"Hey! Stop!"
The shout echoed through the quiet night as Lex Luthor stepped out of his sleek Ferrari, his polished shoes crunching against the gravel path leading through the Kent farm
He had barely walked a few steps before the familiar, gruff voice made him pause
Lex sighed softly, straightened his coat, and turned to face Jonathan Kent
The farmer stood under the pale beam of his flashlight, a shotgun leveled firmly in his hands
His expression was wary, protective — the look of a man who had seen trouble before
"This is private property, Lex
You can't trespass here"
The name, carried on Jonathan's rough tone, made Lex's brows lift slightly
Recognition flickered between them
Seeing the younger Luthor in the glow of the flashlight eased Jonathan's tension, though not entirely
He lowered the shotgun, frowning
"Especially not at this hour," Jonathan continued, voice stern
"Anyone walking around a farm in the middle of the night looks suspicious"
Lex gave a disarming smile
"Admittedly, the timing isn't ideal"
He raised a hand, showing a folded telescope tripod
"But I've recently taken an interest in stargazing
I'm with the American Dark Sky Association
The fewer lights, the clearer the heavens — I assure you, it's an innocent hobby"
Jonathan's frown deepened
"Mr. Luthor, I've never heard of any 'Dark Sky Association members,' and this isn't some observatory
This is private land
If you want to stare at stars, you can do it from your mansion"
Lex's polite façade didn't waver
"As far as I know," he said smoothly
"this area isn't entirely Kent Farm property
Unused acreage is shared between the town of Smallville and the farm
So technically, I'm not trespassing"
Jonathan took a step forward, closing the distance between them
"So what exactly are you trying to say, Lex?"
"What I'm saying," Lex replied calmly
"is that even if we don't see eye to eye, it's best to follow the rules
That way, neither of us ends up looking unreasonable"
Jonathan's jaw tightened
"You're right
And according to those rules…"
He raised his shotgun slightly
"…you're not welcome here"
Lex exhaled softly, giving a faint chuckle
"So we're ending the discussion early?"
"It seems so"
"Alright then, Mr. Kent," Lex said, his tone light but his eyes calculating
"I suppose our negotiations are still in the trust-building phase"
He turned as if to leave
Jonathan's shoulders relaxed — but in the blink of an eye, Lex darted into the nearby bushes
"Hey!" Jonathan barked, startled, then cursed under his breath
"That lying snake!"
Fury flared in his chest as he pushed through the thorns, chasing after Lex
He couldn't risk Lex Luthor stumbling across something he shouldn't — something about his sons
Meanwhile, miles away, Adrian soared across the night sky
He had already restrained Supergirl Kara with a containment method only he could use, and now his focus shifted toward Clark's location — a blur of motion and energy visible even from the clouds
Below, the scene was chaos
Green Lantern and Wonder Woman had Clark cornered
The ground trembled from every impact
"Round two, kid!" Hal Jordan shouted, his Green Lantern Ring flaring with emerald light
Chains of pure willpower lashed forward, striking Clark square in the chest and hurling him across the field
Clark groaned, rolling through the dirt before springing back to his feet
The chains came again, clattering through the air like steel serpents
He braced himself, fists clenched, shattering several links with raw force — only for more to form in their place
One chain slammed into his torso, glowing bright green, sending him flying backward
Hal pressed the attack, manipulating his ring to unleash a barrage of chain strikes that pummeled Clark through the air
"Ugh!
Ugh!" Clark gritted his teeth through the blows before slamming hard into the ground, forming a crater in the soil
The chains wound tightly around him, binding him in glowing restraint
Hal smirked — until he noticed Clark's torn pants revealing bright yellow underwear
He hesitated, disgust flashing across his face
The chains loosened just enough
With a roar, Clark broke free, the sound of shattering energy echoing across the battlefield
"Hal, watch out!" Wonder Woman shouted
Clark vanished in a blur and reappeared right in front of the Green Lantern
His punch connected, launching Hal through the air like a rag doll
As Hal crashed down, his mind briefly caught on a single absurd thought — maybe he really was cursed by the color yellow
Wonder Woman didn't waste time
She charged forward with a fierce cry, her twin blades glowing with divine energy
But before she could strike, a crimson beam sliced across the battlefield, forcing her to leap back
The ground split apart where she'd stood moments earlier
Descending from the clouds came Adrian
His eyes glowed faintly red as he slowed to a hover, landing between the two combatants
Wonder Woman quickly retracted her swords and threw her Lasso of Truth toward him, golden light spiraling
Adrian adjusted his flight midair, dodging effortlessly
Then he shot downward, fist raised
"Brace yourself!" Hal shouted, creating a Green Lantern barrier just in time
Adrian's punch struck it, releasing a thunderous shockwave that sent dust and debris exploding outward
As the air cleared, Adrian hovered above the cracked ground while Hal and Diana landed together, wary and defensive
Seeing no immediate aggression, Adrian lowered himself beside Clark, who was brushing off dirt
"You okay?" Adrian asked
"I'm fine," Clark replied, voice steady though his face was bruised
It was rare for him to fight someone without holding back — and he enjoyed it more than he'd admit
Adrian's brow quirked
"So, Clark, I mentioned earlier that yellow weakens Green Lanterns
Did you… take off your pants just to 'go yellow' on him?"
Clark's eyes widened
"No!
I just happened to be wearing yellow underwear, and he tore my pants!"
Adrian's skeptical look didn't fade
Clark sighed
"You don't believe me, do you?"
Silence stretched for a moment before Adrian turned to Hal and Diana
"If I asked why you're here, you wouldn't tell me, would you?"
Hal lowered his barrier and shrugged
"You just need to know we mean no harm
We're not here to fight
As for that girl—"
He gestured toward Dana, lying a few feet away, protected within a green energy dome
"Her parents are gone
She's suffered enough
This ends tonight"
Adrian's tone hardened
"That's your idea of justice?
Convenient"
Hal's gaze didn't waver
"I'm not a superhero, Adrian
I'm law enforcement — intergalactic law enforcement
People aren't defined by their words, only by what they do
But if you're looking for the real hero, she's right beside me"
He nodded toward Wonder Woman
Both brothers turned their attention to her — and froze
In the heat of battle, the Olympian coin that usually rested on her chest had come loose and fallen away, revealing a patch of smooth skin — and a bold signature inked across it: Homelander
For a second, no one spoke
Adrian blinked
"Did… I do that?"
Clark covered his face
Hal just stood there, caught between disbelief and awkward silence
The tension was almost comedic
Almost
And above them, the Kansas night sky shimmered with scattered starlight, as if quietly watching the chaos unfold below
____
Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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