Savior Of Krypton (CH 7) (Patreon)

A/N: This story is rated M for mature content not suitable for children.

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Chapter 7: The Harmonic Song

The Wraith-Class scout ship cut through the upper atmosphere of the North American continent like a silent, obsidian blade. Unlike the Maelstrom, which was a fortress of runic industry, the scout ship was built for two things: speed and total sensory evasion. The hull was coated in a refractive polymer that bent light, while Naru-To had personally inscribed the engine housing with Maho: Silence of the Void, ensuring that not even a sonic boom would betray their passage to the primitive radar arrays of the humans below.

Inside the cockpit, the atmosphere was thick with the clinical precision of the Warrior's Guild. Lyta-Zod sat in the co-pilot’s chair, her hands resting on the armrests, her gaze fixed on the sprawling lights of the Eastern Seaboard. The yellow sun had done more than just strengthen her; it had sharpened her instincts to a point that felt almost agonizing. She could feel the vibrations of the ship, the heartbeat of the man sitting next to her, and the distant, chaotic hum of the human cities below.

"They live like insects," Lyta remarked, her voice a low rasp. "Cluttered together in glass and steel hives, unaware that the ground beneath them is ripe for the taking. Why are we bothering with a single human, Naru-To? We have the strength to take what we want by force."

Naru-To leaned back, his hands behind his head. He was dressed in a dark, tactical version of his General’s attire, no cape, no bright sigils. He looked like a shadow given form. "Insects can be industrious, Lyta. And some of them carry stings that can be quite troublesome. This city, Star City, is home to a woman with a very specific 'sting.' Her resonance is a rare frequency. On Krypton, our ancestors called it the 'Echo of the Source'. It’s a bridge between the physical and the arcane."

He turned his head, his blue eyes meeting Lyta’s dark, challenging gaze. "If I can harness that frequency, I won't just stabilize the Phantom Zone, I’ll be able to shape it. I can create a gateway that doesn't just vomit people out, but allows us to move between dimensions at will. She is the key to our logistics. To save our race, we need more than just muscle; we need the right vibrations to hold reality together."

Lyta looked back at the screen. "And if she refuses to be your 'key'?"

"Then I will show her that the House of To offers the only sanctuary in a world that is about to become a battlefield," Naru-To said. "Engaging landing sequence. Nila, status?"

Nila-Vex’s voice crackled over the comms from the Maelstrom back on Themyscira. "The cloaking is holding, General. I’ve jammed the local satellite arrays within a 50-mile radius. To the humans, it will look like a localized solar flare. You have a window of 3 hours before the 'Justice League' sensors in orbit start looking for the source of the interference. And Naru-To? Be careful. My scans show a high concentration of specialized isotopes in that sector. LexCorp is active there."

"Acknowledged," Naru-To said.

Star City - The Glades

The Glades was the rotting heart of Star City, a place where the law was a rumor and the shadows were home to the desperate. Rain slicked the pavement, reflecting the flickering neon of cheap bars and pawn shops.

On a rooftop overlooking a derelict warehouse, Naru-To and Lyta-Zod stood like statues. Naru-To’s Eyes of To were active, the purple glow subtle but unmistakable in the darkness. He wasn't looking at the physical world; he was watching the ley lines, the flow of mana.

"There," Naru-To whispered, pointing to the warehouse. "A high-frequency signature. It’s fluctuating. She’s fighting."

Below them, the sound of an explosion muffled by the rain echoed through the alleyway. A second later, a high-pitched, crystalline shriek ripped through the air. The sound was so intense that the windows of the surrounding buildings shattered simultaneously, glass raining down like diamonds.

"That’s it," Lyta said, her hand moving to the hilt of her combat blade. "The Canary Cry."

"Wait," Naru-To commanded. "She’s not alone. Look at the energy signatures."

