Kryptonite!
The unmistakable effect of kryptonite!
Under the sky, nothing else could weaken the seemingly invincible Superman so quickly. Apart from this alien mineral, Kaius couldn't think of any other explanation for his sudden vulnerability.
"Lana, wait!"
Kaius called out weakly, his gaze fixed on the girl passing by. It was Lana Lang.
Lana's parents had tragically died during the meteor shower that struck Smallville a decade ago. Ever since, she wore a necklace crafted from a piece of meteorite to honor their memory.
It was this very necklace that had sapped the strength from both Kaius and the Kryptonian warrior, Jor-Lar.
Hearing her name, Lana turned around, startled. She looked at Kaius with a mix of confusion and fear. "Avenger? How do you know my name? What do you want from me?"
Kaius, too weak to mask his identity, realized that Lana didn't recognize him. Despite their history—those late-night study sessions—they were strangers now.
"Ahem... Lana," Kaius began, his voice hoarse, "the town is in danger. I need your necklace!"
Lana hesitated, clutching the small pendant around her neck. It was a deeply sentimental item.
Fortunately, her trust in Kaius, the Avenger, outweighed her doubts. The necklace wasn't particularly valuable in monetary terms, and she could sense the urgency in his voice. After a moment's pause, she removed it and handed it to him.
Kaius, relieved, immediately deactivated his Superman card in the system. Without the powers of Kryptonians coursing through him, the kryptonite's effects vanished. Wrapping the necklace securely in his hand, he smiled gratefully at Lana.
"Thank you, Lana. It's not safe here. Please, get to safety!"
"Okay, but… thank you, Mr. Avenger. One question—do we… know each other?"
Lana's sudden realization struck Kaius, but now wasn't the time to reveal his true identity. He quickly shifted his focus to the Kryptonian warrior crumpled on the ground.
"It's dangerous here! Please leave immediately!"
His voice was firm and resolute, projecting the image of a hero. Lana nodded, her concern evident.
"Be careful, Mr. Avenger!" she called out before running out of the café.
Kaius turned back to Jor-Lar, who was struggling on the ground, weakened by the kryptonite's proximity. His eyes darted to the glowing mineral in Kaius's hand.
"What… is that?" Jor-Lar stammered. "Why… why does it make me so weak?"
"This? It's a piece of ore from Krypton, you fool!" Kaius replied with a smirk.
Before Jor-Lar could react, Kaius delivered a crushing punch to his face. The kryptonite grazed his skin, cutting through him as effortlessly as a blade through tofu.
Smash!
Blood splattered from Jor-Lar's mouth as Kaius's relentless punches landed with precision. A deep fear settled in Jor-Lar's eyes as he staggered backward.
"I don't believe it!" Jor-Lar gasped. "Why haven't you been affected by the kryptonite?"
Even in his weakened state, he still assumed Kaius was Kryptonian.
Kaius chuckled, raising his fist for another blow. "I've told you before—I'm not Kal-El. I'm not Kryptonian. I'm a pure-blooded human! And guess what? I'm probably the weakest human alive!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kaius's punches rained down like a relentless storm. Despite being stripped of his Superman card, Kaius's natural strength, refined to the peak of human potential, was formidable. Each punch hit with the force of a professional heavyweight boxer.
Jor-Lar, reeling from the blows, coughed up blood as Kaius's words sank in. Fear now consumed him entirely.
"Wait… don't kill me!" Jor-Lar pleaded. "I'm under General Zod's command! If you kill me, Zod will never let you live!"
After hearing Joel's desperate plea, Kaius smiled helplessly. "Now you're bringing up General Zod? And what of it?"
As Superman's sworn enemy, General Zod is a war-monger hell-bent on transforming Earth into another Krypton. His ideals are diametrically opposed to the survival of humanity.
For years, Zod had been obsessed with recovering the Codex, the genetic blueprint of Kryptonian life stolen by Jor-El. This obsession drove him to relentlessly search for both Clark Kent and the Codex.
If the Codex were to fall into Zod's hands, he could use the World Engine to terraform Earth into a Krypton-like planet. But such a transformation would render Earth uninhabitable for humans, leading to their extinction.
From Zod's perspective, the annihilation of Earth's population was a small price to pay for resurrecting Kryptonian civilization. In his eyes, the rebirth of Krypton justified any sacrifice—even if it meant destroying all other life in the universe.
"He doesn't need to come to Earth," Kaius muttered, his voice cold and resolute. "But if he does, I'll take him down with my own hands."
Kaius raised his fist high, channeling all his strength, and smashed it down onto the dying Kryptonian warrior, Joel.
"Ugh!"
Joel spat out a mouthful of blood as his chest caved inward. His heart stopped, and his eyes glazed over, lifeless.
Kaius stood over the fallen warrior, his expression unreadable. He had killed a Kryptonian—a feat not many on Earth could claim. As he scanned the wreckage of the café, his eyes landed on a lead box buried among the debris on the counter.
He picked up the box and placed Lana's kryptonite necklace inside. He had a gut feeling that the necklace might still prove useful. Though Kaius wasn't affected by the kryptonite now, it was better to be cautious. After safely storing the necklace, he reequipped his Superman card and felt his strength return.
Outside the Café
Sheriff James, the town's lawman, approached Kaius with a look of mixed frustration and disbelief.
"Sheriff James," Kaius called out, "make sure to bury the body inside somewhere secure. Under no circumstances should it fall into the wrong hands!"
James stopped short, his eyes narrowing as he pointed a finger at Kaius. "Kaius, I've known you since you were a kid. I know you're the Avenger! Care to explain what the hell is going on here?!"
"This world is in danger, Sheriff!" Kaius replied sharply. "Dispose of that body properly, or we'll have even bigger problems on our hands!"
Before James could respond, Kaius shot off at super speed, leaving behind a shattered café, a destroyed street, and an overwhelmed sheriff.
As Kaius ran, he glanced back at the devastation. The broken streets and ruined storefronts told a grim story. This is my home. I'll rebuild it someday… I have to.
A thunderous roar echoed across the sky. Kaius looked up to see the spacecraft piloted by Faora-Ul soaring away.
She had said ten minutes—just ten minutes—but had abandoned her ally without hesitation.
"Do these Kryptonian warriors really leave their comrades so easily?" Kaius muttered. Then again, under Zod's iron rule, they likely saw people in two categories: useful and useless. The latter were discarded as casually as broken tools.
"So, you think you can waltz into my planet, steal what you want, and just leave?"
Kaius clenched his fists and propelled himself forward, his determination fueling every step. He didn't need to shout slogans like 'Those who offend me shall be punished,' but the sentiment was the same.
With a powerful leap, Kaius launched himself into the air. The ground beneath him cracked and trembled from the sheer force of his jump.
"Boom!"
The earth split, and Kaius shot upward like a missile, closing the distance between himself and Faora-Ul's fleeing spacecraft.
"I'm not letting you leave that easily," he muttered under his breath, his gaze locked on his target.