Clark held Leifthel's corpse, his body stiff.
He had spent his entire life following the teachings of his adoptive parents, never taking a life, not even that of the most heinous enemy.
Yet, this new family member of his had just performed a quick kill right in front of him.
And then asked him if he had learned anything.
"You... you killed her!"
Kara flew over, pointing at Ter-Ror, trembling with rage.
Ter-Ror looked at her with a bewildered expression.
"Yes."
"Otherwise? Should I keep her for New Year's?"
"She wanted to kill me, so I killed her. Is there a problem?"
His self-righteous demeanor left Kara speechless for a long time.
Clark gently placed Leifthel's body on the ground. He stood up, positioning himself between Kara and Ter-Ror.
"Tel, this isn't how you solve problems."
His tone was heavy, suppressing his anger.
"This is Earth, not some savage jungle."
"We must abide by the rules here."
"Rules?"
Ter-Ror glanced at Clark, looking impatient.
"Those are for the weak."
He really didn't understand. In another world, he didn't kill many people either, but any enemy would be killed by him.
"You are stronger than I am."
"You are stronger than she is."
"Why are you so hesitant when you fight? This isn't allowed, that isn't allowed."
"So boring."
Clark listened to this outrageous statement, feeling his temples throb.
He couldn't let Ter-Ror stay in the city any longer.
"Come with me."
Clark changed his strategy, his tone becoming non-negotiable.
"There's a place I think you need to see."
"Oh?"
Ter-Ror raised an eyebrow, a little interested.
"A place for fighting?"
"...It's a place for learning."
After Clark finished speaking, he didn't give him a chance to object, grabbing his shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing! I can fly myself!"
Before Ter-Ror could resist, he was held by Clark with a strength he couldn't break free from.
The next second, two figures shot into the sky, instantly disappearing into the northern horizon.
Only Kara remained, staring blankly at the ravaged street.
"What is all this..."
The North Pole, The Fortress of Solitude.
A magnificent structure made entirely of clear, transparent crystals, sparkling with beautiful light under the aurora.
This was Clark Kent's personal sanctuary, the last legacy of Kryptonian civilization on Earth.
And it was also the place he believed was most suitable for family re-education.
"Whoosh—"
Clark, gripping Ter-Ror's shoulder, descended from the sky, landing steadily on the ice plain in front of the fortress.
Ter-Ror pulled his hand away, patting his shoulder with a look of disgust.
He looked around, an endless expanse of white.
A biting cold wind that could crack bones.
"This place is good."
He commented.
"Very quiet."
"No one to disturb, suitable for cultivation."
A glimmer of hope ignited in Clark's heart.
Perhaps he could understand the solemnity and reverence of this place.
He led Ter-Ror into the interior of the fortress.
As he approached, the massive crystal door silently slid open, and the internal lights illuminated floor by floor, lighting up the hall carved from diamonds.
"This, is a testament to our family's history."
Clark's voice carried a sense of pride and awe.
He raised his hand.
The fortress's main console was activated.
A holographic image of a man in Kryptonian robes with a majestic face appeared in the center of the hall.
That was Jor-El, his biological father.
"Tel, look."
"This is our home, Krypton."
The holographic image began to change, displaying a once glorious red planet with an unimaginable level of technological civilization.
Aircraft shuttled between crystal towers.
Various strange creatures roamed alien jungles.
Clark hoped to use this method to awaken Ter-Ror's memory and sense of belonging to his homeland within his bloodline.
But Ter-Ror's reaction was a yawn.
He didn't even look at those flashy images.
His attention was drawn to an item displayed on the wall.
It was a set of black Kryptonian battle armor, with lines full of power.
He walked over, his fingers tracing the cold metal surface of the armor.
"Can this be worn?" he asked.
Clark was stunned for a moment, and the image playback also stopped.
"Theoretically, yes, but..."
"But it's useless." Ter-Ror concluded for him, "It's too clumsy, it hinders movement."
He withdrew his hand and continued to wander around the fortress, like a naughty child visiting a museum but completely uninterested in all the exhibits.
Everything here, whether it was the memory crystals recording Krypton's ten thousand-year history or the equipment representing cutting-edge technology, was no different from junk in his eyes.
