---
(City)
The Guardians were gathered downtown. The area had already been evacuated.
Some of the Guardians were lying unconscious on the ground.
Darkwing, Aquarus, Green Ghost — all of them were knocked out.
They were too badly injured to even stand, bleeding heavily with serious wounds across their bodies.
Nolan was still fighting the few who remained standing, though they weren't in much better shape.
Martian Man threw a punch at Nolan.
Nolan easily caught his fist.
Without hesitation, Nolan pulled on Martian Man's arm — tearing it clean off, blood spilling onto the ground.
"Ahh," Martian Man groaned in agony.
Then Nolan shoved him away with a brutal punch to the chest, sending him crashing through several buildings.
Mark watched it happen, frustration boiling inside him.
It was his fault. His weakness. If only he were stronger…
"You..." Mark growled, charging Nolan with a punch — but Omni-Man dodged and grabbed him by the head.
"Look at them, Mark. See how weak they are," Omni-Man said coldly.
Nolan grabbed Mark by the neck and slammed his face into the ground, creating a crater.
"Ugh..." Mark groaned in pain before falling unconscious.
Nearby, Holly clutched her war club tightly.
She rose to her feet for one final attack.
She charged at Nolan, aiming a blow to his head.
Nolan dodged easily.
Then he grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her.
Nolan stared at her while he squeezed. Holly thrashed desperately in his grip, but he was far too strong. His eyes were filled with grim determination — all for the sake of Viltrum.
Holly was on the verge of death when something sped past and forced Nolan back.
The force broke his grip, sending Holly sprawling to the ground, gasping for air.
"Ahhh!" Henry roared, tackling Nolan away at full speed.
He slammed into Nolan's chest, dragging him through several city blocks.
"You bastard!" Henry snarled, smashing Nolan through a building.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Henry shouted, diving lower — this time, instead of crashing Nolan through more buildings, he scraped Nolan's back across the asphalt, tearing up the streets for blocks.
As he flew, Henry punched Nolan's face again and again in pure fury.
"You think you can threaten my family?" Henry growled, landing blow after devastating blow.
Nolan's nose started bleeding, his face already battered and broken.
Henry kept flying, smashing through anything in his path while dragging Nolan along.
(Screams of fear)
Henry plowed through a gas station.
(BOOM.)
The gas station exploded.
People nearby shrieked in terror at the sight of the two titans.
Henry shrugged off the blast easily. Nolan, on the other hand, groaned in pain.
Henry grabbed Nolan by the arm, yanked him close, and punched him hard, sending him flying through more buildings.
Nolan crashed and tumbled across the ground, groaning weakly.
He pushed himself up with shaky arms, his head spinning. The blows and the explosion had messed with his hearing, leaving him dizzy.
High above, planes and jets circled, monitoring the battle.
Nolan stood in the middle of the street, struggling to recognize Henry — he seemed different. Weaker... but also far more experienced.
"You..." Nolan muttered.
"You're going to pay for what you've done," Henry said.
"Go to he—" Before Nolan could finish, Henry flew in and smashed his fist into Nolan's face, sending him crashing through a diner.
Nolan slammed into the back of the diner, slumped over a shattered table, bleeding heavily.
He pushed himself up and tried to strike back.
Henry dodged the punch easily, letting Nolan's fist destroy a wall instead.
Nolan's back was wide open.
"You're going to hell before I ever do," Henry spat.
Nolan turned to swing again.
Henry caught his fist.
"You're weak. This time... she's not here to save you," Henry said, slamming Nolan with another punch, sending him flying.
Nolan hit the ground again, face bloodied — something that almost never happened.
Furious, Nolan flew at Henry with another punch.
Henry caught him by the throat mid-attack.
Then he smashed Nolan down into the ground with brutal force.
Nolan lay facedown on the ruined floor of the diner.
The place was completely demolished — broken tables, shattered walls.
Henry grabbed Nolan's cape and hurled him out the window.
Nolan crashed through a hospital building and landed in the middle of the street.
Henry flew after him.
Nolan steadied himself midair, then skidded along the street, tearing up the asphalt.
He flew back at Henry, throwing a punch that created a sonic boom across the street.
Henry took the punch to the face — and barely flinched.
He simply turned his head slightly from the impact.
Then Henry grabbed Nolan's left arm and his leg, swung him overhead, and slammed him headfirst into the ground, cracking the pavement.
"Ahh," Nolan groaned.
Henry kicked him, sending him bouncing along the street like a ragdoll.
Nolan winced in pain. His whole body ached.
He pushed himself up, hands trembling.
Henry walked toward him slowly.
"I don't understand... why? Why protect them? They're just humans. Why do you care? Why couldn't you just stay out of this..." Nolan said, barely supporting himself on his hands.
"You Viltrumites will never understand... You only care about yourselves," Henry said.
At that moment, Nolan could only think about his son, Mark... and his wife, Debbie.
"Shut up!" Nolan roared, flying at Henry, fueled by pure rage.
This time, Nolan caught Henry off guard.
