The figure turned around, revealing a cold and unfamiliar face.
It wasn't him.
That face lacked the warmth and kindness they remembered; instead, it was icy and indifferent.
"I am Kara Zo El." Her voice was cold and devoid of any extra emotion. "Do you know where my cousin, Carl El, is? I haven't sensed any trace of him on Earth."
Cousin? Carl El?
Kate and Barbara exchanged a glance, both seeing utter shock and bewilderment on each other's faces.
Bruce never mentioned it, and Clark never said it either, that he had a cousin!
But... that iconic blue and red battle suit, the prominent "S" emblem on the chest, and that breath that just froze everything... who else could it be but Kryptonian?
Kate took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down from the overwhelming information. She stepped forward and said in a low voice, "We've never heard of Superman having any cousins. And... you could say that he's the one who caused Earth to become what it is today."
"What did you say?" Kara's brows furrowed instantly, and an invisible pressure emanated from her, making the surrounding air feel heavy.
Barbara, leaning against the broken wall, wiped the dust from her face and, in a numb tone almost like reciting an autopsy report, took over the conversation:
Two years ago, Apokolips was preparing to invade Earth. The core members of the Justice League, including Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, devised a decapitation plan and decided to launch a solo attack on Apokolips.
She paused, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "In the end, the entire army was wiped out; not a single person returned. Those of us left behind on Earth, along with the Teen Titans and all the second and third-tier heroes, faced countless Parademons and... Doomsday."
Barbara pointed to the surrounding ruins, then to the massive, operational machines on the distant horizon that seemed to lead straight to the Earth's core:
"Of the billions of people, less than a hundred million remain. Those machines are extracting energy from the Earth's core; in a few months at most, this planet will completely collapse from within. This is the legacy your cousin, Carl El, left us."
Every word was like a dull knife, cutting into Kara's heart.
She clenched her fists, and her knuckles made a soft "crackling" sound from the force.
Before coming to this universe, Thor had told her that this was the "original" version of her Flashpoint Universe.
In a sense, Carl El is her cousin.
Her initial mission was to protect him.
But what did she hear now?
The first rule of Krypton military doctrine is that it is strictly forbidden to launch a desperate attack before fully ascertaining enemy intelligence!
In any war, the preservation of civilization and its people must be the primary principle!
And what did this Carl El do?
He led his strongest forces to their deaths, abandoning a planet with billions of inhabitants to countless monsters!
How reckless! How foolish!
A fire of disappointment, anger, and sorrow burned fiercely in Kara's chest.
She felt ashamed of this "cousin" she had never met.
Kate and Barbara both keenly sensed the change in Kara's Shang-Chi; the chilling anger made them instinctively tense up and dare not say another word.
"Where is he?" Kara asked again, her voice now icy cold.
"I don't know," Barbara shook her head, her face etched with exhaustion and despair. "Of those who attacked Apokolips, only Shazam escaped, but he went mad. The others... perhaps they're still alive, perhaps they're long dead."
Kara's gaze passed over them, looking towards the distant horizon.
How do I get to Apokolips? Or, what are the coordinates of Apokolips?
"We don't know the coordinates," Kate replied. "The only possible way is to go to the Lex LexCorp's headquarters. There's a Boom Tube there, modified by Darkseid, that leads directly to Apokolips."
As soon as she finished speaking, Kara bent slightly, about to transform into a blur and soar into the sky.
Kara.
A lazy, slightly teasing male voice suddenly rang out.
"Aren't you just like your idiot cousin, rushing over there in such a hurry to die?"
Kate and Barbara were both taken aback, only then noticing that two people were standing not far behind the woman named Kara.
A man dressed in casual clothes was squatting on the ground, picking up a pinch of the frozen ice crystal powder of the Doomsday with great interest and studying it on his fingertips.
Beside him stood a woman in black, with an ethereal air and beauty that seemed otherworldly.
When did these two appear?
They were completely unaware!
Kara's movements suddenly froze.
Thor's words struck her like a heavy hammer blow.
Yes... she had just been blinded by rage. If she recklessly rushed to Apokolips, how would she be any different from Carl El, whom she despised?
She forcibly suppressed her surging anger, turned around, and stared coldly at Thor: "There's something on Apokolips that can threaten me, isn't there?"
Thor stood up, brushed the ice shards off his hands, and gave him a look that said, "You finally got to the point."
"Normally speaking, Apokolips, the leader of Darkseid, is about equal to you. It's really hard to say who would win if you two fought."
He changed the subject, shrugging. "But just now, I scanned the entire universe with my mental power and discovered something very interesting. That guy named Darkseid, I don't know what kind of luck he had, or maybe he gained some insight during his battle with your cousin and the others, anyway, he broke through."
Thor held up one finger and said slowly, "He's now at the Universe Level. And you're still a little short. So, if you go there now, you'll be facing a Universe Level Darkseid, plus an entire Justice League that he's captured and controlled."
Thor was still thinking to himself, " Darkseid is such a weirdo. His clones from different universes have such vastly different strengths."
He strongly suspected that this guy's strength was flexible and would automatically adjust according to the current strength of the Justice League in the universe.
No wonder Superman and his crew always struggle so much; this is practically a game-changer for the game's balance patch.
However, his words struck Kate and Barbara like a thunderbolt.
"Wait!" Barbara suddenly grasped the crucial information, her breathing quickening. "You mean... the Justice League isn't dead? They're still alive?!"
Kate stared intently at Thor, a faint spark rekindling in her eyes, which had been steeped in despair for so long.
As long as you're alive, there's hope!
Thor glanced at the two women and bluntly shattered their illusions:
"So what if they're alive? You two weaklings who can't even handle the Doomsday, you think you can go to Apokolips to save them? Don't be ridiculous, you're not even worthy of giving them a gua sha treatment."
"You!" Barbara's fist clenched instantly, her anger rising. She was about to retort when Kate grabbed her arm.
Kate addressed Thor with neither humility nor arrogance. "We know we are mortals, our power insignificant. But we will do everything in our power, even if it means death."
They are descendants of bats, mortal in form, yet comparable to gods.
This statement has never been just a slogan; it's a belief etched into our very bones.
Just then, Kara suddenly remembered something.
She stopped dwelling on Apokolips and turned to look at Thor, her dark eyes now carrying a hint of pleading for the first time.
" Thor... can you bring these people back to Earth? Those who have died...?"
Thor shrugged, spread his hands, and gave a helpless look.
"Under normal circumstances, reversing time and resurrecting the inhabitants of a planet wouldn't be difficult for me. However, you also know who's next to me."
His words stunned both Kate and Barbara.
Reversing time? Reviving a planet? That's easy? Who is this person? What nonsense is he spouting?
Thor ignored their shock and nodded with his chin toward the silent Death Tetiyu.
"This kind of thing requires her consent. But I bet she absolutely won't agree."
In an instant, three distinct gazes, each filled with shock, confusion, and a last glimmer of hope, all focused on the woman in black.