Clark nodded briefly and stepped inside without another word.
He looked tense—almost frantic.
> "Tea or coffee?"
Alex asked casually as he shut the door.
No matter the reason for the visit, a guest was still a guest.
> "There's no time for that, Homelander," Clark said quickly, shaking his head. "This is urgent."
Alex arched a brow at the man's strained expression, then simply gestured for him to sit.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, his expression shifted—
his gaze landing on something that shouldn't exist.
> "Wait… Clark. You're bleeding?"
In the movie Batman v Superman, there's that famous line—
"Do you bleed?"
To most people, Superman was a god—invincible, untouchable, eternal.
He didn't bleed. He didn't break.
That was the whole point.
And yet here he was—bleeding.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
What kind of monster could actually make Superman bleed?
There was only one plausible answer—
someone had discovered his weakness to Kryptonite.
Still, it was hard to imagine anyone being able to draw blood from Clark through sheer force.
Alex himself might be one of the only beings alive capable of doing that.
> "That's exactly why I'm here," Clark said grimly.
"There's someone… dangerous—someone unlike anything I've ever seen—here in Smallville."
He took a shaky breath.
> "I don't know who he is or what he wants, but whatever his plan is—it's bad.
His name… is Brainiac."
Alex's brows lifted.
That name sounded familiar.
He thought for a moment—then it clicked.
> Brainiac. Right. The AI from Krypton—the cold, calculating superintelligence… a DC villain.
And then everything lined up perfectly.
The robot he'd crushed days ago—
the one that wanted Superman's blood—
that had been Brainiac.
Alex's eyes glinted.
> "Go on," he said evenly. "Tell me everything."
If it had been any other matter, he might not have cared.
But Brainiac?
That was personal.
Clark nodded and began recounting everything that had happened after Alex left—
—but before he could get halfway through his story,
BOOM!
A deafening sonic crack tore through the air.
The door to Alex's apartment exploded inward.
A gust of wind whipped through the room as a figure appeared in the shattered doorway—
so fast, even Alex's enhanced perception barely caught it.
He looked up—
and froze.
> Another Superman?
No. Not quite.
This one was different.
His eyes burned with fury, his expression twisted in contempt.
His very presence radiated hostility.
This was a darker version of Superman.
---
The black Kryptonite had done its job.
It had split Clark into two halves—
one pure and powerless,
and the other—corrupted, merciless, and far stronger than before.
> "So the weakling's here too," the dark Superman sneered, glancing at Clark with open disgust.
"You've got all that power and you waste it hiding behind your mommy and daddy on a farm.
You're an embarrassment."
If killing his original self wouldn't erase his own existence,
he would've snapped Clark's neck right then and there.
> "I won't let you hurt anyone," Clark growled, standing his ground despite having no powers left.
The dark Superman tilted his head and smiled cruelly.
> "A powerless man still pretending to be a hero?"
In the blink of an eye, he vanished—
and reappeared directly in front of Clark.
His hand clamped around Clark's throat and lifted him off the ground with ease.
> "Pathetic."
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled Clark across the room.
CRASH!
Clark hit the wall hard, collapsing limply to the floor.
The impact left a deep dent in the concrete—
and Clark lay still, unconscious.
---
Now the dark Superman turned his gaze toward Alex.
His steps were heavy, deliberate.
> "Homelander," he said, his voice low and filled with venom.
"Every memory I have of you carries one label—humiliation."
> "You beat me before.
You made me feel weak.
But now? I'm not that same man anymore."
His lips curled into a grin.
> "Today, I'm taking all that humiliation back—with interest."
BOOM!
He shot forward, faster than lightning, faster even than Clark had ever moved.
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.
> "So it's true," he muttered under his breath. "Dark mode really does make them stronger."
He raised his hand, his posture calm and unhurried—
then threw a single punch.
BANG!
The blow landed cleanly.
The dark Superman flew backward like a cannonball, crashing straight through the wall and out into the street.
The shockwave shattered windows for a block in every direction.
CRACK—!
The asphalt outside split open beneath the impact, spiderweb cracks racing across the pavement.
---
The dark Superman staggered back to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief.
> "No… that's impossible!"
He glared at Alex, rage boiling in his chest.
He'd been stronger. Faster.
The black Kryptonite had amplified him far beyond his former limits.
And yet—
He'd still been flattened.
> Just how strong is this guy?
Did Homelander hold back before?
Was that what this meant?
Rage flooded his mind.
> "Enough!" he roared, launching himself forward again.
But this time—
Alex didn't even move.
He simply raised a hand.
WHOOM—!
An invisible wave of force rippled through the air.
The dark Superman froze mid-charge, his body locking in place as if bound by invisible chains.
Alex's expression was calm—almost bored.
> "You're loud," he said mildly. "And clumsy."
The telekinetic field around the blackened Superman tightened—
crystalizing the air itself.
And in that moment, the so-called dark god of Earth realized—
he'd picked the wrong man to challenge.
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