…
Inside the ancient Kryptonian ship that had endured through the ages, Superman stared in shock at the gigantic, grotesque monstrosity before him.
The monster extended an enormous hand, plunging it directly into the crimson waters of the ship's Genesis Chamber to scoop something out!
Moments later, the creature's hand slowly emerged from the water, and in its palm it clutched a chunk of ice-like material, about the height of a man.
The instant it left the water, the ice block in the monster's grip began melting at an incredible speed. Clark and Luthor immediately made out what was inside.
A man—black-haired, black-eyed, and completely naked!
Or rather, a powerfully built Kryptonian, equally unknown and deeply mysterious!!!
"Hell, what is this—another Kryptonian?!"
Even Luthor, the one who had set all of this in motion, was utterly baffled. He had no idea that while creating the monster, he'd also pulled off some kind of cloning or genetic engineering trick.
And at that exact moment, Superman, standing nearby, suddenly moved!
He had no idea who the person clutched in the monster's hand was, let alone whether this person was friend or foe.
But no matter what, Clark could hear that person's heartbeat rapidly intensifying!
As Doomsday's massive palm tightened its grip, the man trapped motionless inside the ice was on the verge of death!
And Clark absolutely would not allow anyone—anyone who hadn't been proven guilty—to die right in front of him. Never!!!
…
Sometimes, a certain thought crosses our minds.
When we're at our lowest point, don't we secretly long for someone to bring us a miracle?
If the System hadn't intervened, pulling him from Doomsday's grasp and sending him to the Marvel universe, then right now, Heisenberg would have desperately needed Clark's helping hand!
But facts are facts. Heisenberg's miracle had never been Superman.
Just as Clark launched himself forward, hurling his body with deadly force at Doomsday's giant hand, he suddenly discovered—
the lifeform wrapped in the temporal substance within Doomsday's grip had simply vanished into thin air!
The person he'd meant to save was suddenly gone?!
So what!
With no need to worry about rescuing anyone, Clark doubled down in midair, smashing into the monster with even greater force!
If this monster was simply hideous in appearance but pure of heart, Clark would have stopped right there.
But this creature had tried to kill that vanishing man without a moment's hesitation!
That was the real reason Clark now rose in hostility!
Facing the oncoming Clark Kent, what passed for a brain inside Doomsday—barely twelve seconds old—flashed with image after image.
He saw himself being pinned to the ground and beaten senseless by that accursed blue spandex and red cape.
He'd gotten hits in too, but in the end, he'd died by that bastard's hand!
In an instant, Doomsday's enormous, bulging eyes blazed blood-red!
Drawing on the fragmented memories inherited from General Zod, he instantly locked onto his true enemy.
Now that the little pest who had stolen his energy had vanished, the only enemy left was that red-caped bastard!
"ROAR!"
Doomsday threw his head back and let out an earth-shaking roar, simultaneously blocking Clark's fist with one massive, tree-trunk arm.
Then he swung a punch straight at Clark's chest.
Clark's brow furrowed. This thing was far, far stronger than he had imagined!
He dodged Doomsday's fist in midair with a sharp burst of speed, then rocketed straight into Doomsday's chest, slamming his shoulder into the colossal giant and sending him flying!
BOOM!!!
Doomsday staggered backward from the impact, stumbling to brace himself against the ship's wall.
The sight made Clark's eyes go wide with shock.
The blow hadn't sent Doomsday crashing the way he'd expected. This so-called Doomsday's strength far exceeded his own right now!
In a split second, Clark knew he was in serious trouble. A fight with an opponent this formidable would inevitably endanger countless innocent civilians again!
The thought that countless people might be hurt because of him sent fury surging through Clark. He shot toward Doomsday in a flash, raising a fist to strike again!
But this time, success would not come so easily.
Flying straight at Doomsday, Clark was abruptly seized by a pair of enormous hands, caught in an unbreakable grip!
No matter how desperately Clark struggled, no matter how hard he pushed his bio-electric aura, he couldn't break free of Doomsday's hold!
