"No, he is too powerful, John, I cannot hold it much longer!"
Zatanna's voice strained as she struggled to maintain the barrier. Her hands trembled, sweat running down her temples as the shimmering shield flickered under the immense pressure pressing against it.
Even with her exceptional talent, the force outside was overwhelming. Her magic was beginning to fail.
Constantine spat out his cigarette and forced himself forward despite the dizziness clouding his head. "We need to get out now. Zatanna, can you teleport us?"
Around them, the pressure intensified. The magicians could barely stand, while Alfred, Montoya, and the others without magical resistance were on the verge of collapse.
If they delayed any longer, none of them would leave alive.
"No," Zatanna replied through clenched teeth. "If I drop the barrier now, we will all be crushed. I cannot hold this much longer."
"Harley, Alfred, search the house. Find a cellar or some kind of underground space," Batman ordered.
Before either of them could move, a sharp crack echoed above.
Batman looked up just as the crystal chandelier tore free from the ceiling and came crashing down.
He lunged forward, shoving a nearby magician out of harm's way.
Constantine's voice cut through the chaos. "Are you serious, Batman? That is the Spectre out there. You think hiding in another room will help?"
He strode forward, ignoring the debris falling around them. "I know what you are doing. You are trying to take control."
His voice rose over the collapsing structure. "This is not your world. This is not about capes and fists. You are completely out of your depth."
Batman remained silent.
Constantine's frustration boiled over. "Do you think you can protect them from the Spectre?"
He pointed toward Jason Blood's remains. "That thing just turned one of the most powerful magicians alive into a stain on the floor!"
He stepped closer, his tone sharp with contempt. "Look at you. You can barely stand."
"Enough," Montoya snapped, stepping forward. "Stop talking like that."
"Stay out of it," Constantine shot back before turning on Batman again. "You are running on painkillers and stubbornness. What use are you right now?"
The punch came without warning.
Batman's fist drove straight into Constantine's face.
A dull impact echoed as blood burst from Constantine's nose. He staggered backward, losing his balance before crashing heavily onto the floor.
The room fell still for a brief moment.
Batman lowered his hand, expression unchanged. "Zatanna, when the attack stops, drop the barrier and teleport everyone to safety."
He turned toward the door.
"Batman, where are you going?" Zatanna asked, struggling to keep the barrier intact.
"Outside."
His voice carried quiet certainty.
"Wait, I am coming with you," Montoya said, stepping forward.
"No," Batman replied immediately.
She frowned. "Do not underestimate me."
"This is not about that," he said. "Outside is the Spectre. He punishes without restraint. Let me handle this."
His cape shifted in the violent wind behind him. "We have something in common."
Without another word, he stepped out.
Outside, the sky had turned a sickly green.
The Spectre loomed over the mansion, towering far above it. His massive form blotted out the sky, his glowing eyes radiating judgment and fury. The air itself seemed to compress under his presence.
Batman stood beneath him, unflinching.
"Spectre!" he called out.
The entity paused, its attention shifting.
"Batman," the Spectre replied, his voice echoing like a distant storm.
"I want to speak with you," Batman said. "From one spirit of vengeance to another."
A flicker of interest crossed the Spectre's expression.
Inside the barrier, Constantine pushed himself back to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose.
"Klarion, what is happening out there?" he asked.
Klarion stared through the barrier. "Batman is talking to him."
Constantine let out a low whistle. He pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag. A grin spread across his face. "That man is insane, and brilliant."
Montoya watched him with narrowed eyes, irritation building.
Outside, Batman faced the Spectre alone.
"You claim to be a spirit of justice," Batman said, his voice steady. "Yet you just killed an innocent man. His name was Harvey Bullock."
The Spectre's gaze hardened. "Do not lecture me. He stood beside a demon."
Despite his words, the Spectre had completely halted his assault on the barrier.
Inside, Zatanna felt the pressure vanish.
"It has stopped," she said, relief breaking through her exhaustion.
"Then move," Constantine urged. "Teleport us now."
Klarion's eyes widened suddenly. "Teekl is still outside."
"And Batman," Montoya added, alarmed.
Zatanna nodded. "We will retrieve them."
She raised her hands. "Everyone behind me."
They gathered quickly. Harley Quinn carried the unconscious Detective Chimp, while Montoya supported the barely breathing Harvey Bullock.
Zatanna began her spell.
"Tower of Fate, send these people."
A surge of magic tore open space itself, and in an instant, they were gone.
Silence returned to the ruined room.
Outside, the Spectre's head snapped toward the empty house.
"You dare deceive me?"
His massive hand shot forward, seizing Batman and lifting him into the air.
Batman's body tensed under the crushing grip, but he made no sound.
"Where did they go?" the Spectre demanded. "How did you hide them from me?"
Batman said nothing.
"Answer me!"
The Spectre's anger surged, green lightning coiling around his form as the air trembled with destructive force.
The mansion began to collapse under the pressure.
Still, Batman spoke.
"If you cannot see what happened, then you are not all knowing," he said through clenched teeth. "If your judgment is flawed, then your title means nothing."
On the ground below, Teekl watched, eyes wide.
A falling chunk of debris crashed nearby, startling the cat. It leapt backward, only to land beneath an even larger piece of falling stone.
Before it could be crushed, a blur streaked through the air.
Clark arrived in time, catching the cat in one hand.
He hovered upward, eyes fixed on the towering entity.
The pressure alone told him everything he needed to know. This was no ordinary opponent.
Magic.
His least favorable kind of fight.
He steadied himself, recalling every encounter he had endured, from Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth to the unsettling effects of Rachel's magic. Unlike Adrian, whose resistance bordered on immunity, Clark had always struggled against it.
Still, he could not stand by.
He moved forward, placing himself between Batman and the Spectre.
"Let him go," Clark said firmly.
The Spectre regarded him with interest. "Superman. Homelander's brother."
Clark did not react to the title.
"I do not care who you are," he continued. "This is Gotham. You do not get to tear it apart like this. Put him down."
The Spectre's expression darkened.
"You do not understand," he said, his voice rumbling like thunder. "I am the embodiment of vengeance. Even hell cannot contain me, and you think to challenge me here?"
Lightning surged around him, illuminating the sky in violent flashes.