Chapter 4 - red light.

The collision between Clark and the robot generated a shockwave that ravaged the surrounding terrain, destroying the ground and trees in its wake. Cracks spread rapidly across the earth as Clark gritted his teeth, his arms trapped in the robot's crushing grip. "Haha, you've got some serious strength, huh!" Clark exclaimed with a grin, his eyes flashing with determination. He tensed his leg and unleashed a powerful kick to the robot's chest, forcing it to release its grip on his arms. The robot stumbled backward, its body recoiling from the impact. Clark's arms throbbed with pain, but he quickly shook off the discomfort, his focus fixed on the robot.

The robot struck with amazing speed, its fist hurtling towards Clark's jaw. Clark stumbled, his head spinning from the impact. He quickly shook his head, wincing in pain. "That hurt..." he muttered.

Clark retaliated with a powerful punch aimed at the robot's head, but the robot dodged it with ease and countered with a crushing blow to Clark's chest. Clark gasped, stumbling backward as he clutched his chest. He struggled to catch his breath, his eyes widening in surprise. "Haha... Shit," he muttered.

The robot unleashed a flurry of punches, each one landing with precision and force. Clark stumbled back, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized the robot's speed was comparable to his own. Clark spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his eyes narrowing in determination. "This robot is really strong..." he growled.

The robot clenched its fist and slammed it into the ground, sending Clark stumbling. Clark leapt into the air, but the robot's arm shot out, grabbing his leg and slamming him into the cracked and broken earth. Clark gasped in pain, his teeth gritted in anger. His eyes blazed with a fierce crimson glow, and the veins near his sockets pulsed with energy. Suddenly, his heat vision erupted, unleashing a blast of incredibly hot lasers that struck the robot with incredible force. The robot flew backward, releasing its grip on Clark's leg.

Clark didn't hesitate, shooting into the sky with incredible speed. The robot, meanwhile, slowly rose from the ground, its chest dented and scarred from the laser blast. The robot touched its chest, its multiple eyes glowing a deep, malevolent red. With a sudden burst of energy, the robot lifted its foot and slammed it into the ground, shattering the earth beneath it. Then, with a mighty leap, the robot launched itself towards Clark like a rocket, its eyes blazing with fury.

The robot hurtled through the air, its strength propelling it towards Clark with alarming speed. Clark gritted his teeth as the robot crashed into him, the impact sending a shockwave through his ribs. The robot's hands moved with great speed, wrapping around Clark's throat and choking him. Clark's flight became uncontrolled, and they began to plummet towards a nearby lake. The two of them crashed into the water with incredible force, sending a massive wave rippling through the air as if a huge explosion had occurred.

The water receded, and for a few seconds, there was an eerie silence. Then, the lake's temperature began to rise exponentially, and the water started to boil. The surface of the lake split apart as incredibly powerful lasers shot out of the water and into the sky. The robot leapt out of the lake, its multiple red eyes scanning the water's surface with rapid intensity. The lake's water erupted into the air once more as a blur of motion shot out with terrifying speed. A precise blow struck the robot's head, sending it careening towards the forest floor. The impact created a considerable crater, sending shockwaves through the earth.

Clark floated in the sky, wiping the blood from his mouth with a mixture of anger and sadness. "My glasses... my mother gave them to me... you bastard," he muttered, his eyes blazing with fury.

Clark's anger boiled over, and he vanished in a blur, charging towards the robot in the crater. The robot was met with a devastating punch that sank the ground beneath it, and Clark continued to rain down blows without relenting. The cracks in the earth spread rapidly, a testament to the fury of Clark's assault. The robot stumbled, its body battered by the relentless barrage, but it refused to yield.

Suddenly, the robot's hand shot up, blocking Clark's punch and grasping his fist in a vice-like grip. Clark's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his other fist, striking without hesitation. The air was torn apart by the force of the blow, and dust rose into the air, but the robot's other hand was there to catch it, blocking the punch with ease.

