“An army of Kryptonians? Heading to our earth?”

“Yes, and I estimate the time of arrival to be no later than forty days, starting from five days ago.”

A hint of surprise is evident in Matthias’ voice, even though his voice has been greatly disguised. Luthor’s revelation is something extremely shocking for him.

It causes fear to both Matthias and Luthor, in a certain sense. But, the fears were different: for Luthor, it’s the fear of having another beings of absolute power like Superman roaming around earth, for they are able to rule without much opposition. For Matthias? It was because he knows a certain Kryptonian character that is villainous and bent for domination and dictatorship.

Matthias inwardly vowed to himself; should this particular Kryptonian is to arrive to earth, he would never kneel before him.

“Heh, I can still see your fear even if you wore mask. Imagine if there are armies of the same beings as Superman roaming around earth. One is already enough.”

“Your view of Superman is weirdly warped, but that’s beside the point. How did you know that there will be an army of Kryptonians coming towards earth?”

“The wreckage is still active.”

“You must have done something to it.”

“That’s right. During my decoding the language and technology from the wreckage, I’ve accidentally activated something similar to a ping signaler. It was my oversight from having several of my plans broken by you.”

“Are you blaming me, Luthor?”

“Quite the contrary, I’m blaming myself. My oversight is my own, and I know I need to act before they arrive.”

Hearing this, Matthias ponders for a while. He remembered his findings about the fake auction; about the fact that they sold a fake Spear of Destiny and other fake artifacts, and that he somehow able to obtain an actual artifact: namely the Nth metal ring and minerals as well as another batch of Kryptonite.

“I have another question: why did you create that fake auction? I find it weird that someone like you would plan such a thing. It’s not like people would immediately believe that an actual Spear of Destiny was sold black market in Metropolis.”

“Ah… that…”
Luthor made an awkward face.
“Perhaps I had a moment of madness back then. I established a fake black market auction within a span of one month, using the help of my connections, all in order to collect artifacts.”

“Explain.” Matthias ordered.

“Well, I plan to sell these rich and powerful people from around the world the fake artifacts which they can buy using their own artifacts, not money.”

“I mean, why would you want their artifacts, should they have one?”

“You mentioned me being very egoist who despises Superman, and you are correct. I loathe him. He is an existence akin to that of a God, and no Gods should be Among Us.”

Matthias did not understand, and Luthor was aware of it.

“Wraith, there are numerous unknowns in this world. Like you and your seemingly supernatural ability to conjure black haze or mist, or Superman and his abnormal strength, there are several artifacts that are able to grant one who possess them powerful abilities.”

“And so, to battle Superman, you want to collect these power artifacts and weaponized them.”

“No… I want to contain them, make sure no more metahumans and super people would emerge.”

Matthias narrowed his eyes under his mask.
‘As expected of a control freak.’
Matthias already knows of Luthor’s common characteristics, but it was a different feeling to have someone of such characters right in front of him instead of just reading in a comic book.

“Then have you gotten any artifacts?”

“Well, there was a ring obtained from Egypt I was supposed to trade for a small piece of Kryptonite, but it was taken from me before I can retrieve it. I assume you know where it is, right?”

“Yes, I have that ring, and I don’t intend to return it.”

Luthor’s only response was only a smile as if ridiculing.

“Is the ring the only artifact you can obtain?” Matthias asked.

“No, there are others, but most of them are fakes and I have yet to determine if they do possess any sorts of supernatural powers.”

“Heh, figures. Imagine my shock that someone auctioned an actual Spear of Destiny here in Metropolis, people would be willing to sell their soul to own such a powerful artifact.”

“You speak as if you are absolutely sure such an old spear does contain powers.” Luthor wondered.

“And what about you? Don’t you already know that Spear does indeed contain something? Why else would you try and fake the Spear if not to bait for an actual one.” Matthias answered. He had already boosted his intelligence significantly right after he disabled Luthor’s suit. As such, from the way the conversation goes, he had already deduced how Luthor’s plan would go.

Luthor can sense how smart this Wraith is; his capability to comprehend his actual plan only by talking to him. His admiration to this mysterious ghost increases, and he acknowledged him to be his equal in the terms of cleverness.

“Are you sure you don’t want to work with me, Wraith? I’m sure with your capabilities, my genius intellect, and our combined smarts, we can deal against the upcoming invasion.”

