Chapter 58 God is Absent, the God of Mortals

"Mr. Jones, are you alright?"

Clark finally arrived at the scene, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at the utter devastation, the ground looking as though it had been blasted by artillery.

A dozen minutes earlier, he and Homelander had headed toward the Luthor estate.

Upon learning that something had gone wrong at the estate, he and Homelander had separated to search for Peter.

Arriving shortly after, this was the chaotic aftermath of the fierce battle that greeted him.

Clark hurried over to help the fallen Martian Manhunter to his feet. "Mr. Jones, what happened? Where are Godfather and John?"

Clutching his chest and enduring the physical discomfort, the Martian Manhunter pointed toward the sky. "They're up there!"

Clark was struck as if by lightning, his entire being sinking into despair.

"Did God take both Godfather and John?"

"No, they are fighting Parasite in the sky. I didn't say they went to heaven."

The Martian Manhunter was somewhat speechless.

"That's good."

Clark let out a long sigh of relief, then scratched his head in distress. "It's a pity I can't fly."

Unaware of Clark's dilemma, the Martian Manhunter looked up at the sky and frowned, saying, "After absorbing my life force, Parasite is now unimaginably powerful. Even with the two of you fighting together, it won't be easy."

Clark asked him nervously, "What should we do then?"

"There is only one way: find an energy source he cannot absorb."

Extremely weak, the Martian Manhunter spoke in intermittent gasps. "Here, this... power plant is a nuclear power station. It is currently shut down, but the nuclear reactor is still undergoing reactions. Have you ever heard of Chernobyl, Clark?"

Clark nodded. "I heard about it from Godfather. It was a tragedy where many Soviet workers gave their lives."

"Yes, that was a problem caused by the reactor."

Clutching his chest, the Martian Manhunter explained to him, "The reactor produces plutonium-239 through fast neutron bombardment of uranium-238. If we have Parasite absorb this kind of nuclear energy entity, it can push his body to its absolute limit. In fact, having absorbed so much energy already, he should be nearing his threshold."

"I don't quite understand, Mr. Jones. Do you mean using the substance produced within the reactor to deal with him?"

Clark looked at the Martian Manhunter in shock. "Will that trigger a disaster like Chernobyl?"

"No, it won't."

The Martian Manhunter stared at the power plant before them. "However... someone needs to enter the nuclear reactor to retrieve the plutonium-239. Are you willing to do it, Clark?"

The Martian Manhunter knew that Kryptonians were immune to nuclear radiation, but Clark did not.

He only knew that the workers affected by the nuclear radiation at Chernobyl had met tragic ends.

With his mind in absolute turmoil, Clark was instantly plunged into a difficult choice.

"I... I don't know."

He took a step back, his eyes filled with panic and bewilderment.

"Yes, I understand, Clark. Making a choice like this requires immense courage."

The Martian Manhunter expressed his understanding.

Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the ground to recover his strength as quickly as possible, preparing to enter the power plant to retrieve the plutonium-239.

"Mr. Jones."

Engaged in a fierce internal struggle, Clark suddenly asked the Martian Manhunter, "If I die, will I become one of the 144,000 seats?"

"What?"

Looking at him with hopeful eyes, Clark asked, "Godfather once said there are 144,000 seats in heaven, but he only likes 144,000 of them. If I die, will I be one of those 144,000?"

"No, you won't die, child."

The Martian Manhunter looked at Clark in shock, having roughly guessed what the boy was thinking.

Clark let out a breath, and having made his decision, much of his fear of death vanished.

"If... if I can save Godfather and Homelander, I am willing!"

Clark continued, "Godfather said that whenever you make a decision, whether it is right or wrong, you and I will always lose something. I understand, Mr. Jones. Please tell me how to retrieve the plutonium-239 you mentioned."

"You... you are willing to sacrifice yourself for your family, Clark?"

"Yes, I am."

Although somewhat afraid, Clark forcefully suppressed the fear gripping his heart. "This is the price Godfather talked about, isn't it?"

Waves churned in the Martian Manhunter's heart, leaving him staring speechlessly at Clark for a long time.

A Kryptonian willing to sacrifice himself for Earthlings?

Perhaps God is absent, Clark, but you will be a god among men.

He said silently to Clark in his heart.

...

After memorizing the instructions given by the Martian Manhunter, Clark hurried toward the power plant's reactor at top speed.

Soon, following the steps the Martian Manhunter had outlined, he retrieved two glowing stones from the nuclear reactor.

The moment he touched them, an indescribable sensation coursed through his entire body.

Pessimistically, Clark assumed he was about to die.

Yet the battle was not over, and he could not afford to show weakness now.

Suppressing the urge to cry, Clark quickly grabbed the two pieces of plutonium-239 and fled the power plant.

"Boom!"

The moment he stepped out of the power plant, he was greeted by a welcome sight: Homelander was descending to the ground, holding Peter.

A second later, the smile vanished from Clark's face.

Parasite had also dropped down from the high altitude and was about to launch an attack on Peter and Homelander.

Glancing at the plutonium-239 in his hands, Clark instinctively cried out, "Hey!"

Startled, Parasite turned around, only to see Clark standing there with his hands behind his back.

Peter hadn't expected Clark to be at the scene as well.

"Clark, why are you here too?"

"Because I want to protect you, Godfather."

Taking a deep breath, Clark wore a resolute expression on his young face. "Parasite, come on! If you want to hurt my family, you have to go through me first!"

With that, he beckoned to Parasite, making a classic taunting gesture of a boxer.

Provoked into a fury, Parasite let out a roar as he abruptly changed direction and leaped toward him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Parasite's heavy strides shook the earth as he closed in with terrifying speed.

Faced with the terrifying appearance of the monster, Clark forced himself to remain calm, and the instant Parasite lunged to grab his arms, he whipped his hands from behind his back straight to his chest.

As Parasite grabbed Clark's hands, he also grasped the two pieces of plutonium-239 held within them.

Intending to drain Clark's life force, Parasite instead found himself absorbing the raw energy of the plutonium-239.

A vast, overwhelming torrent of energy, accompanied by radiation waves powerful enough to break down a mortal's body, erupted instantly, purple electric arcs crackling violently between them.

Blinding light, fierce enough to banish the night, spilled outward from the point of their contact.

Amidst roaring winds and lightning, Clark tilted his head back, enduring the searing pain as he watched the screaming, agonized Parasite.

"I'm... so sorry!"