Faora—the cold, ice-hearted beauty—was the first to step forward, and her decision caught many by surprise. As General Zod's most trusted adjutant, she had always stood closest to him in both loyalty and command. Seeing her break the silence first was something no one had expected.
But after witnessing Zod's humiliating defeat, the unity among the Kryptonian warriors had already begun to fracture. Once that thought settled in everyone's mind, Faora's decision became easier to understand.
Someone had to make the first move.
And once the first voice appeared, others quickly followed.
"I'm in."
"And me."
"Krypton needs the strongest leader. Only then can we have a future."
One after another, warriors stepped forward.
These men and women had once been pillars of the Kryptonian Empire. Many of them were radical reformers who believed the old ruling council had grown weak and stagnant. Their rebellion against the Supreme Council had ultimately led to their exile in the Phantom Zone.
Now that Krypton itself had been destroyed, the dream they once fought for had become even more fragile.
Seeing Zod defeated so decisively made their decision feel almost inevitable.
"He's Kryptonian too," one soldier said slowly. "That makes him one of us. We've been drifting through the stars for more than ten years, and we've never encountered another Kryptonian."
He looked around the hangar quietly.
"Realistically speaking, everyone here may be among the last survivors of our entire species."
Under such brutal circumstances, survival meant adapting.
"If we don't grow stronger," another warrior added, "then sooner or later we'll disappear as well."
Their voices grew firmer.
"The fact that he defeated General Zod proves he's a rare Kryptonian who has broken past our genetic limits. Someone like that will have an extraordinary future."
"We need a leader capable of changing everything."
Of course, not everyone spoke up.
Several soldiers remained silent, their expressions conflicted.
They had followed General Zod for years. Loyalty and respect could not disappear instantly, no matter how overwhelming the outcome of the battle had been.
Yet the balance of power had already shifted.
And then—
Clang!
The sharp sound of metal leaving its sheath suddenly echoed across the hangar.
Everyone turned.
General Zod, who had been lying motionless on the ground, slowly forced himself upright.
His body trembled violently from the effort.
With one hand, he grasped a short alloy blade.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That's interesting," he said calmly. "Do you really want to die?"
There was no tension in his voice.
This wasn't arrogance born from habit. It was simply the confidence of someone who fully understood the difference in strength between them.
General Zod was already finished.
The freezing beam had torn a brutal hole through his body. The wound that pierced his waist from front to back was still horrifying to look at. Even after all this time, there were no signs of healing.
The frost that had invaded his body continued to suppress his regenerative ability.
Most of his combat strength had already been destroyed.
"I spared your life," Ethan continued evenly. "But that doesn't mean you'll get the same chance twice."
"Boy…"
Zod's teeth clenched as he forced the words out.
His face flushed red, and the effort of speaking alone seemed to consume the last of his strength. A violent cough shook his body, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
Several former subordinates turned their heads away, unable to watch the scene any longer.
The once-unstoppable commander of Krypton now looked broken.
For a moment, the entire hangar fell silent.
Then Zod spoke again.
"…I admit it."
The words came slowly.
"I lost."
The sentence shocked many of the soldiers more than the battle itself.
General Zod had rarely acknowledged defeat in his life.
But now—
He said it openly.
His gaze darkened slightly, as if something deep inside him had finally settled.
Then he lifted his head and stared directly at Ethan.
The hatred in his eyes still burned fiercely.
"You bastard… you won," Zod growled hoarsely. "But remember this. If you fail to lead the Kryptonians toward rebirth…"
His voice rose with sudden fury.
"…then even if I'm dead, I won't forgive you!"
The declaration stunned everyone present.
For a moment, Ethan sighed quietly.
Was this loyalty… or something closer to defiance?
But before Ethan could respond—
Pfft!
The sound of flesh being pierced exploded through the hangar.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
General Zod had twisted the alloy blade in his hand and driven it directly into his own heart.
"Remember… what I said."
His voice faded quickly.
The fierce light in his eyes disappeared, scattering into emptiness.
Then his body collapsed.
The once-mighty general lay motionless on the ground.
"General…"
The Kryptonian warriors stared in disbelief.
None of them had imagined this ending.
General Zod—who had once commanded fleets and armies—had chosen to end his own life rather than live under someone else's rule.
Even Ethan stood silently for a moment.
He hadn't expected that outcome either.
But after thinking about it, the reason became obvious.
Ethan had already taken everything from Zod—his authority, his soldiers, and his role as leader. For someone as proud as Zod, living under the command of the man who defeated him was simply impossible.
For the arrogant general, there had only been one acceptable path.
Death.
"It's a shame," Ethan said quietly after a moment. "Keeping you alive would have meant gaining a powerful subordinate."
He looked down briefly at the fallen commander.
"But I respect your decision."
At that very moment—
Thud.
Under Faora's lead, the remaining elite warriors suddenly dropped to one knee.
There was no hesitation.
More than a dozen Kryptonian soldiers knelt on the floor before Ethan.
"We pledge ourselves to you."
Ethan nodded slightly.
His gaze moved across the warriors kneeling before him. A subtle sense of conquest rose in his chest as he watched the once-rebellious elite soldiers bow their heads.
"Good," he said calmly.
"With warriors like you, how could Krypton fail to rise again?"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Still… someone like General Zod deserves proper respect. His contributions shouldn't be forgotten."
Far beyond the observation window, the endless stars continued drifting past.
Soon after, the World Engine resumed its journey through the boundless starry sky. Behind it, the Aquarius reconnaissance ship followed closely like a loyal escort.
Inside the vessel, many people still struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
Adjutant Lilith, the medic Lucini, and several other crew members exchanged stunned glances. None of them could fully understand how Ethan had managed to subdue an entire group of notoriously stubborn Kryptonian warriors.
General Zod had been the empire's former supreme commander.
The soldiers who followed him had once been legendary elites.
And yet all of them had accepted Ethan's authority.
It felt almost unreal.
"Without rules, there can be no order," Lilith finally said quietly. "If we're truly going to rebuild Krypton, we must stand together under a single leader."
She paused thoughtfully.
"And from this moment on… calling Lord Ethan merely 'captain' is no longer appropriate."
After all, he now commanded two Kryptonian warships.
Even the title of "general" felt insufficient.
Lilith considered several possibilities before finally settling on one that reflected absolute authority.
She stepped forward respectfully.
"Congratulations…"
She lowered her head.
"Your Majesty."
The Kryptonian Empire had fallen.
The Supreme Council no longer existed.
The road ahead would be filled with unimaginable obstacles, and rebuilding their civilization would be harder than anything they had ever faced.
But from this moment forward—
They would follow a single voice.
A single will.
A single ruler.
Lilith had briefly considered naming Ethan the Speaker of a new council. Yet that idea was quickly dismissed. A council meant debate, and debate meant divided authority.
What Krypton needed now was unity.
Absolute leadership.
So she chose a different path.
The ancient monarchy of Krypton would rise again.
From this day onward—
Ethan Drake was the new Emperor of Krypton.
....
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