[113] : Act, Roger & Superman!

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Roger left the somewhat overwhelmed Jean to rest and stood up, once again surveying the disaster-like ruins.

Boom!

In the distance, thunderous noises echoed as Roger watched a spaceship plummet from the sky, crashing through several buildings before coming to a halt amidst the wreckage.

He also saw Superman descending from the sky, holding Lois, and then turning to face General Zod, who had emerged from the spaceship.

Roger knew that a fierce battle was about to break out between Superman and Zod. Their fight would only worsen the already devastated Metropolis.

If it had been earlier, Roger would have done anything to help Superman stop Zod. At the very least, he would have tried to lure Zod away from the city to avoid a battle amidst the urban landscape.

But now, Roger remained still. After a quick glance, he chose to sit back down beside Jean, calmly watching Superman and Zod among the ruins.

Even though he had only fought a few skirmishes, given Roger's physical abilities, such battles were just a warm-up at most. Yet, he felt exhausted.

Roger didn't know why he felt so tired. Perhaps it was because, in the end, he couldn't save those he tried to rescue, letting events unfold according to the original storyline. Or perhaps his plan had gone far beyond his expectations, leaving him frustrated.

In any case, Roger didn't want to do anything now. He just wanted to sit quietly and wait for the battle between Superman and Zod to end.

But this tranquility didn't last long. As Superman and Zod prepared to clash, a somewhat recovered Jean asked Roger:

"Aren't you going to help?"

"...I'm tired," Roger replied honestly.

Jean looked at the situation and continued, "If they fight, a lot more people will die, right?"

"Yeah," Roger nodded.

"..."

Seeing Roger's response, Jean took a deep breath and stood up, heading towards the ruins.

Seeing this, Roger asked, "Where are you going?"

"To help," Jean replied.

"You've already overexerted your powers today. You should rest. Besides… you can't intervene in a battle between Kryptonians."

Roger wasn't trying to discourage her intentionally. It was just that most mutants couldn't handle a fight between Superman and Zod. Even a powerful telepath like Jean, if she rushed in recklessly, could easily perish.

Despite knowing this, Jean did not back down. She replied seriously:

"I know, but Charles once told me that being an X-Man isn't just about having strong powers; it's about standing up when the innocent are in danger, even if it risks your own life.

"Though I'm not yet an official X-Man, when innocents are at risk, even if it endangers my life, I can't just hide behind others."

"But you have no ties to the people of this world," Roger said calmly, still trying to dissuade her.

Jean countered with a question of her own, "When you stopped Apocalypse, did you have any connection to our world?"

"..."

Roger was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth to explain but couldn't find the words.

When Roger saved the people in Cairo during the X-Men incident, he indeed had no connection to that world's inhabitants. He simply acted because he wanted to save them.

It was the same in Superman's world. Roger had come here because he wanted to save people.

So now there was a question, why did Roger save people in the first place?

Perhaps it was out of compassion, perhaps he didn't want to see so many people die in front of him, or perhaps he wanted to do something in a new world to prove himself.

All those reasons played a part, but the true motive was that Roger enjoyed the feeling of saving people, of changing the course of events in a new world as if he were a god controlling life and death.

But when he faced failure and couldn't save those he intended to, he became disillusioned.

He started to give up, lying flat and abandoning the affairs of this world.

He could lose his reason in anger, focus on immediate gains and losses while ignoring the big picture, act impulsively when something came to mind, and give up when faced with failure.

If Jean weren't here, if she hadn't said what she did, Roger might have continued down this path of inaction until he left this world.

But now…

"…I get it."

Roger stood up, patted Jean on the shoulder, and said:

"I understand what you mean. I'll go stop that alien, but I need your help."

"Haven't I been helping you all along?" Jean smiled.

Roger nodded earnestly and then said, "Zod's absorbed sunlight, so his physical abilities are now on par with Superman's. Once they start fighting, even I can't control the direction of the battle, so… we have to restrain Zod before the fight truly begins."

