Chapter 2
Earth-21
Somewhere in the deepness of space, a bright white light emanated from a tall structure resembling a skyscraper that floated near where the planet Krypton had once been. The light faded a few moments later, revealing an impeccably attractive woman with pale skin, pure white eyes, lush white hair that flowed all the way down to her feet, and a well-toned, voluptuous body who had emerged from the structure. She was clad in a skin-tight blue leather bodice along with matching gloves and boots.
"Krypton is gone! Obliterated!" the woman snarled in a loud, menacing voice as she took in her surroundings. "And the Gods of Dawn have vanished! Without a trace! None! The game is mine! I've won! I've won!" She looked up and raised her hands, as if sensing something. "Ehh? I feel the faintest touch of warmth. The hint of some living thing shrouded in a device unknown to me! This cannot be permitted! My victory will always be incomplete, until every Kryptonian is as dead as the planet, and the Gods themselves! I swear by the damned who are my bondslaves, and the abyss that is my dominion, I will find and obliterate the last remnant of that bright world... forever!"
With that, she took off at tremendous speed, leaving behind a trail of bluish-white light that streaked across the vastness of space.
Five days later
On Earth, to the absolute shock of its residence, Metropolis was suddenly undergoing very usual weather for the month for July. Less than thirty minutes ago, there were hardly any clouds in the sky and the temperature was ninety-five degrees. Now it was snowing with extremely high winds! Even when it wasn't summer, it never snowed in Metropolis! Or, if it did, not this much!
The streets, vehicles, and buildings were covered in snow, which continued to rain down mercilessly as pedestrians and drivers were struggling to get around.
"What the hell?!" a man near a newspaper stand exclaimed. "The weatherman said sunny!"
"Just another day in Metropolis," Frank, the local newspaper vendor, commented.
The newsroom of the Daily Planet was buzzing with many employees gathered around and moving about, some looking out the windows at the snowy weather, while others were watching the news either on the TV screens, computers, or even their phones as it was reported that similar weather had also appeared in other parts of the world.
"I heard the Dead Sea is freezing over!" Steve Lombard commented.
"What do you think is going on, Lois?" Jimmy Olsen, the young photographer, asked.
"Nothing ordinary, Jimmy, that's for sure," Lois answered. "I'm gonna figure out the cause of this sudden winter-in-the-summer before anybody else does."
"I'm sure Superman will figure it out too," Jimmy pointed out.
"You better believe it," Lois agreed, with a slight grin.
In another part of the newsroom, a young woman with short blonde hair named Donna Vallaire noticed Clark as he entered and approached him.
"Hey, Clark," she greeted with a flirtatious smile.
"Donna," Clark greeted back, politely.
"You usually seem to get the Superman angle on things before everybody else," Donna said, placing her hands on Clark's shoulder as she smiled at him. "Have you seen him yet? What does he think is going on? Hmmm?"
"Well, uh..." Clark stammered, adjusting his glasses a bit. "I don't... when it comes to Superman, Lois usually knows stuff before I do. But I'm sure he's doing whatever he can to figure out what's going on."
"You're so sweet and such a wonderful reporter," Donna commented, that flirty smile still on her face. "Not to mention handsome."
"Uh, I have to go," Clark said, politely as ever. "Got a lot of work to do."
He turned away from Donna, only to see Lois standing there.
"Hey, honey," Lois said lovingly to Clark, before turning to Donna with a firm look. "Do you mind, Donna? My husband and I need to talk."
Donna smiled. "No problem."
As she and Clark headed off, Lois said, "Talk about your overeager cub reporters. And what's with that perfume?"
"I don't know, Lois, not that it's any of our concern," Clark said.
They entered the phone booth and Clark closed the door, so no one would hear them.
"So what do you think is causing this?" Lois asked.
"I don't know yet," Clark answered. "Before I came here, Kara, J'onn, and I flew around the entire world. We found a lot of people in trouble, but no sign of who or what is responsible."
"Am I being pessimistic when I say I have a really bad feeling about this?" Lois asked.
"Don't worry, Lois, whatever happens, we'll get through it," Clark assured her.
"Right," Lois nodded.
"I'm gonna head back out and keep looking," Clark told her.
"Okay," Lois said, right before her husband instantly disappeared before her eyes.
