"Any enemies?"
"I didn't sense anything. If the enemy wanted to save him, then the opening of the ongoing wormhole would've been the most suitable connection point."
"...Yeah."
Bardi was deep in thought. From the start of the battle, he had been using telepathy to communicate with Raven.
He had Raven lying in ambush near Clark and maintaining a large-scale magical field. As long as anyone fell into that field, it would be like sinking into a swamp, their feet would be pulled into the mud. Even soone as fast as the Flash wouldn't be able to escape his grasp.
Before they arrived, the Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Cyborg... almost all the known mbers of the Justice League had mysteriously disappeared.
Bardi had once suspected that a future version of the Flash had traveled back in ti to rescue them, but he couldn't find any trace of him, there was no proof it had been the Flash.
He only vaguely felt that it might be soone who knew the future and was saving the mbers of the Justice League.
So, he simply used Clark as bait, hoping to lure "him" out.
Because, baited or not, the person behind the scenes would try to secretly save Superman either way.
In that case, Bardi might as well seize the initiative and control the scene himself.
As long as he could identify who "he" was, Bardi had enough knowledge to devise a way to counter him.
That's why the conversation between Bardi and Jor-El was so deliberate, it often made it seem like there was still ti left to save Clark.
But apparently... that guy didn't seem to believe it.
With Raven's current level of power, no one on Earth could match her magical prowess. Even she couldn't sense any enemy presence, which ant there truly wasn't one.
That person couldn't overpower Raven.
And if he couldn't even save Superman at this mont, then he wouldn't show up at all?
So… did "he" give up on Superman?
From another angle, it also ant "he" feared Raven—and Bardi's own strength?
Bardi pondered quietly. This was the best mont to rescue Clark, and yet no one had appeared.
He couldn't help but question himself, could he be wrong?
And once Clark fell into his hands, he would be dead on the spot. That outco was inevitable—set in stone.
So what exactly was that person waiting for? The one who wanted to save the Justice League?
In an instant, Bardi sent a telepathic ssage to Raven.
"It's been long enough. Start tearing open the wormhole."
Long before he had found Raven and harnessed her magic, Bardi had already considered various ways to prevent Jor-El from escaping. So at this mont, Jor-El's screams were aningless.
The sky darkened, thick clouds rolling across the heavens.
The ground grew dim and hazy, the ruins near the cornfields lost their shape, chaos reigned in the darkness.
The moon struggled to shine through the cloud cover.
A faint moonbeam managed to break through, landing on the baby glowing faintly on the ground.
Martha held Clark tightly. Her eyes narrowed slightly, tears stinging as the intense light pierced her vision. She squinted at the swaddled infant in her arms. The baby remained fast asleep.
The light emanating from Clark's body grew increasingly intense, illuminating the surroundings.
Even the air around Martha began to twist and distort.
The curved space warped around Clark, twisting bizarrely like watercolor paint swirling in water.
The gravitational field began to focus and was on the verge of tearing open.
Jonathan looked at Clark and his wife. He wanted to step forward, but the powerful gravitational field created imnse repulsion, preventing him from getting close—instead, he was being pushed farther and farther away.
This distorted gravitational field activated the repelling barrier of the extra-dinsional wormhole. Even Bardi couldn't approach it physically—let alone Jonathan, who was just an ordinary person.
Jor-El's mutilated body whimpered like a wounded beast. Tears mixed with blood poured from his eyes, filled with longing and hope as he stared at Clark.
Bardi stood tall, his cold gaze cast down upon it all.
Opening a wormhole that connected to parallel universes was an extrely dangerous process.
It required a force equivalent to a black hole, a precise gravitational field, accurate coordinates, quantum-level spatial and temporal connections, and a resonance frequency compatible with another universe to properly twist space and pierce through the curvature of this one.
In truth, it was an extrely risky process. For Bardi to interfere, all he had to do was distort gravity, twist its direction, or disrupt the gravitational field, any of which would cause the wormhole to collapse and prevent it from opening along its original trajectory.
"I've already set up interference nearby."
Bardi suddenly said, transmitting the ssage telepathically to alert Raven to stay vigilant.
"Once the wormhole opens, there's a 99% chance it will be disrupted and fail. The woman holding your son will be crushed in the process."
"Your son will survive because of his natural protective instincts."
"Even so, are you still going to open the wormhole?"
Bardi's eyes were dark and unfocused. His tall shadow stretched long and wide, engulfing Jor-El and Jonathan like a demon king ruthlessly ruling over the mont.
"You can still choose to shut down the wormhole now."
Bardi said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Jor-El's broken body trembled. His claws dug into the muddy ground, his fists turned white, and his body shook violently. He lowered his head until it touched the earth. Pain flickered in his eyes as he stared downward.
He said nothing—only a silent, agonizing struggle.
Even if there were only a 0.1% chance, he understood just how slim the odds were. But even so, it was worth sacrificing soone to ensure his son's survival.
Because… that was his own son!
Jonathan's mind went blank, completely frozen. He stared at his wife holding Clark within the warped space.
"Martha!! Get out of there!! Get out of there!!!"
Jonathan's face twisted in panic, eyes filled with terror as he scread!
But Martha inside could no longer see the outside. The gravity had distorted her vision into a vortex—blending the farmhouse, the cornfield, Bardi, Jonathan, and Jor-El into a swirling, elongated, twisted whirlpool.
"Krypto! Stop—stop, Martha's in there! Martha is in there!"
"You're our family! Don't do this."
"We raised your son, Krypto."
"I'm begging you, stop."
"Not like this!"
"Martha is inside!"
Jonathan broke down completely, shouting in despair, dropping to his knees and begging Jor-El.
They had taken the baby in.
They had raised Krypto.
They treated him as their own family.
So couldn't he do sothing, just this once for them?
Jor-El bowed his head, his body trembling as he closed his eyes in anguish. Blood and tears stread from the corners of his eyes.
(To be continued.)
***
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