[You have been eliminated. No resurrection slots earned. Reward: Web-Ray duration +1 second.]
[58 retries remaining. Restart?]
Restart!
Third Resurrection Match.
Atop the giant seashell structure, Charlie didn't bother testing the Web-Ray's extended duration.
Two seconds of sustained release? Hardly worth noting.
This time, he'd been careless, dying to Faora—a misjudgment of Kryptonian logic.
So decisive.
No wonder she was a Kryptonian commander.
The deputy one.
As the countdown ended, Charlie used Pym Particles to shrink, trailing Kryptonian soldiers to the council chamber.
Soon, he witnessed Dark Stephen forging an alliance with General Zod.
"Faora, keep an eye on that guy. Use the Phantom Engine if necessary."
Zod eyed Dark Stephen warily as he melted into the void with magic.
"Understood," Faora nodded.
She knew what "necessary" meant.
But the guy was gone.
How to track him?
She interpreted "that guy" as "those guys."
Soon, the group boarded beetle-like ships and left the chamber.
Inside the ship, Faora tapped a control panel's dense beads.
The beads levitated via magnetic fields, forming a dynamic 3D shape—a blend of Earth's virtual projection and system interface.
Using liquid geometry tech, she accessed the Phantom Engine's system, monitoring "those guys'" every move.
The Phantom Engine warped spacetime, enabling ships to jump space.
Krypton to Earth, 27.1 light-years, took mere moments with the Engine.
It worked by creating a nanosecond-long controllable black hole, distorting space for jumps.
But if two Phantom Engines collided, they'd form a singularity, sucking everything nearby into a black hole.
On Faora's shoulder, tiny Charlie watched her manipulate the liquid geometry system, transfixed.
Spider-Man loved learning.
Too bad it required identity verification.
He spotted the Phantom Engine in the model.
That was the black-hole weapon that killed him.
Intriguing.
Charlie mused, then noticed Tony and others appearing on the model.
Without his help, Tony's suit was outmatched by Kryptonian weapons, and he was quickly captured and sent to Krypton's prison.
Old Steve and Carter, with their vibranium shields, escaped the soldiers' encirclement.
They met at an intersection and stumbled into the slum—or, as Krypton called it, the Lower District.
Basic Kryptonian soldiers, mid-tier citizens, avoided the Lower District.
Plus, Faora's "track, don't kill" order made them turn back.
Thus, Tony, Old Steve, and Carter were under surveillance.
Carol, unable to absorb yellow stellar energy, was weakened but found a small Genesis Chamber in the Lower District.
Desperate for a resurrection slot, she broke in, triggering pursuit by robotic guards.
Watching the "playback" on the liquid model, Charlie smirked.
Such a brainless woman.
Per Resurrection Match traps, destroying one minor Genesis Chamber was pointless.
Krypton had hundreds of them.
Destroying one wouldn't earn a slot.
The task implied destroying all Chambers.
That was nearly as hard as destroying Krypton itself.
Anyone attempting it faced one outcome: death!
Yup, another participant bit the dust.
Faora waved, flipping the model. Wade, pantsless, fled a room, pursued by a burly Kryptonian wielding a weapon.
"Damn outsider, you dared seduce my wife? I'll kill you!"
"Bang!"
Wade's head exploded under a Kryptonian shot, quelling the man's rage.
Charlie: "…"
Kryptonian taste was… unique.
To find that scarred face appealing?
Still, Tony would envy that skill.
Faora, expressionless, waved again, locking the system onto another suspected participant.
Had she been more patient, she'd have seen Wade scratch his backside, then crawl like a red caterpillar into an alley, unnoticed.
This time, Charlie spotted Harry in the model.
Having heard about the Resurrection Match from Norman, Harry seemed prepared.
Language barrier aside, he posed as a pitiful mute, trying to charm a kind-looking girl.
But his prep wasn't enough.
The girl led him to the Defective Gene Processing Chamber.
Thus, a Kryptonian with "obvious genetic flaws" was humanely terminated.
"My brother, you died so tragically!"
Charlie mourned Harry for three seconds.
Now, only Gwen, Carnage, and Super Skrull Gravik remained undetected by Krypton's surveillance.
Gravik, mimicking Kryptonians down to their memories, was nearly impossible to find.
But Gwen and Carnage hiding so well surprised Charlie.
The ship landed at a serpent-bone structure on the city's edge, and the model showed no changes.
"Click~"
The structure's doors opened. Faora disembarked, following Zod to the "barracks."
"The outsiders' arrival disrupted our plans."
In the meeting room, Zod stared at Tony in the prison feed, frowning.
"From their language, they're Earthlings. How could a backwater planet reach Krypton and bypass our defenses silently? Something's off."
He pondered.
Faora considered. "Their target's someone called Superman, Clark Kent, also known as Kal-El—likely an El family member."
Zod's expression shifted. "You mean?"
Faora said coldly, "Let that guy stir trouble with the El family. Success or failure, it'll make our plan easier."
