AM I SUPERMAN?

Clark shrugged off the grip of the two Kryptonian warriors with ease, their attempts to restrain him futile against his immense strength. He stepped forward, standing directly before Zod, and made one final attempt at reasoning with him.

"Zod, don't do this," Clark pleaded, his voice steady but imploring. "It's not too late to stop. Don't make a mistake you can't undo. Leave Earth out of this."

Zod, however, was unmoved. For over a decade, he had pursued the dream of rebuilding Krypton, and now, with everything falling into place, no argument could sway him.

"Kal, I've waited too long and sacrificed too much to let anyone stand in my way," Zod replied coldly. He turned to his soldiers and commanded, "Take them both."

In an instant, seven or eight Kryptonian warriors surrounded Clark and Kaius. As the two prepared to defend themselves, Zod strode away with two of his elite soldiers, heading toward the flight module to descend to Earth.

The skirmish erupted. The Kryptonian soldiers brandished energy weapons, firing bursts of concentrated plasma. Though the blasts couldn't pierce Clark and Kaius's enhanced durability, they caused enough discomfort to slow them down.

Kaius exchanged a glance with Clark, a silent understanding passing between them. With their backs against each other, their eyes glowed crimson in unison. Twin beams of heat vision cut through the air, disarming the soldiers by incinerating their weapons. The explosions sent several warriors tumbling back.

Fiora, relentless and precise, lunged at the two with fury. "Resistance is futile!" she snarled, launching a flurry of attacks. Several Kryptonian soldiers joined her, their strikes synchronized and unyielding.

Clark, dodging and countering blows, shouted, "Zod is heading to Earth! We can't waste time here!"

The battlefield split into two fronts: four warriors focused on Clark, while the rest swarmed Kaius. Fiora, with a personal grudge, devoted her full attention to him, her strikes fast and punishing.

Kaius gritted his teeth, deflecting and countering blows where he could, but the combined might of multiple Kryptonian opponents was overwhelming. "Hey, don't forget," he yelled over the chaos, "this is your ship!"

His heat vision flared again—not at his attackers, but at the ship's walls. The beams sliced through the interior, burning through layers of Kryptonian alloy. The spacecraft, though protected by an external energy shield, was vulnerable from within.

The breach was immediate. A section of the ship's wall caved under the assault, creating a small hole. The pressurized air inside the ship rushed out violently into the vacuum of space, pulling everything in its path toward the breach.

The sudden decompression threw the combatants into disarray. Soldiers scrambled to grip onto anything they could to avoid being sucked out. Seizing the moment, Clark and Kaius launched themselves toward the weakened wall, their combined strength turning the small breach into a gaping hole.

BOOM!

The explosion tore through the ship's hull, the vacuum of space pulling several unlucky Kryptonian soldiers into the void. The ship shuddered under the structural damage, alarms blaring throughout the vessel.

Hovering outside the damaged ship, Clark turned his gaze toward Earth, his expression grim. "Zod..." he muttered, his voice a whisper drowned by the silent vacuum of space. He quickly covered his mouth, realizing there was no air, and motioned to Kaius.

Kaius nodded, pointing toward Earth below. The two flew downward, their forms blazing through the atmosphere as they raced to intercept Zod before he could carry out his plan to terraform the planet.

Kaius nodded and dove toward Earth alongside Clark, both moving at incredible speed.

Temporary Military Command Center – Suburbs of Metropolis

In the command center, the tension was palpable. The astronomical monitoring satellite displayed live footage of the Kryptonian spacecraft. A smaller ship had launched toward Earth, followed shortly by the sight of a gaping hole torn in the mothership's hull. Moments later, Superman and Kaius could be seen exiting the damaged vessel and descending toward the planet.

"General, negotiations have likely failed," an investigator reported, removing his headset. His tone was grim.

General Swanwick exhaled heavily, rubbing his face as he considered the dire implications. Negotiation had been their last hope of avoiding catastrophe.

"General, we need to act now!" Colonel Sam Lane demanded, pointing at the large screen in the command room. "This is the best opportunity to strike with a nuclear missile. We can't afford hesitation!"

Swanwick hesitated, his brows furrowed in thought. "Fine, Sam," he relented. "I hope you're right about this. And—evacuate Metropolis immediately!"

The room burst into activity as Swanwick began preparations for a nuclear strike on the Kryptonian mothership.

---

Aboard Zod's Ship

Zod and his forces tracked Clark's ship signal to Paradise Island, home of the Amazons. Despite the warriors of Themyscira guarding their territory with unyielding resolve, Zod's forces recovered Clark's ship and returned to their own.

"General Zod, the Codex—the Secret of Life—is not in Kal-El's ship," one of the soldiers reported after scanning the craft.

"What?" Zod's voice rose, his tone sharp with disbelief. "That's impossible! If the Codex isn't here, where is it?"

Frustration etched across his face, Zod activated his heat vision and scanned Clark's ship himself. In the golden sunlight of Earth, his Kryptonian physiology had already begun adapting, granting him X-ray vision.

"It's not here," Zod growled, his fists clenched in fury. "The Codex isn't in the ship!"

Enraged, Zod shouted, "Where is it?!"

Suddenly, the top of the ship groaned under a violent impact. A moment later, the hull was breached, and two figures descended through the opening in quick succession.

Clark and Kaius landed with force, the ship trembling from the intrusion.

Zod's gaze locked onto Clark, his expression dark and cold. "Where is the Codex, Kal-El?" he demanded.

Clark hovered in the air, his presence commanding and unshaken by the ship's instability. "You'll never have it, Zod!" he declared, his voice resonating with determination.

With a roar, Clark launched himself at Zod, the two Kryptonians colliding with a thunderous boom. Their clash shattered the floor beneath them, and the pair plunged through the ship's lower levels, eventually tumbling into open air.

The battle raged in the skies. Zod, yet to master flight, used his strength and combat skills to fight Clark. But Clark's ability to fly gave him a significant edge, allowing him to dominate the fight in mid-air.

With Zod gone, Kaius faced two Kryptonian female warriors. Both cracked their knuckles and stretched, preparing to engage him.

Kaius sighed, shaking his head. "Why are all of Zod's top fighters women? Are there no male warriors in his army?"

The two women ignored his remark, their expressions stern as they moved to flank him.

Kaius smirked, glancing between them. "Honestly, Zod doesn't need the Codex. With all of you, he could rebuild Krypton without it!"

The warriors didn't respond, instead launching their attack. Kaius braced himself, ready to face two of Zod's elite soldiers.

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