Through his enhanced vision, Naru-To saw several figures in tactical gear, humans, but highly trained. They were carrying heavy weaponry that hummed with a sickly green light.

"LexCorp," Naru-To noted, his brow furrowing. "Luthor is faster than I anticipated. Those are sonic-dampening rifles and... synthetic kryptonite gas canisters. Even if it's not the pure stuff, it's designed to suppress our cellular radiation."

Lyta hissed, her eyes glowing red for a moment. "Let’s show them why humans shouldn't play with our biology."

"No. We let them weaken her first," Naru-To said, his voice cold and calculating. "The more desperate she is, the easier it will be to show her the 'truth' of my offer. But Lyta... if that gas touches you, your strength will drop significantly in seconds. Stay above the cloud."

Inside the warehouse, Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, was pinned behind a stack of shipping crates. Her blonde hair was matted with sweat, and her tactical gear was shredded. She was breathing hard, her chest heaving. In front of her stood six LexCorp "Reclamators," their helmets gleaming in the strobe-light of the flickering overhead lamps.

"Give it up, Lance!" the lead soldier shouted. "The dampeners are set to your frequency. Every time you scream, you’re just tearing your own throat apart. Come quietly, and Mr. Luthor might let you keep your vocal cords."

Dinah spat blood onto the floor. "Luthor can take his offer and shove it."

She lunged from behind the crates, her hands moving in a blur of martial arts strikes. She was fast, one of the best fighters on the planet, but the soldiers were prepared. One of them fired a blast of high-frequency sound that knocked her off her feet, while another deployed a cloud of the green mist.

Dinah gasped, her lungs burning. The gas wasn't lethal to humans, but it was designed to paralyze the nervous system and suppress meta-human abilities. She slumped to her knees, her vision blurring.

"Target secured," the soldier said into his comms. "Proceeding to extraction..."

The soldier’s head suddenly rotated 180 degrees with a sickening crack.

The other five soldiers spun around, but there was nothing there, only a blur of black and a faint, silver light. Then, Lyta-Zod appeared in the center of the group. She didn't use a weapon. She used her hands. One punch sent a soldier flying through a brick wall; another kick shattered the reinforced armor and ribs of a third. She was a whirlwind of Kryptonian brutality.

"Who... what are you?" the last remaining soldier stammered, raising his sonic rifle.

Lyta grabbed the barrel and crushed it into a ball of scrap metal. She leaned in, her eyes glowing red. "I am your end."

She grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him into the concrete floor with such force that the entire bay of the warehouse buckled.

Silence returned to the room, broken only by the hiss of the dying gas canisters. Naru-To stepped out of the shadows, walking calmly toward the fallen Black Canary. He knelt beside her, his violet eyes studying her face.

Dinah looked up, her vision swimming. She saw a man who looked like an aristocrat of war. "Are you... with the League?" she wheezed.

"No, Dinah," Naru-To said softly. He reached out, his hand hovering over her throat. "Maho: Vocal Restoration."

A soft, golden light pulsed from his palm. Dinah felt the agonizing burn in her throat vanish instantly. The swelling in her vocal cords went down, and the paralyzing effect of the gas was washed away by a wave of warm, soothing mana.

She gasped, sitting up and backing away from him. "Magic? I've met Zatanna... but you're not like her. You're... you're one of them. A Kryptonian."

"I am the Last Magi of Krypton," Naru-To said, standing up. "And I am the only one who can protect you from Luthor."

Fast Forward

Naru-To had moved them to the penthouse of an unfinished skyscraper, a place Nila had secured using digital 'ghost' accounts. The walls were floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a view of the storm-lashed city.

Dinah stood near the edge, her arms crossed, watching Lyta-Zod, who was sharpening a dagger in the corner. "You’re Kryptonians. But you aren't like Superman. He doesn't use magic. And he definitely doesn't have a General who snaps necks for sport."

