Chapter 20: Lex Luthor

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...

Thud!

Father Norma's body fell heavily to the ground.

Dust rose around him, and the priest's lifeless eyes stared blankly at the falling leaves overhead, the light in them slowly fading away.

After snapping his neck, Peter turned around.

Clark stared in shock at the body on the ground.

He never expected the Godfather to actually kill Father Norma!

"Let's go."

Peter took both Clark and Azu by the hand and prepared to leave the forest.

Clark, still in a daze, allowed Peter to lead him until they got into the car. Only then did he snap out of his shock.

"Godfather? Why... why did you kill Father Norma?"

Sitting in the back seat, Clark hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been bothering him.

"Because Father Norma once said," Peter replied while driving, "'Do not spare them; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.'"

"The priest believed that when dealing with bad people, you should retaliate in kind. If someone kills, they should be killed in the same way. That's the fairest thing in the world. I think Father Norma would have agreed."

Clark nodded, somewhat understanding.

It made sense, but why did it still feel off?

Still feeling conflicted, he asked, "But didn't you say life is precious?"

Before Peter could respond, Azu chimed in from the side, "A bad person's life isn't precious. Father Norma was a bad guy. Think about it, Clark—he almost got your parents killed."

Azu thought Clark was being naive. "If we let him go, who knows, maybe next time he really would kill your parents."

Peter, overhearing Azu's words, looked at him with newfound respect.

This kid understood such a principle at such a young age?

The reason Peter had brought them to the scene was to help Clark and Azu understand that evil must be eradicated. He didn't expect Azu to grasp it so quickly.

Clark thought for a moment and realized Azu had a point.

His young mind couldn't come up with a better solution.

Seeing Clark convinced, Azu turned to Peter and said smugly, "Dad, if I were you, I'd have done the same thing."

"Hmm."

Peter nodded.

I don't doubt that for a second. After all, this kid is starting to show more and more signs of that twisted nature from his past life.

Clark, still feeling conflicted, exhaled deeply and turned his gaze to the passing scenery outside the window.

Beside him, Azu faintly smelled of blood.

Clark suddenly realized that his life might be about to change in some way.

Though he wasn't sure how, it would certainly be tied to the Godfather.

The car sped down a remote road outside the town, heading toward the Podrick farm.

...

The next morning.

The radio broadcasted news about a terror attack in Smallville.

"There was an explosion and a terrorist attack at Smallville Auditorium. The attack caused a fire at the auditorium, which has since been extinguished. Several bodies were found at the scene, including confirmed deaths of firefighter William Thomas and three performers."

Peter listened to the radio while casually placing the black magic book he was holding onto the table.

He had spent the night researching the book and found it to be filled with forbidden curses and sacrificial magic.

Peter had little interest in sorcerers—cursed "debt-borrowers" as he called them—so he planned to put the book away.

Maybe someday he'd find a baby that understood magic, and it could be a useful teaching tool.

The radio continued, "More than ten people were sent to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and minor burns. Reports suggest that the terrorists used biochemical weapons in the attack."

"Dad."

Azu came down from upstairs, rubbing his eyes. "Where's Clark?"

"Clark's parents came and picked him up."

Hearing that Clark had left, Azu looked a little disappointed.

"I wanted to go fly kites with Clark!"

Completely unfazed by the events of last night, Azu was already thinking about flying kites with Clark.

"Azu, come here."

Peter motioned for him to sit.

Azu obediently sat down, looking expectantly at Peter.

"Dad, are you going to fly kites with me?"

"We'll talk about kite flying later. First, we need to talk about you sneaking in to watch horror movies."

Peter's gaze grew stern as he looked at Azu's rear.

He figured it was time to fulfill his role as a loving father and discipline the kid a bit.

...

"Mr. Luthor."

At the Metropolis Central Hospital, the doctor spoke to Lionel Luthor, who was lying in bed.

"Your injuries aren't serious, just some minor burns. You should recover and be discharged soon."

"Thank you, Dr. Ryan."

Lionel Luthor smiled politely at the doctor.

But the moment the doctor left, his smile vanished.

As the head of LuthorCorp, Lionel had never experienced such a life-threatening situation before.

LuthorCorp was in the process of acquiring land in Smallville to set up a chemical company.

Lionel had been attending the "Harvest Festival" in town when suddenly, monsters that attacked people on sight appeared inside the auditorium.

Protected by his bodyguards, Lionel had barely escaped with his life.

As he gently rubbed his aching forehead, he remembered the terrifying scene from the night before.

Those bloodthirsty monsters had ripped people's throats open, spraying blood everywhere.

Then, there was the person wielding a katana, carrying two children on his back, effortlessly decapitating the monsters.

A man who had always believed in reason above all, Lionel found himself wondering if the fear had caused him to hallucinate.

No!

It wasn't a hallucination.

He swore he had seen it clearly.

The image of that godlike slayer was etched deeply into his mind.

He pressed the call button, summoning his men.

"Any news on the mysterious man?"

Lionel asked as his men entered.

Earlier, he had given them a description of Peter and sent them to investigate.

"Sorry, sir, we haven't found anything yet."

"Then keep looking. I want to know who that person is as soon as possible."

Lionel spoke calmly. "You can leave now. I hope the next time we speak, you'll have good news."

Once his men left, the door creaked open again.

A bald boy of about six or seven walked into the room.

"Dad."

The boy greeted Lionel, "I came to see you."

"Lex!"

Seeing his son, Lionel's mood immediately brightened. He opened his arms to embrace the little bald-headed boy who climbed onto the bed.