Zod didn't feel well at all. The discomfort was eerily familiar—like the first time he arrived on Earth and struggled to adjust to the sun.
He suspected another ability was about to awaken.But that made no sense. He had already unlocked the full suite of Kryptonian powers… plus the psychic abilities Superman never had. Now there was another one?
"Zod, what's wrong?"
Urd saw his strained expression and thought he was ill.
"I'm fine. A bit of sunlight will fix it."
Zod brushed off her attempt to support him. He wasn't anywhere near that weak.
"Black Queen, begin monitoring my physical condition. I want every data point on these changes."
He stepped into the special sunlit chamber he'd prepared earlier. Bright sunlight poured across the room. Zod lay down on the bed, letting the golden radiance wash over him as he slipped into deep sleep.
The Black Queen immediately began scanning his body, recording the faintest shifts.
In his dream, Zod drifted as if suspended in amniotic fluid. Kryptonians were artificially grown; he had no concept of a mother's womb—yet the sensation was strangely fitting.
And his body evolved at a staggering pace.
By the time Zod resurfaced to consciousness, he already understood what new ability had awakened.
"…You've got to be kidding."
His lips curled upward. Of all things, this ability?
At this point, calling him humanoid vibranium might not even be an exaggeration.
His new power allowed him to absorb all forms of energy and convert them into his own—then release that energy at will.
Every attack used against him would only make him stronger.
He could absorb kinetic energy, thermal energy, electrical energy—everything—and permanently strengthen his body, his speed, his power.And he could project that energy outward in any form he wished: heat, kinetic blasts, electricity, wind, and more. A third avenue of energy projection, beyond heat vision and freeze breath.
A Kryptonian's steel physiology and bio-force field already made Zod immune to conventional physical attacks. With energy absorption layered on top, no one could so much as bruise him—even if he stood still.
And with his psychic abilities guarding his mind, mental manipulation wasn't a threat either.The only forces left worth worrying about were the mystical ones.
"Marvel's sun really does push Kryptonians to ridiculous heights… At this point, I'm not far behind the Super Kryptonian—H'el. Not quite as strong in raw power, but still."
Zod allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He deserved the title "Super Kryptonian" now.
Whether more powers would awaken eventually, he didn't know. But this one alone gave him something he'd been waiting for—enough raw strength to break free of Earth's gravity well.
Zod had wanted to do this for ages.
Without hesitation, he blasted skyward, ordering the Black Queen to erase all traces of his departure—blocking satellites, scrubbing sensors, the usual housekeeping.
The shockwaves of his flight slammed into him, only to be absorbed as kinetic energy. He used it to reinforce his body.
The heat from breaking the sound barrier? Also absorbed. No trouble at all.
Moments later, he pierced through the atmosphere and rose into the starry void.
Space's "vacuum" wasn't the same as humanity's pristine, gas-free definition. The universe was full of lethal radiation and dust—but to Zod, with his new absorption ability, cosmic radiation was nothing more than nourishing fuel.
He dismissed his bio-field and let his bare skin face the vacuum.
The sun bathed the North American hemisphere, flooding Zod with focused solar energy. He felt his body growing stronger at a speed he could almost see.
He wanted—badly—to fly closer to the sun.
But he restrained himself. He knew very well how Superman once died: flying too close to the sun, absorbing more energy than his body could process, leaving him with only twenty-four hours to live. Another one of Lex Luthor's schemes, of course.
So Zod stayed where he was, soaking in sunlight.
He didn't return to Earth until a hundred hours later.
BlazeTech Industries didn't panic over his days-long absence. Zod often vanished into his lab for extended periods; everyone assumed this was another one of those stretches.
Non-red sunlight was an incredible buff for Kryptonians, but it wasn't something you could continuously exploit for exponential gains. Zod had stayed outside so long only because of the new ability—now his body was energy-saturated and needed time to digest it.
"Sir, I've detected something unexpected."
The Black Queen spoke just as Zod finished adjusting a piece of equipment.
"What kind of unexpected?"
She projected a recording: a massive green figure smashing through a laboratory.
"Hulk."
Zod's eyes lit up. Judging by the footage, the Hulk had only just been born.
The Black Queen overlaid a map. The newly manifested Hulk, with a child's level of intellect, had retaliated only when attacked—then lost interest and fled. Thanks to Banner's subconscious influence, the creature avoided the city and instead bolted for the nearby wilderness.
Though Zod couldn't help but wonder how there was such a vast expanse of wilderness conveniently nearby.
Bruce Banner, meanwhile, had woken up. Torrential rain poured down as he lay there wearing nothing but shredded pants—his clothes long since torn apart by the transformation.
It didn't take him long to remember what had happened. Or the trouble that lay ahead.
Right then, someone appeared out of thin air.
With psychic teleportation, Zod only needed a glimpse of a location to jump there instantly. It cost a good chunk of psychic energy, but sunlight would fix that soon enough.
"Who are you?!"
Banner recoiled in shock. This was a world that had not yet seen a parade of superheroes or villains. Nick Fury had seen Carol Danvers, yes—but he wasn't exactly spreading that story around.So to Banner, Zod's sudden appearance was utterly impossible.
"Dr. Banner, I'm here to help you."
Zod smiled warmly—and privately wondered if he could punch the Hulk a few times while he was at it.
"Stay away from me! I don't need your help!"
Banner bolted. His emotions were fraying, panic rising, and he knew exactly what that triggered. Trusting a random stranger wasn't even an option.
Zod activated his x-ray vision.
Banner's heart rate was climbing.Adrenaline surging.Just a bit more stimulus—
The Hulk was about to break out.
/-\
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