"Is he dead?" The salesmen stared at Martian Manhunter's lifeless green body, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood. Despite their professional training—agents specifically groomed by Lex Luthor—the sight of an alien, even a dead one, still made them uneasy.
Although these men were well-trained, they hesitated when dealing with Martian Manhunter, unsure whether the alien was truly dead or merely incapacitated. They were on edge, especially with someone as formidable as Martian Manhunter, even in death.
"You so-called extraordinary beings are always too confident in your abilities," Lex Luthor's mocking voice rang out once again through the communication device. His words were dripping with disdain.
"No, confidence doesn't even begin to describe it. You always think your powers place you far above humanity, but you never understand the true potential of the human race!"
"Martian Manhunter, you never imagined that a species whose minds you could read at will would one day discover your weakness and kill you, did you? But don't worry, death isn't your end. A new chapter of life awaits you! Now, dismember him!"
"Huh?" The salesmen were taken aback by Lex Luthor's command. They were professionals when it came to killing, but dismembering a body, especially an alien one, was not something they were familiar with.
"What are you waiting for? Get moving!" Lex Luthor's voice grew impatient, causing the salesmen to flinch.
"Yes, we'll start dismembering right away!" They didn't dare hesitate any longer. Afraid of what might happen if they delayed, they immediately set to work, cutting Martian Manhunter's body into pieces.
Martian Manhunter appeared truly dead. Even in the face of such brutal treatment, there was no reaction from his body. Perhaps the flames around him hadn't yet gone out, preventing him from using his powers even if he had survived by some miracle.
"Load the body and the flames into the truck, then send someone to take it to my other base. I'll give you directions!" Lex Luthor's next command came swiftly, and the salesmen obeyed without hesitation. They loaded Martian Manhunter's dismembered remains and the remnants of the fire into the truck, preparing to transport them to another of Luthor's secret bases.
Meanwhile, the Space Stone and the Kent couple remained at the current base, untouched. Notably, once Martian Manhunter's remains were loaded into the truck, a new compartment—lined with lead—was raised inside, making the truck impossible to see through. If Clark had been paying attention to this vehicle, he would have noticed the difference, but at this point, he was unaware of the danger.
Yes, this truck had always had a lead compartment, though Lex Luthor hadn't used it earlier. After all, if he'd activated it prematurely, how would he have baited Clark using the Kent couple?
Furthermore, the traps and devices spread across Lex Luthor's various bases, as well as the mechanisms inside the truck, were known only to him. The salesmen were mere puppets, following Luthor's remote instructions without any knowledge of his true identity or broader plans.
As Martian Manhunter's body was transported away, Kara finally flew back to Earth from near the sun, having rushed back upon hearing that the Kents were in danger. Though she was fast, Martian Manhunter had reached Earth sooner.
Upon returning to Earth, Kara frantically searched for the Kents. When she didn't find them immediately, she contacted the Avengers while continuing her search.
"Wasn't Martian Manhunter already there? J.A.R.V.I.S., can you reach him and have him provide coordinates to Kara?" Tony Stark, frowning, gave the order to his AI assistant.
"Apologies, sir, I cannot locate Martian Manhunter. He's gone dark," J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly responded, causing Tony's face to shift in concern.
"Martian Manhunter is missing? Could there be another powerful foe? Have you contacted the Saiyans? If not, call Baron Mordo!" Tony's pupils contracted as he issued a series of commands.
"Martian Manhunter is missing?" Clark, in the middle of battling the Kryptonian monster, overheard Tony's words. Distracted, he was immediately struck and sent flying by the creature.
Though Clark didn't immediately rush back to the fight, he began circling the monster at high speed, attempting to pinpoint the location of his parents.
However, because the truck now had a lead compartment, Clark couldn't track Martian Manhunter's dismembered body. Confused by Martian Manhunter's disappearance, Clark quickly informed Kara of where his parents were last located.
"Wait!" As Clark was once again struck by the monster and sent flying, he noticed something strange—the pool of Martian Manhunter's blood in the secret base. His alertness immediately heightened, and he urgently called out to Kara, "Something's wrong! Don't go there yet. Wait for Robert to arrive!"
Meanwhile, Robert hadn't received any of Tony's messages because he was still enveloped in the Reality Stone's power, cut off from outside communication.
Baron Mordo, following Tony's orders, arrived at Robert's secluded training house, but he too was blocked by the crimson energy flows surrounding the house, unable to get close. Mordo resorted to shouting at the top of his lungs from outside the barrier.
"I'll check on them first! Clark, focus on your fight!" Kara had initially planned to wait for Robert after hearing Clark's warning.
However, when she saw Clark coughing up blood after being struck by the Kryptonian monster, Kara knew she couldn't waste any more time. She had to rescue the Kents and get them to a safe, remote island so that Robert could focus on helping Clark with the Kryptonian monster when he returned.
With a swoosh, Kara disappeared in a flash, racing toward the secret base. By now, her powers had reached their peak—far stronger and faster than before. In the blink of an eye, she burst into the base.
