But his tender hands could only grasp at empty air, as he watched his younger brother fall from the withered tree down the cliff.
"Ah!"
Eric roared like a wounded beast, frantically hitting the withered tree beneath him.
Then came uncontrollable weeping.
Heart-wrenching sobs were mixed with animal-like whimpers.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why are you treating us like this! Damn it! Damn it! Open your eyes and look, are your eyes blind?"
He cried and roared at the same time.
Accompanied by the wailing night wind in the mountains, Eric's voice was like blood and tears.
Clark, witnessing all of this, was now in tears.
Is this Eric's dream?
In Eric's dream, he and his younger brother, Xiao An, were thrown off a cliff, and Xiao An chose Death so as not to implicate him.
He slowly opened his hands, looked at them, and his eyes were filled with guilt and regret.
Power?!
It wasn't a burden, not a test imposed by the heavens, not a trial that required him to bear countless pressures and setbacks, a trial he considered torture.
Instead, it was a gift that could make this world a better place.
If Superman's power was given to those who needed it, then… it would no longer be a curse, but a belief.
Not only his own belief, but also the belief of others.
And his former self, how selfish and childish he was.
Clinging to what power would bring him, what it would make him lose, calculating simple gains and losses, a self so wavering and uncertain in his path, it was only right that he would be stripped of his power and trampled underfoot.
Clark didn't know when this scene from Eric's past occurred, but he believed that such a thing must have happened at some point in his life.
So much so that it was etched into his bones, causing uncontrollable pain even when recalled.
Even within the consciousness space, he could feel it.
Saving a cat that wouldn't come down from a tree, flying with an unhappy child in the sky—if this is what you define as Superman, then…
Clark glanced at Xiao An, who had fallen down the cliff, "I also wish to become that kind of Superman."
Suddenly!
Clark opened his eyes, a reddish glint flashing within them.
His consciousness returned, and he awoke from his stupor.
Although the pain throughout his body still lingered, his internal power had recovered.
He was still holding the Star Scepter that Eric had originally given him.
Is it the Star Scepter?
Clark's heart suddenly felt a sense of clarity.
Eric had once told him that the Star Scepter was the Cosmic Scepter, possessing cosmic-level power, a conduit to the spiritual world, and the power of creation itself.
The reason he was able to see a scene from Eric's spiritual world while unconscious must have been due to the Star Scepter's connection.
With numerous thoughts flashing through his mind, he watched Brainiac approach him, gritting his teeth as he instantly rose from the ground.
Activating his super speed, he shot forward like lightning, arriving in front of Brainiac.
His fist, clenched in his hand, was thrown out fiercely, aimed at the opponent's cheek, and struck with a powerful blow.
Bang!
The air exploded with a roar, and Brainiac, unable to dodge, was propelled rapidly backward along the ground.
After crashing into a wall, he shattered it completely.
Then, with undiminished momentum, he slammed into the ground, plowing a deep gully along its surface.
"Whoosh!"
Clark exhaled, a hint of sadness in his eyes, and closed them.
He spread his arms, and his feet slowly began to rise upward.
Small pebbles and dust from the ground rose with his body, as if attracted by a magnet, suspended in mid-air.
At the same time, a wind picked up, and a small hurricane howled around his body.
The dust lifted by the wind slowly ascended into the sky with him, continuously swirling with the rising hurricane.
He opened his eyes, imagining the flying experience Eric had taught him.
Again and again, he had pushed himself off the windmill; the fear of height and Death had been overcome.
He imagined Xiao An falling from the withered tree.
At the very last moment of his life, what he yearned for and hoped for was to be able to fly.
Clark even thought of the scene where Eric pushed him off the windmill.
At that time…
What was Eric thinking in his heart?
Was he also hoping that his falling brother would suddenly learn to fly?!
His arms dropped, and Clark clenched his right fist.
Boom!
His entire being immediately soared into the sky.
Flying for the first time while conscious, this feeling was something he had never experienced before.
Bang!
After flying into the air, he made a turn and accelerated, quickly descending in front of Brainiac.
Brainiac, who had just stood up, looked at Clark, who had already mastered the power of flight, and an expression of extreme surprise appeared on his face.
"You learned to fly?"
"Yes, one of my teachers taught me to fly, just now!"
Clark directly showed his fist and punched Brainiac in the face.
Bang!
After awakening, Clark's strength and speed were even greater than before.
He moved in front of Brainiac at an invisible speed, and the air roared.
