Boom!
Adrian landed heavily in front of Clark, the ground cracking beneath his boots.
Before Clark could react, twin beams of scarlet light erupted from Adrian's eyes, slicing through the air with searing intensity.
The full-powered Heat Vision slammed into Clark's chest.
Clark threw up his arms instinctively, straining against the inferno.
But Adrian's heat rays were stronger—far stronger.
The sheer force drove him backward, carving a deep trench through the dirt as his boots gouged the earth.
"Hmph!"
Clark's eyes blazed red as he gritted his teeth, fighting the pain and the overwhelming pressure.
For a fleeting second, he managed to stand firm—then Adrian's power flared brighter.
With a sound like thunder, Clark was blasted off his feet, thrown through the air like a ragdoll.
He crashed into the side of a nearby abandoned factory, the impact shaking the rusted structure to its core.
Adrian didn't stop.
His Heat Vision tore through the landscape, cutting a massive tree clean in half.
The trunk split and fell with an earth-shaking crash, scattering debris and sending pebbles skittering through the air.
A split-second later, Adrian launched himself upward.
His body blurred, rising dozens of meters into the sky before plummeting down toward the factory like a meteor.
Crash!
The rooftop exploded under the impact as Adrian burst through it, disappearing inside.
---
"Holy crap…"
Chloe Sullivan stood frozen, her mouth hanging open.
For the first time, words failed her.
If only she'd brought her camera.
Even if no one believed her report, this—this was history.
She could already see the headline in her mind:
"Battle of the Gods."
No—even the gods of Olympus couldn't fight like this.
Lana Lang, watching from the other side, felt her heart sink with awe and something heavier—distance.
For the first time, she realized how far apart she and Adrian truly were.
He wasn't someone she could reach.
---
Inside the dim, shattered factory, Clark staggered to his feet, defiance burning in his bloodshot eyes.
Though beaten and battered, he refused to fall.
He charged forward, his fists a blur of motion.
Every punch cracked the air, the speed almost invisible.
Adrian blocked them with ease.
Each strike that would have shattered steel was parried or deflected.
Clark's strength was impressive, but compared to Adrian's raw precision and power, it was child's play.
Bang!
Adrian's counterpunch connected with Clark's temple.
Clark's body snapped sideways, crashing through the concrete floor.
The solid ground fractured under him, scattering debris as dust filled the air.
Whoosh!
Before Clark could recover, Adrian blurred across the space, appearing at his side.
He seized Clark by the throat and lifted him effortlessly off the ground.
"If you think you can beat me with cheap tricks," Adrian said coldly, "you're more naïve than I thought."
Bang!
He swung his arm, hurling Clark into a massive machine at the center of the factory.
The metal frame shrieked under the impact and collapsed, sparks flying.
Clark fell to his knees, panting heavily.
Dust coated his body, blood trickling from a split lip.
His eyes—now completely crimson—burned with fury and humiliation.
Roaring, he pressed both fists to the floor and surged upward, his body streaking through the air.
For the first time, he barely mastered the power of flight—driven by sheer emotion.
Like a meteor, he shot toward Adrian.
But before his strike could land, Adrian caught him midair by the neck.
Boom!
He slammed Clark into the ground with brutal force.
The floor cratered under the impact.
"I've always wondered something, Clark," Adrian said, voice like ice.
"Do you bleed?"
He pressed a boot against Clark's chest, forcing the air out of his lungs.
Without waiting for an answer, Adrian grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him high, and flung him through the nearest window.
Crash!
Glass shattered as Clark was hurled across the yard, smashing through a wall of the adjacent building.
He rolled through the debris and came to rest against a bent metal panel, barely conscious.
He tried to stand but could only lean weakly against the wall, bloodied and trembling.
Humiliation burned through him hotter than the pain.
Above, the factory roof cracked open as Adrian descended, landing in front of him once more—expressionless.
"Clark," he said coldly, "I thought losing your morality might make you smarter.
But it looks like it only made you arrogant—and stupid."
He blurred forward and drove his fist into Clark's jaw.
Clark spun across the ground, slamming into a pile of debris.
Adrian followed at a steady pace, the ground crunching beneath his boots.
He stomped down, aiming for Clark's chest—but Clark rolled aside just in time.
Struggling to rise, Clark threw a desperate punch, but Adrian met him with a kick that sent him crashing into a rack of heavy equipment.
Steel pipes clattered and split apart.
Metal fragments rained down, burying Clark under their weight.
Now, even his will to fight flickered out.
Every muscle ached.
Every nerve screamed.
He could barely move a finger.
The sound of shifting debris echoed as Adrian tossed the metal aside and stood over him.
He grabbed Clark by the collar, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
"Green Kryptonite isn't what you fear," Adrian said quietly, eyes glowing faintly red.
"I am your fear."
He slammed a fist into Clark's face.
Thud!
Clark hit the wall hard enough to shake the entire structure.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs as dust rained down from the ceiling.
He coughed, sliding limply to the floor.
Adrian's blurred figure appeared in front of him again, his hand clamping around Clark's throat.
"You're not brave, Clark," he said, his tone a mix of contempt and exhaustion.
"You're reckless."
Clark coughed violently, his strength fading fast.
But somewhere beneath the pain, his mind shifted.
His
hand trembled as he reached for the red kryptonite ring on his finger—the source of everything twisted inside him.
---