The Despair Demon's fleeting, malicious thought was to make the Flash return to the Justice League headquarters in terror and despair, only to find that his powerful teammates, whom he sought help from, were now controlled by his sudden appearance, and he had arrived at the Justice League headquarters.
Unfortunately, reality differed from his imagination. He failed to control everything as planned and was instead defeated by David, who evaporated his brain with an energy ray.
The Flash introduced the situation of the League to the father and daughter duo, Jason and Sarana, and suggested that he might be able to take them to Superman for help. The father and daughter, having no other options, were very grateful for his assistance, and he brought Jason and Sarana to the League headquarters.
However, something seemed to have happened on the island headquarters of the Justice League.
The superheroes on this planet turned their heads, clearing their line of sight. Jason would never forget that dark red figure; it was he who, with brutal power, enslaved his people.
"Is... is that the Despair Demon?!"
His daughter Sarana exclaimed.
The tyrant who violently conquered Karrano and struck fear into the hearts of its people lay there, his eyes hollow, staring at the sky, completely devoid of his former ferocity and brutality.
"You killed him?"
She covered her mouth in disbelief.
"What? He's the Despair Demon?"
Following their gaze, the Flash was taken aback.
"The tyrant of your Karrano?"
What was going on? He had just arrived with a heavy heart, bringing Jason and Sarana back to the League for help, wondering if Superman could defeat the Despair Demon and save the planet Karrano light-years away.
In the blink of an eye, back at the League headquarters, the Despair Demon was lying dead in front of the headquarters, already killed?
"How... how did you kill him?"
Jason couldn't imagine.
The Despair Demon's mental power was stronger than ten thousand Karrano people combined, and laser weapons that could level mountains couldn't even scratch his body.
"Actually, it was almost entirely one person."
Hal Jordan stated truthfully, and the others moved aside, revealing David's figure.
"If it weren't for the Transcendent, Firestorm and I might not be standing here."
The Element Girl's face still showed lingering fear and gratitude.
She had never experienced power as terrifying and horrifying as the Despair Demon's. One punch had shattered her strongest defenses with overwhelming force.
Were the Justice League's usual opponents at this level?
Arthur and the others exchanged glances. They had to admit that they had attacked, but it had no effect.
"This Despair Demon is perhaps the most powerful enemy we've encountered since the League's inception. It was thanks to the Transcendent."
"One person did it?"
Jason and Sarana stared dumbfounded at David, at whose feet the Despair Demon's corpse lay. To think that such a powerful being existed on this technologically backward planet!
Hawkgirl had also experienced the Despair Demon's power most clearly. She was considered a top warrior on Thanagar, but...
"With the protection of someone like that on this planet, is it really necessary for Thanagar to take over?"
Looking at David's figure, she harbored complex doubts.
"Although it's a bit slow, my body is recovering. He's not completely dead yet?"
David retracted his gaze from the gradually regenerating brain tissue within the Despair Demon's head and looked at them.
"Are you Karrano people?"
With a wave of his hand, he created a gravitational channel between Earth and the Sun.
The Despair Demon's body was launched into space, accelerating faster and faster. The speed caused friction with the atmosphere, creating flames. In an instant, it flew out of Earth and was thrown into the Sun.
Since awakening his powers, nothing had been able to harm the Despair Demon. Even the Karrano people didn't know he had regenerative abilities and thought he was dead.
"But it doesn't matter, it's just a matter of seconds."
"Did you people lure the Despair Demon to Earth?" he continued to ask, his calm voice making Jason and Sarana's hearts tremble.
As David spoke, the already suspicious crowd instantly turned their gazes towards the father and daughter brought by the Flash, causing them to appear flustered.
He remembered that in the original plot, it was a Karrano father and daughter, fleeing from the Despair Demon's pursuit, who escaped to Earth, thus luring the Despair Demon to Earth, which subsequently gave him the ambition to conquer Earth. The Flash brought that father and daughter back to the League headquarters for help, only to discover in horror that the League members had been wiped out and controlled.
If the Despair Demon hadn't insisted on playing a board game with the Flash and had released his control over everyone, allowing himself to be defeated, the League would have been annihilated.
"No, it wasn't us."
Even though David showed no coldness on his face, the Jason and Sarana duo were so frightened that they hastily explained.
After all, the man before them was so powerful that even the Despair Demon couldn't defeat him. A mere breath could likely kill them.
"We just wanted to escape to Earth and find a moment of respite to complete my research. We never expected the Despair Demon to chase us to Earth."