Clark had already changed out of his civilian attire and into his Superman suit by the time he got outside a moment later. For some reason, he actually felt the chill of the ongoing snowstorm and high winds. Unless his powers were malfunctioning, this was no ordinary cold weather.
He suddenly caught sight of a bright white streak descending from the stormy, gray sky at a speed that easily rivaled his own. No, whoever or whatever this was seemed to be even faster than him.
Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Clark shot up at full speed towards the descending streak and saw it was an extremely attractive woman with pale skin, pure white eyes, extremely long white hair, and clad in a tight blue leather outfit. Based on her appearance alone, Clark knew right away that this woman was responsible for the weather anomaly. Clenching his fist, he continued flying directly towards her and stopped when he was a few feet in front of her.
The woman stopped too and regarded him curiously as the two hovered before each other.
"Who are you?" Clark demanded, firmly.
"I am Cythonna, Goddest of the Frozen Void!" the woman introduced herself.
Clark frowned, not having heard of her. "Why are you here?"
"To obliterate the last Kryptonian and seal my victory!" Cythonna declared.
"I'm the last Kryptonian," Clark stated, firmly. "Do whatever you want to me, but I'm not gonna let you harm the innocent people of this planet! Let's keep this strictly between you and me!"
Without warning, Cythonna raised her hands and fired a powerful blast of ice at Clark. Clark grunted as he was struck square in the chest, the ice actually harming him, and sent flying back. Cythonna flew towards Clark and backhanded him hard, sending him falling diagonally and crashing into the Daily Planet through one of the windows, right into the newsroom where many of the employees were still gathered.
"Superman!" Jimmy called out, as he and Lois rushed to the Man of Steel.
"What happened out there?" Lois asked her husband in concern, noticing that his nose and bottom lip were bleeding.
"Everybody get back!" Clark ordered, getting back to his feet. "Get back now!"
Everyone gasped in horror as Cythonna flew into the Planet through the shattered window and floated near Clark.
"Holy..." Jimmy muttered.
"Great Ceasar's ghost!" Perry White exclaimed.
"I'm not complaining," Lombard remarked, staring lustfully at the woman.
Clark unleashed his heat vision at Cythonna, burning her in the chest as she was grunted from the discomfort. Cythonna raised her arms and unleashed a concentrated blast of ice at Clark.
"Die, Kryptonian, so I can claim my victory!" Cythonna snarled.
The newsroom was filled with gasps and cries of horror as Superman was frozen solid within a block of ice.
"Oh, my God!" Donna exclaimed in horror.
"She's frozen Superman!" a male employee exclaimed in disbelief.
"I guess the big blue guy wasn't so invincible after all," Lombard commented.
At that moment, the ice cracked and shattered into pieces as the Man of Steel broke free, to everyone's delight.
"Yes!" Jimmy gushed.
Cythonna gawked at her target in a mix of surprise, anger, and disappointment. "You're still alive!"
"Damn right he is," Lois retorted, glaring at the woman. "If you seriously thought that was gonna kill him, you have no idea who you're really up against."
"I've survived worse," Clark added, also glaring at Cythonna. "It's gonna take a lot more than encasing me in ice to put me down."
"That blast would've killed any ordinary Kryptonian!" Cythonna stated, angrily.
"Probably, but I guess I'm no ordinary Kryptonian," Clark told her. "Now why don't we..."
"You must be a child of the Gods themselves!" Cythonna deduced. "And handsome enough to have been sired by Rao!"
"Rao?" Clark repeated in recognition. "What do you..."
"I repent my hasty oath!" Cythonna continued. "This changes everything! You will make my victory over the old order truly complete! I will have you as my mate! Together, we will create a new race of Gods and my children will take the universe by storm!"
"That's never gonna happen!" Clark declared. "I don't know who you really are, but..."
"You have one hour while I explore your realm," Cythonna told him. "Then you will come to me. If you do not, I will destroy this world you rule just as Krypton was destroyed!"
"You wouldn't be the first enemy of mine to make such threats," Clark said, firmly. "I don't care how powerful you are. I will find a way to stop you."
"I cannot be stopped!" Cythonna stated. "I am immortal!" She turned to Lois, pointing and glare daggers at the ace reporter. "You! Your scent is upon him! You must be eliminated!"
As Cythonna raised her hands, preparing to kill Lois, Clark wasted no time speeding protectively in front of the woman he loved more than life itself.
