---
The streets of Metropolis shook beneath the titanic blows. Superman's fist drove into Doomsday's chest, the impact blasting shockwaves down the boulevard. Windows shattered, cars flipped, and terrified civilians scattered like ants beneath gods at war.
Doomsday roared, unfazed. His massive hand caught Superman by the cape, swinging him into the side of a skyscraper. Concrete burst outward, the building groaning under the strain. Superman grit his teeth, forcing himself free before Doomsday could follow up.
"Clear the area!" Superman shouted to emergency responders below, even as blood ran down the corner of his lip. His chest heaved, but his focus never wavered. "Get them out of here—now!"
Doomsday's next roar split the sky. He leapt, his shadow blotting out the sun, coming down like a meteor. Superman braced—then it happened.
The world… bent.
A sharp tear of sound cracked the air, like reality itself had split. High above the battlefield, a dark rift opened—silent yet thunderous, a wound in the sky. From it drifted a pale figure, descending slowly, wings stretching outward like the shadows of some broken angel. His green eyes glowed with cold fire, his black-and-white attire alien against the smoke-filled skyline.
The crowd below froze. Some screamed. Others whispered:
"Another one?!"
"God, not another monster!"
Superman looked up, sweat on his brow, confusion mixing with wariness. He steadied himself in the air, placing his body between the newcomer and the civilians below.
"Whoever you are," he warned, voice firm, "this city has been through enough."
Ulquiorra's gaze shifted lazily from Superman to Doomsday, then to the panicked humans fleeing below. He spoke without inflection, his voice quiet but carrying across the battlefield like a whisper in every ear.
"Pathetic. These creatures cling to life… even as it slips through their fingers."
Superman stiffened. "I won't let you harm them."
Doomsday roared again, furious at being ignored. He lunged, fists raised. But before he could strike, Ulquiorra simply raised a hand. A sphere of black-green energy swelled at his fingertip, humming with destructive power.
"Cero."
The beam erupted, lancing across the battlefield and striking Doomsday point-blank. The explosion lit the skyline green, engulfing the monster in fire and smoke. The shockwave ripped across the avenue, knocking debris and dust into the air. Civilians ducked, some crying out in fear.
Superman shielded his eyes, floating in the blast's wake. He couldn't believe it. That attack… it wasn't just powerful—it felt *wrong*. Like it wasn't from this world.
When the dust cleared, Doomsday's body lay embedded in the asphalt, his chest scorched and cracked. He twitched, regenerating already, but—for the first time—slowed.
Superman turned back to Ulquiorra, hovering only a few feet away now. The pale figure's expression remained unchanged, those piercing green eyes locked on him with clinical detachment.
"You didn't kill him," Superman said carefully, trying to read him. "You held back."
Ulquiorra blinked slowly. "I merely wished to see if this beast possessed the will to rise again. It does. Intriguing." His gaze shifted back to Superman. "And you… you exhaust yourself for their sake." He gestured slightly toward the humans still fleeing in terror. "Why?"
Superman frowned, his cape fluttering in the updraft of burning buildings. "Because their lives matter."
"Lives," Ulquiorra echoed, almost as if testing the word. "They are fragile. Insignificant. A single strike… and they vanish. What value is there in protecting emptiness?"
"They're not empty," Superman shot back, firmer this time. "They feel. They dream. That's what makes them worth protecting."
For the first time, Ulquiorra's head tilted slightly, as if in thought. His expression didn't change, but there was something sharper in his gaze now. Not emotion, not exactly… but interest.
Below, Doomsday stirred again, pushing himself from the crater with another guttural roar. Superman's eyes flicked down, tension tightening in his chest. He knew the fight wasn't over.
But the real danger… might now be standing right beside him.
"Stay out of this," Superman warned, eyes narrowing. "This isn't your fight."
Ulquiorra looked down at Doomsday, then back at him. His reply was cold, simple, and utterly alien:
"I will do as I please."
And with that, his wings spread wide, black feathers scattering into the smoky sky as he prepared to descend once more into the chaos.
---