"Superman, Barry's gone!"
Canary's cry shattered the silence following Luthor's death. Everyone instantly realized a far greater crisis had erupted. Barry Allen, attacked by the Martian Manhunter, was no longer himself. The Speed Force provided him with accelerated healing, but the regenerative power of a normal being was no match for the Anti-Life Equation.
Barry resisted and screamed in agony, but the virus took hold, transforming him. Now, yellow lightning, he raced away from the Fortress of Solitude toward Gotham Forest. The gentle, kind Flash, once the last moral compass of the Justice League, was gone. What remained was a demon spreading death at unimaginable speeds.
As Canary spoke, Barry had already reached Gotham, infecting an entire street of survivors in an instant. The ultimate disaster was now in motion.
"I'll stop him!" Wally, another speedster, immediately volunteered. He knew few could match Barry's speed; even Superman was only on par with him and would struggle to subdue him.
But as Wally started to run, Superman appeared before him, faster still, and stopped him.
"Wally, wait. Barry has better control of the Speed Force than you do. It's too dangerous for you to face him. We can't risk losing two speedsters to the virus."
Wally halted, but the core problem remained. "Then who can stop him? Unchecked, he could infect all the remaining survivors in less than five minutes—even the Amazon warriors on Paradise Island!"
Wonder Woman didn't argue. She knew her people were powerful, but Barry's speed meant infection would be instantaneous. Very few could keep up with the Speed Force.
"I can stop Barry, but..."
Everyone saw the conflict on Superman's face. To catch Barry, Superman would have to use his full power. But in Barry's current state, that level of force would be lethal. Superman would be forced to kill his former friend.
"Superman, it's time." Diana's voice was firm.
Superman nodded in understanding. "Yes, it's time."
He knew he had to let go of his compassion. He had to kill his former comrade, Barry Allen.
"I'm going!"
Superman flew out of the Fortress of Solitude, heading not toward Gotham, but straight into space. From there, he used his super-vision to track Barry, who was still on the ground.
On Earth, Barry used the Speed Force to eliminate air resistance. Superman, however, had to constantly fight against it and the sonic boom. Only in the vacuum of space could he truly unleash his full speed.
Barry seemed to sense Superman's lock on him. He stopped infecting survivors and began to run faster, circling the Earth multiple times, trying to break free of Superman's pursuit.
Superman did the same, matching Barry's increasing speed as he flew around the globe. In space, with no resistance, Superman finally gained the advantage. He seized the moment Barry had to turn to avoid a tall building and dove toward the ground.
The distance from space to Earth was a mere second or two. The race was over. Superman plummeted like a cannonball, hitting Barry and obliterating him. Barry Allen, The Flash, was dead.
Superman stopped, but as he tried to take a breath, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.
"How..."
Looking down, he saw a tiny sliver of one of Barry's ribs had pierced his side. The injury was minor, but it meant the virus had breached his body.
"No, I have to warn everyone!"
Without hesitation, Superman flew back to the Fortress of Solitude. The wound was visible to everyone. No one screamed or cried out in disbelief; instead, a collective despair settled over them.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm... infected."
His son, Jonathan, and his wife, Lois, were the first to react, rushing to embrace him.
"I can't protect you anymore. I'm leaving now. Go with the Ark and don't look back."
After comforting them, Superman's face began to contort in pain. He gave Diana final instructions to lead the remaining heroes and then turned to Lucian.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I may not have been the symbol of hope you thought I was. Wait a moment."
He rushed into the depths of the fortress and returned moments later with a new Superman suit.
"Go with Jonathan and the others. This is a Kryptonian suit I made for you. I never got the chance to give it to you, but now, I finally can."
Superman gently stroked Lucian's head. "You don't have to be Superman. Just be yourself. You'll be better than me."
In a short time, Lucian had lost two of the most important people in his life: Luthor, who understood him, and Superman, his hero. He wept openly.
Superman knew his time was short. He offered one last hopeful smile.
"Everyone, I believe you will win the final victory!"
With that, he turned and left the Fortress of Solitude, soaring into the cosmos with no destination in mind. As he left the planet he loved, he didn't feel the pain of the virus, but the agony of goodbye. He wept, but he did not hesitate.
"Lois... Jonathan... you must live..."
With every thought, he flew across another galaxy, trying to get as far as possible from his home before his sanity was gone.
But it was all for nothing. Accompanied by painful wails and roars echoing through space, the Son of Krypton—who had brought hope and saved the world—finally became a slave to the Anti-Life Equation.
The last flicker of hope vanished from his eyes. As he looked back toward Earth, all that remained was a primal desire to kill.