"YOU'RE NOT GONNA HURT HER!" Clark roared, glaring furiously at his female opponent.
At that moment, Cythonna was suddenly thrown across the newsroom by a pair of blurs that rammed into her from behind. She landed on top of a computer, destroying it along with the desk it was sitting on.
Everyone turned to see that Superwoman and Martian Manhunter had entered, floating alongside each other.
Cythonna got up, glaring at the newcomers, and unleashed a powerful blast of ice at them, freezing Kara Kent and John Jones solid.
Clark sped towards her, but Cythonna grabbed him by the neck with one hand and tossed him away. Clark crashed through a wall and out of the Daily Planet before falling towards the ground.
Cythonna set her deadly sight on Lois again and raised her hands, about to try to kill her again, only for the sound of ice cracking and shattering to suddenly distract her. Cythonna turned to Kara and John, who had broken free of the ice.
The Maiden of Might and Last Son of Mars wasted no time speeding towards Cythonna, who punched Kara in the face, sending her flying off and crashing out of the Planet through a window. She then tried to punch John, but he turned intangible before turning back solid a moment later.
"What are you?!" Cythonna snarled.
"I'm Mars' sole survivor," John declared. "There's a reason for that."
He grabbed Cythonna and flung them both of the Planet as they exited through one of the shattered windows.
John grunted as Cythonna quickly overpowered him with her superior strength and threw him to the ground, where he landed on top of a parked car, heavily damaging the vehicle on impact.
Clark and Kara flew up towards Cythonna, who unleashed another blast of ice at them, sending the two Kryptonians falling back towards the ground. Cythonna flew down to the falling Kryptonian, punching Kara and sending her crashing to the ground, forming a crater in the middle of the street. Cythonna then grabbed Clark by his hair and lifted him up so he could look at her.
"One hour," Cythonna ordered. "I shall await you on the roof of your world!"
She then threw Clark on the ground, forming another crater in the street as he landed.
Clark and Kara got back to their feet as John flew to them. The three heroes looked up as Cythonna shot into the sky in a white streak of light.
"We can't let her get away!" Clark insisted, as he, Kara, and John flew up after their opponent. "We have to catch her before..."
They stopped dead in their tracks as Cythonna vanished from their sight.
"She's gone!" Kara said.
"She's clearly much faster than the three of us," John stated. "Possibly as fast as Bart."
"We're dealing with someone who could not only give Bart of all people a run for his money at speed, but is capable of casually tossing around the three of us without breaking a sweat," Clark said, placing a hand to his head. "Somehow, I can still hear the echo of her voice in my head, like she's calling out to me. But I can't get her location."
"My telepathy isn't picking up anything either," John said. "She's either immune to it or somehow blocking it."
"Who is this woman and what does she want?' Kara wondered.
"She told her her name is Cythonna and that she's the Goddess of the Frozen Void," Clark explained. "She seems to know quite a bit about Krypton. She said she came here to eliminate the last Kryptonian and seal her victory, but after it turned out that killing me wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, she assumed I was, in her words, 'a child of the Gods' and decided that I would be her mate instead, which is why she wants me to meet her in an hour."
"I highly doubt you're gonna go through with that, Kal," Kara said.
"Of course I'm not going with it," Clark said, looking at his cousin pointedly. "Kara, you get Lois and take her to the Watchtower, keep her safe. J'onn, you go with her."
"What about you?" John asked.
"I'm going to the Fortress to get some answers," Clark said.
(Fortress of Solitude)
"Jor-El!" Clark called out as he entered. "What can you tell me about Cythonna, who calls herself the Goddess of the Frozen Void?"
"Cythonna is a Kryptonian goddess of ice and darkness who existed since the dawn of time and hails from the furthest regions of a place known as the frozen blackness, bearing a deep hatred for all that is warm and full of light," Jor-El began to explain.
"So she's from Krypton," Clark said in realization. "I can't believe I haven't heard of her until today. What else do you know?"
"She, alone of all the Gods, could bear no children but birthed only roaring monsters of ice and rime," Jor-El continued. "Thus, she is a bringer of fear, cold, despair, and death. When she arrived on Krypton, she spoke to the sun god Rao, with whom she wanted to mate. Rao saw through her intentions, realizing she knew nothing of love and only sought to father her children with him, wild elementals she would send to corrupt the world of light."
"Rao rejected her," Clark said.
