Chapter 162: [161] : Been Waiting
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A dense swarm of sea beasts, like predators catching the scent of blood, charged toward the two figures in the depths.
Mera gripped her trident and swung it forward fiercely. A water column, piercing through the beastly horde like a cannon blast, tore straight through them.
Mera's inherent ability to control water was already formidable, and with the artifact trident amplifying her power, she cleared a direct path with a single strike.
Seeing the opening, Roger wasted no time. He grabbed Mera by the arm and swiftly navigated the newly created passage. The water, almost alive under Mera's control, coiled around them, deflecting the attacking beasts of the Trench.
"How much farther?" Roger asked as they sped through the chaos.
Mera glanced around and said, "We're here!"
"What? Here?!" Roger looked around, his expression incredulous as his gaze fell on the seemingly endless swarm of Trench creatures.
If the Kryptonite was indeed in this vicinity, that meant they'd have to fend off the relentless beasts while searching for an item whose exact location was still unknown.
Roger hoped Mera had made a mistake, but underwater, it was unlikely Mera would err. She gestured seriously toward a wrecked human probe below, explaining, "See that? It's a probe left from Bruce's last expedition. I remember it clearly."
Spotting the remnants of the probe, Roger realized Mera was right.
Even if she were wrong, Bruce Wayne—Batman—was rarely mistaken.
With a sigh, Roger exhaled a bubble of air that rose and dissipated through the biotic field surrounding him. "Well, looks like we've got our work cut out for us."
The location was confirmed, but searching for the Kryptonite amid a sea teeming with hostile creatures meant one of them needed to fend off the "uninvited guests."
Logically, this should have been Roger's job, given he had volunteered to accompany Mera in the search for the Kryptonite. However, when it came time to assign roles, Roger realized that holding back the beasts was actually better suited for Mera.
Because, aside from his freezing breath, Roger lacked large-scale offensive capabilities.
And freezing the entire area solid, while effective, would slow down their search for the Kryptonite.
"Mera, how long can you hold them off?" Roger asked.
Gripping her trident tightly and eyeing the beasts blocked by her controlled water barrier, Mera replied, "Not long. Maybe… a minute."
"And if I help clear some of them?"
"…Clear them? How?" Mera asked.
"Like this!" Roger said, clenching his right fist.
Channeling immense power, he unleashed a punch with all his might and speed.
The underwater currents surged violently in response. A colossal wave, powerful enough to uproot the seabed itself, roared forward, obliterating everything in its path.
The wave, compressed and hardened like steel, swept through the horde, smashing the Trench beasts to pulp. With one punch, Roger had cleared half of the attacking swarm.
"!!"
Mera's eyes widened in shock. The aftershock of Roger's punch almost sent her flying. Had she not steadied herself using the trident, she might have been swept away by the rippling underwater currents.
But the most astonishing part was the sheer magnitude of Roger's power.
A punch that shattered waves and triggered a tsunami underwater—was this even something a human could do?
If Roger hadn't repeatedly stressed that he was human and not a Kryptonian—and was actively seeking Kryptonite—Mera might have assumed he was a Kryptonian from a parallel world.
"What about now? How long can you hold them off?" Roger asked, not even pausing to admire the destruction he'd caused.
Snapping out of her amazement, Mera steadied her trident and said, "With this number, I can manage three minutes."
"Good. Three minutes is enough."
Three minutes would suffice for Roger to scour the area at super speed using his enhanced vision to locate the Kryptonite.
With their roles decided, the two moved into action. Mera expanded her water manipulation, transforming the surrounding waters into her weapon. Streams of water morphed into countless blades, piercing the sea beasts while simultaneously blocking their advance.
Mera's abilities, bolstered by the trident, could have eradicated the entire swarm if used recklessly. However, her powers weren't without limits. Sustaining this level of control was already pushing her to the brink. Without Roger as backup, she wouldn't have dared to unleash her powers so boldly.
As time ticked away, Roger pushed his enhanced vision to its limits, using both his x-ray and telescopic vision to search tirelessly.
For the first time, Roger found himself working so hard to fully utilize his sight.
Yet the results were disappointing. No trace of Kryptonite was visible in the area.
"How much longer?!" Mera shouted, her strength waning as three minutes neared their end. Though she'd underestimated herself and held out longer than expected, exhaustion was setting in. In less than a minute, she would be completely drained, and the surging beasts would overwhelm them both.
Roger clenched his fists, remaining outwardly calm despite his growing anxiety.
Kryptonite should emit a green glow, making it stand out in the dim underwater environment. Yet, there was no sign of any such glow, leading Roger to doubt its presence entirely.
Perhaps Darkseid's forces had already retrieved the Kryptonite? If Superman had truly searched thoroughly, he wouldn't have left such a glaring vulnerability exposed—unless his corrupted mind had somehow overlooked this.
