Superman's right eye was bloodshot, and his body was covered in wounds big and small. Playing the role of getting beaten up wasn't easy—he could've dodged every attack, but he deliberately let himself get hit to make it look real, and it was exhausting.
Now Superman stopped hiding his strength. The Elite had no chance—they were only getting wrecked.
"How could you kill people?" Manchester Black couldn't accept that Superman had started slaughtering.
"Why not? Now I finally understand what this world really needs." Superman stepped forward one step at a time, making Manchester Black's heart race wildly.
"No! You hypocritical Superman, die!" Psychic energy blasted from Manchester Black's eyes.
But Superman was way too fast. He dodged easily, and the psychic beam shot past him, blasting into buildings and streets behind him, exploding everything and pulling innocent bystanders into the chaos.
Before, Superman would've taken the hit to protect everyone. But he wasn't the same now. Manchester Black finally realized he'd made a huge mistake—Superman didn't avoid killing because he couldn't; he chose to obey the law. Crossing that line was easy—if Superman wanted to kill, nothing could stop him.
"How does it feel to be crushed?" Superman kept advancing, scolding Manchester Black with every step.
This was the fear of death. Manchester Black, who used to bully others, now found himself on the receiving end. It was terrifying—having your life completely out of your own control was the worst. Manchester Black's so-called justice had never been supported by a strong will; it was just a halo he put on himself because of his power.
Now, he wasn't a hero of justice at all—just a pathetic man struggling for his life. "Ahhh! Die!" he screamed.
He fired every last bit of his psychic power. This time Superman didn't dodge. He planted his feet like roots and stepped forward instead. "Manchester Black, you're just a butcher who doesn't respect life. To make yourself look great, you'd sacrifice anything. You're not as noble as you claim."
Manchester Black's attacks turned indiscriminate, destroying everything around. Superman blocked some of the psychic beams, but a lot still smashed into the street, causing massive damage. Chunks of stone fell, smashing cars and hitting people nearby.
The whole street turned into a wasteland. Lois Lane arrived at full speed—she refused to believe Superman would kill, not unless she saw it with her own eyes.
But the scene was total chaos. By the time Lois got there, shards of debris were flying faster than bullets, impossible to dodge.
In this mess, no one could believe people weren't dying.
People were stunned. Superman's power looked like that of a demon. But The Church of Superman members were thrilled—this was exactly the god they wanted him to be.
Taking the full brunt of the psychic attack, Superman stepped up to Manchester Black's face. "My low profile isn't your ticket to act tough." That was a line Liu A'dou had told Superman a million times to say. And Superman, true to his word, delivered it perfectly in the heat of battle, like it came from his own heart.
Perfect. Liu A'dou heard it and thought, 'That's exactly what I wanted.' After being annoyed for so long, Superman finally let out his anger.
"Damn you!" Manchester Black overloaded his psychic power, desperate to blast Superman away.
The destruction ramped up. Even Lois got caught in the explosions, shockwaves, and flying debris. She saw the storm of rubble rushing at her and knew she couldn't escape. All she could do was close her eyes in despair. But there was no pain—just the rush of wind howling past her ears.
'What happened?' Lois opened her eyes and found herself moving at incredible speed. In a flash, she was dropped off somewhere safe. She caught a glimpse of lightning—it was the Flash who saved her. Around her, stunned bystanders stood frozen. A moment later, Wonder Woman flew in carrying more people, using her Lasso of Truth to scoop them up mid-air. Flash and Wonder Woman were in charge of rescuing civilians, while Batman and Kaitou Kid stayed on the scene, blocking flying debris.
Seeing all this, Lois finally understood—everything was staged. Superman wasn't really killing anyone. There were people secretly rescuing everyone, so he could go all out without worrying about collateral damage. Superman was still the kind, righteous hero she knew.
At that moment, Superman unleashed his Heat Vision—iris-scalpel mode. This was the ultimate sign of his mastery over the technique. He used X-ray vision to see inside Manchester Black's body, then performed precise surgery with his Heat Vision, able to do even the most complicated brain operations.
The twisted parts of Manchester Black's brain were what made his mutant powers so extreme. By cutting them out, Superman erased his abilities.
The psychic power vanished. Manchester Black collapsed to his knees, completely drained. "Demon… you demon… you killed so many people. You have no right to judge me," Manchester Black yelled shakily, too scared to think that he'd been the one trying to judge Superman first.
Smack, smack—two slaps across Manchester Black's face. Superman could be pretty petty sometimes. He knew you weren't supposed to hit the face, so he did it on purpose.
'Why didn't he just kill him?' The Church of Superman members wanted to witness the birth of their new god. How could Superman just slap him instead of twisting his head off?
"You can kill, but I won't," Superman said. His words sent shockwaves through everyone watching. How could anyone believe nobody had died after all that destruction? Did Superman just shamelessly lie?
"That's nonsense! My teammates, all those people—you killed them!" Manchester Black screamed.
"No, we're all fine." Lois stepped forward, the rescued bystanders right behind her.
"??" Manchester Black was completely lost. He couldn't understand what was happening.
"I just wanted everyone to see how easy it is to cross the line. But also how terrible the consequences would be if I became a killer," Superman said. "Not everything needs to be solved with death. Laws exist for a reason, and I will always stick to my principles."
"Impossible! You killed my teammates on the Moon. I saw you do it!" Manchester Black still couldn't believe it.
"I have great friends. Thanks to them, we got Bunny's help and earned his trust. We teleported to the Moon and secured your two teammates safely. They're probably ready to join you in prison right now."
Manchester Black finally understood. Superman could've finished him easily but had instead let himself get beaten up on the Moon to buy time. Now Manchester Black had nothing—no powers, no spaceship, nothing. "No—!"
His desperate scream echoed through Metropolis.
Superman hadn't changed after all. The Church of Superman members were disappointed; they'd have to find another way to turn him into a god. But the raw power Superman displayed today still thrilled them. He was undeniably godlike. They wouldn't give up—they'd make him a god someday.
Residents, having seen Superman's true might, were too scared to go near him. But that was expected. Kaitou Kid had warned him it would happen, and Superman didn't care.
Bunny teleported the entire Justice League to the Arctic, bringing the Elite incident to a close.