"Correct," Jor-El confirmed.
"Now she's repeating history by going after me," Clark said. "What happened next?"
"Rao's rejection of Cythonna infuriated her and incited a war between them, known as the Wars of Ice and Fire," Jor-El went on. "Cythonna was ultimately defeated and the Kryptonian gods passed judgment upon her. Incapable of killing her, Rao banished her to the Frozen Void beyond the borders of existence, where she gathered the souls of the unforgiving dead and vowed that she would return to continue her mission if the power of the gods ever weakened."
"Clearly, she escaped from this Frozen Void," Clark pointed out. "How do I defeat her or send her back to where she was imprisoned?"
"Cythonna and Rao are universal opposites," Jor-El stated. "Whereas Rao is the god of the sun, Cyntonna is the goddess of ice, with one capable of negating the other."
"So you're saying, if I get her to the sun, I can stop her," Clark said in understood.
"Exposing her to the sun will aid you significantly during your battle with Cythonna," Jor-El assured him.
"Thank you, Father," Clark nodded in appreciation, determination written on his face.
"Good luck, my son," Jor-El said.
(LexCorp)
Lex Luthor sat in his office, looking at footage of Cythonna on his laptop. He remembered the Kryptonian goddess from the first time he had lived this very day, so that part of the timeline remained the same. Ever since his mysterious displacement into the past, he had noticed a few differences in events, the glaring change being the presence of Clark's cousin Kara and, of course, the fact that Lex fully remembered the details of his pre-resurrection life, including Clark's secret.
Regarding Cythonna, in the original version of this day, Lex had confronted the alien woman and proposed an alliance between them, given their mutual hatred of Superman. However, Lex's offer turned out to be a mistake, since Cythonna had rejected it and briefly had him under her mind-control, even making him shoot his own hired goons to death against his will. If there was one thing Lex Luthor despised even more than Superman and his father Lionel, it was someone getting inside his head. That was why he had every intention of steering clear of the woman this time around.
But there was one thing he had done last time that he would do again. Contact Superman, or more accurately, Clark Kent, his former best friend, and provide him the device that would aid the Man of Steel in defeating Cythonna. Of course, this act wouldn't be out of any kindness on Lex's part. He simply didn't want to risk altering the outcome of the fight. After all, no one but Lex himself was allowed to destroy Superman when the right time came.
Pressing a button on his watch, Lex got up and headed out to the balcony, where he waited for the person he had contacted to arrive.
Meanwhile, the snowy weather outside had gotten even worse, many of the buildings covered almost entirely in snow while, down below, the streets and vehicles were practically buried underneath it.
Barely two seconds had passed before the world's greatest hero suddenly appeared, floating before the bald billionaire.
"Superman," Lex greeted with a smirk. He was highly tempted to add "Or should I say Clark?", but decided against it for the time being.
"Lex," Clark greeted back in a firm tone. "You're the last person I expected to summon me. If you're just gonna waste my time..."
"On the contrary, I'm gonna help you," Lex stated.
Clark frowned, looking at Lex in disbelief. "Since when do you care to help me, or anyone but yourself for that matter? I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to reach out to Cythonna in an attempt to form an alliance with her."
"Honestly, the thought did occur to me, but something tells me she wouldn't be very accepting of my offer," Lex said.
"You were always smart, I'll give you that," Clark admitted. "It's such a shame you allowed your genius go to waste."
"I beg to differ," Lex countered.
"If you're really gonna help me, Lex, how are you gonna do that?" Clark asked, not in the mood for an argument.
"By supplying you with this," Lex answered, pulling out a palm-sized, oval-shaped device containing a green glow on either end of it. "It's an indestructible magna-weave caisson from the LexCorp lab. It will open when the top is pressed down."
Clark descended and examined the device curiously. "There's kryptonite inside, but I don't feel anything."
"You won't feel the effects of it until it's opened, which means you better be extremely quick and careful when using it against your newest enemy," Lex explained.
"How do you know she's Kryptonian?" Clark asked.
"I have my sources," Lex simply said.
Clark reluctantly took the device from his former friend and glared at him. "Normally, I wouldn't accept anything like this from you, but I need to stop her by any means necessary. Make no mistake, Lex, just because you're helping me this once doesn't make us allies. We're still enemies."
With that, Clark turned around and flew off.