Matthias stared at Luthor. In his mind, he’s willing to have Luthor as an ally, but most of the time in any DC universe timeline, he’s always made as the villain. One should never relax when confronted with Luthor, no matter if one’s an ally or enemy to him.

“No. Ally or friend, you are too dangerous to me.”

“I see.”
Ending the long conversation, Luthor wiggled his arms a bit. The armor had started to gain power, as the chest part lightly lit up a bit. He stalled the time enough to restore the suit’s powers.
“Then I can’t just simply let you out of here alive.”

Luthor’s back thrusters’ powers up, and he quickly rose up to his feet before Matthias can prepare for anything.

‘Damn!’ Matthias cursed. He wasn’t being lax near Luthor, but still he did not expect the armor to power up again this soon.

Matthias boosts his speed to escape… or rather, he tried to, but Luthor’s right hand was quick enough to grab him. Luthor quickly held Wraith’s whole body using his two hands, rendering the latter immobile.

“Argh!” Matthias grunts as the hold tightens. He was trying to transform into mist form, but the armor's hands generate some sort of a phase shifting energy, as sparks of electricity covers Matthias and rendering him unable to transform.

“Do not struggle, Wraith.”
Luthor smiles victorious. His plan in conversing with the Wraith was not only to make sure his suit powers up, he also needed him to be relaxed at the right point.
“Whatever tricks you have like that static shock device you just put on me, that won’t work the second time. My suit has the ability to adapt to any sorts of attacks.”

Matthias, however, is also smiling. If there’s something Matthias has benefited the most in his fights against powerful characters such as Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor, it would be experiences. And, if there’s something Matthias is extremely good at, is his ability to adapt. He has his stats boosting abilities that he has yet to fully utilize, and now it’s the time to show off.

“Huh?! What the...!” Luthor exclaimed in utter confusion.
His hands, for some reason, felt heavy. His grip was getting pushed away.
“What is this—you have a superhuman strength too?!”

Matthias, inside Luthor’s armor’s clutches, started to fully boosts his strength to maximum.

Sacrificing his other stats such as his speed, agility, intelligence, as well as his abilities to produce black smokes and other unneeded ones, he filled his strength stats and then force open the two robotic hands that grabbed him.
He is now a super man by strength, and a normal human by everything else.

“How-? How are you this strong?!”

Matthias abrupt strength increase was not in Luthor’s calculations. His armor lost against the Wraith’s power.

“Not expecting this, are you!” taunts Matthias. His voice became normal after undoing his disguising skill to disguise his voice to feed his strength stat.

Matthias freed himself from the metal grip, and then he pulled Luthor’s hand and threw him towards the Lab wall, slamming his whole body.

“Urk!” Luthor grunts.

Matthias kept slamming him to the wall, denting the metal plating that made up the Lab’s walls. His war-suit started making some noises too, but he’s ultimately unable to do anything to Matthias at this point.

“Argh! Damn!”

After Wraith did several more slams and then some punches to the chest part, Luthor did his last effort to push Wraith away. His armor lit up; the chest part lit up redder, and his whole armor is generating electricity. Luthor was about to attack using a pulse wave using the suit’s whole power.

*BWOOOONG!!!!*
The pulse shots away, and Matthias was almost pushed. He used his sword, planted it through the floor, using it as a holder to not get thrown off by the wave.

Luthor’s suit was in a midst of powering down from low power, and Matthias used the chance to pummel him, repeatedly.

Wham! Whack! Blam!
Matthias completely destroyed the war-suit, with Luthor unable to retaliate to this one-sided beatdown.

Matthias kept punching and pummeling.
“You’re not so tough without this stupid armor of yours!”
He kept going until he felt the armor breaks apart.

Several more beatings later… Matthias stopped. He heaved and gasped for air, and he saw his scene of pure chaos in front of him; Luthor’s armor was totally wrecked, and the pilot coughed blood but still alive.

Matthias lifts Luthor up by grabbing him on the collar, removing him from his wrecked armor.

Having finished of Luthor’s armor, he finally decreased his strength to normal point, and returned disguising his voice back deeper.

“I knew I can’t trust you, friend or foe!” he growled intimidatingly.

