Chapter 529: Parasite-Superman
The Ultimate Kryptonian Threat
Two years prior, when the Parasite first appeared on Earth, Lex Luthor was commissioned by the military to study it. He later used the Parasite's genes as a blueprint to launch his super-soldier modification plan.
Unfortunately, everything he did was within Luke's control. Following a conspiracy, the notorious bald CEO was ruined. Not only was he sent to prison for "rehabilitation," but the Luthor Group, which he painstakingly built, collapsed, becoming an empty shell.
It could be said that the feud between the two men began with the Parasite.
The Parasite-Superman clone not only possessed speed and strength superior to Superman's, but also the superpower to devour life force. It was the complete, ultimate evolutionary version of the Parasite.
Its power was terrifying.
Due to its ability to consume life, neither Linda nor Clark dared to approach it. They could only rely on long-range attacks: one using heat vision, the other unleashing energy bursts from her fists.
Both energies continuously hammered the Parasite-Superman's body. It didn't flinch or evade, absorbing every hit without taking any apparent damage.
"Damn it!"
Linda's face was grim. Seeing the behemoth charge at her, she quickly flew into the sky. The two chased each other, circling the desert. Clark wanted to help but couldn't keep up, reduced to attacking with heat vision.
This couldn't last. Once she was caught, it was over. Linda's eyes flickered as she suddenly recalled something in the warehouse.
"Ava, bring Luke's Anti-Parasite Armor."
"How many sets?"
"Two sets."
"Please wait."
A drone took off from Metropolis and headed toward the central region.
The situation grew worse. The monster's life-draining ability was horrific; even without direct contact, it could steal life force. With every near-miss, Linda felt herself grow weaker.
Her strength was draining away, and her body was becoming stiff.
Clark had it worse. Aside from his heat vision, he had no other long-range attack. As soon as the giant beast advanced, he had to flee, feeling as pathetic as a mouse being toyed with by a wildcat.
The Tide Turns
Luthor, watching from the spacecraft, just shook his head. He had held some expectations for the two Kryptonians, but now, they looked pathetic.
Of course, they couldn't be entirely blamed. The Parasite-Superman was a monster among monsters—a Kryptonian variant that could devour life and evolve limitlessly. Its power was unimaginable.
Luthor had conducted an experiment: he pitted ten Superman clones against it. The result was ten desiccated corpses on the ground. After absorbing the life force of the ten clones, the Parasite-Superman had evolved into its complete, current gigantic form.
Its strength and defense were three times that of an ordinary Superman. Its speed hadn't increased, but its only weakness was its mind: it was a beast, only knowing how to hunt and devour by instinct, without much tactical skill.
The battle was one-sided. Facing the monster's relentless assault, Clark and Linda were helpless. Gradually, as time passed, signs of aging began to appear on their bodies.
Linda's face lost its luster, and her eye sockets looked sunken, like a patient recovering from a severe illness. A few strands of gray appeared in Clark's hair.
"You go, Kara. I'll hold him off."
The girl shook her head, looking behind her.
"No need. Our weapon is here."
A drone flew in, dropping two metal containers before vanishing into the sky.
The containers crashed onto the hill. The doors opened, revealing two suits of pitch-black battle armor. These suits lacked a driving system. Their design was bulky, and their defense was extremely high. This was the Anti-Parasite Armor Luke had specially designed for Linda to counter the Parasite.
After the Parasite's death, the armor was discarded and left in the warehouse.
"The armor will block the Parasite's ability."
Linda explained while rushing to a container, quickly donning the armor. Clark followed, tearing off his red cape and putting on the second suit.
With the armor on, the girl's demeanor instantly changed. Red light flashed in her eyes; her rage boiled over.
Bang!
The ground beneath her feet sank. She shot out like a cannonball.
"Die!"
Her clenched fist glowed brilliantly, and she slammed it with all her accumulated fury into the giant beast's abdomen.
Boom!
A circular shockwave hundreds of meters wide exploded in the sky. Air currents swept out like a hurricane. The punch bent the behemoth into a bow shape, its eyes nearly popping out.
It instinctively tried to steal her life force but found its infallible ability suddenly useless.
A nearly materialized tiger phantom appeared around Linda. The fierce tiger opened its eyes, the light within them shifting as if alive. It roared to the sky, its front paws seizing the behemoth's shoulders, opening its mouth to bite at its head.
Fangs scraped against muscle, generating large sparks.
The girl continued to punch, relentlessly hammering its body. Clark also rushed up. The tiger phantom held the monster, preventing its escape. The two attacked, one in front and one behind, with maddening intensity.
Punch after punch, after punch. The air thundered like drums. The earth cracked. Milky-white shockwaves expanded like tidal waves. Distant peaks silently disappeared, and rocks struck by the blast shattered into pieces.
The terrifying scene made even the observers recoil. Luthor in the spacecraft involuntarily stood up.
The Final Stand
After tens of thousands of punches, the two finally stopped.
The giant beast was gone, leaving only chunks of purplish-red flesh and gore.
Linda turned, glaring intensely at the spacecraft. Clark's gaze was equally frigid. He was truly enraged. Lex Luthor's actions could no longer be called human.
"Clark Kent, Linda Danvers, I have to admit, I underestimated you."
Luthor's projection appeared above the spacecraft, his expression unusually serious.
"The Parasite-Superman was one of my proudest creations. I thought it was invincible. I never thought it would fail."
"You two are strong, far surpassing the clones. However, victory belongs to me."
The hatch opened. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—a total of eleven giant beasts emerged.
"These killers were prepared for the six superheroes who protect Metropolis. Unfortunately, only two of you showed up."
Eleven behemoths stood in the desert. In that moment, even the strong-willed Clark felt despair. Linda did too. Although the Anti-Parasite Armor could block the Parasite's ability, it wasn't invincible, and it couldn't withstand the combined assault of so many monsters.
"You have to go, Kara. Tell Luke Shaw to prepare."
Clark's eyes held a look of determination. He charged toward the behemoths.
Linda opened her mouth, but with reluctant fury, she could only fly into the sky. Three of the giants tried to follow, but Clark intercepted them.
A new battle began.
Clark displayed a moving will, forcibly enhancing his abilities in this desperate situation, pinning down the eleven behemoths to buy Linda time to escape.
Time ticked by second by second. The battle lasted for a full minute before it ended.
Three behemoths flew into the sky, chasing the direction in which Linda had vanished. The remaining ones returned to the spacecraft.
Luthor walked forward, looking at the virtually desiccated Clark, and shook his head.
"Clark Kent, you always manage to surprise me."
"No need, our weapon is here."
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