章節 4: Chapter 4 Let's Dance

The side of the building was smashed into, causing a very loud bang!

Dust and debris exploded everywhere, falling both inward and outward as large rocks broke apart from the building falling towards the sidewalk.

The unsuspecting people, too stunned to react fast enough, turned into unfortunate victims who 'oh so bravely' cushioned the rock's impact.

Splats of blood flowed all over the sidewalk alongside a very squishy sound, although nobody really heard it as the whole block quickly fell into pandemonium.

Screams of horror rang across the place like a siren's call, while cars crashed into each other in an attempt to escape in a hurry. People bumped into each other, some got pushed down, while others who couldn't regain their footing were trampled upon like in the endless panic.

The chaotic Metropolis just got a lot more chaotic in a matter of seconds. He didn't notice at all.... Or at least he did, but he couldn't care less.

His mind too focused on the actual situation at hand to pay attention to fleeing humans who needed possible saving.

Although he looked human, he certainly wasn't. Or maybe he was in his current form, but he didn't consider himself as one.

A loud bang occurred in the building, followed by another. A figure was smashed out at a speed faster than what the human eye could register, skittering down the asphalt floor dozens of meters before crashing into another building on the opposite end.

Deep pits and craters were left every time his pale white body slammed into the floor, until he left another hole in the wall of a building.

All anyone else could see was a momentary blur in their line of vision before a loud crash sounded on the other side of the street.

He who stood on top of a building, however, was completely unique.

His eyes thrummed with energy and a weird sensation of power, giving him insight far superior to anything any regular human could ever hope to achieve in several lifetimes.

The scene of the pale skinned man.... well, if he could even call him a man, getting knocked outside, causing numerous pits with his body and crashing was as clear to him as a TikTok video in slow motion.

Wait! Has TikTok been developed in this reality? Well, he'll find out later.

Anyway, the point being, he could see way more than what many people could.

He couldn't help a slight smile creeping up his face and placing itself firmly on his lips.

The radiant glow in his eyes thrummed slightly as he looked away to the position of the initial crash.

Ignoring the screams of panic and cries for help, he takes in the sight before him.

A man fully clad in blue spandex, red boots, a flowing red cape and a massive 'S' symbol on his chest stood heroically in the building. With eyes glowing red, his shiny black hair and cool looking cape flowed with the wind, giving him an air of heroism, strength, and perspective charm. Where the wind comes from, we shall never know. With his arms boldly folded across his chest, a nonchalant expression on his face portraying the confidence capable of dealing with anything the universe throws at him....

Ok, Error. Stop, stop!

Is what he would say if the sight before him was anything remotely close to what was just unjustly spouted.

The Man of steel was unmistakable, but the same couldn't be said for the state he was in.

Superman rested on one knee, his chest heaving and his breathing labored. Heavy pants followed his every breath as he knelt in his shredded suit, which did little to hide the heavy bruises that discolored his skin tone.

As if that weren't enough to describe his miserable condition, what little was left of his skin that wasn't bruised and battered in general looked unhealthily pale. Almost corpse like, even as the veins on his body took on an unhealthy touch of green.

Well, on the bright side, at least this version of Superman didn't wear his underwear on the outside. Or maybe he did, but it was destroyed in his battle.

Well, he won't judge. Much.

With the scene in view, the situation didn't surprise him in the slightest. After all, he already knew what would happen and why the Almighty Superman, the alien capable of lifting airplanes, well known for his invulnerability was left in such a state.

Superman raised his slightly lowered head and looked forward. His gaze hardened as he pushed off the floor through the opening made at the side of the building, charging forward like a battering ram.

Superman flew towards his opponent with sharp eyes and a determined gaze, arriving at the opposite end of the street within a second. With one hand cocked back, he appeared in front of the hole and shot forward with a punch.

Yet, the swirling dust in front of the hole was pushed aside as a figure leaped out of it with his fist, throwing a punch.

Those blood-red eyes strangely had no pupils. His face sported a savage grin as he went head-to-head with Superman in a straightforward punch.

Such an action would be deemed suicidal by many, but he knew who this freak show dressed in a biker suit was, and the fact that he had the strength to back up his guts was no matter to joke about.

BOOM!!!