"Kal-El is a child playing with toys he doesn't understand," Naru-To said, pouring two glasses of amber liquid. He handed one to her. "He was raised by humans to believe that he should be their servant. I was raised to be a leader. A Magi. A protector of my race. My power doesn't just come from the sun, Dinah. It comes from the ancient laws of the House of To."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Dinah asked.

"Your voice, Dinah. It’s a harmonic bridge. I am pulling my people out of the Phantom Zone, innocent civilians, laborers, families who were trapped in a void of nothingness when our world died. But the rift is unstable. It's like trying to hold a door open in a hurricane."

He stepped closer, his voice gaining a resonance that felt like it was vibrating in her chest. "Your 'Canary Cry' is more than a mutation. Your voice has the exact frequency needed to act as a stabilizer, a harmonic anchor. If you help me, I can bring thousands of my people home safely. I can save a dying race."

Dinah looked down at the city. "And what happens when they get here? Do they just take over? I’ve spent my life fighting bullies, Naru-To. I don't care how many 'Magi' titles you have, I won't help you build an empire just to conquer earth."

"I am building a sanctuary, not an empire," Naru-To lied smoothly, though he believed it in his own way. "Look at Star City, Dinah. Look at the Glades. You've been fighting for years, and what has changed? The same gangs, the same corrupt politicians, and now Lex Luthor is hunting you like an animal because he wants to weaponize your voice. The 'League' can't protect you 24/7. But I can. Join me, and you'll be more than a vigilante. You'll be a savior to a race that has lost everything."

Dinah felt a tug of conflict. She was tired. Tired of the endless cycle of the Glades, and the idea of saving innocent families, even alien ones, appealed to the hero in her. More importantly, she realized that Naru-To was right about one thing: she was outmatched. Luthor had sent specialized squads; next time, he'd send something worse.

The moment of tension was shattered by a high-pitched alarm from Naru-To’s wrist-mounted comms.

"General! We have an incoming signature!" Nila’s voice was urgent. "It’s not the League. It’s LexCorp. They’ve deployed a specialized interceptor, Project: Cadmus. They’ve tracked the energy spike from your healing spell."

Naru-To sat up, his eyes turning cold. "Lyta, defensive positions."

"Too late," Lyta said, looking out the window.

A massive, sleek aircraft, bristling with weaponry, hovered just outside the glass. The glass shattered inward as a figure crashed through. It was a man, or what used to be a man. His chest was an open furnace of glowing green light, and his limbs were pistons of polished steel.

"John Corben," Naru-To murmured; he had researched all the possible threats in the world, and this enemy was one of them. "Metallo."

The green light in the cyborg's chest flared, filling the room with the sickly, emerald radiance of concentrated Kryptonite.

Immediately, the effect was visible. Lyta-Zod let out a choked gasp, her knees buckling. The veins in her neck turned a faint, sickly green as the radiation began to poison her Kryptonian cells, stripping away her solar-derived strength. Even with her elite training, the biological weakness was absolute. She slumped against the wall, her breathing ragged.

"You... you’re not the one in the cape," Metallo rasped, his mechanical voice a grinding growl. "But you bleed the same. Mr. Luthor wants your head on a platter. And he wants the girl back."

Naru-To felt the radiation hitting him, too. He felt the familiar, agonizing drain, the way the Kryptonite interfered with his cells' ability to process yellow sunlight. His muscles felt heavy, his vision blurred. For any other Kryptonian, this would be the end. He was dying, his body being cannibalized by the radioactive isotope.

But Naru-To was a Magi.

"You made a mistake, Corben," Naru-To said, his voice strained and gravelly, forcing the words out through the pain. "You think our only power is biological."

Metallo laughed, a grinding sound. "I don't care about your stories. My heart is your death."

He lunged, his mechanical fist aimed at Naru-To’s head.

Naru-To didn't dodge. He couldn't, his reflexes were too slowed by the radiation. Instead, he reached deep into his arcane core, ignoring his failing muscles and focusing on the mana in the air around him. Because magic was not biological; it was spiritual.

