Chapter 73: Tell Me, Who is God?!

Bruce threw a straight punch at Azu.

To Azu, the attack looked slower than a turtle's crawl. With ease, he caught Bruce's fist.

Before Bruce could even comprehend what had happened, a powerful force slammed into him with a resounding "BANG."

Bruce crashed to the floor, his head spinning. His vision swam with countless black spots, and his forehead throbbed painfully.

Clutching his head, he struggled to stand, his movements shaky. He glared at Azu, who looked utterly unconcerned, as if nothing had happened.

What just happened?!

Confused, Bruce glanced at Clark, hoping for an explanation. To his surprise, Clark wore the expression of a casual bystander, completely unfazed by Azu's inhuman speed.

Alright, maybe I misjudged. Stay calm, keep breathing steady.

After regaining his composure, Bruce launched another attack.

But once again, Azu dodged effortlessly and struck back, landing a solid punch on Bruce's collarbone.

Pain exploded through Bruce's body like a hammer shattering his bone. Before he could retreat, Azu's fist slammed into his chest.

"THUD!"

Bruce collapsed heavily onto the ground, unable to counter.

"Ugh!" he groaned, the pain in his back feeling like it had been split in two with an axe.

Bruce hadn't anticipated Azu's strength and speed to be this unnatural. He hadn't even seen how Azu's attack had connected.

He opened his mouth to speak but found himself coughing up blood instead—red bubbles forming at the corners of his lips.

Touching his mouth, Bruce realized his lips were split and bleeding.

"You're right, Bruce," Azu said smugly, stepping closer. "I am God. Gods don't bleed."

Looking down at Bruce, Azu declared, "You've lost. Admit it—you're just a useless, ordinary poor kid."

Pointing to his own eyes, Azu added, "Stay away from Dad, and don't even think about scamming him for money. I'll be watching you."

As Bruce lay there, gasping for breath, Azu turned to Clark. "Let's go swimming, Clark."

Bruce clenched his fists as he watched Azu walk away, gritting out, "You'll bleed one day!"

...

"Who is God?!"

Peter's voice carried a sharp edge as he questioned Azu.

Standing in the corner of the room with his head hung low, Azu stole a glance at Peter's displeased face before quickly lowering his gaze.

Taking a deep breath, Azu puffed out his cheeks nervously and replied, "You, my father. You're the real God."

Peter: "?!"

Lines of frustration formed on Peter's forehead. Where did this kid learn to spout such nonsense?

After hearing from Clark about how Azu had beaten up Bruce, Peter had immediately called Azu over.

"I'm not a god, and neither will you ever be, John."

"I understand, Dad," Azu said, nodding. Then he muttered, "I don't want to be God. It's just… Bruce said I'd bleed, and his words got to me."

Peter's voice rose as he glared at Azu. "And you think this is Bruce's fault?"

"No, Dad. I just don't like him."

Raising his head, Azu confessed, "There's something about Bruce that feels… off. I can't describe it exactly—it's like the color of a crow. Ominous, troublesome. I just don't like that feeling."

"So you hit him? You used your powers to bully an ordinary person?"

"I was wrong, Dad," Azu admitted quickly. "I won't do it again. I can even apologize to Bruce—or let him hit me back!"

Peter stared at Azu's sincere expression, falling silent. Let Bruce hit you back? Are you trying to exhaust him to death?

After a moment, Peter sighed and said, "Apologize to Bruce. You're grounded for the day—no leaving the house."

As Peter turned to leave, he added, "No more conflicts with Bruce. And most importantly, if he ever challenges you to a fight, refuse."

Azu scratched his head as he watched his father walk away. Relieved to have escaped harsher punishment, he couldn't help but wonder: Why doesn't Dad want me to fight Bruce?

Just as Peter finished scolding Azu and went to find Bruce, he encountered the Martian Manhunter approaching him with a grave expression.

"Peter, something isn't right."

Peter stopped in his tracks. "What's going on?"

"The wildfire is nearing Smallville," the Martian Manhunter said solemnly.

"So soon?" Peter frowned.

"It shouldn't be possible. The fire shouldn't spread to the town this quickly."

The Martian Manhunter explained, "The direction of the 'Carl' wildfire's spread is primarily being influenced by a cold air stream."

"In Kansas, cold air from the land tries to reach the hot low-pressure areas over the Atlantic. However, there's a mountain range between Kansas and Nebraska that should block the flow. Smallville shouldn't be affected so quickly."

"You're saying…"

Peter's expression darkened. "The fire was intentionally accelerated?"

"I don't know for sure," the Martian Manhunter admitted. "But something is definitely wrong, and the government has noticed it too."

Looking out at the city skyline, he added, "They've already begun to take action."

"Move! Quickly!"

"Get to the fire trucks!"

On the outskirts of Smallville, firefighters braved the scorching flames as they helped a man, his wife, and their two children into a firetruck.

As soon as the family climbed aboard, the flames roared closer.

"Drive! Go!"

The driver started the truck, but after moving a short distance, it abruptly broke down.

"Damn it! What now?"

Leaning out the window, the driver inspected the tires. "Damn! They've melted!"

Holding his child close, the man shielded his son from the thick smoke. "What do we do now?"

The firefighter, staring at the raging flames outside, muttered despairingly, "It's too late. There's nothing we can do."