"We wouldn't have it any other way, Clark," Lex said with a smirk. "But in order for our story will continue, you must defeat Cythonna."
He headed back inside his office.
(Nepal)
Cythonna stood on top of the Himalayan mountains as Superman arrived, descending before her.
"I knew you would come," she stated. "No mortal can resist my calling. Let the howling winds proclaim Cythonna's betrothal!" She threw her arms around Clark's neck. "Now kiss me, Child of the Gods, and lose your very identity in the frozen ecstacy of Cythonna's love!"
As Clark felt the compulsion to obey Cythonna's order wash over his mind, he tried hard to resist it, but failed as he leaned forward and kissed her against his will. Cythonna wasted no time returning the kiss.
After a few seconds, Cythonna abruptly broke the kiss and shoved Clark, sending him flying several meters and crashing on the surface of the mountain.
"ARRRRRRGGHH!" Cythonna growled in utter disgust. "The bitter taste of mortality is on your tongue!" She glared furiously at Clark. "You have deceived me! In spite of your apparent power, you are no God! Who are you?!"
"Definitely not a friend or lover of yours!" Clark shot back.
"Play no games with me, dog!" Cythonna snarled. "Down! Down! On your knees before your mistress!" Clark grunted, unable to resist Cythonna's power as he got on his knees. "For this deception, you will grovel at my feet! I will tear your very soul to pieces until you beg for me to kill you!"
Clark continued grunting, trying with every ounce of mental and physical strength within him to stand but couldn't due to Cythonna's power being too strong. He continued to struggle with all his might, having no intention of giving up until he succeeded. He couldn't allow himself to be bent to Cythonna's will. He couldn't allow her to win. The people of Earth, including his friends and family, counted on him. Lois counted on him.
Lois.
"NO!" Clark shouted, suddenly regaining control of his mind as he shot towards his opponent. "I WILL NEVER LET YOU CONTROL ME!"
He slammed his fists into Cythonna's torso, staggering her several feet back.
"Your will is strong, slave!" Cythonna noted, delivering a punch to Clark's face and staggering him back too. "Stronger than the mortals of Krypton I remember!" She punched Clark three more times, marking his face with multiple bruises and cuts as blood flew out of his mouth. She then punching him in the torso, knocking Clark to the ground of the mountain. "There will be much pleasure in breaking such a one! You will beg my forgiveness and my blessings before you die!" She picked Clark up and held him over her head. "Your name, slave! Tell me your name!"
When Clark didn't answer, Cythonna hurled him many feet away and Clark landed on another part of the mountain, damaging it. Grunting and clutching his torso, where he was sure a few bones had been fractured, Clark looked up just as Cythonna appeared before him.
"Speak!" she ordered.
"Superman!" Clark answered. "My name is Superman!"
He once more felt Cythonna's intruding into his mind. No! He couldn't let control his actions again. He had to fight it the way he had done a minute ago.
Enraged by Clark's response, Cythonna shouted, "Liar!" She levitated into the air and unleashed a blast of ice at him, only for Clark to dive out of the way. "You reek of the sun! I will freeze the truth of you! Tell me your name!"
That was when Clark suddenly remembered. "The sun," he muttered to himself. He had to get her there. If that wasn't enough, he would use Lex's kryptonite device against her.
Cythonna sent another powerful blast of ice at him, but Clark avoided it by flying into the air.
"If you want to know my name so badly, it's Kal-El!" Clark snarled, angrily. "And like my ancestors, I reject you completely!"
He unleashed his heat vision at Cythonna, but she avoided it and flew up at him. Clark tried to punch her, but Cythonna froze his arm with a blast of ice before punching him in the chest and then in the face, sending him flying many feet back again.
"Kal-El?!" Cythonna snarled, incredulously. "The House of El?! The House of Light?! You are descended from the House of my greatest enemy?! The sun god who cast me into the void?! Rao himself?!"
Clark stood back up, only for Cythonna to kick him in the chest, knocking him back down. Maybe telling her his name wasn't such a good idea, Clark thought. Her will. Her power. Both were so strong! He needed to end this. He needed to get to the sun. But what if that didn't work? The kryptonite was his other option. What if that failed too? What if the kryptonite ended up killing him while Cythonna turned out to be immune to it? If he died, would the rest of the League be able to stop Cythonna without him? The last thing he wanted was for his death to leave the world doomed.
