After years of absorbing solar energy and integrating the Doomsday Template, combined with relentless physical training, Adrian had surpassed anything he once was. The monstrous traits within him pressed down on Hal, forcing him into a disadvantage.
But Hal Jordan, already transformed into Parallax, was not someone who would remain suppressed for long.
His face twisted with fury, his eyes burning with raw, unrestrained rage. With a violent surge of willpower, he broke free from Adrian's hold and leaped backward, widening the distance between them. A terrifying aura erupted from his body.
Everything about Hal changed. His expression became tyrannical, almost godlike in its cruelty. A violent, scorching presence radiated outward as he released his magnetic field without restraint. He had no intention of controlling it.
Adrian's own magnetic field clashed against Hal's, the two forces colliding and twisting the very space between them. Gravity warped, the air trembling as if reality itself might fracture.
By sheer presence alone, Hal now surpassed Adrian.
The entire city trembled under the weight of his power.
"Eric Kent!" Hal roared, his voice echoing through the storm as he charged forward.
The Parallax entity within him fed his rage, corrupting his thoughts with a singular obsession. Kill Adrian. Nothing else mattered.
If Adrian lived, he would interfere. If he interfered, Coast City could not be saved. And if Coast City was lost, then everything Hal had done meant nothing.
He would reclaim what was taken from him.
Anyone in his path would be destroyed.
Even Adrian.
Green energy erupted violently from Hal's body, surging across the ground like a tidal wave. The earth split apart beneath it, carving a deep trench that widened into a massive crater as it surged forward.
Adrian's eyes ignited with crimson light.
His Heat Vision fired instantly, colliding head-on with Hal's advancing energy.
The impact was explosive.
The two beams met with overwhelming force, sending sparks scattering like fragments from a celestial collision. The heat vaporized the falling rain instantly, turning the storm into a hissing cloud of steam.
The clash roared louder than the thunder above.
Adrian pushed forward, forcing his Heat Vision to advance, but Hal raised his right hand, channeling the full might of his Green Lantern Ring.
Hal overpowered him.
Even heat exceeding one hundred thousand degrees could not suppress the emerald force. The ground beneath their clash melted into a flowing river of lava, creeping steadily toward Adrian.
He was losing ground.
Hal's expression hardened as he intensified his output. A sharper, more concentrated surge of energy erupted from his ring, slicing cleanly through Adrian's Heat Vision.
The red beams fractured, splitting into branching streams that twisted and scattered under the overwhelming pressure. They spun wildly, carving scorched trails through the air before dissipating into the storm.
Hal advanced step by step, compressing the space between them.
Victory seemed certain.
Then, a figure dropped from the sky.
Clark Kent landed beside Adrian with a thunderous impact. Without hesitation, he unleashed his own Heat Vision, merging it with Adrian's to push back against Hal's assault.
"Ah!" Clark roared, veins bulging as he forced his power to its limit.
His arrival shifted the balance.
Clark's emotions had erupted the moment he saw Adrian on the verge of being overwhelmed. Whatever conflict lay between them did not matter now. He would not stand by and watch Adrian fall.
Adrian glanced at him, surprised.
He had not expected Clark to intervene.
His expression darkened.
Without warning, Adrian thrust his arm out and shoved Clark aside.
"I don't need your help."
The balance shattered instantly.
Hal's energy surged forward unchecked, slamming directly into Adrian.
Adrian roared, his body convulsing under the impact. His hardened exterior cracked like shattered porcelain, splitting into blood-lined fractures. Muscle tore open, exposing raw tissue beneath. His bones disintegrated under the force, only to reconstruct themselves moments later.
Destruction and regeneration cycled endlessly through his body.
The Doomsday Template kept him alive.
Clark staggered back, stunned by the sudden attack. When he regained his footing and saw Adrian's condition, his eyes widened in horror.
"No!"
Rage consumed him.
Clark launched himself at Hal with explosive speed, his mind consumed by a single thought.
Destroy him.
All restraint vanished. Adrian was not just anyone. He was family.
Seeing him torn apart ignited something primal within Clark, a mixture of fury, guilt, and desperation.
"Bastard!"
Clark attacked relentlessly.
Hal redirected his focus, blasting Adrian away before turning to meet Clark's assault. He raised his hand, intercepting Clark's strikes while retreating.
Clark's fists came like a storm, each blow shaking the air itself. He pressed forward without pause, his attacks precise and brutal.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating his furious expression.
Hal dodged with calculated movements, avoiding direct confrontation.
"Why so angry, Superman?" Hal said coldly. "Isn't he your enemy? Haven't you always stood against him?"
Clark's eyes burned with intensity.
"He's not an enemy. He's my family!"
He surged forward again, closing the distance instantly.
Hal twisted his body, evading the strike while countering with a kick. Clark raised his arm, blocking it with raw strength.
Another flash of lightning revealed the fury etched across his face.
Their battle raged on.
Elsewhere, high above the ruined city, Damian struggled against the storm.
The thunder startled him, throwing off his control. His glider veered sharply before losing stability entirely.
"Ah!"
He plummeted.
Rain soaked through his uniform as he fell, crashing hard into the ground below. Mud splashed around him, cold seeping instantly into his body.
Shivering, Damian pushed himself to his feet, wrapping his arms tightly around himself.
He should have brought proper gear.
Looking around, he realized the devastation surrounding him. Buildings had collapsed, their upper levels crushed into the structures below. The area was nothing but ruins.
This had to be part of the zone hit by the nuclear blast.
Damian looked up at the storm-filled sky, then toward the distant rumbling ahead.
He had come to Coast City for one reason.
To find Homelander.
A little rain would not stop him.
He pressed forward.
After several minutes of walking through the downpour, a sudden flash split the sky ahead.
A massive bolt of yellow lightning crashed down with a deafening roar.
===
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