A black figure plummeted from the sky—it was none other than Roger.
In a clash of power beams with Superman, Roger had been slightly outmatched, knocked out of the sky by the darkened Superman.
There was no time to dwell on the "inevitable defeat of the left or right in beam struggles." Superman, already descending in a furious dive, unleashed his unrestrained strength upon Roger.
BOOM!
A sound like an explosion reverberated through the air as Roger, moving faster than the speed of sound, hurtled toward the ground. Superman pursued relentlessly, grabbing Roger by the collar and slamming him into the ground.
The earth's crust was pierced, and the two descended into the mantle.
Here, Roger used all his strength to stop Superman from driving him further downward. If they continued, breaching the planet's core would spell Earth's doom.
Forcing himself to wrestle control away from Superman, Roger flashed behind him and locked his arms around Superman's neck, roaring: "Die!!"
He attempted to snap Superman's neck, hoping to recreate the outcome of Superman's fight with Zod.
However, Superman's strength exceeded Roger's expectations. Even with the vulnerable neck area being targeted, Superman resisted Roger's attempts, showcasing a physical resilience that matched his fury.
"AAAHHHH!!"
Superman let out an earth-shaking roar, charging through the mantle with Roger in tow. Breaking back through to the surface, he seized Roger's arm and slammed him over his shoulder, sending him flying once more.
The battle between these two titans was a spectacle of Gods clashing, throwing the entire New York into chaos.
The ground quaked from their blows, triggering earthquakes across the region. The disturbances extended to nearby oceans, where tsunamis formed, crashing into coastlines.
North America felt the repercussions of their battle as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Roger was well aware of the collateral damage their fight was causing. From the start, he had tried to move the battle to outer space.
But it was no use. Superman's power not only equaled but slightly surpassed Roger's, preventing him from choosing the battlefield. He had no choice but to fight wherever the clash took them, leaving no room to protect the civilians caught in the chaos.
"I need Kryptonite…"
Thrown through the air once again, Roger, circling with Superman in the skies, silently contemplated.
The only way to defeat Superman was with Kryptonite. The Kryptonite Roger had obtained from the DC Apocalypse world was stored in a dimensional bracelet alongside Athena.
If he could get his hands on the Kryptonite, dealing with Superman would be much easier.
The problem was that Roger couldn't spare the focus to retrieve the bracelet from the ruins. If he could, he would have done so long ago and avoided this prolonged duel.
What he needed now was someone to distract Superman long enough for him to retrieve the Kryptonite.
...
"Roger, we're here!"
Just as Roger was fretting over how to escape Superman's relentless attacks, Wanda's voice rang in his ears.
Two massive beams, wrapped in red magical energy, descended from the sky, aiming straight for Superman.
Simultaneously, the surrounding magnetic fields shifted as countless pieces of metal coalesced into a massive steel ball, hurtling toward Superman alongside the peaks.
Wanda and Magneto had arrived!
Roger looked up to see Wanda and Magneto approaching from two directions, each unleashing their powers to restrain Superman.
From the sky, another figure plummeted. Mid-air, the figure transformed into a hulking green behemoth. Hulk let out an enraged roar as he stomped down on Superman.
Diana also descended from the sky, landing beside Roger. She asked, "We're not too late, are we?"
"Although you're a bit late, it's fine. You're here now. Hold him off for five minutes—just five minutes!" Roger instructed urgently.
"Five minutes? You got it. Go do what you need to do. We'll try to contain him here," Diana replied.
Drawing her sword from her back, she held it in one hand and a shield in the other, her gaze fixed on the battlefield ahead.
Even with Wanda, Magneto, and Banner attacking in unison, Superman did not falter. As one of the most overpowered beings in the DC Universe, coupled with the trope of amplified strength in his darkened state, even three of Marvel's strongest couldn't inflict significant damage on him.
Hulk's immense strength grew with his anger, but compared to Superman's speed and power, it wasn't enough.
In just two or three seconds, Superman broke free, launching Hulk skyward like a basketball.
Without the ability to fly, Hulk was at a disadvantage in mid-air, unable to counter Superman's follow-up pursuit.
But Wanda and Magneto wouldn't let Superman act freely.
Red magic surged around Superman as Wanda tried to bind him. Meanwhile, Magneto manipulated the surrounding magnetic fields, summoning minerals from the ground to encase Superman's limbs.
From a distance, Wonder Woman sprinted forward, leaping high into the air with her sword poised to strike at Superman's chest.
This Superman wasn't the Clark she knew. Roger had already informed her—this Superman had been brainwashed by Darkseid, killing many members of the Justice League and countless innocents.
Thus, Diana didn't hesitate. She aimed directly at his vitals, attempting a lethal blow to end this corrupted Superman.
Superman's body, bound by metal and magic, appeared incapable of resistance.
But in the next instant, blazing red heat vision melted through the steel restraints, shooting straight toward Diana.
Her pupils contracted as she swiftly raised her shield to block the beam.
The heat vision struck her shield, sending Diana flying backward.
"Get off me!!"
Breaking free of his bindings, Superman scattered the metal and magic around him. Magneto and Wanda both froze, attempting to restrain him again.
But Superman was ready this time. With swift movements, he evaded all incoming attacks and darted toward Wanda, who appeared vulnerable despite her immense power.
Wanda, sensing danger, unleashed layers of magical barriers to halt Superman's advance.
But Superman's speed didn't waver. Every barrier shattered like paper before him.
Just as Superman was closing in on Wanda, preparing to unleash her full power in a desperate move, the sky darkened with thunderclouds. A massive, lightning-wreathed axe descended from above, striking Superman squarely on the head!
Though Superman's invincible body shrugged off the axe's physical impact and electric shock, the force of the blow sent him flying backward.
The axe, deflected by the collision, spun through the air before returning to the hands of a slightly chubby, armor-clad, blonde man.
"Can someone tell me what's going on here?"
The man, clearly confused by the situation, turned to Wanda, someone he recognized, for answers.
Seeing him, Wanda exclaimed in delight, "Thor!!"
Indeed, the man who had arrived just in time to knock Superman away was none other than Thor.
Having left the DC world after Diana, he had now arrived in this reality, albeit a bit bewildered by the chaos.