Diana noticed Kaius suddenly spacing out as he held her hand. Feeling a little uneasy, she gently squeezed his hand and asked softly, "Mr. Kaius? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Sorry," Kaius replied, snapping back to the moment. "I just thought of something."
He let go of her hand and pointed toward the barely conscious Faora-Ui. "You can just call me Kaius. I need to deal with this first... This 'demon servant'—even if I kill her now, her cells won't fully die. They'll remain dormant for a long time."
Fortunately for them, Faora-Ui hadn't spent much time on Earth. If she had been absorbing the yellow sunlight since childhood, like Clark, her cells might have stayed dormant indefinitely.
"What are you going to do with her?" Diana asked.
She wasn't opposed to killing villains, especially those who posed a great threat. In fact, this pragmatic approach was why, in the Injustice parallel universe, Diana sided with the blackened Superman.
Kaius met her gaze with calm resolve, twisted Faora-Ui's neck in one quick motion, and placed the ochre necklace back into its lead box. With the influence of the kryptonite-like ochre neutralized, Kaius re-equipped the Superman card in his consciousness' main card slot, while placing Diana's character card in the secondary slot.
In an instant, Kaius gained some of Diana's abilities, including her expertise in combat, archery, horseback riding, and swordsmanship.
While the secondary card slot wasn't as powerful as the primary slot, it still provided a significant boost. After equipping Diana's character card, Kaius felt his strength, speed, and other attributes increase substantially. If he were to face Faora-Ui or the burly Kryptonian warrior Joel-Lar now, he felt confident he could hold his ground—or even defeat them with superior combat skills and strength.
Testing his enhanced capabilities, Kaius chuckled. "Her body still poses a threat even in death. I'll bury her on Paradise Island to ensure she doesn't cause further trouble."
"You can bury her in the northern part of the island," Diana suggested. "It's remote and well-hidden. Kaius, I've decided to leave the island, but I need to take care of something first. Can you wait for me?"
Kaius had a good idea of what Diana wanted to do—likely retrieving divine weapons such as the Sword of Vulcan, the Shield of Divine Power, or her sacred armor. The Sword of Vulcan, crafted by the god Hephaestus, was sharp enough to cut at the subatomic level. It was the same weapon Diana used in Batman v Superman to sever Doomsday's calf. (It was also known as the Godkiller Sword in some translations.)
"No problem," Kaius said. "It shouldn't take me long. Once I'm done, I'll come find you."
With that, Kaius lifted Faora-Ui's lifeless body and floated into the air, heading toward the northern part of the island. Diana watched in awe, her eyes sparkling with wonder.
"He can fly," she murmured to herself. "Could Kaius really be a god?"
Kaius arrived at the northern section of the island, uprooted a five-hundred-year-old towering tree, and buried Faora-Ui's body beneath it. Then, using his immense strength, he replanted the tree over the grave.
"If this tree absorbs her as nutrients," Kaius mused, "it'll become unreasonably strong." With a smirk, he turned and flew away.
Meanwhile, Diana ran swiftly through the forest, soon arriving at the forbidden area of the Amazonian island: the tower that housed the Sword of Vulcan, the Shield of Divine Power, and other legendary artifacts.
The tower stood isolated in the center of a massive chasm, surrounded by a bottomless abyss. A single bridge connected it to the rest of the island, guarded by heavily armed soldiers.
Diana knew walking across the bridge wasn't an option. Her mother would never approve of her leaving, let alone taking the sacred weapons. But Diana was determined—if she couldn't gain her mother's blessing, she would borrow the divine armaments without permission.
"I'll wait until I've killed her so-called 'Ares.' After that... I'll probably have to answer to General Zod," Diana thought to herself with determination.
"Gods! This is way too high!"
Diana stood at the precipice surrounding the tower, glancing down into the abyss. A chill ran through her as she realized the sheer height.
"If I fall, I'll be nothing but a smear on the ground!"
She clenched her fists. "I can do this! I will make it!"
Despite her superhuman strength and agility, Diana had never attempted such a leap before. The distance between the outer wall and the tower was at least three or four hundred meters—a daunting challenge even for her.
Determined, Diana stepped back about 500 meters to give herself a running start. Taking a deep breath, she muttered, "Here goes nothing..."
"Hyah!"
With a burst of effort, Diana launched herself from the cliff edge, soaring through the air like a graceful swan. Her leap formed an elegant arc as she reached out toward the tower's window ledge.
"I made it!" Diana exclaimed with a triumphant smile. For a moment, her beauty seemed to rival the stars themselves. She grabbed onto the window ledge, preparing to pull herself up. However, as she pushed against the stone, the fragile structure crumbled under her strength.
"What?! Ahhh!"
The stones gave way, and Diana plummeted. Desperately, she flailed, trying to grab hold of something to stop her fall.
Crack!
A firm hand caught Diana's waist mid-fall, halting her descent. Slowly but steadily, she was lifted back up.
"Are you okay?" It was Kaius who had caught her. He had flown over the moment he heard her scream.
Shaken but safe, Diana instinctively clung tightly to Kaius, her body pressed firmly against his. She could feel the warmth and firmness of his body, his muscles solid beneath her touch. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Diana's thoughts wandered.
"So this is what a man's body feels like... so hard, yet warm." Diana's heart raced. Kaius was the first man she had ever encountered. Though she had read many books about men, nothing compared to experiencing their presence firsthand. A mixture of excitement and curiosity bubbled within her.
Kaius, for his part, tried to clear his mind of inappropriate thoughts. He steadied himself and carried Diana through the air, landing safely inside the tower.
"The Lasso is on the top floor, the Divine Shield is on the second floor, and the Sword of Vulcan is on the bottom," Diana explained quickly, trying to distract herself from the moment.
Kaius nodded, his composure returning. "Got it. I'll wait for you here."
"Mr. Kaius, please wait just a moment. I'll be quick!" Diana said, her cheeks slightly flushed. She gave him a shy smile before hurrying off to retrieve the items.
As Diana disappeared up the stairs, Kaius caught the faint lingering scent of her presence. Shaking his head, he moved toward the window to get some fresh air. Suddenly, his sharp hearing picked up movement outside.
"Diana," he called out, "you'd better hurry. Your mother is on her way here with reinforcements."