"Hmm… it is a bit conspicuous."
Alex quickly noticed a new problem.
This was the Arctic.
Suddenly having a giant mountain pop up out of nowhere was… excessive.
After a brief moment of thought, he slipped the Infinity Gauntlet onto his hand again.
Fwoom!
A pulse of gem-light flashed—
And the mountain vanished.
Alex had teleported it to a remote, uninhabited mountain range somewhere on Earth.
---
Clark Kent's eyebrows shot up violently.
He hadn't personally witnessed how Alex pulled the Kryptonian fragments from space to Earth earlier.
But this time…
He'd seen it with his own eyes.
A mountain—huge, solid, unmistakably there—
And then gone in the blink of an eye.
As if he had hallucinated it.
His gaze drifted to Alex's Infinity Gauntlet with deepening dread.
What… was that thing?
How could anything be so terrifying?
---
Under Clark's unsettled stare, Alex casually removed the gauntlet.
With a flick of his hand—
Shiiing—
The Infinity Gauntlet disappeared.
This disappearance had nothing to do with the Infinity Stones' powers—he wasn't wearing the gauntlet anymore.
Alex simply kept a magical dimensional storage item on him, a bit like a spatial ring.
Perfect for storing something as absurd as the Infinity Gauntlet.
---
"Clark, I'm leaving Smallville."
Alex finally got to the point.
Now that he had collected the Kryptonian fragments, there was no need to remain in Smallville.
"You're leaving? Alex?"
Clark was caught completely off guard.
When Alex had first arrived, Clark wished—like Batman—that Alex would disappear immediately.
But now, after everything…
Clark genuinely didn't want him to go.
Despite their clashing philosophies and rough interactions, Alex had saved Smallville—saved Clark—and Clark had come to truly recognize Alex as a friend.
"I've stayed long enough."
Alex smiled lightly.
"Will you come back?" Clark asked sincerely.
"Maybe. Don't forget—I own a house here," Alex chuckled.
"See you."
BOOM!
With that, Alex vanished in a sonic boom.
---
According to plan, he first stopped by Star City with a few Krypton fragments to finalize his "cooperation" with Oliver Queen.
Then, without lingering, he departed for Central City.
The next phase of his plan had begun.
---
Central City — S.T.A.R. Labs
Barry Allen sat with Team Flash:
—Cisco Ramon
—Caitlin Snow
—and Earth-2 Harrison Wells.
All four were gathered around a large screen.
On the screen—a dossier.
Alex.
Codename: Homelander.
Cisco narrated:
"Codename Homelander. First appeared in Gotham a year and a half ago. Supposedly reduced the entire city's crime rate to zero. Media called him the 'White Knight of Gotham.'
Then he suddenly moved to Smallville, where he killed several alien invaders."
Cisco glanced at Barry with wide eyes.
"Barry… in a way, this guy's kinda like you."
Barry shook his head instantly.
"No. He's not like me."
The dossier made it very clear: Alex didn't just fight criminals.
He killed.
And in Gotham's early clean-up days?
He killed hundreds in just a few days.
That wasn't a vigilante.
That was a super-powered executioner.
"That's why I said in a way," Cisco muttered.
Caitlin frowned. "The report says he is a speedster. But Barr… is he really that fast?"
Barry's jaw tightened.
"I don't want to admit it. But yes. I think he may even be faster than Zoom."
The entire team froze.
Faster…
than Zoom?
The tyrant who ruled multiple universes?
The nightmare of every speedster?
Was that even possible?
---
Harrison Wells leaned forward, expression sharp.
"Whether he's faster or not doesn't matter.
What matters is this—Alex's target is also Zoom."
Barry stiffened.
"No. I'm not teaming up with a killer."
Wells' eyes narrowed.
"Barry. Should I remind you—you've teamed up with criminals before?"
Cisco coughed. "Uh… yeah, remember? Captain Cold?"
Barry's mouth worked silently.
"That was a special situation, okay?"
Wells cut him off.
"This is even more special.
If we fail to stop Zoom, this entire universe will fall under his rule.
Barry—do you want that to happen?"
Barry had no answer.
Wells slammed his fist on the table.
"My daughter is still in Zoom's hands. I will do anything to save her.
If there is even one chance—we use it."
Barry lowered his head.
Before he could respond—
---
BOOOOOM!
A sonic boom tore through the air.
A clear, confident voice echoed across the room:
"If you work with me, I guarantee your daughter comes home."
A young man materialized in front of them.
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