Thump!
The Beetle spacecraft docked with the Kryptonian mothership suspended high beyond Earth's atmosphere. A heavy vibration rippled through the vessel as the connection locked into place.
Moments later, the hatch slid open.
Fiora stepped forward first, followed by several armored Kryptonian soldiers. Between them walked Adrian, guided toward the wide central chamber of the massive ship.
The interior was vast and metallic, illuminated by cold Kryptonian light panels. Several warriors already waited inside. Their armor reflected the glow of the ship's systems as they stood in formation.
Adrian quietly observed everything around him while following Fiora into the center of the chamber.
Standing ahead of them was a tall man surrounded by a dozen armored Kryptonians. His posture was rigid, his gaze sharp and commanding. The atmosphere around him carried the unmistakable authority of a seasoned commander.
"We have been waiting for you for a long time, the distant Son of Krypton's Legacy."
His voice echoed slightly in the chamber as he addressed Adrian.
"We have heard your name ever since we departed from the old sentinel station."
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"So you are Zod?"
His voice carried little respect.
Behind Adrian, Fiora removed her helmet. Her sharp features and intense eyes became visible as she stepped forward.
"It is General Zod," she corrected firmly. "General Zod is our commander."
Zod raised a hand calmly.
"It is alright, Fiora."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at Adrian.
"We can forgive our Son of Krypton's Legacy for his lack of etiquette. These customs are new to him. We came seeking cooperation, not conflict."
Although his tone was calm, Adrian could feel something dangerous beneath it.
The warning came from deep inside him.
The Doomsday genetic template within his body reacted instinctively to powerful threats.
"I am not a Kryptonian."
Adrian spoke directly while locking eyes with the general.
Zod shook his head slowly.
"No. You are."
He studied Adrian carefully.
"I can feel it. Your physiology, your power, it all originates from Krypton. When Krypton was destroyed, some citizens escaped before the planet's final collapse. As far as I know, Kal-El was not the first, and he will not be the last."
He gestured toward Adrian.
"You are one of those survivors."
"Krypton is your home. This world, Earth, filled with chaos and primitive civilization, is not."
Adrian shook his head.
"You do not get to decide where my home is."
The moment he finished speaking, a sudden wave of dizziness struck him.
His vision blurred.
A crushing sense of weakness spread through his entire body.
Bang!
Adrian dropped to one knee as he struggled to breathe.
Zod observed him with interest.
"It appears you cannot immediately adapt to Krypton's atmospheric conditions."
His tone carried faint amusement.
"You spent your entire life adapting to Earth's environment. Now you struggle to survive in the atmosphere of your true home. The irony is difficult to ignore."
Adrian ignored him, breathing heavily.
Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the Doomsday genetics within his body were already responding.
His cells were adapting.
The weakness slowly began to fade as his body adjusted to the Kryptonian environment.
Zod walked slowly across the chamber.
"Should I call you Adrian Kent, the name given to you by humans, or should I address you by your Kryptonian identity?"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned toward the transparent observation wall overlooking space.
"I once commanded Krypton's military forces."
His voice became quieter.
"I tried everything possible to prevent our world's destruction. Every strategy, every resource."
His expression hardened.
"And yet, my soldiers and I were imprisoned inside the Phantom Zone while our planet died."
"We could only watch Krypton collapse, powerless to intervene."
"We were free afterward, but only to drift among the ruins of our civilization until we eventually faced extinction ourselves."
Adrian coughed and steadied his breathing.
"How did you find Earth?"
Zod responded without turning around.
"Two of my soldiers escaped the Phantom Zone before the rest of us. They modified their ship's projection systems into a propulsion engine and eventually reached this planet."
"Earth became our anchor point."
"From there, we created deeper anchors across abandoned Kryptonian outposts, resupplying as we traveled across the stars until we finally arrived here."
When Zod mentioned the two soldiers, Adrian's eyes briefly shifted toward Simone standing among the Kryptonians.
He had ensured she never reported everything that happened on Earth.