Cythonna leapt on top of Clark and grabbed him around the throat, choking him as he struggled to breath.
"Now, Child of Light, despair!" Cythonna snarled, before pummeling Clark in the face, chest, and torso. "Even the Gods could not destroy me! And I was always worshipped by mortals in the dark! With your death and that of the female Kryptonian who bears your crest, the final trace of the Gods of the dawn will be extinguished!" She continued punching Clark repeatedly, his face now covered in more bruises, cuts, and blood. "I shall find other mates to father the new gods of the icy night and Earth shall be their arctic home!"
Clark grunted, both from the pain of the powerful blows to his body and the mental hold Cythonna yet again had over his mind, the latter hindering his ability to move, think, and fight back. He couldn't let her beat him. Not like this!
(Metropolis)
In Watchtower, Tess brought up the footage of Clark's fight with Cythonna in the Himalayan mountains on the computer. Kara, John, and Lois were standing behind her as the four watched Cythonna pummel and thrown around Clark.
"Clark..." Lois trailed off in concern.
"That's it!" Kara angered, clenching his fists. "I'm on my way there!"
"So am I," John stated. "We not let this woman kill Kal-El."
"Kick her ass," Lois told them.
"We will," Kara promised, before she and John flew out of Watchtower in a pair of blurs.
(LexCorp)
Lex took a sip of his scotch as he watched the fight between the Man of Steel and Goddess of Ice on his laptop. The fight was going exactly as he remembered it, with Cythonna trouncing Clark around like a rag doll and beating him to a pulp. But, unlike the rest of the world, he knew exactly how it would end.
(Star City, Secondary Watchtower)
Ollie and Chloe were also watching the fight, concerned expressions on their faces.
"Come on, Clark, you got this," Ollie said.
"He'll beat her," Chloe said, confidently. "He always pulls through in the end."
"Well, let's hope your unwavering optimism isn't misplaced," Ollie said.
(Gotham, Batcave)
Bruce was sitting in front of the computer, clad in his Batsuit with the cowl down. Barbara, Dick, and Alfred were standing around him as they were also watching the footage of the fight taking place in the Himalayan mountains.
"Good heavens!" Alfred exclaimed.
"I've never seen Supes take this much of a beating before," Dick said.
"He has," Barbara pointed out. "Remember Doomsday's rampage two years ago?"
"Right," Dick nodded.
"Any idea who this woman is, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked.
"She's from Krypton like Clark," Bruce stated, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"How do you know that?" Alfred asked.
"Because of what she was saying to him," Bruce answered.
(Nepal)
Cythonna lifted Clark up by the neck with one hand.
"Our last embrace, Kal-El," she snarled. "One soul-devouring kiss and Krypton is gone... forever!"
"NO!" Clark shouted, punching Cythonna in the face and staggering her back. He then shot straight up into the sky in a red and blue streak of light. "It's time to end this!"
As Cythonna flew after Clark, it took them seconds to exit Earth's atmosphere and enter space.
"To think that I mistook you for one of the gods!" Cythonna snarled. "That I would've taken you as my mate! Flee in panic while you still can, Kal-El! The closer I get, the stronger my call!"
As Clark flew directly towards the sun, all his cuts, bruises, and fractured bones healed instantly. He also felt his full strength and stamina returning to him.
"Is your heart already pounding with anticipation?!" Cythonna continued. "The fire longing for the irresistible quenching cold?! Yes, you are handsome like Rao himself, but the resemblance ends there! Though I could not bend him to my will, he was so... beautiful... and I desired to preserve that beauty in all its frozen splendor forever while you... well, as you say here on Earth, handsome is as handsome does!"
As Clark reached the sun, he hovered right in front of the massive, fiery, yellow orb with his arms folded against his chest, while Cythonna flew towards him. As she reached him, Clark delivered a powerful upper cut under her chin, knocking her into the air. He flew up after her and slammed his fists into her torso, sending her flying upwards again. Flying after Cythonna once more, Clark punched her in the chest again, this time sending her flying towards the sun. She let out a short scream of agony as her body made contact with the sun's surface.
"Impossible!" Cythonna roared, glaring furiously at Clark. "You're completely healed! Unscarred!"
"And my mind is fully free of you, thanks to the sunlight!" Clark firmly told her. "You're in my territory now! Near the sun, your powers won't be as effective against me as they were on Earth! You'll find it harder to hurt me now, Cythonna!"
