Within the divine kingdom, as Mogo continued to grow, countless gravity particles surged from the ship's perimeter, linking one after another to Mogo's surface.
As the particles streamed in, houses began to appear on Mogo—training grounds, structures of every kind.
And among all those buildings, the largest single construction was... a beach.
Over three hundred supremely comfortable lounge chairs were arranged in perfect rows across the sand. Heisenberg simply floated over and was the first to settle into one.
As he reclined, he beckoned to his people.
"Come, come—no need to say much. As Kryptonians, we must guarantee at least eight hours of sunbathing every day!
Clark, you take the clansmen who need to awaken their powers and guide them through the awakening.
Astra, bring all the already-awakened clansmen here and sunbathe near me!"
With that, Heisenberg clapped his hands, and a ball of green light materialized in his arms.
The little planet hopped happily onto Heisenberg's chest, bouncing as she spoke.
"This place feels great! Not as much cosmic noise as out in space—I can sleep really well here.
And the sunlight everywhere is just so comfortable. All the plants on my surface are happy too!
Even Bzzd and his kids—who may or may not actually be his—are gathering nectar much faster now.
I definitely made the right call coming here. From now on, I'm making this my home, hehe~~"
The little planet giggled as she wriggled into Heisenberg's embrace, nestling against his left chest and squirming around.
Heisenberg pulled her closer into his arms.
In the distance, rainbow bridges descended one after another. Each streak of rainbow light signaled another clansman returning from the cosmos.
Clark took Tiff and continuously received the returning clansmen, leading them to the newly designated training ground on Mogo for their awakening.
Astra gathered the already-awakened clansmen and, feeling thoroughly out of place, made her way to Heisenberg's vicinity.
She fumbled her way onto a lounge chair, lying there stiff as a board.
After a long while, confusion got the better of her, and she hesitantly asked:
"My lord, does this meditation require contemplating some special principle?
Why do I feel nothing at all?"
"No need. Just sleep."
Heisenberg answered softly, pulling the little planet even closer.
Hearing his answer, Astra's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Her cheeks flushed red as she tremblingly pressed on:
"Sleep?
Just like that?
Did I mishear?
Do you mean... sleep with you?"
"Pfft—cough cough cough!!!"
Heisenberg nearly laughed out loud. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation before speaking gently:
"What are you thinking? I simply mean you should rest and soak up the sun!
You're different from Kal-El. He's a naturally born child, so he needs training to gradually master his combat style.
But all of you were genetically engineered. Combat genes were already imprinted into your very bones.
And you're not some sheltered novices who've never tasted war—you're a bunch of veterans who've weathered every storm. Right now, all you need is to keep sunbathing to strengthen your core essence and foundational power!"
With that, Heisenberg looked at Astra and spoke with emphasis:
"I know you're a restless one. But the more restless you are, the more you need to learn to be still.
Trust me—no matter how hard you try to refine your techniques, that improvement won't be more effective than simply sunbathing!"
"Fine."
Astra nodded helplessly and lay back down, still stiff.
As she lay there, she turned her head toward Heisenberg, unable to hold back another question.
"Oh, by the way, my lord. I've been meaning to tell you something.
I've looked into your records. After all, you've been asleep for eighteen thousand years, so there are things you might not know.
There are far more of our people out there in the universe than just those here now!"
"Oh?"
Heisenberg nodded. "Tell me."
"Yes, my lord.
A few decades ago—right around the time Kara was sent away by Jor-El—the infamous City Collector invaded Krypton.
He took one of our cities, Kandor, the fifth in sequence!
Three million people lived in that city at the time. After Brainiac's invasion, our numbers may have dwindled significantly, but there must still be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of our people left!
I wanted to ask—when do we set out to rescue them?"
"Is that so?"
Heisenberg thought for a moment, then said plainly:
"After sunbathing, set aside three hours every day to lead your people in investigating Brainiac's whereabouts.
A Green Lantern named Abin Sur should be arriving soon. He ought to have intelligence on Brainiac.
Find him, get him to cooperate, and obtain Brainiac's movement patterns and current location.
I think you, who have already evolved, need to experience a war—a war hot enough to reignite the confidence of the Kryptonian people!"
"Yes, my lord!"
With a clear order in hand, Astra finally seemed to find her footing.
Even the way she lay down became noticeably more natural.
Beside her, a tiny bee drifted lazily through the air before landing on Heisenberg's body.
The instant he touched down, he shot up from Heisenberg's chest.
"Ow, damn! This chest is scorching my feet!"
When Heisenberg sunbathed, the sun in the sky was himself, so he resonated with it constantly—naturally, his body ran hot.
Bzzd, having made a fool of himself, decided instead to land on the drowsy Mogo and continued speaking to Heisenberg:
"As a Green Lantern, I really shouldn't be advising on a war.