Zod frowned. "He's too strange. Jor-El might—"
"General, all for Krypton," Faora said sternly. "You taught me we'd sacrifice anything to preserve it."
Her words steeled Zod's resolve.
"Yes, I'm Krypton's greatest warrior. Protecting it is my born duty!"
His eyes firm, he added, "If we don't find this 'Spider-Man' in an hour, we proceed."
"Yes."
Faora prepared for the next steps.
She returned to her room, where a mechanical arm removed her armor.
"Zzz~"
The arm retracted, and her Kryptonian armor sank into a blue pool for disinfection.
Kryptonian structures and weapons, made of organic materials, surpassed metal in hardness and energy output, and were easier to repair.
But organic materials bred bacteria, requiring regular sterilization.
Sterilization also killed bugs.
Charlie, in hot water (literally), was lucky not to be a real bug, or this death would've been even more humiliating.
"Pfft~"
A "bug" floated to the pool's edge.
In the distant, transparent "mountain," a waterfall poured as the "giantess" shed her clothes, cleaning off grime.
"Whoa~"
Charlie's inverted triangular eyes gleamed, but he didn't seek a better vantage point.
Admire from afar, don't defile up close.
One misstep, and he'd be flushed down the drain.
Plus, too close, he'd only see a "barren" landscape, bad for spotting enemy weaknesses.
Yeah, that's a great excuse!
Under Charlie's watch, Faora finished bathing, crossed the "mountains," and returned to the mechanical arm, donning light Kryptonian armor.
She then used the liquid geometry system to notify her soldiers, arranging the next moves.
The Invincible Spider-Man stayed by her side, learning her plans.
Zod had swayed over half the deputy commanders. Entering the council chamber wouldn't raise suspicion.
Neutralizing Krypton's old guard would hand Zod total control.
But the El family was a problem.
They controlled Krypton's tech systems and could activate the chamber's defenses, wiping out Zod's forces.
For a smooth operation, they needed Jor-El's trust or to distract the El family.
Before Dark Stephen, Zod planned to secure the El family's systems by any means.
But with Dark Stephen's arrival, Zod chose distraction.
As Krypton's greatest warrior, crafted by the Codex, he preferred crushing enemies with force, not scheming.
This time was no different.
An hour later, Zod's group set out again.
Dark Stephen didn't show, but Zod was sure he was tailing them.
"Boom~~"
A fleet of beetle ships headed for the council chamber.
Meanwhile, Krypton's elderly female leader was ready to confront Zod.
"You harbored that outsider?"
On Krypton's golden throne, she spoke coldly, her tone lofty.
Zod nodded. "Yes, he'll help us save Krypton."
"Krypton needs no saving. I've said this countless times!"
Her face soured. "Krypton is among the universe's most prosperous planets. No one can question our strength or destroy us."
"But we'll destroy ourselves."
Jor-El, with slightly curly hair, entered the chamber.
"My surveys show that overexploitation has destabilized Krypton's core. It'll explode soon. We must prepare for this disaster."
Another voice claiming Krypton's doom didn't sway the leader.
"Stop spreading panic. Krypton will thrive forever. That's a fact."
Her genes were etched with love and pride for Krypton.
Anyone questioning it was an enemy.
The Codex chose her to lead, making her born for Krypton.
She didn't believe she could die, just as she didn't believe Krypton could.
Krypton's "doom" was merely the El family's incompetence.
If there were a problem, she'd know.
Jor-El, a tier below, had no right to warn her.
Nor did Zod.
The Codex's greatest warrior only needed to obey, not think.
But their status spared them harsh punishment, so she tolerated their nonsense.
Until now.
She'd had enough.
"Zod, hand over the outsider and resign as commander. That's your punishment for spreading rumors."
Jor-El's face fell. The penalty was harsh.
He opened his mouth to plead for his friend, but Zod spoke first.
"Of course. As of today, I'm no longer commander."
The leader nodded, pleased.
She'd expected him to beg.
That's the spirit of Krypton's greatest warrior.
Then Zod turned to Jor-El. "Do you know Clark Kent?"
"Who's that?" Jor-El frowned, a bad feeling rising.
As expected, Zod's next words shook him.
"What about Kal-El?"
"What?"
Jor-El's eyes widened, unable to hide his panic. Black mist flooded the chamber.
"Your reaction tells me you know Kal-El."
Dark Stephen emerged, face alight with excitement. He flashed to Jor-El, dark arrays spawning tendrils to bind him.
"You—"
Jor-El's face darkened. The leader intervened.
"Damn outsider, you've shown yourself. Kryptonian soldiers, kill him!"
Her order met silence.
Dark tendrils spread, engulfing her completely.
"The world's quieter now. Take me to Kal-El."
As Dark Stephen spoke, Jor-El's personal robot fired a plasma cannon.
"Bzzz~"
A dark portal opened, swallowing the blast and redirecting it, shattering the robot.
Kryptonians had no powers on Krypton, relying on tech that struggled against mages.
But no big trouble didn't mean no trouble.
Krypton's top scientist wouldn't rely on just one robot.