Listening to the teasing about Plan B ringing in his ears, Batman's calm exterior already churned with boundless resentment.
He stared at Heisenberg, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
Those thoughts swirled for a few rounds, then all condensed into one short sentence.
How he wanted to roar at Heisenberg.
Just try and set a fight, I could push the plan to the end of pi!!!
But he wouldn't say that, because he was Batman!
Instead, he rose from the ground, lightly dusted off his cape, and said to Heisenberg with utter calm.
"I wasn't prepared enough. I will learn from this."
"That's just like you."
Heisenberg nodded with a smile, then turned back to face Doomsday, who was struggling to rise in the distance.
Gungnir was no Kryptonite spear, after all. It lacked the property to sever Doomsday's regenerative ability.
Even though it had wounded Doomsday grievously, the monster still slowly climbed to its feet.
Once upright, it immediately reached to pull out Gungnir.
The moment it yanked the spear from its chest, it intended to hurl the weapon back at Heisenberg.
But then it abruptly collapsed to the ground, utterly unable to bear Gungnir's weight!
Doomsday, of course, refused to accept this. Gripping Gungnir with both hands, it mustered every ounce of its strength.
Instinctively, it even called upon its bio-field.
Countless pieces of rubble levitated around it, and after straining to its absolute limit, it finally managed to lift Gungnir with difficulty.
But before it could rejoice, it saw Heisenberg in the distance simply extend his right hand.
An instant later, Gungnir transformed into a streak of light and flew straight into Heisenberg's grasp.
At the same time, Wonder Woman leaped, landing directly beside Heisenberg.
Superman was even faster than her. He stared at Heisenberg's face in astonishment and couldn't help but ask softly.
"You're the Kryptonian who emerged from the ship with the monster? My kin?!!"
"Impossible!"
Superman's words were immediately cut off by Wonder Woman. Diana stared warily at the spear in Heisenberg's hand and shouted at Superman.
"He radiates a dense power of the sun! My senses cannot be wrong, that is divine power without a doubt!"
At this, Diana struck her shield hard with her sword and bellowed at Heisenberg.
"You're Apollo, aren't you! How many more gods walk the earth like you, and why didn't any of you stop Ares back then?!!"
…!?!?!
With Diana's question, Batman and Superman both widened their eyes in unison.
No matter how brilliant one was or how powerful the other,
suddenly hearing such secrets about the gods still left them shocked!
And Diana's words continued.
"During the First World War, Ares drew endless divine power from the conflict. If I hadn't killed him, he would have fulfilled his ambition to conquer the world.
Why did none of you intervene? Were you all just watching our battle, treating it as a joke?!!"
At this, Diana stared intensely into Heisenberg's eyes, but within that gaze of absolute certainty, Heisenberg merely smirked.
"My lady, heh…
You've mistaken me for someone else!"
As he spoke, Heisenberg walked up to Superman.
Meeting Superman's slightly astonished eyes, Heisenberg reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
"To think, after waking from an eighteen-thousand-year slumber, I'd still get to see one of my people!"
Saying this, Heisenberg's right hand moved from the stunned Superman's shoulder to the top of his head.
His face brimming with a look of deep reminiscence, he gently ruffled Superman's hair.
"Boy, if this were twenty thousand years ago, you would have called me an elder.
As for now, what family do you hail from?
If you come from the lines of Zod and El, the military and science council sequences, then you may call me Great-Grandfather.
After all, their genes originate from me, and I once ruled over them!"
With that, Heisenberg's words ceased. Before the astonished Superman could reply, Diana was the first to lose her composure.
She strode forward two steps, coming right beside Heisenberg, and shouted her question.
"That's impossible! Your armor and divine power are saturated with the aura of Earth's pantheon of gods. You are clearly an ancient god native to Earth.
How can you be an alien?!!"
When Diana finished, Superman reflexively felt a pang of sorrow for a fleeting moment.
Yes, to the people of Earth, and even to its gods, he was still an alien after all.
But he quickly steadied himself. Basking in the solar energy radiating from Heisenberg that felt so utterly comforting, he gently touched Heisenberg's shoulder armor.
"I remember your face. You appeared alongside the monster just now. Are you really my…"
He still couldn't bring himself to call a man who looked younger than him 'Great-Grandfather'.
So he forced out a question.
"Are you truly an elder of mine??!"
"Heh, am I or not? Can't you see for yourself?"
Heisenberg withdrew his hand from ruffling Clark's hair, planted the butt of Gungnir on the ground, and continued.
"Your eyes possess the same capabilities as mine. Look at our genetic sequence. Can you not see what we have in common?"
Regarding the genes, Heisenberg had discovered this long ago. Perhaps it was because the genetic material of the original Heisenberg elder was too exceptional, but at the very least, both Superman's father and Doomsday carried many of Heisenberg's genetic sequences in their makeup.
Most likely, after the original elder was captured, his superior genes had occupied a significant portion of Krypton's genetic library.
Meanwhile, prompted by Heisenberg, Clark focused hard on observing Heisenberg's DNA.
"It's actually true!"
Clark nodded with delight. Of course he could see it. A Kryptonian's eyes were naturally more precise than all kinds of instruments. Paternity tests were trivial for them!
But this result clearly unsettled Wonder Woman.
Diana stared at the two acknowledging their kinship, then pointed at Gungnir and asked Heisenberg one last, struggling question.
"How is this possible? I've never heard of alien gods on Earth in ancient times! Do you dare speak the name of that divine weapon of yours?
