Marvel : New Son Rising

Wonder Woman stood her ground, even as Black Adam, crackling with lightning, charged at her. Her hands remained firmly planted, holding up the collapsing castle. She trusted Superman would arrive, just as he always had, just as she herself had pulled off miracles countless times.

But this time, Wonder Woman was wrong. Superman could indeed work wonders, and his limits were unknown when he was determined. Yet, she forgot he wasn't all-knowing. At that moment, Warbird had just reached the Fortress of Solitude and met him.

Superman was a step too late.

Just as Black Adam was about to strike Wonder Woman, a figure dropped from the sky. He wasn't fast or particularly strong, but he arrived at the last second, tackling Black Adam from behind.

Black Adam, completely caught off guard, was slammed to the ground by the impact.

"Clark! What are you doing here?!"

Superman hadn't made it in time, but Clark, he had.

He mimicked Wonder Woman, holding up the Jotunheim Castle with both hands, his voice strained. "I can do this. I can definitely hold on for a bit. Ms. Diana, go deal with Black Adam, otherwise, all the survivors will die!"

Wonder Woman was only surprised for a moment. She quickly recomposed herself and tested his grip. She realized Clark's current strength wasn't enough to hold the entire castle, but it was enough to slow its collapse. He could buy them thirty seconds, and thirty seconds…

"Enough!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Wonder Woman let go and rushed towards Black Adam. Before he could stand, she delivered a powerful punch to his face, knocking him down again.

But just as she prepared for the finishing blow, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, hitting both Clark, who was still holding up the castle, and Black Adam himself.

"Ah!"

Clark screamed as the lightning charred his skin, wisps of smoke rising from him. As his consciousness faded, he began to fall.

Compared to Black Adam, he was still far weaker. Even the real Superman would feel pain from such magical lightning, let alone him.

Wonder Woman quickly caught the falling Clark. Just as she was about to support the castle herself, a green light enveloped it, preventing its collapse.

Looking up, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Superman, Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, and Canary had finally arrived. They had used Cyborg's sonic boom channel to reach them in time.

"Diana, clear out the infected inside the castle! We'll handle Black Adam!"

Superman, Cyborg, and Martian Manhunter rushed Black Adam, knocking him down again as he was just getting to his feet.

After Canary used the green light to take the unconscious Clark from Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl entered Jotunheim Castle to eliminate the infected who had come through the portal.

With almost all the Justice League members gathered, the army of infected, led by Black Adam, was quickly defeated.

Perhaps in a one-on-one fight, Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman weren't entirely confident they could defeat Black Adam without injury. But their combined efforts were enough to completely overpower him.

As for the infected inside the castle, they were mostly ordinary people from Kahndaq. Facing a hero like Wonder Woman, they stood no chance.

"It looks like we're about to win."

Canary, who was maintaining the green light to protect the castle, breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the unconscious Clark beside her, but then realized Clark was gone. He was flying towards the inside of the castle.

"That kid! When did he wake up?"

Before anyone could stop him, the situation shifted again.

Eve, the witch who could use teleportation magic, seeing they were no match for the Justice League, immediately opened a portal. She began sending away the remaining infected and Black Adam, who was being beaten by Superman.

At this moment, an accident occurred. Hawkman's large wings weren't suited for indoor combat. As the portal opened and the infected began to retreat, his wings got caught. The combined strength of countless infected pulled at him, making it impossible to resist. He could only watch as he was dragged into the portal.

If he entered that place, full of infected people, alone, the outcome would be dire.

Even when Wonder Woman tried to rescue him, it was too late. The distance was too great, and survivors blocked her path, preventing her from reaching Hawkman.

Just when they thought Hawkman was lost, Clark burst forward once more. Injured by the magical lightning, he was in rough shape. Yet, he still rushed to Hawkman at the last moment, broke the arm of the infected person holding him with one punch, and pulled Hawkman to safety.

Eventually, the portal closed, and the battle was over.

"Just now… I was saved by that kid…"

Hawkman wanted to thank him, but when he turned, he found Clark had completely fainted. He was seriously injured and had only been holding on to complete that final rescue.

"It seems…"

Superman flew into Jotunheim Castle at that moment and sighed as he looked at the unconscious Clark.

"We all underestimated him, myself included."

Even though he knew Clark was him, and even though Clark had been training with Wonder Woman, Superman never thought they would need the boy's power one day.

But now, Clark had proven to them with his actions that he could also be a hero who protects others.

At this moment, looking at the unconscious Clark, all the heroes unconsciously stood a little straighter.

"Where am I…"

When Clark woke up again, his Kryptonian super self-healing ability had completely erased the lightning wounds on his body. However, the strong, futuristic technological style of the ceiling alone told him this was not Paradise Island.

"Hey! Are you awake, kid?"

Upon waking, the first person Clark saw wasn't Superman, Wonder Woman, or other familiar superheroes, but a bald man in green armor.

Lex Luthor.

"I have good news for you. You've been recognized as an immigrant hero. But in my opinion, it just means the heroes have finally admitted their own incompetence—that they're not strong enough. They have to rely on a kid like you to participate in battles."

Luthor stood up. Even though he was now on the same side as the heroes, his words still dripped with disdain for superhumans. As a human supremacist, he believed in the power of humanity itself. In his eyes, those who became heroes through rare mutations or powers not inherent to humans were all garbage.

"Now that you're awake, come with me to the hall. Maybe you can watch a good show?"