The entrance to the Fortress of Solitude, usually sealed shut, was wide open. A cathedral-like silence, colder and more ominous than the outside blizzard, reigned within. Utopian and Batman stepped inside, their footsteps echoing on the crystal.
They found Superman at the center of the main hall, lying on his back, his eyes wide open but vacant, a ghostly smile frozen on his face. A purple plant with pulsating black tentacles—the Black Mercy—was anchored to his chest, siphoning his will.
"Kal!" Batman called out, but there was no response.
A deep laugh, thick with contempt, made the very walls tremble. From the shadows of Kryptonian artifacts, Mongul emerged, his yellowish mass and warrior's armor dominating the space.
"Too late, little bat," he rumbled. "I have given him the only gift that matters: oblivion. While he dreams of what he lost, your world is defenseless. I will make it a new Warworld, and its main arena will be built from the bones of your heroes."
Utopian's anger was immediate and white-hot. Without a shout, without a warning, he crossed the room like a missile and struck Mongul square in the chest.
BOOM!
The impact shook the Fortress to its foundations. Mongul, surprised by the force of the blow, staggered back two steps, a glint of morbid interest in his eyes.
"Another powerful insect," he sneered. "Perfect. The arena needs new champions."
The battle that ensued was titanic. The exchanged blows generated shockwaves that cracked the surrounding crystal structures. Utopian's newly stabilized strength was indeed a match for Mongul's raw power. The alien was a vicious and experienced fighter, using his fire vision to keep Utopian on the defensive, while his fists struck with the force of a meteor.
Meanwhile, Batman was at Superman's side. He tried to grab the plant, but a psychic energy field violently repelled him. Worse, upon contact with the intrusion, Superman's dream twisted. The violet sky of Krypton turned blood-red. The crystal spires of Kandor began to shatter and collapse in a deafening roar. Kal-El saw the faces of his family, his friends, contort in screams of terror, powerless to save them. Paradise was becoming a personalized hell.
"The plant is feeding on him," Batman analyzed, bypassing the force field to access the Kryptonian systems. "It's reflecting his worst nightmare: his powerlessness."
With cold-steel determination, Batman managed to interfere with the plant's neuro-electric signal, creating a brief opening. It wasn't enough to tear it away, but enough for Batman's voice, amplified by the Fortress's technology, to pierce the nightmare.
"Clark! It's an illusion! Come back! Lois needs you. The world needs Superman!"
In his dream, amidst the flames and ruins, Superman heard the call. He saw Lois's face. Reality slammed back into him with the force of a physical blow. A roar of pain and anger tore from his lips, both in the dream and in reality. With a superhuman movement, he ripped the Black Mercy from his chest. The plant, rejected, withered and crumbled to dust in an instant.
His eyes, now clear and burning with a cold fury, locked onto Mongul, who was holding Utopian at bay.
"Are you done playing with my friends?" Superman asked, his voice a whisper charged with the full power of the sun.
The battle turned irrevocably. Superman and Utopian, united, faced the tyrant. Where Utopian's brute strength matched Mongul, Superman's pure power and speed were devastating. They struck him in rapid succession, giving him no respite. Mongul, overwhelmed, was sent crashing through his own hall.
"It's over, Mongul," Superman declared, as Utopian pinned the giant down.
Without a word, Superman activated a Kryptonian projector. A green, spectral portal opened.
"No! Not there!" Mongul screamed, fear in his voice for the first time.
Together, they hurled the tyrant into the Phantom Zone, the portal sealing shut on his cries of impotent rage.
Silence returned to the Fortress, broken only by their collective breath. Superman looked at Utopian and Batman.
"Thank you," he said simply, a world of gratitude in that single word. They had saved him from his worst nightmare: himself.