The sky burned red. Crisscrossing streets and towering buildings stretched skyward, forming a grand and bustling vista. Tower-like structures complemented the broad avenues, with radiant advertisements blazing in dazzling colors. Flying vehicles darted through the air, leaving shimmering trails in their wake.
Astra stood at the edge of the palace rooftop, gazing down at the magnificent city below, a dazed expression on her face.
This was Krypton.
Bathed in the glow of the red sun, the city gleamed beneath its rays, a brilliant metropolis with typical Kryptonian architectural style. Facing the splendor of the city, Astra felt her head swim, her temples throbbing slightly.
"Darling, is something wrong?"
Astra turned at the sound of the voice. Behind her stood a burly man, his muscular frame tightly wrapped in a form-fitting black combat suit. He had a thick beard, rugged and wild, and sharply defined facial features.
It was her husband—Norn.
"I… I don't know," Astra said, rubbing her temples. "Something feels off, but I can't quite remember…"
"Relax, darling. Nothing's wrong," Norn said softly, taking her hand. "We did it. We succeeded."
"Succeeded?" Astra looked confused.
"The Purge," Norn said excitedly. "Everyone on Krypton has now been affected by the Great Purge. They all willingly submit to us!
We've finally done it! You and I—we've ascended to the pinnacle of this nation, of this planet. We are the true and sole rulers of Krypton!"
"We… right," Astra's expression shifted slightly, as if recalling something.
Then, slowly, her face lit up with excitement, breaking into an uncontrollable smile.
"We did it! The dream we've long yearned for! Rulers of this planet! Krypton will thrive under our reign!"
The two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.
They laughed for a good half minute. Astra eventually couldn't help but stop—but her husband hadn't shown any sign of stopping. He was still there, head tilted back, mouth wide open, laughing maniacally.
Watching him like that, Astra couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
So this is what it looks like from a third-person perspective, huh… kind of dumb.
She cleared her throat and patted Norn on the shoulder to signal that it was enough.
But instead of stopping, he laughed even louder, more wildly, more exaggeratedly—until it became nearly unbearable.
Then Norn suddenly turned around.
Astra's eyes widened in horror. Her husband's eyes—had turned into glowing lightbulbs. Her instincts screamed at her.
One word thundered into her mind.
Danger.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Conquer Krypton? You really thought that was gonna happen? Do you even know who I am?"
Her husband's skin split apart in front of her, revealing a head made of silver, muscle-like steel beneath. A red-and-silver body emerged from the torn facade, radiating blinding golden light, growing in size until it towered above everything—a massive giant scraping the sky.
In an instant, chaos engulfed Krypton. Winds howled. The world began to collapse. Buildings crumbled, the ground gave way, the sky seemed to catch fire—and the sun exploded in a deafening roar.
The giant stood at the center of the apocalypse, staring mockingly at her. Astra felt herself falling into a bottomless abyss. An overwhelming terror threatened to swallow her whole. She wanted to resist, but couldn't move even a finger. Buffeted by the howling storm, she faced that monstrous figure and screamed in pure, soul-rending fear.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!!"
The next second, the scene vanished.
The burning sky, the crumbling city, and the apocalyptic giant all disappeared in an instant.
In a blink, Astra found herself bound tightly to a chair, screaming toward a blank wall.
A young man and an old white-bearded man stood on either side of her, arms crossed, silently watching.
Astra stared, wide-eyed, blinking as she warily looked back and forth between the two of them.
The moment became awkward.
Shen You turned to glance at the old wizard beside him. "Uh, is it normal for her to scream like that?"
"Hm… I suppose it is," the wizard said, stroking his beard. "She's under the effect of the Noose of Lies, an artifact crafted from falsehoods, the counterpart to the Amazon's Lasso of Truth.
The bound soul experiences an illusion crafted from lies—one so intricate and immersive that it's hard to escape. But we don't actually know what she saw. Could've been something… indescribable."
"I see." Shen You nodded.
The Kryptonian woman glared at them furiously. In a rage, she tried to leap up and, using her super speed, crush these two who had dared to tie her up and stand around talking like this. Okay… maybe partly also because she just felt mortified and wanted to silence the witnesses.
But—nothing happened.
She was still firmly fixed in place, bound tight to the chair by the Noose of Lies. Though less famous and not as powerful as Diana's Lasso of Truth, it was still a magical artifact from the Greek pantheon—not something easily undone.
And when she tried to summon her strength, Astra quickly realized—she couldn't muster a single ounce.
Even trying to activate her heat vision, she strained with all her might but only managed to make her eyes feel a little warm and red. Nothing came out.
It was like they had drained her completely.
Astra narrowed her eyes, glaring hatefully at the two. "What… did you do to me?"
"Uh… not much. Just drained all the solar energy from your body with our patented Red Sun Juice Extractor," Shen You said, arms folded. "It's just so you don't go on a rampage. Makes it easier for all of us. Anyway, we've got a couple of questions."
"Hmph, use your dirtiest, most despicable methods, you wicked Guangxingren," Astra said coldly. "But don't expect a single word from me.
I am a proud Kryptonian warrior. We do not surrender. We do not compromise. We never bow to evil. Whatever you plan to do, go ahead and get it over with."
Guangxingren? (Light Star People?) Shen You blinked.
"Okay, not the weirdest thing I've been called."
At least it sounded better than Super Ultra Giant Power Mountain Man.
"No need to be so harsh," Shen You said seriously. "If anything, you were the one invading our planet. We're actually the good guys here."
Good guys?
Astra squinted, then looked down at the ropes binding her in a classic shibari style.
Then slowly looked back up at the two men.
Her expression seemed to say: You sure about that?
"Uh…"
Shen You turned to look at the old wizard, eyes saying: Your rope, not mine.
The old wizard turned as well, only to realize awkwardly—there was no one standing next to him. He couldn't dodge this one. With a sigh, he stroked his beard and calmly said:
"I only cast the binding spell. The rope tied itself however it wanted."