Jason couldn't fathom why the Despair Demon would pursue them to this planet.
His daughter and he shouldn't warrant such serious attention from the Despair Demon.
David raised an eyebrow.
"Research? What research?"
"Yes, we are willing to apologize and offer the energy interference technology I've been researching."
Jason quickly offered his technology as atonement.
Regardless, the fact that the father and daughter had brought a terrifying, powerful enemy to Earth was undeniable.
He also knew that the Despair Demon was ambitious. Seeing this life-bearing planet, he likely wanted to conquer it. He then found the force on the planet most capable of resisting him, only to end up losing his own life.
David had initially thought that it was the research of this Karrano scientist that led the Despair Demon to Earth, but after listening to Jason's explanation, he dismissed this idea.
Although Jason's energy interference technology far surpassed Earth's technological level, it wasn't terrifyingly advanced.
He estimated that the Despair Demon had heard his subordinates report the rebels' movements and, driven by a cat-and-mouse mentality, decided to hunt the two as a form of amusement during his boredom. He came to Earth for this, but unexpectedly lost his life here.
At this moment, the gravitational slingshot between the sun and Earth had already sent the Despair Demon into the sun's core, burning him to not even a single molecule, leaving him utterly dead.
The two weren't intentionally malicious, and David wasn't particularly interested in any energy interference technology.
However, he couldn't just let the two leave Earth for free after solving the trouble they had accidentally brought. Thus, he accepted the technology.
Today was supposed to be a happy day for the League to welcome new members. No one had anticipated that someone would attack them, nearly killing everyone.
Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein were separated by the Despair Demon. After waking up, Professor Martin Stein was excited for quite some time. He had his own body back, but before long, both of their bodies began to show signs of instability, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
Cyborg's examination, along with Martin Stein's analysis, concluded that the nuclear reactor explosion had permanently altered their bodies.
They could only exist by merging, and if they separated for too long, their bodies would collapse.
Even living in someone else's mind was still living. Martin Stein, dispirited, merged with Ronnie Raymond again, transforming back into Firestorm.
With the help of Firestorm and Element Girl, the damaged lobby dome of the League's entrance was repaired in no time. Firestorm also used matter transmutation to renovate and reinforce the entire League headquarters.
"There, now we won't have to worry about enemies attacking us next time."
At the League's entrance, Firestorm brushed some non-existent dust off his hands.
"With the Transcendent here, we don't need to fear anyone attacking us," Element Girl said.
"The Transcendent only came to headquarters today specifically to welcome you. He's usually not around," Hal Jordan said casually, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.
Having overcome the danger, their moods were naturally relaxed.
"What? Then I need to hurry and get an autograph."
Firestorm's eyes widened, and he dashed towards the interior of the hall.
"I heard the Transcendent is different from Superman; he hasn't signed an autograph for anyone yet."
"Me too."
The two rushed towards the interior of the hall, vying with each other.
"With such a person standing right in front of you, isn't a Green Lantern's autograph worthless?"
Green Lantern pouted.
...
"Kara Zor-El."
A calling voice echoed from the darkness.
"Wake up."
"Who is it?"
Someone calling her name on Earth? Kara, who was napping, suddenly opened her eyes. However, what greeted her wasn't the cozy attic that David and Clark had prepared for her, but a fiery abyss above.
"Where am I? How did I..."
She looked around, confused and disoriented, wondering how she had gotten here. She clearly remembered being at her cousin's adoptive parents' house.
Was it a dream?
She was dreaming again, dreaming of Krypton's lava falls? But it didn't feel like a dream.
The next moment, the man's voice that had called her confirmed her thoughts, laced with a lonely sigh, as if it came from the depths of a solitary, empty starry sky.
"You are not dreaming. This is not Krypton's lava falls. Krypton is already destroyed."
"Who is it?"
Kara suddenly became alert and looked around. Her words had only been in her mind; how could someone else have heard them?
Behind her, a pale-skinned figure suddenly appeared. His metallic body seemed forged from white dwarf star matter, his pitch-black eyes, devoid of whites, reflected only solitude and coldness. The remnants of his suit on his lower body were the classic red and blue colors.
"Don't be afraid, Kara Zor-El. I am H'el. I am also the last Kryptonian."
"Who are you? What did you do to me?"
Kara awoke fully. This was not Earth, nor was it a dream. She had been brought here, and she suspected the man before her was responsible. She assumed a defensive stance like a wary panther.
"I have brought you to the surface of Earth's star."
H'el spread his arms, gesturing for Kara to look into the distance where the sun's outline was visible.
