David showed no mercy.
Sean had attacked them, shouted threats of murder, and attempted to kill him. In response, David had crushed him without hesitation and left him in a vegetative state.
Clark stood beside the crater, staring down at the unconscious figure lying at the bottom. His emotions were tangled and complicated.
Part of him still felt anger.
But another part of him couldn't deny the warmth he had felt earlier when David rushed forward without hesitation to protect him.
Clark's voice became heavy.
"This situation is different from before," he said slowly. "You may have turned Sean into a vegetative state before he actually committed any real crime."
In the past, the people with powers they had encountered had all been confirmed criminals.
Jerome, who could generate electricity, had murdered people. Greg, the one who transformed into a monstrous insect-like creature, had also killed. Tina, who could reshape her flesh and bones and strengthen her skeleton, had committed terrible crimes as well.
But Sean was different.
Maybe he had only gained his powers recently and come looking for revenge against David.
"Is attacking you and me not a crime?" David asked casually.
He looked genuinely surprised.
"His ability is extremely dangerous. Putting everything else aside, if this case ended up in court, wouldn't it clearly count as self-defense?"
David patted Clark on the shoulder.
"Don't feel inferior, my brother," he added with a faint smile. "Aliens are people too."
Clark fell silent.
David wasn't surprised by his reaction.
In the comics, Superman often struggled with seeing himself as human. His moral compass was so strict that sometimes it felt as though he judged himself by rules no normal person could meet.
To Clark, it was like a situation where someone picked up a straw and tried to stab another person with it. Even if the attack was harmless, Clark might hesitate to treat it as a real threat.
But the world didn't work that way.
Just because someone was powerful didn't mean they had to accept being treated differently under the law.
If Sean had attacked David and no one else, David might not have cared enough to go this far.
But the moment Clark became the target as well, David had no reason to hold back.
With the matter settled, Clark stood quietly for a moment.
Then he clenched his teeth.
In a blur of motion, he moved at super speed around the area. Within seconds, he erased most of the damage and cleaned away the traces of the fight.
Afterward, he carried Sean to the entrance of the town hospital before returning to follow David home.
The first time Clark had seen David act like this, he had been completely shocked.
Now…
He realized he was slowly getting used to it.
…
By the time they returned home that evening, Clark's anger had already faded somewhat.
During dinner, the radio broadcast a breaking news report.
Earlier that day, the town's thermal power plant had been attacked by an unknown criminal. The attacker appeared to have used some kind of liquid-nitrogen-like weapon.
More than a dozen workers had been frozen to death.
Jonathan and Martha exchanged worried glances at the table.
"You boys should be careful," Jonathan said seriously.
"This could be another person with strange abilities," Martha added anxiously. "I wonder if the police will catch whoever did this."
Neither of them knew that the criminal responsible for the attack was already lying in a hospital bed as a vegetative patient.
Clark quietly reflected on what had happened.
He knew the reason behind everything.
Sean had become enraged after David chased him away from Chloe the previous day. That humiliation had led directly to today's tragedy.
Thinking about it carefully, Clark realized something.
Many of the people who suddenly gained power—Sean included—had immediately begun acting as though they were above the law.
The moment they obtained abilities, they treated ordinary human lives as insignificant.
Compared to them, David's mindset seemed far less dangerous.
Still…
Clark couldn't fully accept what had happened.
"It would be best if David didn't leave people in vegetative states," Clark thought.
But he didn't try to persuade his brother again.
Clark had already realized that David lived according to his own principles.
In many situations, David was more rational and mature than he was. Clark knew that his own words might not carry much influence.
"I've already said enough," Clark thought.
Sometimes words were powerless.
A person couldn't always be changed through arguments alone.
Regardless of whether Cassandra's vision had been correct, Clark knew one thing.
He couldn't allow his brother to fall down the wrong path.
That was his responsibility as an older brother.
"I was careless this time."
Clark silently made a new decision.
Next time, he would be the one protecting his brother.
He would never again allow a situation where David had to step in to save him.
…
Metropolis – Downtown Museum.
A special antique exhibition had drawn visitors from across the city.
Inside the museum's grand hall, guests in elegant suits and long dresses wandered leisurely through the displays. Many held glasses of champagne while admiring priceless artifacts gathered from around the world.
