"To paint the world in his own colors..."
"Lothar..."
Gazing at the sky, now completely dyed golden, Mera's mind inexplicably recalled Lothar saying those words.
He did it. And he did it over Superman's corpse. The Kryptonian's body couldn't withstand such high-intensity energy explosions and had completely turned into dust within the ruins, settling silently.
Bloodied, Lothar dissipated his Super Saiyan state. A feeling of weakness instantly washed over him, causing his knees to buckle and his vision to darken as he collapsed.
"Lothar?"
"Lothar!"
Mera's expression instantly shifted from joy to worry. Icy water currents formed a bridge for her, carrying her to Lothar's fallen form.
"Lothar! Lothar, are you okay, Lothar?!"
Mera, cradling the man's body, gently patted his cheek, trying to rouse him.
"Please step aside, Lady Mera. His Highness Lothar needs nutrient fluid."
Woz calmly hopped over, pulling out a half-bottle of vibrant green nutrient fluid from its pocket in front of Mera.
"What is that...? Woz, didn't you say the previous one was the last one?"
"Three days was enough time for Woz to re-mix a new batch with existing materials." Woz extended a hand unhurriedly, motioning for Mera to pry open Lothar's mouth.
"Then why is there only half a bottle?" Mera reached out and complied, forcefully prying open Lothar's lips.
"Half a bottle was used on Alfred and Lois Lane. They were injured by the Parademon legion before I took control of the Kryptonian spaceship." This was also why Alfred and Diana weren't present on the battlefield; they had gone to a safe city to recuperate.
"This won't do, Lady Mera, you need to pry open His Highness Lothar's teeth." Woz, who had been fumbling with the nutrient fluid for a while and couldn't get it into Lothar's mouth, scratched its head. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, it shoved the test tube into Mera's hand.
Mera: "???"
Woz's plump little hands pointed across a blue screen, and then a complete CPR guide appeared before Mera's eyes.
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was easier to pry open the unconscious Lothar's mouth.
Woz's expression was serious, its plump little hands tightly gripping Lothar's blood-stained red tail, signaling Mera to begin quickly.
The screen in front of Mera also detailed Woz's inability to use this rescue method: as an artificial intelligence manifesting as a robotic cat, its mouth was too big. And, most importantly, its mechanical tongue couldn't scoop up the nutrient fluid.
Logical and convincing. At least Mera believed it.
She tilted her head, bit off the wooden stopper of the test tube, took a small sip of nutrient fluid into her mouth, and knelt beside Lothar. Leaning down, she kissed Lothar's dry lips without hesitation.
"Hmph..."
Mera, her face flushed, finished the first mouthful, pulling away to gasp for fresh air.
"It's no use, I can't pry it open."
Lothar wasn't dead; he was simply unconscious due to his body's self-preservation mechanism. In this state, prying open a Saiyan's mouth was as difficult as reaching the heavens in a single step.
"It's not working?"
Woz was clearly a bit disappointed. Even holding Lothar's tail hadn't helped. This time, the full power output of Super Saiyan 3 had caused far more damage to Lothar's body than Woz had anticipated.
"Hm, no choice then, I'll just have to go slowly."
Mera took another mouthful of nutrient fluid, leaned down, and kissed Lothar's bloodied lips. Once, and again. Her red hair became slightly disheveled from the frequent up-and-down motion. Mera's cheeks were flushed, and she periodically gasped for breath, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
When the ignored Barry Allen arrived, he witnessed this scene of Mera repeatedly performing mouth-to-mouth.
"Wait, His Highness Lothar's tail moved!"
"The nutrient fluid is working, quickly!"
Woz acutely noticed the tail it was holding twitch and immediately exclaimed with excitement.
"I understand."
Mera nodded, not bothering to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and leaned down to kiss him. Lothar's mouth instinctively opened, his teeth no longer clenched. Mera even felt his tongue...
"?!"
Mera's eyes widened, and she instinctively straightened up.
"What's wrong?" Woz asked.
"No, no, nothing." Mera smoothed her slightly messy bangs, her vibrant red curls particularly striking in the sunlight. She held the green cup, ready for another round, two, three, four, when Lothar in her arms opened his mouth, unconsciously murmuring a name. The sound was soft, but it instantly made Mera's face change.
"Hela..."
"????" Mera looked up, meeting Barry Allen's curious gaze.
"Uh... I didn't hear anything... nothing at all." Barry Allen instinctively tried to raise his hands but winced in pain.
Hela Hela Hela, what are you calling for?!
The person's dead, are you trying to summon her ghost?!
Mera's expression was grim, but she ultimately suppressed her irritation. With a hint of vengeful intent, she swallowed all the remaining nutrient fluid in one gulp, then forcefully sealed Lothar's mouth with her own. Saving him was paramount; she needed to prioritize.
"Mmph!"
Lothar finally opened his eyes.
"???"
"Mera?"
The revived Lothar stiffly pushed Mera away, frowning in confusion.
"Hmph... I'm glad you're awake."
"Get up."
Looking at the face that was once again full of life, Mera took a deep breath. All her worries were washed away by joy. She smiled, stood up, and extended her hand to Lothar, saying, "Give me your hand, Lothar."
"Nutrient fluid? How is there still some?"
Lothar noticed the droplet of liquid still clinging to Mera's lips and naturally stood up.
"Would you believe me if I said I mixed it?" Perhaps feeling the danger had temporarily passed, Mera's familiar smile bloomed on her face again. Her hands were clasped behind her back, blocking his path.
"...Move." Lothar gazed at Mera's face, silent for a moment, then tilted his head to the right, motioning for her to get out of the way.
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