Chapter 697 - 14.93

"No, not really. Big brother, I just hate everything that you obtain and throw away. I hate how lucky you are."

"… so you want me to die?" Clarke asked calmly. He had accepted his fate, but before he died, he had a few things he wanted to say. 

"I want you to die, disappear, and vanish out of thin air. So Gaius will never think about you anymore," Reed said ruthlessly on the phone.

…

"Reed, I have nothing but one message for you," Clarke inhaled deeply as he stared at the steel ball with a dense purple glow inside, vicinity 100 meters from him. "Please take care of my family."

"Please take care of my wife and children. They're everything in my life. Now that everything is gone, I will die with honor, saving the city as Superbman."

"Tell Gaius that I am but a slave of my own heart. Even in my death, I still held close to him in my heart. Please tell my son that he should be able to protect his mother and little sister from now on, and please tell my little daughter that she is my precious princess…."

Reed was stunned by Clarke's heartfelt message. 

Of course, he knew that everything Clarke said was the truth. Despite being a bad father and husband, that didn't erase the fact that he loved his family so much. 

Reed might be a better husband and father, but he couldn't discredit Clarke's love for his family.

"Tell them I'm sorry for being a terrible father and husband. I hope they will forgive me after this…." Clarke hung up the call and crushed his phone. He had nothing to do with Reed anymore, and he couldn't meet his wife or children. 

So there was no turning back this time. 

Clarke started walking towards the steel ball as if walking towards his doom, and his colleagues in League of Heroes started coming to him.

Bateman drove his Batecar and arrived on the scene. When he saw that purple glow, he knew that was Superbman's weakness. 

"Superbman! Don't come closer to that thing! It has been densely imbued with Kirktonian stone! You will melt if you come closer!" 

The other heroes tried to get close to the steel ball, but they lost their strength, and their skin melted slowly at 100 m vicinities. 

"What is this?"

"What happened to us?!" 

They questioned each other because Kirktonian stone should be Superbman's weakness, on theirs. 

But Bateman had something in mind. He shook his head and told the other heroes, "Stay back! This is the power of The Revenant's leader, Master Vile!"

Bateman did some research towards this mysterious Master Vile, the leader of The Revenant. 

Based on his research, Master Vile could disintegrate anything with his touch and explode anything with his mind. He also had at least 50% of Clarke's physical prowess. He was basically omnipotent in this world. 

"Master Vile has imbued his power inside the steel ball as well! If any of us get closer, we will be disintegrated!" Bateman warned the rest of the heroes.

"Then what should we do?! Superbman is walking by himself there!" One hero pointed. "He'll also die at this point!"

"No, that is…." Bateman stared at Superbman. He saw the sheer determination in those eyes. Bateman bit his lip and said, "Stay back! This is what Superbman wants!"

Clarke really had nothing in mind other than his family, especially his wife that he loved so much. He had accepted his fate that he'd die here, but he was still sad he couldn't see his wife for the last time. 

'Wife, you told me that being a hero is my destiny, right?'

'Then I will fulfill my destiny, not because I like it. But because you say so….'

**

Meanwhile, Gaius was restless the whole night after Reed left the room. He had an unspeakably terrible feeling right now, like a gut feeling telling him that something wasn't right. 

He left the room and saw the television was on. 

His children, Hermes and Artemis, were watching the news on the television, "Kids, it's so late, why don't you sleep?" Gaius said as he approached the kids.

Hermes and Artemis looked at their Mom at the same time and pointed at the TV screen.

"What? This is almost midnight. There is no cartoon at this hour," Gaius chided. "Go to sleep before Mom has to drag you back to your room, Hermes, Artemis."

"No, Mommy, Arte woke up because Arte dreams about Daddy…."

"Yes, Mom. I woke up because I dream about Dad…." Hermes added.

Gaius' body stiffened when they mentioned Clarke. Of course, they'd remember about him. No matter how bad Clarke was as a father, they spent their lives with their Dad before this… fight that'd lead to his divorce anytime soon. 

"Don't think too much about your Dad, okay? He is probably busy with his work right now," Gaius said as he approached and patted Hermes and Artemis' heads.

"No, Mommy, Daddy is not working right now…." Artemis pointed at the television, "Daddy is in the TV right now."

Gaius darted his eyes at the television, and when he saw the live news in the middle of the night. It was shot from a helicopter, and when the camera zoomed in, there was a man with a red superhero cape. He walked towards the steel ball with a strong purple glow emitting from inside. Just from the look of it, Gaius could determine the one who was walking towards the steel ball and what was inside that ball.

Then the reporter started narrating the situation, "Right now, we see our dearest and bravest superhero, Superbman is walking towards the mysterious steel ball with purple energy inside. So far, nobody has been able to step more than 100 m from the steel ball as their skin would melt. Only Superbman can withstand the mysterious power hidden inside the steel ball."

"But based on the leaked conversation between superheroes, they said that Superbman is facing his death bravely because he will carry this steel ball to the space instead, killing him in the process."