Though the ripples in the sea of stars continued, Heisenberg—the one who had sent the message—soon rose from his seat.
He flicked his right wrist, and the energy-transmission system strapped to it dropped away.
At the same time, more and more citizens of Metropolis gathered around the Kryptonian ship, and the human armed forces converging on the site grew until the vessel was completely encircled.
Watching the scene, feeling the worry of countless Metropolitans, Superman finally appeared.
While countless police officers and soldiers were still on high alert, Clark suddenly flew to the vicinity of the ship and hovered directly in front of the humans.
"It's Superman!"
"Superman is here!"
"Everything's going to be okay, right?"
"Of course it is. We have to believe in Superman!"
The crowd murmured among themselves, while Clark, bearing the weight of countless gazes, spotted the commander of Metropolis's armed forces.
He descended in front of the commander, brow furrowed, and spoke softly.
"Don't send more troops to surround this ship. I guarantee that nothing on that ship will harm Metropolis!"
"But we bear the orders of Congress and the safety of the citizens. Forgive me, but I cannot withdraw the troops for you!
At the very least, we need to know what just happened to this ship and what it intends to do.
Congress and the people both demand an explanation, and I can't simply take your word as that explanation!
We need facts!!!"
Listening to the commander's vehement words, Clark frowned helplessly.
Another bureaucratic script. He absolutely loathed these conversations that constantly invoked the authorities and the people as a shield.
But there was no denying the reason Clark hated this kind of talk: it worked far too well on him.
What he didn't know, of course, was that ever since Superman had appeared, the nation's top psychologists had been assembled to create an exceptionally detailed psychological profile of him.
They adjusted their findings based on every appearance and every word Superman spoke.
And the officials tasked with engaging Superman were typically given a conversation protocol on the day of any operation—a script for if and when they had to communicate with him.
Today's core directive: even if Superman objected, find a way to determine the exact cause of the Kryptonian ship's transformation.
Faced with the slightly aggressive operations commander, and glancing at the worried, tense citizens of Metropolis all around, Clark sighed deeply and said softly:
"The change in the ship is because its true owner has come home. As for who that is, the news already aired it!"
"So its true owner is the Abyssal Knight who killed that monster tonight?"
The commander asked loudly, and his words made Clark blink in confusion.
"Abyssal Knight?!!"
Seeing Clark's baffled expression, the commander immediately offered an embarrassed grin and explained.
"Uh, that's the title we gave him. I mean, his style, that suit of armor, and the flowing magma effect…
It fits the aesthetic of the abyss, doesn't it?
But since he's a hero who saved both Metropolis and Gotham, he obviously isn't a demon from the abyss. So he must be an Abyssal Knight, right!"
At that, Clark's face broke into a small smile. Talking with the commander was starting to make him feel a little happy.
"I think if he heard that, he'd definitely like the title you gave him!"
Clark smiled and turned his head back toward the Kryptonian ship behind him.
"But he's not some creature from the abyss. He's my ancestor—an ancient god who came to Earth eighteen thousand years ago. He is the sun!"
With that, Clark turned back to the commander and raised his voice slightly.
"There's no need to worry that he'll do anything to harm Earth. My ancestor is simply returning home. That ship is his home!
And right now, all of you are gathered at his doorstep, practically trying to break in. That doesn't exactly match Earth's standards of etiquette!"
The moment Clark finished speaking, the presidential conference room thousands of kilometers away erupted into chaos.
Countless voices hurled their conclusions at the president.
"My speculation was right! That man summoned a miniature sun from the sky to fight the monster. He's definitely Apollo!"
"But no myth proves Apollo was an extraterrestrial. He's still Kryptonian—Kal-El's ancestor. A Kryptonian!"
"But it's a Kryptonian who has been on Earth for over ten thousand years. No one knows what he experienced in ancient times!"
"Our first priority should be determining whether he poses a threat to the United States!"
"Theoretically, no threat. Our psychological profile has never suggested Superman would deceive us. So this Sun God, who he says has lived on Earth for over eighteen thousand years, has no reason to try to destroy us eighteen millennia later!"
"I also believe there's no threat. The Kryptonian ship's first action upon awakening was defensive, not an armed assault!"
"I agree, but that doesn't mean we can sit back and do nothing. A psychological profiling team dedicated to Superman's Kryptonian ancestor, this Sun God, must be assembled immediately!"
"We need to meet this ancestor. I suspect he may also be an ancestor of us Earthlings. If so, that would perfectly explain the physical resemblance between humans and Kryptonians!"
"Meet him? How is that even possible?!
Unless he shares Superman's inherently expressive personality and a desire to integrate into human society,
we won't get a chance to set foot inside that awakened fortress!"
"That's precisely the problem we must address. We need to establish sufficient communication with him. We must!!!"
…
While the debate in Congress raged on, Superman in Metropolis was still chatting with the commander.
After hearing Clark's explanation, the commander's eyes shot wide open.
"Wait, are you saying he's a deity?! Like, an actual god?"
"Uh, well, he doesn't like being addressed as a deity, but yes, he's a god. The genuine article."
