Godhood Unlocked, I Choose Sci-Magic Dual Cultivation

"It died from resource depletion. What you can see now is only its shadow from twenty-seven years ago."

Clark's mood instantly sank, though he had vaguely anticipated it.

After all, if Krypton had not suffered such a massive disaster, how could he have been sent to Earth as an infant?

Dane gently patted Clark's shoulder in comfort. He had said so much mainly to build rapport.

Besides, even if Dane did not tell him, Clark would learn the truth once he found the ship frozen near the Arctic Circle.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I can't bear to see you wandering around in confusion, only to get nowhere."

"Go home and see her. Martha has missed you terribly."

Dane's words made Clark think of his mother, alone at home, and he felt guilty.

"Also, cherish these days. Peaceful times like this may not last much longer."

Hm?

Clark suddenly looked up. What did that mean?

Dane continued spinning his tale. "I possess a kind of magic that lets me roughly foresee certain fragments of the future.

"Clark, I have to say, the future does not look promising."

Clark grew nervous. Although he was an alien by blood, deep down, he had long considered himself an Earthling.

How could he not worry after hearing something like that?

Besides, Dane was not exaggerating. Setting everything else aside, Zod's invasion of Earth alone was an unavoidable catastrophe.

The Flash had already proven in his own movie that without Big Supes to suppress him, General Zod was nearly unbeatable.

Not to mention Doomsday, Steppenwolf, and then Darkseid. They were practically lining up to come to Earth for their scenes.

"So, finding you this time is also a way of giving you an early warning, letting you know what you may face in the future."

"So the first problem we'll face is my people?"

Clark's expression darkened. He had not expected to face such a difficult dilemma.

He neither wanted to fight his own people nor wanted Earth to suffer because of them.

"Yes. Although I don't know when Zod will arrive, someone determined to restore Krypton will never give up on Earth."

"And he's coming for you."

Dane pointed at Clark's chest.

In Man of Steel, Superman activated the Research Ship in the Arctic, allowing Zod to receive the signal it sent and come to Earth.

But in The Flash's solo movie, Superman was captured by Zod through some unknown method before he had even grown up, suggesting that Zod might have another way of locating Earth.

So from the worst-case perspective, even if they did nothing, there was still a high chance Zod would invade Earth.

Because he was searching the universe for the Codex, and he would soon realize the connection between the Codex and Kal-El.

After all, he had watched Kal-El's escape ship take off.

Hearing that Earth would suffer this disaster because of him, Clark looked full of remorse.

Dane knew this was a trial Earth had to endure, so he did not blame Clark.

Rather than wasting time on that, they should think about how to solve the problem better.

Although he knew the rough course of some stories, that was based on events before The Flash created the Flashpoint Paradox.

If Barry had already begun altering history, then the current space-time continuum had already been damaged.

Time and space would intertwine, producing countless possibilities.

No one could guarantee that Superman would still be able to handle Zod and his group alone this time, especially when they were all Kryptonians.

Although Zod ruling the world would not matter much to Dane, he did not like that general's methods.

So of course he would actively take part in this Zod raid.

"Don't think too much about it for now. It will still take some time for Zod to reach Earth. You can use that time to strengthen your abilities."

Clark looked at him, then at himself, scratching his head.

How was he supposed to strengthen his abilities? Earth was already too fragile for him.

Dane stood and patted off dust that did not exist.

"Before that, let's see how strong you are. You don't mind sparring, do you?"

"Sparring?" Clark looked astonished.

"Yes. I imagine you've spent all these years being extremely careful, afraid that one wrong move would destroy this paper-thin world. That must feel awful."

Then he pointed at himself.

"Perfect timing. Ever since becoming a 'god,' I haven't fought at full strength either. I think I'm qualified to be your opponent."

He wanted to know exactly where his strength ranked in DC's ecosystem.

Like other superheroes, Shazam's strength fluctuated wildly. At his strongest, he could rival Big Supes; the two were essentially the ultimate cheats of magic and reality.

But at his weakest, Shazam could actually fight evenly with third-rate villains, though that was partly because Billy Batson himself was immature.

Still, it showed that Shazam's combat power was unstable.

After hearing Dane's proposal, Clark thought it over carefully and agreed. He had always been curious about where his limits lay.

"We're fighting here?"

He looked at the Rock of Eternity. This did not seem like a suitable place. He was afraid that if he cut loose even a little, the place would collapse.

"Follow me."