Clark stood in front of a glass display case containing a suit of ancient Greek armor.
A faint sadness lingered on his face.
"Only two hours after we left the nursing home," Clark said quietly, "when we went back again… Ms. Cassandra had already passed away."
He felt deeply grateful to the elderly woman.
She had helped him glimpse the future.
Clark had intended to return in the afternoon to spend more time with her, but when he arrived again, her room had already been cleared out.
Her belongings were gone.
A nurse with red, tearful eyes told them the news.
Cassandra had passed away peacefully at noon.
Many residents of the nursing home had received her help over the years. She had guided them through difficult choices and helped them understand their lives.
Her death had saddened nearly everyone there.
"At least she didn't die from illness," David said calmly.
He shook his head slightly.
"That lady probably predicted her own death and left peacefully."
There was no need to mourn someone who had already accepted the end of life.
Earlier that afternoon, when the brothers returned to the nursing home, they happened to meet Lana.
She had just come back from Metropolis, and her aunt had given her several tickets to the museum exhibition.
Remembering the trouble she had caused recently—and how Clark had comforted her—Lana decided to give each of them a ticket.
Clark had been excited about the chance to spend the evening near her.
But the events of the afternoon had dampened his mood.
"I know," Clark said softly.
He took a deep breath.
Life had to continue.
His attention shifted toward the armor displayed inside the glass case.
The inner armor was decorated with large red and blue gemstones. The craftsmanship was incredibly ornate, making the entire suit look dazzling and priceless.
Clark tilted his head slightly.
"I wonder if it's real," he murmured.
"I heard that sometimes museums display high-quality replicas if the original artifact is damaged."
Clark had grown up on a farm. The world of expensive historical artifacts felt unfamiliar to him.
He lowered his voice slightly.
"What do you think?"
"You could always look deeper yourself," David replied casually.
[Template fusion: 95%]
David wasn't an expert in ancient Greek history either.
But the Thanos template was nearly complete now.
Over the past few days, he had mostly ignored the emotional point notifications from the system. He had even hidden the constant reminders.
The resentment and hatred from the vegetative patients kept generating notifications repeatedly.
It was annoying.
Still, he knew the important part—his emotional points continued increasing steadily.
[Determination from Clark +38]
David skimmed through some of the earlier notifications.
"Clark's strength has grown quickly lately," he thought.
The emotional points Clark generated had nearly doubled compared to before.
Even when the emotions weren't intense, the quantity had become significant.
[Nervousness from Keira +0.07]
David paused slightly when he noticed the unfamiliar name.
When had Keira become nervous because of him?
Had they met somewhere earlier today?
Before he could think further—
"Clark. David."
A calm voice interrupted them.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
A young man wearing a tailored black suit approached while holding a champagne glass with a slice of lemon on the rim.
A polite smile rested on his face.
"Would you like me to introduce the exhibits?"
"Luthor," Clark greeted him with a smile.
The young man gestured toward the display case.
"This is an authentic piece of ancient Greek armor," he said. "It once belonged to Alexander the Great."
Clark leaned closer to look again.
Luthor pointed to a decorative pattern on the chest of the armor.
"You see the coiled serpent design?" he said. "It represents courage and strength."
"Courage and strength?" David repeated with a raised eyebrow.
The serpent's coiled shape looked vaguely like the letter S.
David chuckled softly.
"I doubt Alexander's soldiers would agree with that."
He tapped lightly on the glass.
"I can't imagine anyone wearing this on an actual battlefield."
The armor was covered in brilliant gemstones that would be visible from miles away.
It looked more like ceremonial clothing than battle equipment.
"Sometimes the enemy isn't on the battlefield," Luthor replied with a calm smile.
"This armor helped Alexander appear sacred and untouchable during certain ceremonies."
"Lex, are you a history fan?" Clark asked curiously.
He was surprised that the heir to a massive corporation knew so much about ancient history.
"I'm just interested in people who conquer the world before turning thirty," Lex said lightly.
His tone carried a subtle mixture of ambition and arrogance.
David raised his eyes slightly.
"If I remember correctly," he said calmly, "Alexander died at thirty-three."
....
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