With a loud crash, just as General Zod attempted to retreat to evade a sudden threat, his body was hit hard, sending him flying. This unexpected blow caused General Zod's pupils to contract slightly. He immediately attempted to stabilize himself mid-air, his mind filled with caution.
General Zod realized that the attack didn't come from the Martian Manhunter since the attack methods were entirely different. However, this new attacker posed an even greater threat.
"How can there be so many powerful beings on Earth? It's understandable that Kal-El is here, but my subordinates are being held back by Earthlings for so long. The female warrior fighting me has superior combat skills, and now another mysterious powerhouse appears. Is this really a backward planet?" General Zod's mind raced with these thoughts, realizing that their mission might not be as straightforward as they had initially assumed.
The intense battle between Diana and General Zod had been so overwhelming that neither had noticed much of what was happening around them. As a result, General Zod was unaware that the World Engine, their Kryptonian technology, had made no progress and had been destroyed. He also didn't know that several of his Kryptonian soldiers had died while the Avengers had all recovered and moved on to their next battlefield.
"So that's it? Your danger sense is decent, but your judgment and reaction time could use some work..." As General Zod heightened his vigilance to avoid further attacks from Robert, he suddenly heard Robert's voice in his ear. Instantly, Zod threw a punch toward the source of the sound.
With a loud boom, the air echoed with a sonic blast, but Zod's punch missed Robert. As Robert had pointed out, even with his warrior-general genetic template, General Zod was not yet among the top-tier warriors.
Just as Zod's punch was released, before the sound had fully dissipated, his body was struck again. However, this time, Zod managed to catch a glimpse of Robert's figure, though just barely.
Perhaps General Zod's warrior genes were evolving, or maybe his super brain was advancing, but he was starting to understand Robert's attack method. Zod, used to fighting head-on with a warrior like Diana, was initially caught off guard by Robert's speed. But as a Kryptonian general, he wasn't easily defeated.
After being knocked back again, Zod gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and stabilized himself mid-air. He fixed his gaze firmly on Robert.
However, Robert didn't seem intent on attacking again. He looked at Zod, shook his head with a smile, and said softly, "Don't be so tense. I'm not your opponent. I just wanted to test your mettle. After all, you've been fighting Diana for so long. Before I came, Jor-El praised you quite a bit..."
"Huh?!" General Zod instinctively tensed up at Robert's words, thinking Diana was the enemy Robert referred to. But when he saw that Diana wasn't planning to attack, he focused on what Robert said next. "Wait! You met Jor-El? What did he say?"
"Oh, he said you're one of the rare geniuses among Kryptonians. It's just a pity that you've chosen the wrong path..." Robert replied after a brief thought. "He also mentioned that your strength ranks among the top generals in Kryptonian history, just a bit below his own."
"What do you mean, 'just a bit below his own'?!" General Zod's initial joy at hearing praise from his old rival quickly turned to anger as he realized Jor-El was using him to boost his own reputation. How could Zod tolerate that?
"He said that, as a scientist, his combat skills surpass yours, and he even managed to injure you in a direct fight..." Robert added, recalling what Jor-El had insisted he convey to Zod before leaving the Savage Island. This was probably something Jor-El was quite proud of—having injured the formidable General Zod, the most powerful Kryptonian on record, as a scientist.
"Damn it!" General Zod's expression darkened as he glared coldly at Robert. "So, Jor-El is dead! And he died miserably! But I'm still alive!"
"That's why I said, I'm not your opponent. And neither is Diana," Robert said, shaking his head slightly. "I must admit, your fellow Kryptonian isn't very strong, but she's managed to hold out against him for quite some time. However, her life force is weakening, and she won't last much longer."
"I'll go switch places with him! You handle those aliens! They're like ants, no matter how many you kill, there's always more..." Just then, Kara, who had been watching Robert from the Chitauri battlefield, suddenly sent him a message and disappeared from the scene.
"Uh..." Robert was momentarily confused by Kara's actions, not quite understanding her intentions. Did she really want Robert to handle the seemingly endless number of Chitauri?
"Alright, Diana, I'll leave this to you. I'll head over there to lend a hand. Once Superman returns, you can check if the other Kryptonian battlefields need help," Robert said to Diana before disappearing.
Diana didn't oppose Robert's division of opponents. She knew that with her various artifacts, she could hold her own against General Zod, but killing him would be difficult. With so many disasters happening simultaneously, defeating the enemies was more important than deciding who fought whom.
