"Hair... his hair grew longer?"
The figure shimmering with golden light under the sun shone like a god among mortals. Its flowing long hair moved without wind, and its proud, disdainful eyes held an indescribable wildness. Even, to Mera, there was a hint of lawlessness.
"What... what is this?"
"A transformation?"
"Or an evolution?"
"Or a liberation of power?"
The talkative Barry Allen reattached his own severed arm, limped to Mera's side, and looked up at the figure in the sky, his gaze filled with disbelief.
"This is His Highness Lothar's newest power form, a completely new power that has transcended limits." The fervent Woz mercilessly slapped a book against Barry Allen's forehead.
"Ow, ow, ow!!!"
Barry Allen clutched his forehead with his left hand, but his eyes remained fixed on the two figures floating in the sky, a glimmer of hope appearing on his lips. Lothar's new form tore apart the ominous clouds shrouding Gotham. The long-unseen scorching sun, carrying long-awaited hope, shone into his heart along with Lothar's figure.
"Are you deliberately giving me a weakness?"
Clark, facing Lothar in the air, raised an eyebrow, pointing at Lothar's golden long hair behind his shoulders. Hair that long... it would be a shame not to pull it out and make Lothar's unique hairstyle go bald.
"You can try."
Lothar placed his right hand behind his back, extended his left arm forward, and sneered, beckoning Clark with a finger. That look of ridicule made Clark's face darken; he felt humiliated.
Boom!
The long-unheard sonic boom exploded over Gotham once more, as the two strongest men on Earth once again engaged in physical combat. Fists and feet flew. The interwoven energy shockwaves diffused, instantly reducing several cities near Gotham to ruins!
The indiscriminate Kryptonian energy waves and Saiyan energy waves caused the Apokoliptian forces originally stationed in these cities to suffer immensely. It was a calamity descending from the heavens. Truly a calamity.
The Parademon soldiers, with their expanded wings, flew high, full of malice, seeking revenge. But upon seeing the two "Earthlings" fighting across the world, destroying cities with every move, they wisely chose to retreat.
Rumble!!!!!
Deafening roars, dazzling energy shockwave exchanges, and bewildering martial arts. Fists, palms, knees, elbows... Every part of their bodies that could be used as a weapon was utilized. The collision of flesh against flesh, the scattered sweat, exhilarated both combatants.
Especially Clark. This was his first truly exhilarating battle since his power had grown to such an extent. It was a feeling even his old comrade General Zod couldn't give him.
"This is amazing!"
With a long roar, Clark's muscles surged again. His utterly unreasonable power amplification was comparable to Lothar's, who was cheating by turning into Super Saiyan 3!
"Get down!"
Lothar was equally eager. A powerful roundhouse kick sent Clark tumbling into the smoke-filled ruins. The last time he achieved the Super Saiyan 3 state with the aid of the Mind Stone, he didn't have an equal opponent. All he had were the Kree, who were terrified of him, and the so-called artificial intelligence god, the Supreme Intelligence.
But now, it was different.
Clark's power was immense, and most importantly, Clark's strength was continuously increasing over time, just like his own. The crushing victory Lothar had anticipated didn't happen.
Lothar himself was adapting to the power of Super Saiyan 3, and Clark was adapting to the high pressure from Lothar. The source of both their power amplifications was the Mother Box embedded above the Apokoliptian portal; neither was inferior in quality.
This evenly matched battle brought Lothar far more excitement than a uninteresting, one-sided victory. The battle genes etched into his Saiyan bones caused the already saturated Saiyan cells within Lothar to begin absorbing once more. Absorbing the remaining Mother Box energy within Lothar's body.
Super Saiyan 3, which should have rapidly consumed energy, now had no concerns about power depletion due to the Mother Box's supply. It allowed Lothar to unleash his power freely.
Whoosh!
Clark's figure burst through the swirling smoke, hurtling towards Lothar at extreme speed!
Lothar, who should have turned, was suddenly grabbed by his excitedly swinging tail by Clark. His body instantly lost balance, and he was locked beneath Clark, falling straight down!
Titan Uppercut Modified - Earth Uppercut, Superman Clark Limited Edition!
Crack!
The pain, akin to a meteorite impact, made Lothar's eyes instantly turn red. The clear sound of bone cracking made Clark grin triumphantly!
"Die!"
The sudden surge of power made Lothar instinctively clench his teeth. His tail suddenly straightened, quickly darting out from beneath him and wrapping around Clark's throat!
"The one who should say that..."
Lothar, whose tail had rarely been pulled since childhood, his eyes reddened. Taking advantage of Clark's momentary suffocation, he quickly bent his knee, broke free from Clark's grasp, and backhanded Clark's face!
Bang!
Lothar, like a liberated serf singing his song, pressed Clark firmly beneath him, digging his fingers in like claws, dragging Clark's head across the ground!
"SHOULD BE ME!!!"
Energy surged in Lothar's reddened eyes. After dragging Clark across the ground for a distance, he suddenly flung him, and a violent energy hurricane instantly began tearing at Clark's body!
Whoosh!!!
Rip!
Amidst the wailing energy hurricane, the usually resilient Kryptonian battle suit could no longer maintain its integrity, revealing Clark's blood-seeping chest!
"Die!!"
Lothar kicked Clark skyward, then extended both arms, instantly condensing several gigantic energy spheres large enough to engulf all of Gotham. With a sweep of Lothar's arms, they all surged towards Clark in the air, whose body had been rendered rigid by the previous blows!
Rumble!!!!!
The entire Earth trembled under Lothar's attack. The calm sea surface instantly became turbulent, and the territories of the seven undersea kingdoms were the first to be affected. Plates ruptured, and force fields became chaotic.
"Lothar!"
The incredulous Mera stared blankly at the distant figure. Then, from the bottomless pit, a shirtless figure slowly floated out...
"Still not dead?"
"Stubborn."
Lothar watched coldly, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth with his right wrist.
"Dead?"
"No, I won't die."
Clark, now on the ground, looked extremely disheveled, blood flowing freely from his exposed skin, but a familiar madness was etched on his lips—a wide, twisted grin.
"Actually, I really should thank you."
"All this time, I felt like I was living in a paper-thin world, constantly careful not to break anything or hurt anyone."
"All this time, I never allowed myself to lose control, not even for a moment. Because if I lost control, even for just one second, someone would die because of me."
"I lived like that for a long time; on the surface, I got used to it. But I alone knew how difficult it was to constantly restrain my power."
"So, I chose death. I chose to end it all with death."
"But I never expected that after I died, I'd be dug out of my grave."
"The human who once wanted me dead, now he wants me alive again."
"What did he take me for?"
"A dog to be called and dismissed at will?"
Clark's mind, twisted by Darkseid, caused him to unleash the anger and resentment accumulated within him.
"But, I'm different now."
"Now, I finally have a chance to indulge, to truly know how strong I am!"
Before his words finished, Clark's figure shot forth!
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