"What do you need me to do?" Jean asked.

"You need to use all your power to telepathically pin down Zod, even if it's just for a few seconds. I'll restrain him then and give Superman a chance to strike. That's our only shot. Can you do it?"

Roger looked at Jean, concerned about her current physical state.

Jean mulled over Roger's plan and then nodded, "I can manage a few seconds…"

"Don't underestimate the task. You'll need more power than it takes to control a few buildings, you'll need the power to suppress an entire city and concentrate it all on one point. So… don't push yourself too hard."

If Jean had the Phoenix Force, Roger wouldn't have worried about her abilities at all. Roger was genuinely worried about whether she could suppress Zod.

Jean was momentarily dazed by Roger's analogy. After a moment of thought, she replied seriously:

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

...

"We could have rebuilt Krypton on these ruins…"

Zod, clad in his armor, picked up a piece of debris and looked calmly at the approaching Superman.

"But you chose the humans over us!"

Beneath Zod's calm gaze lay a hidden fury.

Everything he had done in his life was for Krypton and its people. It was a mission imprinted into his very DNA.

But now, he had lost Krypton, and he had lost the people he was meant to protect. As a Kryptonian general, and even as a Kryptonian, his very purpose was shattered.

"…My soul, my very purpose of existence… you took it all away!!"

Rage overwhelmed Zod's reason as he leapt at Superman, catching him off guard and slamming him far away.

Zod continued to shout at Superman:

"If you want to protect this planet, then I will destroy every single human! I'll make you watch as they perish before your eyes!"

Zod roared in fury and prepared to fly off to attack Superman.

But then, a voice called out from the distance:

"Sorry, but that won't happen."

Zod paused, raising his head towards the sky. Before he could react, an immense pressure, like a collapsing mountain, bore down on him!

Boom!

Zod dropped to one knee, the crushing force creating a massive crater in the ground as dust billowed up, obscuring the desolate area.

At that very moment, a figure shot through the haze and pinned Zod to the ground, using all his strength to restrain his arms and legs.

It all happened so quickly that when the dust settled, Superman saw Zod pinned by a man in a black suit. It was the same man he had encountered in the town, a man who seemed to be another Kryptonian!

"It's you!"

Superman's voice was filled with surprise.

Roger didn't have time to respond. He was using all his strength to hold down Zod, whose power was far greater than Roger had anticipated.

Roger had only just managed to restrain Zod's arms when Zod leapt into the air, carrying Roger with him. Zod then crashed back-first into the ground, sending a shockwave through the area.

Although the impact hurt Roger more, as he was pinned beneath Zod, he didn't let go of Zod's arms.

Locking Zod in place, Roger yelled to Superman:

"What are you waiting for? Do it!!!"

"...?"

Superman hesitated momentarily, unsure of what to do.

Roger shouted again:

"What are you thinking? If you let him go, it'll be a disaster for everyone on this planet! Do it!!"

"Kal! I'm your last kin! Will you choose me, or these humans?!!"

Zod's voice echoed loudly. With all the other Kryptonians gone, only Zod and Superman remained.

Zod had no intention of killing Superman because Superman carried the Genesis Codex, the key to the rebirth of the Kryptonian race.

All Zod wanted was to annihilate humanity.

"Superman!! Earth is your home!!"

Roger roared at Superman.

If it weren't for his current position, preventing him from using his heat vision to finish Zod off, Roger would have already pierced Zod with a searing beam.

Zod was struggling fiercely, and Roger wouldn't be able to hold on for long. If Superman didn't act soon, countless more lives would be lost before Zod could be subdued.

Superman knew this deep down, but he still hesitated. Zod might be the last of his kind, and he couldn't bring himself to make the final blow.

"Superman!!!"

It wasn't until Roger yelled at him again that Superman finally snapped back to reality. He turned to look at Lois, and then at the other humans standing with her. Finally, he made up his mind and said to Zod, "I'm sorry."

In the next moment, a searing beam of heat pierced through Zod's chest.

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