Finally Meet!

Jason spotted Damian Wayne. Kara sensed a mysterious force that made her involuntarily look toward Superman across from her. As for Zhang Ye, he looked at Constantine, who was walking at the very back.

Their gazes met, impossibly complicated and profound.

Like starlight that could not be fathomed, they collided fiercely at the point where their eyes crossed.

It was a complex, indescribable emotion both sides could understand. They seemed surprised, confused, and anxious by each other’s arrival, with a measure of anger mixed in.

Jason Todd in particular had always been quite close to Damian Wayne. Back when he had been Robin, he had always taken great care of the biological son his adoptive father had brought home.

Though Jason had plenty of complaints about Batman leaving him home alone to go have a child, he sincerely believed that Damian Wayne was the only one who could inherit Batman’s mantle.

But now, as he looked at this younger brother who had suffered a single setback and then hidden away in the remote mountains for two years, Jason’s eyes held nothing but deep disappointment.

His palm trembled slightly before curling into a fist. Jason narrowed his eyes, a dangerous chill flashing through his gaze.

"Damian."

Damian Wayne was dressed in Chinese armor, and paired with his handsome features, he looked like a young general.

He was also shocked by Jason’s appearance. After all, Jason’s death at the hands of the Doomsday Para-demons was as well known as the Green Arrow family’s annihilation.

Though he did not know how Jason had survived, Damian Wayne was genuinely happy to see him standing before him. However, beneath Jason’s stare, he could feel the disappointment and anger radiating from him.

"…Jason."

Damian Wayne’s eyes shifted away slightly as he replied softly.

"…Dick handed the Titans over to you. Bruce handed Gotham over to you. And the League of Assassins is in your hands now. Is this how you repay them?"

Jason subtly clenched his teeth, doing his best to restrain the anger in his heart. To him, this was their own family business, and outsiders should not be allowed to laugh at them.

However, although Jason tried his hardest to conceal his emotions, the slight twitch at the corner of his eye and his faintly sarcastic words still gave him away. Everyone sensed his mood.

Kara’s reaction was even more intense than Jason’s. She was the first to move, walking straight toward Clark.

Kara’s sudden movement quickly drew everyone’s attention. By now, they all knew of the connection between Kara and Superman. Even those who did not could infer something from Kara’s distinctly Kryptonian suit.

Before this, no one had known about Kara’s background. Not even Barbara Gordon and the others had told Lois, so one could imagine how shocked Clark was when he saw Kara.

Although Clark’s body had become as frail as that of an ordinary person because of the Liquid Kryptonite, his Kryptonian genes remained. Like the Spider-Man from another universe, he instantly sensed the Kryptonian bloodline within Kara.

"You… you’re…?!"

Clark’s green pupils contracted sharply. His clenched hands and increasingly trembling body revealed the turmoil in his heart.

Though he had never met Kara in person, he had learned of her existence in the Fortress of Solitude. He remembered that he should have a cousin from Krypton as well.

Kara silently approached Clark. The entire scene was so quiet that only her footsteps could be heard. No one even dared breathe too loudly, afraid of disrupting the atmosphere between them.

No one felt this more deeply than Zhang Ye. He had spent the most time with Kara and understood the girl best.

More than once, Kara had spoken with Zhang Ye about what it would be like when she met her cousin. Back then, they had been full of all kinds of fantasies, discussing every sort of wondrous scenario.

Yet at this very moment—

When Kara truly saw her cousin in another universe, she suddenly realized that she could not say a single one of the things she had imagined saying before.

Even after walking up to Clark, Kara did not speak. Enduring the slight discomfort caused by the Kryptonite radiation, she slowly raised her head.

Looking at this cousin who appeared many times older than herself, this elder whose hair had already turned white and whose face bore the marks of hardship, Kara’s eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Clark’s throat moved. He was already certain of her identity, and the immense surprise instantly filled his heart. His eyes heated up, and tears nearly spilled out.

No one could understand the pain and loneliness of being Earth’s only Kryptonian, nor did anyone know how much suffering he had endured after his devastating defeat. Looking at the young Kara, Clark choked up.

"It… it really is you."

Clark slowly raised a hand, intending to touch the woman before him.

The scene felt too unreal to him. He was afraid this was nothing more than a dream.

The next moment—

Slap!

A crisp slap.

Along with very real pain and the oppressive atmosphere, it struck Clark squarely across the face.

The sharp sound and Kara’s sudden action startled everyone present.

They could not understand how what should have been a beautiful reunion between cousins had abruptly taken such a turn. Even Zhang Ye could not help frowning slightly.

Clark’s head tilted to one side, his gaze drifting blankly. That slap had completely stunned him as well.

Then Kara’s angry voice, strained with suppressed tears, rang beside his ear.

"You’ve disappointed me too much, Carl!"

Kara looked at Clark with complex emotions and called him by his Kryptonian name.

"You’ve forgotten our ancestral teachings. How could you dare start a war of your own accord and let your ‘homeland’ be engulfed in war!"

As they listened to Kara berate Clark, the astonishment in everyone’s eyes gradually eased. Even Kate and Barbara Gordon slowly relaxed their tense bodies.

Watching the scene, Zhang Ye pondered for a moment before nodding approvingly.

He had not understood why Kara had suddenly acted this way, but he quickly grasped the key to it.

Because of his flawed plans and command, Clark had caused the Justice League to be wiped out and directly led to Earth’s fall and occupation. The surviving heroes all hated him to the bone.

Some, like Barbara Gordon and the others, would not actively seek trouble with Clark. Yet from the way they conducted themselves, it was clear they were deliberately distancing and excluding him. It could be said that, aside from Lois, no one on Earth still regarded Clark as a friend.

Kara’s slap was also an explanation to those people.

An explanation from Clark’s cousin in another world.

After all, not everyone was like Constantine, who could use drunken courage as an excuse to beat Clark up and vent his anger. Most people were sensitive and fragile. They would not hurt Clark, but neither would they ever associate with him again.

Still, Zhang Ye believed that after this slap, their attitude toward Clark might soften somewhat.

They would not return to how things had once been, but at least they would no longer be complete strangers, never speaking to one another until death.

That was also a good thing for Zhang Ye. After all, he would eventually bring these people to the Wasteland Universe. Naturally, he hoped they could stand united in the future rather than remain wary of one another.

And since Kara had been able to think of and carry out this so well, it seemed she really had grown.

Still, few people could understand the deeper meaning behind Kara’s actions. Everyone remained silent, quietly watching what would happen next.

Before long, the entire atmosphere became oppressive.

Lady Shiva noticed this as well. She spoke first, breaking the stiff, chilly tension.

"Ahem… I imagine they need some time to talk properly. I’ll take you inside."

Everyone except Kara looked toward Zhang Ye, waiting for his response. Once Zhang Ye gave a slight nod of permission, they all understood and followed Lady Shiva into the fortress.

They knew that what would happen next was not something they could take part in.

The Assassins also slipped away one by one, returning to their posts. Outside the gates, only Jason and Damian Wayne, Kara and Clark, and Constantine and Zhang Ye remained—the six of them.