Yellow sand swirled at Clark's feet, and reddish-brown mist billowed from the scorched earth—the dining hall, originally designed in a strong industrial style, now presented a scene twisted by light and shadow, appearing like an alien world.
Clark wore his classic battle suit.
He looked at his youngest son with a profound gaze.
"..."
Ian usually wouldn't panic.
Facing his parents was the exception.
And coincidentally, he was currently being stared at by his serious-looking father. Good news, though, was that Ian didn't have to worry about being hit by the heat vision from Superman's eyes.
That was a better treatment than most villains received. However, the bad news was that even though Ian could now technically come clean, he still struggled to explain why he was holding Kara and using her as a hammer.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ian subconsciously tried to hide his Auntie behind him, but his Auntie was too long, and his not-so-broad back couldn't conceal her at all.
In reality, even if he could hide her, it wouldn't matter.
It was just a reflex.
"Superman! You're late! As a member of the public, I'm the one who needs an explanation." Ian remembered the news he saw last night and, in a moment of panic, chose the preemptive strike strategy.
He pretended to be an ordinary citizen who couldn't even clearly tell if Superman was handsome. This was a very reasonable disguise, and Ian felt he was respecting the traditions of the DC Universe.
However.
It didn't seem to work very well for Ian.
"?????"
The veins on Clark's forehead visibly bulged, and his fists were clenched. Clearly, if he didn't have a habit of not hitting children, Ian would have seen his hidden Coach belt right now.
"Ian, this isn't funny."
Superman gritted his teeth, his voice low and magnetic.
"Hiss, Superman actually knows my name... Tsk tsk, I knew there were some pedo hidden among the superheroes..." Ian's performance, learned from his deskmate, was clearly not convincing enough.
He saw his father's face turning increasingly ashen.
"Uh, I knew Madison's The Madison Method of Acting was unreliable!"
Ian's heart leaped. He dared not continue to smear his father's image. After a hard gulp, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed behind Clark.
"Look quickly! That Titan giant is getting back up!" Ian gasped in surprise. It wasn't a flying saucer ploy; he genuinely saw a scene that could distract attention.
An enormous, sky-obscuring figure slowly stood up, identical in appearance to the Sargeras in Ian's memory. Its expression was furious, and though its size had shrunk significantly, it still exuded a suffocating pressure.
"Rumble!"
The Titan's terrifying fist slammed toward the culprit who had knocked him down.
He was ambushing.
It didn't even stir up any wind.
However.
"Boom!"
Clark was completely unfazed by Ian's warning.
He didn't even turn around, simply braced his hand backward. The ancient Titan's fist from another world, larger than a truck, was instantly and firmly stopped in mid-air by him.
The visual impact was intense.
"Mortal!"
The Titan roared.
It found itself completely unable to move.
Clark completely ignored the struggle behind him, his gaze constantly fixed on his youngest son. This made Ian, who was already feeling guilty, start to sweat profusely.
"Truly worthy of being Superman! It looks like I'm not needed here anymore..." Ian's stocking-covered head was wearing a forced smile. He then silently placed Kara, whom he was holding, onto the ground.
Like setting down a statue.
He even gently patted the dirt off Kara's body—all the "criminal" evidence from using Kara as a hammer everywhere was now quietly cleaned up by him.
What was this called?
It was called dead men tell no tales!
Ian had already started creating an escape route for himself.
"Ian, I am your father, Clark Kent." Superman had never been so speechless in his life. His voice was now almost as low and gravelly as Batman's.
Perhaps to vent his internal frustration, Clark turned around, hovered in mid-air, and furiously launched heat vision at the Titan behind him several times.
Shattered rocks flew everywhere, making the scene look very much like a domestic abuse incident. Because of this, Ian, who was about to curse loudly, only dared to speak softly after gently brushing the debris off his face.
"What a Bad Superman! Impersonating my kind father!" Ian glanced around for a moment but couldn't find any direction to escape in this "realistic illusion."
There was scorched earth and lava everywhere.
There was absolutely nowhere for him to make a tactical retreat.
He actually had an idea.
As long as he could run away.
He could absolutely fabricate a perfect story about a "shapeshifter" impersonating him. Never underestimate the power of a writer, Ian believed he could concoct a believable and exciting plot.
"Stop playing dumb, Ian!" Superman walked out of the dust, his eyes still carrying residual red light, which gave him a highly murderous look.
Ian couldn't help but shrink his neck.
"The glasses... Clark... put on your glasses..." Perhaps because the chef was gone, Kara was slowly waking up. She shook her head and reminded Clark.
Supergirl felt she had already figured out some of her nephew's schemes.
She still remembered what had happened moments ago.
So.
She offered her "affectionate" help to Ian.
"!!!!"
Ian felt utterly betrayed.
That heinous Auntie!
He saw Superman, somewhat confused, take out his glasses and put them on—there was genuinely no reason to pretend anymore. Ian could only "suddenly realize" and slap his forehead.
"Oh! My goodness! My dad is Superman! I didn't recognize him without his glasses! That's truly amazing!" Ian took a few steps back and then took a deep breath.
"I must tell Jonathan and Jordan this good news!"
He changed his strategy.
He initiated threat mode.
His father strongly did not want the children to discover this secret. Ian knew this because he was a counterfeit prophet, and he had his father's personality figured out completely.
"..."
Superman's temples were throbbing.
"You better think about how you're going to explain to your mother why you weren't home on time today!" Clark gritted his teeth, turned around, and furiously launched heat vision at the Titan giant behind him again.
Anger transfer.
Superman also knew how to manage his emotions.
But it was certainly the massive Titan roaring under the heat vision that suffered the most.
"You pathetic mortal! You cannot stop our rebirth! You will eventually become one of us!" The Titan's roar shook the sky, but its threat had no effect.
Superman's heat vision looked even fiercer.
***
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