> "Anything, Homelander?"
Inside Alex's home, Clark Kent's anxious voice broke the silence.
He watched Alex intently, eyes filled with hope.
Alex shook his head slowly.
He had expanded his super-hearing to cover the entire planet—
and still, he'd heard nothing.
Not a whisper. Not a heartbeat out of place.
But then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three sharp sonic booms rippled across the sky,
and Alex's expression instantly hardened.
He turned his gaze upward—
his enhanced sight piercing through walls and clouds in a single glance.
Three figures were cutting through the air at impossible speed,
descending straight toward Smallville.
> What the hell…?
He didn't recognize them.
But considering the context—and the fact that they were flying unaided—
there was only one real possibility.
Kryptonians.
And if their heading was Smallville…
there was only one reason they'd come.
Brainiac's "guests" had arrived.
> So those three must be the prisoners he released from the Phantom Zone.
Still, something didn't add up.
If they'd escaped earlier, why hadn't he heard anything until now?
The answer, of course, was simple.
When Brainiac had activated the Fortress to free them,
he had sealed the entire structure in a containment field—
no sound, no energy signature escaping.
Even Alex's global hearing couldn't breach that silence.
---
Beside him, Clark suddenly stiffened.
He'd sensed it too—their approach like thunder in the distance.
> "Homelander," he said grimly, "could those be…?"
> "I'm afraid so," Alex replied with a slow nod.
Clark's face paled.
If those really were Kryptonian prisoners,
then things were about to get very bad.
Even at a glance, the energy radiating from those figures was overwhelming—
each one stronger, faster, and more battle-hardened than him.
Worse yet…
Clark couldn't even fly.
---
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky split open as the three Kryptonians streaked downward like falling stars,
slamming into the outskirts of Smallville with earth-shaking impact.
CRASH!
The ground trembled.
Three massive craters carved into the soil.
As the dust settled, a woman's sharp, disdainful voice echoed out.
> "So this is where Kal-El hides?"
"Jor-El sent his son to rot in a backwater like this?"
Her tone dripped with scorn.
This was Ursa, Zod's wife—cold, imperious, and lethal.
> "Ursa," growled one of the men beside her—Adara, one of Zod's loyal captains.
"Let's settle the score with Jor-El's whelp.
What his father did to us, we'll repay—tenfold!"
> "You'll have your revenge," Ursa said, her voice like a blade of ice.
"But don't forget why we're here."
Her gaze cut toward him sharply.
> "We're not here for petty vengeance.
We're here to conquer this planet."
Adara immediately lowered his head.
> "Of course, Lady Ursa."
Then she smiled faintly.
> "But before that… collecting a few debts wouldn't hurt."
---
The commotion had drawn a crowd.
Smallville's residents gathered at a distance, murmuring in confusion.
> "Who are they?"
"They came out of the sky!"
"What's with those outfits?"
Ursa's lips curled in contempt.
Her eyes flared—two blazing beams of heat vision slicing across the street.
CRACK! BOOM!
Cars exploded in flame.
Walls collapsed.
Screams filled the air.
Panic spread like wildfire as people ran for their lives.
The three Kryptonians stood untouched,
each clad in a sleek, black armor—
a gift from Brainiac that kept their strength at full Kryptonian levels
despite Earth's yellow sun.
> "Kal-El!" Ursa's voice thundered through the chaos.
"Come out and face us!"
BOOM!
The sound barrier shattered.
A figure blurred through the smoke and flame—
and in an instant, Clark Kent stood before them.
> "Enough!" he shouted.
"You're looking for me—then here I am!"
Ursa's gaze raked over him, unimpressed.
> "So you're Jor-El's son… Kal-El," she said, shaking her head.
"I must admit, I expected more."
> "Why are you here?" Clark demanded.
"What do you want?"
Ursa chuckled.
> "Want? Conquest, of course.
It's in our nature, child.
You question it because you're Jor-El's offspring—his sentimentality runs deep."
Her tone turned commanding.
> "But I'll give you one chance, Kal-El.
Swear loyalty to me—to the House of Zod.
Join us, and help us claim this world."
> "Do that, and I'll even forgive your father's sins."
Clark's jaw tightened.
> "This is my home," he said coldly.
"And I won't let you destroy it."
Ursa sighed softly.
> "Foolish."
She turned her head.
> "Adara."
In a blur of motion, Adara launched forward—
a streak of silver and red crashing into Clark's chest.
BOOM!
Clark's body was flung backward like a ragdoll,
smashing through a row of fences and rolling to a stop in the dirt.
The battle exploded instantly—
a thunderous clash of fists, shockwaves flattening everything nearby.
But Clark was hopelessly outmatched.
Adara was trained for war, a soldier forged in Krypton's fiercest battles.
Clark, still inexperienced and grounded,
could barely keep up for seconds at a time.
Moments later, he was driven into the ground—
bloodied, gasping, barely conscious.
Ursa walked closer, eyes filled with disdain.
> "This is Jor-El's son?" she sneered.
"Pathetic."
Her lips twisted into a cruel smirk.
> "But where's the other one?"
She turned to her second lieutenant.
> "Noa."
Her voice dropped to a lethal calm.
> "Find me the other Kryptonian."
> "Find… Homelander.
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