"I'll take care of him!" As Diana was fighting General Zod on Earth, she heard Clark's voice and immediately withdrew from the battle, leaving Zod to Clark. She then headed toward the Chitauri forces.
"Damn it!" Feeling like prey being passed around between Robert, Diana, and Clark, General Zod could no longer contain his anger. He roared, appearing as though he was about to lose control.
However, this was all an act. When Zod saw Clark return, he realized that something must have happened to Faora in space. Furthermore, he noticed that several of the other Kryptonians had disappeared from their battlefields, with the remaining ones only holding a slight advantage. It was clear that Zod's Kryptonian squad was failing. The balance of power had shifted, and their numbers were dwindling. Zod knew that even with the invading Chitauri, these so-called cosmic raiders were no match for the powerful Earth heroes.
In Zod's mind, even if Thanos himself were to arrive, he wouldn't be able to defeat the many powerful beings on Earth. It wasn't that the Kryptonian squad or Thanos was weak, but rather that this seemingly primitive planet was far more mysterious than it appeared.
With a swift motion, Zod made his decision. He disappeared from the battlefield, flying toward the sky with no intention of staying on Earth. Preserving the remaining Kryptonian forces and regrouping for a future assault was now his priority. Although he couldn't defeat the Earth heroes now, he knew he was still a formidable force in the universe, and he would find another opportunity to return.
"Retreat immediately! Don't engage!" Zod didn't forget about his subordinates. With Faora dead and others either injured or missing, he wanted as many of them to escape as possible.
To be honest, Zod believed that his subordinates had a better chance of escaping than he did. He was the one being targeted by powerful foes like Diana and Clark, whereas the others were only evenly matched with their opponents.
"What's happening?!" The remaining Kryptonians were momentarily stunned by Zod's order, but they quickly realized how dire their situation had become. Without hesitation, they turned and fled toward the sky, abandoning their battles.
"Trying to escape? It won't be that easy!" Unlike the other Avengers who struggled to stop the fleeing Kryptonians, the Martian Manhunter acted swiftly. He exerted his psychic powers on Reagan and the half-injured Kryptonian, temporarily restricting their movements.
Reagan's body halted mid-flight, while the other Kryptonian nearly fell from the sky before regaining enough consciousness to stabilize himself.
"This isn't going to work; we won't make it out alive!" Realizing the predicament, the injured Kryptonian glanced at his missing arm and the trembling Reagan beside him. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed a blast of heat vision at the Martian Manhunter. "Reagan! Take this chance! Go now!"
The heat vision forced the Martian Manhunter to break his psychic hold, allowing Reagan to snap back to his senses and hear his comrade's words.
"You… take care!" Reagan looked back at the injured Kryptonian, then at the others who had already flown far ahead. Taking a deep breath, he solemnly nodded and sped off toward space.
The Martian Manhunter wanted to stop Reagan, knowing that letting him escape would pose a future threat. But the injured Kryptonian, now in a frenzy, charged at the Martian Manhunter with everything he had left. If Clark had noticed this Kryptonian, he would have realized that his desperation mirrored that of Faora.
Perhaps it was because, on Krypton, they were trained to be selfless warriors, or maybe it was the years spent drifting in space that made them willing to sacrifice for their comrades. Or perhaps, facing certain death, they wanted to ensure their deaths had meaning.
Whatever the reason, this Kryptonian used the last of his strength to engage the Martian Manhunter, whose eyes now flashed with a cold resolve. The Martian Manhunter had no mercy left.
Both Zod and Reagan had been too strong to kill outright, even when under the Martian Manhunter's psychic control. But this injured Kryptonian, already weakened by Robert's earlier attack, was a different story. The lingering energy from Robert's strike had prevented the Kryptonian's wounds from healing, and now, with the Martian Manhunter's focused attack, the end was inevitable.
As Reagan disappeared from sight, the Martian Manhunter turned his full attention to the remaining Kryptonian. With a sharp psychic assault, he aimed to break the warrior's body and mind.
With a sickening crack, the wounds that had held steady under Robert's residual energy finally burst open. The Kryptonian gasped in agony, blood spraying from his mouth and seeping from his wounds.
"Damn it!" The intense pain shattered the Kryptonian's focus, just as the Martian Manhunter had intended. By amplifying the physical pain and using his psychic powers to attack the Kryptonian's mind, the Martian Manhunter ensured that even a warrior with a super brain and steel-like body wouldn't last long.