The robot's multiple eyes locked onto Clark's enraged face, its gaze cold and calculating. With a swift motion, the robot lifted its leg and delivered a quick knee to Clark's stomach, leaving him gasping for air. The robot followed up with a direct headbutt, its metal skull crashing into Clark's with incredible force.

Clark gritted his teeth, his head spinning from the unexpected attack. His vision blurred, and he stumbled, his anger and frustration momentarily giving way to disorientation.

Clark struggled to his feet, clutching his head in pain, and quickly walked away from the robot. He glanced down at his hands, and his eyes widened as he saw the blood staining his skin. His head was starting to bleed, and he could feel a dull ache spreading through his skull. Clark's gaze flicked towards the robot, which was already rising to its feet, its movements swift and menacing.

The robot charged towards Clark, tackling him with incredible force. Clark felt himself flying through the air, his body rolling and tumbling until he splashed into the lake. He sank slowly beneath the surface, the warm water enveloping him like a shroud. The lake was calm and peaceful.

But the tranquility was short-lived. Something crashed into the lake, sending water flying through the air. The robot plunged into the depths, its movements swift and deadly. Clark felt a hand close around his head, and he was yanked upwards with terrifying speed. He was thrown out of the lake, his body soaring through the air as he gazed up at the blue sky. The clouds scattered above him, and he caught a glimpse of birds flying through the air, their forms a blur as he hurtled upwards.

Suddenly, the robot burst out of the lake and threw a punch at Clark's back, but Clark was already reacting. He gritted his teeth and shot even further into the sky, his body propelled by his incredible strength. Clark clenched his fists and activated his flight, turning around to face the robot. He saw the robot fall to the forest floor, only to jump back into the sky and hurtle towards him.

As the robot closed in, Clark watched with a calm intensity. He heard the sound of the wind rushing past him, and he slowly closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. The air moved calmly through his hair, and he felt the wind caressing his body. His torn red shirt and pants allowed the air to enter his skin, and he felt a sense of serenity wash over him.

He inhaled deeply, and his eyes began to glow with a faint red light. Clark clenched his fists and flew directly towards the robot, his speed creating a sonic boom that echoed through the forest. The robot quickly approached Clark, but he was ready. With a slow, deliberate movement, Clark activated his heat vision, unleashing a blast of energy that struck the robot with incredible force. The robot shot towards the forest floor, creating a massive crater upon impact.

Clark didn't hesitate, his fists flying forward to strike the robot with a devastating blow. The impact created a shockwave that destroyed everything around him, sending trees crashing to the ground and debris flying through the air. Clark grabbed the robot's head and flew a little above the air, beginning to fly quickly through the forest at an enormous speed. He crashed the robot's head into the ground repeatedly, his movements a blur as he tore through the forest with incredible force.

With a swift motion, it grabbed Clark's arm and delivered a powerful kick to his chest. Clark winced in pain, but he didn't let go. Gritting his teeth, he lifted the robot with his hands and unleashed his heat vision, striking the robot's chest with incredible force. The robot retaliated, striking Clark repeatedly as its chest began to melt.

But Clark's vision began to blur, and a piercing pain shot through his eyes. He stumbled back, receiving a blow to the face that sent him flying into the ground. Clark's eyes were closed tightly, and he could feel the pain throbbing through his head.

"Why the hell does it hurt now!?" Clark exclaimed, his anger and frustration boiling over. He slowly opened his eyes, and the pain began to subside. "So I can't use it too much or I'll be in pain, ha... great," Clark muttered, his annoyance evident.

The robot stood before him, its melted chest slowly sliding down its silver metallic body. Clark smiled, a fierce determination burning within him. He began to float in the air, his fists clenched and his eyes glowing red once more. "I don't care if I strain my eyes, you're going to lose today!"

With a burst of speed, Clark disappeared and reappeared behind the robot, his two fists striking the robot with incredible force. He flew through the air, pushing the robot ahead of him at incredible velocities, exceeding hypersonic speeds in mere seconds. Clark gritted his teeth, activating his heat vision once more. His eyes began to burn, and a sharp pain shot through his head, but he refused to yield. He poured all his energy into his heat vision, striking the robot with incredible force.

