William stood firm, arms tightly crossed, his piercing gaze locked on the Kryptonian general with unyielding intensity. Zod returned the glare with equal ferocity, his eyes simmering with the ominous crimson glow of heat vision, a visible sign of his mounting fury.
"Come when you're ready, General," William said with a sly, confident smirk, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable challenge.
BOOM!
Zod launched forward at blistering speed, the ground beneath him erupting into jagged shards from the sheer force of his movement. His fist became a blur, rocketing toward William's face with unrelenting precision before the dust of his explosive start even had a chance to settle.
BANG!
The strike was stopped in its tracks. William's hand shot up, intercepting the blow effortlessly, halting it mere inches from his face. A flicker of surprise crossed Zod's face, but he quickly pivoted with the momentum, unleashing a powerful kick aimed directly at William's midsection.
FLSH!
In an instant, William vanished. The kick hit nothing but air, and Zod stumbled forward, momentarily off balance. His instincts flared as he spun sharply, only to find William already behind him, arm raised, muscles taut, prepared to deliver a devastating blow.
WHOOSH!
The descending strike cut through the air with such force that the atmosphere itself seemed to scream, the deafening roar of compressed air ringing in Zod's ears. Narrowing his eyes, the general propelled himself backward using flight, narrowly avoiding the crushing attack.
BOOOOM!
The ground where Zod had stood exploded violently, sending Kryptonite-infused stone shards flying as a massive shockwave rattled the plaza. Dust and debris filled the battlefield, creating a dense, swirling cloud that obscured vision. Yet the citizens of Kandor, gifted with their enhanced sight, peered through the haze, and even the most battle-hardened among them were left stunned.
Within the thick dust cloud, William stood, his hands forming a glowing orb of ki between them. The deep green energy illuminated the haze, casting his shadowy silhouette across the swirling debris as the power within the orb intensified.
WHOOSH!
The air pressure within the dust cloud shifted violently, scattering the particles and revealing William, his orb of ki pulsating intensely between his palms.
Zod, witnessing this, began channeling his accumulated solar energy into his eyes, the red glow intensifying into a fiery crimson blaze.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zod roared, unleashing his optical lasers toward William, unwilling to give him the chance to release the mysterious energy in his hands.
Time seemed to slow as the beams hurtled toward William. The only visible motion was the crackling and searing energy of Zod's optical blast, streaking toward its target. Opposite him, William remained motionless, save for the surging energy between his hands, where sparks of potent ki coiled and danced between his fingers.
As Zod's optical lasers neared the halfway point to their target, William suddenly sprang into action. He thrust his palms forward with force and let out a primal howl.
"YAAAAAAAA!"
BOOOOOOOSH!
A brilliant green beam of ki erupted from William's hands, dwarfing Zod's red optical beams in size, as it surged forward. Unlike the singular ki attack, Zod's optical lasers split into two streams, and when they collided—
BOOOOOOOOM!
KRAAAAAAAAAKOOOOOOOM!
The collision erupted in a blinding explosion of energy, emerald and crimson bursting outward in a cataclysmic shockwave. The ground heaved, buildings quaked, and shards of Kryptonite stone were torn from the plaza as if wrenched apart by celestial wrath.
Both William and Zod were sent hurtling backward, their bodies skidding across the fractured earth before regaining control mid-air.
The citizens of Kandor recoiled, shielding their eyes from the unbearable brilliance. Even with Kryptonian resilience, the sheer intensity of the light and concussive force forced them to avert their gaze, their capes and armor snapping wildly in the storm-like winds.
As the glare finally subsided, every eye darted back to the battlefield, only to find the two titans already clashing once more.
BAM!
Zod's fist smashed into William's jaw, snapping his head to the side with ruthless precision.
THOOM!
William countered instantly, driving his knee into Zod's ribs, the impact echoing like a war drum across the plaza.
CRACK!