Clark shook his head helplessly, deciding to try a different approach.
"Tel, our power is not innate; it comes from Earth's yellow sun."
Clark tried to teach him starting from the most basic common sense.
"But this power is also a responsibility."
He stood in front of a large Kryptonian alloy plate.
"We must learn to control it and use it in the right place."
As his words fell.
Two crimson beams of light shot from Clark's eyes.
Precision control down to the millimeter.
Heat Vision moved across the alloy plate, the scorching energy perfectly confined within a very small range.
A few seconds later, he retracted his gaze.
On the alloy plate, a clear, perfect House of El crest appeared—the S-shaped symbol representing hope.
He looked at his masterpiece, then at Ter-Ror, hoping the other party would understand his intentions.
Ter-Ror tilted his head and looked at the symbol, then walked to another alloy plate of the same material.
"All this flashy stuff."
He commented, frowning.
Clark frowned.
Ter-Ror raised his right hand, palm open.
"Buzz—"
A pure white energy ball began to appear in his palm, spinning rapidly.
Clark's pupils contracted.
This energy... was exactly the same as what he had felt before!
Violent, full of destructiveness!
This was definitely not a Kryptonian ability!
"Watch closely."
Ter-Ror's tone was calm, as if he were performing a simple demonstration.
"This is how power is used."
He pushed his palm forward.
That rapidly spinning white energy ball shot out of his hand!
Instantly hitting the heavy Kryptonian alloy plate.
"Puff!"
A soft sound.
The alloy, which was strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a cruise missile, was effortlessly pierced by the energy ball.
A perfectly smooth, bowl-sized circular hole appeared in the very center of the alloy plate.
Along the edge of the hole, wisps of white smoke still lingered, emanating an aura of annihilation.
Clark froze in place.
He looked at the hole, then at the family crest he had painstakingly drawn with Heat Vision.
The so-called family meeting had completely turned into a one-sided power demonstration.
And he was the one who was shown up.
"I need to teach you how to integrate into human society."
Clark forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, making a final effort.
"You need to learn to control your power, learn to..."
"No need."
Ter-Ror interrupted him directly.
"Only the weak need to integrate into a group; the strong only need others to adapt to them."
He looked at Clark's face, full of humanity and struggle, his eyes filled with the incomprehension of someone looking at a fool.
"Your so-called control is just putting shackles on your own power."
"On the path to becoming stronger, those superfluous emotions are not needed."
After speaking.
Ter-Ror slowly closed his eyes.
The white aura around him shimmered faintly again.
His perception, centered on him, swept across the entire Earth.
The hustle and bustle of New York.
The chirping of insects in the Amazon rainforest.
The dead silence beneath the deep sea.
The wickedness of Gotham City.
Innumerable streams of information flooded into his mind, only to be carelessly filtered out by him.
He was searching.
Searching for sufficiently powerful energy sources.
Suddenly, his perception stopped at a certain point.
It was a sea area shrouded in mist, not existing on any map.
In the center of that sea area, there was an island.
On the island, there was a power.
An ancient and sacred, powerful energy.
The intensity of that energy far exceeded that of the one who played with electricity, and was even more solid than Kal-El in front of him!
Ter-Ror's eyes snapped open!
A blazing fighting spirit ignited in his calm blue eyes!
A wild smile uncontrollably appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Found it..."
He murmured to himself.
"Found my next opponent."
When Clark saw his expression, his heart sank, and an extremely ominous premonition surged within him.
"Tel, what do you want to do?"
Ter-Ror ignored him completely.
He had already locked onto that direction.
"Boom—!!!"
A pure white aura erupted with a roar!
He transformed into a white meteor, not using the door at all, and shot straight up into the sky!
Clark shouted anxiously: "Wait! Tel! Listen to me!"
"Boom!!!"
A loud bang.
The dome of The Fortress of Solitude, made of indestructible Kryptonian crystal, was forcefully smashed through, leaving a huge hole!
Countless crystal fragments clattered down.
A biting cold wind poured in through the hole, ruffling the small curl of hair on Clark's forehead.
He stood dazed in his shattered sanctuary, his ears echoing only the words Ter-Ror left before disappearing into the sky.
"On that island..."
"There's a very strong woman."