Ultraman was extremely weak, not just physically, but mentally too. Add to that the burning pain spreading across his body, and it only made things worse.
To understand the situation, we must first introduce the members and abilities of the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3.
The members of the Crime Syndicate are counterparts of the Justice League from the main universe, but their personalities are the complete opposite. Their collective intelligence is also... highly questionable.
Ultraman, the counterpart of Superman. On Earth-3, Krypton was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor. He is the last survivor of the House of El and the final Kryptonian. Unlike Superman, he gains power from kryptonite, while the yellow sun weakens and even causes him pain.
His personality is ruthless. He idolizes strength but bullies the weak and fears the strong. He is extremely cowardly.
In truth, he had been cornered by the Anti-Monitor and fled to this world, still putting on a show of bravado...
The moment he emerged from the rift, the sunlight hit his body, and it felt like countless needles stabbing into him. The pain radiated across his skin.
Had it only been the sunlight, he could have endured it. At worst, it would have gradually weakened him, and he would have had enough time to walk into a building to escape the sun.
But facing over 100,000 Kryptonian warriors, packed tightly in formation, their glowing red eyes ready to unleash heat vision, the atmosphere chilled like wolves encircling a helpless lamb. The terror was bone-deep and enough to give him goosebumps.
Moreover, Bardi sat calmly on the Diamond Throne. The sun beamed magnificently, casting his silhouette across the throne like a colossal devil lurking beneath divine light. His aura distorted the air, bent space, and shook the world.
Ultraman's face contorted into a look of terror and disgust. Gone was the swagger he had just moments earlier.
Beside him stood Owlman, Earth-3's Batman. His gear resembled Batman's, but his cowl was stylized like an owl, vivid and striking.
In Earth-3's history, he is Thomas Wayne Jr., the older brother of Bruce Wayne. As a child, he witnessed Gotham's corruption and his parents' depravity. Later, with the help of Alfred, he murdered his parents and, in the process, accidentally killed Bruce. He became Owlman and ruled Gotham through fear and control.
Owlman is the only Crime Syndicate member with real intelligence, a cold personality, firm resolve, and calm reasoning.
Even so, faced with the 100,000 Kryptonian warriors Bardi had carefully deployed in ambush, Owlman was sweating beneath his black Kevlar suit. He forced himself to stay calm, subtly glancing behind them. He saw the dimensional rift had closed as they stepped through, and his heart sank further.
To Ultraman's other side stood a woman in dark Amazonian-style armor, her black cloak flowing like an evening gown. Her figure was enchanting and provocative.
She was Superwoman, Earth-3's version of Wonder Woman. Wielding the Lasso of Submission, her personality is cruel and twisted. She will do anything to bear the offspring of the strongest beings. In the comics, she manipulated both Ultraman and Owlman into giving her their DNA, though the real father of her child turned out to be Alexander Luthor, Earth-3's Shazam.
In short, Earth-3's "relationships" are a chaotic mess.
Seeing the current scene, Superwoman's mature expression darkened. She looked at Bardi sitting atop the Diamond Throne. The sunlight glowed brilliantly around him, casting his figure into dazzling brilliance. The resulting shadows created a majestic and overpowering silhouette.
Faced with this overwhelming presence, Superwoman instinctively considered surrender. In her mind, she was already plotting how to seduce Bardi and carry the child of such a powerful being.
Next were Sea King and Deathstorm.
Sea King stood grim-faced, holding a trident. His eyes gleamed with arrogance as he scanned the 100,000 Kryptonian soldiers. Finally, his gaze landed on Bardi atop the throne, full of disdain. His eyes seemed to say, "Is this all?"
He is Earth-3's version of Aquaman. In the comics, he's a tragic figure who died during a cross-dimensional journey. His name barely appeared in the narrative. Now, he had escaped early and landed in front of Bardi.
Deathstorm, Earth-3's Firestorm, is a deranged physicist. Martin Stein conducted illegal experiments and fused with the corpse of Ronnie Raymond to become Deathstorm. He has the ability to rearrange the atomic and subatomic structure of inorganic matter. Unlike Firestorm, he cannot alter living organisms.
His personality is egotistical and devoid of normal human emotion. Even in the face of 100,000 Kryptonian soldiers, he tilted his chin proudly, sneering at Bardi with open contempt.
And finally, there was the Green Lantern of Earth-3.
Half of his face was exposed. He wore a green power ring, but his personality was timid, weak, greedy, indecisive, and cowardly. All the worst aspects of human nature were embodied in him. The ring he wore had taken over authority and control from him.
The ring contained the consciousness of Calamity, Earth-3's First Lantern.
In this world, the First Lantern was one of the original Guardians of the Universe from Oa, the founders of the Green Lantern Corps. This Lantern was the prototype, the original bearer of willpower.
Earth-3's Green Lantern, however, was no more than a vessel. Useless.
Facing the overwhelming formation of 100,000 Kryptonian warriors in the sky, he could barely keep his legs from buckling. His eyes were filled with terror, and he clung to Sea King's back, trembling.
Of course, we must also mention the notorious speedster of Earth-3, Johnny Quick. Arrogant, conceited, and convinced nothing could outrun him. He was fast, cocky, and so bold as to command Bardi to kneel. In the end, Bardi swatted him to death. The 100,000-kilometer chasm on the left side of Highway 6 became his unmarked grave.
The scorching sun bore down, and the atmosphere was heavy.
On Route 6, silence fell. Like the tension before a storm, murderous intent was thick in the air.
Bardi leaned back against the Diamond Throne. Sunlight refracted off the multicolored facets of the throne, distorting the magnetic field around him. Ripples fractured the space.
His towering figure was cloaked in a radiant light, his body obscured by brilliance. From the shadows of that brilliance emerged a dark, deep silhouette, terrifying like the eyes of a devil.
"I heard… you came to conquer?"
This book is completed on P/treon. Support me on P/treon to read ALL advanced chapters:
https://p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)