"Time's up."
Filtered through her mask, Faora's voice became an icy electronic sound that echoed across the empty desert.
"Hand over Kal-El. Otherwise, this desert will be the grave of every last one of you."
The human military's senior officers instantly broke into cold sweats. Every soldier's finger was clamped tight on the trigger, yet sheer terror kept them from making a move.
Where were Vought's Supes?
Where was Kal-El?
Why hadn't they appeared yet?!
Just as everyone felt suffocated, unsure how to respond to this alien reaper's ultimatum.
A low sonic boom, like rolling thunder, faintly sounded high overhead.
Faora's icy gaze sharpened slightly, and she instinctively raised her head to look into the sky through her armor's goggles.
The soldiers, reporters, and even Lex Luthor, seated at the rear, all looked skyward in unison.
Amid the dazzling light of the setting sun, a figure parted the clouds and slowly descended.
Clark Kent simply hovered quietly in midair, utterly defying Earth's laws of gravity.
He wore a blue-and-red suit, with a huge "S" emblem symbolizing hope emblazoned on his chest.
His arms hung naturally at his sides, his posture straight, and the scarlet cape behind him fluttered slowly in the breeze like a battle flag.
With the composure of a god descending into the mortal world, he sank leisurely toward the ground.
In the suffocating silence, Clark passed over the military perimeter and countless cameras before finally landing gently on the desert sand in front of Faora.
Clark's azure eyes looked calmly into those of his fellow Kryptonian. At that moment, he seemed like a true god, not only making Faora feel a tangible pressure but instantly igniting the spark called "hope" in the hearts of over ten billion people worldwide!
A flicker she could barely conceal crossed Faora's