And Doomsday—with Clark locked tight in his fists—let out a deafening roar and launched himself straight upward!
The force of his leap sent vast quantities of crimson genetic fluid splashing everywhere, spraying all over Luthor, who was still standing on the control platform, drenching his body and face!
But at a moment like this, who had time to worry about Luthor? Superman was still trapped in Doomsday's iron grip.
Together, he and Doomsday were hurled high into the air.
While Superman continued his desperate struggle, Doomsday casually tossed him forward just a short distance—then slammed a devastating punch right into him.
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave radiated outward, and Superman was sent flying far into the distance, crashing helplessly down into the plaza below.
What had once been a pristine, immaculate square now erupted like water in a boiling pot, flagstones and earth roiling in waves that rippled far outward from the impact.
At the center of the crater, Superman shook his head clear and shot to his feet from the rubble.
But he had barely risen for even a moment before Doomsday landed directly in front of him!
Yet Doomsday wasn't looking at Superman. Standing with his back to Clark, he was staring contemplatively at the sculpture before him.
It was a sculpture of Superman…
Not far away, as Clark took in the scene, his heart gave a violent lurch.
In his eyes, the pitch-black stone statue of Superman stood side by side with the equally pitch-black Doomsday.
For a fleeting, haunting instant, what Superman saw wasn't Doomsday, but himself!
The tiny, hidden shadow of darkness that might exist within his own heart.
And finally—he was afraid!
What he feared wasn't Doomsday. It was the darkness inside himself. Right now, he could still stand against Doomsday. But if he himself fell into darkness, who could stand against him?!
At that thought, he gritted his teeth in dread, launched himself forward again, and slammed bodily into Doomsday.
But just like before, his full-force collision only made Doomsday stagger back two steps!
Having been knocked back a mere five meters, Doomsday leaned against Superman's statue, then seized Clark by both legs and, with a savage, spinning heave, sent him crashing away.
Flung like a sandbag, Superman smashed right through his own statue, shattering it into pieces, before plummeting brutally to the ground.
As Clark lay on the ground, still struggling to rise, Doomsday casually snatched up a stone tablet and smashed it straight down onto him.
The enormous tablet exploded into fragments. Clark lay on the ground, his head spinning more violently by the second.
Even his battle with Zod a few months ago hadn't hurt like this.
After all, compared to Zod, Clark had basked in over thirty years of solar radiation. His physique far surpassed Zod's!
Zod might have been a superior combatant, but back then, the one with the real power advantage was Clark!
But now…
The tables had turned. The one with the real power was Doomsday!
And now, Doomsday reached down and grabbed Superman by the foot. Lifting the still-dazed Clark, he hurled him with brutal force, sending him crashing into an innocent skyscraper three kilometers away.
The violent impact, with Clark at its epicenter, caused explosions to ripple through a range of twenty floors above and below the point of collision.
Countless windows shattered in that instant. Countless human lives were snuffed out in that instant.
The building's lights, glowing just moments before, were extinguished in the blink of an eye.
Doomsday surveyed his handiwork and immediately made to pursue Superman. But before he could move, blinding lights and the deafening roar of rotor blades descended on him from above.
Doomsday shielded his eyes. The lights and the noise were unbearable to his ever-sharpening senses.
Not physically damaging—just sheer, visceral irritation and disgust!
Doomsday abandoned Clark without a second thought. His colossal frame tensed, gathered power, and then exploded upward from the ground in a single leap. Crossing over three hundred meters in an instant, he obliterated the approaching helicopter in a single blow!
Then, riding his remaining momentum, he arced across the sky and crashed into a skyscraper's antenna before plummeting onto the rooftop.
At the same moment, six armed helicopters—already on high alert in the air ever since the Kryptonian ship gave off abnormal energy signatures—descended toward Doomsday on the rooftop.
Once they were within range, the helicopters opened fire without hesitation.
