This time, the Kryptonian monster's recovery was significantly faster than when it had been in space. Whether it was because the creature's power had grown stronger or because Tony Stark hadn't completely obliterated its body, the massive beast once again crawled out of the crater. The injuries that had previously marred its body had completely vanished.
"It's different from before... Could it be that each time it dies, it evolves?" Tony Stark was sharp enough to notice the changes in the Kryptonian monster. He even went so far as to project three different forms of the creature.
The first form was how the monster appeared when it first arrived. Then, after Diana severed its arm with the Godkiller sword, a bone spike had grown in its place. Now, the creature had evolved once again, its body covered in barbed bone armor, making the already terrifying Kryptonian monster even more fearsome.
It was clear that after two energy-based attacks, the Kryptonian monster had evolved to better defend itself. Its first evolution enhanced its offensive capabilities, and now its second evolution fortified its defense. No matter what form it took, one thing was certain—the creature had become even more formidable and harder to defeat.
Roar! After leaping out of the crater, the monster let out a terrifying roar. Unlike its previous sonic attacks, this time, a deadly, lightning-like energy surged from its body, spreading out in all directions.
Boom! The ground shook as if the heavens were collapsing. Everything in the surrounding area was obliterated in an instant, whether it was the ruins of buildings or the once-solid ground beneath them.
Luckily, the battle had lasted long enough for everyone in the vicinity to be evacuated. The Avengers had also retreated when the Kryptonian monster fell to Earth, otherwise, they wouldn't have survived the explosion.
Buzz! Meanwhile, in the heart of Gotham, an energy shield rose into the air. Unlike the military or Tony Stark, who had focused on offensive technologies, Batman, much like Wakanda, relied on defensive measures. He had installed a protective energy barrier around Gotham's core areas.
But even with the shield, Gotham wasn't entirely safe. Outside the shield, large parts of the city were already destroyed, and the barrier itself wouldn't hold out for long.
Although the monster was still some distance away from Gotham, the shockwaves of its explosive energy rapidly drained the shield's power. Portions of the energy burst began wreaking havoc within Gotham.
Boom! Explosions rocked Gotham, killing countless civilians. While the city had been relatively spared during the Dark Event, it now faced even greater destruction, with more casualties than many places had suffered during the earlier crisis.
"Damn it!" Batman was furious when he saw the devastation in Gotham. Even though it wasn't him who had activated the city's defenses—Alfred had done that—Batman was too immersed in his role to think clearly.
Buzz! Without hesitation, Batman piloted the Batwing straight toward the Kryptonian monster. The weapons on his plane shifted, glowing with a familiar green light—kryptonite-based technology.
Meanwhile, Clark, Kara, Diana, and Tony Stark's newest armor were already charging toward the monster, enduring the relentless bombardment of its explosive energy.
There was no choice. If the monster wasn't stopped, not only would human civilization be wiped out, but Earth itself would face total annihilation.
Clark and Kara both took damage from the monster's energy blasts, while Diana, though under great pressure, remained relatively unharmed.
As for Tony, he didn't take any risks. After Clark warned him that his armor might not be able to protect him completely, Tony switched his suit to remote control mode, allowing the armor to fight on the front lines without putting himself in danger.
Tony's armor constantly broke apart and reassembled under the onslaught of energy. The special nanomaterials, though quickly depleted, managed to keep the suit operational long enough to reach the monster's side alongside Clark and the others.
Diana, unscathed and wielding her Godkiller sword, was the first to strike. Leaping into the air, she slashed at the monster's neck. But the creature reacted swiftly, retracting its explosive energy and raising a sharp bone spike to meet the sword.
Clang! The Godkiller sword collided with the bone spike. Though it had severed the monster's fist earlier, the sword now failed to cut through the spike.
It was clear that the creature's evolution was successful. At least for now, Diana's sword couldn't penetrate the monster's defense so long as it used its spikes to block.
However, Diana's attack had achieved one important thing—it forced the monster to stop releasing its destructive energy, sparing the Earth from further devastation.
Boom!
Boom!
