The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics.

Chapter 1400 Battle Against the Mantis
Yang Le chose to transform into the Ultimate Electric Lizard because he wanted to use the fact that it was completely immune to energy-type attacks to test the limits of the Mantis, gather more information, and defeat it.

After all, although Mantis is very strong, and is even said to be second only to Darkseid on Apokolips, he is not actually well-known among comic book fans.

Leaving aside the well-known Steppenwolf and Disad, Mantis's popularity doesn't even compare to that of the kind grandmother; in terms of comic book popularity alone, it's just a nobody.

Later, due to his popularity, like many characters whose initial designs were quite outrageous, his strength eventually became worthless. In a major incident, he was even kicked to death, truly becoming just another face in the roadside.

However, that was in the comics. The mantis Yang Le is facing now is clearly not weakened yet; at least, he can't kill it with one kick.

"It seems I underestimated you."

Mantis's expression turned slightly serious. He knew very little about Yang Le, and could only tell from his performance that the latter should have the same abilities as him.

If you want to get more information, you'll have to fight.

Once the mantis made up its mind, its body moved along with it. It transformed into a green phantom and disappeared completely. When it reappeared, it had already rushed in front of Yang Le.

The mantis's fist flashed with a dazzling white light, its target the annoying, smug smile of the ultimate electric lizard.

It has to be said that for the enemy, this smile is absolutely the most unbearable thing, no wonder the mantis's initial target was Yang Le's face.

"hey-hey!"

The ultimate electric lizard saw through the mantis's attack, unlike the slow-moving Pupba. Not only did it see through the attack, it also easily kept up with the latter's attack frequency.

"boom!"

Yang Le raised his hand to block the mantis's straight punch and absorbed the energy from it. He then inserted his right leg between the mantis's legs and wedged it behind the knee, disrupting the mantis's balance before throwing him away.

The mantis is not just a mobile turret that can only launch energy attacks; its fighting skills are also quite strong. The moment it is thrown out, it uses its waist and abdomen to flip over and land steadily.

As he landed, he lowered his body and swept his thigh horizontally, using the sweeping leg to disrupt Yang Le's balance.

Yang Le was no fool; he believed his lower body was stable enough, but the mantis still managed to sweep him down with its powerful strength.

However, Yang Le did not panic. He was just as agile as the mantis. He used his left hand, which was close to the ground, to slap the ground and use it as a fulcrum to flip himself upside down in the air.

At this moment, the mantis had already taken his stance, and his straight punch was aimed at Yang Le in the air. The latter quickly crossed his hands in front of his chest, blocking the solid punch.

Using this force, Yang Le created distance between himself and the mantis, and at the same time, he released two powerful electric currents with both hands during the backward flight.

The mantis ignored the incoming electric current, which crackled as it struck him, but was instantly absorbed into his body.

"Where can you escape to?"

As he questioned Yang Le, the mantis charged at him again, relentlessly attacking him with ferocity, like a wild beast eyeing its prey, becoming even more excited upon seeing blood.

"Escape?" Yang Le chuckled. "I'm waiting for you to walk right into my trap."

As he spoke, the tentacles of the Ultimate Electric Lizard were all aimed at the Mantis, and an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from his body, instantly enveloping himself and the pursuing Mantis. "Little trick!" the Mantis scoffed, accepting all the energy released by Yang Le.

Not only that, the mantis also seemed to have his competitive spirit aroused by Yang Le's behavior. As an energy vampire, he also wanted to see if the latter was as limitless as him.

Therefore, he combined the energy he had just absorbed with roughly the same amount of energy of his own, creating a large gift package, just like Yang Le had done, and returned it to the other party.

"Want to have a competition? I've never been afraid!"

Yang Le was a person who never gave up, and after becoming an electric lizard, his personality became even more arrogant, even conceited. Therefore, he accepted everything like a praying mantis and then sent it back.

This powerful energy suddenly turned into a rubber ball, which was kicked around by Yang Le and the mantis.

The two were having a great time, but the surrounding environment was completely destroyed. Even the nearby demonic weapon factory was not spared and has been turned into ruins.

The two of them were like jackpots running onto the sidewalk, rampaging and causing incalculable damage. However, this level of combat was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The two clashed for no more than three minutes, and many buildings had already been destroyed.

Through this three-minute exchange, Mantis also confirmed one thing: at least in terms of energy endurance, their opponent was on the same level as them, but Yang Le was not as good as them in terms of resilience.

The mantis realized from the close-quarters combat just now that its opponent wasn't as fearless as it was, and didn't bother to defend against the enemy's attacks at all.

Yang Le had been using his superior skills to defend against the mantis's attacks. If it weren't for the mantis having multiple tentacles to use, he would probably have been overwhelmed long ago.

'We can win.'

The mantis made a judgment: if Yang Le didn't take any more strange forms, then the longer the battle dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for him.

The balance of their fight will soon be broken. If Mantis lands a punch, Yang Le will be put on the defensive, and he will be the only one to win in the end.

While the mantis was testing Yang Le, the latter was also searching for the former's weaknesses.

Through their recent exchange, Yang Le realized one thing: the Mantis truly lived up to its reputation as Darkseid's top warrior. It was impossible for the Ultimate Electric Lizard to defeat him, and it would likely fall soon after.

After all, while both can ignore energy attacks, the Mantis has a defense that can almost ignore physical attacks, compared to the Ultimate Electric Lizard.

One is less than two; this is basic common sense.

Therefore, in order to win, Yang Le had to make a change, and besides, he didn't have much time to waste, since the Green Lanterns should have arrived at their mission location by now.

Therefore, after absorbing the energy returned by the mantis, Yang Le did not choose to retreat this time. Instead, he released energy from the bolt in his hand and created distance between himself and the mantis in one breath.

The burst of energy temporarily halted the mantis's pursuit, and Yang Le took this opportunity to begin a new transformation.

"In the end, it really comes down to you, old friend."

(End of this chapter)