"I will not be beaten a second time!" Cythonna declared. "You are only a mortal while I... I am a God!"
She flew at Clark, shoving him towards the sun. She tried to grab him, but Clark caught her arms by the wrists and held them firmly.
"And I will have your life!" Cythonna finished, struggling to break free from his grip.
"If that's what it takes!" Clark remarked. "But there's one thing you should know... we're about evenly matched now!"
With that, he hurled Cythonna into the sun and she screamed in pure agony as the extreme heat ripped into her body.
"I don't want to kill you, Cythonna!" Clark said. "Swear, as a goddess of Krypton, by the blazing nimbus of Rao, that you will leave Earth, the Solar System, and this galaxy, and I will save you! It's not too late!"
"NOOOOOOO!" Cythonna shouted. "The heat! The unbearable heat!" She suddenly threw herself forward and grabbed Clark, wrapping her arms around his body in an effort to restrain him. "It is not for you to decide my fate, mortal..."
"What..." Clark trailed off.
"But rather for me to decide yours!" Cythonna finished. "Fool that I am! I see now that even after all these eons, it is the hand of Rao himself still reaching across the millennia to destroy me! But I will not be denied! I will drag you to deep space and destroy you!"
Clark suddenly broke free from Cythonna's embrace. "Give it up, Goddess! We're not going anywhere! Because of the power of the sun, your power is waning every second!"
"Only Rao has ever broken my embrace before!" Cythonna stated. "I am weakening!" At that moment, her attractive face transformed into a monstrous, demonic-like look, while her teeth sharpened and grew longer. "You have proven yourself!" she said to Clark, her voice becoming deeper. "You are worthy of my favor, and lovers should have no secrets!" The rest of Cythonna's body also transformed, becoming completely inhuman as she grew at least a foot taller and long, sharp claws appeared on her fingers. "SO GAZE UPON THE TRUE VISAGE OF CYTHONNA, MISTRESS OF THE FROZEN VOID AND RULE OF THE BITTER NIGHT, AND I WILL CLAIM THE BODY AND SOUL Of RAO'S LAST DESCENDANT ON THE BLAZING ALTAR OF THE SUN GOD HIMSELF!"
Cythonna grabbed Clark's shoulders, causing him to grunt as she started freezing his body, inside and out. He had to get her closer to the sun, even if she killed him.
"SURRENDER, KAL-EL, AND GIVE ME WHAT I CRAVE!" Cythonna ordered in a deep, booming voice. "YOU MUST! YOUR LIFE, YOUR SOUL, ICE AND FIRE FUSED INTO ONE IN A LOVER'S TRYST!"
She wrapped her arms around Clark's neck in a chokehold as he struggled to break free from her grasp. There was no doubt that, despite the close proximity to the sun, she had become stronger than him again now that she was in her true, monstrous form.
"YOUR EBBING LIFE WILL RESTORE MY POWERS ENOUGH TO ESCAPE THIS HELL AND RECOVER, BUT PART OF YOUR FROZEN SOUL WILL LIVE FOREVER ENSHRINED IN MY ETERNAL MALICE!" Cythonna declared. "RAO IS MINE AT LAST!"
Clark continued to grunt, his heartbeat getting slower with each passing moment as Cythonna's cold touch had enveloped his entire body.
Then something happened.
A red and blue blur slammed into Cythonna's back with immense force, causing the evil Goddess of Ice to lose her hold on Clark.
"Leave my cousin alone, witch!" Kara shouted angrily before punching Cythonna in the chest, knocking her into the sun.
"Kara," Clark muttered in relief.
"Sorry I didn't come sooner, Kal-El," she apologized. "I ran into some people who needed help and couldn't ignore them."
"It's okay," Clark said in understanding.
"How are you feeling?" Kara asked.
"Better than how I felt before you showed up," Clark answered. "She's not as strong as she was on Earth. Between the two of us, we can..."
A loud, angry roar erupted as Cythonna leapt out of the sun directly towards Clark and Kara.
"NOW I'LL HAVE YOU BOTH, KRYPTONIANS!" Cythonna snarled. "I SHOULD NEVER HAVE FORSWORN MY BLOOD OATH! EVEN FOR RAO! BUT I WILL..."
Clark and Kara flew towards Cythonna, punching her simultaneously and knocking her into the sun again.
