Plan B
As the dark figure before him spoke, Lex Luthor's eyes widened.
Far from fearful, he let out a manic laugh.
His limbs twitched erratically with each burst of laughter, a sign of his unraveling sanity.
Heisenberg could see it clearly—an unknown energy from another dimension, channeled through the genetic fluid that birthed Doomsday, had connected with Lex Luthor, the Earthling.
Step by step, Luthor approached Heisenberg, stopping just half a meter away.
Feeling a faint heat, Luthor warily glanced at the magma oozing from the cracks in Heisenberg's armor, then at the helmeted head, its face completely obscured.
"Who are you?"
He asked, his voice tinged with longing, before glancing back at the blood-filled incubation chamber.
"You seem more like an unknown creature, or perhaps some dark deity.
But my instincts and a bit of reasoning tell me you're the life Doomsday nearly crushed in his grip just now!"
At this, Luthor abruptly turned back, his eyes expectant.
"If I'm not mistaken, I saved you—or rather, my actions awakened you from some unknown state!"
His words trailed off into uncontrollable laughter, echoing endlessly until he nearly choked.
By the end, his laughter devolved into duck-like quacks: "Gah… gah… gah…"
Yet, despite Luthor's frail Earthling form, Heisenberg saw boundless darkness in his eyes!
Through Luthor's gaze, Heisenberg glimpsed a world engulfed in sulfur and flames.
At its pinnacle sat a figure whose very presence made infinite universes tremble.
Meeting Luthor's eyes, Heisenberg unconsciously pursed his lips, sneering:
"Darkseid."
As his words fell, Luthor—now under Darkseid's control—spoke.
Though merely human, Luthor's mouth spewed mysterious flames, etched with infinite darkness.
Heisenberg blew dismissively, his winter frost extinguishing the flames as Luthor continued:
"You… are you an ancient god, or a Kryptonian?"
"Heh, why can't they coexist within me?"
Heisenberg smirked, his helmet retracting to reveal his face.
Luthor's eyes widened at the intensifying crimson glow in Heisenberg's eyes.
No, it was Darkseid who was stunned!
The Luthor-controlled by Darkseid spoke in astonishment:
"Astonishing! In eighty thousand universes, I've never seen an ancient solar god and a Kryptonian merge to create such pure darkness as you!"
At this, Luthor—or rather, Darkseid—smirked.
"I'll find you, and you'll join me. I'll await your submission among the stars!"
"Heh, I'm not like you. I have no tyrant's heart or insatiable desire for control.
I don't expect you to kneel, so your fate is sealed, Darkseid!"
"Weakling! Your words are hollow. Until you've traversed three hundred thousand worlds, you're unworthy of the multiverse!"
"Then remember my name, Darkseid. This newcomer will soon crush your skull and ascend to the stars.
And I…
I am Heisenberg!"
As his words fell, Heisenberg's eyes erupted with heat vision, piercing Lex Luthor's eyes.
The Luthor, still immersed in Darkseid's consciousness, died instantly, his head now hollowed.
As the lifeless Luthor collapsed, a distant explosion echoed through the cosmos—the nuclear bomb.
Inaudible to Earthlings, but Heisenberg heard it.
Through the cracked ceiling of the Kryptonian ship, he gazed into the sky.
"Hmm, looks like I returned a bit too late. The nuke went off.
So I'll face a fully energized Doomsday. Heh…"
Heisenberg chuckled, shaking his right hand.
"Perfect!"
…
Just two seconds earlier, Clark had dragged Doomsday into space, where the creature, still mastering flight, was at a severe disadvantage.
Like Heisenberg's battle with Thanos, combat in space hinged on flight capability!
Though far weaker than Doomsday, Superman briefly gained the upper hand, unleashing his power like Heisenberg once did.
But the approaching Red Bird nuke caught his attention.
He glanced at it for a split second, his eyes widening in panic.
