Chapter 164: The Gorgon
Metropolis.
A loud explosion echoed through the Metropolis Museum, the shockwave blasting through the ceiling. Dust filled the air, debris scattered everywhere, and the sound of alarms was deafening.
Clad in green armor, Lex Luthor descended slowly through the flames and smoke. His equipment gleamed with a metallic luster, a suit of heavy armor that covered him from head to toe, yet deliberately left his bald head exposed, as if afraid someone might miss the sight of his shining pate.
Visitors and onlookers evacuated quickly, and security guards immediately assembled.
"Hands up!"
Of course, even as they shouted, they had already opened fire. Shoot first, ask questions later—classic American security.
And, naturally, all the bullets were aimed at that bald head. It was no wonder. For a guy decked out in heavy armor from head to toe, leaving his head bare was like painting a bullseye on his bald spot. Resisting the urge to shoot at that bald head was like trying to scroll past the most tempting clickbait imaginable online; it was simply beyond the willpower of an ordinary person.
However, it was useless.
It wasn't that the guards' marksmanship was terrible. Although aiming a handgun is extremely difficult, a few bullets, through sheer luck, still managed to find their way toward Lex Luthor's head. But those bullets clearly hit a wall a good distance from his bald head, as if they had struck an invisible barrier. They crumpled upon impact and fell to the ground.
With their magazines emptied to no effect, the guards all stared with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the principle behind it.
"Force field, you idiots. The defense generated by my shield generator is far tougher than the armor itself," Lex Luthor sneered. "I designed it this way precisely to make you shoot at my head."
Of course, the possibility that his extreme narcissism made him want everyone to see who was inside the armor couldn't be ruled out.
"Now, it's my turn."
He raised his right hand. The mechanisms in his arm activated, reconfiguring his forearm into a dangerous cannon. A green light emanated from the cannon's muzzle, and a deadly energy beam was about to annihilate all the security guards. Just then, the museum's outer wall was suddenly smashed through. A red-and-blue afterimage shot in, arriving in a flash before the guards in the nick of time.
A powerful beam of energy blasted straight into a large 'S' emblem.
Superman stood with his hands on his hips, his red cape billowing from the impact of the beam. Black smoke rose from his chest, but he seemed completely unfazed as he squinted at Lex Luthor.
"Luthor," Superman said. "So much for laying low?"
"Superman!"
Luthor seemed startled for a moment, then gritted his teeth and let out a heavy snort, as if after an intense internal struggle.
"You got here even faster than I expected…"
"Give it up, Luthor." Superman stood with his fists on his hips. "You and I both know how this ends."
But unexpectedly, a dark green blast shot in from the side, abruptly knocking Superman away. He crashed through several display cases and artifacts before snapping a load-bearing pillar in the hall in half.
"Hah, Boy Scout," Luthor smirked. "Too gullible."
The witch Circe emerged from the side like a transparent phantom, a green, ghostly fire in her hand.
"He's very strong, but he's not good against magic. I can feel it," she said with a smile.
But in the next second, Superman burst out of the ruins with a boom, appearing to have taken very little damage.
Luthor looked at Circe. "What were you just saying?"
"Well… at least he seems to be very durable."
Superman said nothing, rising into the air again to charge. But just as he took off, a small snake suddenly shot out from the debris beneath him. It coiled around his ankle and, with immense power, violently flung him away.
Superman once again took a spectacular tumble, cracking the floor and smashing through a pile of obstacles, but he landed in a somersault and got up, still seemingly unharmed.
A figure emerged from beneath the ruins. It had a feminine silhouette, but its appearance was terrifying. Smooth scales covered its skin, and its body was large and strong. Its hair was a mass of writhing, intertwined venomous snakes, each one baring sharp fangs, hissing continuously and spitting venom.
"And who might this be?" Luthor asked, glancing at Circe.
"An ally I made during my long battle with that Amazon demigod," Circe said with her hands on her hips, a cold smile on her face. "You should have heard her name, mortal. She is called Medusa."
"The Gorgon," Luthor nodded. "So the myths aren't all made up."
"And her two reliable older sisters."
As she spoke, two more eerie figures appeared from the shadows along the walls. Stheno and Euryale, looking similar to Medusa, were gorgons with writhing venomous snakes for hair.
The Gorgon Sisters. Famous demonic creatures from Greek mythology, their images borrowed and adapted in countless popular cultures, always retaining their iconic and powerful ability.
Petrification.
The three sisters smiled charmingly, a dangerous red glow flashing in their eyes. Every small snake on their heads began to writhe restlessly, their bodies dancing as they let out hissing cries.
Three rays of light surrounded Superman from different directions.
The next moment, the Man of Steel, frozen in his mid-air posture, was turned into a stone statue.
"Doesn't look so 'steel' now, does he?" Luthor jeered.
"Alright, now for the real business."
Circe turned and formed a perceptive hand seal. She scanned the area in a half-circle with the seal, and as if sensing something, she changed her hand gesture and activated her magic.
An object in a nearby exhibition hall immediately responded. It burst through the wall, a golden scepter shooting through the air and landing in her hand.
Circe twirled the scepter in her hand, activating the red gem embedded in its tip. Then, she pointed the scepter to the side, and a blast of magic shot out, instantly opening a magical vortex.
Luthor peered in. "Is this it?"
"The Fallen Realm."
Holding the scepter, Circe strode into the vortex.
"Come on, we still have much to do."
The criminals vanished inside, and the vortex quickly closed.
About a few minutes later, Orin Vale and Diana, having come all the way from Gotham, rushed into the hall.
"No, we're too late."
Diana immediately saw the petrified Superman.
"I recognize this. It's the Gorgon Sisters. So they want a piece of the Fallen Realm too."
She flew to Superman's side and sighed softly.
"I've heard of him, the Man of Steel of Metropolis. He's a brave warrior; I can see he fought honorably. It's a pity… what are you doing?"
She looked at Orin Vale strangely. He was holding his arm out, his five fingers spread open and pointing at the petrified Superman.
"I happen to know a ray that reverses petrification. I just scanned the magical frequency acting on him, performed a simple reverse analysis to make some targeted adjustments, and now... let me see if it works."
The petrification skill was quite common in the Ultra Series. Joneus from U40 demonstrated a ray of light that could restore petrified people and objects in episode 13 of his TV series, and the Heisei-era veteran, Tiga, once broke free from petrification using a form change.
Of course, that was all in the Ultraman Universe. Different universes meant different skills and different principles. Orin Vale had read in literature about how to restore people petrified by monsters, but he wasn't sure about a Gorgon from the DC Universe.
However, he had been studying DC magic for a while now. In his eyes, magic was just another application of energy, and he was no longer as clueless as when he first arrived.
First, I'll scan the operating principle of this magic, then use that to make targeted adjustments to my restoration ray…
"That's impossible," Diana said. "The Gorgon's Petrification Curse can only be lifted by the Gorgon herself, or by killing the caster. No one else can—huh!?"
Before she could finish, Diana's eyes went wide.
She watched in astonishment as, the moment a ring-shaped ray of light was released from Orin Vale's palm, the stone statue began to loosen.
Cracks started to spread across its surface.
With a "krr-chak" sound, the stone statue suddenly shattered, and Superman burst free.
Diana looked at Orin Vale with a bizarre expression and couldn't help but mutter, "It's like... I'm seeing a ghost."
(end of chapter)