarf on the ground, calmly lifted his gaze to the VIP box where Ebony Maw and the others were located.
That was precisely where Black Dwarf had jumped from.
At that moment, Superman gaze seemed to transcend everyone, locking onto the Grandmaster and the remaining three of the Black Order: Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive.
Their faces darkened, realizing the problem.
Superman didn't appear on Sakaar by chance he came specifically for them.
"Damn!"
The Grandmaster was somewhat panicked.
He did not want to get involved in Thanos vendettas.
"Gentlemen," the Grandmaster suddenly said, "I can make space for you, but I do not wish to be involved in this matter, do you understand?"
Although Sakaar forces couldn't compare with Thanos legion, as the local power, the Grandmaster realized Superman exceptionality and saw no need to oppose him directly.
"Of course."
Ebony Maw was very calm.
As he spoke, the Grandmaster body, as if grasped by an invisible hand, was lifted into the air and flung out of the box, plummeting from nearly a hundred meters up, just as Black Dwarf had.
But unlike Black Dwarf intentional jump, the Grandmaster was involuntarily subjected to it.
He crashed heavily to the ground, most of his bones shattered, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
As he fell...
The audience on the platform watched the Grandmaster freefall, their faces transitioning from cheers to extreme shock and then to unprecedented confusion.
What happened?
The Grandmaster, the local emperor, was just thrown out of the VIP box.
Clearly, this was no accidental fall.
Everyone could tell that the Grandmaster was deliberately thrown out.
"Oh?"
After the Grandmaster hit the ground half-dead, Superman, seeing this scene, slowly approached and, under the dumbfounded gaze of countless onlookers, kicked him brutally without any mercy.
The Grandmaster, like a sandbag, was flung out, landing next to the nearly incapacitated Black Dwarf, his consciousness fading.
Although his physique was beyond ordinary, it was not as strong as depicted in the comics.
Surviving this series of blows was enough to prove his resilience.
"You all have been fussing for so long, have you started infighting now?" he sneered sarcastically,
"Since you can't find any helpers, why not rely on your own strength and try to arm wrestle with me? Beating your own people isn't really a skill."
"Hmph!"
A grunt came.
A pressure like a surging tide fell silent instantly, no one daring to speak carelessly, afraid to provoke the person who had released such terrifying force.
Clearly, that person was Superman opponent.
"Thanos..."
Someone muttered.
As residents of Sakaar and part of the interstellar community, they were not unfamiliar with the identity of the great villain Thanos.
"The Black Order..."
Someone else, recalling Black Dwarf words when he appeared, gasped.
Who dared to oppose Thanos?
A series of questions flooded their minds, and amidst their fear and panic, they grew increasingly eager for the impending battle.
The next moment, three figures descended from the sky, it was Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive.
Superman briefly sized up the three figures, feeling the pressure emanating from Ebony Maw far exceeding the other two.
Ebony Maw, after all, was a sorcerer.
Superman magic resistance was nearly non-existent if not for his lengthy health bar, it would not be his enemies but Superman himself who might be knocked out in one hit.
As he pondered, at the entrance of the spectator section, the blonde woman, Carol, who had been standing still watching the situation unfold, knew it was her time to step in.
Transforming into a golden comet, she rushed onto the arena floor.
She and Superman exchanged glances, immediately locking onto their opponents.
"That skinny, tall, old alien guy looks like he could be taken out with one punch, I'll leave him to you..."
Without a hint of embarrassment, Superman replied, "The other two are mine."
"No problem."
Carol was unaware of Superman internal complexities or his lack of magic resistance.
Although she knew from what Gamora had shared that Ebony Maw was supposed to be the most formidable among them, she also knew that Ebony Maw couldn't possibly handle two members of the Black Order alone, so she didn't feel disadvantaged.
"Have you assigned your opponents?"
Ebony Maw chuckled coldly, lifting his hand slightly, and the broken stones of the arena levitated, terrifying energy fluctuations appearing on their surfaces.
"If that the case, let end this battle quickly as the opponents wish."
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive exchanged a glance.
Together they responded.
"As you wish!"