Seeing Axel and the other person disappear, everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
Clark was the first to speak.
"Axel just left like that? Did he dislike what I said?"
"I don't know," Floyd replied with a faint grin. "But when you were talking, he looked pretty pleased. Honestly, I think he liked it. Though compared to you, he probably liked Selina's feet more."
With that, Floyd sheathed her knife, sat on the rubble, lit a cigarette, and rolled her shoulder.
"Zatanna, hurry it up. Even I'm exhausted. You should get some rest too."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying," Zatanna muttered. "I've been crying almost the whole night. I'm drained. You guys won't laugh at me, right?"
Floyd shook her head.
"We won't laugh. But we'll remember. Unless someone new joins and embarrasses themselves worse on their first mission, this is sticking with you forever."
"Ahhh, stop it!"
Flustered, Zatanna sped up her magic. Within minutes, the entire Spire of Sorcery turned purple. Even the lightning circling it shifted to the same color.
As the magic intensified, the Spire slowly broke apart, dissolving into the air.
At the same time, the walking dead gathered across Washington lost their strength and collapsed.
Millions of bodies fell in unison, a chilling yet final signal that the nightmare had ended.
Pierce's plane soon arrived.
Everyone boarded in silence, leaving behind the ruined city.
They had slowed the disaster and dealt with its apparent source. But the deaths, the destruction, the fall of the White House, none of that could be undone.
Still, there was a sense of grim pride.
They had done something. Not everything, not enough, but something.
Even Victor pushed through his injuries to drink with the others. Bruce, in his own way, joined in with three cups of ginger juice.
Then they returned to the manor.
"What did you say? Are you certain?"
Alfred's report stunned everyone into silence.
Bruce slammed the table.
"You're telling me that right after we left, the ones responsible for the Washington incident went to Axel's room… to pay respect? That sounds ridiculous, but that's not the point. Are they really the ones behind everything?"
Alfred nodded calmly.
"I confirmed it personally. They admitted responsibility. However, their reasoning was… unusual."
"Unusual how?" Clark asked.
"They did not see killing millions as their mistake. Instead, they believed the entire Earth belongs to Axel. In their view, Axel is the ruler of humanity. Their 'mistake' was trespassing on his territory and harming what they considered to be his people."
Silence filled the room.
Clark pressed a hand to his forehead.
Lex swallowed.
"Then Doctor Fate, the one we fought all night…"
"And those winged figures," Zatanna added weakly, "they probably thought we were controlling the Spire."
Clark's body trembled. His fists clenched tightly.
"Then the ones Axel killed… were they also heroes like us?"
"From their perspective," Floyd said flatly, "anyone associated with Axel isn't worthy of being called a hero."
She crossed her arms.
"They attacked us on sight. If they had just talked to us, none of this would've happened. So no, this isn't entirely on us."
Even as she said it, her gaze shifted toward Bruce and Lex.
For the first time, the two so-called masterminds didn't look reassuring.
Bruce inhaled deeply, his face strained with guilt. Lex gave a quiet, bitter laugh.
"We ran countless simulations," Lex said. "And the more outcomes we analyzed, the more flawed they became. Still, our goal was to stop the disaster. And we did. Washington is no longer spiraling out of control."
Bruce said nothing. He simply turned and left for his study.
Clark clenched his fists.
"I knew it. Working with you is dangerous. We coordinated well, but we targeted the wrong enemy. If Alfred is right, then the real perpetrators won't stop."
"They've already begun."
Bruce returned abruptly, holding up a handheld screen.
Everyone looked.
Another towering structure was rising, this time in Israel.
It resembled the Spire, but its construction was slower. And far fewer people had died.
Clark's eyes widened.
"How are they moving this fast? And if they're the same people we fought last night, then those three shouldn't have died. A misunderstanding isn't a reason to kill!"
He covered his face in frustration.
Bruce looked toward Lex.
Lex said nothing. She turned and walked toward her lab.
Bruce followed.
They barely made it outside when—
Boom!
A heavy impact shook the ground.
Diana descended from the sky, her eyes bloodshot, her presence cold and suffocating.
She looked at them.
"Where is Axel?"
"Axel isn't here," Lex began carefully. "If you're looking for him, you should—"
She didn't get to finish.
Diana moved instantly.
Her sword flashed toward Lex's neck.
Boom!
Clark appeared in front of Lex in a blur, raising his arms to block the strike.
The blade collided with him and stopped.
Diana narrowed her eyes.
"What are you?"
"You're Wonder Woman, right?" Clark shot back, anger breaking through. "I've seen the reports. But this has to stop. You can't keep fighting over something like this!"
His voice shook.
Three people had already died because of a misunderstanding.
Now another had come.
Would this cycle just continue?
How many more would die for something this absurd?
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