"When gods forget humility, only the mighty may remind them."
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The Watchtower Convenes
The Watchtower hung silent over Earth's curve — a silver ring glinting faintly in the sunlight, cradled in orbit above the blue sphere below.
Inside, the League gathered in uneasy silence.
The broadcast from Zod had shaken the world.
The ultimatum was clear: surrender Kal-El or face annihilation.
Diana stood near the holographic display of the Earth, her expression grim. "Zod's forces are already moving through the atmosphere. His ship is massive — nearly a city in itself."
Batman, standing with arms crossed, replied, "He's not bluffing. Every military satellite confirms an energy signature matching Kryptonian tech. If we don't act, the planet's defenses won't matter."
Arthur, leaning against a wall, scowled. "Atlantis just rebuilt half its armies. They're ready, but we won't last long against this kind of power."
Barry fidgeted. "So we're just… gonna let Clark surrender?"
The room fell silent — until King spoke. He wasn't seated with them as he wasn't part of their team. He was an observer and by choice.
"He will not surrender." King said, his voice resonating through the chamber like the echo of a world's heartbeat. "He will go. There is a difference."
Superman, seated quietly, lifted his head. "He's right. If Zod wants me, he'll get me. But not this planet."
Batman's eyes narrowed beneath his cowl. "You think you can reason with him?"
Superman looked to King — and there was no hesitation in his voice when he said, "Not alone. That's why he's coming with me."
The League turned toward King.
He stood motionless, arms folded behind his back, eyes like dying stars — not glowing, but dense with silent gravity.
"I do not speak Kryptonian diplomacy." King said evenly. "But I understand power… and how it collapses when it forgets mercy."
There was no argument.
Not even from Batman.
The Goodbye
At the military base outside Metropolis, the night air was heavy with static. Floodlights illuminated the makeshift landing zone where Zod's emissary had ordered Superman to appear.
Lois Lane stood beside Clark, her eyes wet but fierce.
."You don't have to do this." She whispered.
Clark smiled softly, brushing a thumb across her cheek. "If I don't, people die. You know that."
She swallowed hard. "I know. I just…"
Her voice cracked. "You always want to save everyone — but who saves you?"
A deep hum filled the air as King approached — his presence distorting the very stillness of the night.
He stood beside Clark, the faint light of the stars reflecting off his coat, every movement measured, inevitable.
Lois looked up at him — half in awe, half in fear.
"You're going with him?"
King nodded once. "Where the son of El walks into the lion's den, it is only fitting a hunter walks beside him."
She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Then promise me something… keep him safe. Please."
King regarded her quietly — then inclined his head.
"By the might of my fist" King said solemnly, "no harm shall befall him while I draw breath."
Lois stared, uncertain of the weight behind the words — but something in the way he said them made her believe.
Clark smiled faintly. "He means it, Lois."
"I know." She whispered, tears breaking free. "And that's what assures me."
The night trembled.
A ripple in the air heralded the arrival of Zod's Black Zero ship descending through the clouds like a shadow devouring the moon.
Superman exhaled. "Time to go."
King's gaze lifted to the sky. "Then let them learn what true gravity feels like."
The Kryptonian Arrogance
They ascended in a beam of light.
The cold metallic corridors of the Black Zero stretched endlessly — a cathedral of alien perfection.
Zod's soldiers lined the halls in immaculate formation, their dark armor glinting beneath harsh lights.
Superman's hands were bound in energy cuffs, but King walked beside him — unbound, unarmed, uninvited.
And yet, untouched.
As they entered the main chamber, General Zod awaited them. His cape hung low, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Kal-El," He said, voice heavy with restrained anger. "You've brought company."
King stepped forward before Clark could speak. "The kind that does not ask permission."
Zod's jaw tightened. "You presume much, stranger. Do you know who you stand before?"
King's eyes glowed faintly now — not bright, but deep, as though the universe itself stared back.
"A soldier," King said simply. "One who has forgotten the line between duty and destruction."
Zod's lieutenants shifted, hands twitching toward their weapons.
"Restrain him." Zod ordered coldly.
Two Kryptonian guards moved forward — and reality seemed to bend.
The King Engine roared once — an inaudible pulse that reverberated through every atom. The deck trembled. Metal wept.
The two guards froze mid-step — their armor crumpling like paper, not shattered, but compressed under invisible pressure until even their oxygen crystallized.
They collapsed silently.
Zod's eyes widened.
Every soldier in the chamber took a step back.
King didn't move — his hands still clasped behind him.
"You may have crossed galaxies, General." He said calmly, "but you have yet to understand weight."
Zod's fury wavered beneath a flicker of something else — something he hadn't felt in decades.
Fear.
Superman turned his head slightly. "You didn't have to—"
"Yes," King interrupted. "I did. Their pride would not hear otherwise."
Zod composed himself, stepping forward with a forced smile. "Impressive. But know this — you are on my ship, under my command."
King's gaze sharpened — a blade behind stillness.
"Incorrect." He took one deliberate step forward. The lights above flickered and the ship's stabilizers groaned. "You are standing within my tolerance."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Even the hum of the ship's engines faltered, as though the King Engine had bent its vibration out of existence.
Superman looked between them — the soldier and the sovereign of strength — knowing that a single wrong word could erase the ship from time itself.
Finally, Zod exhaled, forcing his anger down.
"Very well," He said quietly. "Let us talk."
King nodded once, the storm settling. "Then let us speak as remnants of dying worlds… before you force me to prove how one ends."
There will be an one week hiatus on the story.
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