"For days, I've wanted to bring you here to speak with you without interruption, but finding an opportunity when you were separated from your cousin and that Earthling wasn't easy!"
His gaze fell upon Earth, his sight crossing the vast expanse of space.
The last son of the Kal family was saving people from a fire in Metropolis, while another Earthling, whose power he found inexplicably strong, had flown towards the North Pole, seemingly to confront an artificial intelligence.
"You say you are Kryptonian?"
As H'el spoke with words that clearly had ulterior motives, Kara moved like lightning, whipping up the flames on the solar surface and angrily throwing a punch.
"Since when did Kryptonians gain such an ability? To teleport someone to another planet."
She didn't believe a word of what this guy was saying.
The Earthlings were more like Kryptonians than he was!
Bang!
H'el slowly turned his head, unbothered by Kara's attack, as if it were merely a petulant prank.
Crack!
A sound of dislocated bone echoed. Kara's fist struck H'el's chest, but it felt like when she was still on Krypton and had punched an iron wall. She was thrown back by a powerful recoil force.
"My hand!"
She stabilized herself, clutching her dislocated wrist in pain, and looked on in disbelief.
The yellow sun's energy granted Kryptonians incredible abilities, and she was currently on the surface of a yellow sun. This should have been a moment of unprecedented power for her, but in front of this man, she felt like a fragile young girl.
Her attack, capable of shattering mountains, had resulted only in a dislocated wrist, while his position in the air hadn't shifted even a millimeter.
What could be this terrifying man's purpose in teleporting her here?
"Despite my appearance, I am a Kryptonian, just like you."
H'el wasn't angered by Kara's punch. His voice was calm as he began to explain why he had become this way.
"I've drifted through the universe for decades. I've bathed not only in the light of yellow stars and blue stars, but also in the light of quasars, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and hypergiants for prolonged periods…
This long journey has altered my appearance and granted me abilities that Kryptonians do not possess."
"Such as spatial teleportation and telepathy."
He looked sincerely at Kara.
Kara's expression shifted.
She remembered that the yellow sun's energy unlocked Kryptonians' potential, and the blue sun's effects were even more powerful. As for the effects of luminous celestial bodies on Kryptonians, she didn't know.
Perhaps it wasn't impossible for Kryptonians to develop differently and gain more abilities after being exposed to too much celestial light.
However, she still didn't fully believe H'el's words.
"I promise you, I have no ill will towards you."
Seeing that Kara's hostility had at least lessened, H'el placed a hand on his chest, continuing his earnest attempt to persuade her.
"I promise you, I have no ill will towards you. In fact, I have a deep connection with your Kal family.
I was a student of your Uncle Jor-El."
"What?"
Kara froze.
"He was my mentor and treated me like his own son. Before Krypton exploded, he sent me away experimentally, having me board a spaceship that preserved Kryptonian culture and technology, allowing me to escape Krypton."
"Spaceship? Krypton?"
Kara immediately thought of her cousin and herself.
She and Clark had both escaped Krypton via spaceship. How did this man know about that, and even mention her Uncle Jor-El launching a spaceship?
"You are Uncle Jor-El's student?"
Kara frowned.
Although they were family, her father, Zor-El, unwilling to be overshadowed by his brother Jor-El's genius, had kept their families at a distance. It was only around the time her cousin was born that she visited Uncle Jor-El's home.
Therefore, she couldn't verify the truth of H'el's statement and remained filled with rejection and suspicion. She turned to leave.
"What is your purpose in saying all this? Do you want me to treat you as family and welcome you?
I don't even know you."
She could see the loneliness and longing in H'el's eyes. He truly seemed like someone who had drifted for decades without encountering his own kind, but his sudden, strange appearance and abnormal appearance made it impossible for her to trust him.
"I need your help, Kara."
H'el didn't stop her, merely catching up to her slowly in space.
"And it's also to help you."
"What are you talking about?" Kara replied, feeling annoyed as she was pestered by this inexplicable person, unable to shake him off as they flew toward Earth.
She didn't need help, and no one could help her achieve what she truly desired.
"We can go home together."
"Krypton is destroyed," Kara said, her body stiffening, her voice muffled.
"No, I mean Krypton before the explosion."
H'el accelerated and blocked her path, gazing into her eyes.
Kara looked at him as if he were insane.
"Are you crazy?"
"No, I can go back in time and change the current reality, but I need your help."
Hearing what H'el said next, Kara's mouth fell open in astonishment.
"You mean, time travel?!"
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