Zod retaliated with a fierce elbow strike that sent William crashing through a shattered column, only for him to burst free moments later, shoulder-first, slamming into the general with unstoppable force.
The air thundered with the violent rhythm of fists and flesh colliding.
WHAM! CRASH! BANG!
An unrelenting storm as the two moved in a blur of raw power, their strikes too fast for the untrained eye to follow.
To the Kryptonian spectators, the battle had transcended mere combat. It was no longer a fight of strength; it was a collision of indomitable wills, each blow resonating with the power to topple entire armies.
Their fists collided once more, shockwaves rippling outward with every impact. William blocked a hook, caught a knee, and drove his forehead into Zod's face, forcing the general to stagger back.
Yet, as they traded blow for blow, Zod's seasoned instincts began to sound an alarm. The timing was too precise, the counters too deliberate. It became clear, this warrior wasn't exerting himself. William was testing him, holding back as though the revered general of Krypton were no more than a practice opponent.
A cold fury ignited in Zod's chest. Blood dripped from his mouth as he snarled, his eyes blazing with both rage and humiliation.
"You dare—" he growled, deflecting a strike and surging forward with renewed intensity, "—to hold back against ME?"
His aura shifted. Every Kryptonian present felt it, a vibration that sent a shiver across their skin. Zod's years of battle-hardened discipline, forged in the crucible of Krypton's ancient war academies, surged forth. His anger transformed into something deeper, rooted in a tradition older than most in Kandor could recall.
Torquasm Rao.
His movements sharpened, each strike blending brutal force with uncanny precision. What had been predictability born of rage now became terrifying efficiency, his mind and body synchronizing into a rhythm William had yet to encounter.
CRACK!
Zod's palm struck William's chest, delivering not just raw power but a focused burst of inner energy that reverberated through William's frame.
WHAM!
A spinning backfist followed, swifter than before, catching William's jaw and sending him crashing into the ground with enough force to create a crater.
The Kandorians watched in stunned silence. This was no longer the chaotic savagery of two powerful warriors clashing; it was the cold, calculated mastery of Krypton's deadliest martial discipline unveiled.
William stumbled out of the crater, dirt and shards of Kryptonian stone cascading from his shoulders. His chest still resonated with the echo of Zod's palm strike, a vibration that reverberated deeper than mere impact, it had penetrated his very core. His instincts roared that this was no ordinary battle.
Before he could fully regain his footing, Zod was already upon him.
CRACK! A spear-hand thrust slammed into William's ribs, the precision of the strike cutting through his guard effortlessly.
BAM! A sweeping kick collapsed his stance, leaving him vulnerable just long enough for Zod's elbow to crash into the back of his skull, sending him reeling forward.
William clenched his teeth, blood spraying from his mouth as he struggled to find the rhythm. Normally, his sheer power and regenerative resilience allowed him to control a fight once it devolved into a slugfest. But this was different. Every strike carried a calculated intent, not just to wound, but to destabilize, disorient, dismantle.
The Kandorians watched in stunned silence, their eyes wide. They had witnessed Zod's wrath before, but never like this. This was a masterwork.
William intercepted a fist aimed for his throat, twisting Zod's arm with raw strength, and drove his knee into the general's side. The blow landed, but Zod absorbed it, spinning the momentum into a devastating shoulder throw.
THOOM! William hit the ground with such force that the plaza fractured again, shockwaves rippling through the air.
He rolled aside just in time to evade a crushing heel strike that would have shattered his chest.
"Damn it!" William snarled, springing to his feet, arms raised. Sweat and dust streaked his face. He couldn't anticipate the next attack. Zod wasn't merely fighting, he was channeling something profound.
A blur, then Zod's fist drove into his sternum, followed by a brutal hooked elbow across his jaw.
CRACK!
William's vision flashed white as he swung desperately, throwing a wide haymaker. Zod, fluid and precise, slipped under the strike and countered with a rising palm that snapped William's head back.
