Adrian's power had reached its peak, fueled by Homelander's full strength and enhanced under the moonlight.
His strength surged beyond normal limits, and his connection to magic deepened. Under the glow of the moon, his senses could perceive things hidden from ordinary sight — even spirits became visible to his mind's eye.
With Lois's spiritual form illuminated by that same moonlight, Adrian now understood how to reach her.
Below in the plaza, Detective Chimp and Circe watched in stunned silence as a swirling purple trail, dragged by a white cape, carved elegant arcs through the night air.
"What is this…" Beppo murmured, brushing his dark fur and staring at the chaotic spectacle, his voice filled with disbelief. He blinked and turned to Circe. "Is she another sorceress?"
The red‑haired witch regarded the scene with gravity and unease. "I don't know, but this aura is unlike any ordinary sorceress I've seen."
She hesitated, then continued, eyes narrowing. "She feels like a force that has erupted into this world, something unnatural. I have an intense sense that disaster is near."
Lois, thrown free of Adrian's grasp, glared up at him with eyes glowing white. Her rage burned brighter than ever.
She summoned a massive purple sword of magical energy and charged, letting out a furious roar. Though unsure how Adrian shattered her spiritual form, her wrath left no room for hesitation. Revenge was her only impulse now.
The great sword swung down — and in an instant, Adrian activated his super speed. A booming shockwave rippled through the night as he crossed the distance in a blink and seized her by the throat.
Lifted high like a missile, the two figures rocketed into the sky. In a cascade of explosions that tore through the air, they vanished from sight. Only Lois's screams echoed against the backdrop of fire and flame in the plaza below.
Everyone standing in the burning square froze.
Zatanna and Constantine exchanged pale, stunned looks.
What kind of brothers were these? The older one already seemed monstrous, but the younger surpassed all understanding.
A monk sitting before the main hall gurgled unintelligibly, as if caught in his throat by some unseen shock. His eyes stared past the smoking ruins, wide and unbelieving.
This… this was done?
That woman, massacring monks and terrorizing spirits just moments ago, had been handled by one man in an instant?
What kind of monster was this?
High above, Adrian ascended into near space, his grip choking the powerless form of Lois. She flailed wildly, burning with panic and rage. Her magic sputtered and failed, unable to influence him. Every attempt she made to control his mind, to push her will into his thoughts, dissolved like mist against an invisible shield.
Her magic could not touch his spirit.
Earth receded below them until only silver moonlight remained around their figures. Adrian's face was calm, almost bored, as if the chaos meant nothing to him. His white cape re‑formed behind him, unfurling like a serpent in the void.
With slow precision, he turned, staring down at the planet they had left behind.
Then, without hesitation, he plunged toward Earth.
The supersonic descent fractured the air. Boom after boom rocked the atmosphere as Adrian sliced through the sound barrier. Lower and lower he fell, until the burning palace and icy Himalayan peaks became visible again through the cloud of smoke and flame.
Then came the impact.
The ground shook as if struck by a meteor. The shockwave raced across snowy ridges and ravines, and ice cracked like shattered glass.
Adrian hurled Lois from his grasp. Her body struck a mountainside with devastating force, gouging a deep scar into the snow‑covered peak. Snow cascaded in avalanches and thundered downward in thunderous waves.
Kara watched with wide, stunned eyes as the crushing avalanche thundered from the distant summit. Her breath caught in her throat.
"How did Adrian do that?" she whispered, awed and horrified.
Atop the shattered mountain, Adrian stood, cape fluttering wildly, his expression as cold and ancient as the ice beneath his feet. He descended slowly among drifting snow and falling stone, approaching Lois's inert form lying in the crater like a broken marionette.
Kara flew to his side, positioning herself behind him, her eyes glowing faintly with concern and frustration. Her brother had become something beyond her comprehension, unstoppable in strength, and she hadn't even been able to assist.
Those nearby exhaled in unison, relief mixed with lingering shock. The scale of Adrian's actions — dropping someone from near space onto Earth — was almost beyond belief.
Clark, still weakened from earlier magical attacks, struggled to stand. He started forward, intent on approaching Adrian, when a roar from above cut through the mountain winds.
Two figures descended into the smoke‑choked sky.
Lana and Chloe, their eyes fierce and full of fury at the sight of Lois in Adrian's arms, hovered above the crater like avenging specters.
Constantine watched, unfazed, lighting another cigarette with that same grim amusement in his eyes. "Oh wow, the other two aspects of the Trinity Goddess have arrived," he said dryly, as if commenting on the weather. "I wonder if our caped hero still has any fight left."
Zatanna glared at him.
"Would you care one bit about our situation?" she snapped.
Constantine exhaled smoke without concern. "Honestly, how much worse can it get? If I die here, maybe I'll go to heaven. If not, I'll go to hell. I don't care either way."
Zatanna's eyes flicked toward Wonder Woman, only to see two Wonder Women standing nearby.
At first she questioned her own eyes. Then she rubbed them to be sure. Yes, there were definitely two Dianas.
The younger one, recently arrived from her own battlefield, noticed the other and burst out, "Who are you?"
Her voice was shock and anger woven together. She glared fiercely at the older woman's mature presence.
"You are Diana Prince," the future Wonder Woman said simply.
"That is my name!" the younger Diana shot back, eyes blazing with disbelief. She reached for her sword at her hip, posture defiant and ready to strike.
The older Diana, still recovering from the effects of Hecate's magic, frowned calmly and met her gaze. "You are impulsive and reckless," she said without malice, "and you rely too much on anger."
Green Lantern watched the confrontation with helpless amusement and mild confusion. He checked the energy left in his ring, then decided it wasn't worth losing it over a personal argument.
Above the battlefield, Chloe and Lana glowed with eerie light, their forms infused with moonlit magic that made the air ripple with power.
Circe's expression turned serious. "I sense the Witch Mother's power," she murmured, gripping her staff tightly. "Her presence grows nearer."
Even Kara felt it — an overwhelming aura that made the air tremble and the night itself seem alive.
Amid that sense of looming dread, a figure appeared in the void.
She emerged like the embodiment of darkness and flame, defined by flickering purple energy. The very air solidified as if threatened by her presence.
Hecate had arrived.
Her form was taller than a normal woman, her three‑moon headdress glowing, her deep purple robe flowing like shadows. She surveyed the scene with unblinking eyes focused on the three men below: Adrian, Clark, and Kara.
"You who command the darkness in your mind," she spoke with a voice like echoing chimes, "you are the guide."
She paused, gaze lingering on Adrian. "Fearless though you are, you rely on the moon's power. It strengthens you, but my hands can grasp even gods."
As her voice faded, the very air around Adrian seemed to freeze.
In that moment, something dark emerged from within his body — a spectral figure shaped like a bird‑headed god.
It was an ancient essence, a guardian spirit once hidden deep within him. It tried to flee from Hecate's influence, but Adrian would not allow it to abandon him.
In a burst of blazing crimson heat, he unleashed Heat Vision, piercing the apparition instantly and erasing it before it could escape.
___
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