General Zod never regretted anything he had done, nor did he believe any of his actions were wrong.
So when Clark Kent looked at him with condemning eyes and tone, Zod couldn't understand it—he was even enraged.
Ignorant Earthlings might not grasp his intentions, but Clark Kent was of his blood. How could he not?
Zod glared at him, his voice harsh and venomous. "For the survival of my people, even if I committed every crime in the world, I would never regret it. I don't believe I've done anything wrong.
It's only a matter of standing on different sides and making different choices."
To Lorien, Zod's words carried truth.
Everyone saw themselves as the center. Whichever side they stood on, that side became "right."
So he stayed silent. To him, there was no need to speak—many things simply had no absolute right or wrong.
But Clark, already furious, only grew angrier at Zod's reasoning. He couldn't bear to hear it and charged at him.
The two were soon locked in combat.
Faora had been about to move in to assist Zod, but when she glanced at Lorien, her expression shifted. Her steps faltered, hesitation creeping in.
At last, she stopped, fixing Lorien with a serious gaze. "Lorien, are you truly unwilling to hand over the Codex? It belongs to Krypton."
Her voice was uneasy at first, but the more she spoke, the more resolute her eyes became.
Lorien…
He found it amusing, and actually laughed aloud.
"Why would I hand it over? I'm human. Do you really think I'd just watch as Earth and humanity were destroyed by you?"
Though his voice was calm, almost airy, there was a weight beneath his words that sent a chill down her spine.
It silenced Faora completely. Whatever she had meant to say, she swallowed it back.
But Lorien wouldn't let her off with silence.
His tone was calm, yet every word pressed her harder. "So, with the Codex in my possession, what do you plan to do?"
Her face betrayed hesitation.
But no matter her doubt, her people would always come first.
She didn't wrestle with it long.
Lorien had already foreseen her choice, and he wasn't surprised.
When Faora finally charged at him, all he did was raise an eyebrow slightly.
The people of this world were clearly far stronger than those of the Marvel universe.
Lorien could feel it distinctly—though he used the same abilities, the same speed and spatial movement, they seemed faster.
Their strikes came from sharper angles, their techniques more precise...
He had braced himself for this already. And he had never feared anyone.
He was only briefly surprised at the start. Soon his face was calm again.
This was Faora's first time fighting Lorien.
She had always known he wasn't ordinary, that he was strong. But now, for the first time, she realized just how terrifyingly powerful he was.
Her attacks were shaky at first, but she grew smoother with time.
Still, he always struck her weak points with pinpoint accuracy.
That alone was frightening.
When Lorien struck her down with ease, sending her crashing to the ground, she felt as if her organs had shifted out of place. Something surged up her throat.
The pain was unbearable.
She tried to push herself up, one hand braced on the ground, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn't stand.
Meanwhile...
Clark was utterly overpowered by Zod.
With no real battles behind him, no training, the Clark Kent who should have been formidable was weak. On his own, defeating Zod was impossible.
He needed more time.
Lorien saw it at a glance.
Small changes had already caused the story to stray far from its course.
But defeating Zod wasn't difficult.
Even if Lorien didn't act, Gotham's people certainly would.
Still, since he was here, there was no need to trouble them—or waste time.
When Zod finished thrashing Clark, his gaze turned toward Lorien again.
In the original tale, Clark had destroyed Zod's ship himself.
Now, it would fall to him.
Lorien's faint smile never wavered.
Before Zod even registered what was happening, explosions erupted across the ship.
Flames and sparks burst everywhere.
The vessel rocked violently.
Zod's people scattered in panic.
But in the chain of blasts, there was no way out. In the endless void of space, even if they fled, where could they run?
Even if Zod could save a few, he could never save them all.
It unfolded almost exactly as it had in the original story.
Lorien watched, his expression calm.
"Why has it come to this?"
Zod no longer cared about the Codex. His people were all that mattered.
Stumbling, he rushed away.
Meanwhile, Clark sat dazed in shock. Lorien gripped his shoulder, and in the next instant, they were back in Gotham—inside Lorien's home.
Clark sat on the sofa, still staring blankly.
Lorien only gave him a passing glance before turning away, resuming his own tasks.
After a long silence, Clark finally broke it, his voice low. "Why did you destroy that ship?"