[Third Person's PoV]
"I don't want to hurt you," Zastin said with calm certainty, his voice firm yet respectful. "So I ask that you please move out of the way. Do not force my hand."
A green spiritual aura erupted from Momo's body, dancing around her like ethereal flames. The air shimmered around her as she stepped forward into a defensive stance. Her tone was polite but resolute. "Although I appreciate the courtesy, I'm afraid I'll have to decline your request."
Zastin exhaled through his nose in resignation. "Suit yourself, young Earthling."
"Zastin, no!" Lala shouted in alarm, her voice carrying the weight of desperation.
But Zastin ignored her plea, his figure suddenly blurring into motion and disappearing into a blur of after-images.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Momo, already mid-strike with a powerful side kick aimed directly at her.
Momo's eyes widened, her instincts taking over as she threw her arms out and constructed a shimmering, diamond-shaped fantasy shield of solid light. It formed just in time to meet his strike.
But the shield lasted less than a second.
With a sharp crack, the construct shattered like brittle glass, and Zastin's foot landed squarely against her torso. The impact was explosive. Momo's body was launched like a missile, hurtling through the air and crashing down across the other side of a river slope. The ground beneath her cracked violently from the force of her landing, dust and debris flying into the air.
"Momo!!" Lala screamed, racing forward, terror etched across her face.
Zastin straightened his posture, brushing off his uniform. "My apologies for the roughness, Miss Lala. But His Majesty's orders are absolute. I have no room for mercy."
Lala's hands balled into fists as her teeth clenched. Her eyes burned with fury. "I won't forgive you for this…"
Before she could take another breath, Momo reappeared beside Zastin with a fierce cry, her fist already rocketing toward him.
Zastin moved with effortless precision. He extended a hand to the side, intercepting her punch mid-swing. The impact between her knuckles and his palm generated a concussive shockwave, blowing out dust and forcing Lala to shield her eyes and stagger back.
Without hesitation, Zastin twisted Momo's arm and flipped her over his shoulder, slamming her into the concrete ground with brutal force. The earth caved in beneath her on impact, and she bounced slightly.
Zastin raised a foot to deliver another blow while she was airborne, but Momo twisted her body just in time, placing a hand on his leg and using his momentum to flip upward. Her heel smashed into the side of his face with a sharp crack, sending him staggering back two steps.
She spun midair and landed on one knee, clutching her side, her breathing heavy and uneven.
"Momo, are you okay?" Lala called out, rushing to her side with visible worry etched on her face.
"I'm… fine," Momo coughed, her voice strained. "Just… how strong is he? I hit him with everything I had and barely got him to budge…"
Zastin rubbed his nose and examined it with a faint look of surprise. "A commendable achievement, for someone of your level," he admitted. He then gripped the hilt at his waist, his demeanor sharpening. "But this is where I draw the line."
He shifted into a sword-drawing stance. The air around him grew tense, almost suffocating.
But before he could draw, the atmosphere shifted.
A shadow stretched over them, darkening the area despite the fading golden light of the setting sun.
A powerful voice echoed from above. "If I were you… I'd choose my next move very carefully."
A chill ran down Zastin's spine.
He snapped his head upward and saw a lone figure suspended in the sky, bathed in the orange glow of the sun. The man's red cape flapped behind him like a banner of war. His glowing eyes reflected the hue of dusk, and his presence exuded unmistakable power and authority.
"...So, it's you," Zastin muttered, his hand tightening around the hilt. "You're the one my men warned me about."
Before he could blink, a red-and-white streak shot past him, wind exploding outward as the figure vanished from his sight.
'Fast!'
He spun around to find Superman now standing between him and the two girls, arms outstretched protectively.
"You two alright?" Clark asked, helping them off of the ground.
"We're okay," Momo responded with a shaky breath. "Just… a little winded. But don't worry—I got a hit in."
Clark nodded and looked back toward Zastin, his expression calm yet unyielding.
Zastin narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to obstruct my mission as well?"
Clark didn't answer him immediately. Instead, he turned his head slightly, still shielding Lala and Momo behind him. "Lala," he said gently, "this is your decision. I'm only going to ask this once. From this moment forward, I'll take full responsibility for your protection. But I need to hear it from you. Do you want to go back?"
Lala looked down, her heart thudding in her chest. The weight of his question struck her more deeply than she expected. Her eyes slowly welled with tears, her voice barely above a whisper. "No… I don't want to go back."
Clark nodded. "Very well."
He turned back toward Zastin with resolve hardening in his eyes. "You heard her. Her will has been made clear. She does not wish to return to your king. So long as her desire remains unchanged… I will stand in your way."
