"Go ahead and use your worst tricks." Astra held her head high with pride. "No matter what you do, I won't talk."
Maybe it was the shibari-style bondage giving her some rather unsavory associations. As she said that, images of torture floated through her mind—ones with phrases like "female general," "captive," and "humiliation" attached to them.
To avoid further misunderstanding, Shen You cut straight to the point. "Name?"
"Astra."
"Identity?"
"Former General of Krypton. Later sentenced to the Phantom Zone for 'crimes against Kryptonians,' life imprisonment... What did you do to me!?"
The tough expression on Astra's face began to show a sliver of fear.
She was a proud Kryptonian warrior, unafraid of pain or death. Physical torture was one thing, but having her mind manipulated was another.
She had just made up her mind not to say a single word and was confident her willpower could resist any form of interrogation. And yet, as soon as they asked, the answers tumbled out of her mouth beyond her control—like her body wasn't even hers.
And what was worse, if they could make her speak at will… what else could they do?
"A simple little truth-spell. Nothing worth mentioning."
He said it was nothing, but the old wizard couldn't help but strike a dramatic "this is what a real sorcerer looks like" pose as he spoke.
Everyone knew Kryptonians had practically negative magic resistance. Sure, they could tank offensive magic with their sheer toughness, but trickier utility spells? Not so much.
Not to mention, Astra was currently "drained." Her superpowers were completely offline.
"So now," Shen You asked, "why did you come to Earth?"
"Hah, if you think I'll tell you— I… I… came to Earth to find someone!"
She bit her lip in frustration. She didn't want to say it, and yet the words slipped out uncontrollably.
"Who?"
"The daughter of Krypton. My… niece." She was gritting her teeth so hard they almost cracked. "Her name is… Kara Zor-El."
Astra was breathing heavily.
"That's it?" Shen You asked. "No other reason?"
He did remember something. The Astra in the TV series wasn't exactly a saint either. She and her husband Non had designed something called the "Purification Program," a system that, at the push of a button, would make an entire planet obey them.
They were arrested on Krypton for that and thrown into the Phantom Zone's supermax prison known as "Fort Rozz." Even after coming to Earth, they didn't stop trying to launch that same system and complete what they couldn't back on Krypton.
A system that could turn every person on the planet into a figurine with one click? Yeah, that was exactly the kind of thing a defender of justice like Shen You would find morally repulsive. The Galaxy Defense Force would never allow it.
But Astra shook her head resolutely.
"That's all."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely," she growled, glaring at him.
Shen You raised an eyebrow and glanced at the old wizard.
"You sure that spell is working?"
The old wizard rolled his eyes. "Do you even know who you're talking to? You're questioning the Guardian of the Eternal Rock, the Grandmaster of Arcane—"
"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Shen You quickly interrupted his monologue.
He did believe the spell was working—Astra didn't seem like she was lying—but the inconsistency with the original story still made him uneasy.
The DC Universe was almost as chaotic as their own Ultra Universe. Both were disasters waiting to happen, cosmic turmoil centers.
There was even this group. Long story short, they sucked their homeworld dry of resources, messed around too much, and accidentally blew it up—ending up as galactic orphans. And then the head of the orphanage found Earth in the neighboring solar system, figured it looked comfy, and decided to move the whole crew in.
Honestly, if this wasn't the DC Universe, Shen You would've thought they were describing a tragic backstory for the entire Baltan family.
It kind of made sense for Kryptonians to want Earth. After all, with their planet gone, Earth was close by, and under this yellow sun they all got god-tier powers. Ruling the locals seemed like the natural next step. Even General Zod had that exact plan in the movies.
"You're sure you weren't planning to invade, colonize, or anything like that?"
"Earth? Of course not." Astra scoffed.
She was telling the truth under the spell, but Shen You noticed her eyes avoided his gaze as she spoke.
"You're hiding something," he said, frowning.
"...Fine," Astra said, chuckling softly. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you."
She leaned back in the chair, eyes meeting his with unsettling calm.
Clearly, she had given up fighting the spell—sometimes, if you can't resist, you might as well enjoy the ride.
"Because of Brainiac."
"Hmm?" Shen You narrowed his eyes.
"An unstoppable destroyer. A calamity to any civilization." Astra's voice turned cold. "An ultimate artificial intelligence with technology even Krypton couldn't dream of."
Of course Shen You knew Brainiac.
A classic DC villain. One of Superman and the Justice League's most terrifying foes.
His origin? The stereotypical "AI goes rogue" tale. A planet called Colu had some overly ambitious scientists who created the universe's first level-12 intellect—and also artificially gave it jealousy, greed, and hatred.
Then the AI blew up its creators.
Over time, Brainiac evolved into a full-blown collectibles maniac—obsessed with preserving cities, species, plants, animals, you name it. His spaceship was basically a hoarder's dream. One of his prized possessions? The bottled Kryptonian capital city Kandor.
"Krypton was attacked by him once. An entire city disappeared before our eyes," Astra said grimly. "He's an opponent beyond your comprehension—his tech is practically godlike. I've never forgotten that feeling of helplessness when facing him."
"So you're saying," Shen You frowned, "he's coming to Earth?"
"Not yet. But soon." Astra looked him dead in the eye. "So you asked why I have no interest in Earth, 'Light-Star.' Now, you tell me this…"
She leaned back into the chair, her voice chilling.
"Why would I care about a dying planet?"