The Kryptonian elder's vengeful spirit lingered. His consciousness, trapped inside the ship's computer, froze the entire control system, sending the Kryptonian ship speeding deeper into space.
"Are we gonna end up as cosmic dust?" Flash's voice trembled. He was young and didn't want to die.
"At least we still have control of the weapons system. We have one last shot," Batman said calmly, totally focused on the mission and ready to sacrifice himself to save the world.
He recalculated the firing trajectory with complete concentration. Even Kid was stunned by Batman's composure—he really did look cool right now. Keys clacked as Batman used his portable keyboard to re-lock the target.
"Earthling, I won't let you succeed," the Kryptonian elder's voice crackled over the speakers. He hadn't expected the weapons system to have been altered. He couldn't find a way in fast enough, and he never imagined these humans would stay so calm, still thinking of destroying the target at the last moment.
It was a race against time, and everyone watching felt their nerves stretch taut.
Batman had originally locked onto the target in South Africa. But given the ship's shifting speed, the angle with Earth, and the time needed to aim, he had to adjust everything on the fly. Finally, his eyes narrowed, and he slammed the fire button.
The elder reacted almost instantly. At the exact moment Batman pressed the trigger, he tried to divert the ship's course, changing the trajectory so the shot would veer wildly off-target.
The floor lurched underfoot as the ship twisted sharply. At the same time, the laser fired.
Would it hit? Everyone stared at the screen. The gravity converter was already active. Nearby skyscrapers warped and crumpled as if struck by a giant hammer. Human buildings were as fragile as paper.
Then the beam reached Earth. They saw several Kryptonians fly out to intercept it, throwing themselves into the laser's path to block it with their bodies. The targeting had been dead-on—but could the laser punch through Kryptonian defenses and destroy the converter?
Everyone held their breath, eyes wide.
Kryptonians and the laser clashed. This was the ship's most powerful weapon—could it overpower five Kryptonians at once?
The result came quickly. The Kryptonians were forced to endure gravity ten times stronger than Earth's as they tried to resist the laser. It was too much. The laser pierced through their defenses, smashing into the converter.
Did it work? A cloud of dust rose, and as the converter toppled slowly to the ground, everyone's hearts soared—they'd done it.
"No, no—!" The Kryptonian elder had given everything. He couldn't accept this failure.
Liu A'dou had no interest in arguing. "I'm going to destroy the engines."
They couldn't let the ship keep flying. They'd already passed the Moon's orbit. Any further and they'd be heading for Mars.
Time to stop.
Kid and the others let out a sigh of relief. Batman said, "The ship's energy core is completely destroyed. We can't return to Earth. The landing craft on board doesn't have the range for a trip this far. I think we're stuck here."
"Relax. I'm sure rescue will come soon," Kid said lightly. "You guys wait here. Someone will pick you up. I'm going back to Earth to help Superman."
Everyone looked at Kid strangely. They wondered if he had Kryptonian blood himself. What normal Earthling could fly around space without a suit?
Kid didn't bother explaining. He simply left. He could have pushed the ship back to Earth, but if he did, it would end up in American hands. Better to leave it drifting in space.
On Earth, Superman and Zod's battle was spreading through multiple cities. With their speed, they could tear from the west coast of the U.S. to the east coast in moments, then launch back into space.
After the converter was destroyed, every remaining Kryptonian converged on Metropolis. Superman was instantly surrounded by eleven Kryptonians, facing a brutal gang beating. This wasn't some polite spar—they were really out to kill him.
People in Metropolis watched in horror. Their Superman was helpless against eleven enemies who shared his power.
"Kal, you're as weak as your father—always messing everything up," General Zod sneered between punches.
Superman's face was swollen, and two streams of blood ran from his nose.
"Because of your foolish decisions, you not only delayed the revival of Krypton, but now we have to personally wipe out humanity ourselves. You and your pathetic costume-wearing friends are all going to die."
Someone had to help Superman. He looked so miserable now. People were praying, hoping someone would appear to save him.
A golden light answered those prayers, falling from the sky like molten, blazing liquid. The light condensed into two human shapes—both women clad in golden armor with white capes and masks.
One was the same Scorpion Lady who had appeared during the invasion of New York. The other wore a different style of gold armor and had never been seen before.
Without a word, the two golden-armored women launched their attack. Ada's Crimson Poison Needle and Elsa's Dawn Goddess's Mercy struck instantly.
The Kryptonians surrounding Superman scattered. The slower ones were hit, some losing control of their limbs, others frozen solid.
Help had arrived—real help. Even the wounded soldiers watching the battle cheered. They'd been crushed badly; their armored vehicles and fighter jets hadn't lasted a second against Kryptonian punches. Now the troops, bandaged and bruised, were watching with hope.
Captain America and Iron Patriot, both in the middle of treatment, also sighed with relief. Cap's arm had been broken, and Iron Patriot had cracked ribs.
Cap recognized Scorpion Lady. He didn't know who she was, but she had stepped in twice when Earth was in danger—she had to be one of the good guys. What amazed him even more was how he couldn't follow their movements. They were keeping up with the Kryptonians, darting back and forth in the sky and taking pressure off Superman.
Each golden-armored fighter could stall two Kryptonians at once, giving Superman fewer attackers to deal with. But this couldn't last forever. General Zod had spent his entire life training in combat tactics since birth. A situation like this couldn't stump him. He ordered two soldiers to split off and attack the golden-armored women, forcing them to fight three-on-one. The remaining soldiers continued beating on Superman, determined to kill him.
Zod unleashed his heat vision, searing Superman with burning beams from multiple angles at once.
Trapped in a cage of five beams, Superman's body temperature shot up. His internal organs went haywire, and he howled in agony: "Ah—!" His eyes rolled back. For the first time, he understood what it felt like to wish for death even without Kryptonite.
Ada and Elsa were struggling too. They'd stepped up bravely, but Kryptonians were monsters. Under sunlight, their power was overwhelming. Even burning their microcosmos to the limit only let them hang on. One-on-one, they could win. But three-on-one? They were barely staying alive.
Thankfully, Liu A'dou rushed back to Earth as fast as he could. On the way, he stopped in Antarctica to change clothes. He was going to show up in Metropolis as the fresh, dashing Phantom Thief.
In the city, buildings had collapsed, and residents stumbled through thick clouds of dust. Layers of gray covered everything like ash after an air raid. Thankfully, the gravity converter had been destroyed just in time. A few towers were crushed and hundreds of cars ruined. There were probably casualties, but within a level that might be considered acceptable. With alien invasions, deaths were almost inevitable. Twice in six months was a crushing burden for Americans. Damages were already in the billions—while not a deathblow to the nation, they were definitely serious wounds.