Diana agreed quickly and, with the Sword of Hephaestus in hand, charged toward Zod, forcing him to focus solely on their battle.
Meanwhile, Kara quickly reached space, where the battle was entirely one-sided. Bathed in solar energy, Faora stubbornly held on, preventing Clark from returning to Earth. Faora's injuries could have healed better, but instead of using the solar energy to heal, she focused all her strength on attacking the Moon to threaten Clark.
As a result, Faora was reduced to a near-skeletal state, with only her head remaining intact.
"Seeing her like this, I guess I was overthinking. How could Robert be interested in her?" Kara thought, seeing Faora's pitiful state.
Previously, when Kara heard Robert mention going to space, her super brain kicked into overdrive. She hadn't forgotten that Robert's preference was for exceptional female warriors. The reason Robert was with Diana was because she was an outstanding warrior. Kara had to be vigilant, especially since there could be another warrior after Diana, which Kara could barely tolerate. She needed to eliminate any potential threats.
However, seeing Faora's current state, Kara's concerns faded. Regaining her composure, Kara swiftly flew towards Faora, causing Faora's pupils to contract sharply.
Although Faora sensed a fellow Kryptonian's presence in Kara, she didn't recognize her, meaning Kara wasn't there to help. This also meant that Earth had two Kryptonians, and Kara and Clark were likely allies.
Faora, already struggling against Clark, knew she wouldn't last long against both of them.
More importantly, Kara's arrival might indicate that the Kryptonian forces on Earth had lost their advantage. Despite her efforts to keep Clark occupied in space, it hadn't shifted the balance in favor of the Kryptonian forces.
Just as Faora anticipated, Kara's arrival ended the battle with no suspense. Faora, already no match for Clark, had used solar energy, her Kryptonian durability, and reckless attacks on the Moon to keep Clark at bay.
But once Kara joined the fight, Faora had no chance of fighting back, let alone threatening the Moon.
With a loud thud, Faora's consciousness began to fade, and she no longer felt any pain, having grown numb long ago. But even her indomitable will couldn't change the fact that her body was utterly destroyed, leaving her unable to fight or even move.
"Give her a quick end!" Clark said to Kara through their telepathic link, sighing as he looked at Faora's shattered body and determined gaze. "If only she had come to protect Earth instead of invade it... Her self-sacrificial spirit is truly admirable, yet she's our enemy. What a pity..."
"There's nothing we can do about it. We grew up on Earth and haven't spent much time on Krypton. Earth is our home, and naturally, we'll protect it..." Kara replied, shaking her head.
"But for her and General Zod, I'm afraid they've taken the mission to rebuild Krypton as their life's purpose. If they had targeted another lifeless planet instead of Earth, maybe we could have had peace talks. Of course, that's assuming you don't want to avenge Jor-El."
"Is General Zod the only one left?" Clark asked, his eyes gleaming.
"There are a few more Kryptonians, but the situation is under control. As long as your fight with General Zod doesn't cause too much destruction, this crisis should be coming to an end..." Kara explained, shaking her head.
"Hmm? Didn't the people of Kamar-Taj intervene?" Clark asked, surprised.
"They're using magic to deal with the aliens, but maybe the numbers are too large and scattered? They haven't used the Mirror Dimension..." Kara replied.
Kamar-Taj's forces had arrived a bit late, almost simultaneously with Mera leading the Atlantean army. This might have been due to the increased pressure on Kamar-Taj's members after the Ancient One's departure, and the fact that the battle was happening in the physical realm. Additionally, Kara noted that fewer Kamar-Taj members had joined the fight, and neither Baron Mordo nor Kaecilius had appeared.
"Then let's finish this quickly!" Clark nodded, his eyes glowing with a deadly heat vision
aimed at Faora.
"Yes," Kara agreed, releasing her own intense heat vision.
With a hiss, the twin beams of heat vision struck Faora from two directions, rapidly disintegrating her already shattered body. Despite the sunlight bathing her, it couldn't save Faora, who was being killed faster than she could heal.
Soon, Clark and Kara stopped, a faint breeze sweeping through the vacuum of space as Faora's body dissolved into cosmic dust.
Clark and Kara exchanged a glance before returning to Earth. Neither of them noticed that as Faora was obliterated, a space jump node appeared just outside the solar system. A small spaceship was speeding toward Earth. Shortly after Clark and Kara disappeared, the ship arrived, heading straight for Earth's atmosphere, its weapons systems activating...
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