Chapter 455: Appearance of the Conqueror
The Price of Compassion
"Help!"
"Save me!"
"Somebody save me!"
...
Shrill voices echoed relentlessly in his ears. The streets were engulfed in dust, hazy and gray everywhere. Bruce dropped the little girl off in a safe zone and turned to run toward his destination.
Just as he turned the corner, red laser beams appeared before him.
The heat vision swept back and forth. Buildings made of steel-reinforced concrete seemed like paper. Where the beams passed, structures were instantly sliced in half at the waist. The Wayne Enterprises subsidiary office tower was among them.
Watching the Wayne building tilt downward, Bruce was stunned into silence.
A few seconds later, with a thunderous roar, the entire block was enveloped in billowing dust.
What is the apocalypse?
This is the apocalypse.
Everything happening around the city poured into Clark's mind. The city was screaming, and it was all because of him.
"Enough, Zod!"
"Let's go up. We'll fight in the sky!"
Zod laughed coldly. "Kal, this is the price of betraying Krypton. A warrior doesn't need emotion. For every one you save, I will kill ten thousand."
Aaaah!
Clark roared in fury, pushing off the ground with his feet. He shot up like a cannonball, slammed into Zod, and hugged his body, rocketing toward the sky.
"Senseless compassion only makes you weak."
"Kal, I'll show you right now what a warrior is."
Zod clenched his fists and drove them downward with force.
Bang!
Clark's head took a heavy blow, and he plummeted straight down. A second later, he surged back up, grabbed Zod's arm, and flew toward outer space.
The two passed through the stratosphere and reached low Earth orbit.
With no buildings or civilians here, an enraged Clark punched Zod away. Red light spilled from his eyes, and a blast of heat vision erupted.
Zod didn't back down, firing his own beam of intense heat.
The two crimson lights clashed in space, competing fiercely, neither willing to yield.
Ultimately, Clark, on the right side, gained the upper hand. The beam of super-heated light struck Zod's head, causing him to scream in pain.
Clark pressed the attack, landing a left hook, then a right hook. After a series of fatal body blows, he grabbed Zod by the ankle and hurled him toward a distant satellite.
Smash!
The satellite bearing the Wayne Enterprises logo was split in two. Zod let out a thunderous roar, forcefully correcting his trajectory, and brought the satellite wreckage down in an attack.
Clark shattered the debris with a single punch. Zod, hidden behind the fragments, burst out and violently gripped Clark's neck.
"I am the one who will win."
"You lunatic!"
Clark roared, managing to shove Zod beneath him, only to have the latter regain the advantage moments later. The two grappled together, and along with the satellite fragments, they transformed into a fiery meteor streaking toward Metropolis.
A dozen brilliant streaks of flame appeared in the sky.
Before long, a flash of fire appeared in the distance, followed by a deafening explosion. Flames shot up, igniting dozens of city blocks.
Luke had miscalculated. If things continued this way, not just one hundred thousand, but two hundred thousand lives would be lost.
"Barry, are you finished yet?"
"I'm trying, Boss!"
Barry Allen, plastered to the force field, responded painfully. The surrounding gravity was too strong, nearly crushing his body.
Damn it!
Luke clenched his fist. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.
"Ava, bring the Conqueror here."
The Nuclear Option
Due to the effect of the Gravity Field, the Sidewinder missiles launched by the F-35s were pulled to the ground by the intense gravity before they could even get close. The fighter jets dared not linger nearby and could only observe the situation from thousands of meters away.
Human weaponry was completely useless against Kryptonian technology.
In the command center, Sam Lane buried his face in his hands in despair, witnessing the helplessness of his forces. Norman Gant and other White House officials were also silently observing.
Too strong!
They were completely out of their league.
No wonder Luke Shaw had spoken that way. In this environment, soldiers couldn't even stand steady—how could they possibly attack?
"Professor, how much time do we have left?"
"Based on the current gravitational data, the shuttle's beam will reach the Earth's core in ten minutes at most. Once the two beams connect, the entire planet's gravity will spiral out of control."
"Damn it!"
Norman Gant punched the table, anxious and helpless.
There was too little time, and they were completely unprepared. Deploying troops was impossible, and air strikes were ineffective. What else could they do?
"Authorize the nuclear weapon."
A low voice echoed in the command room. Everyone stopped and looked in one direction. Sam Lane raised his head and said deliberately,
"Sacrifice Metropolis to save the Earth. It's the only way."
Norman Gant's mouth hung open, his voice a hoarse whisper. "That's millions of lives."
"Millions of lives versus the entire civilization of Earth."
"We have no choice."
Sam Lane placed the nuclear launch key on the table. "I will bear all the consequences."
As he said this, Sam Lane's heart bled. Both of his daughters were in Metropolis.
The Arrival of the Conqueror
The presence of the Super-Gravity Field made the battle incredibly difficult. All movement was slowed down; even the Kryptonians were affected.
The gravity oppressed Linda's body, impacting her Ancient Fist Technique. Her punch-lights fell to the ground before reaching their targets. She was now forced into pure melee combat.
Close combat was not Linda's specialty. She was a Kryptonian created with a scientist template; even with the House of El bloodline, she couldn't compare to a warrior.
Fighting one against four, she quickly fell into a defensive position, being beaten back by her opponents.
Diana was in a similar situation. Her innate physical qualities were already inferior to Kryptonians, and even with her divine artifacts, she couldn't withstand the three-on-one assault. The Martian Manhunter attempted to come down and assist but was tightly entangled by the mechanical tentacles.
The situation grew worse, reaching a point of extreme danger.
Just then, the ocean began to boil. A gigantic spaceship, over three kilometers long, burst from the sea. The ship employed a traditional Kryptonian design: dark and heavy. A line of text was carved on its side, which translated into English as the Conqueror.
This was the warship that Luke had taken from Zod two years prior.
Due to its enormous size, it had been hidden beneath the ocean until this very moment.
The Conqueror positioned itself over Metropolis. Its main cannon aimed at the shuttle. Fluorescent particles gathered toward the muzzle like a swarm of returning swallows. The light grew stronger and brighter, transforming into a second sun.
With the appearance of the Conqueror, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.
"Has it really come to this?"
Linda murmured, her eyes wide with confusion. She knew the power of the Conqueror's main cannon better than anyone. One shot would turn not just the force field, but the entire city, into ruins.
That was a planet-level weapon.
Barry sensed the change and yelled into his communicator:
"Boss, I... I'm almost successful! Don't do this! We still have a chance!"
Luke turned off his communication system, put on his flight armor, and said expressionlessly,
"Ava, fire the cannon!"
"The Kryptonians want war? Then let's fight until death."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!