The Wrong Choice

Augustine's imposing, authoritative face changed as he stared at the vast display in Anchorage Base's command room.

Very few things could stir the emotions of this general, who never showed his feelings.

He knew that He-El possessed a base strength of thirty thousand tons, and he had long made preparations with General Jericho of the Army. But what He-El had displayed had already exceeded their expectations.

In truth, though, the thirty-thousand-ton base strength was merely what they had detected. He-El's true power far exceeded thirty thousand tons.

"General, General Jericho has been killed. More than five hundred Army soldiers are dead. The tank and Air Force units outside Anchorage Base's plaza are awaiting your orders." A colonel beside General Augustine reported, unable to hide his shock.

Could a living creature really do something like this?

In ancient times, he would already have been worshipped as a god, wouldn't he?

Even in this modern age, when science was so advanced and they knew he was merely a biological life-form, the colonel still felt the urge to kneel before He-El and worship him.

He-El's existence simply surpassed imagination by far too much.

It was completely unreasonable, unimaginable. One could only witness such power with one's own eyes.

"Put those two men into Gipsy Danger. Make them fight for Earth." General Augustine glanced at the enormous Gipsy Danger and spoke with iron resolve.

The colonel hesitated before saying, "General, I'm afraid Gipsy Danger is no match for him."

"I know. I don't need you to tell me that. Even delaying him for one second would be enough. We'll leave. Once Gipsy Danger fails, bombard this base. We need to request more powerful weapons!" Several traces of anger appeared on General Augustine's stern face.

The colonel fell silent, then suddenly shuddered. What if humanity's ultimate weapon failed as well?

He did not dare think any further. After saluting General Augustine, he went to carry out the order.

On the battlefield within the base.

The scent of blood mingled with the particles of gunpowder smoke, lingering thickly in the air for a long time.

He-El stopped his biological magnetic field. He had killed several hundred soldiers just now. Every soldier who had attacked him had been casually crushed to death, and he had used them as test subjects for his biological magnetic field.

He had already tested the effects of the biological magnetic field.

Against living creatures that did not know how to control their own magnetic fields, it was absolute suppression. He could connect to their biological magnetic fields, then manipulate their locomotor systems, digestive systems, respiratory systems, urinary systems, reproductive systems, endocrine systems, immune systems, nervous systems, and circulatory systems—controlling their bodies and causing them to secrete all kinds of hormones.

It was almost complete control over them. He could not control their thoughts or minds, but he could manipulate their bodies into releasing various chemical hormones to guide and hypnotize their consciousness. In a sense, as long as the body could influence will and awareness, they were nothing more than puppets and toys in He-El's hands.

Because most people's thoughts and desires were controlled by their bodies.

It would not be an exaggeration to call He-El a god.

"Save me..."

Ordinary people were groaning in the distance. When He-El had deflected the bullets in that wave, sending them spreading out in all directions, he had killed many soldiers—but he had also injured some people farther away.

They were terrified. Seeing He-El casually walking across the battlefield while soldier after soldier turned into blood mist and vanished, their legs had gone weak. They did not dare make a sound as they crawled across the ground in tears, desperate to get away from him.

When He-El's gaze swept over them, someone dragging an injured person away from the battlefield froze and did not dare move. Only after He-El's gaze passed over him without noticing him did he realize that he was drenched in cold sweat. His heart was pounding so violently it felt ready to burst, and he hurriedly dragged the injured person away.

The entire battlefield was miserable. Though the battle had only been between He-El and over five hundred Army soldiers, more than a hundred ordinary people had been injured. Some had even lost limbs and would remain disabled for the rest of their lives.

Wherever He-El's gaze passed, fear followed.

He was not bloodthirsty and held no killing intent toward these ordinary people. In a way, they were no different from the civilians on Krypton. Those civilians had even called him a god capable of changing heaven and earth.

He-El found it both amusing and absurd. Dust beneath his feet danced under the influence of his external biological magnetic field. But soon, he drew part of the field back into his body. Through his internal and external circulation, he escaped Earth's gravity and slowly rose into the air—first his heels, then his toes—before flying upward under countless terrified gazes and heading straight toward the twenty-one screens.

The people on all twenty-one screens had seen and recorded everything. They were now having their subordinates study He-El from every angle, including psychological analysis.

They remained composed, though they seemed unsure how to begin.

After all, treating someone like a slab of meat to be carved up and divided was truly a terrible way to begin contact between Earth and an extraterrestrial civilization.

"Alien, what is your purpose in coming to Earth?"

Suddenly, someone raised his brows, a glint appearing in his eyes as he asked the question.

They saw Gipsy Danger step forward behind He-El, raising its right fist. The rocket thruster at its elbow activated, blasting out intense blue propulsion flames that added tremendous kinetic force as it punched at He-El.

"I was originally just passing through. I would not have stayed here for long."

He-El shook his head. His body floated in midair as he extended his right arm straight out, spread his five fingers, and lightly used his index finger to brace against Gipsy Danger's enormous incoming fist.

Gipsy Danger's fist was instantly stopped by that single finger. Violent air currents whipped up, making the screens before He-El shake endlessly.

The thruster at Gipsy Danger's elbow roared, erupting with incomparably intense blue light. Even at full power, it could not move He-El by a single inch or shake even one of his fingers.