While Diana grappled with the monster, Clark and Kara seized the opportunity to strike at its unarmored areas. Although their blows weren't as effective as they had hoped, they managed to push the creature back.
But as the monster was knocked backward, its bone armor began to shift, quickly covering the areas where Clark and Kara had attacked. Now fully encased in yellow bone armor, the creature looked even more menacing.
Then, the Kryptonian monster launched its counterattack. Though Diana had one of its arms locked in place, the other was free to swing at Clark and Kara.
On the ground, Clark and Kara couldn't afford to dodge recklessly. If the monster struck the ground too many times, it could cause catastrophic damage.
Bang! The monster's punch sent Clark and Kara flying, but they quickly regained control in mid-air and charged back toward the creature.
Buzz! At the same time, Diana realized she was struggling to hold back the monster with just her strength. She summoned her divine shield, which flew from her back and sliced through the monster's arm.
Crack! In the blink of an eye, the divine shield cut through the monster's bone armor, causing blood to pour from the wound. Though the bleeding quickly stopped and the wound began to heal, it was clear that the bone armor wasn't as strong as the bone spikes.
Part of this was because the monster hadn't been prepared. With its limited intelligence, it hadn't considered Diana's shield a threat, thinking it was only for defense, especially after it had blocked one of its kicks earlier.
But now it was clear—the divine shield was nearly as sharp as the Godkiller sword.
"How is this possible?" Clark was shocked. Despite Diana being weaker than both him and Kara, she had achieved far more in the fight. Not only had she helped knock the monster into space earlier, but now she was also the only one able to break through its defenses.
Diana's contribution far exceeded their own. Despite their best efforts, neither Clark nor Kara could break the monster's bone armor.
"Maybe we should try sending it into space again? This time, we'll knock it out of the solar system," Kara suggested hesitantly after her punch failed to damage the monster.
"I think that's a good—huh?!" Just as Clark was about to agree, he sensed something was wrong. Grabbing Kara's wrist, he threw her away from the fight.
Boom! At that moment, a barrage of kryptonite-powered attacks struck the monster, explosions lighting up the battlefield.
The next second, the green haze of kryptonite spread, engulfing the monster's body. As the creature weakened, Clark felt its effects too, his superhuman strength fading.
Once again, Clark's powers vanished, leaving him an ordinary man.
"This is our chance! Diana! Tony! The monster should be vulnerable to kryptonite too. Take this opportunity to kill it!" Clark shouted, struggling to stand despite his weakened state.
"Understood!" Tony's armor rushed into the green haze, disappearing from sight.
"Something's off…" Diana frowned, gripping her Godkiller sword in one hand and her divine shield in the other, her divine power illuminating the green fog as she probed the battlefield.
Crack! Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed as if something had been crushed.
Boom! Diana's pupils constricted as she instinctively raised her shield. But even with the shield, she was sent flying, crashing into the ground and leaving a massive crater in her wake.
"What?!" Clark's mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened. But in his weakened state, his thoughts were sluggish. By the time he realized what was going on, the yellow-armored Kryptonian monster had emerged from the green haze—grinning maliciously at Clark.
"No!" A deep sense of dread washed over Clark. He tried to retreat, but without his powers, he couldn't outrun the monster's speed.
Thud! In an instant, the monster's bone spike impaled Clark. He didn't even feel the pain at first. It wasn't until a cold, weakening sensation spread through his body that he realized he was dying.
"Clark!" Kara screamed in anguish from a distance, rushing toward him. But before she could reach him, her strength gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Kara! Don't come any closer!" Clark, his voice weak, still managed to speak. He waved at her feebly, his mouth filled with blood. His face was twisted in a bitter, regretful smile. "Now I understand why it was so hard for Kara and me to hurt you… You're not like us."
"Kryptonite weakens us, but it doesn't affect you. In fact, your very presence seems to drain our power, though not as much as kryptonite…"
"It's a shame… If you weren't immune to our strength, you wouldn't have lasted three moves against me... Ahhhh!"
Before Clark could finish speaking, a wave of agony surged through him as the monster slowly withdrew its bone spike from his body.
With a final scream of pain, Clark's
voice echoed across the battlefield as his life force began to fade…
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