Brainiac immediately dodged, and at the same time, countless tentacles emerged from his body, rushing towards Clark.
Clark's fist was blocked by the black tentacles.
A strong whirlwind formed at the point of collision between the two, sweeping everything away.
Clark punched through the black tentacles, immediately moved in front of Brainiac, and struck him in the chest.
Boom!
The sound of an air explosion rang out, and Brainiac was directly sent flying into the sky.
Clark immediately activated his flying ability, instantly moved in front of him, and unleashed another punch.
The opponent's body immediately flew upward uncontrollably.
Clark, holding his right fist, flew directly to where the opponent appeared and threw a third punch.
This set of "Farmer's Three Punches" he learned from Eric, and now he was using it on Brainiac.
Brainiac was hit in the chest by Clark, and a mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth.
Then his body flew uncontrollably towards the dormitory building.
Boom!
The dormitory building was instantly pierced through!
Brainiac's body was continuously propelled forward along the dormitory corridor.
Dust scattered everywhere, and shattered building stones crashed down with a clatter.
Fortunately, this dormitory building had many unused rooms, and not many students were inside, otherwise, it would have caused many casualties.
Clark, suspended in the air, looked at the hole in the dormitory building and used his super vision to track the enemy's trajectory.
The next second!
Bang!
Brainiac rushed up directly from the opposite direction of the dormitory building.
He instantly sent Clark flying.
Clark, who was continuously moving backward in the air, was about to adjust his posture when Brainiac had already rushed over.
The tentacles transformed into flying binding tools, instantly tying him up.
The two rushed into the sky together!
"Ooh…!"
Clark let out a painful groan and immediately activated his Heat Vision, aiming it at Brainiac in front of him.
But Brainiac's eyes also emitted Heat Vision, directed at Clark.
The two, in a state of high-speed flight, engaged in a head-on clash of Heat Vision at close range.
"Ah!!!"
Clark roared, his eyes emitting a reddish Heat Vision carrying powerful energy, colliding and impacting in the air.
Red sparks flew everywhere, creating a stunning visual effect.
The two shot at each other while flying into space.
A functioning satellite appeared not far in front of them.
Clark immediately broke free from the opponent's tentacle control, tearing at the black tentacles that had already adhered to his body, and flew towards the satellite.
Bang!
His body slammed hard into the satellite due to inertia, immediately deforming the surface parts and the covering iron sheets.
With his back against the satellite, Clark gritted his teeth, wrapped his arms around the satellite, and fiercely swung it at the oncoming Brainiac.
Boom!
A collision of smoke and fire appeared in space!
Brainiac fell fiercely downward.
Whoosh!
After sending the opponent flying with one blow, Clark immediately activated his super speed and followed the falling Brainiac.
Boom!
Brainiac's body slammed hard into the Earth, forming a huge deep crater.
With a thud, Clark's feet landed on the ground. Looking at Brainiac lying motionless at the bottom of the pit in the deserted area, a look of resentment appeared in his eyes.
He walked step by step down the pit towards the opponent.
At the same time, the Star Scepter also flew into Clark's hand.
Holding the Star Scepter, Clark pointed the tip of the Staff at Brainiac's throat.
...
Gotham.
After being sent to Wayne Manor by Selina, Bruce immediately went to the secret underground base.
"Master Wayne, you need treatment, and urgent medical assistance!"
Alfred looked at Bruce, who had woken up and was coughing violently as he got out of bed, and said, "Your physical condition is very bad right now, and I… I'm not sure how much worse you'll get."
Without answering his butler's question, Bruce got up, turned his back to him, and said in a low voice, "I need as many blood samples as possible. Hospitals, blood banks, donor databases—find everything you can, Alfred!"
"Is something wrong, Master Wayne?"
Alfred asked with a worried expression.
"I just need these materials, go as quickly as possible."
Batman clutched his chest, speaking indistinctly.
"I will go, but I think before that, Master Wayne, you should go to the hospital immediately. I will notify Fox."
Alfred said, preparing to make a call.
"No! No! Alfred, I can't go to the hospital right now. I have more important things to do, and I don't have much time left."
Bruce said as he turned around, stopping his butler's action.
Looking at Bruce, who was facing him, Alfred saw a hint of blood red in his eyes.
"Master Wayne, you…"
Alfred took a step back in fear.
"Yes, when Zatanna stabbed me, her blood infected me."
Batman did not hide it, saying in a heavy tone, "I have now been infected and turned into a vampire."
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