The expressions of everyone on the twenty-one screens darkened. Gipsy Danger's enormous thruster-powered punch could smash monsters head-on and leave them dazed.

Even watching that enormous fist approach through the screens gave them an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Its power needed no explanation.

But now... one index finger...

He-El flicked his finger. Gipsy Danger's right arm was struck by an irresistible force. Its entire forearm was shattered by that finger flick, mechanical engine components flying through the air. The elbow thruster exploded, blasting Gipsy Danger into a stagger. Fortunately, the two pilots' superb control stabilized the staggering machine.

"We apologize for this discourtesy, but as you can sense, Earth is merely a weak civilization and cannot offer you much assistance. May we ask when you intend to leave?"

As if they had not seen He-El being attacked or his index finger sending Gipsy Danger's fist flying, the people on the screens spoke again in grave tones.

Then they saw Gipsy Danger, which had only just regained its footing, raise its left arm. Its cannon barrel opened, and the I-19 Plasma Cannon began charging. Blue charged ion particles gathered behind He-El, aimed at him.

This weapon could fire shotgun-like charged ion particles that pierced a monster's body and burned its insides. It possessed lethal destructive power against kaiju.

"For now, I don't intend to leave. Don't worry. As long as you don't struggle, you'll die without pain. This isn't directed at Earth, only at you people who intend to carve me up."

He-El's hair was glossy black, his eyes deep and dark, and his face handsome and dignified. He looked rather "righteous," yet his voice made everyone on the screens feel chilled to the bone.

He-El himself had never held much of an opinion about the humans of this Earth, nor had he ever planned to conquer it.

When he had first arrived on this Earth, all he had wanted was to bask in the sun and awaken his Kryptonian gene.

Once he had gotten enough sunlight, perhaps he might even have helped Earth solve some of its problems.

At heart, He-El was not an evil person.

Otherwise, he would not have done everything he could to save those fellow Kryptonians on Krypton.

In fact, the choice had always been humanity's. How humanity handled him, this alien, would affect how He-El handled this Earth.

Unfortunately, before they learned of the Cell Enhancement Nutrient Solution, they had overwhelmingly decided to kill him. Then, after learning of the Cell Enhancement Nutrient Solution, they had decided to imprison him and drain his blood. Finally, after learning that superpowers existed, they had directly planned to dismember him and divide him up like meat.

Every decision made by these human higher-ups gave He-El sufficient reason to destroy the world.

Killing only these higher-ups was already He-El's mercy toward this Earth.

After all, I'm not some demon.

He-El sighed inwardly. Luckily, he was not an extremist. Otherwise, how could this world still exist?

The Krypton Guild's deep meditation method allowed him to avoid losing himself in the abyss of overwhelming power.

From the moment he fell to the ground, he had been able to hear the voices of the entire world. During the dozen or so hours he had spent controlling his power through deep meditation, not a single bit of outside information had escaped him.

Unfortunately, these human higher-ups had made the wrong choice when facing him.

As he decided the fate of these human higher-ups, He-El spread his biological magnetic field behind him.

It was not to protect himself, but to protect the screens in front of him so that they could experience despair.

Gipsy Danger's left-hand I-19 Plasma Cannon finished charging and fired directly at He-El's back. The shotgun-like charged ion particles struck He-El's biological magnetic field and were immediately repelled, surging back toward Gipsy Danger's left hand.

The charged ion particles were remarkably beautiful. Under He-El's biological magnetic field, their circuit-like trajectory appeared like a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree slide, a magnificent flood of flashing blue light that surged back at Gipsy Danger. Gipsy Danger's left hand instantly exploded, mechanical power-unit components scattering everywhere and continuously striking the surrounding steel framework, sending sparks flying.

The twenty-one screens fell silent. The Plasma Cannon had a notable effect on the flesh of kaiju. Basically, no kaiju could withstand a direct hit. Yet firing it directly at He-El had done nothing at all. It truly left them feeling powerless.

After being blasted several steps back, Gipsy Danger steadied itself. With both arms severed, it stood tall with its chest thrust out toward He-El as the turbine blades of its nuclear reactor began to spin.

He-El turned his head. His eyes glowed red, veins standing out around them as Heat Vision shot directly at Gipsy Danger's head. The powerful impact tore off Gipsy Danger's cockpit and killed the pilots. Then the Heat Vision swept downward, cutting off the nuclear reactor's startup sequence. Gipsy Danger fell backward with a deafening crash, metal and machinery groaning as they were crushed and torn apart.

"You can't be allowed to use a nuclear reactor recklessly. My spaceship is still badly short on energy." He-El smiled as he watched Gipsy Danger collapse, already beginning to plan how to gather energy in this world.

This world still had things he needed.

Suddenly.

Boom!

A shell tore through the outer wall of Anchorage Base and shot toward He-El.

He-El grabbed it with one hand. The massive shell was as thick as a burly man's calf. Five finger marks were crushed into it before it exploded directly in his hand, flames and black smoke engulfing him and the screens before him.

Then a continuous barrage of boom boom boom boom boom boom boom... erupted. Shell after shell tore through the outer wall and bombarded He-El's position.