The robot shot out at enormous speeds, but Clark was hot on its heels. He deactivated his heat vision and flew towards the robot, grabbing it by the head and flying into the sky with incredible speed.

Clark held the robot's head tightly as he soared into the sky, but the robot didn't wait to retaliate. It grabbed Clark's head and kneed him in the stomach, leaving Clark gasping for air. Despite the pain, Clark's grip remained ironclad as he flew higher.

As he looked at the robot's head, Clark noticed something unexpected. The robot's eyes began to merge, and a red light started to emanate from them. "WHAT THE HELL--" Clark screamed, but before he could finish, a powerful red laser shot out. Clark dodged just in time, and a nearby cloud vanished into thin air.

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU DO THAT NOW!?!" Clark yelled in surprise, watching as the robot moved its head and aimed the laser at him. Clark flew through the air, dodging the laser with ease.

The robot began to plummet, and Clark realized that it couldn't fly. "Ok, it can't fly, at least that's an advantage..." Clark said with a smile.

However, his smile quickly disappeared as he watched the robot plummet towards a road with cars. Clark said "Great..." and quickly flew towards the robot, his fists ready. He grabbed the robot by the body and changed direction, crashing into the nearby forest instead of the road.

The two of them created a crater in the forest, and Clark quickly exited it. The robot jumped out of the crater and landed on the ground, its arm hanging by some blue cables that looked close to breaking. Its chest was sunken in several places, and its head was dented. Some of its red eyes were broken and blinked non-stop.

Clark had blood on his mouth and head, and his shirt was torn. He smiled and said "it seems that the final round is coming don't you think?"

The robot jumped towards Clark, and Clark clenched his fist to hit the incoming punch. The two fists collided, and the ground broke into pieces. The air was torn apart, and the robot's arm broke into pieces, hanging by some blue cables.

The robot was thrown to the ground and rolled a few times, crashing into a tree. Clark floated and stood in front of the robot, "You're from Krypton right? You can talk or are you just a robot that talks when it's badly damaged?"

The robot didn't respond, and its red eyes began to flicker. Some of its eyes started to turn off.

"Activating last power source... self-destruct..." the robot's robotic voice spoke with a lot of static. Clark said "Wait... what?"

The robot began to emit a crimson light that came out of its limbs and head rapidly. Clark grabbed the robot and flew into the sky as fast as he could. He gritted his teeth, feeling the heat emanating from the robot.

"LET'S GO!! FASTER!!!" Clark shouted as he flew with everything. He looked around and smiled, "Okay, this will do!"

He looked at the robot, which was on the verge of exploding, and threw it up with all his strength. The robot shot off into the sky, moving away like a blur.

"I think it's al--" Clark muttered, but before he could finish, a crimson red light invaded the sky. First came the light, and then the sound, a thunderous sound like a great explosion echoed through the sky.

The light slowly began to fade, and so did the sound. Clark smiled and said "finally..."

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In the vast expanse of endless space, a dark ship hurtled through the stars at an absurd speed, its presence a mere whisper in the cosmos. Inside the ship, in a dimly lit room, a figure clad in advanced technological battle armor stood transfixed, gazing at a holographic display. The hologram depicted the status of a battle weapon forged by the Kryptonians during their era of planetary conquests. Now, however, such relics were scarce.

The figure's eyes gleamed with interest as he watched the hologram, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Fascinating," he murmured, "he was able to destroy it. It seems that Jor-El's son has proven himself to be a formidable warrior."

As he continued to study the hologram, the figure's expression turned introspective. The robot's status flashed on the display, a stark reminder of its inoperability. The figure's smile grew, and he spoke in a low, measured tone.

"Kal-El... I, Zod, will find you." The words hung in the air, a promise of future conflict, as Zod's gaze lingered on the hologram, his mind already racing with strategies and plans.