A farmer packing some explosives? Sounds reasonable, right?
The deafening blast echoed across the farm, and Dio didn't dare look back.
He finally understood his father's courage.
It wasn't reckless charging into danger, but standing firm in front of those you love, even when you know the risks.
Gritting his teeth, Dio hooked his arm under Clark's. "Hang in there, big guy. We're getting outta here!"
Clark nodded weakly, letting some unknown force help him stumble toward the tractor.
His fingertips had an unnatural grayish-blue tint, each step draining what little strength he had left.
The metallic monster seemed to sense their plan, letting out a piercing screech as the kryptonite in its chest glowed brighter than ever.
Buzz!
A visible wave of green energy rippled outward, and Clark groaned, his knees buckling as he nearly collapsed.
"Clark!"
Dio shouted, he and the world itself desperately pulling Clark along as they staggered toward the tractor.
In the pouring rain, the green glow pulsed, lighting up the farm in eerie flashes.
Buzz!
"Ora!"
The monster let out a sound like tortured metal, and in that split second, Dio managed to drag Clark onto the tractor. His hands shook as he turned the key, the old engine roaring to life with a raspy growl.
The tractor lurched forward, its rumbling engine drowning out the monster's cries.
Dio couldn't help but glance back.
Star Platinum soared high, its fist crashing down on the monster's head with earth-shaking force.
And behind it, Lock stood, blood trickling from his mouth, but still smiling.
That smile seemed to say: Don't worry, son.
Your dad's always got your back.
"Hold on, hold on…" Dio muttered, gripping the steering wheel so hard it might snap as he watched Lock stand alone in the rain. "I'll be back, Dad."
The tractor roared into the storm, and behind it—
The monster's shrieks clashed with Star Platinum's battle cries, purple fist-shadows colliding with green radiation in a fierce showdown under the dark sky.
"Yare yare…"
"You're one persistent freak, aren't you?"
Lock stared down the monster, which seemed to lock eyes with him in return. He paused, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Star Platinum! The World!"
Time froze.
Raindrops hung in the air, lightning solidified into a stark white slash across the sky.
In this frozen world, only Star Platinum moved, a purple blur charging at the monster with impossible speed.
0.5 seconds!
Its purple fist carved a dazzling arc through the rain, slamming into the kryptonite in the monster's chest with a bone-rattling crack.
Lock wasn't an idiot. If he could stop time, why not aim for the weak spot?
"Ora!"
With that shout, time resumed.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the monster's body.
Metal fragments broke off, raining down like hail, shrinking the creature from over ten feet tall to just under seven in an instant.
Buzz!
The monster let out a screech like twisting metal, stumbling back and crashing into the barn's outer wall. The wooden structure collapsed instantly, splinters flying through the rain, a few grazing Lock's cheek and leaving thin streaks of blood.
But he didn't flinch, his eyes locked on the writhing, roaring figure.
"Roar!"
With a deafening bellow, the kryptonite in WXR9's chest flared with blinding green light.
The scattered metal shards flew back together like they were magnetized, forming dozens of razor-sharp tendrils that shot toward Lock like venomous snakes.
"Hmph!"
Lock snorted, a glint of disdain in his eyes.
The same trick twice?
"Star Platinum!"
The stand flashed into existence, its fists a blur of motion—
"Ora ora ora ora ora!"
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Amid the rolling thunder, the rain-soaked air exploded with the sharp cracks of shattering metal.
Every tendril that reached Star Platinum's purple whirlwind of punches burst into fragments, silver shards scattering like fireworks in the storm.
The broken metal hit the ground, writhing like living creatures, trying to reassemble.
"Pointless."
Lock stepped forward, pointing ahead as Star Platinum struck a fighting pose.
"A month ago, I blew you to bits…"
"And I can do it again!"
Buzz!
But before Lock could finish, the monster did something chilling.
It slowly raised its "arm."
The scattered metal fragments reformed in midair, shaping into a massive, jagged scythe.
Rainwater slid down the blade's edge.
Under the kryptonite's green glow, the weapon radiated a thick aura of death.
Lock narrowed his eyes.
Snap!
He flicked his wrist, pulling a military-grade detonator from his belt.
The World!
Star Platinum caught the detonator with precision and hurled it forward.
The fuse sparked, hissing in the rain.
Whoosh!
The detonator sliced through suspended raindrops, aimed straight for the kryptonite in the monster's chest.
Time resumed.
WXR9 raised its scythe to block, but Star Platinum switched tactics—
"Ora!"
A purple fist smashed into the scythe's joint, clearing a path for the detonator.
Boom!
The explosion lit up the night, fresh cracks splintering across the kryptonite.
The monster screeched, staggering back.
And Lock?
He pulled three more detonators from his belt, biting down on them to light the fuses, sparks flying in the downpour.
"A farmer with some explosives…"
"Pretty reasonable, right?"
Star Platinum's fists flew—
The left smashed through reforming metal tendrils.
The right jammed a detonator into a gap in the monster's joints.
"This is art. And art is…"
Spitting out the last lit fuse, Lock's eyes glinted with cold resolve.
"…an explosion!"
Boom!
A chain of white flashes turned the barn's ruins bright as day, metal fragments raining down like molten iron.
The rain had stopped at some point.
Moonlight slipped through gaps in the clouds, casting a silver band across the ground.
Lock lay sprawled in the mud, his brown curls matted with dirt and metal scraps, his chest heaving.
"Haha…"
Panting, he turned his head to the side.
A small puddle of silver liquid—barely an ounce—writhed like a dying creature, slowly shrinking.
The kryptonite shards had gone dark, their green glow snuffed out.
"All that chaos…" Lock chuckled hoarsely, "and it's just this little thing behind it all."
"Talk about…"
He raised an arm to shield his eyes, a tired smirk on his face. "…wild."
Come to think of it, those two boys were probably freaking out by now. Jonathan and Martha must be losing their minds.
Chuckling to himself, picturing the worried faces of his family, Lock had Star Platinum hoist him to his feet.
But as he stood—
Drip.
A droplet fell from the barn's broken eaves, splashing into the muddy puddle in front of him.
Then another. And another.
But Lock knew better.
Those weren't raindrops.
They were the sound of boots tapping lightly on wood.
They're here?
His muscles tensed, and despite the throbbing in his head, he commanded Star Platinum into a fighting stance.
"Easy, kid."
A raspy voice came from above.
Under the moonlight, a tall figure crouched on the barn's broken beam, the hem of his leather trench coat swaying in the night breeze. "That was some solid strategy."
The man had a cigarette dangling from his lips, his gray-white hair tied back in a short braid.
"Oh, and…"
He stood slowly, a faint sense of danger radiating from him.
"That force that pushed back the monster's scythe…"
"Was that telekinesis?"
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