Countless rounds of cannon fire and missiles pummeled Doomsday. The barrage, mere toys to him, filled him with overwhelming irritation—and a blazing red light began to glow from his chest!
…
Metropolis Airport. Miss Prince was placing her luggage aboard an aircraft preparing for takeoff.
But just then, a breaking news report reached her ears.
"Metropolis News 8—a monster has just engaged Superman in a fierce battle! Superman appears to be on the losing end! After striking Superman away, the creature has temporarily taken position atop LexCorp Tower!"
Hearing this, Miss Prince paid it little mind. As far as she was concerned, Superman always won in the end.
She was no ordinary person, of course. And the more extraordinary you were, the better you understood just how powerful Superman truly was!
Still, she quickened her pace stowing her luggage, then settled into her seat and began watching the news with careful attention.
On the screen, the massive monster was being engulfed by explosions from all sides. His upper body was growing redder and redder, brighter and brighter!
And then, when the energy within Doomsday reached its first threshold, he abruptly curled his body, unleashing the ever-swelling power inside him in a single, devastating blast!
BZZZZZZT!!!
A violent, crimson-red energy pulse spread outward like an expanding eggshell, engulfing everything within a three-kilometer radius in the blink of an eye!
The armed helicopters were the first to be reduced to dust. The news helicopter recording the scene live suffered the same unprovoked catastrophe.
Aboard the aircraft preparing for takeoff at the airport, Miss Prince watched as the live news feed abruptly cut out.
The on-scene report from downtown Metropolis instantly switched to the in-studio anchor at Metropolis News.
And the anchor, after a brief moment of stunned silence, spoke grimly to everyone watching.
"We regret to report that we have just lost contact with our live correspondent from Metropolis News 8. God save Metropolis."
Hearing those words, a deep, worried frown crossed Miss Prince's elegant features.
Without hesitation, she rose from her seat, grabbed her luggage, and began walking right off the plane.
Behind her, a flight attendant—utterly unaware of what was happening, utterly unable to imagine what was about to happen—called after her in confusion.
"Ma'am? Miss Prince? The plane is about to take off—where are you going?
Miss Prince?!"
And the so-called Miss Prince soon vanished entirely from the flight attendant's sight!
…
At the same time, atop LexCorp Tower in downtown Metropolis, Doomsday let out a triumphant bellow after releasing his first energy pulse.
Beneath his feet, LexCorp Tower—shorter than the monster by a full several dozen meters—was steadily melting away.
But even as he roared, a figure suddenly shot upward from below, wrapping its arms tightly around Doomsday in a desperate hold.
Clark, dragging Doomsday with him, accelerated with all his might, breaking through the atmosphere in a matter of moments!
As the hero the people looked to, as the savior who fought with every fiber of his being to uphold justice.
Superman refused to let an opponent as devastating as Doomsday continue his slaughter on Earth. He would end this battle in the void of space.
No matter whether what ended was Doomsday—or Clark Kent!!!
But this very act of his stirred the calculating minds of certain shadowy, ever-scheming figures back on Earth.
The United States immediately launched a strategic nuclear missile codenamed "Redbird," and its target, naturally, was the Doomsday currently in space.
And Clark too…
Watching the nuclear missile streak into the sky, countless people across Metropolis stared in utter shock.
No one had expected the President to act so decisively. Yet many believed this was exactly how the President should act!
And while everyone's attention was fixed on the nuclear missile, inside the Kryptonian ship, Alexander Luthor—who had been entranced by some unknown knowledge and strange voices—suddenly caught sight of something.
Beyond the water's surface, standing atop the command platform, a figure had appeared out of nowhere—a figure clad entirely in black armor, molten lava visibly flowing between the joints of the plates!
Heisenberg materialized abruptly out of thin air, then glanced around.
A moment later, a soft chuckle escaped him, and he spoke to Lex.
"Drenched head to toe in genetic soup and plasma. Tsk, tsk—you look absolutely pathetic!
Though I suppose it suits you. You loser."
/-\
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