Adrian stood at the edge of Smallville, his sharp eyes scanning the thick, swirling mist that now enveloped the town. Beside him, Amanda, a high-ranking official in the X Task Force, hesitated, her expression grim. She had been tasked with protecting Smallville, yet the town seemed to have vanished beneath the dense fog.
Adrian's gaze pierced through the haze. "Where is Smallville?"
Amanda swallowed, struggling for an explanation. "Mr. President… I've deployed countless soldiers, including the X Task Force, but none have been able to find an entrance. It's as if the town has disappeared into thin air."
Adrian shook his head. "Forget it. This area is saturated with magical energy. A normal person cannot breach a sorcerer's enchantment."
With that, he summoned his Star Scepter. The golden staff floated toward him, radiating brilliant light as Adrian gripped it firmly. Its glow cut through the mist like sunlight through storm clouds.
At that moment, Wonder Woman, Rachel, and Rika arrived.
"I can feel it," Diana said, her voice tight with concern. "Black magic is at work here. They promised the magic world would not interfere." Her frown deepened, a sense of betrayal plain on her face.
Rachel glanced nervously at Adrian. "Brother… has the farm disappeared?"
Adrian reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "No. It's simply hidden."
He stepped forward, Star Scepter glowing, and addressed Amanda coldly. "Surround this area. No one is allowed to enter. Fail me again, and I will question your value to me."
Amanda nodded quickly, her face pale but resolute. "Understood."
The group advanced into the mist. Rachel, cloaked in black, channeled her magic to cast a beam of light, dispersing the fog immediately around her. Yet the mist quickly reformed. Only the light from Adrian's Star Scepter was strong enough to hold the Black Magic at bay, melting it like snow under a blazing sun.
Diana and Rika followed closely, their eyes widening with relief as they realized Adrian's scepter could control the mist.
But then, the mist erupted with movement. A pack of feral wolves lunged at them, fangs bared, snarling through the fog. Rika and Diana struck instantly, killing the wolves before they could reach the group.
The ground trembled. Two enormous, one-eyed giants emerged, dozens of meters tall, resembling creatures from fairy tales. Their massive forms moved with alarming speed, charging at the group. Adrian delivered a single punch to the nearest giant, sending it staggering to the ground.
More giants appeared, followed by legendary dragons that roared from the sky. Griffins and goblin-like monsters surged from all directions. Adrian and his companions were surrounded by an army of magical beasts.
Rachel, her voice excited despite the danger, began identifying them. "That's a dryad, a chestnut dryad! That's a bottle imp, which lures humans to their doom! And that one… a gray wolf from Germany's Black Forest. They mimic human voices to trick people and devour them!"
Wonder Woman raised her Vulcan Sword, her expression deadly serious. "These are magical creations. If you know their weaknesses, they are killable."
Rachel's magic coalesced into a tangible black shadow in her hand. She launched it at the creatures, exploiting their vulnerabilities with deadly precision. Adrian, in the sky, unleashed his Heat Vision, slicing dragons from the sky, clearing the path forward.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the mist. "Stop! Homelander!"
Adrian paused, hovering in the fog, eyes scanning for the source. The voice belonged to the Fairytale Queen.
"If you want everyone here alive, do not come closer," she warned.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "And if you harm a single hair on them?"
"Impossible!" the ethereal figure replied. "You cannot reach me. I am within a mirror. No matter your power, you cannot break through."
Adrian said nothing, his gaze cold.
"You'll never see those you care about again," she continued. "They will remain trapped until you retreat from this war."
"Are you declaring war on me on behalf of the magic world?" Adrian asked, his voice icy, his killing intent nearly tangible.
"I am no representative of the magic world," she said. "I merely advise you. Stop dreaming of ruling this country. Fight your battles elsewhere."
Adrian's eyes flared with Heat Vision. "If you do not comply, everyone suffers."
"You won't do that," she spat, confident.
"Then your eyes are no longer needed."
Before she could react, a black shadow leapt from the mirror. Rachel had entered the mirror world, striking the Fairytale Queen. The upper half of the Queen emerged, and Adrian seized her by the neck, holding her immobile.
"How… how is this possible?" she gasped.
"You are halfway in the mirror. If I shatter it, what will happen to you?" Adrian asked coldly.
"You wouldn't!"
"Not necessarily." His eyes glowed with Heat Vision.
"The Trinity Goddess cursed me. Your mirror cannot hide anything from me," Adrian added. Hecate's blessing made magic ineffective against him. He had waited only to see the Queen's methods firsthand.
Under Adrian's command, Rachel entered the mirror, her teleportation powers allowing her to breach the Queen's dimension.
"Are you ready to die opposing me?" Adrian asked, Heat Vision aimed at the mirror.
The Queen yielded. She dispelled the mist and freed all the trapped residents of Smallville and Blue Valley.
Adrian did not destroy the mirror but pulled her free. Before she could recover, a beam of Heat Vision struck her eyes. Screaming, she was blinded instantly.
Adrian turned to the survivors emerging from the mist. Ivanna and Anna, once trapped in the Queen's illusion, knelt before him in surrender, bracing as Rika and the military police moved in. Despite surrendering, they were struck with rifle butts, Ivanna fainting, Anna twitching on the ground. The remaining resisters were swiftly eliminated.
Adrian surveyed the restored town. "The magic world cannot be trusted. Their promises are meaningless."
Wonder Woman approached, anger in her eyes. "They said they would not intervene. This proves they lie."
Adrian's gaze was cold steel. "Not just the magic world… the rest still resist. They think I will hesitate. They are wrong."
Diana rose into the air, missiles converging upon her. She blocked them with her arms, the explosions lighting the sky with fire. Unfazed, she remained expressionless, a storm of vengeance in her eyes. Politicians who gambled with countless lives would learn the cost of betrayal.
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