For now, Zod did not know that one of his soldiers had already died.
Zod turned back toward Adrian.
"Kal, you now have the opportunity to help us restore the remnants of our people."
His tone became serious.
"Everything I have done was for Krypton's survival. I swore an oath that I would use any method necessary to ensure our race lives again."
He stepped closer.
"You can help us."
"We share the same destiny."
Adrian stared at him coldly.
"By destroying Earth?"
Zod's expression did not change.
"If a civilization wishes to be reborn, it must first remove what stands in its way."
"Sacrifice is inevitable."
He studied Adrian carefully.
"I know you are Kal-El's brother, but you are not the same as him."
Adrian's expression shifted slightly when Clark was mentioned.
"You know Clark?"
"Of course."
Zod continued calmly.
"You are Adrian Kent. He is your brother by human adoption, but that connection is meaningless."
"Kryptonian citizens are genetically recorded before birth in the Codex, our civilization's genetic archive."
"Kal-El's father stole the Codex and placed it inside the ship that carried Kal to Earth."
Zod's voice hardened.
"For the sake of his own son, Jor-El abandoned the entire Kryptonian population."
"He betrayed his responsibility to our people."
Adrian spoke again.
"So you killed him."
Zod nodded once.
"I had no choice."
"Since that day, I have carried the burden of that decision. But I do not regret it."
"If the same moment came again, I would make the same choice."
His gaze sharpened.
"I will allow no one to stand in the way of Krypton's rebirth."
He stepped closer.
"Now answer me."
"Will you stand beside Kal-El and these humans, or will you fight for the survival of your own race?"
The ultimatum hung in the air.
Adrian slowly stood up.
The last traces of weakness faded from his body.
"You made one mistake."
Zod frowned slightly.
"And what mistake is that?"
Adrian's eyes turned cold.
"My people are not here."
His fist moved before the words fully settled.
Boom!
The air exploded as Adrian's punch struck Zod's armor with immense force.
The impact launched the general across the chamber.
Clang!
Zod slammed into the metal wall of the ship, the impact ringing through the hull.
The Kryptonian soldiers stared in shock.
Although Adrian could only use a portion of his strength under the ship's gravity and atmosphere, the blow still carried enormous power.
Zod rose slowly, pain flashing across his face.
The other Kryptonians reacted instantly.
They charged.
Fiora moved first.
Already exposed to Earth's yellow sun during their time on the planet, her Kryptonian physiology had begun to awaken. Her punch cut through the air with explosive speed.
Adrian raised his arm and blocked it.
Fiora immediately shifted tactics.
She pulled back her fist, launched another strike, and simultaneously twisted her body to deliver a powerful kick.
Her entire body moved like a trained weapon.
Adrian stepped back and avoided the combination attack.
Then he countered.
Boom!
His fist slammed into Fiora's cheek.
She crashed across the floor but pushed herself back up instantly despite the pain.
Fiora charged again.
Adrian caught her by the throat mid-attack.
Bang!
He slammed her hard into the floor of the ship.
The metal deck trembled slightly from the impact.
Fiora groaned as pain surged through her body.
Adrian looked down at her without emotion.
"You are too weak."
He kicked her aside.
The remaining Kryptonian soldiers rushed forward.
Adrian moved faster.
He dashed forward and punched the nearest soldier in the chest.
Boom!
The warrior was launched backward like a projectile, crashing into several others and sending them tumbling across the floor.
Blood spilled from the soldier's mouth.
Zod rose again, fury flashing in his eyes.
He leaped toward Adrian and attempted to grab his arm to throw him down.
Despite being Krypton's greatest military commander, Zod had not yet fully adapted to Earth's yellow sun. His power was still developing.
Adrian was also restricted by the Kryptonian atmosphere inside the ship, but his Doomsday-enhanced body adapted quickly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of fists colliding echoed across the chamber.
Adrian twisted his arm free from Zod's grip.
He blocked several strikes and delivered a brutal counterpunch.
Boom!
His fist struck Zod's shoulder and sent the general crashing backward once again.