Bab 161: Shattered Alliances
Among all the powers of the six gods, Shazam's most formidable strength came from Zeus's thunder.
As long as Billy shouted that name…
As long as he invoked the name of the great wizard!
The thunder of Zeus would strike down from the heavens.
This divine magic, a force no matter how powerful Clark became, was something he could not withstand — the mightiest strike in the world!
Billy clung tightly to the hero he once idolized, his voice roaring from his chest—
"SHAZAM!!!!"
Boom—!
Zeus' thunderbolt tore through the clouds, illuminating the darkened sky.
The lightning crashed down upon them with the force of an apocalyptic explosion, sending shockwaves through the air, and a blinding white light pierced the heavens!
For the first time, Zeus' divine lightning inflicted real harm on Superman.
Struck by the bolt, Clark let out a pained grunt, his body plummeting toward the ground like a broken kite.
In that blinding flash, Billy, who had transformed into Shazam, reverted to his 16-year-old form.
Not far off, Soren, who had already exhausted his strength, could no longer maintain flight amidst the raging blizzard.
He spiraled downward, crashing toward the earth.
The wing he had ripped off was the largest of his right-side wings, and though his left wing had just begun to heal, the sudden loss of a primary wing now made it impossible for him to stay airborne.
He hit the ground hard, his body too weakened to maintain his Angemon form, and he reverted back to his human form, a figure so fragile that he seemed as if the fierce storm might sweep him away at any moment.
Moments later, he was scooped up by strong arms.
Gotham's Dark Knight wrapped him in his cape, shielding Soren's body from the biting cold.
Kevlar-clad hands pressed against his wounds.
"I've already transmitted the pill's decrypted data to the underground Alaskan database," Batman said.
Soren struggled to rise, his eyes desperately searching the sky where Clark and Billy had fallen.
Suddenly, he let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Clark, no—!!"
At almost the exact same moment, Batman fired a kryptonite bullet toward that direction.
But—
Neither of them could stop Clark from rising from the ground.
He grabbed Billy by the collar, and before Billy could shout "Shazam" for the second time, Clark sealed his mouth shut with his freezing breath.
Thick layers of solid ice formed over Billy's face, completely covering his mouth, preventing him from uttering another transforming "Shazam."
Billy's eyes widened in disbelief, his pupils dilating in shock, "Mmm! Mmm—!"
In the next second, two beams of scarlet heat vision pierced through his skull.
Simultaneously, the kryptonite bullet deeply embedded itself into Clark's back.
Although small amounts of kryptonite could no longer deal the devastating damage they once did, the kryptonite bullet, fired at high velocity through the barrel of Batman's gun, still had enough power to penetrate the defenses of Clark's steel-like body and lodge deep inside him.
Clark looked down.
The kryptonite bullet had passed through his chest and lodged itself just under his right lung.
A mere few centimeters to the left, and it would have pierced his Kryptonian heart.
Blood seeped from the wound on his back, quickly staining a large portion of his white cape crimson.
Was Batman's aim precise?
Yes, it was.
Even though Batman rarely used firearms.
Years ago, he had managed to hit two fast-moving Kryptonians with a grenade launcher, and now, despite the howling winds and blizzard, he was able to shoot Clark exactly where he intended.
Look at this Batman, who holds onto the past, this cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside Batman—he still held back.
If he had been ruthless, he could have angled the barrel just a few centimeters further to the left, and in Clark's moment of greatest weakness, ended his life.
But Batman didn't.
Clark let go of Billy's lifeless body.
Then, in an instant, he appeared before Batman.
"Bruce," he said, gripping Batman's throat and lifting the Dark Knight into the air, "Why couldn't you always remain my most trusted friend?"
"I'm sorry, but you're far too dangerous, Bruce. I can't let you still have the strength to be one of my enemies."
Amidst Soren's desperate scream, Clark raised Batman and broke his spine over his knee.
Crack.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" Batman finally let out a cry of agony.
The sound of breaking bones made Soren's eyes widen in horror, but he was too weak to evolve.
He could only grasp at Clark's ankle with his hands, trying desperately to stop him.
His fingernails peeled back from the force, but it was futile.
He couldn't move the merciless god even an inch.
"I've treated you differently from Gotham's criminals. Consider this my mercy to you, Bruce."
Clark threw Batman heavily onto the ground.
Batman's body crashed into the snow, sending a cloud of white mist swirling into the air.
"Bruce!!!"
Soren's voice was hoarse as he stretched out his hand with all his might, crawling inch by inch toward Batman, wanting to check his injuries.
But before he could reach him, Clark grabbed his wrist.
"And where do you think you're going, Soren?"
Clark gripped Soren's wrists with his left hand, pulling his arms above his head and lifting him off the ground.
His voice was low as he asked the question.
Soren gasped like someone struggling for air, the metallic taste of blood thick on his tongue from the strain on his vocal cords.
His fingertips were covered in blood.
He looked at Clark, unable to speak a word, his eyes brimming with hot tears.
Yet he bit down hard, refusing to let them fall in front of Clark.
Clark looked down at him with complicated eyes.
Slowly, he raised his right hand and touched his chest.
Soren's eyes widened in absolute horror, his voice raspy as he begged, "No, don't, Clark... please... don't..."
He struggled desperately, but could barely lift his legs, powerless to stop Clark.
He was powerless to prevent what Clark was about to do.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone