The moment Lucas returned, nearly every world leader on Earth clenched their fists in excitement.
The two massive explosions that had erupted in space earlier had already led intelligence agencies to speculate—had Lucas come back?
There was no way the Kryptonians had suddenly turned on each other and caused explosions of that magnitude.
And it certainly could not have been Superman or anyone else.
If they were capable of doing that, they would have done so long ago. There would have been no reason to wait until now.
After eliminating all other possibilities, only one conclusion remained:
Lucas had returned.
At that realization, Earth's leaders collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Without even realizing it, Lucas had become something far greater in their hearts—
a presence akin to a guardian of Earth.
At this moment, all eyes turned toward the Pacific Ocean.
The more violent the reaction on the surface, the more terrifying the battle raging beneath it.
---
Deep beneath the sea—
A streak of red light suddenly burst upward from the seabed, the tremendous force tearing chunks of tectonic plate loose and triggering even more violent undersea currents.
Within that red streak was Red Lantern Superman, his face filled with shock and disbelief, as though he had witnessed something utterly incomprehensible.
Immediately after, another red streak surged up in pursuit.
Inside it was Lucas.
In less than twenty seconds, the two figures—one fleeing, one chasing—crossed more than ten thousand meters of ocean depth and burst into the open sky.
At this moment, Lucas was completely enveloped in a faint red glow, his ki tightly condensed around his body like a second skin.
His hair rose upward under the pressure of his aura, and his pupils had fully dilated, streaked faintly with gold.
Unlike before, his energy no longer felt vast and explosive.
Instead, it was compressed to the extreme, like the core of a star—quiet, dense, and terrifying beyond measure.
Red Lantern Superman could feel it.
Flying at maximum speed, he cursed inwardly.
'Damn this planet! Why did I ever agree to come here with Atrocitus?!'
'Why does a place like this even have a monster like him—and why hasn't he tried to rule the planet?!'
Feeling Lucas relentlessly closing in behind him, rage surged through Red Lantern Superman's mind.
'I swear—if you keep chasing me, I'll slaughter every city and every human I encounter before you catch me!'
Lucas remained silent and continued his pursuit.
In the blink of an eye, they crossed half the Pacific Ocean and rapidly approached land.
Red Lantern Superman snarled,
"I have my host's memories! I know where the people you love are—where the ones you care about live!"
At those words, Lucas's aura fluctuated for the first time.
Then—his speed exploded.
A massive hand clamped onto Red Lantern Superman's ankle.
Lucas had deliberately avoided grabbing him earlier, forcing him to expend as much energy as possible.
But now—this creature had crossed a line.
Lucas's eyes burned with true fury.
With a single pull, he yanked Red Lantern Superman back, then drove a crushing punch straight into his body.
Grabbing the other ankle, Lucas spun rapidly and hurled him back toward the Pacific Ocean.
Lucas followed immediately, plunging after him.
---
At the ocean's depths, sunlight could not reach.
Without solar energy to replenish him, the deep sea was the perfect place to drain Clark's remaining power.
Lucas was confident—no matter how powerful the Red Lantern Ring was, it could not generate energy from nothing.
After all, even Lantern Rings needed recharging.
And this time, Lucas intended to teach the ring spirit exactly what it meant to anger him.
The violent throw sent Red Lantern Superman thousands of meters downward.
Lucas slammed into him again mid-descent, driving him straight into the ocean floor.
Lucas's palms flared with crimson light.
In rapid succession, red energy spheres detonated across the deep seabed, each explosion striking Red Lantern Superman with perfect accuracy.
The resulting shockwaves shattered the seafloor, the destruction spreading across hundreds of square kilometers.
The flashes from the explosions illuminated the abyss, turning a lightless world into blazing crimson.
The violent tremors felt as though entire continental plates were about to snap.
The crater deepened further and further—
Until another light source became visible.
Magma.
Red Lantern Superman had been blasted straight into molten rock.
And still, Lucas did not stop attacking.
The extreme heat and pressure—enough to compress carbon into diamonds—meant nothing to him.
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill me?!" Red Lantern Superman roared.
"Correct," Lucas replied coldly. "No reward, though."
"That's impossible! You can't kill Clark!" Red Lantern Superman shot back.
"That's still better than letting you run wild on Earth," Lucas said, his voice turning deadly.
"Didn't you say you wanted to kill my family?"
"If it comes to it, Clark would never object to dying together with you—for the sake of protecting our shared home."
"You're insane! Don't push me!" Red Lantern Superman howled.
"And what can you do?" Lucas continued his bombardment calmly.
"At worst, I'll self-destruct and take this planet with me!" Red Lantern Superman threatened.
Lucas nodded slightly.
"At your energy level, self-destruction might indeed destroy this planet."
Then he sneered.
"But do you really think I dragged you into the planet's depths without a plan?"
"Check how much energy you have left."
Red Lantern Superman froze.
He finally sensed his own condition.
The energy burned during the early battle…
The full-output consumption afterward…
The lack of solar replenishment in the abyss…
And finally, the massive drain required just to defend against Lucas's relentless assault—
His energy reserves were nearly empty.
"So that's why you kept dragging me into the deep sea…" Red Lantern Superman said hoarsely.
Only now did he understand.
From the very beginning—
He had been trapped in Lucas's scheme.
"Unfortunately," Lucas said coldly,
"you realized it too late."
"Whether it's the Lantern Ring's power or the residual radiation energy in Clark's body—there's almost nothing left now."
_____
T/N:
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