After taking the Enhanced Human Serum given to him by Superman, Gordon felt a surge of confidence unlike anything he had experienced before.
His strength had multiplied several times over, his speed had become almost inhuman, and even bullets no longer posed a threat to him.
At first, he had planned to step forward and personally confront Adrian, making that bastard pay for everything he had done.
But after witnessing the horrifying battle unfolding before him, every ounce of that confidence disappeared.
The courage he had built up only minutes ago shattered instantly after seeing the brutal clash between the two Kryptonians.
"Dad, what's happening now?"
Barbara's anxious voice came through the phone, snapping Gordon out of his thoughts.
He quickly answered the call.
"The situation's gotten complicated. Superman's in trouble right now. He's struggling against Homelander."
"Then what are we supposed to do? Didn't you say you had a plan?"
Barbara was already monitoring the battle through Wayne Enterprises' satellite systems.
Even though the company had fallen into temporary instability after Bruce Wayne's disappearance, Lucius Fox had managed to restore order before things spiraled out of control.
With Black Canary's help, Barbara had already contacted Fox directly.
Getting access to the satellites was no longer difficult for her.
"A plan? I had one before. Now I'm not so sure anymore."
Barbara stared at the live footage in silence, her brows tightly furrowed.
The devastation unfolding across Gotham left even her speechless.
After a moment, she finally spoke again.
"Forget it, Dad. Stay out of this. It's too dangerous."
She watched Adrian and Clark tear apart the battlefield like gods at war.
"I already contacted Cyborg and the others. Hopefully they can figure something out."
Barbara knew better than anyone that this fight had already surpassed normal human involvement.
Meanwhile, as she continued observing the battlefield outside Gotham City Hall, another incoming call suddenly appeared on her screen.
It was Black Canary.
Barbara answered immediately.
"What did you say?!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
At the same time, outside Gotham City Hall, Gordon remained completely unaware of the new crisis developing elsewhere.
He was still debating whether or not to intervene when a deafening explosion erupted nearby.
Boom!
Part of Gotham City Hall collapsed outward in a cloud of smoke and debris.
From the wreckage, Clark slowly emerged.
The rubble slid off his body as he floated back into the sky.
His cape snapped violently in the wind behind him like dark flames dancing in the night.
Wonder Woman tightened her grip on the Sword of Vulcan the moment she saw Clark return.
She was ready to step in immediately.
No matter what happened, she would not leave Adrian to face this alone.
But before she could move, Adrian stopped her.
"Don't come over, Diana."
He never turned around.
"This is between him and me. Let me handle it."
Wonder Woman sighed quietly.
She understood Adrian's stubborn nature better than most.
And more than that, she understood how complicated his feelings toward Clark truly were.
So she stayed where she was, silently watching Clark while preparing herself to intervene the instant Adrian lost control.
Adrian stood motionless, staring at Clark floating above the ruined streets.
"Oh?"
A faint smirk appeared on Adrian's face.
"Looks like you recovered pretty quickly."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Still haven't realized the difference between us? Clark, struggling like this is pointless."
Clark ignored the taunt completely.
Instead, his expression hardened.
Then he vanished.
A sonic boom exploded through the air as Clark launched himself forward at terrifying speed.
Adrian instantly accelerated as well.
Two streaks of light shot toward each other, one descending from the sky while the other blasted upward from the ground.
The pressure alone made Gordon and Harvey instinctively hold their breath.
Then, at the last second, Clark changed direction.
He appeared directly behind Adrian.
Without hesitation, Clark swung his fist downward with all his strength.
Boom!
The impact sounded like a missile strike.
Adrian's body was smashed downward violently.
The force tore through the atmosphere as he plummeted toward the earth like a meteor.
A massive vortex formed around him from the friction.
Then he hit the ground.
The earth exploded outward.
Shockwaves rippled through the streets while nearby trees shattered instantly from the pressure alone.
A gigantic crater formed where Adrian landed.
Clark's punch had carried enough force to flatten an entire city block.
Inside the crater, Adrian slowly rose to his feet.
The Doomsday Template granted him monstrous durability and terrifying regenerative abilities, so the attack caused no real damage.
Still, his appearance looked far more disheveled now.
Dust covered his face and torn fragments of his suit hung from his body.
And that alone was enough to make him furious.
Especially because it happened right after he had mocked Clark.
Adrian slowly lifted his eyes toward the sky.
Cold fury burned inside them.
Clark's sudden increase in speed had nearly matched his own.
That should have been impossible.
At this moment, Adrian was operating at full strength.
The Homelander Template was fully activated.
The Doomsday Template had reached twenty five percent synchronization.
And the curse blessing from the Triple Goddess doubled his physical abilities during the night.
With all three powers stacked together, Adrian's strength had already reached a level close to true Superman territory.
Even Kara and Rika combined would struggle against him.
He knew exactly how powerful he had become because he sparred against Rika regularly.
In this state, he could battle New Gods like Kalibak and overwhelm multiple Green Lanterns at once.
Yet Clark had suddenly caught up to him?
Adrian stared at his brother in silence before slowly shaking his head.
No.
This wasn't normal growth.
This was Clark doing what Clark always did.
Breaking limits through sheer willpower.
"You've changed, Clark."
Adrian's voice became quieter.
"This level of power is beyond your normal limit."
"Yes."
Clark's eyes remained steady.
"I have changed."
His voice carried absolute conviction.
"I finally understand what I believe in. I won't hesitate anymore."
"If you insist on forcing your will onto the world, then I'll stop you by any means necessary."
