At that very moment, the Red Lantern Ring was already preparing itself.
If it failed to block this punch, it would immediately abandon this host and search for a new one.
But in the next instant, Clark's head snapped upright.
His eyes flared crimson, and without any need for energy buildup, two heat-vision beams fired instantly, striking Lucas's incoming fist.
The collision of energies erupted violently—but Lucas's fist still continued to press forward.
Even so, that brief clash bought Clark two full seconds.
He flashed backward, instantly widening the distance.
But Lucas was never going to let him retreat so easily.
His body surged forward in rapid bursts, energy-charged fists following relentlessly.
Clark's heat vision was indeed far stronger than before—but in front of Lucas, it was still not enough.
Clark opened his mouth, unleashing a scorching red breath attack.
Lucas responded in the same way.
He opened his mouth, crimson energy condensed, and a blazing beam erupted outward.
The two attacks collided midair.
Lucas's attack crushed through Clark's breath with overwhelming force and struck him head-on.
Without pause, Lucas followed up—an energy blast fired directly through his fist, hitting Clark squarely.
Clark was sent flying, slamming into the metal wall of the ship once again.
But Lucas did not pursue.
Because he felt it.
A strong sense of danger.
Yes—danger.
Since returning from the Hell Planet, neither Thor, Hela, nor even Surtur had been able to make Lucas feel this way.
Yet now, that feeling was unmistakable.
Sure enough, in the next moment, red flames engulfed Clark's entire body, and his eyes turned completely blood-red.
Vast waves of rage energy surged behind him like a blazing sun, and the wounds Lucas had inflicted moments earlier healed rapidly.
Seeing this, Lucas let out a quiet sigh.
He had wanted to end this as quickly as possible—but that goal had failed.
'So it still comes down to an energy showdown in the end…' Lucas thought helplessly.
To be honest, if this were anywhere else, Lucas would not have minded an all-out energy battle.
But behind him was Earth.
A fight between him and Red Lantern Superman at full power wouldn't just cause collateral damage—it could annihilate the planet.
If both of them truly cut loose, destroying an entire continent would not be difficult.
Clark was in a state where Lois was dead, and he was possessed by a Red Lantern Ring.
If the battle escalated, Clark would not care about Earth's casualties.
But Lucas had to.
Though countless thoughts raced through his mind, less than a second had passed in reality.
Lucas fully released his restraints.
A roaring torrent of violent energy exploded outward, flooding the ship's main hall with chaotic force.
Clark's rage energy and Lucas's power collided violently, their auras locking onto one another.
Even the air itself seemed to solidify.
"Clark, you can't let anger control you!" Lucas shouted, trying once more to awaken Clark's reason.
Even if he couldn't fully bring him back, suppressing Clark's ability to wield the Red Lantern Ring at full strength would still help.
"No. I'm very calm right now."
Clark's eyes burned with red flames, yet his gaze felt eerily deep—like staring into the abyss of the ocean.
The contradiction made Lucas frown.
Normally, a Red Lantern bearer's rage should be explosive, volcanic.
So why did Clark's presence feel so heavy, so suffocating?
"My Lois is dead. My little Jonathan is dead. They're all dead… all of them!"
With every word Clark spoke, the crimson light in his eyes intensified, and his energy surged higher and higher.
Lucas acted instantly.
At this level of combat, unless the power gap was overwhelming, whoever seized the rhythm first gained the advantage.
Energy detonated beneath Lucas's feet as he accelerated at several times his previous speed, appearing before Clark in a blink.
Before Clark could react, flames surged within Lucas's eyes, and he activated Energy Lockdown.
Clark had already prepared to counterattack the moment Lucas charged—but suddenly, his body felt forcibly restrained.
Even the slightest movement now required immense effort.
His reaction was delayed.
Lucas was not surprised.
Clark had never received systematic training in energy control.
Even with the Red Lantern Ring granting him new abilities, he could not compare to Lucas, who had honed his control for decades.
But Clark was Superman, the chosen one of destiny.
He would not fall so easily.
As expected, Clark roared in fury.
A massive surge of rage energy exploded outward, forcibly shattering Lucas's energy lockdown.
But Lucas had never intended to end the fight with a single restraint.
The instant the lockdown broke, multiple energy rings snapped into place, binding Clark's body.
"RAAAH!"
Clark's muscles bulged violently.
With a furious scream, the combined might of Kryptonian cellular strength and Red Lantern energy shattered the bindings once more.
But the moment those rings broke—
Another Energy Lockdown slammed into place.
This time, Clark broke free much faster than before.
And that was when Lucas's lips curled upward.
In his right palm, a bean-sized, pale-red energy sphere had already formed.
Do not be fooled by its size.
The energy contained within it exceeded all of Lucas's previous attacks combined—several times over.
Lucas pushed his palm forward.
The energy sphere shot out and struck Clark directly in the face.
Hummmm—
A violent energy reaction rippled outward, shaking the air and energy throughout the ship.
In the next instant, blinding light erupted, flooding the entire hall.
Even Clark's super senses—his vision and hearing—were overwhelmed.
Lucas flashed backward, exiting the ship in an instant.
Reflected in his pupils was the sight of the entire Kryptonian mothership being swallowed from the center by a massive sphere of light.
After retreating several kilometers, Lucas stopped.
He brought his palms together in front of his chest.
Vast amounts of energy surged through his body, guided by his hands and compressed between them.
In less than two seconds, an energy mass resembling a miniature star formed between his palms.
Using the previous attack to defeat Clark had never been realistic.
Everything before this had merely been to buy time.
Because this—
Was the true killing move Lucas had prepared.
_____
T/N:
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