AM I SUPERMAN?

Kaius switched to the Superman Card, a surge of Kryptonian power coursing through him as he took to the skies. His heat vision ignited the two Kryptonian warriors below, their weakened forms no match for the intense red beams that engulfed them. With the Sword of Kryptonite in Diana's hands amplifying their vulnerabilities, the once-formidable Kryptonians were reduced to ash.

Diana sheathed the Kryptonite sword with precision. "Where is Zod? With this blade, I should be able to end him quickly," she said, giving the glowing weapon a confident swing.

Unlike her Sword of Hephaestus, the Kryptonite blade was far more effective against Kryptonians, making it her weapon of choice for the battle ahead. She secured her divine sword to her back as a backup.

Kaius pointed northwest. "Clark fell somewhere over there," he said. "But Diana, don't underestimate Zod. Even with Kryptonite, he could use his heat vision to vaporize that blade before you even get close. He's the pinnacle of Kryptonian military engineering, and he's adapted to the yellow sun faster than anyone else."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Kaius shook his head. "I can't. There are still plenty of Zod's soldiers aboard the mothership hovering over Metropolis. But I have a plan to deal with them—using Clark's ship."

Kaius's strategy hinged on a unique feature of Kryptonian technology: the Phantom Drive. Both Clark's ship and Zod's mothership used this advanced propulsion system, capable of warping space-time. If the two drives collided, the interaction would create a singularity, effectively neutralizing the Kryptonian threat.

Kaius recalled this crucial detail from a similar event in an alternate reality he remembered. To confirm his theory, he consulted Clark, who, with his encyclopedic knowledge of galactic science, had analyzed and verified its feasibility.

Zod had conveniently retrieved Clark's ship from Paradise Island, sparing Kaius the trouble of retrieving it himself. "Zod, you're nothing if not helpful," Kaius muttered with a wry smile as he flew toward the wreckage.

Before parting, Kaius gave Diana one final instruction. "If you kill Zod, make sure his body is destroyed. If Clark hesitates, bring it to me. Zod's remains must not fall into the wrong hands."

Diana nodded solemnly. She had seen the destruction Kryptonian technology could unleash and was determined to prevent a repeat. "You have my word, Kaius."

With that, Diana launched herself northwest, heading toward Zod. Kaius turned his attention to Clark's crashed ship, lifting it effortlessly with one hand as he ascended toward the Metropolis skyline.

Above Metropolis, the skies were filled with chaos. Twenty-seven armed fighter jets streaked toward Zod's hovering mothership. As they closed in, their missile bays opened, unleashing a torrent of explosive ordnance. The missiles formed a dense barrage, streaking toward the alien ship like a rain of destruction.

But as they neared the mothership, the missiles veered off course, spiraling chaotically in all directions. Zod's ship emitted a powerful electromagnetic pulse, disrupting the guidance systems and rendering the barrage useless. The stray missiles crashed into Metropolis below, triggering explosions and adding to the city's devastation.

General Swanwick watched in horror from the command center. "Damn it!" he shouted, slamming his fist on the console. "Their defenses are too advanced. We can't touch them from here!"

The missiles fired by the fighter jets failed to hit the Kryptonian starship, their trajectories disrupted by the ship's gravitational field. Instead, the wayward missiles rained destruction on Metropolis below, triggering massive explosions and further chaos.

Rumble!

Onboard the fighter jets, the pilots struggled with their controls. "Command, command, electronic systems are malfunctioning! The gravitational distortion is pulling our missiles down before they reach the target!" one pilot reported frantically.

The response from the command center was swift. "Permission granted to move closer to the target. Engage manually if necessary!"

The squadron pushed forward, closing within several hundred meters of the starship. However, as they breached the enhanced gravitational field surrounding the alien vessel, the situation worsened.

The fighters' systems failed entirely, as if an invisible hand had seized them. Their engines sputtered, and their controls locked.

"The plane is out of control! Repeat, the plane is—" The transmission cut out abruptly.

On the screens in the command center, the jets plummeted helplessly, crashing into the ground. Silence fell over the room as the gravity of the situation sank in.

"Status on the tank units?" General Swanwick asked, his voice tight with tension.

A technician shook his head. "General, the city's infrastructure is too damaged. The tanks can't get through the chaos, and even if they could, they'd be useless against the alien ship."

Swanwick's jaw clenched. "We can't just stand by and wait for someone else to save us!"

Moments later, Colonel Lane burst into the room. "General! The Avenger is back, and he says he has a plan to destroy the alien ship!"

Swanwick's eyes narrowed with a spark of hope. "What's the plan? Where is he?"

"He's outside," Lane replied, gesturing for the team to follow him.

Outside, Kaius stood near Clark's spacecraft, which he had carefully placed on the ground. As Swanwick and Lane approached, Kaius stepped forward.

"I have a plan to destroy Zod's ship," he began. "We use Clark's spacecraft to collide with the Kryptonian starship. Both ships use the same Phantom Drive technology. If they collide, the drives will distort space, creating a singularity that can consume the alien ship."

Swanwick and Lane exchanged confused looks, but before they could ask, Dr. Emil Hamilton stepped in to explain.

"It's like creating a black hole," Hamilton said. "The collision will generate a singularity capable of swallowing the starship and everything aboard it."

Understanding dawned on Swanwick's face. "A black hole. That'll do it. What do you need from us?"

"I need a way to transport Clark's ship close enough to the starship to trigger the collision," Kaius said. "The gravitational distortion near Zod's ship is too strong for me to carry it directly."

Colonel Lane thought for a moment. "The C-141 Starlifter transport plane could carry the ship. It's sturdy enough to withstand some gravitational interference, and it gives you a chance to disengage before the collision."

"Perfect," Kaius replied. "Once the collision begins, I'll leave the ship and handle the Kryptonian warriors who'll try to stop us."

The team moved quickly. Swanwick ordered the transport plane to be prepared, while technicians worked to secure Clark's spacecraft for transport. As the sun began to set over the devastated city, the plan came together.

Colonel Lane approached Kaius. "You're sure about this? The gravitational forces will be unpredictable near the ship. You'll only have a narrow window to escape."

Kaius smirked. "I'll manage. Just make sure your team is ready for the fallout."

Swanwick nodded firmly. "Let's move. We're counting on you, Avenger."

As the transport plane roared to life, carrying Clark's spacecraft toward the alien ship, Kaius ascended into the air, ready to defend the mission at all costs.

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