Fueled by anger, Nolan landed a powerful punch to Henry's face, staggering him for a second.
It would take a thousand more hits like that to actually beat him, but still — it was impressive. No one had managed to hurt Henry like that before.
Henry quickly retaliated with an even stronger punch, smashing Nolan into the side of a garbage truck.
Nolan hit the metal hard.
He was exhausted, drained. Nothing he tried worked against the Kryptonian.
Henry walked toward him calmly.
Even weakened, Nolan was still a warrior. He tried to rise to keep fighting — but Henry stomped on his leg, breaking it instantly.
"Ahh!" Nolan cried out.
Henry crushed Nolan's leg, snapping the bone audibly.
He stood towering over him.
Nolan gritted his teeth in pain, refusing to scream. His Viltrumite pride wouldn't let him.
"You..." Nolan muttered.
Henry stared down at him.
"I want to talk. You're going to tell me everything you know about my species," Henry said.
"You can go to hell," Nolan spat.
Henry stomped down hard on Nolan's other leg — another sickening crack echoed down the street.
"Ahh!" Nolan groaned again.
Henry grabbed Nolan by the neck and lifted him up.
"You really think I don't have the guts to kill you?" Henry said, his eyes glowing red. "I'll ask again: what do you know about the Kryptonians? Who told you?"
Nolan was surprised by his ruthlessness. He looked at Henry and laughed bitterly.
"You've changed, boy... You're just like me now," Nolan said with a twisted smile.
"I'm nothing like you," Henry growled, still holding Nolan by the throat.
He dropped him, letting Nolan crash painfully to the ground.
With both legs broken, Nolan was helpless.
"You bastard... Don't think this is over..." Nolan muttered, sitting awkwardly on the ground.
Henry turned his back for a moment, debating whether he should kill Nolan right then and there.
After years spent in the Flaxan dimension, Henry had changed. Killing wasn't a foreign thought anymore.
After a brief moment of thought, Henry turned back to Nolan.
"Well? Have you decided? Are you going to kill me? Then do it already," Nolan said.
Henry didn't hesitate.
He punched Nolan in the face with enough force to knock him out cold, shattering nearby windows with the shockwave.
Nolan fell unconscious.
Afterward, Henry noticed helicopters and jets observing from a distance.
He didn't care.
He sat down next to Nolan's unconscious body, soaking in the sunlight.
It had been years since he'd felt the sun's power properly — no wonder he had gotten weaker during his time in the Flaxan dimension.
As he absorbed the sunlight, memories of the Flaxan dimension flooded back.
He had gotten used to life there. He learned the basics of their language — not fluent, but enough to understand and speak a few simple phrases.
With his sharp hearing, Henry noticed the police and reporters approaching.
He stood up, grabbed Nolan by the cape, and slowly flew into the sky.
(Sirens, cars)
The reporters arrived at the scene just in time to see a bearded man flying away, dragging an unconscious Omni-Man by the cape.
They snapped pictures wildly. Most didn't even recognize Henry — he looked so different now.
The news spread like wildfire.
Those who once admired Henry recognized him.
But he wasn't the same boy they remembered.
He wasn't just Superboy anymore.
He was the strongest hero on Earth.
He had protected them when they needed it most.
They admired him.
Yet many were afraid. Was he another Omni-Man?
"Who's that supposed to be now?" asked a man watching TV at home, seeing the breaking news.
"It's Superman, Dad," his little son answered.
"Superman?" the man said.
"Yeah."
---
Henry flew, carrying the unconscious Omni-Man.
He landed at the Pentagon.
(GDA Headquarters)
GDA agents rushed toward him, visibly nervous.
Henry spotted many familiar faces he hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime.
Cecil and Donald approached, surrounded by guards.
"It's been a while..." Henry muttered. For him, it had been years. For them, only a few hours.
Cecil stopped in front of him.
"And you are...?" Cecil asked carefully, not saying Henry's name with so many people around.
"What happened to you? You look... completely different," Cecil said.
"Long story," Henry said, tossing Nolan's unconscious body toward Cecil.
Cecil and the agents stared in shock. Omni-Man — the strongest man on Earth — defeated like this?
They were terrified he might wake up.
"Take care of him for me. I've got a few things to handle. Can you do that?" Henry asked.
"Of course..." Cecil said, not sounding confident at all.
"And the Guardians?" Henry asked.
"I sent a team to retrieve them after you showed up. They're in rough shape... but they'll live," Cecil replied.
"And her?" Henry asked.
"She'll be okay," Cecil reassured him.
"Good," Henry said.
"And Invincible?" Henry asked next.
"Unconscious, but stable," Cecil answered.
"Good," Henry nodded.
"Wait—" Cecil started.
But before he could say more, Henry flew off.
"Dammit! He left me here alone with him... What the hell am I supposed to do if he wakes up?"
"Sir, what are the orders?" asked one of the agents.
"Take him to that place," Cecil said, referring to the special prison built to contain Viltrumites.
They still weren't sure it would actually work — but it was the best they had.
---