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When the soldiers tried to confirm what theyâd just seen and looked again through their binoculars, the figure suspected to be Superman had already disappeared.
At the same time, massive booms rang out in successionâlike countless fighter jets breaking the sound barrier in rapid bursts.
Superman had a good plan: keep the destruction below a certain threshold, and ideally lure Void away from densely populated areas.
But too many people knew the comic version of Supermanâhis personality, his weaknesses, his behavioral code. Void ignored the openings meant to bait him away and instead did everything he could to remain within the forest of skyscrapers.
The battle thus became one-sided: one fighter restrained at every turn, the other utterly unrestrained.
Because he feared causing collateral damage, the angles and directions from which Superman could attack were limited. Having seen through this, Void naturally exploited the advantage.
Supermanâs attacks were often blocked. In contrast, Voidâs blows forced Superman to take them head-onâbecause if he didnât properly absorb or redirect them, the aftermath could easily be the collapse of another building.
Despite a full day of chaos, as long as New York City hadnât issued a full evacuation order, not everyone had fled. Some ran at the first sign of danger, but others clung to a gamblerâs hope, unwilling to abandon their property.
That was why these buildings hadnât been completely clearedâpeople were still inside. And their presence shackled Superman further.
If this Superman had been an ordinary transmigrator in disguise, even with genuine Kryptonian powers, he might have already fought Void without restraintâtearing the heavens apart, treating any casualties as mere statistics.
But he had even altered his face to resemble that iconic Superman actor. Combined with the psychological weight of the suit, this Superman might not have stepped straight out of a comic bookâbut he was close enough.
His moral code bound him. Time and again, Void sent him crashing down, yet before he could smash into a building, he forced himself to halt mid-impact.
At one point, Void hit him so hard his mouth filled with bloodâhe nearly spat it out on the ground.
But remembering that Nick Furyâs S.H.I.E.L.D. had once secretly carried out the "Harvest Program," collecting blood samples from superheroes to form a genetic database later used by the Skrulls, Superman swallowed the blood back down.
That small act was one of the rare moments where his cautious natureâseparate from Supermanâs personaâsurfaced.
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At some unknown count of being blasted away again, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch finally appeared beside the battered Superman as he landed in a heap of debris.
Both had changed into their X-Men-era suits. After rushing in at top speed with his sister, Pietro casually pushed his goggles up onto his forehead.
Scarlet Witch, clad in crimson from head to toe, wore a pinkish nylon underlayer like stockings, paired with a bright red, one-piece bodysuit, red boots, red gloves, and a flowing red capeâalong with her signature M-shaped headpiece.
She looked exactly like her name: as if drenched in spilled red paint, striking and impossible to miss.
Though Quicksilver had left the X-Men, when he was needed, he still answered the call without hesitation. He hadnât discarded his uniform eitherâat the very least, it offered far better protection than everyday clothes in battle.
Looking at Superman, who had just been hammered into the ground, Scarlet Witch said,
"I thought the Sorcerer Supreme was so eager to find you because once you showed up, everything would be solved. Looks like youâre not that impressive after all."
Wiping dust from his face, Superman had no interest in verbal sparringâwhether with a woman or an ally. Instead, he looked at the eager Quicksilver and asked,
"Howâs your physics?"
"Pretty good. Havenât really tested how good, though. You want me fighting alongside you?"
Superman stared straight at Void, who had just landed nearby. The figure was gradually shedding the appearance of the Sentryâespecially the black, shadow-like tendrils writhing around him in the dim streetlight, eerie and unnatural.
Before answering, Superman kept his gaze locked on the enemy.
"Until other reinforcements arrive, youâre all Iâve got."
Quicksilver smirked, elbowing his sister. "Hear that? He says heâs relying on me."
Suddenly, Superman shouted, "Watch the shadow tendrils on the ground! Quicksilverâgo. You take the left, Iâll take the right." Before his words even finished, he had already moved.
Though a fraction slower, Quicksilver entered the speed domain alongside him, flanking Sentry/Void from both sides.
As a speedster, even without something like the Speed Forceâor Supermanâs invulnerable bodyâQuicksilverâs physical capabilities were far from ordinary.
Just enduring the strain of instant acceleration and deceleration meant his bones, muscles, respiratory, and circulatory systems were all beyond human limits.
As he launched a supersonic punch at Voidâs head mid-sprint, there was no way a being who could also operate in that extreme speed domain would simply take the hit. Void was already preparing a counterattack.
If not for the simultaneous assault from the other side, Quicksilver might have been sent flying.
Superman came in from the exact opposite direction. His punch wasnât powered by speed aloneâit carried his own terrifying strength.
Even a being with the power of a million exploding stars didnât dare ignore that blow. Just as Void could make Superman cough up blood, if he took this punch head-on, heâd be the one spitting blood.
There was no neat numerical formula behind itânothing like:
Sentryâs punch = 1,200 tons, durability = 800 tons; Supermanâs punch = 950 tons, durability = 1,000 tonsâtherefore both can break each otherâs defenses.
Their clash was defined more by perception than numbers.
This Superman, though his personality had grown close to that ideal paragon, still retained his knowledge as a transmigrator. He had his own internal measure of Sentry and Voidâs strengthâand he did not believe victory was guaranteed.
Because of that, their attacks could affect him.
As for Void, his understanding of Superman came solely from the comics known to Robert Reynolds. He had no idea what the being before himâso identical in appearanceâtruly was.
That uncertainty prevented him from forming absolute confidence in his own invulnerability. And so Supermanâs attacks could affect him as well.
In this clash between Sentry and Superman, Quicksilver became a crucial variable.
Perhaps this universeâs speedster couldnât truly harm either of themâbut as long as he could influence the fight, it was enough to tip the balance of this evenly matched battle.
Superman didnât try to dominate the fight. Instead, he played a supporting roleâcoordinating with Quicksilverâs attacks, sometimes even covering for him.
Even so, Void couldnât ignore Supermanâs threat. From the steadily increasing weight behind his blows, Void could tell that Superman was probing for his limits. The moment those limits were exceeded would be the moment of his defeat.
As for whether such a limit could be surpassedâso long as Void couldnât firmly believe it was impossible, then it remained possible.
And unfortunately, willpower was his weakest link.
Not to mention the Scarlet Witch watching from afar. From her, Void sensed a familiar presenceâone belonging to an old acquaintance.
A deadly one.
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