More Kryptonians kept pouring in from the beam, their numbers stacking faster than the team could drop them. The desert floor was already torn apart, craters layered over craters, sand turned into glass in some places from the sheer heat and impact.
Superman drove his fist through another soldier and sent him flying, but three more replaced him instantly. He exhaled hard, eyes scanning the field. "Yeah… we've got a numbers problem."
John crushed a soldier's helmet with one hand and tossed the body aside like it weighed nothing. Lightning snapped across his arms as he looked up. "Not for long."
A blur tore across the sand.
Faora was back.
She slammed into John from the side with a hit that cracked the air like thunder. The impact pushed him a few feet across the ground, boots carving deep lines before he stopped. He rolled his shoulder once, more annoyed than hurt.
Faora straightened, brushing sand from her armor like she hadn't just been thrown miles away. "You," she said, eyes sharp with interest now. "You're not Kryptonian, yet you possess an enhanced body."
Car-Vex dropped from the sky beside her, landing hard enough to send a ripple through the sand. Her gaze locked onto John as well. "He seems to be one of this planet's defenders. Well, not that it matters. We'll kill all the defenders and get the Codex; the terraforming will begin. This planet will become new Krypton, and humanity will either perish or become our slaves."
Harley's voice cut in before John could reply.
"Oh, I like you two already," she said, stepping forward with her bat resting on her shoulder. Her grin was wide and a little unhinged. "Big attitude, matching outfits, tryin' to gang up on my guy. Real cute."
Faora glanced at her once, unimpressed.
Harley pointed the bat at her face. "Nah, nah. You don't get to ignore me. I got abandonment issues."
She vanished in a burst of speed and reappeared mid-swing.
CRACK.
The bat connected with Faora's head with a loud metallic snap that echoed across the desert. Faora's head tilted slightly from the impact, but she didn't fall.
Harley blinked. "Okay… you're sturdier than you look."
Car-Vex moved in instantly, fist aimed for Harley's ribs, but Harley twisted out of the way with unnatural flexibility, dropping low and sweeping her leg across Car-Vex's knees. The Kryptonian barely shifted.
Harley hopped back, grinning wider. "Alright, I guess, I can't fight with Supes relatives with 10% power."
Faora stepped forward this time, eyes locked on Harley. "You're in the way."
"Yeah," Harley said, spinning the bat again as sparks flickered along its surface. "That's kinda the point, bitch. How dare ya flirt with my man behind my back? I'm gonna bash you two up real nice."
Behind them, the temperature dropped.
Maureen stepped into the center of the battlefield, her breath steady as frost crept along the ground in expanding waves. The air itself began to crackle with cold, visible lines of ice forming in midair.
"Enough," she said quietly.
Everything slowed.
"Absolute Zero!" Her eyes glowed bright blue.
A massive wave of cold energy burst outward from her position, racing across the battlefield in every direction. Kryptonian soldiers mid-charge turned into statues of ice, their weapons frozen in their hands, their bodies locked in place.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
"Die," Maureen said as she clenched her fists. Her voice was layered and sounded menacing.
One by one, they shattered.
Hundreds of low-level soldiers collapsed into fragments, their forms breaking apart into frozen debris that scattered across the sand. Only the stronger ones remained, their bodies resisting the full effect, frost clinging to their armor and skin but not stopping them completely.
'I see now why Bruce told everyone not to mess with Kahndaq. They are too powerful,' Superman landed beside her, glancing at the frozen wasteland around them. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Maureen didn't look at him. Her eyes stayed on the remaining enemies. "Don't worry, I don't hurt friends and family."
Three armored Kryptonians charged them at once.
Superman stepped forward and met the first head-on, their fists colliding with a boom that sent a shockwave through the frozen field. He grabbed the soldier's arm, twisted, and slammed him into the ground hard enough to crack the ice beneath them.
Maureen moved at the same time.
Time slowed again, just for her.
She stepped past the second soldier, her hand brushing against his chest. Frost spread instantly across his armor, creeping up his neck and over his face.
Time snapped back.
The soldier froze solid.
Superman didn't hesitate. He drove his fist straight through the ice, shattering both the frost and the Kryptonian beneath it in one brutal motion. In a normal scenario, he'd have avoided killing them, but this situation was too serious. He looked at those fighters using his X-Ray vision, and most of them were like living husks, with enhanced bodies and some kind of technology controlling them.
Above them, the sky tore open again.
Multiple wormholes flashed into existence.
Kryptonian fighter jets poured out in formation, engines glowing as they spread across the sky like a swarm. Their weapons charged almost instantly.
"Here we go," John muttered, already looking up. "Again."
The first barrage hit.
Blasts of energy rained down across the desert, explosions chaining together as the ground lit up in violent bursts. Sand turned to fire and glass as the bombardment intensified.
Kara shot into the sky without waiting.
"Harley," John looked at Harley. "Fuck 'em up."
"Leave it to good 'ol Harl," Harley said with a large grin. John just gave her the green signal to use her full strength.
John followed right behind Kara, lightning snapping around his body as they tore through the air toward the incoming fleet.
Kara glanced sideways at him mid-flight, excitement flashing across her face. "Race you."
John smirked. "You're gonna lose."
They hit the first wave at full speed.
Kara slammed straight through the hull of the nearest jet, tearing it apart from nose to tail as she flew through it. The ship exploded behind her in a burst of fire and debris.
"Oh yeah," she shouted, banking hard toward the next one. "This is way better than training!"
John didn't bother slowing down.
He raised his hand, energy gathering instantly as lightning condensed into a focused point.
"Let's clean this up."
He fired.
A beam of condensed lightning ripped through three jets in a straight line, slicing them apart mid-flight before detonating in a chain of explosions that lit up the sky.
More ships closed in, weapons firing.
Kara spun through the barrage, weaving between blasts before grabbing one jet by the wing and swinging it like a hammer into another. Both ships collided and exploded in a massive fireball.
John appeared above a cluster of them in a blink.
THWIP.
He dropped into the center and released a pulse of energy.
BOOOOM.
The shockwave expanded outward, shredding multiple jets at once and sending flaming wreckage spiraling toward the desert below.
"Left side," Kara called out, already diving toward another formation.
"I see them," John replied, vanishing again.
Below, the battlefield raged on.
Harley ducked under a strike from Faora and drove her bat into Car-Vex's side, sparks bursting on impact. "C'mon, ladies, work with me here. I'm carryin' this whole conversation."
Faora moved faster this time, her fist snapping forward and catching Harley across the shoulder. The hit sent Harley skidding across the sand before she flipped back to her feet, laughing through the impact.
"Okay, that one had some kick to it," she said, rolling her arm once. "Now we're talkin'."
Car-Vex came in from the side, but Harley triggered a charge.
BOOM.
The explosion forced both Kryptonians back for a split second.
Harley grinned, eyes wild. "My turn again."
...
[Space] [Main mothership]
Zod's eyes were on the live feed displayed across multiple holographic screens. He zoomed in on Kara and ran a quick scan. Then a smile appeared on his face. "Kara Zor-L. It seems we found our Codex." He looked toward his second in command. "Ursa, prepare the suit. I'll personally retrieve the Codex."
--
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