"This is the only way right now," Clark replied.
"It's better to limit him to a controlled battlefield than to let him treat the entire Earth as his playground."
"But that's two against one!" Hal Jordan exclaimed.
"Superman, that's not like you."
"Do you Kryptonians always like to call for backup when you fight?"
"When the opponent is him, we have to do this." Clark's expression was serious.
"Diana, Arthur, I need you to guard outside the Arctic Circle."
"Once the aftermath of the battle goes beyond the scope, immediately establish a defense line and evacuate all life."
Diana and Arthur exchanged glances and nodded solemnly.
"Victor, I need you to monitor the global network to prevent Lex Luthor from causing trouble."
Cyborg's electronic eye flickered.
"Understood."
"Bruce..." Clark looked at Batman.
"...help me prepare that thing."
Bruce was silent.
He knew what Clark was talking about.
That was his last resort, and the last thing he wanted to use.
"Alright." He only said one word.
After arranging everything, Clark closed the communication.
He stood alone under the vast dome of the Fortress of Solitude.
He looked at the Kryptonian battlesuit next to him, specially prepared for Kara, also emblazoned with the "S" symbol.
Clark reached out and gently stroked the crimson symbol of hope on the suit.
Three days later, everything would come to an end... Outside National City, atop a towering mountain.
Kara floated in mid-air, arms crossed.
She stared intently at the figure sitting cross-legged below.
Tel-Rol had found a waterfall with an excellent view, saying he wanted to recuperate there for three days.
Kara didn't believe him for a second.
Did the words "recuperate" even exist in this guy's dictionary?
If they did, would he have turned those places upside down?
Day one.
"Hey, Kara." Tel-Rol called out, eyes closed, without turning his head.
A vein throbbed on Kara's forehead, and she replied testily, "What is it?"
Tel-Rol's tone was insincere, "I'm hungry."
"Go to that continent in the East and get me ten thousand portions of something called 'Lanzhou Lamian'."
He paused, then added, "Plenty of beef, plenty of noodles, and a rich broth."
Kara almost fell out of the sky.
Ten thousand portions?
And plenty of beef and noodles?
What do you take me for? An international supersonic food delivery platform?!
She really wanted to burn a hole in the back of his black head with her heat vision.
But Clark's request still echoed in her ears.
"Fine, you wait!" Kara gritted her teeth and disappeared into the sky as a streak of light.
Half an hour later.
Ten thousand bowls of steaming hot lamian were neatly arranged on the open space at the top of the mountain.
The aroma filled the air.
Tel-Rol opened his eyes and glanced at them.
"Efficiency is not bad. Then I'll dig in."
He slowly got up, picked up a bowl of noodles, and began to devour it.
Two and a half hours... [Insert meme here!]
He burped, a satisfied smile on his face.
But that smile was a little too healthy!
[Those who understand, insert a meme.]
Kara's eye twitched.
Day two.
"Kara."
"What!"
"On that continent to the south, there's something called 'Brazilian barbecue'."
"Looks good."
"Go, bring me all the barbecue from their biggest city."
Kara clenched her fists, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth, "You wait!"
This time, she directly ripped out the entire back kitchens of several barbecue restaurants in Rio de Janeiro.
She brought back the grills, the meat, and the chefs.
The chefs, watching Tel-Rol in front of the waterfall, trembled with fear.
They did nothing else that day but grill meat like crazy, afraid that if they were slow, the man in front of them would eat them all.
Tel-Rol didn't even look at them, just devoured the mountain of barbecue.
Day three.
"Kara, that 'Mexican chicken wrap' thing..."
"Shut up!" Kara couldn't take it anymore and flew to the Arctic to carry an iceberg, throwing it at him.
Tel-Rol didn't even turn his head, sending a wave of energy with a backhand that shattered the iceberg into countless ice crystals.
"Stingy." He pouted, and surprisingly, he didn't make any more demands.
Kara was stunned.
Had this guy changed his ways?
She watched him suspiciously.
Tel-Rol closed his eyes again.
He sat cross-legged on the boulder in front of the waterfall, motionless.
The surrounding air grew quiet.
