After much deliberation and searching through the lantern ring database, Thea finally found a desolate planet. It orbited far from any star and showed no signs of life. Even if the two fighters knocked the planet off its axis, no harm done. Most importantly, it had oxygen—suitable for Lois, the ordinary human who couldn't resist watching the excitement.
After explaining her discovery to the group, Superman and Diana naturally agreed. They'd been itching for this fight for a while—the only problem had been finding a suitable battlefield.
"Go to an alien planet? How?" Lois's worldview was barely holding together. She asked her question urgently.
"Don't worry, there's oxygen there. Though the lighting is poor... and it's genuinely cold..." Thea gestured for everyone to move to a more secluded location. The distance was considerable, so the teleportation prep would take longer.
Calculating distance, spatial positioning, establishing connection channels, reinforcing with magical power, stabilizing spatial turbulence...
This long-distance teleportation was far more complicated than traveling within Earth. Thea even pulled out her staff. A magic circle covered in purple patterns gradually appeared on the ground.
Though she couldn't understand what it was, the well-educated Lois still sensed the complex geometric beauty within it.
"Oh, should you all change clothes? You should wear your combat suits, and Lois needs winter gear." Thea was halfway through drawing the circle when she remembered this detail.
All three nodded. Thea opened two portals for them—everyone going home to change. She told them to hurry while the portals remained open, then continued working on the ultra-long-range teleportation.
Lois crossed the portal anxiously. Her first experience with spatial displacement startled her. When she recovered, she found herself already home.
Touching her familiar furniture—real and unmistakable—she turned to look at the blue-glowing portal behind her.
"What kind of ability is that? Do you have it too?" She grabbed Superman, who was finding winter clothes for her, her face tense with questions.
The honest boy shook his head, indicating he lacked this ability. Seeing his girlfriend wanting to dig deeper, he could only explain, "Thea's abilities are mystical in nature. Different from mine."
"That tall woman isn't your match, right?"
Superman didn't dare answer carelessly. He thought seriously. "We've never fought. I don't know. She's a very powerful warrior."
"You won't get hurt, will you? If it's that dangerous, maybe we shouldn't..."
"I don't think I'll lose. This fight is necessary. I'm a warrior too." The Superman who normally indulged his girlfriend in everything now spoke with absolute certainty.
Lois understood his personality and wouldn't try to dissuade him further. Hearing her boyfriend say he wouldn't lose, most of her worry disappeared. With concern gone, her reporter's gossipy curiosity emerged. She touched her chin thoughtfully. "What's the relationship between those two women...?"
Superman wasn't that gossipy. Based on his knowledge of Kryptonian data, Kryptonians were born through genetic matching. Male-female relationships were perfectly normal—nothing surprising about it.
He changed into his blue suit and red cape at maximum speed, then bundled Lois into a down jacket. The two hurriedly crossed back through the portal.
"Hmm?!" The moment he stepped through, his gaze was riveted.
Diana had changed from her linen-colored skirt. Her hair flowed loose, and she wore her iconic Greek-style armor, carrying sword and shield, wearing her Guardian Bracelets, quietly waiting for them.
Their battle intent instantly peaked, though both still held back out of concern for Earth, forcibly restraining themselves.
"Alright, everyone in. The abandoned planet, using universal cosmic naming conventions, is called Elara. It's five light-years from Earth, twenty-four light-years from Krypton." Thea had finished drawing the teleportation array. Unlike the blue light gates she casually opened on Earth, this portal was entirely purple. Just maintaining the channel consumed twenty percent of her magical power. After carefully checking everything and confirming it was safe, she stepped through first.
Diana followed immediately. Superman comfortingly held Lois's hand as they entered too.
The superhuman individuals felt nothing unusual, but ordinary Lois suffered terribly. It felt like being thrown into a washing machine—her body remained unharmed, but her brain seemed violently flung out by centrifugal force. She couldn't tell if it was dizziness or pain, only that her steps felt unsteady, similar to being drunk.
Fortunately, Thea's magical skill far exceeded what it had been initially. The dizziness came fast but cleared quickly.
Shaking her head, Lois began surveying her surroundings. This was a dark planet. Thick cloud cover allowed only a few rays of light through gaps to reach the ground. No vegetation was visible to the naked eye. The horizon seemed shrouded in sand and grit. The environment was worse than Arabia.
The only good news was the oxygen here, though it was quite thin. Pulling her coat tighter, she approached Thea, somewhat curious. "There's no sun here? You said it's five light-years from Earth?!"
"Uh, actually there is a star providing light, it's just very far away. Plus the star has entered its decline phase..."
Seeing her unconcerned expression, Lois couldn't help asking, "Aren't you worried about your... partner? Won't Miss Prince be in danger?"
Thea shook her head without answering the question. Without kryptonite, no one could defeat Superman. But likewise, with a full divine arsenal, having reached the peak of demigod status—just one step from true godhood—Thea didn't think Diana would lose either. She was actually quite eager to watch this fight herself.
Seeing Thea had no intention of continuing the conversation, Lois suppressed her urge to talk. She glanced sideways at Thea's short-skirted, short-sleeved, purse-carrying shopping outfit, comparing it to her own down-jacket-bundled, shivering state. Speechless.
Thea silently laughed. Anyone else would have gone home already. But this woman's curiosity exceeded everything—she showed no signs of backing down. Her eyes were currently gleaming as she stared at the two distant figures.
"Are you better at aerial combat or ground combat?" Superman floated three meters high, asking politely.
Though Superman spoke his opening words calmly, Diana still detected something new—he was applying psychological pressure. She immediately countered, "Do you prefer fighting with weapons or bare-handed?"
"Then let's fight according to our respective strengths." Realizing she wouldn't engage him in aerial combat, Superman felt slightly disappointed. As for weapons—this world had no Sword of Superman. He didn't use weapons.
He flew directly to high altitude, looking down at Diana. Knowing she excelled at defense, he understood this meant he should attack first.
He didn't hold back. His legs kicked powerfully in midair, angling down at forty-five degrees, pushing his speed advantage to the limit. His form swift as lightning, he charged at Diana.
Diana didn't immediately use her sword and shield. These past few days talking with Heracles, her martial arts had improved significantly.
In Thea's words, she'd begun to grasp the concept of counterattacking after defense.
Seeing Superman's charge now, her mind remained perfectly calm, rapidly judging his several attack points. Just as the two were about to collide, she sidestepped, dodging the first wave of impact.