Chapter 439: H'el: Hell
The Time Travel Proposal
H'el's words about going back to Krypton fifty years ago truly stunned both of them.
Time travel!
How was that even possible?
Linda (Kara) hesitated. "I understand how you feel. The destruction of Krypton greatly affected us, but..."
H'el raised his hand, cutting her off. He flew over to the mysterious structure covered in optical symbols.
"Kara, Kal, I never lie. I found this Time Travel Device in an abandoned Eternal Civilization when I was exploring the universe. It possesses the power to cross time and can take us back fifty years."
"However, I need your help."
"The device requires enormous energy to restart. The only thing that can provide such massive energy is a star. I need the power core of the Fortress of Solitude to act as a converter, continuously turning the star's light and heat into the energy the device requires. Furthermore, I need you—the descendants of the House of El. Without you, even if I return fifty years ago, I can do nothing."
H'el clutched his forehead, looking genuinely tormented.
"My ideas were too extreme and were banned by the Kryptonian Council. Only the House of El accepted me. Kara, Kal, though we aren't related by blood, I've always viewed you as family. I want you to come back with me, tell your parents the truth, and together we will stop the Kryptonian catastrophe."
"Krypton is our home, the place where we were born. It shouldn't suffer such a fate."
"The only chance is right in front of us..." H'el placed his left hand over his chest and bowed deeply. "I beg you, agree to help me save Krypton."
"..."
Linda opened her mouth, wanting to nod. She dreamed of going back to see her former home, but the thought of her friends on Earth made her immediately hesitate.
Clark didn't have as many complex feelings. Krypton's place in his heart was nowhere near as important as his mother and Lois. He would not abandon his family to save Krypton.
Their reactions profoundly disappointed H'el. He had come with infinite hope, only to be met with silence.
"Perhaps I was too hasty," he said with a self-mocking smile. He left them with one final statement before vanishing.
"Think about it. Give me your answer tomorrow."
Linda and Clark exchanged a look and returned to Metropolis with complicated feelings. That evening, the usually distant cousins surprisingly gathered for dinner.
Delicious lamb chops were set before them, but neither had an appetite. One stared blankly at their plate, the other wide-eyed and staring into space.
"Will you agree?"
"No. What about you?"
Linda lowered her head, remaining silent. She desperately wanted to return and see her parents, but she couldn't bear to leave her friends here. Leaving meant a permanent separation—they would never see each other again.
Sensing her anxiety, Clark whispered,
"This is too big. You need to think it through carefully. Even if you decide to leave, you need to consider how your family and friends will feel."
The dinner ended abruptly. Heavy-hearted, Linda returned to her newly purchased villa. She tossed and turned in bed before suddenly picking up her phone and dialing Luke Shaw's number.
"Where are you?"
Luke Shaw, who had just finished exercising, panted into the phone. "On the sea. Vacation."
"Can you come back for a bit?"
"Is it urgent?"
Linda thought for a moment and replied, "Not very urgent."
"Then let's talk another day."
He hung up.
Furious, Linda threw her phone onto the floor. That bastard Luke, hanging up on me!
What should I do?
The girl clutched her hair, nearly going mad.
The Confrontation
A day passed in the blink of an eye. The following evening, the three reappeared before the mysterious structure. H'el asked impatiently,
"What have you decided? Do you agree?"
"I'm sorry," Clark said with an apologetic tone but an extremely serious expression. "If you need it, I can lend you the power core of the Fortress of Solitude, but I cannot return. I must stay on Earth."
The smile on H'el's face instantly froze. He turned his blank stare to Linda.
"Kara, what about you?"
"I... I..."
Linda bowed her head deeply. "I'm sorry, I can't agree."
Crack!
H'el felt something inside him shatter. Disappointment spread through his heart, gradually transforming into boundless fury. He threw his arms wide, hovering in mid-air. White light waves circulated around him, forming a terrifying energy storm.
Linda and Clark involuntarily took a step back.
"H'el, what are you doing?"
"Why are you betraying Krypton? Why are you betraying the House of El?"
His roar, like thunder, exploded in their minds. The two turned pale, feeling a dizzying sensation, as if hit by a sudden concussion.
H'el reached out and grabbed their necks, plummeting from outer space toward the Earth's surface.
A flash of fire descended from the sky. With a roar, a massive explosion shook a farm in a small town north of Metropolis. The ground trembled, and a crater dozens of meters wide appeared. As the flying dust was dispersed by an energy tide, the three figures became clear.
"H'el, stop! I don't want to fight you!"
H'el, enveloped by the energy storm, exuded a terrifying, suffocating killing intent. At this moment, he looked like a demon clawed his way out of a mountain of corpses.
"Kara, Kal, I ask you one last time: Are you truly going to abandon the chance to save Krypton for the sake of this planet?"
Clark's expression remained firm. He said deliberately,
"I watched the message my father left behind. His purpose in sending me to Earth was not to save Krypton or rebuild civilization. It was simply for me to live well and have a life of my own. I will never go back with you."
The deathly still eyes turned to Linda. She, too, gave a bitter smile and shook her head. She had thought about it for a long time, but she simply could not convince herself. Krypton was important, but Earth was equally so. She could not abandon one for the other.
Seeing this, H'el laughed maniacally. The energy storm transformed into beams of light that swept outward.
Boom!
A nearby building was struck by the light beam and instantly cleaved in two. A brother and sister playing on the grass were terrified, staring blankly at the scene.
"Kara, go save the people! I'll stop him!"
Red light filled Clark's eyes. High-temperature beams of light shot out, penetrating the energy storm and striking H'el's chest, pushing him backward until he stopped far out of sight.
Linda scooped up the children and flew them out of the combat zone, then returned at extreme speed.
The cousins stood side-by-side. After a few seconds of hesitation, Linda whispered,
"H'el is not an ordinary Kryptonian. He's an extremely terrifying metahuman who participated in the human modification project initiated by my father and yours. His strength is unimaginable. We must be careful."
Before she finished speaking, a figure suddenly materialized in front of them.
Clark's face changed slightly, and he instinctively raised his hands.
Bang!
An intense pain shot through his abdomen. His whole body doubled over.
Linda curled her fingers into a fist and roared,
"Void Punch!"
The light of her punch surged toward H'el, who simply raised his hand and caught it. He squeezed his fingers, instantly crushing the energy of the punch.
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