Amid the floating debris of Rhodesburg, the scarlet eyes of the Data Demon glowed ominously, scanning the chaotic battlefield. The Data Demon's greatest strength was its ability to seamlessly integrate with any machine, camouflaging itself as part of its surroundings. As a superintelligent, sentient computer, it could transfer its essence into any metallic construct.
Kaius was well aware of this. He didn't waste time searching. Instead, he focused on pushing the largest remaining fragments of Rhodesburg into the gravitational pull of the sun. The intense fire and energy of the sun would incinerate everything—prison fragments, alien technology, and the Data Demon itself.
If he succeeded, not only would Earth be saved from the Data Demon's insidious spread, but Kaius would fulfill his judgment, further enhancing his divine power.
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Meanwhile, Clark was locked in a brutal battle with Doomsday. As established in DC lore, Doomsday was not a foe that could be permanently defeated. Every time it was killed, it resurrected, stronger and more resistant to the attack that had felled it before.
In this world, Doomsday was already a force beyond even Clark's considerable strength. With Fiora's assistance, the two Kryptonians were barely able to keep the monster at bay. Fiora's precision strikes complemented Clark's raw power, but the sheer force of Doomsday's attacks made it clear that their suppression was only temporary.
Kaius intensified his efforts. He moved with inhuman speed, his form becoming a streak of black lightning as he propelled the remaining Rhodesburg wreckage toward the sun. However, his sharp eyes caught something unusual—a faint current signal emanating from a few seemingly inconspicuous fragments of metal falling toward Earth's atmosphere.
"I've got you now, Data Demon," Kaius muttered, his body propelling forward in a blur. The closer he got to the fragments, the more distinct the current became.
When he was within two hundred meters, his eyes glowed red. Twin beams of heat vision lanced out, aimed at the fragments. The pieces of metal trembled violently, as though sensing danger, before rapidly merging together into the physical form of the Data Demon.
"Go to hell!" Kaius growled, raising his hand. A surge of divine power crackled through his fingertips, transforming into silver-white lightning. The universe itself seemed to momentarily brighten as the divine thunder struck the Data Demon.
With an ear-piercing scream, the Data Demon's mechanical body began to collapse, its components scattering into lifeless fragments.
But Kaius frowned. "No increase in divine power. That wasn't his true body—it's another clone."
From the last fragments of Rhodesburg, countless tiny pieces of metal began to rain down. Each fragment pulsed with abnormal current signals—hundreds of thousands of them. They were all Data Demon clones, swarming like a mechanical virus.
Kaius smirked. "Does he really think this will work against me? Either he doesn't know who he's up against, or he's desperate."
Shaking his head, Kaius focused his energy. The world around him abruptly froze.
Activating the Speed Force, a secondary ability he gained through the Flash card, Kaius entered a realm where time itself slowed to an almost imperceptible crawl. The metal fragments, which had been descending at incredible speed, came to a complete halt. Even the ferocious battle between Clark, Fiora, and Doomsday seemed to slow to a fraction of its pace.
This was the "speed field," granting Kaius a speed so far beyond comprehension that, for 0.5 seconds, he existed as the fastest being in the universe.
In this accelerated state, Kaius didn't bother discerning which fragments were the Data Demon's true body and which were decoys. It didn't matter. His goal was simple: annihilate everything.
Channeling the full extent of his divine power, Kaius surged forward. His body became a radiant blur, a storm of destruction aimed directly at the fragments. As he reached the swarm of metal pieces, he extended his hand and unleashed a blast of divine energy.
In the blink of an eye, Kaius's hands moved with precision and speed, obliterating all the metal fragments of Rhodesburg within the Speed Force-enhanced field. To the outside world, only 0.3 seconds had passed, but for Kaius, it was enough time to systematically destroy every piece of debris.
As he exited the speed field, the remnants of the metal fragments glowed red-hot and began to explode.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A cascade of explosions lit up the vacuum of space like fireworks. Despite the destruction, Kaius's frown deepened. His divine power remained unchanged—proof that the true Data Demon was still hiding, likely in the last remaining fragment of Rhodesburg.
"Playing hide-and-seek, huh?" Kaius muttered, his tone laced with irritation. He grasped the final large piece of Rhodesburg. "Let's see how you handle this." Without hesitation, he accelerated toward the sun, intending to incinerate the last remnants of the Data Demon.
The Data Demon's Core
In the Rhodesburg core control room, the Data Demon writhed as the destruction of his clones sent ripples of pain through his system. Black, viscous liquid oozed from his mechanical body, a substance resembling motor oil but unnervingly organic, like blood.
Despite his deteriorating state, the Data Demon did not falter. Stretching his mechanical arms, he plunged countless branching tendrils into the Rhodesburg fragment. Instantly, abnormal current signals surged through the wreckage, transforming it into an extension of his being. The Data Demon had one last gambit—and he was willing to stake everything on it.
Kaius pushed the fragment closer to the sun, the blazing star's gravitational pull strengthening with each passing moment. Suddenly, a jarring sensation interrupted his focus. His hands, which had been firmly pressing against the fragment, began to sink into its surface like quicksand.
"What the—?" Kaius's instincts flared. A sense of imminent danger overwhelmed him as the fragment came alive. Liquid metal tendrils shot out, wrapping around his arms and pulling him toward the wreckage. It wasn't just debris anymore—it was a living, evolving construct, under the full control of the Data Demon.
"Get off me!" Kaius roared, unleashing a burst of divine power to break free. The liquid metal recoiled but quickly regrouped, extending countless tentacles in an attempt to drag him into the sun's gravity well.
The intense pull of the sun combined with the Rhodesburg fragment's mass created a deadly trap. The Data Demon's voice echoed in Kaius's mind—not through magic, but via a direct data link, infiltrating his brainwaves.
"Kaius, you've cornered me. But if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me! Let's see if you can escape the sun's gravity!" the Data Demon hissed.
Kaius gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the ever-tightening grip. But instead of fear, a defiant grin spread across his face. "You really don't know who you're dealing with, do you?"
As the sun's rays intensified, Kaius felt his power surging exponentially. For a Kryptonian, the closer they were to the sun, the stronger they became. The sunlight on Earth acted as a trickle charge, but here, so close to the sun's surface, it was like a direct, high-frequency recharge.
Superman had always thrived near the sun, and with the added boost of the Superman card, Kaius's potential was equally boundless. His divine power combined with the solar energy, pushing his strength to its peak.
"You think you're pulling me into the sun?" Kaius laughed, his voice cutting through the Data Demon's attempts to intimidate him. "You're right about one thing—I wasn't born a Kryptonian. But I've got the same power, and out here, I'm unstoppable."
The Data Demon faltered, his voice tinged with shock. "You're… an Earthling! Not Kryptonian! Your records, your history—it's all human! How can you—?"