Dane called to him, walked through a long corridor, and arrived at a chamber where countless doors floated in the air.

He randomly chose one and walked through it. Clark followed after seeing that.

After passing through the door, the two arrived in a vast, empty valley.

Clark found it incredible. He turned back to look at the door; the worlds inside and outside it were completely different.

"So that's what your warning meant."

He could not help marveling.

"Not bad, right? I'm planning to set up Portals in scenic locations around the world. Then I can live wherever I want."

Dane carefully sensed the surroundings and relaxed only after confirming that there were no humans nearby.

"Shall we begin?"

The moment Dane said it, he felt his blood begin to boil.

This was the effect of Courage of Achilles, keeping his fighting spirit high and his mindset optimistic in battle.

Huh? Was his compatibility with Shazam's power really this good?

"Here I come!"

Clark gave a warning and suddenly charged forward at incredible speed.

Dane did not use air superiority to bully him. He landed on the ground as well and fought him fairly.

Both possessed super speed, along with accelerated thought and superhuman reflexes. Dane saw the trajectory of Clark's fist with perfect clarity.

Even though that fist was supersonic!

Dane raised his right fist. Strength of Hercules granted him power enough to rival Superman, while Courage of Achilles gave him an invulnerable Man of Steel.

The two fists collided with a thunderous boom, and the shockwave spread in every direction, destroying everything in its path!

Unable to withstand the force, Clark was sent flying!

"Clark, don't hold back. I'm a 'god.' I won't die."

At least, not yet.

After that initial exchange, Clark had noticed it too. At last, he stopped restraining himself.

His eyes glowed red. Heat Vision!

Dane understood Clark better than Clark understood himself, but he deliberately wanted to test his own abilities, so he did not dodge.

He gathered all his divine power. Lightning of Zeus was divine thunder capable of directly blasting apart the Mother Box Unity!

Influenced by Dane's powerful will, Power of Zeus gave an equally powerful response.

Lightning wrapped around his entire body like armor, and blazing white arcs of electricity shone from Dane's eyes.

As Clark unleashed red beams, Dane's hands also released blazing white lightning.

The two streams of energy collided in midair, triggering a massive explosion. Intense heat scorched the earth, while shockwaves tore apart the clouds!

Dane and Clark were both blasted backward, then stopped at the same time.

Dane's feet plowed two deep trenches through the ground. When he looked up, Clark's newly changed clothes had already become tattered again.

"Again?"

Clark's fighting spirit surged. "Okay!"

Facing each other, they once again threw fists capable of splitting mountains and seas.

The valley shattered, and the river flowed backward!

Kryptonians' Magic Resistance

Clark flew backward, his Man of Steel smashing through a distant hill and bursting out the other side.

He was suspended in midair, upside down, but his exceptional vision quickly caught sight of Dane charging toward him from afar.

Watching Dane's fist approach, he had no foothold and could not move at all.

In his panic, his body actually stopped falling in midair.

This caused Dane's carefully calculated punch to miss.

"Oh?"

Dane landed on the ground and looked up at Clark, who was floating in the air.

With a tremor running through his body, he also flew into the sky until he was level with Clark.

"Looks like you've learned how to fly too."

Superman actually already possessed the ability to fly, but he had never considered it, so naturally he had never used it.

But after seeing how fluidly and naturally Dane flew, it was as if he suddenly understood, immediately putting it into practice.

Dane could not help smiling at how excited Clark looked while flying around.

"If you want to fly well, you need more practice. Let me help you."

Their fight was not over yet!

After saying that, Dane dove forward. I used to love watching Man of Steel. Have you ever seen a Space Punch?

I learned it from you!

Using the forward momentum of flight, Dane drove a fist into Clark's face and sent him flying again.

But the thick-skinned Kryptonian was not hurt at all. At most, it stung for a moment before he was instantly back at full health.

Dane sighed. "When Zod's group arrives, this battle is probably going to be difficult."

Clark adjusted himself in the air. He seemed to have grasped the trick, and his flying became more and more effortless. He returned the favor with the same kind of punch, landing a heavy blow on Dane.

Boom!

Like a meteor striking Earth, Dane crashed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.

Dane rose from the center of the crater, shook his head, and threw off the dizzy sensation.

Just then, Wisdom of Solomon issued a warning.

Following his instincts, he retreated, and Clark's fist broke the sound barrier as it skimmed past his nose.

"Heh. I didn't expect you to know how to launch a sneak attack too?"