The crowd erupted, their cheers reverberating through the arena. For the first time, their immortal general had drawn blood from this enigmatic outsider.
William staggered, his chest heaving with labored breaths. Even as his knees buckled, he forced himself upright, frustration blazing in his mind. He had no understanding of Zod's fighting style, no proper defenses against it. Survival became his sole focus, each movement a desperate attempt to endure.
Then Zod faltered.
At first, it was almost imperceptible. His breathing grew heavier, more labored. Though his eyes still burned with discipline, his flawless movements began to unravel at the edges. Each strike, once executed with mechanical precision, now seemed to require immense effort. His body trembled under the strain.
William caught the changes in minute details: a kick that struck with power but lacked sharpness, a block that came just a fraction too late. The cracks in Zod's perfection widened until, mid-combination, his body betrayed him. A ferocious strike aimed to crush William's throat froze mid-air as Zod convulsed violently, a spray of blood erupting from his lips and splattering the stone floor.
The crowd gasped, their excitement turning to shock. Zod staggered, clutching his stomach, his body failing while his resolve remained unbroken.
"Not… yet," Zod rasped, summoning every ounce of strength for one final step. His fist, poised for a killing blow, radiated an aura of raw power and desperation, burning like a star on the verge of collapse.
William braced himself, ready to meet the attack head-on.
But the blow never came.
Zod's eyes widened in shock as another wave of blood surged from his mouth. His strength gave out completely, his fist halting mere inches from William's face. With a final, thunderous crash, Zod collapsed onto the cracked stone.
A profound silence swept over Kandor. Their invincible general, unstoppable, indomitable Zod, lay still and defeated at William's feet.
The plaza in Kandor lay eerily silent, dust drifting slowly around the crater where Zod had fallen. William stood over the defeated general, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, his arms trembling from the immense exertion. A faint glow of ki still emanated from his body, a testament to the extraordinary battle that had just unfolded. The crowd watched in stunned disbelief, their mightiest general, a Kryptonian legend, had been vanquished by an outsider.
"Impossible…" an elder murmured, his cape rippling in the smoky breeze. His battle-hardened eyes, honed through decades of war, scanned the dissipating dust. "General Zod… defeated?"
Nearby, a cluster of younger soldiers shifted uneasily, their faces pale with shock. One whispered, his voice thick with disbelief, "He was channeling Torquasm Rao. No one alive has mastered it to that level… and yet he's fallen. How?"
Across the city, the scene played out on holovid broadcasts, reaching homes, towering balconies, and the council chambers where political and military leaders monitored every major conflict in Kandor. Families huddled together in their living rooms, children clutching their parents' arms, their eyes wide with awe and fear. The imagery was almost too much to process; the clash of two titans had sent reverberations through the city itself. Dust and debris swirled in a chaotic dance around William's resolute figure.
The dust slowly settled over the shattered plaza, revealing William standing victorious, chest heaving, aura still faintly shimmering from the force he had unleashed. Zod lay crumpled, bloodied, and utterly defeated, a sight that sent shivers through the onlookers. Around the plaza, the Kryptonians gawked in stunned silence.
"They… he… how?" one soldier whispered, eyes wide, hands gripping the edge of a broken column. "Nothing like this exists in our archives."
Every citizen present tried to rationalize the spectacle, but no frames of reference existed. They could feel the residual force of William's strikes, the vibrations that had cracked stone and sent shockwaves through the plaza, but there was no precedent, no knowledge of energy like this. Even the most battle-hardened warriors stared, mouths agape, realizing that their most powerful general had been toppled by something entirely beyond their understanding.
Holo-broadcasts from every district captured the battle in real-time, transmitting it to homes, high-rise viewing platforms, and the council chambers. The images left the viewers in stunned silence. In living rooms, children clutched their parents' arms. In the council chambers, elders and strategists debated in hushed, frantic tones.