The two fists collided, causing the nearby windows to shatter and the rocks under them to crumble like it were made from hardened cookies instead of hardened rock.

An event that anyone in Metropolis would have found shocking and unbelievable actually happened in the next moment.

The man of steel who rarely had an opponent in the strength factor and always had to hold back when dealing with weaker opponents lost in a frontal confrontation as he was pushed back several meters.

A sharp pain spread through his arm, causing him to wince momentarily as he tried to stabilize his floating figure. Unfortunately, the chalk white man that stood seven feet tall wouldn't grant him the pleasure or organizing himself as he leapt at Superman again with rendered ferocity.

"Take this Frag Face!" He yelled at the top of his voice as his left arm, balled into a fist, threw in for an uppercut.

Superman raised both arms in an attempt to defend himself from the blow. He did shield his face, but his arms bore the brunt of it as the punch collided.

The mere force within that slightly larger than a human sized fist was truly terrifying as Superman was lifted off the ground and into the air, flying backwards.

"The main man ain't done yet". His voice that sounded like a chainsaw grinding against a rock sounded as he leapt into the air in pursuit after the disappearing figure.

Neither noticed the acute attention of an observer on a roof not far away.

"Almost there". He said with a slight chuckle.

His body disappeared from the rooftop, appearing on another roof many blocks away from his initial position. He had just arrived when he saw the falling silhouette of Superman's figure.

It didn't fall completely before it was tackled again by the chalk white male, who made him descend faster with a simple knee to the gut, which connected splendidly.

Superman crashed into the asphalt road, the ground cracked around him as rock pieces flew every which way from the impact. Blood trailed the side of his lips.

He didn't even have an opportunity to get his thoughts together before he was slammed deeper into the rubble, causing the craters to expand into an even larger size.

A foot rested squarely on his chest.

With great difficulty, he opened his eyes to look at the man who had put him in such a state.

Standing above him was the seven-foot - tall behemoth of a man dressed entirely in biking getup. Well, he couldn't be called a man.

Despite his human figure, his features showed clearly he was in no way human.

Chalk white skin, Blood-red eyes with no pupils, and a maniacal grin filled with savage brutality.

Yep, definitely fits the image.

Intergalactic bounty Hunter, Last of the Czarnians, Mass murdering maniac.

Many titles perfectly befitting for the one, the only, Mad biker himself, Lobo.

He looked at the Czarnian from afar, an expression of intrigue and curiosity lit up on his handsome features.

Meanwhile, Lobo spat out a tooth from his mouth then grinned hideously. His eyes filled with raging bloodlust.

"I gotta admit, of all the freaks and wannabes I ever had to hunt across galaxies for their bounty, you Mr. kryptonian certainly made me work for it. Oh, yeah! I can definitely feel it. You don't know how many broken ribs I've had over the course of our little throw around. I don't even know how many of my teeth are missing". He said with sadistic delight as he examined his prize.

His body was in no way unscathed from their battle. His biker outfit was torn, his right arm was bent the wrong way, his chest had three inch deep wounds, a bone was protruding from his knee.

Even as he stood there, he bled heavily himself, as the ground underneath him was gradually turning red with his blood.

Their battle hadn't started here, but in space. And man was it brutal. The victor had only been decided after they both landed on this blue planet. Yet, it didn't matter.

He had come out on top, although barely. He had his racial status to thank for that, and a little something he had picked up along the way just in case.

Clark couldn't feel anything but pain right now. It literally hurt everywhere.

The pain assaulted his nerves, making him unable to lift a finger. Never before had he faced such pain in his life. It was tiring, really. The enemy before him was something he hadn't dealt with before.

An opponent with strength and speed sufficient to tussle it out with him for hours on end and still have the stamina to go several more rounds. Not to mention his healing factor.

It was what made the whole thing even more frustrating. The guy was practically a mutated cockroach dumped in radiation.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be that bad. At least both of them could be considered evenly matched, with him having a significant advantage in strength and speed over the other party. In which, what kept the latter alive was his ability to come back from injuries as if it never happened.

But sadly, that all changed when...

"This ain't feel right on so many levels". Lobo said as he raised his arm to show special knuckles made specifically from Superman's worst nightmare.

Kryptonite.

