Chapter 113: Battle on the Moon
In the vast and silent outer space above Earth.
A pair of crimson-gold eyes blazed like flames. Silver-white hair glowed with divine radiance as it whipped wildly in the void, his dark cape snapping in the cosmic winds. Around him, arcs of lightning tore through the vacuum.
Xi Nian stood motionless in the universe, transformed into his transcendent form. Behind him, the Lasso of Truth floated as a golden halo, circling tightly like a divine artifact guarding its master.
The moment he appeared in orbit, a blur of movement shot through the silent void. In the blink of an eye, a figure closed in from behind him.
It was Superman, Kal-El. His upper body was bare, revealing the steel-like muscle of his Kryptonian physique. He wore only the black pants he had been buried in. Bathed in unfiltered sunlight, he seemed reborn in fire as he charged at Xi Nian, his fist faster and deadlier than a missile warhead.
Xi Nian, however, did not flinch. He remained perfectly still.
Clang!
The sound rang out as though struck against indestructible metal.
Superman's pupils shrank sharply. His fist, which hadn't yet touched Xi Nian, was stopped cold by the golden halo floating behind the young man's head.
The halo looked like nothing more than a glowing ornament. Yet within it surged vast divine energy, spilling like strands of radiant hair. Superman's fist pressed against its surface, unable to advance even an inch, blocked by an invisible barrier that rippled with waves of divine force.
Golden ripples expanded outward, spreading kilometers across the void.
Superman froze. The halo didn't just radiate the boundless might of the Old Gods—it was also fused with the Kryptonian bio-field, seamlessly woven into divine power.
Was a bio-field even supposed to work like this?
No—this wasn't just fusion. It was overflowing.
His knuckles throbbed violently. The combined backlash of divine energy and the Kryptonian bio-field reverberated up his arm, forcing him backward.
Before Superman could throw a second punch, Xi Nian's form flickered, and in an instant he swapped places—appearing behind Superman.
He didn't use any fancy technique. Just a simple, direct kick.
His foot struck Superman squarely in the side.
In silence, the Man of Steel's broad back arched from the overwhelming force. The impact hurled him across space, his body spiraling through the void.
On the way, he clipped a satellite bearing the Wayne Industries logo. The massive structure shattered like a child's toy, exploding into a brilliant orange fireball.
Xi Nian blinked, pretending not to notice, then shot forward again, chasing Superman like a blazing comet across the void.
Even the Justice League on the memorial plaza below could look up and see it—
a dazzling white spark streaking across the blue heavens.
At that moment—
A woman in a white blouse and black slacks, dressed like a sharp and elegant reporter, rushed toward the plaza.
Her eyes swept across the destruction and the heroes standing amidst the ruins. Nervous and hopeful, she asked, "Clark… has he really come back?"
"Lois. It's true." Supergirl, Kara Danvers, descended quickly and landed at her side, answering the woman who was both her elder and sister-in-law.
"Where is he now?" Lois asked urgently.
Supergirl hesitated, then pointed upward to the sky. "They're… probably fighting on the moon."
She added softly, "Don't worry. With that person there, Kal won't be in danger."
"That person?" Lois repeated, stunned. She lifted her gaze, eyes filled with uncertainty.
…
Out in near-Earth orbit—
Xi Nian caught up to the tumbling Superman. As the Man of Steel was about to crash into another space station, Xi Nian struck him again, this time sending him in a different direction.
Toward a gray-white celestial body.
The Moon.
Superman smashed into its surface like a human meteorite, carving deep into the soil. The impact sent waves of dust and rock billowing outward, leaving behind a crater more than a kilometer wide.
Kal-El climbed out of the pit, just as Xi Nian had done earlier when he was smashed into the memorial plaza.
Xi Nian, it seemed, knew how to hold a grudge.
But unlike others who would wait a year, or a decade, Xi Nian always paid it back immediately—on the same day.
Superman's eyes blazed crimson. He tilted his head back and unleashed twin beams of searing heat vision into the blackness above.
The scarlet beams extended kilometers into the void—until two bolts of lightning-laced heat vision rained down from above, clashing against his own.
It was like spears of divine judgment hurled from the heavens, piercing through Superman's attack.
A radiant figure descended with the lightning. Instinctively, Superman crossed his arms over his head to shield himself. A foot slammed down onto his guard.
Boom.
Superman's towering body was driven halfway into the lunar surface. The crater expanded several times larger, dust storms rolling outward for miles.
This was—
A battle fought not on Earth, but on the Moon, four hundred thousand kilometers away.
…
Nearby, astronauts conducting research on the lunar surface turned at the strange tremors and storms.
They froze. In the distance, two humanlike figures were locked in combat, tearing the Moon apart with every casual strike.
"Oh my God!" one astronaut gasped, collapsing into the dust in shock. His very soul nearly fled his body.
It wasn't just fear.
In his eyes, those weren't men fighting—
they were gods.
…
For the umpteenth time, Superman was sent flying.
Kal-El felt more than a little humiliated. Truthfully, he had already started regaining fragments of his memories. He knew who he was.
But the young man before him intrigued him. His connection to Kara, his Kryptonian traits—it was worth testing him further.
He hadn't expected the tables to turn so suddenly.
Earlier, he thought he could still suppress the youth. But after Xi Nian transformed, it was Superman who was completely overwhelmed.
This pressure… it was far beyond what he had felt against General Zod years ago.
Superman was much stronger now than back then—yet against Xi Nian, he had no chance to fight back.
He wanted to say he was coming to his senses, that maybe they could stop fighting—
but here on the Moon, there was no air, and no way to speak.
Which was… more than a little awkward.
Power comparison at this point:
Transcendent Xi Nian (after gaining Spider ability first) > Superman > Dark Superman Xi Nian = Supergirl > Spider Xi Nian (with potential to safely stack other abilities without losing control)
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon com/GuessMyName33 for advanced chapters]