Clark took out the 'magna-weave caisson' device.
"Considering it was Lex who gave you that thing, I'm not so sure I like the idea of you using it," Kara said to her cousin. "What if it kills you?"
"If it means stopping Cythonna, that's a risk I have to take," Clark said.
Kara nodded in understanding. "Just be careful."
As Cythonna once again leapt out of the sun, Clark pressed the device and wasted no time hurling it at her. The device hit the Goddess of Ice square in the torso, exploding on impact as she was engulfed by a bright greenish-white light. After a few seconds, the light faded, revealing a weakened Cythonna, back in her human form as her body was drenched with liquid kryptonite.
"GAAHHHHHHHH!" Cythonna screamed in pure agony as she fell in the direction of the sun.
"Looks like it worked," Kara noted.
"It definitely did more than stun her," Clark stated. "She's being pulled into the sun's core. Without the strength to free herself from its massive gravity, she'll be trapped there for all time, right in the heart of Rao's fury."
"Couldn't be more fitting," Kara said with a grin.
"Let's get back to Earth," Clark said. "We still have a lot of work to do."
Back on Earth
The weather all over the world was back to normal, with Metropolis experiencing nice, sunny weather appropriate for the summer. Clark and Kara flew around the world, using their heat vision to melt all the snow and evaporate the floods caused by the excess water left behind in the wake of Cythonna's rampage.
(LexCorp)
Lex was waiting on his balcony when Superman arrived. Right on time, Lex thought to himself.
"Let me guess, you're here to thank me," Lex said.
"It's the least I could do," Clark replied. "Your kryptonite bomb was a big help in stopping Cythonna. For that, I owe you a thanks."
"I was just saving the world like you do on a daily basis," Lex pointed out. "Regardless of how you think of me, that's all I've ever wanted to do."
"You keep telling yourself that, Lex," Clark said, firmly. "You never help anyone if it doesn't benefit you somehow. We both know what you did was more about survival and not out of a genuine care for the lives of others. You even admitted that you considered forming an alliance with her, which no rational person would do."
Lex smirked. "I'll be seeing you around, Superman."
"Can't say I'm looking forward to it," Clark retorted, before flying off.
"But I am, Clark," Lex muttered, before heading back inside.
He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. After typing in his password, Lex clicked open a video and a live image of Winslow Schott aka Toyman working on something in a dimly lit room appeared.
"Mr. Schott," Lex greeted.
"Hello, Mr. Luthor," Toyman greeted with an insane grin.
"How is your progress coming along?" Lex inquired.
"Slowly but surely, Mr. Luthor," Toyman answered. "It will take some time to complete, but I guarantee it will be absolutely worth our while."
"Take as much time as you need," Lex said. "I'm a very patient man."
"As I promised you, Mr. Luthor, this will be my greatest achievement," Toyman assured the billionaire. "Superman, Queen, and their playfellows won't stand a chance."
"Keep me updated," Lex ordered.
"Will do, Mr. Luthor," Toyman promised.
Lex closed the video, producing a smirk. "It's only a matter of time."
(Clark and Lois' apartment, night)
"So she made you kiss her, huh?" Lois said with a playful smirk as she and Clark were in the living room sitting on the couch.
"I'm sorry, Lois," Clark said. "I tried to resist it, but..."
"No need for an apology, Smallville," Lois said. "You weren't yourself and I have no reason to hold something that wasn't your fault against you. I'm just glad the Man of Steel also has a willpower of steel."
"Maybe my willpower should've been stronger," Clark said, remorsefully.
"Don't even go there, honey," Lois told him. "The fact that you broke free from her super-evil, super-toxic clutches before she could fully turn you into her personal boytoy shows that it's strong enough." She placed her hands on Clark's shoulders, smiling lovingly at him. "Not many people would've been as strong as you."
"Point taken," Clark said, smiling back at her. "Just know that there is only one woman in the entire universe that I'd kiss willingly."
"And who is this lucky woman?" Lois asked, playfully.
In response, Clark wrapped his arms around Lois' waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Lois wasted no time returning the kiss with equal passion.
Cythonna is a villainess who appeared in a one-shot comic called Superman: The Last God of Krypton, which the arc in this chapter was inspired by.
For anybody wondering, with the exception of the first scene, this chapter took place five days after the previous one.