Boom—
The massive glass curtain wall shattered, shards scattering through the air, reflecting white light. Kara's slender figure burst through the wall. Her hands shielded her forehead, her eyes wide between her arms, staring excitedly at the arena below. Like a shooting star, she dropped from the upper exclusive spectator platform and crashed into the arena.
The thick steel mixed with dirt was stained with ancient, dried blood. She landed with a loud bang, stepping out of a crater. A slight pain tingled in her feet. She bent her knees, looked up, and stared at the figure before her.
"Father, it's me, Kara!"
Kara looked on with teary-eyed excitement at the man before her—no longer just a man, but a cyborg. A cold, ruthless cyborg. The emotion in her eyes was an overwhelming mix of disbelief, joy, and grief.
Her father, once a brilliant scientist, a visionary far ahead of his fellow Kryptonians, a revolutionary with a strong will.
Now, this father was cold and unfeeling, as if he didn't recognize her at all. Seeing her brought no reaction, no flicker of recognition, which made Kara's heart ache.
"Father, do you remember me?"
She stepped forward, speaking eagerly.
Suddenly, the Cyborg Superman's arms transformed into particle-stream electron cannons. In Kara's stunned gaze, a boom echoed. The blue beam fired directly at her chest, blasting her backward. She slammed into the arena wall with a heavy crash, leaving a dent before sliding down.
The searing pain in her chest surged to her head, making her gasp in agony, as if her internal organs were about to burst from her mouth. But even more painful than her injuries was the realization—her father didn't recognize her.
The dual impact on her body and spirit caused Kara to shed a single, bean-sized tear.
…
"Hahahaha!"
"Interesting! I never expected a father-daughter reunion here. This is truly thrilling, hahaha!"
Mongul laughed wildly, the sound waves rippling through the air in heavy bursts. The pressure was so great that the guards and servants behind him felt a suffocating weight.
Even he hadn't expected such a dramatic scene. The Kryptonian he picked up turned out to be someone Bardi knew—Kara's father.
This would become an emotional spectacle. A battle between a cold, transformed father and his own daughter.
It was truly exciting.
Would the merciless father torture and kill his daughter?
Or would the daughter hesitate to strike back?
Mongul grinned, his big white teeth gleaming. He glanced playfully at Bardi.
"I didn't expect to see an old acquaintance here!"
Bardi sighed, gently swirling the wine in his glass, his eyes locked on Cyborg Superman.
Cyborg Superman was pummeling his daughter Kara.
Kara was no match for him and struggled desperately. Her combat training had never been good—quite poor, actually. She lacked the talent of a warrior. Now, faced with her father, she couldn't bring herself to fight back.
She tried to reach him with words, tried to awaken his memories and make him recognize her. But all the while, Kara was beaten. Her nose was bruised, her arms broken. She could only cover her face and cry out how much she missed her father.
"I should thank you for saving him, for helping one of my supporters survive back then."
Bardi's face was calm. He raised his glass slightly and toasted Mongul.
No matter what Mongul's motives were in saving Zor-El, Bardi didn't care.
Zor-El had fully supported him, had launched a revolution for his ideals, believed that Krypton could change, that everything could change. In the darkest and most difficult time on Krypton, Zor-El had chosen to stand by Bardi.
That kindness, that act of giving warmth in the snow, was something Bardi would never forget.
He wasn't sentimental. But those who were loyal to him, good to him, supported him, believed in him, looked up to him—Bardi would never let them down.
Because as long as someone loved him first, he would surely respond to that sincere love.
Deep down, Bardi had always been a lonely person.
"You're welcome."
Mongul grinned mockingly and raised his glass, drinking it with Bardi.
Bardi gently set his glass down and rose from the diamond throne.
"You saved an old friend of mine. That alone makes your life worth sparing."
With a faint smile, Bardi stood, his gaze cast across the starry void.
At that moment, he was like the emperor of the universe. A god king reawakened from slumber. The dark-gold armor shimmered like a galaxy of stars wrapped around him.
The dark-gold emperor's armor reigned supreme in the cosmos. Towering and majestic, it exuded infinite grandeur and authority.
Mongul's eyes narrowed. The wine glass in his hand cracked and shattered under the pressure of his grip.
…
In the arena, Cyborg Superman had knocked Kara to the ground. She lay there, unable to move, groaning in pain and calling out to her father.
The cold light in Cyborg Superman's eyes flickered. His left arm shifted again, transforming into a massive particle-stream electron cannon. It aimed directly at Kara's battered, bloodied face.
The electron cannon began to charge, radiating a searing heat as it pressed toward her.
"Dad…"
Kara couldn't move. Her entire body ached, and her vision was blurry. Her face was streaked with blood and bruises. In the end, she could only murmur faintly. At the final moment, through the haze, she caught one last glance of her father—engulfed in shadow.
That soft, fragile word echoed harshly in Cyborg Superman's ears. The human eye on the still-flesh side of his face wavered slightly, as if a memory flickered—a little girl running joyfully around him.
But then, the cold metal systems began overwriting those signals. His expression reverted to mechanical indifference. The particle cannon lit up in a bright blue glow, now fully charged.
Amidst the feverish roar of millions of spectators, the electron cannon fired with a deafening boom toward Kara.
Suddenly.
A dark-golden cape descended like a starry sky. Bardi appeared before Kara, wearing his dark-gold emperor's armor. Like a god king descending upon the world, he radiated divine majesty. The galaxy seemed to swirl around him. His presence swept in all directions, regal and overwhelming.
Bardi reached out his hand and grabbed the mechanical claw at the cannon's muzzle.
Boom—
A massive explosion erupted. Cyborg Superman was blasted backward. His arm shattered into scattered components. His entire body was hurled across the arena like a missile.
The ground exploded with the force. The steel-and-soil arena floor cracked open in a massive crater. Fissures spread beneath his feet.
Dust surged into the air, and amidst it stood a towering figure in dark-golden armor. His form, though obscured, loomed like a mountain, his cape billowing in the whirlwind.
(To be continued.)
***
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