My Hero Academia Symbol of Hope (DC x MHA)

Things Go South

Kai spat blood onto the cracked metal floor, the crimson drops hissing as they hit the scorched steel. Every nerve in his body burned — the nano-cells Luthor had unleashed were eating away at him from the inside, stripping his solar energy, draining the light that gave him strength. His breath came ragged, shallow. Yet even through the haze of agony, his eyes burned with defiance.

Zod grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head up toward the massive holographic screen where Lex Luthor's calm, venomous face glowed in artificial light.

"I'm going to destroy you, Kai," Luthor said, his voice like cold steel. "Your reputation. Everything you built — the façade of being the Symbol of Peace's son."

Kai growled low, struggling against Zod's iron grip, but the villain's strength was inhuman. The pressure on his scalp tightened until he could feel blood trickling down his temple. Luthor's words slithered through the smoke-filled air, deliberate and cruel.

"I'll reveal you to the world for what you truly are — a weapon that went rogue. A failed experiment pretending to be a man. When they see what you've become, they'll understand that there was never a hero... just a monster who learned to smile."

Kai's body trembled, the nano-cells flaring under his skin like molten fire, but his expression didn't falter. His jaw clenched, his eyes locked onto the screen, unwavering.

"Yes, of course," Luthor continued mockingly, leaning forward. "The image never mattered to you, did it? Always the good little boy scout — unshakable morality, endless compassion. But let's try something new."

The billionaire's smirk widened. "What will the world think when they see your family? Your precious adoptive father. That little girl you took in. Your students. The Titans."

Zod twisted Kai's head toward the flickering side screens — they now displayed surveillance stills of All Might, Melissa, Eri, and the Titans in their base.

"Do they know what you truly are?" Luthor asked softly. "What Superman really is? What that 'S' you wear so proudly stands for? It's not hope. It's Subject S. The designation of the most powerful failure mankind ever made."

Kai's breath hitched, but not from fear. A sound escaped his throat — low, rough, and defiant. He began to laugh.

Zod's grip tightened, slamming him down to one knee, but still he laughed, blood dripping from his lip. "Heh... heheheheh... You never got it, did you, Luthor?"

Lex's smug smile faltered for a moment.

Kai raised his head, his eyes blazing despite the agony tearing through him. "Before Subject S, I was just a boy. Before your experiments, before the pain, before the lies — I was human."

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand, every muscle screaming. The nano-cells writhed across his skin like living chains, but his spirit burned hotter. "And even after all that, I still am. I still feel fear. I still bleed. I still fall."

He clenched his fists, a faint glow of golden light beginning to push through the green corruption spreading across his veins. "But standing back up — that's what makes me human!"

The glow intensified. The lab's floor quaked as his aura fought against the infection coursing through his body.

"Destroy my reputation. Reveal the truth. I don't care!" Kai roared, his voice echoing through the chamber. "But know this, Luthor — you and your human superweapon can take me down, but you'll never win."

He took a step forward, defiance radiating from every trembling muscle. "Even if I fall here, someone stronger will rise and take my place. That's what hope is. That's what being a hero means."