The violent, unbridled aura around him began to recede inwards.
He seemed to merge with the boulder beneath him, with the waterfall behind him, and with this part of heaven and earth.
His breathing was long and steady.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Kara would never have been able to connect him in this state with the madman who had swung Barry around like a warhammer in Central City.
This guy, whose mind was only on fighting.
He actually knew how to control, even compress his energy.
He was accumulating strength for the decisive battle three days later.
A chill ran down Kara's spine.
A madman who only swung his fists wildly was not terrifying.
A madman who knew how to focus all his strength into a single point was the most terrifying.
Her understanding of this man had been inaccurate.
Day of the decisive battle.
Earth, Arctic.
This was the end of the world, a pure white expanse.
Tel-Rol was already waiting there.
He floated casually in mid-air, hands in his pockets.
His demeanor was relaxed.
In the distance, two streaks of light approached.
Clark and Kara stopped opposite him, a hundred meters apart.
Clark wore a dark blue Kryptonian battlesuit, his red cape unmoving in the Arctic wind.
His expression was solemn, calmly looking at the figure opposite him.
Kara had changed into the battlesuit Clark had prepared for her, her golden hair particularly striking in the pure white world.
She looked at Tel-Rol, her eyes full of scrutiny and vigilance.
Three days of recuperation had changed him.
That violent aura had completely disappeared.
He stood there, like an ordinary person.
But that was definitely the most terrifying calm before the storm.
"You're here?" Tel-Rol grinned, breaking the silence.
He looked at Clark.
"Cousin, that smell on you is too strong."
He waved his finger impatiently in front of his nose.
Clark said nothing, just looked at him.
"A..." Tel-Rol tilted his head, seemingly searching for the right word.
"Oh, I remember."
"The smell of a domestic animal, kept by humans for too long."
Kara's face instantly changed.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Tel-Rol completely ignored her anger, continuing to stare at Clark, smiling even more broadly.
"I heard your human father is called... Kent?"
"Your strength comes from the House of El. But in your bones, you bear the mark of the Kent family."
"You might as well not be called Kal-El anymore."
"Call yourself Kent-El, how much better that sounds."
Clark's jawline tightened.
The air temperature around them began to drop.
"Your mother, Martha..." Tel-Rol's words pierced Clark's softest spot.
"If she knew that you became so timid and hesitant to protect these fragile ants..."
"Would she tell you not to be Superman anymore?"
The smile on his face was full of malice.
"Wouldn't it be better to go home and help her feed the pigs?"
These words completely ignited Clark.
Those blue eyes, which represented gentleness and kindness, were swallowed by endless coldness.
A terrifying aura, indescribable in words, erupted from Clark's body!
The entire Arctic ice cap began to shake violently under his uncontrolled aura!
Giant, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the thousand-meter-thick ice beneath their feet, spreading in all directions at an alarming speed!
The thin clouds in the sky were instantly dispersed.
"Clark!" Kara cried out in alarm; she had never seen Clark like this.
Anger, extreme anger.
Clark didn't respond.
In his world, there was only the smiling, black-haired man opposite him.
The next second.
Clark's figure vanished from his original spot.
The terrifying sonic boom, tearing through the air, arrived belatedly.
He carried a determination capable of shattering stars, delivering a straightforward, unadorned heavy punch directly at Tel-Rol's face.
"That's more like it!" Tel-Rol, seeing this, was not surprised but delighted, laughing wildly.
He also threw a punch, meeting Clark's.
The fists of the two Kryptonians collided violently in the Arctic sky.
There was only a second of silence.
Immediately after, a destructive white shockwave exploded outwards, centered on the two of them!
Everywhere the shockwave passed, there was chaos.
Kara stabilized herself in the shockwave.
She looked at Clark, completely dominated by rage, and then at the madman who was laughing wildly and enjoying the battle.
After a brief hesitation, her eyes became resolute.
When dealing with a madman, there was no need for rules.
"Hmph!" Kara let out a soft cry, her golden figure transforming into a streak of light.
She chose not to attack head-on, but to strike Tel-Rol's side from the flank.