Chapter 578: The Invincible Clark
A Tense Chase
Sometimes, Luke truly didn't understand the female mind; in the middle of this crisis, Linda was focused on whether he had slept with Diana.
He certainly wasn't going to tell the truth. If she ever learned about his ambiguous relationship with Diana, the furious Kryptonian-born girl would definitely shove him into Parallax's mouth.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did I guess right?"
Luke sighed in exasperation. "I'm exhausted, weak, and powerless after fighting Sinestro, and you're questioning whether I cheated on you."
"Don't you think what you just said was a little too much?"
The girl snorted. "I don't think there's anything excessive about it."
"You, sir, are a massive pervert who pounces on every woman he sees."
Luke closed his eyes, choosing to ignore her. Linda was about to speak again when a strong sense of danger came from behind, causing her to quickly flash aside.
Boom!
A gigantic light beam narrowly missed the two, disappearing into deep space.
The dissipated light waves scattered like blades. Luke groaned as his left arm was struck by a wave, leaving the entire limb numb.
Blood spurted from the wound due to the pressure difference.
"Luke, your..."
"Shut up."
Luke manifested medical sealant to close the wound and simultaneously tossed Sinestro's sealed body away. "Take him back to the Conquest."
"What about you?"
"I have my own plan. Don't worry about me."
With that, he turned and flew in the opposite direction. Parallax followed him closely, relentless in its pursuit.
Linda stood alone in space, her arm raised, her face a mixture of shock and hurt. She hadn't meant for that to happen; she was just suspicious and asked. She never expected Parallax to attack right then.
"I wonder how his arm is. Is he okay?"
The girl, looking forlorn, flew back to the Conquest and casually tossed Sinestro into a containment cell.
Diana, currently receiving treatment, asked tentatively,
"Why are you back alone? Where's Luke?"
Linda glanced at her and snapped, "He's fine. You don't need to worry about him."
Diana frowned slightly, taking offense at the girl's tone, but patiently said,
"He just went through a major battle and is in a weakened state, and Parallax is hunting him. How could you leave him out there alone? You were too impulsive."
She tore off the medical device and stood up, heading for the exit.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to help him."
"You don't need to interfere. If anyone's going, it's me."
The girl scoffed and rushed out ahead of Diana, vanishing into space. The look she gave Diana on the way out made the Amazon sigh. Luke hadn't tried to completely hide their relationship, and Linda had clearly sensed something.
Clark's Desperate Plan
In the blackness of space, a streak of yellow light crossed the sky, followed closely by the terrifying, sky-obscuring monster.
White energy beams shot out one after another. Every attack caused the void to tremble.
Luke felt a knot in his stomach, regretting sending Linda back. Still, there was no point dwelling on it; he had to focus and use all his power to dodge.
This couldn't last forever.
Parallax's body was too massive. Even with the full offensive power of Clark and the others, they couldn't destroy it quickly. The bastard was ignoring everyone else, fixated entirely on Luke, clearly intent on mutual destruction.
J'onn said gravely, "We have to stop it. Luke can't hold out much longer."
Barry, firing his weapon, asked, "Do you have a plan?"
"No. Do you?"
"Me neither."
Clark was silent for a few seconds before saying slowly,
"Perhaps we could attack it from the inside."
Barry looked confused. "It's an energy being, is there a difference between inside and outside?"
"No!" J'onn cut in. "It's not purely energy. It has an internal skeletal framework."
"You noticed it too," Clark said.
J'onn nodded. "I saw it when I attacked its tail earlier."
Barry didn't understand what they meant and pressed, "Are you saying Parallax has bones?"
Clark explained, "Not bones exactly. It must be some kind of crystalline structure formed by energy. It relies on these crystals to support and control its massive body for free movement."
J'onn added, "If we can destroy those crystals from the inside, its body might enter a state of temporary paralysis or fracture."
Barry swallowed. "Isn't that idea completely insane?"
Parallax's energy was boundless, like the ocean. Its extreme power meant extreme heat and destructive force. Going inside would be like jumping into a furnace of thousands of degrees, all while facing ceaseless energy shockwaves. Who could possibly withstand that?
"I'll go," Clark volunteered.
J'onn and Barry exchanged glances, falling silent.
Of the group, only Clark had a chance. The problem was the extreme danger; one mistake could result in complete annihilation.
"Luke fought with all his strength to secure this chance. No matter what, we can't let him down."
"We cannot afford to lose this fight."
Clark made up his mind, looking at the two. J'onn took a deep breath.
"I'll breach the armor first."
Barry gritted his teeth. "If you can't take it, scream for help. I'll pull you out at the fastest speed possible."
Clark nodded, leaped up, circled the area to build up maximum speed, and then suddenly turned. Like an unyielding blade, he plunged deep into Parallax's back through the wound J'onn had opened.
Victory from Within
The moment he entered, he felt an excruciating, needling pain. Near-physical energy slammed into him from all directions, hammering his body like a relentless barrage. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, instantly rising past a thousand degrees.
It was an experience Clark had never faced. He felt every cell screaming in agony. Pain radiated from everywhere. Blood beaded on his skin, only to be instantly vaporized by the high heat.
His body felt like it was burning. The solar energy within him continuously tried to repair his cells, only for them to be immediately destroyed again.
This constant, repetitive process brought unimaginable suffering. A fleeting moment of regret even surfaced in his mind, but there was no other choice. He gritted his teeth and endured.
Time passed in agonizing seconds. After what felt like an eternity, Clark's awareness cleared.
His body seemed to be adapting to the environment, and the pain began to recede. He looked down in confusion, not fully grasping what had happened, but the result was undoubtedly good.
Regaining mobility, he immediately flew toward the nearest bone-like crystal structure. He struck the same spot five times in rapid succession. A crack appeared in the crystal, which was over twenty meters in diameter.
Clark roared and drove his fist deep into the fissure.
Crack!
The crystal shattered, breaking apart. Simultaneously, a dozen or so claws on the right side of Parallax's body stopped moving. Yellow particles seeped out of the claws, dissipating into space.
The sight shocked Barry's heart.
"He did it!"
"J'onn, look! The claws are dissolving! Clark succeeded! He actually did it!"
The Martian Manhunter sighed in relief.
"What an incredible man. Truly unbelievable."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!