[Third Person Pov]
Boros leaned forward on one knee, slowly closing his single eye after finishing his thorough appraisal of the hero standing before him. “You are an interesting person, Superman. Your power astonishes me.”
“Thank you…?” Clark replied, tilting his head slightly in confusion. He was quietly using his super vision to examine Boros in return, carefully noting the immense amount of energy the alien conqueror was suppressing beneath the surface. Not bad, he thought to himself.
“I believe the polite thing to do in this situation is to introduce ourselves properly,” Boros continued, pushing himself up from his throne with regal poise. “My name is Boros, a conqueror with grand aspirations. I am the captain of the Dark Matter Thieves.”
“A pirate with manners. Not something you see every day,” Clark said casually, placing one hand behind his neck in a relaxed posture.
He stood nonchalantly, hand still resting there, and continued, “I am Kal-El of Krypton—guardian and hero of this planet. I ensure the safety of this world from otherworldly dangers… and right now, you’re a pretty significant threat to that.”
“Kal-El of Krypton…” Boros repeated the name slowly, as if committing it to memory with deep respect.
“Look, as a hero, I suppose I have to at least try to be diplomatic,” Clark said with a sigh. “Can’t you take your grand aspirations elsewhere? They aren’t exactly good for this planet.”
“I cannot. I apologize,” Boros answered sincerely, his voice carrying genuine regret. “It is not within my nature. I desire to one day conquer the universe, and I believe you are the obstacle standing directly in my way.”
“Well, at least you’re sorry,” Clark muttered sarcastically, shaking his head. “Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re one of Lala’s suitors?”
“I am not,” Boros scoffed, clearly offended by the suggestion. “I hold no desire for the princess. Please do not lump me in with those insects—that is beneath me.” He began walking down the wide steps of his throne with deliberate, powerful strides.
“Hold on,” Clark said, his brows furrowing in genuine confusion. “You mean to tell me you want to conquer the universe but you don’t want to marry Lala to do it?”
“That is correct,” Boros confirmed, spreading his arms wide as he continued his descent. “If I am to conquer this universe, it will be done by my own hands, my own abilities, and my own power—by the right of conquest once I defeat Emperor Gid of Deviluke. One does not become the dominator of the universe by marrying the right person. It is achieved by being the absolute best of the best… by becoming the pinnacle of existence itself.”
“Then why the heck are you here, man?” Clark asked in clear exasperation, running a hand down his face. “If you want to conquer the universe so badly, go bother Gid. Why are you bothering me about it?”
“Because I received a prophecy,” Boros replied as he finally reached the bottom of the steps. “I was once a traveler, journeying from planet to planet in search of a worthy opponent who could bring true stimulation back to my existence. Due to my overwhelming strength, I eventually grew besieged by boredom. With nothing better to challenge me, I set my ambitions on the throne of the universe. Once that decision was made, I incidentally encountered a seer. I became curious about my odds against the Emperor, and she told me something very interesting.”
Boros locked eyes with Clark, his voice growing heavier with purpose. “She told me there was a greater obstacle to my goal than the Emperor himself. She spoke of a man of steel who would stand as an unbreakable wall in the path of my destiny, residing on a seemingly insignificant backwater planet. In order for me to accomplish my goal, I must overcome this obstacle… or I will stand no chance.”
Clark’s lips curled into a faint smirk, and he rolled his eyes the moment he heard the “Man of Steel” comment.
Boros began walking closer to Clark, his heavy footsteps echoing through the grand chamber. “I highly suspect you are that Man of Steel I have been searching for. To think that the obstacle standing in my way was the fiancé of the princess—a competitor for the throne—”
“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Clark scoffed, his lips curling with contempt. “I don’t want the throne. I don’t want to become the emperor of the universe.”
Boros blinked in visible surprise. “You don’t? Then why are you engaged to the princess?”
“To protect her against another sui—” Clark stopped mid-sentence. The words felt strangely wrong as they left his mouth, heavy and awkward on his tongue.
He looked down at the floor for a long moment, his brows knitting together in deep thought.
---
“Kal-El!” Lala’s bright and beautiful smile flashed vividly in his mind as she called his name with pure joy.
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“Good morning, Clark!” she had said softly, clinging to him while looking up from his chest with that cheerful, heart-melting grin after waking up beside him one peaceful morning.
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“Hehehe~” Lala giggled happily as she clung tightly to his arm during their walk to school together, her warmth and energy lighting up the entire day.
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“Superman is nothing more than a reflection—a reflection of who you truly are as a person. Superman can only be kind because you are kind. Superman can be just because you are just. Whatever good lies inside of you, Superman reflects that.”
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Lala had burst into bright laughter as she stepped in front of him, reaching out to playfully tug on the iconic curl of hair at the front of his head. “Boing. Boing. Boing.”
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“Shows what you know. He’s not Superman because he’s undefeatable. He’s Superman because he’s someone you can always count on.”
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“Waaaah! Clark! Hahaha!” Lala’s unrestrained laughter echoed in his memory as he spun her around playfully. Without hesitation, he had leaned in and pressed an exaggerated, affectionate kiss against her cheek.
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“Mark my words, Kal-El Clark Ayase… I will make you fall in love with me. One way or another, I’ll make sure your feelings for me match mine—maybe even surpass them! And that’s a promise.”
---
Clark had a hand over his mouth, staring up at the ceiling as these intimate moments with Lala flooded through his mind one after another.
A reluctant, genuine smile slowly broke through behind his hand. He blinked slowly, the realization settling warmly in his chest. She got me good, didn’t she…?
Clark finally looked back down toward the now visibly confused Boros, who was wondering why he had suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Lowering his hand from his face, Clark crossed his arms over his chest and let out a heavy sigh. He answered honestly, “I’m with Lala not because I want the throne… but because I have feelings for her. Plain and simple.”
“I see,” Boros nodded respectfully. “I can respect that.”
Without any further warning, Boros’ fist came flying out of nowhere in a lightning-fast right hook. The punch struck Clark head-on. Even before the fist reached its target, the atmosphere itself gave way with a deafening sonic boom. The air collapsed violently around the strike, erupting into a massive billowing white cloud of compressed vapor that swallowed Clark for a split second before exploding outward in a raging hurricane of wind.
“Now that the introductions are out of the way,” Boros roared with an expectant, battle-hungry grin, “let’s see if you can truly give stimulation to my existence—if you are really the wall I must overcome!!”
Once the air cleared, Clark stood exactly where he had been, arms still crossed, one eyebrow raised in a deadpan ‘Really?’ expression.
Boros’ single eye widened in disbelief. His fist was steaming hot, smoke rising from it as it pressed firmly against Clark’s unmoved face like a piece of superheated iron. Yet Superman remained completely undeterred, not even budging an inch.
“I guess we’re fighting now,” Clark said calmly as he dropped into a fighting stance, holding up two fingers in preparation for a one-inch punch.
His hand blurred forward with impossible speed. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Clark casually stood back up straight and smiled.
“Was that supposed to do somethi—”
Suddenly, blood violently gushed from Boros’ eyes, nose, and mouth. His entire armored body shuddered as the delayed impact hit him like a freight train. The world turned into a blur around him as he was sent flying backward at tremendous velocity. He smashed straight through his own throne, crumbling the massive structure into pieces, and crashed heavily against the far wall in a thunderous explosion that rattled the entire space vessel.
“Dude, I was going through an epiphany,” Clark called out, brushing himself off. “It was pretty rude of you to attack me right then. Also, who the hell do you think you are, asking me for stimulation? You ask your girl that—not me.”