Khonsu, the Moon God who had attempted to flee and seek a new champion, was cut down by Adrian before he could escape.
Even though Khonsu once wielded divine authority, his powers had been stripped, leaving him unable to cast spells or resist. In the silence of space, he watched helplessly as Adrian extinguished his life.
The starlight faded from Khonsu's eyes.
In a breath, his body disintegrated into cosmic dust slipped through Adrian's fingers.
Everyone watching froze.
"What on Earth was that?" Detective Chimp Bobo said, jaw wide as he stared at Circe.
"That… was the deity who empowered him. And he killed it," Circe said, disbelief and awe mixed in her eyes.
"That man has committed deicide," she continued, tone heavy with shock. "I do not know how he did it, but to take life from a god without hesitation, denying the Trinity Goddess any leverage… That ruthlessness, that decisiveness, is not something mere mortals can achieve. Who is he really?"
"But if he killed his divine patron, wouldn't that weaken him?" Bobo asked, still uncertain of what he had seen.
"I don't know," Circe said, her gaze distant. "But I sense the true conflict is only beginning."
The entire plaza was silent, awed and shaken. Monks gaped at the tiny pile of stardust in Adrian's hand that had once been Khonsu.
Constantine, ever unfazed, exhaled a slow smoke ring. "That was a performance," he murmured, his tone casual but impressed.
Zatanna's eyes were clouded with confusion, still processing what she'd witnessed.
The two Wonder Women, who had paused mid‑argument, turned their attention to Adrian.
After obliterating Khonsu as though he were nothing, a rare solemnity entered Adrian's gaze as he fixed his cold eyes on Hecate, still looming before them.
"You thought to stop me from uncovering your secret," he said, voice low and controlled, "so you were willing to extinguish the only chance I had?"
Hecate's eyes shimmered with curiosity, more intrigued than enraged.
"Is that not exactly what you wanted to see?" she replied.
A faint, cold smirk formed on Adrian's lips. Though he had lost a source of extra power, he did not believe he would be defeated.
As long as she revealed her true form, he planned to find a way to ensure she could never retreat unseen.
His gaze flicked toward Zatanna.
Zatanna's magic drew from reversal and incantation. If she spoke backward incantations now, while magic was in turmoil, she might risk calling forth the Upside‑Down Man, an ancient force deeply tied to the origin of magic and stolen by Hecate long ago. In DC lore, Hecate had distributed her Witch Marks to mortal vessels around the world as part of her grand design, a scheme that included powerful witches and Amazons alike.
Adrian's eyes gleamed with a spark of calculated audacity.
"If your goal was vengeance," he said, voice measured, "then I have a story of revenge you've never heard."
Hecate's gaze sharpened, interest evidently piqued.
"At the beginning of existence, there was a young girl," Adrian began, voice calm, "a being tied to the mystery of the moon. She wandered the cosmos with wonder, carefree. Then she found something forbidden beyond her realm, a place of infinite power — treasures that could alter reality itself.
"She breached that boundary and stole a force later known as Witchfire, a power so potent it transformed her essence and connected her forever with sorcery.
"Yet beyond that fence, something terrible lurked — a presence dark and impossible to behold directly. Fear took root in her heart. To protect her world from that terror, she sealed the breach and turned her magic back on the universe, coloring reality with her own brand of power.
"Humankind worshipped her as a divine force. She shared her gift generously, elevating leaders into gods. Among them, Zeus flattered her, gained her favor, and rose in strength.
"In time, she joined Zeus's tribe in hope and alliance, marrying his brother Hades. But as Zeus's ambition grew, he turned on her. She was bound by power greater than her own, forced into captivity. Her hope, once resting on Hades's promise of rescue, was crushed when he betrayed her.
"From betrayal followed darkness. She escaped and vowed revenge on all who had wronged her."
Adrian paused and looked directly at Hecate.
"You know her," he said. "That young girl is your past. The Witch Mother."
Hecate's expression warped through forms — first the youthful face, then the mature one, finally settling into the visage of an old crone filled with wrath.
"How dare you expose me," she roared, unleashing a torrent of energy that rippled across the square, pushing back even the wind.
Both Wonder Women were caught in the surge. Radiant moonlight glowed from their eyes as their hair lifted with unseen force. Symbols of a full and crescent moon burned on their foreheads, their actions no longer their own. Drawn by some invisible pull, they surged toward Adrian with unstoppable force.
Clark and Kara stepped forward, bracing themselves to intercept the possessed Amazons.
"Since you have walked into my mind's design," Adrian said without haste, "you must have encountered the darkness you fear, beings you avoided — like the Upside‑Down Man, whose magic you stole."
A moment of tension held the air still.
"I could release him now," Adrian stated coolly.
At this, fear flickered in Hecate's eyes.
"Afraid?" Adrian continued, his voice like steel.
The old hag's face shifted back to that of the young moon goddess. A smile curved at her lips, confident and inscrutable.
"Not fear," she breathed, "but fascination."
Her gaze swept over the ongoing conflict, and she spoke with detached authority.
"The barrier you fear is strong. Those threats cannot cross it just yet. And I came by other means; you cannot threaten me with that."
White moonlight gleamed in her eyes.
"However, since you guided me to your world," she continued, "I will momentarily set aside global revenge. The darkness in your mind intrigues me. I will enjoy watching it unfold before I pursue my vengeance."
She paused, as though weighing her next words.
"Adrian, you claim magic is a debt no one can repay fully. So…"
Suddenly, a wave of wild, chaotic magical energy, untamed and fierce, rushed outward like a cosmic storm sweeping across the square.
"I will transfer a part of this debt to you, so that when the darkness outside finally comes to collect, you will also bear what is owed."
Adrian did not fully comprehend her intent, but without hesitation he summoned the Cosmic Scepter into his grasp and rocketed upward, refusing to stand still and be struck down.
Lifting the Cosmic Scepter, he fired an intense beam of energy straight at Hecate.
But before the blast could strike her, an unseen magical force seized Adrian's body and flung him aside with brutal force.
"Though I know not where you gained your moon‑linked surrogate god," Hecate said, her tone scathing, "do not forget that I am the true Goddess of the Moon."
Even as his body was controlled, Adrian released one final strike. The Cosmic Scepter erupted in brilliant energy and sent a beam toward her.
With a simple gesture of her hand, Hecate dissolved the assault as if it were mist before the sun.
"From this moment," she declared, voice as cold as night itself, "the magic I have instilled in this world will no longer affect you. When night's moon rises, my 'blessing,' or as it truly is, my curse, will touch your form and make you stronger.
"But…" her eyes glittered with triumph, "having accepted this gift, you now carry your share of the debt. When the darkness beyond the veil comes to collect, it will come for you."
With that, the figure of the Witch Queen vanished into thin air.
The restraints that held Adrian's body dissolved.
The two Wonder Women, who had been attacking Clark and Kara, suddenly snapped free of the magical compulsion. The moonlight faded from their eyes, and the glow that once enveloped their bodies dissipated into the night.