Total Domination
After a round of fighting, Luke had a rough understanding of the Kryptonian soldiers' combat strength. They were powerful; even without the boost from a Yellow Sun, their physical qualities were far superior to Earthlings.
If he hadn't used the Green Flame mode, Luke wouldn't necessarily have been able to defeat a Kryptonian soldier one-on-one.
But things were different now. With the Phantom Armor at his disposal, he was practically invincible.
The black armor discharged a large amount of electricity. An invisible force field rippled outward, crackling as it went.
The blue light on the armor's surface deepened, taking on a faint purple hue. A tremendous pressure, like a tsunami, bore down on the surrounding area. If the previous Phantom 1 was a wolf, it was now a man-eating tiger.
Luke took a deep breath and said with detachment,
"It's time to end this, General."
The floor shook. A fierce draft rushed forward. Zod's expression changed drastically. He instinctively raised his fist. The next second, an unimaginable, agonizing pain shot through his arm.
CRACK!
Bone shattered. The iron fist, wrapped in blue electricity, grew enormous in his vision.
BANG!
The punch smashed through Zod's faceplate. The blue electric light immediately surged forth, piercing his brain and exiting the back of his head, creating a beam of red and blue light.
Zod's mind went blank, his consciousness shattered by the blow. His massive body flew backward like a ball struck by a train, crashing into the control panel before rolling to the floor, his fate unknown.
"General!"
Faora's face contorted. Her body became an afterimage, launching a jab straight at Luke's chest. She had realized that the blue ring on his chest was the armor's energy core.
"Worthy of an elite Kryptonian warrior, finding the Phantom 1's weakness so quickly. Too bad I'm not who I was before."
The Phantom 1, operating at full power, was beyond the scope of ordinary mecha, reaching a "Superman" level of performance. Faora's speed was terrifyingly fast, but to Luke, it was nothing special.
He raised his right hand to block the incoming jab. Faora instantly shifted her tactics. Using her right hand as a pivot, her body became a streaking snake. Her legs wrapped around Luke's waist, and she spun like a top to his back.
"Die!"
Her armguard ejected a metal blade, which she stabbed downward with full force. Just as the tip of the blade touched the back of his head, an iron hand, glowing with blue light, appeared and firmly grabbed the blade.
With a forceful twist.
BANG!
The blade snapped. Luke reversed his grip, grabbing the female Kryptonian's wrist, dragging her from his back, and pinning her to the floor.
The female Kryptonian was fast and incredibly explosive, but strength was her weakness. Under the iron grip of the Phantom 1, she was like a wildcat seized by the neck. She headbutted and kicked, exhausting every move in her repertoire, but she simply could not escape.
The ensuing scene was not pretty.
The three Kryptonian soldiers responsible for bomb disposal were frantic but helpless. They could only speed up, hoping to disarm the bombs before Faora was defeated, then collectively subdue the Earthling.
Unfortunately, their hopes were high, but reality was cruel.
Under the powerful greeting of Luke's large iron fist, Faora, who was known for her technique, soon stopped resisting, collapsing on the floor like a gutted fish.
Luke stepped away from her and faced the bomb disposal trio.
Zod's group had started with nine people. Six were now down, leaving only a third, and two of those were engineers.
Luke shook his head in exasperation, unsure how to describe them. To call them dense would be wrong, as each possessed exceptional skills. To call them foolish would be unfair, as they were incredibly loyal, diligently following orders even with their General incapacitated.
No, that's not right.
Luke pondered. Kryptonian soldiers weren't stupid. They acted this way because they couldn't afford to lose. They were like a rich man and a pauper at a gambling table. The rich man, worth millions, could afford to lose a few thousand without worry. The pauper, however, had to meticulously consider every chip, because if he lost, he lost everything.
Kryptonian survivors were few and far between. Each one bore the mission of rebuilding their civilization. They could lose a battle, but they couldn't die.
Having understood this, Luke sighed softly and snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
The three metal boxes exploded simultaneously. Blue plasma surged out. The nearby bomb disposal trio were struck hard. The plasma penetrated their combat suits, electrifying them until foam came out of their mouths, leaving them lying on the floor, convulsing.
Luke walked up to them and said apologetically,
"Sorry, I lied earlier. The bombs in those metal boxes were already removed by me."
The trio glared at Luke, their eyes wide with hatred, wishing they could tear him limb from limb.
That damned Earth native! Scoundrel! Liar!
Luke shrugged and spoke toward the doorway,
"Come on out, stop watching."
A gray head poked out—it was A.I.R. It first surveyed the fallen Kryptonian soldiers, and upon confirming they would not resist, it quickly flew to Linda and deactivated her restraints.
"Kara, are you injured?"
The girl remained silent, scanning the room with a complex expression on her face.
"Lock them all up. No one is allowed to leave without my command." She paused for a moment, then added through clenched teeth,
"Just... don't let them die."
"Understood, Kara."
Soon, several hovering robots arrived in the control room, bound Zod's group, and took them away. The main crisis was over.
Luke walked up to the girl.
"How are you going to deal with them?"
Linda shook her head. "There is still one person left to deal with. Come with me. I'll take you to see something."
"You go by yourself. I just want to eat and then lie down and sleep."
"No, that thing is very important. Only you can take it. If you manage to get it, I will give it to you as thanks for saving my life."
Seeing how serious the girl was, Luke's curiosity was piqued.
"What is it?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Linda put on her combat suit, opened the hatch, and went with Luke toward the space station.
They passed through the narrow, dilapidated passage and arrived at the deepest chamber.
Dar was inside. Seeing the two of them, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, which he quickly composed. He sighed with a desolate tone.
"The age of Krypton really is coming to an end."
"It's a shame. A civilization of over ten millennia ending this way."
Linda raised her weapon and stared intently at him.
"Tell me, what should I do with you?"
Dar removed his armor, dropped his weapon, closed his eyes, and awaited his fate.
Linda bit her lip, hardening her resolve several times, but she lacked the courage to pull the trigger. Her expression changed continuously, showing obvious agony.
There were fewer than twenty Kryptonian survivors. One less meant one less piece of the future.
Luke suggested with a smile,
"If you can't do it, let me. I guarantee a quick, painless shot to the head."
Linda turned and glared at Luke. She walked up to Dar and struck his head with the butt of her gun, which was heavy with fury. The single blow knocked him unconscious.
Luke shrugged, knowing that's exactly how it would turn out.
His gaze shifted to the pedestal where the Golden Key shimmered, sometimes illusion, sometimes reality, giving him a sense of profound mystery.
"Is that the thing you want to give me?"
Linda nodded. "If you can take it, it's yours."
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