He was angry, more so to himself. In his heart, he wants to try and make Luthor somewhat less than a villain, which he can try to ally should he need the help of a genius such as him…
‘Just like in the Injustice series… I want Luthor as non-villain…’

“Heh… haha…” Luthor laughed. “You’re really something else, Wraith… *cough* *cough*.”
Luthor coughed a bit, his blood splatters on Matthias’ coat.
“I wonder if I should be wary of Superman… *cough*, or you…”

Matthias frowned under his mask. He threw Luthor to the floor as he kept coughing and clutching his chests from Matthias hitting him repeatedly.

He then went for the computer panels again. Boosting his intelligence to its fullest, he accessed it again to try and scour for more stuff he can take home.

Several click-clacks later, Matthias turned towards Luthor.

“Hey, I’m taking all your schematics and research logs for the armors and plans.”

“… you’re still asking me after beating me like this? And why would you want them anyway?”

“So that I can prepare for their arrival.”

“You want to use my knowledge to prepare for the arrival of the Kryptonians, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Can you even use my research?”

Matthias looked stared hard at Luthor, still lying down on the floor.
“Believe me when I say: I can become much more smarter than you, Luthor, and I’ll know how to utilize your knowledge once I’m done.”

Luthor was still lying down clutching his chest as he talked.
“I’ve been wondering… are you perhaps working for someone? Or rather, are you affiliated with a secret organization, perhaps?”

“You can believe whatever you want, Luthor, but know this…”
Matthias, having successfully downloaded all the important informations from the panel, walked away towards the Lab’s exit. He had a switch in his hand.
“… don’t tread on me, because I’m not as merciful and as heroic as Superman. If I value you as more of a threat to me or the world, I’ll fucking end you.”

*click.*
*KABOOOOM!!!*
The panel blew up, and shrapnel from the broken compartments flew everywhere. Luthor covered his body to protect himself from the flying sharp fragments.

He looked around after the explosion… to find that Wraith had already disappeared. The whole building’s alarm is still ringing loudly, and just sat down pondering.
‘He is not to be underestimated. Perhaps he can help deal with the incoming aliens.’

He took a device from his pocket that looked like a box; it was a communicator device. He called for his personal assistant.
“Jenny, turn off the alarm. Also, call a meeting of the board. Project: Ghost. And arrange pickup for the suit in the Lab; it needs… a tune-up.”

…

‘So he didn’t send anyone after me, huh?’

Matthias is currently somewhere on the outskirts of Metropolis.

In his escape from Luthor’s Tower, he was still chased down in the building.

Luthor’s guards were waiting outside the elevator, trying to swarm Matthias with number. Still, they can’t do anything to stop him, as Matthias simply boosts his speed and agility, as well as his ability to transform into smoke, and just dashed away.

On his way to the exit, the alarm stopped, and his pursuers also did not give chase, leaving Matthias free to escape without much issue.

And now… he’s going around, using his grappler to just fly around from building to building, boosting himself and making his path completely untraceable.

Almost an hour later, he ends up somewhere in the outskirts of Metropolis, resting under a lush tree as he kept a lookout.

“Hah… dammit…” he cursed under his breath. The new information he had received had taken a toll on his mental health, added up with how exhausted he is after dealing with Luthor and forcing his body; boosting his strength to the maximum possible amount to break his armor suit.

‘Really… how does the heroes of such hostile world filled with powerful villains can live their life without the stress that they may one day fail?’

He had a thought of a certain someone; his brother of this world. Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.

‘Most of the DC Justice League series have him as the leader… I can only imagine the pressure.’

Matthias is not a hero, nor is he trying to. But, he can at least understand what it takes to be one.

‘I realized I’ve only been messing around all these time. But I guess it’s time for me to get serious.’

He as new plans to make, new objectives to complete. His next mission is no longer to just make himself stronger. He needs to prepare for the Kryptonians.

He has Luthor’s schematics of the reverse engineered Kryptonian tech. He has quite some pieces of Kryptonite minerals. He has the Nth metal ring and Nth metal rocks.

Most important of all these? He needs all the help he can get. Earth’s greatest heroes: Batman and Superman
‘Maybe I could secretly give my brother some info. Like those scenes where the main character received an info from a “secret admirer” or something similar. And then, I can also try and make Superman much more prepared to face those of similar powers to him.’

With that, he stood up, and dashed back home.

There’s no time to loose. If you want peace...

...Prepare For War