"You... actually allowed him to study Kryptonite?"
Lex Luthor's voice trembled, though it wasn't from fear but disbelief. His words, fragmented by the agony of his broken soul, caught Robert slightly off guard.
From Luthor's perspective, it was utterly incomprehensible. Even if Robert wasn't Kryptonian himself, his brother Clark and his fiancée Kara were. And someday, Robert's children might carry Kryptonian blood, meaning they, too, could potentially be affected by Kryptonite. Allowing Tony Stark to study Kryptonite seemed to Lex like willingly handing enemies the tools to harm his own family.
More than that, Kryptonite wasn't just a threat to the Kryptonians in Robert's life—it was also an opportunity for others to exploit a weakness against Robert himself, someone who otherwise seemed almost invincible.
No matter how much Robert trusted Tony Stark, no matter how certain he was that Tony would never betray him or Kara, how could he guarantee that the technology Tony developed wouldn't one day be leaked or fall into the wrong hands—just like Ultron once had?
"And why would that matter to me?"
Robert raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lex Luthor, who for the first time truly appeared shaken. A smirk played across Robert's lips, filled with derision.
"You think you understand Kryptonians so well, don't you? But it seems your knowledge is just as flawed as your plans."
"What...?" Lex's soul flickered, trembling as it processed Robert's words.
"If Clark had encountered Kryptonite earlier in his life," Robert continued, "he would have eventually adapted to it. Given his strength, it would've only been a matter of time before his body developed resistance. The Kryptonians you created are too weak to even dream of such progress."
Lex froze, stunned by this revelation. He had prided himself on being the human who knew more about Kryptonians than anyone else, but now Robert had shattered that confidence.
"That's... impossible," Lex muttered, half to himself.
The Kryptonians he had engineered were already comparable in power to General Zod when he first arrived on Earth. For Lex, that level of strength was monumental, unmatched by any human technology or science. And yet, Robert dismissed them as "too weak."
Lex began to realize that his understanding of Kryptonian biology—and the factors that influenced their strength—was incomplete.
But could he really be blamed?
As a human, Lex had never experienced firsthand the process of adaptation and power growth that Kryptonians underwent under a yellow sun. Isolated in his bunker, with limited information and no external communication, he had been working off outdated knowledge. Even with J'onn J'onzz's help, his grasp of the bigger picture had been woefully inadequate.
Meanwhile, back at the Avengers base, the battle against Lex's engineered Kryptonians and Doomsday clones raged on.
The Kryptonians were formidable, especially with the artificial solar reactors embedded in their bodies. But the Avengers had long been prepared for such a scenario. Tony Stark had developed Kryptonite-based weaponry precisely to counteract Kryptonian threats, whether biological or artificial.
The Doomsday clones were far more difficult to deal with. Their massive size, incredible durability, and regenerative abilities made them almost impossible to kill. Even when defeated, they could revive stronger than before. They truly lived up to their reputation as Krypton's ultimate bioweapon.
But Stark's preparation extended to them as well. The field was filled with traps and countermeasures specifically designed to weaken and contain Doomsdays using Kryptonite energy fields.
Despite the chaos, the Avengers managed to stabilize the situation. Slowly but surely, the Kryptonians and Doomsdays were neutralized.
Back in the ruins of Lex's bunker, Robert continued speaking, his voice cutting through Lex's bitter silence.
"You see now, don't you? You failed because you never understood what you were dealing with," Robert said coldly.
For a moment, Lex's soul remained silent. Then he chuckled bitterly. "So... that's why my Kryptonian experiments fell short. I thought it was a matter of genetics. But you're telling me there are... stages of power I didn't account for?"
Robert didn't respond. He simply stared at Lex, letting him stew in his humiliation.
Lex realized that, no matter how intelligent he was, no matter how meticulous his calculations, he had always been working with incomplete data. As a result, he had underestimated not only Robert but also the potential of the Kryptonians he sought to weaponize.
Robert sighed. "Your plans were intricate, I'll give you that. But in the end, you were never a real threat. Just an annoyance."
With those words, Robert began channeling his energy into Lex's soul.
"Aaaaaaahhh!"
Lex's agonized screams echoed in the void. His soul, unable to withstand the pressure of Robert's power, began to disintegrate.
By the time Lex Luthor's soul was fully erased, Robert's expression remained cold and unmoved.
"That's what you deserved," Robert muttered, his voice filled with quiet venom.
He turned his gaze upward, as if searching for Clark in the distant sky. "Rest easy, Clark. Luthor's schemes won't trouble anyone anymore. And soon, you'll wake up stronger than ever."
Robert returned to the Avengers' base just as the last Doomsday clone was destroyed. Kara was the first to greet him, relief flashing across her face.
"Did you deal with him?" she asked, referring to Lex.
Robert nodded. "I broke his soul. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to endure much."
"That's a shame," Kara said with a grim smile. "But at least it's over."
Despite their victory, the Avengers couldn't celebrate.
Lex's parting gambit had worked perfectly. He had uploaded footage of the Doomsdays and Kryptonians appearing near the Avengers base before the battle even began. By the time the Avengers successfully eliminated the threat, public opinion had already turned against them once more.
In the eyes of the public, the Avengers were responsible for the Doomsday clones—another "failed experiment" that had caused widespread destruction and loss of life.
Even though they had saved countless lives during the battle, their actions were overshadowed by the narrative Lex had crafted.
In the aftermath, the Avengers convened in their base, the weight of the world pressing heavily upon them.
"Maybe it's time for us to step back," Steve Rogers said solemnly. "For a while, at least."
His words were met with silence, then reluctant nods.
Even Tony Stark, who had always been the most vocal advocate for the Avengers' presence, remained quiet. For the first time, he seemed genuinely tired.
"If that's the decision," J'onn J'onzz—now fully recovered from Lex's control—stepped forward. "I'll remain here to monitor Earth. It's the least I can do to make up for the harm I caused while under Lex's influence."
The Avengers exchanged grateful smiles, though the atmosphere remained somber.
With Robert's help, the Avengers dismantled their current base and relocated it to an uncharted region of the ocean. Hidden beneath the waves, the new base was isolated from human civilization, protected by advanced cloaking technology and natural barriers.
When the authorities arrived at the old base's location, they found nothing but a massive crater. The Avengers had vanished without a trace, taking their families with them.
The world, however, didn't stop talking about them.
Some celebrated their disappearance, convinced the "villains" had finally been driven into hiding. Others felt a quiet sense of loss, realizing too late what the Avengers had represented.
On their new island, the Avengers began their period of self-imposed exile.
For the first time in years, they felt free of their overwhelming responsibilities. Slowly, they began to rediscover themselves—not as heroes, but as people.
And though the world didn't know it, the Avengers hadn't abandoned their duty. They were simply waiting, watching, and preparing for the moment they would once again be needed.
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