But the Kryptonian had no regrets. His sacrifice had allowed Reagan to escape, and he believed that this failure would serve as a lesson for them. With the power they had gained from the sun, Zod might be able to lead the Kryptonians to a new future in the universe.
Unbeknownst to him, Reagan and the others had indeed reached space, but Zod had been intercepted by Clark.
For Faora, Clark had felt some sympathy, even regret. But for General Zod, Clark's only intention was to kill. The other Kryptonians might escape, but Zod was the one Clark couldn't allow to live.
Even though Jor-El, killed by Zod, had never asked Clark to avenge him, and Jonathan Kent had never instilled a sense of vengeance in Clark, the influence of Robert had shaped Clark's perspective. He understood that Robert had intentionally left Zod for him, knowing exactly what it meant.
This was a revenge Clark had to take for himself.
More importantly, for the safety of Earth, Zod was a threat that couldn't be ignored. Zod's very nature put him in direct conflict with Earth and Clark. Even if Zod escaped this time, he would never let go of his mission to rebuild Krypton. He would always be a danger to Clark and the Earth.
Without the Codex, the remaining Kryptonians couldn't rebuild Krypton's glory. Even if they tried to naturally repopulate, it would have been a difficult task, one made impossible by Faora's death. For someone like Zod, who valued pure Kryptonian lineage, producing non-pureblood offspring was unacceptable.
Thus, even if Zod were allowed to escape today, he would inevitably become Earth's enemy again. At the very least, he would never stop targeting Clark.
With a thunderous crash, Clark intercepted Zod high in the sky, landing a powerful punch that sent Zod reeling. Zod was a formidable opponent, but in this battle, just as with Faora, Clark had the upper hand in every way. This was a one-sided fight.
In fact, Zod's resistance was even weaker than Faora's had been. While fighting Faora, Clark had been distracted by his desire to return to Earth. But against Zod, Clark was fully focused.
When Clark was distracted, Faora had been able to use the Moon as a threat. But now, with Clark's undivided attention, Zod could barely defend himself, let alone cause any havoc.
During the battle, Zod was shocked to find that Clark surpassed him in strength, speed, and combat skills.
This was something Zod couldn't accept. He was a general of Krypton, with a genetic template designed for combat. He couldn't understand how Clark had surpassed him in fighting skills.
From observing how different Kryptonians reacted to solar energy, Zod had deduced that each Kryptonian's genetic template limited how much solar power they could absorb. At Zod's level, he had reached the genetic limit, with further improvements requiring time and effort, something that couldn't be achieved in just a few years or decades.
Even though Clark possessed the Codex, Zod knew its true nature. The Codex granted Clark the potential to adapt to any Kryptonian role, free from the limitations of a single template. But genetically, Clark was still an ordinary Kryptonian, and he shouldn't have been able to outmatch Zod by such a margin.
"Why are you so strong?!" Zod gasped, blood dripping from his mouth as he glared at Clark with a mix of bitterness and disbelief.
"Because I want to be strong, so I became strong," Clark replied calmly, not pausing in his attack. "Today is the day you die. However, if they don't interfere, I won't go after them…"
Clark was referring to the remaining Kryptonians, who had fled into space but, realizing that Zod hadn't followed, were hesitating and considering returning to help. But the sheer power emanating from Clark kept them at bay.
Without Zod to lead them, these Kryptonians would lose their chance to rebuild Krypton. If Zod died, they might be able to blend into the universe and live out their lives.
And since these Kryptonians hadn't caused significant harm beyond fighting the Avengers, Clark was willing to let them go. His grudge was solely with Zod.
"Are you telling the truth?" Zod asked as Clark's punch sent him flying, blood spewing from his mouth. He didn't bother wiping it away, instead looking toward the fearful Kryptonians, then back at Clark.
"Of course. What reason would I have to lie to you?" Clark replied, his gaze steady.
"Heh, I suppose you wouldn't," Zod said with a bitter smile, a sense of resignation washing over him. Not only had Clark overpowered him, but it seemed he surpassed Zod in every other way as well.
"Leave now and don't come back. Forget about rebuilding Krypton. If possible, go live the lives you want," Zod shouted to the other Kryptonians after regaining his composure.
"General Zod…" Reagan began, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with anguish as he looked at Zod.
"Reagan, they're in your hands. This is my final order. Take them away!" Zod cut him off, his tone firm.
"Yes, General Zod!" Reagan and the other Kryptonians responded instinctively, then hesitated for a moment before Reagan clenched his teeth and ordered, "Retreat!"
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]