DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

The flames danced and black smoke rose, heating the air.

It was late autumn, and in the southern suburbs of the metropolis, the darkness was pierced by the raging firelight.

Jenny's towering, four-story-high body stood in the midst of the sea of fire, terrifying yet solitary, with no place to belong.

As the chaos settled and only the two of them remained, the crackling of the flames became the only sound.

The soft breeze swayed the firelight, twisting the black smoke as it spiraled into the dark sky, amidst the ruins of the camp.

Jenny's heart ached as she stood there, unsure of how to face Bardi. Her thoughts were heavy, weighed down by sadness.

Bardi looked at her silently. Her enormous, lantern-like eyes, reptilian in their slit pupils, were filled with bloodshot streaks and streaks of blood-stained tears. Her body was covered in grotesque wounds, with jagged white bones protruding from her flesh, a visible testament to the unimaginable pain she had endured.

Her appearance was nothing short of horrifying.

If touched, her skin would likely feel uneven, rough, like asphalt left baking under the sun.

Yet none of this mattered to Bardi.

She had fought for him, suffered for him.

A faint smile crept onto his face. It was a light, gentle smile, the kind of smile Jenny had seen countless times before. Back then, whenever he smiled at her like this, she would mischievously lean in and kiss him, never hesitating to take the moment for herself.

Of course, it was always unclear who was truly taking advantage of whom in those moments.

A lover's kiss has a way of rendering such questions irrelevant.

Now, Bardi opened his arms, his familiar smile returning to his face. He stood ready, welcoming her into his embrace.

But so much had changed.

The ground trembled under Jenny's weight as she stepped forward. Each of her massive strides shook the earth, and the flickering flames around her swayed as though bowing to her movements.

Jenny had longed for this moment. Her overwhelming need to hold Bardi in her arms overpowered everything else.

Her desperate charge toward him left droplets of blood trailing behind her, splattering onto the scorched ground.

Sadness, relief, pain, despair—every emotion she carried seemed to pour out as she ran toward him.

All she wanted was to collapse into his arms and cry, letting everything go.

As she reached him, her enormous shadow loomed over Bardi.

Jenny lowered herself to the ground, her colossal body bending awkwardly. With no real knees left, the motion of kneeling caused her even more pain, tearing into her already damaged muscles.

But she didn't stop.

Her massive hands scraped against the ground as she knelt, pushing sand and debris aside in her effort to carefully reach him. Her movements, though clumsy, were delicate, as if handling the most fragile treasure.

Her enormous fingers trembled slightly as they moved to surround him.

Her bloodshot eyes blinked rapidly, beads of blood pooling in them and spilling over like tears. Her grotesque mouth, oversized and misshapen, pressed tightly shut as though she were a child struggling to hold back her sobs.

Even as heat radiated from her body, distorting the air like a restless furnace, she tried her best to be gentle.

Bardi's expression didn't change as he watched her. He stepped closer, his voice calm.

"Don't be so careful," he said softly, the corners of his lips lifting into another faint smile.

"Hug me. Hold me tightly."

Jenny froze for a moment, her massive body trembling. Then, as carefully as she could, her arms closed around him.

Bardi stepped forward into her embrace. His much smaller frame was dwarfed by her size, his hands barely able to touch her skin. Pressing his face against her shoulder, he felt the unnatural texture of her body—rough, sharp, and uneven, with protruding bone fragments that left small scratches on his skin.

The scent around her was heavy and metallic, far removed from the light fragrance she had once carried. It was the smell of blood, layered over the stench of rot and decay.

But Bardi didn't pull back.

Jenny's entire body shook as sobs wracked through her. Blood dripped from her eyes, staining Bardi's hair and soaking into his once-white clothes, turning them crimson.

Her voice, hoarse and thunderous, escaped her lips between gasps of pain.

"Bardi…" she croaked, her throat tearing with every word.

"I'm... in so much... pain…"

Her sobs grew louder, the sheer force of them causing the ground to tremble. The river of blood pouring from her eyes seemed endless, the droplets scalding as they fell onto Bardi.

Bardi closed his eyes briefly, his voice quiet but firm.

"I know, Jenny," he murmured.

"Be patient. I'll find a way to fix this."

He kissed her neck deeply, ignoring the sharp edges of her protruding bones that scraped against his lips.

Jenny froze at his words. Her sobs slowed, the torrent of blood from her eyes beginning to wane.

For a moment, it seemed as though the pain in her body had eased.

Then her voice broke through the silence again, softer this time.

"Bardi…"

"Let's die together," she whispered.

"Living like this... hurts too much..."

Her voice weakened with every word, the last string of her willpower snapping entirely. Her massive hands, which had been holding Bardi, slowly went slack.

Her enormous eyes, now drained of blood, dimmed.

"Jenny!"

Bardi's voice cut through the air, sharper than it had ever been. He grabbed at her as tightly as he could, his hands pressing against her rough, glass-like skin.

"Don't give up! I'll save you!"

But it was too late.

Jenny's body began to change.

Red light burst forth from beneath her skin, glowing like molten lava about to erupt. Her veins and muscles pulsed with an unnatural brightness, the energy within her building to a breaking point.

"Jenny!"

Bardi's shout was lost in the explosion of light that followed.

Her entire body became a blinding beacon, the light piercing the dark sky above. In mere seconds, Jenny's form dissolved into the blinding radiance, leaving nothing behind.

A shockwave roared outward, leveling the nearby terrain. Trees were uprooted, debris was sent flying, and the earth itself seemed to quake in protest.

Bardi stood at the center of it all, unmoving as the flames and heat swirled around him.

His hands, which had been holding Jenny moments before, now clutched at empty air.

Amid the inferno, something small floated toward him.

A silver-white ring, engraved with the words Jenny and Bardi, rolled through the flames. Its surface had turned red-hot, glowing faintly from the heat.

The ring landed in Bardi's open palm.

He stared at it silently for a moment before closing his hand around it, his expression unreadable.

The flames behind him roared higher, their light illuminating his figure as he turned and began to walk away.

Barefoot and shirtless, his body was a silhouette against the fire, a man walking alone into the darkness.

***

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.