I'd wager I have definitely heard that name. Whether you're Kryptonian or not, you must be one of the ancient gods!"
Hearing Diana's question, Superman also looked at Heisenberg's spear. Diana was right.
Even though Heisenberg was a fellow Kryptonian—his gene sequence even predating his own, making him an elder—
there was no denying that Heisenberg's divine power and weapon made him deeply wary.
After that brief moment of excitement, Clark was especially worried that Heisenberg might turn out to be another Zod.
Earth could not withstand more Kryptonians with ill intent!
Under the expectant gazes of the group, Heisenberg smiled and hefted the spear, tossing it lightly in his hand.
"You ask its name? The world calls it Gungnir."
"What?!!!"
"You are Odin!!!"
"Norse mythology, the Aesir?!!"
A faint flicker of expression crossed Batman's exceptionally composed face. He looked curiously into Heisenberg's eyes.
"If you are Odin, then your eye…?"
"No, I never said I was Odin."
Heisenberg flatly cut off Bruce's words, then cast a deep glance at everyone, especially Diana beside him, and added.
"I merely killed him."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Doomsday, far off in the distance, snapped out of the confusion of losing the spear.
Doomsday had been born only a short while. Right now, it was brimming with curiosity, like a child.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easily distracted by others.
Earlier, when it realized the spear in its hand had vanished, it had spent quite a while searching for it.
But now, it locked its gaze on the group and instantly charged at Heisenberg!
Watching the incoming Doomsday, Bruce immediately raised his gun, while Diana raised her shield.
Superman clenched his fist and roared a warning at Heisenberg.
"Great-Gr… ahem.
Anyway, be careful of that monster! It is incredibly powerful, immune to energy attacks, has extreme physical resistance, and can absorb energy!"
"Haha, don't be shy. Boldly call me Great-Grandfather!"
Heisenberg laughed heartily, planting Gungnir to the side, then stepped in front of Clark. Without turning his head, he roared back at him.
"Now let me teach you how a true Kryptonian fights! In the Kryptonian dictionary, there is no retreat and no defense!
No matter how strong the enemy you face, all you need to do is attack. Attack relentlessly, attack endlessly!
Even if you face Truth itself, Truth shall fall before a Kryptonian's assault!"
Whoosh!
Heisenberg launched off the ground, flying straight for the charging Doomsday.
He thrust out his right fist, slamming it fiercely against Doomsday's massive incoming punch.
BOOM!!!
The intense shockwave radiated outward, and Doomsday was instantly sent flying back over three hundred meters.
As for Heisenberg, he stood firm at the spot from which he had blasted Doomsday and spoke softly to Clark in the distance.
"A Kryptonian never yields to another in strength. Understood?"
As his words fell, Heisenberg immediately pursued Doomsday. First, a knee strike launched Doomsday into the sky, then he summoned Gungnir and pierced straight through its chest.
Anyone who had seen the movie knew that the cinematic version of Doomsday had yet to be killed by divine metal. Wonder Woman's divine metal could effectively harm its body.
Thus, Heisenberg's Gungnir would be equally effective.
At the same time, as Gungnir carried Doomsday soaring kilometers into the air, Heisenberg remained in place and thrust out his right arm.
The magma flowing over his right gauntlet abruptly spread, rapidly solidifying into a searing rope.
He tossed the rope skyward, and it instantly extended several kilometers, securely lassoing the tumbling Doomsday.
Then he yanked the rope violently, and Doomsday immediately hurtled back at even greater speed.
Facing the returning Doomsday, Heisenberg raised his left arm vertically. The magma on his left gauntlet evolved into a shield, which he smashed hard into the oncoming monster.
Smash Doomsday away, then yank it back. Heisenberg used this exact pattern to pummel Doomsday for over a solid minute!
On the ground, Superman and the other two stared dumbfounded at Heisenberg in the sky. They suddenly felt decidedly too young!
Superman could only ask in utter incomprehension.
"Great… uh, is he trying to teach me something here?"
"Shut up and watch closely. Your Great-Grandfather is demonstrating the grandeur of divine power to you!"
Diana's eyes practically sparkled with little stars as she watched Heisenberg. She admired such a mighty warrior immensely.
And this yo-yo style of combat was teaching her so much: using continuous, uninterrupted control and attacks to trap the enemy in your own offensive rhythm—what a brilliant fighting method!
Especially since she herself possessed the same kind of rope and shield!!!
Hearing the slightly fangirlish tone in Diana's voice, Superman inwardly cringed and instinctively glanced at Batman beside him.
Bruce remained silent at the moment. As for his heart…
It held both immense relief and extraordinary concern.
Looking at Bruce like this, Clark said quietly.
"Batman, Great… his attacks, while fluid, aren't having much real effect.
Where's your Kryptonite spear? We need to use that to finish that monster!"
"Oh?"
Hearing Superman's words, Bruce was somewhat surprised.
"Once Kryptonite appears nearby, you and your Great-Grandfather will both fall into a state of weakness.
At that moment, your lives will rest entirely in my hands!
Are you willing to entrust your life to me?"
"Better than entrusting the Earth to that monster!"
Clark answered without hesitation.
"And if he truly is my Great… my elder, then I can definitely get him to accept our plan with the Kryptonite. Even if Great… even if he gets furious over it, I'll hold him back. I'll do everything I can!"
"Fine, I'll go right away. But you should still call him Great-Grandfather.
Compared to him, you likely still have much to learn, young Superman!"
/-\
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