As he said so, he brought the glowing rocks closing to Clark's face, causing his already weak breath to weaken even more.

"Who would have thought that a couple of rocks would make a thing like you so powerless. Haha! I almost feel kind of bad. Nevertheless, the main man always collects his bounty. It ain't ever changed before, and it certainly won't start with you. After all, the reputation has to be upheld if I want good business". As he said so, he reached for his belt buckle, on which rested an alien blaster.

The exception, however, was that this blaster glowed green.

Lobo grinned as he took in the sight of everything around him. The horror, the chaos, the destruction that had unfolded on this city. It brought him a twisted sense of delight deep within his soul.

He could sense it. As an alien of the Czarnian race, his senses were far above what normal humans could achieve.

Precisely for this reason, he could sense it all the more clearly. The stares, he could feel them.

Dozens, no probably hundreds of these little earthlings were watching him right now.

He could feel their fear, their horror, and their worry. Worry specifically directed towards the one he currently has his foot on.

"Hehehe! Since they care about him so much, what will their faces look like when he dies now". He thought cruelly as he raised the blaster.

"Goodbye little kryptonian. See you in hell. Haha hahaha..... huh?" His maniacal laughter was brought to a halt as confusion set upon his features.

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

The sounds of clapping caught his attention, originating from the same oddity that had caused him to stop laughing.

He turned his head around to see what he could only describe as a human fledgling, walking towards them on the road. His clothes were.... no description required for him, and his hands were strangely clapping.

He looked at himself and a slight smile could be seen on his lips as he continued to walk forward.

"Well done Lobo. Couldn't have expected more from the mad biker and his theatrics". He was genuinely happy at that moment.

What a perfect stage, what an enthralled audience. A defeated, almost dying Superman and a menacing Lobo on the scene. Hundreds of Metropolitans, some practically filming this very scene right now, it was a near perfect set.

Of course, nearly perfect because it was just Superman and not the whole Justice league. That would be the icing on the cake.

Of course, that was expecting too much from Lobo.

If not, he could have perfectly used that Lex Luthor punchline from 'The Death and Return Of Superman'.

"You think taking down the Justice league would scare us? That happens once a week".

Still, it didn't have to be perfect, as things were good enough as it is.

"Showtime people". He said inwardly as he stopped clapping, put his arm into his pocket and took out two red and blue pills.

"Who the fuck are you whelp?" Lobo asked as he examined him, literally wondering if this little human before him had gone nuts or something.

Yet before he could say anything else, he saw a bluish Aurora glow light up in the boy's hands.

The bluish energy quickly seeped into the two pills he held in his hand before disappearing. The pills gave off a resplendent light before, looking no different from before.

If this were a cartoon, Lobo would probably have a huge question mark on his forehead right now. But the male figure took the two pills infused with who knows what and casually threw both pills' into his mouth and swallowed in one gulp.

"Umhhh". He gave out a slightly satisfied moan from his lips as he closed his eyes, seemingly relishing the taste.

"..... Son.... run.... run away from here". The weak voice of Superman sounded out from underneath Lobo's leg as he tried to convey his words.

Lobo turned to look at the male before him, his face releasing a ferocious look.

"I don't care if you're one of his, but you better listen. No one gets in between... Oh, what the hell! I'll just kill you". He smiled in cruel delight as he aimed the energy gun towards the male and pulled the trigger.

A green bean of kryptonite energy blasted towards him with full intent of taking his life. Yet at that moment, the fledgling in front of Lobo suddenly opened his eyes.

Bam! The beam connected. Or did it? Lobo who was already smiling, had his eyes widen as the beam did nothing but pass through his body and continued to move forward before causing an explosion upon collision.

"Nice!" He said with his lips upturned to form a playful smile.

"Now my turn". Power burst through his clothes as, red crimson energy erupted from all parts of his body in all directions.

However, his figure disappeared the next moment before reappearing in front of Lobo. A fist cocked backwards and punched forwards with remarkable speed, leaving Lobo too stunned at the turn of events to react.

The punch landed on his chest with a cataclysmic force, flinging lobo away like a rag doll and breaking through one, two, three, four walls and straight out of the building to crash yet again into another wall and repeat the process.

"Alright Lobo, Let's dance".