"Maho: Alchemical Transmutation - Lead Shroud!"

A circle of violet runes appeared in the air between them, flickering weakly but holding. Suddenly, the air itself seemed to thicken and solidify. The glowing green Kryptonite in Metallo's chest was suddenly coated in a thin, microscopic layer of transmuted lead.

The effect was instantaneous. Lead is the only substance that can block Kryptonite radiation. The moment the shroud formed, the emerald light vanished, contained within the lead shell.

Lyta-Zod let out a huge breath, her strength rushing back as the poison stopped flowing. She stood up, her eyes burning with fury.

Metallo froze, his systems sparking. "What? My core... the output is zero! What did you do?"

"I changed the rules of the game," Naru-To said, his strength returning as his cells began to drink the yellow sun once more. He stepped forward and grabbed Metallo’s steel arm. With a single, sharp twist, he tore the limb from the cyborg’s shoulder.

Metallo roared in pain, but Naru-To wasn't finished. He slammed his palm into the cyborg’s chest, right over the now-darkened core.

"Maho: Kinetic Disruption."

A blast of pure magical force erupted from Naru-To's palm, bypassing the armor and shattering the internal gears of the cyborg. Metallo was sent flying back through the shattered window, plummeting toward the streets below.

Naru-To stood at the edge of the broken penthouse, his breathing returning to normal. He looked at his hands, which were still humming with mana.

"He's not dead," Naru-To noted. "But his core is useless. Lex will have to spend millions to restart him."

He turned back to Dinah Lance. The Black Canary was staring at him, her mouth slightly open. She had seen Superman fight, she had seen the Justice League handle threats, but she had never seen anyone simply command the laws of physics to neutralize Kryptonite.

"You defeated Metallo," Dinah said, her voice quiet. "And you did it while that green rock was killing you."

"I do what is necessary for my people, I won't die here," Naru-To said. "And I consider you one of them now, Dinah. Luthor won't stop. He knows you're the key to stopping me. He will burn this city down to get to you."

Dinah looked at the broken window, then at the fierce, recovering Lyta-Zod. She realized Naru-To was right. If she stayed, Star City would become a war zone between LexCorp and these Kryptonians. If she went, she could help save thousands of people and gain the protection of a man who could turn his greatest weakness into a leaden toy.

"I'll help you," Dinah said, her voice firm. "But the moment I see you hurting innocent people with that 'sanctuary' of yours, I'm out. And I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what you're building."

"Fair enough," Naru-To said, offering a small, knowing smile.

The Bridge of the Maelstrom

Hours later, the scout ship docked with the Maelstrom. Nila-Vex was waiting in the hangar, her eyes widening as she saw the Black Canary walking behind Naru-To.

"You found her," Nila said, her voice filled with professional relief.

"Yes I do," Naru-To said. "Nila, prepare the Harmonic Chamber. We need to begin the stabilization immediately. Lex is getting bold, and we need our full strength on this side of the rift."

As Nila led a dazed but curious Dinah away, Lyta-Zod stepped up beside Naru-To.

"The alliance is growing," Lyta noted. "But we are drawing a lot of attention, General. The Star City energy spike was massive. We were loud."

"I know," Naru-To said, watching the stars through the hangar bay doors. "He’s coming."

"Superman?"

"He’s already here," Naru-To said.

A high-pitched alarm began to blare throughout the ship. On the tactical monitors, a red blip was moving through the upper atmosphere at Mach 20, heading straight for their location on Themyscira.

"Sound the alarm," Naru-To commanded, his violet eyes flashing with anticipation. "Level 3 defense protocols. And tell the Amazons to stay back. This is a family matter."

He walked toward the main lift, his cape snapping behind him.

"It’s time to see if the 'Man of Tomorrow' is ready for the Magi of Yesterday."

Chapter End

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