Lala stared at his broad and firm back and shoulders, her throat tightening. Her heart pounded wildly, her emotions surging. Her cheeks flushed pink as her eyes shimmered with tears of gratitude.
Zastin's expression hardened. "As noble as that may sound… His Majesty has decreed her return." He unsheathed his sword—not a metal blade, but a hilt from which a glowing blue blade of energy ignited, humming with power. "As a knight of the royal family, I have no choice. I must complete my mission."
Clark's cape billowed behind him, his eyes still locked onto Zastin with unwavering confidence. "Then come," he said quietly. "Let's see how far your loyalty can carry you."
A smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Then, in the blink of an eye, both he and Zastin vanished from their positions. The air rippled violently in their wake as their blurred figures rocketed toward each other and collided mid-air with a thunderous crack.
Clark caught Zastin's sword arm with his bare wrist. A sonic boom burst outward from the point of contact, sending a concussive shockwave through the surrounding area. Zastin's energy sword, still active, released a volatile slash of glowing force that carved down the river slope, tearing through the earth and slamming into the water. A wall of water exploded upward.
The ground where they had clashed was left marred—scorched and scarred in the exact shape of Zastin's strike.
The duel intensified.
Zastin's sword blurred as he launched a flurry of rapid slashes, each one lethal and precise. Clark ducked, weaved, and leaned with inhuman fluidity, his red cape snapping like a banner in a storm. Their forms blurred together, creating fleeting after-images that flickered like ghosts.
Then Clark struck.
In less than a second, he unleashed three punches—one jab to Zastin's ribs, another to the torso, and a final uppercut straight to the jaw. Each impact echoed like thunderclaps.
Zastin was launched into the air.
Clark crouched low and blasted off the ground after him, the impact of his launch fracturing the earth below. His cape streamed behind him like a comet tail, catching up with him a heartbeat later.
Meanwhile, Momo turned to Lala with urgency in her voice. "Come on! I don't want to miss this—save the love-struck heart-eyes for later!"
"I-I-I'm NOT love-struck!" Lala stammered, her entire face flushed a deep crimson.
"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that," Momo teased with a wink. Her spiritual aura flared once more, surrounding her like a green inferno. She lifted off the ground, her feet no longer touching the earth, and shot into the sky.
"Peke!" Lala called out, and her outfit shimmered with a radiant glow. Her clothes reformed instantly into her winged combat suit. Bat-like wings unfurled behind her, flapping once before she took off, wind rushing past her as she soared after the others, gripping her hat tightly.
Back in the sky, Clark caught up to Zastin and delivered a devastating blow to his torso. The impact cracked the reinforced armor across his chest, spiderwebbing outwards. Zastin's eyes widened as he was hurled backwards across the skyline, propelled by the raw force of the hit. He clenched his teeth, feeling the vibration of the strike reverberate through every bone in his body.
He twisted mid-air, managing to land atop a tall skyscraper, skidding across the rooftop tiles. But before he could so much as raise his sword—
BOOM!
Clark slammed into him from the from like a missile, his punch catching Zastin across the face and sending him airborne again.
The two streaked through the sky like colliding meteors. They blazed across the cityscape, their momentum so intense that windows shattered and alarms rang out far below.
Then, over open ocean, Clark surged ahead. His eyes lit up with burning red energy as he unleashed a massive beam of heat vision. The beam struck Zastin full force, carrying him across the sea like a ragdoll. The ocean parted violently in his path, waves surging outward.
Zastin hurtled toward a distant island.
He hit the shoreline at supersonic speed, carving a trench into the earth as his body was dragged across the terrain. The path behind him smoked and sizzled, glowing orange from the heat of Clark's blast.
Skidding to a stop, Zastin flipped out of the way and upright, using his embedded sword like a brake. He panted heavily, steam rising from his armor. He brought a thumb to his lip and wiped away a thin trail of blood.
That was all he had sustained. A single bloody lip.
Despite being tossed like a ragdoll across miles of sky, ocean, and land, he still stood strong.
Above, the clouds trembled.
Clark descended like a thunderbolt. He struck the island with such force that the ground split, and surrounding trees were flattened like matchsticks. A ripple tore through the island as he stood, rising slowly from the small crater he'd created. Heat vision still glowing faintly in his eyes, he cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck.
"Alright," Clark said, his voice calm but laced with anticipation. "Now I can go all out… No more worrying about collateral damage or casualties."
Zastin gave a sharp breath, lowering his center of gravity. He raised his glowing energy sword beside his face and took a stance, his purple cape fluttering in the wind.
"That's funny," he replied with a smirk. "I was thinking the exact same thing."
Meanwhile Lala and Momo were both flying above the water not wanting to miss their exchange for even a second.
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