Marvel Multiverse: Family System

Zod opened the combat channel and barked orders in Kryptonian.

"All warriors gather immediately, and no one is to use force again, even at the cost of your lives!"

Vex understood. It was one of the perks of the system, allowing him to communicate effortlessly with all intelligent species.

At the same time, all over the world, the Kryptonians who had been wreaking havoc moments earlier suddenly stopped, moving quickly to regroup with their nearest comrades.

Among them were many superheroes who had been on the verge of defeat, narrowly escaping death.

For example…

Tony, whose reactor had been crushed,

Homelander, whose limbs had been broken,

Barry, who had collapsed from sheer exhaustion,

...

Even Hulk, who couldn't stop fighting, continued to relentlessly pursue the Kryptonians. Yet, the Kryptonians merely dodged without fighting back.

The sudden shift in behavior left everyone in shock.

In the operations channel, Fury announced, "The war is temporarily over. Please do not engage the Kryptonians. Focus on rescuing civilians nearby."

"The final outcome will be communicated shortly."

"To those injured, rescue teams are already on their way."

"And lastly…"

"You are Earth's heroes. Thank you for your help!"

Exhausted and battered, many superheroes looked confused.

Was the war… over?

Though the battle had only lasted a few hours, the intensity was beyond comprehension.

Logan, who possessed a healing factor, had been fighting until he was practically naked!

His entire body—there wasn't a single cell from before the battle left; everything had regenerated from scratch.

Hearing that the fighting had ended, he collapsed to the ground, not wanting to move a single finger.

He was utterly exhausted!

He had no idea how many times his head had been blown off or how many times his heart had been pierced. He had literally fought his way through by "sacrificing his life" over and over again.

Other superheroes had similar experiences to Logan.

But…

Compared to their exhaustion…

Vex, who had brought Zod aboard the space carrier, was fresh as a daisy—neither out of breath nor breaking a sweat.

All he did was talk.

Clark and Kara, on the other hand, were covered in dirt, looking disheveled and embarrassed.

Vex walked over and placed his hands on both their shoulders.

With a touch of the Horse Talisman's power, the grime was lifted, and their tattered costumes were restored. Even their fatigue melted away.

However, the solar energy stored in their supercells remained unaffected.

It wasn't that Vex couldn't restore it, but doing so would be quite costly. Better to let them recharge by sunbathing later.

"Thank you!" Clark said gratefully. "I don't know how you convinced Zod, but I can't thank you enough!"

"Yeah, I don't even know how to properly show my gratitude!" Kara nodded enthusiastically.

"That's easy," Vex grinned at Kara. "You could marry me."

Kara laughed, not at all fazed. "You'd need to do better than that."

So, there was a chance?

Vex didn't pursue the topic further and began walking away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kara quickly asked, "I didn't mean—"

Was she worried he was upset?

"I need to get to work," Vex waved without turning. "Somebody had to go and destroy the World Engine. I need to repair it."

Clark rubbed his nose awkwardly.

Yeah… about that…

He had been ready to die, fully prepared to take the World Engine down with him.

Who would've thought…

"You should be thankful," Zod said coldly. "If not for Vex having another habitable planet and the ability to repair the World Engine, this conflict would have been endless!"

Clark furrowed his brow, and Kara was visibly angry.

They were just about to argue when a stern voice came from outside the meeting room.

"And it would've been the end of you!"

Turning around, they saw an elderly man with a face full of wrinkles. Next to him was Fury, who stood by respectfully.

"I'm Alexander Pierce, Secretary-General of the World Security Council," the old man said with a glare. "We won't let ourselves be pushed around. If it came down to it, you invaders would be the ones buried!"

Zod merely chuckled, unphased.

What a joke

If it weren't for Clark the traitor, no machines could function within the World Engine's range.

As for Earth's nuclear arsenal, even if detonated all at once, it would only trigger a "nuclear winter," decimating the planet's ecosystem.

But what was the World Engine for?

How exactly were they planning to win?

Pierce didn't push further, and he took a seat while offering the head position to Fury.

"You take the lead. I'm only here to ensure this discussion is fair," Pierce said.

Fury nodded and was just about to speak when…

"Let's wait until he repairs the World Engine first," Zod said bluntly. "If he can't fix it, then…"

Vex happened to walk back into the room at that moment, interrupting Zod's thoughts.

"Then what?" Vex asked, looking puzzled.

"Why are you back?" Zod narrowed his eyes. "Are you about to tell us that fixing it will take time? Don't think you can stall for time!"

"Huh? Stall for time? It's already fixed," Vex said, exasperated. "Seriously, stop showing off your ant-like mindset in front of me. You just look like an idiot."

Zod: "..."

He probably looked at Pierce with the same thought earlier.

After silently contacting his subordinates and confirming the World Engine was operational, the room fell into a deep silence.

Everyone had seen how massive the World Engine was.

Clark had shattered it into several pieces, and yet, Vex had already fixed it?

With the time spent traveling…

Did he even do more than take a glance at it?

No one could comprehend it!

After a while, Zod finally smiled, relaxing his posture.

"We can leave Earth unconditionally and go rebuild Krypton on the new planet," Zod said easily.

But…

It wasn't that simple.

"That's impossible!" Fury snapped, his face dark. "In six short hours, Kryptonians destroyed two cities, took over 40 million lives, and killed at least seven superheroes!"

"And now, with just a few words, you want to leave peacefully?"

"Absolutely not!"

[End of the chapter]

°°°

A/N: Bro tryna extort

patreon: moziel