Bang!
From deep inside the World Engine, a beam of icy blue light suddenly tore through the darkness of space. The brilliant ray streaked across the starry void like a spear of frozen lightning, moving with terrifying precision.
In an instant, it struck the figure flying helplessly through space.
Pfft!
Blood exploded outward, scattering across the vacuum like crimson dust drifting among the stars.
Boom!!
The penetrating power of the freezing beam was terrifying. It was a weapon capable of punching directly through heavily armored warships, and against a living body the effect was even more devastating.
The ice-blue ray blasted straight through General Zod's waist without the slightest resistance.
The wound was horrifying.
A massive hole tore through his body from front to back, completely piercing his torso. The moment blood spilled into the vacuum, the freezing energy carried by the beam activated instantly.
Frost spread outward like wildfire.
The freezing ray possessed a brutal secondary effect. As the beam penetrated flesh, it released extreme cold that rapidly crystallized everything it touched.
The blood that had just sprayed into space froze immediately.
The open wound sealed under layers of ice.
But the damage did not stop there.
The freezing energy spread deeper into Zod's body, invading muscle, nerves, and even his bloodstream. The frost crawled through his veins like a swarm of microscopic blades, inflicting continuous internal damage.
It was an agonizing process.
General Zod possessed a powerful regenerative ability. Under normal circumstances, his Kryptonian physiology could rapidly repair severe injuries. However, the freezing energy suppressed that regeneration completely.
Every cell that attempted to heal was instantly locked in ice.
"AAAH!!"
A hoarse scream tore from Zod's throat.
The tidal wave of pain surged through his body so violently that his vision blurred. For a moment, the once-unbreakable commander of Krypton nearly lost consciousness.
His condition was catastrophic.
The arm Ethan had shattered earlier hung uselessly beside him, the bones completely broken. Combined with the massive wound through his torso, Zod's combat capability had already dropped by more than half.
Now his body drifted helplessly between the stars.
Without stable control of his movement, the currents of space carried him slowly away from the World Engine like debris floating in a silent ocean.
Hum—
Suddenly, Zod felt the world spin violently.
Before he could understand what was happening, a powerful grip clamped around his throat.
His massive body was lifted effortlessly.
Like a young eagle caught by a hunter, General Zod was dragged back from the starry void without the slightest dignity.
The person holding him was Ethan Drake.
With one hand gripping Zod's neck, Ethan flew back toward the ship and reentered the shattered opening in the hull.
Bang!
A heavy impact echoed through the cabin.
Zod's body was thrown back onto the same deck where the battle had begun. The proud general crashed onto the metal floor and rolled several times before stopping in a miserable heap.
He struggled to move.
But the injuries were too severe.
The frost still spreading through his body continued to suppress his strength.
Ethan stepped forward slowly and stopped a short distance away.
"This," he said calmly, "is your General Zod."
His clear eyes swept across the Kryptonian warriors gathered around the hangar.
Those sharp, piercing gazes were impossible to ignore. Yet every warrior who met Ethan's eyes instinctively lowered their head a moment later.
One by one, their confidence faded.
The atmosphere inside the hangar grew unbearably heavy.
Under Ethan's overwhelming presence, every soldier felt an invisible pressure pressing down on them. The difference in power was so obvious that many of them unconsciously felt smaller simply standing there.
"So, General Zod," Ethan continued lightly, "it seems you really can't survive my punches."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
No one answered.
No one dared.
Not a single warrior stepped forward to challenge him again.
Ironically, in the oppressive silence that filled the hangar, the only sound that remained was Zod's painful breathing as he struggled on the floor.
It sounded harsh.
But the reason for the silence was simple.
Ethan had demonstrated his strength in the most direct way possible.
One punch.
One beam.
That was all it took for him to defeat the most powerful warrior in their minds.
If General Zod could not win…
Then who could?
The truth was obvious.
Zod's strength simply could not compare to Ethan's.
Ethan had known this from the very beginning.
The reason he dared confront Zod head-on was simple. Zod had not yet absorbed enough solar radiation to awaken the full potential of Kryptonian physiology.
In many ways, he was little more than a Kryptonian soldier with enhanced physical abilities.
Heat vision?
He didn't have it.
Freezing breath?
Impossible.
Even the ability to fly freely through space without technological assistance was uncertain.
And the regenerative ability Zod was so proud of had already been crippled by the freezing energy that now invaded every corner of his body.
To Ethan, Zod was essentially a heavily armored opponent with strong durability.
Nothing more.
From the beginning of the battle until now, Ethan had never truly considered him a threat.
"Too weak," Ethan said softly.
"The Kryptonian Empire is gone. If we ever want to rebuild it, we'll need a far stronger leader."
He paused briefly.
"After all, survival belongs to the strongest."
Ethan's voice carried calmly across the silent hangar.
"Zod is too weak and too fragile. Someone like that can't possibly lead you down the path of rebuilding Krypton."
His words flowed naturally and confidently.
Before arriving in this world, Ethan had once founded and run his own company. Convincing people to believe in a future vision was something he had practiced many times.
First draw the blueprint.
Then promise the future.
Finally, make everyone believe you are the only one capable of delivering it.
Reviving Krypton.
A new empire among the stars.
Ethan's calm confidence made the idea sound almost inevitable.
But persuasion alone was never enough.
Sometimes leadership required both fear and reward.
A stick in one hand.
A gift in the other.
Ethan's gaze moved across the crowd again as he spoke the final sentence slowly.
"The reason I spared all of you earlier is because you still have value."
His voice grew slightly firmer.
"If I had used the same punch I gave Zod… none of you would still be standing here."
The words sank deeply into the minds of every Kryptonian warrior present.
The hangar fell even quieter.
Several of them exchanged uneasy glances.
They were not ordinary soldiers.
Every person standing here had once been a radical supporter of the Kryptonian Empire. They had even rebelled against the Supreme Council in the past because they believed Krypton needed to be reborn stronger.
Now the empire was gone.
Their dream of revival seemed more distant than ever.
Yet suddenly—
A new possibility had appeared before them.
Ethan Drake.
A Kryptonian warrior of terrifying strength who had seemingly appeared from nowhere.
To say they weren't tempted would be a lie.
A simple thought slowly formed in their minds.
If Zod couldn't do it…
Then how could he lead Krypton's rebirth?
The logic was brutally simple.
Silence stretched for several seconds.
Then finally—
Someone stepped forward.
The first person to break the silence surprised everyone.
It was a woman.
Faora.
She had been the leader of the team sent earlier to the Aquarius reconnaissance ship.
As General Zod's adjutant and the second-in-command aboard the World Engine, she was one of the most loyal soldiers in the entire fleet.
Yet now she stood calmly before Ethan.
"Survival of the fittest," Faora said quietly. "That principle has always defined Krypton."
Her eyes studied Ethan carefully.
"If our goal is truly to rebuild Krypton, then we need someone strong enough to lead that path."
She paused briefly.
"I still don't know the name of the captain standing before us."
"But if he is a Kryptonian… one of our own… and the strongest Kryptonian alive…"
Faora's voice remained steady.
"Then that alone is enough."
....
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