But if the target is Brainiac, I'm more than willing to help.
That bastard possesses a twelfth-level intellect—the pinnacle in the universe. He's nearly impossible to catch, and we might not even be his match.
But with a Sun God at his peak leading the charge, our odds improve considerably.
Honestly, that bastard is actually admired by those idiots on the Guardian Council. Sure, his methods are brutal, but his habit of collecting one city from every race has undeniably preserved countless species across the universe.
Still, I'm not one of those fools on the Council. I can't stand him. I'll go meet Abin later and then take your people to track his recent movements!"
"Of course."
Heisenberg nodded and extended a finger toward Bzzd.
Staring at the fingertip hovering before him, Bzzd hesitated for a moment, then landed on it.
Heisenberg drew his hand back, lifting Bzzd up to eye level. He spoke leisurely:
"I like your attitude. I'm happy to give you the reward you deserve.
Your wife and children—none of them seem to possess true intelligence. In that case..."
As Heisenberg's words faded, dazzling sunlight erupted outward.
Within moments, Bzzd, perched on his fingertip, began convulsing.
Nearby, Mogo and Kara, not far away, watched curiously. When the light faded, they saw Bzzd trembling with excitement.
Shaking uncontrollably, Bzzd could hardly believe the changes coursing through him. His voice rang out anew:
"By the sun—I can actually speak with my own voice now, without relying on the ring to simulate sound!
This is... higher intelligence!
You've granted me the most fundamental form of intelligence. Not the ring's artificial kind, but true evolution rooted in my own species!"
"Mm."
Heisenberg nodded, tapping Bzzd's head with his other hand.
"Over these past tens of thousands of years, thank you for looking after little Mogo. And considering you've willingly offered to work for me, I won't be stingy.
The Light of Evolution is merely the lowest expression of the sun's enlightenment accumulated over countless ages. From this moment on, every child you bear will share this fundamental intelligence with you!"
"Holy—!!!
No, no, I mean—praise the sun!
I'll head back and start making babies—"
"Hold it right there!"
Bzzd was halfway through his sentence, already turning to leave, when Heisenberg hastily scooped him back.
"The reward I gave you isn't to support your nighttime activities. Prepare to get busy.
Within three days, I want Brainiac's location.
And three days from now, I will erase him from the universe completely!"
With that, Heisenberg released Bzzd and lay back, drifting peacefully into sleep.
...
Meanwhile, on the impossibly distant Apokolips, within the main hall of the Dark Temple.
Darkseid sat upon his throne, gazing indifferently down at DeSaad standing below.
Under that crushing stare, DeSaad frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice:
"My lord, there is finally news regarding Steppenwolf. His ship's records show he was attacked by Kryptonians.
Given that no further word has come from him... I fear he may already be dead."
"Heh. Dead..."
Darkseid sneered, murmuring the word before shaking his head with contempt.
"Trash will always be trash. All that bloodline and ambition, yet no resolve or strength to back it up.
Couldn't even handle a handful of Kryptonian exiles!"
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Darkseid paused.
He brooded for a moment before speaking to DeSaad once more:
"Speaking of Kryptonians, a rather amusing plan just occurred to me.
If I'm not mistaken, doesn't that machine Brainiac still hold an entire Kryptonian city in his possession?
Send the twins to him. Have them bring me that city. The Kryptonians living within would make perfect material for Parademons."
His sneer grew sharper and more savage as he spoke.
"I can hardly wait for that day—when he discovers his enemies are countless Parademons carrying Kryptonian blood. I wonder what expression will cross his face then.
Heh..."
With that, Darkseid waved his hand dismissively, and DeSaad bowed before turning to leave.
Once DeSaad had departed, Granny Goodness, who had been standing behind Darkseid, dropped to her knees and said:
"My lord, my Furies could easily carry out the twins' mission. I ask that you give me—give us—this opportunity!"
"No."
Darkseid refused her outright.
He raised a finger, tapping lightly on the armrest of his throne, then sneered:
"Train your dogs well, because they are all my dogs!
But the twins—their war doesn't require my dogs to shed blood for them.
There will always be others willing to die in their place..."
With that, Darkseid fell silent, his gaze drifting far into the sky.
Steppenwolf...
Another of his kin, it seemed, had fallen...
"Ah..."
He let out a long sigh.
Every departure of a family member had always brought him greater power.
His father's disappearance had given him opportunity. His brother's death had won him the power of the Omega Beams.
His mother's death had finally seated him upon the throne.
It was as though he drew pleasure and power from the fate of his kin's deaths!
But this time, Steppenwolf's death only left him feeling bored...
At that thought, Darkseid frowned. Was it because the one who died wasn't his true blood?
Instantly, his gaze shifted toward the other side halls in the distance, and his vision gradually focused on his son's palace.
/-\
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