Clark nodded. That confirmation made the commander and the special forces soldiers nearby all simultaneously remove their helmets.
The soldiers promptly tucked their helmets against their chests and silently bowed toward the ship.
"We never imagined that before, it was always Superman saving us, but today a god has finally come to save us!"
The gesture jolted Clark's heart, and his wariness toward these people instantly dropped another few notches.
Feeling happy on Heisenberg's behalf, he continued speaking to the commander.
"Yeah. Before today, I never imagined I had a great-grandfather who's a god. It all sounds unbelievably incredible—even more incredible than my own existence, don't you think?"
No sooner had he spoken than the offices hundreds of kilometers away sparked a fresh debate.
"He said 'great-grandfather,' not just 'ancestor.' We need to revise our assessment!"
"Superman himself didn't know anything about this Sun God before. So why is he so certain about the identity of his great-grandfather the Sun God?"
"Who was that other woman? Armor and combat style straight out of ancient Greece. I strongly suspect she's also one of the gods—Athena, perhaps?"
"It's infuriating that, to avoid angering Superman, we only listen in and never communicate with the personnel on site through our devices.
We need more information—especially his name!"
"Keep listening. The real discussion won't begin until everything is over!"
Once they fell silent again, the commander on the ground in Metropolis provided a perfectly timed response.
"Mr. Superman, may we know his lordship's name? My men and I would very much like to carve that name into a monument. America will never forget the heroic deeds of the one who saved us!"
"Uh, his name?"
Clark hesitated, then shook his head firmly.
"If he's willing, he'll tell you himself!
My ancestor is very kind and gentle. If you get the chance to meet him in person, you'll be even more astonished than I am!"
As a younger generation member, Clark never skimped on praising Heisenberg. When countless people marveled at and thanked Heisenberg, Clark felt only a reflected sense of pride.
It was a feeling he'd only known since learning he had a living elder.
"That's wonderful. I'll order my men to lower their weapons, then request permission from my superiors to remove the armed cordon. That's the proper way to show respect to the Abyssal Knight!"
As he finished speaking, the commander raised his right hand sharply.
"Stand down!"
The special forces soldiers lowered their weapons in unison, while the police officers more haphazardly holstered their sidearms.
Faintly, Clark could hear the grumbling of the distant police.
"Should've done this from the start. Whatever's inside that thing, our pistols won't do a damn bit of good."
"Yeah, and besides, Superman's here. If he can't solve the problem, are we supposed to charge in with our handguns?"
"Hell no. Even if we were Rambo, we couldn't handle it, and we're not!"
"True."
The policemen's words made Clark smile knowingly. He turned back to the commander and nodded gently.
"Trust me, you won't regret your decision. Metropolis will only become a better place. I promise!"
"Of course, Superman. We all believe in you. And we praise the gods!!!"
The commander grinned excitedly, then pulled out his phone and extended it slightly toward Clark.
"Honestly, my superiors wouldn't approve of this, but I'd really love to get a photo with you!
Of course, you can absolutely say no. No worries!"
"Haha, no problem. Here, let's do it. Who's taking the picture? Can I?"
Hearing the commander's request for a photo, Clark smiled politely and took the phone from his hand.
Then Clark moved to the commander's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Click!
The flash fired, capturing the commander's thrilled smile alongside Superman. This time, the commander was genuinely ecstatic.
After the picture, Clark handed the phone back and glanced at the soldiers behind the commander who had removed their helmets.
He could tell they wanted a photo too.
Kindhearted Clark didn't want to disappoint them; he planned to take a few more.
But at that very moment, the awakened fortress behind him suddenly opened its main entrance.
As blue streams of light flickered, Clark spun around to face the now-open ship exit.
Two columns of over two hundred and eighty Kryptonian combat robots hovered out, aligned with military precision on either side of the doorway.
The sight of those robots silenced everyone nearby. They stared nervously at the ship, all desire to speak gone.
Even Clark grew tense. He'd only been Superman for three months, and he truly hadn't known the ship carried that many armed mechanical units.
When the hovering robots reached a point twenty meters from the ship, they halted in unison.
They stood in two rows, facing each other, as if awaiting someone's arrival.
With the central district of Metropolis so silent you could hear a pin drop, footsteps echoed from within the ship, each step pounding against the hearts of Metropolis's citizens.
The atmosphere made Clark more and more anxious. He turned away from the commander and flew toward the ship's exit.
Just as he came within fifteen meters of the robots, the nearest one suddenly reacted.
Two appendages, resembling penguin flippers, extended from the sides of the egg-shaped machine. Both limbs aimed squarely at Clark, their tips glowing with a crimson light.
"Wait, it's me! I'm Kal-El!!!"
Clark hastily shouted an explanation, then looked deeper into the ship. With his super-vision, he could see Heisenberg—invisible to ordinary human eyes—stepping out from within.
In his sight, Heisenberg pressed his palm downward slightly as he walked.
Immediately, the Kryptonian robots retracted their weapons and resumed their positions, facing each other.
At that, Clark let out a long, deep breath.
"Great-grandfather, you scared me half to death!!!"
/-\
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