[Third Person Pov]
Clark was soaring high above the vast ocean, the roaring wind tugging at his sweater as the waves rolled endlessly beneath him. The horizon stretched on forever, but ahead of him the faint glimmer of ice and crystal began to pierce through the haze — the Fortress of Solitude.
He slowed his flight as he approached, the cold biting against his face. The familiar jagged spires of alien crystal reached skyward, catching the light of the sun and scattering it into a thousand shimmering fragments. Even from the outside, he could already tell that something was… off.
"I take it Lala and Momo are still inside?" Clark asked as his boots touched down, his tone half weary and half amused.
"Yes," Sol's mechanical voice echoed smoothly. "And I must say, Princess Lala has proven herself to be an efficient, if somewhat reckless, engineer. When you enter, you might not even recognize your own fortress anymore."
The doors slid open with a deep hum carrying the sound of a voice.
"Ahhhh!! Lala, what's the matter with you?!" Momo's voice shrieked from within, echoing through the corridors.
"I'm sorry!! I just wanted to help Clark with his training!!" Lala's panicked response followed, a mix of regret and fear.
Clark blinked. He stepped inside — and froze. The once cold, sterile beauty of the fortress had transformed completely. The halls were wider, deeper, alive with energy. Light refracted through newly formed crystal pillars, scattering like radiant rainbows across the floor. Alien technology pulsed faintly in the walls, and faint mist swirled around his feet.
"Okay… definitely not how I left it," Clark muttered.
Then, in the next instant, his figure blurred into a streak as he darted through the fortress, using his enhanced hearing to track the chaos. He followed the frantic voices echoing through the halls until—
He burst into a massive chamber and stopped cold.
The entire environment had changed again. The polished crystal interior had been replaced by a vast, barren landscape of jagged stone and black rock, as if he'd flown straight into another planet. The air shimmered with heat, the ground cracked with energy veins that glowed an eerie red. Towering boulders and spires surrounded him, and far ahead, Lala and Momo stood back-to-back, cornered.
But it wasn't by any ordinary foes.
Massive mantis-like creatures made entirely of gleaming obsidian stalked toward them, their movements unnervingly smooth and deliberate. Each one stood three stories tall. The upper body resembled a mantis with razor-edged claws, but their lower halves were like that of massive arachnids, legs digging into the rocky terrain with a shrill screech.
Momo let out a cry, summoning her spiritual energy — green light erupted from her hands, forming tendrils that gripped a massive boulder. She hurled it with impressive strength at the nearest creature.
The attack connected— but only for a second.
With a casual swipe of its claws, the monster sliced the boulder clean in half, the pieces exploding into dust and shards that rained across the rocky field. The creature then lunged, one claw descending toward them like a guillotine.
Clark appeared between them in a blur, his hands snapping up to catch the massive obsidian scythe.
"The hell—?!" he grunted as his knees bent under the crushing pressure. The ground beneath him cracked, fracturing outward in a wave as dust and shards exploded from the force.
"What the hell is going on?!" he shouted through gritted teeth, muscles straining as he pushed back against the alien monstrosity.
With a roar, he twisted and threw the claw aside, propelling himself into the air. The moment the creature staggered, Clark shot forward and smashed both fists together, slamming them across with a thunderous boom that shattered the sound barrier. The impact sent shockwaves across the landscape, cracking the creature's obsidian shell and hurling it backward.
It crashed against a nearby mountain, breaking it apart in a cascade of rubble and stone — but when the dust settled, the creature rose again, barely fazed.
"It's all Lala's fault!" Momo shouted as she narrowly dodged another swipe. "She said she was building a training simulation for you — but she made it too realistic!"
"I was only trying to help!" Lala cried defensively, ducking behind a rock. "I thought the Natural Predators from my home world would be perfect sparring partners! They're strong enough to train Devilukean elites — even my father uses them to test his soldiers!"
Clark gave her an incredulous look, his patience slipping. "For Christ's sake, Lala!"
He darted back into the fray as another creature lunged at him. In a burst of light, his civilian clothes dissolved into red sand that swirled around his body and solidified into his Superman suit.
With renewed focus, he unleashed his ice breath, encasing the creatures in layers of frost. The air turned frigid as their obsidian forms glistened under the ice — but only for a moment. Cracks formed, and with a violent shudder, they shattered free, roaring in defiance.
One of them struck Clark mid-air, sending him crashing into the ground. The impact left a crater and sent tremors through the simulated earth.
A heartbeat later, the ground erupted. Clark rose again, brushing debris off his shoulders as his eyes glowed faintly red. He turned sharply toward Lala, his patience all but gone.