"This world doesn't need tyranny. It doesn't need fear."
"Dad taught us not to play god with humanity. People aren't ready for beings like us standing above them."
"So no matter what happens, I'll stop you."
Adrian laughed softly.
"Stop me?"
His expression turned mocking.
"You've never beaten me before, Clark. Not once."
"If I decide to do something, nobody can stop me."
"Not even you."
Clark's eyes flickered with something complicated.
"That's because you're my brother."
Adrian's smile faded slightly.
Clark continued speaking.
"I always made excuses for you."
"The Owl Council incident."
"The homecoming dance."
"Everything."
"I tolerated it because I believed you could still change."
Adrian scoffed openly.
"That just makes you pathetic."
He slowly floated upward from the crater.
"You call yourself humanity's savior, but your principles bend whenever emotions get involved."
"That kind of morality is weak."
Then Adrian disappeared.
He instantly teleported directly in front of Clark.
Clark reacted immediately, raising his arm to block the incoming punch.
But Adrian changed the angle mid attack.
Instead of aiming for Clark's chest, he shifted downward.
At the same moment, a beam of energy shot toward Clark from behind.
The Cosmic Scepter.
The blast slammed into Clark's back before he could react.
Pain surged through him instantly.
And before he could recover, Adrian's fist crashed into his stomach.
Boom!
The air exploded outward.
Dust and debris rose into the sky before raining back down across the battlefield.
Clark's body folded violently from the impact.
Every nerve in his body screamed in agony.
For the first time in years, he understood what genuine physical pain truly felt like.
Still, he refused to scream.
"You're wrong, Clark."
Adrian's voice was cold.
"Conviction alone means nothing."
"You came here without preparing yourself to fight me properly."
"That's your biggest flaw."
"You still don't understand what a real battle looks like."
Adrian followed with another punch directly to Clark's face.
Crack!
Clark was launched backward like a missile.
His body tore through the ground before smashing into a concrete wall hard enough to split it apart.
Adrian calmly caught the Cosmic Scepter and stared down at him.
Yes.
Clark had become stronger.
Far stronger.
The moment Clark attacked earlier, Adrian had already noticed the difference.
His speed.
His aura.
His reactions.
Everything had evolved.
Just because Clark found conviction.
Just because he genuinely wanted to become stronger.
His power skyrocketed almost instantly.
Compared to Adrian clawing his way toward power through endless struggle and calculation, Clark's growth felt unfair.
Almost laughably unfair.
Children of destiny truly were absurd.
But Adrian still wasn't afraid.
Because battles were never decided by raw power alone.
Strength meant nothing without the mentality to use it properly.
Clark still lacked the ruthlessness necessary to defeat him.
He still refused to truly see Adrian as an enemy.
Batman once said Superman had two eternal weaknesses.
Kindness.
And kryptonite.
Neither could ever truly disappear.
Adrian slowly approached him again.
"You think your conviction changed something?"
His voice carried open disdain.
"It didn't."
"You're still the same person."
"You're still someone who refuses to face reality."
Then Adrian began tearing into Clark psychologically.
"You'll become a savior, Clark."
"But do you know what that future costs you?"
"You lose Lois."
"You lose your unborn child."
"Metropolis burns to ashes around you."
"You lose Alicia because your hesitation keeps you from accepting her feelings."
"You lose Lana."
"You lose Jonathan."
"You keep trying to save everyone while failing the people closest to you."
"You become exactly what you hate."
"A tyrant."
"A monster driven by grief."
Clark slowly stood up despite the blood running down his face.
His eyes burned red with fury.
"That's not the future."
"That's just your twisted imagination."
"I'll never accept that."
Adrian frowned.
"So you still think I'm wrong?"
"You still want to oppose me?"
Clark clenched his fists.
"Yes."
"I'll bring you back to the right path."
The instant those words left his mouth, Adrian vanished again.
He appeared beside Clark and slammed a fist directly into his face.
Boom!
Clark's head smashed into the stone wall behind him.
The impact shattered it instantly.
Chunks of stone exploded outward in every direction.
Blood mixed with dust across Clark's bruised face.
"You refuse to see the truth!"
Adrian grabbed Clark by the collar.
"You blindly believe everything Father taught us without ever questioning it!"
"You talk about protecting people, but your protection is built on illusions!"
Another punch slammed into Clark's jaw.
Even though Clark raised his arm to block, the force still launched him sideways.
He crashed through a massive tree, snapping it in half.
Most of his suit had already been torn apart.
His cape disappeared somewhere into the darkness.
Clark collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
His muscles trembled violently.
Adrian teleported beside him again and grabbed him by the head.
"You think becoming humanity's guardian will make them worship you?"
"You think power alone can save everyone?"
"No."
"You're just a dangerous child playing hero."
"You couldn't even avenge Father properly!"
Adrian's voice finally cracked with genuine rage.
"I trusted you!"
"But after Jonathan and Lana died, you acted like nothing happened!"
"Those people deserved punishment!"
"This rotten world deserves to burn!"
"I've always protected the people around me in my own way!"
"The corrupt deserve to die!"
Boom!
Adrian slammed Clark's head into the ground.
The earth erupted outward again like an exploding minefield.
Clark's body was driven deep into the shattered dirt.
The sheer violence of the impact made both Gordon and Harvey instinctively step backward.
Harvey stared at Superman buried in the crater and swallowed hard.
"I think we need to do something."
He slowly put down his cigar.
"Otherwise Superman's finished."
Harvey turned toward Gordon.
"What do you think?"
===
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