Part 14: Crossing the Line

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The plane Bruce had stashed in the vast cave system beneath Gotham was state-of-the-art and barely five minutes later they were up in the air and speeding towards Metropolis at several times the speed of sound. Still, it wasn't fast enough for Diana. Not nearly fast enough. Supergirl had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

By now she was quite sure that the villain they were facing was indeed Ultraman, the Earth-3 doppelganger of Superman. Earth-3 had been a world almost geometrically opposed to their own. Britain fought for its independence against Imperial America. The Allies, consisting of Germany, Japan, Italy, and Austria had fought the Axis of Britain, France, Russia, and Ireland when the British Jews started slaughtering every single Christian in their country. And in present times this world had been ruled by the Crime Syndicate, that Earth's version of the Justice League.

Diana did not know how much Ultraman's personal history might match that of Kal-El, but she did know one thing. He was powerful. Potentially even more powerful than Superman due to one very dangerous aspect of his powers.

One that could prove lethal to Kara unless Diana got there soon.

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A surge of different emotions went through Kara. Pain from the beating she had received, relief that this murderer in front of her was not really her cousin, shame for even thinking he might be, and rage. Rage was quickly getting the upper hand.

Her body was bruised and broken, but the realization that she was not facing her cousin in battle gave Kara a second wind. The psychological handicap she had put upon herself, holding back for fear of hurting someone she loved, fell away. Ultraman, who thought he had the battle won already, was quite surprised when Kara returned his earlier favour and sent a burst of concentrated heat vision right into his eyes.

Screaming, Ultraman stumbled back, his chokehold on Kara's neck loosening. With a burst of strength the Kryptonian woman fought free and almost fell to the ground, her knees weak and shaky. Cursing at herself she regained her footing.

When Ultraman's sight cleared up he almost took another step back, faced with the look of naked rage on Supergirl's face.

With a snarl she was upon him, ramming her smaller body into his like a torpedo. The impact sent shockwaves in all directions, reducing even more of the city to rubble, but right now Kara was beyond caring. Blow after super-speed blow rained down upon Ultraman, breaking at least one of his ribs and causing blood to gush from his broken nose and split lip. He landed blows in turn, but right now Kara barely seemed to feel them.

"You have no right wearing that face," she growled at him.

He would have growled something back, but her next blow hit his mouth and shattered several of his teeth. Incredible as it was, he seemed to be losing this battle. The girl was fighting with complete disregard for her own health and though she might well expire from the wounds he was giving her, right now it looked like she'd be fine with that if only she could kill him first.

As much as he hated it, it was time to play his ace in the hole.

Kara was in a frenzy. Some distant part of her still screamed that she was putting innocent lives on the line with every second she continued this fight. The city was crumbling around them and though the immediate vicinity was empty of civilians now (living ones anyway) the battle might well spill into populated areas at a moment's notice. She didn't care, though. All she cared about was this villain who wore her cousin's face, used his powers to kill the innocent. Yet another monster killing people left and right and laughing while he did it. Just like the Anti-Monitor. Someone had to stop the monsters. Whatever it took.

Suddenly, though, a sharp pain went through her body and she doubled over. Ultraman, now prone and bleeding, shoved her away and she hit the ground hard. It took her but a few moments to recognize the pain. She had felt it numerous times before, but never expected to feel it here.

Kryptonite!

Ultraman was holding a slice of glowing green rock in his hand, no telling where he had hidden it earlier, and managed to put a smile back on his ruined face. Even as she barely managed not to cry out from the pain she watched in amazement as his wounds started to heal at an advanced rate. What was going on? If he was a doppelganger of Kal he should be just as vulnerable to Kryptonite as she was.

"I guess your cousin never gave you the full story about me, did he?" Ultraman laughed, growing stronger by the second. "A delicious difference between your world and mine, really. While your world's Kryptonians die from this wonderful rock, I just grow stronger."

Bending down, his hand clamped around her throat once again and he picked her up like she weighed nothing. Kara wanted to resist, but he was shoving the Kryptonite into her face, its lethal radiation sapping what little strength remained in her body.

"Strong enough to snap your pretty little neck, I think." Ultraman's grin turned vicious.

Kara's eyes rolled back in her head as she started slipping into blessed unconsciousness when the grip around her neck suddenly fell away once more. She fell to the ground in a heap, the only thing she was aware of the little green Kryptonite slice, which fell to the ground by her side.

