A deafening boom ripped through the desert as the two warriors' attacks collided. The explosion unleashed a catastrophic shockwave, triggering an earthquake that rumbled across the barren landscape for miles in every direction.
"Goku," a calm, childlike voice echoed in his mind, "you need to take this seriously. Remember, I need a lot of energy. If you fail, our entire multiverse is lost forever—Vegeta, Whis, Chi-Chi… all gone."
"I know, Lord Zeno," Goku muttered under his breath. A fierce grin spread across his face. "Let's see just how far this new strength of mine can go."
Since emerging from that dark void, something had changed inside him. Goku clenched his fists, golden energy surging through his veins. Yellow lightning crackled wildly around his body as his ki erupted in a brilliant aura. Without hesitation, he charged straight at Superman.
*This monster doesn't get tired?* Superman thought, frustration mounting. *I'm going to break him—*
BAM!
Goku's fist slammed into Superman's face with devastating force. The Man of Steel rocketed backward, crashing into a distant mountain miles away. Half the peak shattered on impact, sending tons of rock tumbling down in a roaring avalanche.
*How…? When did he even hit me? I didn't see it coming.* Superman struggled to his feet amid the rubble, blood trickling from his lip.
HA-BAM!
In a blur too fast to track, Goku closed the gap instantly. His right fist drove into Superman's face again. The remaining mountain exploded outright, boulders and stone fragments hurtling in every direction like shrapnel.
"What happened to stopping me, Superman?" Goku taunted, grabbing the dazed hero by the collar with his left hand and hoisting him from the debris.
Blood poured from Superman's nose, staining his vision crimson. "I'm… still not… done," he growled through gritted teeth. With a surge of defiance, he seized Goku's head and delivered a thunderous headbutt.
The impact shook the ground for miles, cracks spiderwebbing across the desert floor.
"That's all you've got?" Goku laughed. He hurled Superman skyward, then blurred above him, grabbing the hero's leg and whipping him back down. Superman slammed into the earth with bone-jarring force, carving a massive crater that split the ground open like a gaping wound.
"Argh!" Superman groaned, his costume torn, body bruised and battered.
"This isn't even a fight anymore." Goku planted his foot on Superman's face, pressing down slowly until the hero's head began sinking into the cracked earth.
"ARRGHHHH!" Superman roared in pain and fury. His eyes flared crimson as he unleashed twin beams of searing heat vision straight at Goku's chest.
Goku casually reached out, grabbed Superman's head mid-attack, and flung him high into the air. In the same instant, he vanished and reappeared above, driving both fists down in a hammer blow that sent Superman plummeting back to the ground.
The earth trembled violently. A towering plume of dust and sand billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun.
Then… silence.
Goku hovered in mid-air, scanning the devastation below with a calm, almost curious expression.
Meanwhile, aboard the Watchtower…
"Wonder Woman, you're in no shape to fight that monster," Green Lantern warned, standing firmly in front of the teleporter. "And even if you were, you wouldn't win."
"Superman will die if we don't help him!" Diana snapped, her voice thick with urgency. "He's out there getting brutalized, and you expect me to just stand here and watch? Step aside, Lantern—or I'll cut my way through you."
She drew her sword and shield, eyes blazing.
"Are you both bloody stupid?" a familiar British voice cut in.
"Constantine!" Lantern barked. "Where the hell have you been?"
"So you'll block my path too?" Wonder Woman demanded, shifting into a battle stance.
"No," Constantine said, taking a long swig from his flask. "But that thing down there—Goku—would obliterate you the second you stepped onto the battlefield. He's leagues above us. Right now, he's toying with Superman using barely ten percent of his true power."
Lantern's ring flickered as his resolve wavered. "Damn it… Batman hired me to keep Earth safe. But if the planet wants to get destroyed, what can I do? Maybe it's time I headed back to the Corps."
"Don't lose hope just yet, mate," Constantine replied with a sly smile. "There's still a chance. Some… friends are on their way to help."
The trio turned toward the holographic monitor, eyes fixed on the dust-shrouded desert below—waiting for whatever was coming next.