With Alex's current level of strength, the bit of kryptonite on that spear provided him with little more than a drizzle of extra damage—hardly worth mentioning.
But the battle with Doomsday also made Alex realize something.
He'd been getting a little too complacent lately.
Even someone like him couldn't necessarily deal with every enemy perfectly.
Doomsday was the clearest example.
Although Alex hadn't gone all out against it, Doomsday's sheer toughness spoke for itself.
Under such circumstances, preparing one or two backup trump cards for emergencies was still very necessary.
"Luthor."
Superman softly uttered that name, then his body blurred—
Boom!—and vanished.
The next instant, Superman appeared inside his Kryptonian scout ship.
Looking around, Lex Luthor hadn't left at all. He was still standing inside the vessel.
And it was obvious he hadn't been idle.
While Superman and Alex were dealing with Doomsday, Luthor had been carrying out another operation.
At this very moment—
Before Lex Luthor stood a towering figure, radiating overwhelming pressure.
However, it wasn't a physical being, but a three-dimensional projection cast by the Kryptonian ship's AI.
Steppenwolf.
That's right.
The figure was none other than Steppenwolf.
"What is that…?"
Superman's attention was immediately drawn to the projection.
Even though he didn't recognize Steppenwolf—and even though it was only a hologram—Superman's expression tightened instantly.
He could tell.
That projection represented a powerful alien.
As for the three cubes floating beside Steppenwolf—since they were also just projections, Superman couldn't identify them either.
But instinctively, he felt that those things were anything but simple.
"Failing to kill you this time was my mistake. I didn't do well enough. I accept that."
Lex Luthor heard movement behind him and glanced at Superman, his face filled with resentment and hatred.
"But you—remember this."
"You were never a god."
"And you never will be."
Godhood was something Superman had never cared about.
That was merely humanity's excessive admiration—never something he claimed for himself.
Right now, all of Superman's focus was on the projection Luthor had summoned.
"Who is that?"
"What did you do?"
Superman stared at Luthor, his voice low and sharp.
"Hahahaha!"
Lex Luthor threw his head back and laughed wildly.
"You're afraid. You're scared! And that means you can be defeated!"
"No—if not for the Homelander, you would've already been defeated!"
"And damn that Homelander!"
At the mention of Alex, Lex's face twisted with hatred—borderline unhinged.
What Alex had done to him years ago was something Lex would never forget.
"I didn't do well enough this time."
"But next time, I will."
"Whether it's you—or the Homelander—both of you will be defeated!"
"I'm absolutely certain that day will come. And it won't be far off!"
Lex's laughter grew increasingly manic.
No one else knew what he had just witnessed—
A super-civilization that was in no way inferior to Krypton.
Apokolips.
Lex was convinced that if he could summon the warriors of that world, they would definitely be able to defeat Superman—
And defeat the Homelander.
Shhh—
At that moment, the projection of Steppenwolf before Lex began to dissipate, having lost its control source.
A squad of heavily armed soldiers burst into the ship.
Each of them raised semi-automatic rifles, aiming straight at Lex Luthor.
"Superman, we'll take it from here."
A man who looked like the squad leader spoke firmly to Superman.
Superman nodded, said nothing more, and lifted into the air, flying off.
He returned to Alex's side.
"When did you arrive in Metropolis?"
"No… when did you come to our world?"
Only now did Superman finally have the chance to properly greet Alex.
"Just got here. Things were getting a bit boring in my world, so I came over to yours to relax a bit."
Alex smiled at him.
"Thank God you got bored."
Superman laughed as well, sincerely thanking Alex.
"Thank you for saving Martha."
"Alright, I'll take that thanks."
Alex shrugged.
They exchanged a few more words before Superman waved goodbye and took off again.
General Lane was calling for him.
Obviously because of Doomsday—and Lex Luthor.
Yes—
Lois Lane's father.
Before leaving, Superman also invited Alex to come over to his house that evening.
Alex agreed without hesitation.
After Superman finished dealing with the aftermath and tidied things up back home, Alex soon arrived.
"Homelander, come on in!"
Clark personally came out to greet Alex, ushering him inside.
"Homelander, it really has been a long time."
Martha, busy in the kitchen, poked her head out and greeted Alex as well.
"Hey, Martha. Yeah—it's been a while. I went to a very distant place recently."
Alex smiled back at her.
Following Clark inside, dinner was already more or less ready.
They chatted and laughed while eating, the atmosphere warm and relaxed.
That went without saying.
"Luthor's situation worries me. I don't think this is over."
After dinner, Superman and Alex sat on the rooftop, the night wind blowing gently as Superman voiced his concerns.
"I saw some very disturbing things inside that ship."
That immediately piqued Alex's interest.
What could possibly make Superman this uneasy?
Could it be—
"Luthor discovered another civilization."
"A terrifying one out in the universe—Apokolips."
Before Alex even asked, Superman began explaining.
Before Alex arrived, Superman had already gone to the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic to ask Jor-El about that projection.
That's how he learned about Steppenwolf—
And Darkseid.
According to Jor-El, Apokolips had gone to war with Krypton multiple times in the past.
It was a world that matched Krypton in power across every aspect.
But now—
Krypton was gone.
And Apokolips still stood.
If Apokolips set its sights on Earth, the planet would have no chance of resisting.
Steppenwolf?
The Justice League storyline?
After hearing all this, Alex fell into deep thought.
With Superman still alive and well—not killed by Doomsday—the Mother Boxes wouldn't dare send out a signal to summon Steppenwolf.
Under these circumstances—
Would the Justice League storyline even happen at all?
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