Could the nuke kill him?
He didn't know—he'd never tried, never even considered it!
But in the next instant, seeing Doomsday unharmed…
Clark grit his teeth. His attacks were useless.
If he couldn't kill Doomsday, perhaps the nuke could!
He lunged at Doomsday, wrapping his arms around the creature's neck, thicker than his own waist.
Positioning Doomsday's chest toward the nuke, he struggled to hold him steady.
In that brief moment, Clark's mind raced: Would Doomsday die? Could this monster that threatened humanity be stopped?
Would he die? Could he withstand the nuke?
If he died, what would become of humanity? Of Lois?
His mind flashed with all he held dear.
He never questioned why humanity would launch a nuke during his battle with Doomsday.
He only ever thought of humanity's need for him, their goodwill toward him.
He never asked if they cared for him!
The nuke drew closer, until…
BOOM!!!
The silent explosion engulfed them both.
No one knew the temperature of a hydrogen bomb's detonation.
But Clark did.
The blast released nearly a thousand times the heat of the Sun's core!
The Sun's core was a mere 15 million degrees, but the bomb reached 100 billion degrees in an instant, vaporizing Clark's bodily fluids as it hurled him into space.
Doomsday, meanwhile, was flung back toward Earth in the opposite direction!
On Earth, people watched in anguish, believing Superman and Doomsday had perished together.
As Heisenberg emerged from the Kryptonian ship, he saw countless grief-stricken Metropolis citizens gazing skyward.
He heard prayers for Clark and curses against him.
But whether prayers or curses, he only scoffed.
"They think a nuke could kill a Kryptonian? Heh…"
He slowly ascended to the city's tallest building—LexCorp Tower, now one-third destroyed.
From there, he spotted a Batplane approaching from Gotham, and a goddess in the western sky, chaining clouds as she flew toward Doomsday.
Inside the Batplane, Bruce glared at the control panel, displaying Doomsday's data.
After a quick scan, Batman calmly addressed Alfred over the comms:
"The monster's energy release matches Clark's—it's a Kryptonian lifeform."
"So, sir, what's Plan B?"
Bruce nodded, his voice steady:
"Kryptonian biology means Kryptonite is its weakness, but I only have one Kryptonite bullet left!
I'll lure it to Gotham, retrieve the Kryptonite spear there, and embed it in the creature!"
"Maybe, sir. Sounds simpler than fitting an elephant into a fridge!"
Alfred's jest masked his tension and worry.
But as the perfect butler and assistant, he wouldn't burden Bruce.
Knowing he couldn't dissuade Bruce from fighting, he focused on ensuring his mission went smoothly.
In seconds, he found something useful.
"Sir, I've located Lois Lane near the battle site. I'll contact her to help find the Kryptonite spear.
Just lure the monster to Gotham Port!"
"Well done, Alfred!"
Batman nodded, accelerating the Batplane.
In an instant, a barrage of Bat-missiles struck Doomsday.
The harassment infuriated the shedding Doomsday, who tore off his weakened outer skin, revealing a new, spike-covered form.
He fired a massive heat vision blast.
Batman narrowly dodged, banking sharply toward Gotham!
Plan B was working—his plans always worked.
Doomsday pursued, but Batman's evasive maneuvers kept him just out of reach.
Finally, Batman reached Gotham's Narrow Island, near his and Superman's old battlefield.
But in critical moments, the unexpected happens.
Chasing Batman, Doomsday mastered flight mid-leap!
With flight, Doomsday's attacks became exponentially more precise, striking the Batplane!
The plane lost a third of its structure, spinning Bruce to the ground.
CRASH!!!
Dazed, Bruce shook his head.
THUD!
Forty meters away, Doomsday landed, his eyes blazing with heat vision.
As the energy gathered, Batman calmly unbuckled his harness.
Too late to escape.
As the heat vision struck, Batman frowned, his voice steady:
"It's over…"