Unlike Martian Manhunter, who had phased through the walls, Kara had no such ability. She simply smashed through the wall with brute force.
"What was that?!" The salesmen were startled by the loud crash and immediately aimed their energy weapons at the source of the noise. But before they could even react, Kara's heat vision sliced through their bodies, reducing them to ashes without leaving a trace.
This wasn't because of any influence from Robert. Even before meeting him, Kara had never been particularly merciful to those who threatened her loved ones. When Alex had been kidnapped, she had ruthlessly killed the agents responsible, showing no leniency.
Now, these people had crossed a line by kidnapping the Kents, who, in Kara's mind, were as important as her own parents, the Danvers.
"Martha! Jonathan! Wake up!" After quickly dispatching the salesmen, Kara rushed to the Kents' side, desperately trying to wake them up so they could leave the base.
"Click!" At that moment, Kara heard a faint noise and immediately tensed, her gaze darting toward the sound. A green light shot toward her, enveloping her body.
With a hum, Kara's entire body shuddered, and she slumped to the ground, her expression filled with confusion and disorientation. For the first time, she felt an overwhelming weakness, as if her mind had slowed down.
"Is this the method they use to weaken Clark? It seems to affect me too... or perhaps this is a weakness all Kryptonians share," Kara mumbled in a daze, her body and mind struggling to function.
This was the first time Kara had ever felt so powerless. She had never imagined herself becoming this weak. Was this how fragile humans truly were?
"Saiyan! Your family has been taken!" Meanwhile, outside Robert's training house, Baron Mordo continued shouting, but the crimson energy blocked his voice from reaching Robert's ears.
At the same time, in a secluded corner of Kamar-Taj, there was a sigh, and the Reality Stone's energy began to recede, condensing back into a swirling liquid stone.
"Huh? What?" Robert, still attuned to the Reality Stone's power, was suddenly startled. Just then, Baron Mordo's voice pierced through his mind, and upon hearing the news, Robert's face darkened. In an instant, he smashed through the walls of his house, appearing before Mordo. "Where? Take me there now!"
With a hiss, Mordo opened a portal and quickly sent Robert to Lex Luthor's secret base.
"Kara? What's going on? And what happened to Martha and Jonathan?" Robert was momentarily stunned upon seeing Kara slumped on the ground.
In Robert's perception, there were no enemies nearby. Even the glowing Kryptonite lacked any significant energy. Robert couldn't understand how something so seemingly insignificant had rendered Kara so weak and helpless.
"Robert, I've been training hard, but this green light... I don't know what it is. Under its glow, I lose all my strength. It's like Kryptonite is our weakness," Kara explained, feeling a mix of relief and frustration as she saw Robert arrive.
Kara wasn't lying. She knew Robert had been using the Reality Stone to enhance his strength, so she hadn't wanted to disturb him. She had even flown near the sun to push her limits, enduring the painful effects of solar radiation on her cells.
But all her hard work seemed meaningless in the face of this crisis, as Kryptonite completely nullified her strength. It left her feeling utterly defeated.
"Kryptonite? Does this affect Clark too?" Robert wondered aloud, gazing at the glowing green stone that seemed to be draining Kara's strength. His mind raced, trying to comprehend how something so small could weaken a Kryptonian so severely.
But before Robert could investigate further, his expression suddenly shifted. He sensed a familiar spatial energy engulfing him. In the blink of an eye, he realized he had no time to dodge. Acting on instinct, he threw out a burst of energy from his hand, trying to disrupt whatever was coming.
With a low hum, Kara's confused eyes widened as Robert's form was enveloped in a brilliant blue light. In the next moment, Robert vanished from the secret base, teleported away by the power of the Space Stone.
Not only did Robert disappear, but the fiery portal that Baron Mordo had opened behind him was also swallowed by the Space Stone's energy, leaving no trace of either.
The truth was, ever since Lex Luthor had acquired the Space Stone, his ultimate goal had been to use it against Robert—a being of immense power with no discernible weaknesses. Lana Lang had merely been a secondary target, a distraction while Luthor set his true plan in motion.
"Hahahaha!" Lex Luthor's triumphant laughter echoed throughout the base, transmitted through hidden speakers. His voice was filled with glee as he addressed Robert's absence. "Saiyan! You never saw this coming, did you? The very Space Stone that was stolen right under your nose—its entire purpose was to deal with you!"
"No matter how strong you are, no matter how terrifying your power is, my plan was flawless. Each and every step of my scheme, from the beginning, went exactly as I anticipated. You never stood a chance!"
"This is the power of human ingenuity, something you alien monsters will never understand. You thought you were invincible, but even beings like you can be outwitted by human intelligence!"
As Lex Luthor reveled in his success, his voice dripped with arrogance and satisfaction. Every move he had made had gone according to plan, and now, with Robert teleported away, all that remained was to eliminate Clark and complete his ultimate goal.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, in the midst of his celebration, a loud, shattering sound jolted Luthor out of his self-congratulatory reverie. The noise echoed ominously through the base, and Lex Luthor's laughter abruptly ceased as he realized something was wrong...
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