"Get it away from her," she heard someone yell. A familiar voice. Diana?

A shadow fell on her and she managed to look up, seeing a man bend over her. For a moment she panicked, thinking it was Ultraman coming to finish her off, but moments later she recognized Dick Grayson. Earth-2's Robin wasted no time picking up the Kryptonite and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, taking it out of range.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain started to fade. Someone was kneeling beside her and Kara turned over to see Helena. The young woman was hovering protectively, but her eyes were on something else. Kara managed to turn all the way and saw what she was looking at.

Diana had arrived and was laying into Ultraman with every bit of strength she had. The Earth-3 doppelganger of Superman was still standing, but taking quite a pounding. Kara managed a smile. Thankfully it seemed that he was every bit as vulnerable to Diana's magic-based powers as she herself was. Rao alone knew what might have happened to all of them if magic would have made him more powerful, too.

After less than a minute, though, it became apparent that Diana wouldn't win this fight. Ultraman had taken quite a beating earlier, but the brief exposure to Kryptonite had reinvigorated him. And magic or no magic, Diana was no match for a fully powered Kryptonian, especially one that had no scruples about using his full strength against her.

"What is it with you women?" Ultraman snarled, sending Diana flying with a vicious punch. "You think you can defeat me? I ruled an entire world. I beat the Supermen of two different dimensions. Nothing can defeat me."

Even though every single inch of her body howled in protest Kara managed to get back to her feet. Helena remained by her side, supporting her, a look of worry on her face.

"You can't go back in there," the young vigilante whispered to her. "You can barely stand."

"Diana will be killed unless I help her. Together we have a chance."

She tried to take a step, but immediately fell to her knees in pain. She could feel the broken bones inside her tearing her up. God, even the Anti-Monitor hadn't hurt her this badly. He had finished her off to quickly for her to feel this much pain. Well, maybe she couldn't stand, but there were other ways.

Ultraman was about to land a punch that would take Diana's head off when another burst of heat vision hit him in the small of his back. He screamed in pain, what little remained of his clothing burning away. He turned around, only to be hit with another burst in the face. Kara was almost dying from the effort it took to keep the blasts coming, but she kept up a barrage that sent Ultraman tumbling end over end into a heap of wreckage.

Diana, wiping blood from her face, struggled back to her feet.

"We need to end this," Kara heard her whisper.

Ultraman was also back on his feet, but visibly shaken. "You can't beat me," he grumbled, his voice slurred. "I'm all-powerful."

Diana landed a punch on his chin, sending him careening upward. A moment later Kara laid into him with her vision powers again, the impact driving him into the side of a crumbling skyscraper. When he peeled off the wall and started falling Diana was waiting again, dishing out a kick that would have sent Superman himself to the mat.

Ultraman was back on his feet again, though.

"Kry-Kryptonite," he stammered. "N-need ... where is ..."

He was weakening, Kara realized. The power burst the Kryptonite had given him was fading. Some of the wounds she had given him earlier seemed to be opening up again. Was it possible ...? In her world Kryptonians were powered by the sun while Kryptonite killed them. Kryptonite powered Ultraman. Was it possible that it was his sole power source? Would he lose all his powers if separated from it too long?

"Keep it up," Diana yelled, hitting him again. Somehow Kara found the strength for another heat vision attack. And another. And another. And Ultraman kept getting back up.

"W-won't beat me!" His face was a bloody mess, one of his eyes completely swollen shut. His left arm stood off at an impossible angle. "Won't be b-beaten by a b-bunch of ... w-women. I'm U-Ultraman."

Then he finally fell to his knees.

Kara barely had enough strength left to keep her eyes trained on him, certain that another burst of heat vision would kill her. They had him down, but what now? No telling if he wouldn't regain his strength even without the Kryptonite. They couldn't take that risk. Not after everything he had already done to this poor, defenceless world.

For a moment Kara took her eyes off Ultraman and met those of Diana, the two women sharing a moment of perfect understanding. Diana simply nodded. No words were needed.

"W-won't beat me," Ultraman whispered, but it was clear he was finished.

Slowly, limping from her injuries, Diana walked up behind him. Helena, who was so far out of her league in this battle that she felt uncomfortable even saying anything, watched in confusion before finally understanding what was about to happen. For a moment she seemed about to protest, but then shut her mouth and kept her silence.

Without another word Diana cupped Ultraman's chin with one hand, placed the other on the back of his head, and then twisted.

CRACK!

TO BE CONTINUED