ANOUNCEMENT!
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Chapter 40 — Eternal Exile
The Grand Council Hall of Krypton had never been so full.
Rows upon rows.
Columns upon columns.
Thousands of soldiers surrounded the enormous plaza that stretched before the Council's towering platform. Energy pylons glowed faintly around the execution grounds, casting pale blue light over the massive gathering.
At the center of the plaza stood the remnants of three once-powerful noble houses.
The House of El.
The House of Zod.
The House of Ze.
Men, women, and loyal retainers stood together in ordered ranks. Their armor had been removed. Their hands were restrained by glowing suppression cuffs designed to weaken Kryptonian physiology.
Above them, seated high upon the elevated council platform, the elders of Krypton watched.
The Head Councilor slowly stood.
His long robes drifted in the artificial wind of the chamber's open ceiling.
For a moment, he said nothing.
He simply stared down at the gathered families.
His voice finally echoed across the hall.
"The Council has reached its decision."
A deep silence spread through the enormous plaza.
Even the soldiers shifted nervously.
The Head Councilor lifted his staff and pointed it downward.
"You stand guilty of treason, rebellion, and the unlawful evacuation of Kryptonian citizens without council authorization."
His voice grew colder.
"For these crimes…"
He paused deliberately.
"…the Council has decided to banish you all for eternity."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"To the Phantom Zone."
Murmurs spread across the watching soldiers.
The Head Councilor allowed the silence to linger.
He expected something.
Anger.
Begging.
Fear.
Despair.
But none of it came.
The three houses remained perfectly calm.
General Dru-Zod stood with his arms crossed, his face completely emotionless.
Beside him, Jor-El looked almost… thoughtful.
Zor-El, Alura, and Lara stood quietly among their families.
Not a single one of them protested.
Not one of them begged for mercy.
Not one face showed despair.
The Head Councilor frowned.
Something felt wrong.
He glanced toward the other council members.
Several of them had noticed it as well.
"Why are they so calm?" one whispered.
"This is the Phantom Zone," another muttered quietly.
"A prison outside reality itself."
"No one has ever escaped it."
The Head Councilor narrowed his eyes.
He studied their faces carefully.
But the longer he looked…
The more uneasy he felt.
Still, he dismissed the thought.
It did not matter.
Even if they had some foolish hope…
The Phantom Zone was eternal.
And with Krypton nearing its end, no one would ever release them.
He raised his staff.
"Begin the banishment."
At once, massive crystalline projectors surrounding the plaza activated.
Blinding energy filled the air as the Phantom Zone Portal began to open.
Reality itself bent and twisted above the plaza.
A dark tear appeared in the air, expanding slowly into a swirling dimensional vortex.
Wind howled violently across the plaza as gravity itself began to distort.
The soldiers stepped back nervously.
One by one…
The people of the three houses were pulled toward the portal.
Energy shackles locked their bodies in place as the dimensional force dragged them upward.
Zod glanced briefly at Jor-El.
"Looks like the plan continues."
Jor-El gave a small nod.
"Yes."
Nearby, Zor-El quietly took Alura's hand.
"Soon."
She nodded.
"Yes… soon."
Above them, the Head Councilor watched coldly.
"Let them disappear."
But then—
Something strange happened.
A massive shadow suddenly covered the sky above the council chamber.
The entire plaza darkened.
The soldiers looked upward in confusion.
"What is that?"
The Head Councilor turned slowly toward the sky.
And his eyes widened in disbelief.
Above Krypton…
A colossal skull-shaped planet had appeared.
Its surface was dark and metallic, covered in alien machinery and glowing crimson lights.
Gigantic mechanical tendrils descended from it toward the surface of Krypton.
At the center of those tendrils…
Something enormous was rising.
The capital city.
Kandor.
The entire city was being lifted from Krypton's surface.
"Impossible…" one councilor whispered.
The ground trembled violently.
Buildings across the planet began collapsing.
But the nightmare was not over.
Far away on Krypton's surface…
The ground suddenly exploded.
Molten rock and shattered crust erupted into the sky.
From the burning crater emerged something monstrous.
A massive gray creature.
Spikes covered its body.
Its eyes glowed with pure destruction.
The creature roared so loudly that the entire planet trembled.
A name whispered among ancient Kryptonian myths.
Doomsday.
The creature immediately began rampaging across the surface.
Mountains shattered beneath its fists.
Cities collapsed as it tore across the land like a living apocalypse.
Inside the banishment field, Dru-Zod watched the destruction.
"What the—"
But before he could finish his sentence…
The Phantom Zone vortex pulled him upward.
He vanished into the dimensional tear.
Jor-El, Alura, and Lara disappeared moments later.
Then Zor-El, staring at the distant chaos unfolding across Krypton.
His eyes widened as realization struck him.
"Now I understand…"
He spoke quietly.
"This was never natural."
He looked toward the planet's cracking surface.
"The core's rapid destabilization…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"…there was a monster inside the planet."
Then the Phantom Zone pulled him away as well.
One by one…
Every member of the three houses vanished into the dimensional prison.
The portal closed.
Silence returned to the plaza.
Only the Council remained.
For the first time in centuries…
They were alone.
And outside the council hall…
Krypton was dying.
The planet cracked apart piece by piece.
Massive earthquakes tore entire continents open.
Tectonic plates rose and collapsed violently.
Gigantic tsunamis devoured coastal cities.
Volcanoes erupted across the planet simultaneously.
And far away…
Doomsday continued tearing the world apart.
The councilors watched the apocalypse unfold.
No armies remained.
No scientists remained.
No leaders remained.
Only them.
And the consequences of their decisions.
The Head Councilor stared at the collapsing horizon.
For the first time…
Regret flickered across his eyes.
But it was too late.
Far too late.
Moments later—
The planet Krypton exploded.