Sparks flew from the mechanical half of Victor's body, and the screen of the measuring instrument in his hand filled with gibberish.
Chu Men raised a hand and tugged the metal pull chain beneath the holy orb lamp.
With a click, the lamp switched to a soft, dark-red night-light mode.
Chu Men waved a hand dismissively:
"Let them scan us. As long as they dare poke their eyeballs into our yard, I'll burst every last one with a slingshot."
"The construction crew here in the Heavenly Realm will stay and keep remodeling the pool. Everyone else, come back to Earth with me to inspect the goods."
"Yes, Master!"
Clark stepped forward and punched through the spatial barrier connecting Seventh Heaven directly to the skies above Gotham City on Earth.
At the same time, on Earth's North American continent.
After the crisis in Earth's core and the upheaval in the Heavenly Realm a few days earlier.
The billions of surviving humans around the world huddled in their cities' air-raid shelters and public squares, looking up at the gray sky.
Before the ruins of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Tens of thousands of red-robed bishops and fanatical believers knelt in the muddy water, clutching crosses and chanting prayers aloud:
"Almighty heavenly Father, please send down your thunder and angels to destroy that demon in Gotham who usurped your divine throne!"
"Archangel Michael has already descended upon London! Heaven's holy army will soon come to save us!"
On the giant holographic screens in three thousand cities worldwide.
Lex Luthor stood with a microphone in the center of the One God Temple's plaza, staring fervently into the sky:
"Laborers of Earth, raise your heads! Open your eyes wide and welcome the Divine Lord back from his expedition!"
Rumble-!
Above Gotham City, a spatial