The Kree flagship ruptured in a storm of fire.
Fragments of armored plating spun outward as secondary detonations rippled through the remaining hull. The explosion bloomed orange-red against the void, then faded into drifting debris.
Rhael hovered in the silence that followed.
The surviving Kree vessels broke formation instantly.
They ran.
He watched them scatter, engines flaring in desperate retreat.
"Trying to disengage?" he muttered.
His eyes cooled to a focused blue.
A narrow beam of cryogenic light lanced across the darkness, striking the nearest fleeing cruiser. The ship froze along its trajectory—reactor core crystallizing mid-burn—before shattering in a delayed explosion.
Another beam followed.
Then another.
One by one, the remaining ships vanished in flashes of fire and frozen debris.
Within minutes, the sector was empty.
No hostiles.
No survivors.
Only wreckage drifting through open space.
Rhael remained suspended in the void.
He flexed his fingers experimentally.
Flight felt… natural.
He glanced down at the remains of his Kryptonian combat suit. It had been torn apart during his high-velocity impacts. Reinforced fabric and plating hung in useless fragments.
Yet he floated effortlessly.
Autonomous flight had engaged fully.
Not suit-assisted.
Not technology-dependent.
His body itself now manipulated gravitational vectors.
"Good timing," he murmured.
If flight hadn't manifested when it did, losing the suit mid-combat could have been inconvenient.
He rolled through space once—testing acceleration curves—then slowed deliberately.
Radiation washed over him in faint cosmic waves. Solar energy conversion responded automatically, drawing in background radiation and storing it within his cellular matrix.
Each battle made the mechanism more efficient.
He turned toward the distant silhouette of the Aquarius.
Inside the bridge, the crew stood frozen in silence.
Todd broke it first.
"The Kree fleet… is gone."
Lilith didn't answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on the tactical display.
"Confirmed," she said at last. "Zero hostile signatures."
One man.
Twelve warships.
Erased.
Lucini exhaled softly. "I suppose we underestimated him."
No one disagreed.
Moments later, Rhael reentered through the docking chamber, expression calm, as if returning from routine maintenance.
He brushed a fragment of torn armor from his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked evenly. "We had another fleet requesting my attention."
The reminder shifted the atmosphere instantly.
General Zod.
The surviving crew straightened.
Lilith activated the communications relay.
A holographic figure materialized at the center of the bridge.
Black short-cropped hair. Severe expression. Kryptonian military armor draped beneath a dark mantle.
General Zod.
Even as a projection, he radiated command.
"You've kept me waiting," Zod said, voice cold and precise. "Few earn that distinction."
"Then I'm honored," Rhael replied.
Zod's gaze sharpened.
"For fifteen years, we have searched for surviving Kryptonians," he continued. "None answered. Until now."
His eyes scanned the bridge, then settled on Rhael.
"You will bring your vessel to the Tianling Sector immediately and rejoin the fleet under my command."
It wasn't a request.
Rhael tilted his head slightly.
"You're assuming I accept your authority."
A faint smile touched Zod's mouth—without warmth.
"While you delayed, I triangulated your coordinates," he said. "I know precisely where you are. I can arrive at your location at my discretion."
A subtle shift moved through the bridge crew.
Zod wasn't bluffing.
He commanded a military vessel—likely the Black Zero-class carrier, equipped with atmospheric conversion technology and heavy assault capability.
He had the firepower to enforce compliance.
Rhael didn't look concerned.
"During the time you triangulated me," he said calmly, "I eliminated a Kree strike fleet."
There was a flicker in Zod's eyes.
Not disbelief.
Calculation.
"Kree?" Zod asked.
"Twelve ships," Rhael said. "They no longer exist."
Silence followed.
Zod studied him in full.
"Impressive," the general admitted at last. "If true."
"It is."
Another pause.
Then Zod's expression hardened again.
"Whether you destroyed them or not is secondary," he said. "Krypton requires unity. It requires command. I am that command."
"And if I decline?" Rhael asked.
Zod's tone dropped.
"Then I will consider you an obstacle to Krypton's restoration."
The threat was direct.
Clear.
Rhael stepped forward slightly, eyes steady.
"Then come see for yourself whether I am an obstacle," he said.
For a heartbeat, neither man spoke.
Two Kryptonians.
Two potential futures.
Finally, Zod inclined his head almost imperceptibly.
"Very well," he said. "Proceed to Tianling Sector. We will settle this properly."
The hologram dissolved.
The bridge felt smaller afterward.
Todd exhaled slowly. "That could have gone worse."
Lilith turned to Rhael. "He will not tolerate perceived insubordination."
"Neither will I," Rhael replied.
He looked toward the viewport.
Somewhere ahead, Zod's fleet waited.
Rhael had just demonstrated what he could do to the Kree.
Soon, he would demonstrate it to Krypton's last general.