"Is it over?"
Clark glanced at Hal Jordan lying unconscious in the distance, then shifted his gaze to Adrian, whose face revealed nothing. He could sense it, the war had finally reached its conclusion.
Despite the unexpected twists along the way, Adrian had secured the final victory.
Clark exhaled slowly and looked toward the sky. The thick storm clouds had begun to thin, and the relentless rain softened into a light drizzle. What had once been an oppressive, suffocating battlefield now felt marginally brighter, as if the world itself was recovering.
He stepped forward, boots sinking into the mud as he approached Adrian.
At the center of the devastation, Adrian stood still, eyes closed, head slightly tilted upward as raindrops touched his face. Around him stretched destruction on a massive scale. The ground was fractured with deep craters and jagged cracks, as if an earthquake had torn the earth apart.
Half of Coast City had been reduced to ruin.
A city that had already endured a nuclear catastrophe had now suffered again under the clash of two beings with overwhelming power. Buildings in the distance collapsed in silence, broken remnants occasionally shifting and falling with dull, echoing thuds.
Adrian slowly opened his eyes.
In the dim light of the storm, he raised his hand, letting the darkness frame the Yellow Lantern Ring on his finger. Its glow stood out vividly against the night.
He studied it, searching for the truth behind its power.
Fear. Trembling. Despair.
That was what it represented, but not entirely. His strength did not come solely from the fear of others. There was something deeper, something rooted within his own mind.
After a moment, he removed the ring.
The yellow aura surrounding him faded, and the oppressive energy it carried dissipated. The overwhelming force that had defined the battlefield moments ago vanished with it.
Adrian stepped forward, walking toward Hal.
His boots struck the wet ground, sending small splashes of water outward. He stopped beside Hal's motionless body and looked down at him, expression unchanged.
A faint red glow gathered in Adrian's eyes.
Heat Vision began to build.
He aimed directly at Hal's head. At full power, the attack would obliterate it instantly.
Adrian felt no hesitation.
This was no longer the Hal Jordan he knew. With Parallax controlling him, Hal had become something else entirely, a force driven by selfish destruction.
Perhaps he could be saved. Perhaps not.
It did not matter.
Adrian's gaze remained cold. To him, the simplest solution was destruction.
The energy in his eyes intensified, ready to fire.
Then he stopped.
The glow faded as he turned his head toward the darkness behind him.
The thinning rain made visibility slightly clearer, and Adrian's voice cut through the night.
"If you had the courage to approach me, why hide?"
A figure stepped forward.
A woman emerged from the shadows, her long dark hair damp from the rain. Her sharp eyes and composed expression carried both elegance and danger.
"Long time no see," she said evenly. "Adrian, or should I call you Homelander, or perhaps Mr. President?"
Lightning flickered in the distance, briefly illuminating her face.
Adrian recognized her instantly.
Talia al Ghul.
He studied her briefly, then glanced past her toward the distance. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
Damian Wayne.
The thought passed quickly, dismissed as unimportant.
"A name is just a label," Adrian replied. "Use whichever you prefer."
Though her tone was steady, Adrian could hear the truth beneath it.
"You're nervous."
Talia's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Your heartbeat is rapid. It sounds like a machine. You're not as composed as you pretend to be."
The observation struck her harder than expected. She remembered their first encounter at the Gotham docks, the same suffocating pressure.
Her gaze flicked briefly toward Hal's fallen body.
"I came without hostile intent," she said carefully. "I'm looking for someone."
"Your son," Adrian said.
Her composure cracked. "How do you know that?"
"Because he's dead. He died here."
The words hit her like a physical blow.
Rage surged instantly, drowning out reason. Without hesitation, she drew her bow and released an arrow.
The projectile sliced through the air, aimed precisely at Adrian's throat.
He did not move until the final instant.
Then he caught it.
His hand closed around the arrow mid-flight, stopping it completely. The shaft vibrated violently before going still.
"You've made a mistake," Adrian said.
He released the arrow, letting it fall into the mud.
"You have no chance here."
In the distance, Damian stood frozen, disbelief etched across his face. Watching his mother attack Adrian left him stunned.
Adrian glanced back at Talia.
"Your skill is respectable. Comparable to Green Arrow. Though he has more experience."
Talia's shock deepened.
Before she could react, Adrian moved.
He closed the distance instantly, striking toward her temple with overwhelming force.
Talia reacted on instinct, pushing herself backward while drawing another arrow. She fired without hesitation.
The arrow missed, embedding itself into a wall behind him.
"A decent attempt," Adrian said.
She fired again.
This arrow carried a hidden advantage. Its tip was coated with kryptonite powder.
For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes.
Adrian vanished.
The arrow passed through empty air.
He reappeared in front of it and caught it effortlessly. His arm trembled slightly upon contact, the kryptonite affecting him for a brief moment, but he crushed the powder away and advanced.
Before Talia could react, he drove the arrow into her shoulder.
The blade pierced through flesh and bone.
She gasped, pain forcing a muffled cry from her lips. Her body tightened instinctively, only worsening the injury.
Still, she fought back. She drove her knee upward and swung her bow, attempting to create space.
Adrian struck her aside with a single blow.
She hit the ground hard, breath leaving her lungs.
Pain flooded her senses. Every movement felt futile.
For the first time in years, she felt completely outmatched.
Her attacks, her timing, even her intent, all of it seemed transparent to him.
"Any last words?" Adrian asked, stepping closer.
She forced herself to breathe steadily, pushing through the pain.
Another arrow flew.
Adrian paused, mildly surprised.
Then his expression shifted.
Perhaps she had some use after all.
A crimson beam erupted from his eyes, disintegrating the arrow instantly.
"You've done well," he said. "But this ends here."
Rain fell steadily between them.
"You are no different from the others who stood against me," Adrian continued. "A trapped animal, struggling in a cage."
His gaze sharpened.
"I know the League of Assassins' plans. Destroy Star City, destroy Gotham, then rebuild them. Ra's al Ghul never changes."
Talia's breathing slowed, though her eyes remained focused.
"He probably told you stories," Adrian went on. "Plagues in ancient Rome, the burning of London, the spread of the Black Death. All justified as necessary evolution."
His voice carried quiet disdain.
"A forest grows too dense, so you burn it down. That is the logic, isn't it? Only fools believe that."
Talia said nothing.
Adrian stepped closer.
"I was going to kill you," he said. "But I've changed my mind."
Her eyes flickered.
"You have one choice," he continued. "Surrender and work with me, or die here."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, she spoke.
"What do you want?"
Her voice was rough, but steady.
"I know about your operation in Star City," Adrian said. "The artificial earthquake, the equipment from Unidac Industries. Your methods are predictable."
He paused briefly.
"My demand is simple. Contact Ra's al Ghul. I want to speak with him."
Talia studied him carefully.
"He is the most dangerous man in the world," she said. "If you underestimate him, you will regret it."
Adrian gave a slight nod.
"Tell him anyway."
Then he glanced toward Damian in the distance.
"The person you're looking for is over there," he said. "Remember your choice. From this moment on, your loyalty to the League is no longer absolute."
Talia's eyes widened.
"W...what?"
===
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