Mongul squinted his eyes, staring at Bardi with a fierce murderous aura. It was like a cold wind carrying needles, brushing past Bardi and causing Kara, who was sitting upright, to shiver with goosebumps and a chill down her spine.
He had finally caught Lobo's weakness. He captured a cosmic dolphin and used it to threaten him into fighting a hundred matches in the arena. Only then would he release the cosmic dolphin and return it to him.
Lobo cared deeply for cosmic dolphins. In the universe, those who once hunted or injured cosmic dolphins were hunted down and exterminated by Lobo.
Now, with the cosmic dolphin in his grasp, Mongul forced Lobo to yield.
There were only seven matches remaining.
The cosmic dolphin was rescued by Tohru and Conna. No one knew how those two kids managed it, but in Mongul's heavily guarded prison, they somehow freed the dolphin and rode it through the stars, fighting as they fled.
Mongul just wanted to strangle those two little troublemakers for ruining his fun.
His face was ruthless, and his aura pressed down on Bardi like a mountain. Just like that, he lost a gladiator general and a valuable cosmic dolphin.
The air was thick with killing intent.
Kara, sitting upright, couldn't help but twist her delicate body uncomfortably. In this murderous atmosphere, like being in a black hole pierced with cold needles, she swayed uneasily and felt miserable.
But Bardi gently patted Kara's shoulder with the cold metal hand of his armor. Kara suddenly snapped out of her daze, as if that large hand had pulled her out of the black hole, instantly calming her down.
"Can't handle losing?"
Bardi's voice was savage, yet he leaned casually back on the throne. His posture was relaxed, yet carried an air of inviolable majesty and dominance.
He chuckled, his steel-encased fingers playing with his wine glass. Hera opened a bottle of fiery red wine, and the liquid danced like flames in the goblet. Bardi took a light sip, smiling as he looked at Mongul.
Suddenly.
Mongul's murderous aura receded like a tidal wave, vanishing from the room.
He grabbed the wine glass on the table with his large hand. The liquid inside was bright red like blood. He raised it in a toast from across the room.
"This one's your win. I didn't expect an accident. Earthling, you've impressed me."
Mongul raised his glass, grinned savagely, and downed it in one gulp, wild and tyrannical. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Bardi smiled as he returned the toast remotely, drinking the fiery red wine as its rich aroma filled the room.
"And what if I win again?"
Bardi looked at Mongul with a playful smile.
Mongul laughed. A subordinate next to him refilled his empty glass with thick, blood-red liquid.
"The next fighter will be a Kryptonian."
Mongul stared intently at Bardi's face, hoping to catch a flicker of surprise. But Bardi's expression remained unchanged.
A Kryptonian?
After Krypton exploded, it wasn't unusual for a few remnants to survive in the universe. This meant little to Bardi.
Besides, Bardi held no fondness for Krypton's social system or order. Even if it was the world he grew strong in, he only ever saw it as a tool. Bardi never truly saw himself as a Kryptonian.
On the contrary, he identified more with being human.
But now, even human and Kryptonian identities were far removed from Bardi—because he had become a god.
However, Kara was clearly shaken when she heard that Mongul's next fighter was a Kryptonian. She hadn't expected any survivors from Krypton's destruction to end up here as gladiators under Mongul.
Mongul gently swirled the thick, red wine in his glass. A faint blueberry fragrance wafted out. Leaning back on his throne, his eyes flashed with malice, and he smiled.
"I found him while rampaging across the universe."
Mongul shook his wine glass like an old man recounting a past story, though with a tone of mockery.
At that moment, the arena had been cleared, and the next battle was starting.
Mongul's gladiator began to appear from the long corridor—a single red hotspot glowing at the end. From the depths of the corridor, he emerged, as if stepping out from death itself. A red light of death gradually outlined his shape in the darkness.
His body was tall and rigid. Every step seemed to carry the weight of a planet, exuding a brutal, mechanical force.
"At that time, nearly half his body was gone."
Mongul continued, swirling his wine glass, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips.
"I rebuilt him, made him half-machine—using the most advanced tech core to forge a ruthless warrior!"
At the same time.
The host's voice echoed over the arena, igniting the crowd's excitement.
"Everyone! Let's welcome the remnant of Krypton, the cold-blooded, iron-willed mechanical warrior—Mechanical Superman!"
The tall figure stepped out from the shadows, bathed in bright light that revealed a face devoid of emotion.
He showed no reaction to the thunderous cheers around him. Like a lifeless machine, there was no trace of excitement, no battle fervor. He walked coldly into the arena, standing still amidst the roaring crowd.
The vast, icy figure stood like a monument of desolation. No matter how loud the noise around him, it couldn't move him.
The left half of his face was made of cold metal, reflecting a sharp mechanical gleam. His eye glowed red, like a skull's socket emitting a ruthless electronic light.
The other half of his face was all too familiar to Bardi and Kara.
Bardi held his wine glass to his lips, his expression frozen.
"Father!!"
Kara suddenly stood up in shock. Her eyes widened, her heart pounded, and her face filled with disbelief and emotion.
The man in the arena—the remaining half of his face—was none other than Zor-El, the same Zor-El who had once supported Bardi's revolution on Krypton.
Back on Krypton, after Bardi's revolution failed, he had been forced to flee. From what Kara had later told him, things didn't go well.
They were abandoned by the House of El, became wanted fugitives, and had been on the run ever since.
Zor-El had tried to use the last escape pod to send Kara to Earth, hoping Bardi would protect her. But something went wrong during the escape, and she drifted near the Phantom Zone, which led to Zod's emergence and Kara's capture—bringing her to Earth.
Zor-El had used his remaining time to develop shield technology in a desperate attempt to save his city. But in the end, due to Jor-El's interference, he failed and was imprisoned.
Just as he was about to be sent into the Phantom Zone, Krypton exploded. Zor-El, paralyzed in the blast, preserved himself in a medical capsule. Eventually, he was captured by the rampaging Mongul and transformed into a cold, emotionless Mechanical Superman.
(To be continued.)