It was more plausible that Kryptonite had once been here but had been removed.
"Roger!!!" Mera's strained voice broke through his thoughts, signaling that she was at her limit.
"Mera, we might…" Roger began with a heavy sigh, about to admit their mission's failure.
But at that moment, Athena, his seldom-used AI, transmitted a message: "Roger, there's a special energy reading three meters underground. Could it be Kryptonite?"
"…Three meters underground?" Roger activated his x-ray vision and frowned. "I can't see anything."
"But the energy signature is distinct."
"Fine. Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Trusting Athena's reading over his own eyes, Roger unleashed his heat vision, slicing through water and soil to carve out a circular hole three meters deep.
And there it was—his elusive target.
Kryptonite.
A piece... no larger than his thumbnail.
"…That's it?!" Roger muttered, dismayed. Picking up the tiny shard and comparing it to his finger, he realized it was barely the size of his pinky nail. No wonder it had escaped his "all-seeing" gaze.
In his mind, Kryptonite was supposed to be the size of a fist, hefty enough to be a throwable weapon.
Who'd have thought it would be this small?
"Mera! Are you done yet?!" Roger's desperate shout snapped him back to reality.
"Got it! Let's get out of here!" Roger shouted back.
Carefully storing the minuscule Kryptonite in his dimensional device, he grabbed Mera and rocketed toward the surface.
Unlike their cautious descent, Roger's ascent was swift and unhesitating. In the blink of an eye, they breached the water's surface.
...
...
But as they emerged, Roger was greeted by a sight that made him wish he'd stayed underwater.
Superman, flanked by a legion of Parademons, awaited them in the skies above.
The density of the Parademons rivaled that of the Trench creatures below, clearly indicating Superman had been lying in wait.
"You're finally here," Superman said, arms crossed, his crimson eyes glowing ominously. His voice was low and heavy. "I thought it'd be Bruce. Didn't expect you."
"…Uh, good afternoon? Had lunch yet?" Roger quipped awkwardly, realizing their escape route was sealed.
Superman's expression remained stoic, showing no interest in banter. His voice was calm, yet seething with suppressed fury. "Last time, you got away. This time, I want to see where you think you can run."
Boom!
A deafening sonic boom erupted as Superman launched himself toward Roger, giving no time for further words.
Reacting instantly, Roger did two things.
First, he used the residual energy of the Space Stone to teleport Mera to safety.
Second, he tossed the tiny shard of Kryptonite into his mouth.
And then...
Superman's fist slammed into Roger, sending him hurtling across the ocean surface, carving a straight path through the waves.
Massive walls of water rose into the sky before crashing back down as a torrential downpour. The resulting tsunamis rolled outward, sparing coastal areas only because humanity was nearly extinct in this apocalyptic world.
Roger ignored it all. He had more immediate concerns.
With the Kryptonite in his mouth, Roger was being beaten to a pulp by Superman.
Holding it in his mouth was practical—it kept the shard secure while avoiding potential complications of swallowing it. Kryptonite was radioactive, and Roger didn't want to risk internal contamination.
But damn, the taste was revolting.
Suppressing the urge to spit it out, Roger silently endured Superman's relentless barrage.
Yet something felt off.
Was it just his imagination, or had Superman's punches become noticeably weaker?
Bam! Bam! BAM!
Each punch landed on Roger's face with an audible thud, the shockwaves visibly rippling. But as the seconds passed, Superman realized something was amiss.
Roger's head, initially jerking with each blow, soon stopped moving altogether. Worse, Superman felt… pain in his fists.
(Similar to the scene in [Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice], where Batman relentlessly assaults Superman until his attacks no longer have an effect.)
"...Kryptonite?"
Superman immediately understood. The weakening of his strength, the pain in his hands—it was all due to the Kryptonite. He'd assumed all nearby Kryptonite had been destroyed, but Roger had found some.
And where was it? Superman hadn't seen it.
As he pondered, Roger abruptly halted his retreat, grabbing Superman by the collar. Looking down at him, Roger spoke, his words muffled by the shard in his mouth.
"Had enough fun? My turn now!"
"Bast—!"
Superman finally spotted the shard of Kryptonite in Roger's mouth. The sight left even the seasoned hero momentarily dumbfounded.
Who the hell puts Kryptonite in their mouth like a candy? No wonder his strength had vanished so rapidly. Punching Roger's head was akin to punching the Kryptonite directly through a layer of skin.
Such close proximity rendered Superman almost powerless.
His first instinct was to retreat.
But Roger wasn't about to let him go.
"Oh no, you're staying right here!" Roger snarled, grinning maniacally.
In that moment, he looked more like a villain than Superman himself.
Roger's fist smashed into Superman's face, and with that… the counterattack began.
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