Chapter 56: It's All My Fault I Can't Fly

The scene shifts.

David grabs Peter by both shoulders and slams him hard into the ground.

With a thunderous crash, Peter's body skids across the ground, carving a deep trench before smashing through an electrical tower, sending sparks flying. He finally comes to a stop, struggling to his feet, every part of his body sending waves of fiery pain to his brain despite his superhuman durability.

Taking a deep breath, he glares at David, whose eyes glow with a sinister purple light.

With a deafening boom, David appears before him.

"Father, I'm sending you straight to hell!" David's twisted, raspy voice, combined with his withered, wrinkled face, forms an eerie, garbled threat.

Peter, bewildered, mutters, "What?!"

The Martian Manhunter, who lay on the ground weakened, manages to rasp, "He… he retains the memories of those he absorbs."

Peter nods. So this parasite had absorbed the powers and memories of both Clark and John.

"Well, I don't have a hideous son like you!" he retorts, landing a heavy punch that sends David crashing into the ground.

Without wasting a second, Peter rushes to a nearby car, hoisting it and hurling it at David with all his might.

The car crashes down with a huge explosion, smoke and debris filling the air. But David vanishes from sight in an instant.

A second later, David appears before Peter, who barely has time to shield himself before he's struck with a force that blasts him across the power plant. He tumbles through walls and equipment, his body carrying enough force to leave a trail of destruction in his wake.

Finally, he crashes into a stone platform, dust and debris swirling around him as he lies there, gasping for air and fighting through the pain.

David descends from the sky like a missile, his landing shaking the ground. Just as he's about to continue his assault on Peter, he stops abruptly and turns to his left.

Suddenly, a deafening crash fills the room as a wall shatters, and a figure barrels through the debris. Azu, seething with anger, charges and tackles David, wrapping his arms around his chest.

Caught off guard, David feels as though he's been hit by a freight train as Azu drives him forward, smashing through anything in their path.

With a final crash, Azur slams David into a storage area within the power plant, causing the room to collapse around them. Wood and steel rain down like an avalanche as Azu, fueled by rage, pins the parasite to the ground and lands a brutal punch.

"How dare you—" Azu's youthful face twists with fury as he lands another punch, purple blood splattering from David's eye.

"—HURT MY DAD!"

With one last, furious punch, Azu's knuckles collide with David's face, tearing it apart with sheer force. David, shocked by the attack, summons all his strength to roll over, pinning Azur beneath him.

David's massive hand presses Azu's head into the ground as he begins to drain Azur's life force. Despite the searing pain, Azu grits his teeth, neck straining, refusing to surrender.

With a roar, Azu's eyes blaze red, unleashing searing heat vision at point-blank range, burning straight into David's face. Screaming in pain, David is blasted backward.

Meanwhile, Peter struggles to his feet, feeling slightly more energized after a brief respite.

Seizing the moment, he charges forward with blinding speed, landing a punch that sends David smashing into a wall. The force of the blow reverberates, collapsing walls and shattering windows, burying David in rubble.

Breathing heavily, Peter looks over at Azu, who is equally battered.

"John, get out of here—now," Peter says urgently, not caring to question how Azu got here. The last thing he wants is for his son to risk his life in this fight.

But Azur stands firm, wiping the dust from his face. "No, Dad! I'm not leaving!" He pants, defiant. "I promised that I'd protect you, even if it meant sacrificing myself. You told me that a man's word has to mean something."

Despite his youth, Azu knows that Peter is trying to send him away to save him. And while he's not afraid of dying, he can't bear the thought of losing his father first.

"No one's sacrificing anything, and no one's asking you to. Are you refusing to listen to me, John?" Peter's words barely leave his lips before there's a loud crash as David, the parasite, bursts from the rubble, lunging forward and grabbing Peter by the shoulder.

Peter tries to grab David's throat in return, but suddenly, a wave of weakness crashes over him. His strength drains rapidly, and his body goes limp.

"Damn it!" Peter curses as he's hoisted into the air by David.

"Dad!" Azur watches in horror as David takes Peter up into the sky.

Azu reaches out instinctively, only to be reminded—painfully—that he can't fly. Frustrated and desperate, he smacks himself in the face.

"If only… if only I'd learned to fly…"