"He wields… a power we cannot perceive," one commentator muttered, voice trembling. "It's not strength… not skill… not Torquasm Rao. It's something we have never encountered, and yet it is controlled, deliberate… devastating."
The whispers multiplied:"Could he be… an alien?""Perhaps a weapon, a god, or a sorcerer?""No… it's neither of those. It's… something else entirely."
Meanwhile, far from the chaos, the Harbinger of Ruin drifted silently through its system, its sleek hull reflecting distant starlight.
The plaza had fallen silent, the air heavy with dust that danced in the dimming light, casting eerie shadows over the shattered stone and scattered debris. William stood amidst the destruction, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths, his faintly shimmering aura a testament to the immense energy he had wielded. Nearby, Zod lay crumpled on the ground, bloodied and utterly defeated.
Across Krypton, citizens, soldiers, and elders alike stared in stunned disbelief, their murmurs spreading like ripples through the gathered crowd.
"He… defeated Zod?" a soldier whispered, his voice trembling with incredulity. "I've trained under him for decades… nothing, no one, can stand against Zod…"
"This cannot be," an elder muttered, his hand shaking as it gripped the remnants of a broken column. "No technique or discipline we know could accomplish this…"
Holovids projected the battle across the city, replaying every devastating moment: the destruction of the plaza, the unearthly green energy William had wielded, Zod's formidable attacks, and the final, crushing collapse. Families shielded their children's eyes, while scholars debated in hushed tones, unable to rationalize what they had just witnessed.
Beyond the chaos, the Harbinger of Ruin drifted silently through the void, its semi-sentient hull glinting with the faint light of distant stars. Energy lines pulsed along its surface like veins, a quiet hum of awareness emanating from the vessel. Though capable of autonomous operation, the ship was keenly aware of the solitary presence aboard.
On the observation deck, Captain Marvel paced restlessly, her gaze fixed on Kandor as the Harbinger's advanced sensors captured the aftermath of the battle. The sheer magnitude of the clash between William and Zod reverberated through the system, leaving her deeply unsettled.
Without warning, a vibration pulsed through her side, subtle at first, then increasingly persistent. Her hand instinctively reached for the pocket she hadn't used in years, the one containing a single device Fury had entrusted to her when she was a new hero on Earth. His words, simple yet profound, echoed in her mind: "Keep it close. One day, it'll call to you. And when it does, you'll know."
Her fingers brushed the pocket as the device's pulse grew stronger, its rhythm matching the vibrations coursing through the ship's deck. She recognized it instantly, this wasn't a malfunction or a signal from William or the Kandorian system. This was Nick Fury. An urgent SOS.
Pulling the device from her pocket, she inspected it quickly. It bore no flashy elements, no display, no holographic interface, just a plain instrument vibrating insistently with an unmistakable urgency. Fury never called lightly, and the weight of the moment made her pulse quicken. Wherever he was, whatever the situation, it demanded immediate action.
The Harbinger, sensing her recognition of the signal, adjusted its internal systems. Lights along the hull pulsed softly, reallocating power to communication systems and scanning arrays, preparing for potential deployment. Its semi-sentient systems prioritized the SOS above the passive observation of the Kandorian system.
Captain Marvel gripped the device tightly, feeling the vibrations escalate. Fury's message was clear: "Come. Now." There were no explanations, no preambles, just an urgent call to action. She didn't need more. Having faced insurmountable odds countless times before, she knew that when Fury sent a call, hesitation was not an option.
Her gaze shifted to the displays. The Kandor system's sensors showed residual energy from the recent battle, but she dismissed it instantly. Fury's signal stood apart, unmistakable, commanding, and impossible to ignore.
Captain Marvel exhaled sharply, her gaze sweeping over the aftermath of the battle, the destruction, the silent awe of the onlookers. Yet, even in this brief moment of stillness, she knew there would be no time for celebration or reflection. Fury's SOS had come through, and with it, the grim understanding that lives, perhaps billions, were at stake, demanding her swift and unwavering action.