"Lala…" he said, his tone dangerously calm. "How do I shut this thing off?"
"Um… about that…" Lala said softly, pressing her index fingers together with a sheepish smile and guilty eyes.
Clark's expression darkened. "Lala…"
"You can't," Momo grumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I already asked her that. Apparently the only way to end this simulation is to complete the event."
"Of course it is," Clark muttered under his breath, his patience waning.
Before he could say more, one of the obsidian mantis-creatures lunged from above, its massive scythe slamming down like a falling meteor. Clark blurred into motion, appearing in front of Lala with his arms crossed above his head, catching the strike mid-air.
The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, fracturing the earth beneath his boots. His knees buckled slightly, the immense weight forcing him down to one knee. The pressure from the creature's blow was enough to make the air itself vibrate.
"Lala…" Clark growled through clenched teeth, "what's this thing's weakness?!"
"Its eyes!" Lala shouted quickly, panic rising in her tone. "They're the only parts not protected by the armor!"
"Got it…" Clark exhaled sharply. "Stand back."
Supporting the scythe with one hand, he slammed his other fist into the ground. The impact sent a concussive shockwave bursting outward, turning the earth beneath them into a chaotic wave of broken stone. The monsters staggered, screeching as they were thrown off balance by the rippling terrain.
Clark stood, rolling his shoulders as he reached behind him and grabbed the back of his cape. "Alright… let's finish this."
He tore it free, and the red nanite fabric dissolved into shimmering particles that swirled around his arm before solidifying into a massive greatsword. The blade blazed crimson, veins of molten light running through its edge like living fire. The hilt gleamed pure white, engraved with the insignia of the House of El at its core, glowing with inner heat.
Lala's mouth fell open slightly, both in awe and guilt.
"Lala," Clark said without looking back, his voice low and edged with restrained frustration, "when I'm done with this… you're going to be in so much trouble."
Lala winced and lowered her head.
Then he was gone.
A streak of white and red shot forward, leaving a fiery trail behind. The air crackled with sonic booms as Clark reappeared among the creatures, moving too fast for the eye to follow. Sparks ignited with every parried blow, scythes clashing against his sword in blinding flashes of heat and energy.
Every swing of his weapon left behind arcs of crimson fire, cutting through the smoke-filled air. One creature lunged, and Clark twisted mid-flight, parrying its claw aside and thrusting his greatsword directly into its eye.
The strike pierced through armor and skull alike. A burst of violet ichor splattered across Clark's suit, sizzling where it met the heat of his weapon. The creature let out an ear-splitting shriek, its body convulsing violently. The sword burned brighter, molten light crawling up the blade until it erupted from a swing and in a fiery surge bisected the creature's head entirely.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the entire monster — along with the blood coating Clark — dissolved into a storm of glowing blue pixels before fading into data streams that vanished into the air.
Clark didn't have time to celebrate.
More of the obsidian creatures were already advancing the more Clark defeated them, their movements sharper, faster. Their claws slashed with uncanny precision, perfectly timed to intercept his attacks. Clark deflected one, then another, only to find the third anticipating his parry.
He darted backward, deflecting blade after blade. "Lala! Why the hell are they getting harder to beat?!"
The Princess of Deviluke flinched, her pink hair bouncing as she shouted back, "Because it's training! The simulation adapts to your fighting style! The more you defeat, the more it learns how you move, how you strike — it analyzes everything to make you stronger!" Her voice broke slightly. "Otherwise it wouldn't be called training!"
Clark's eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's just great."
He swung again, sparks exploding as his sword locked against a pair of scythes in a deadlock. The monsters pushed, their combined force sending vibrations up his arms.
"Momo!" he shouted over his shoulder, struggling to keep his footing in the air. "Did I not tell you to keep a close eye on her?!"
"Don't blame this on me!" Momo yelled back indignantly, ducking as debris flew overhead. "How was I supposed to know it would turn into this?!"
Clark grit his teeth, pushed forward with a roar, and unleashed a burst of strength that sent both creatures staggering backward. His sword flared with molten light as he spun mid-air, slicing through both of their eyes in one blazing motion. Twin trails of fire and lava seared through the air as the monsters screamed and burst apart into digital shards.
The air was left trembling with heat and smoke. Clark hovered, taking deep breaths, his sword dripping with molten residue.
And yet, more shadows were already forming around them — hundreds of red eyes flickering into view across the landscape.
Clark sighed, rolling his neck with a grim smirk. "You know what, Lala? Next time you want to help me train… just buy me a punching bag."
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