The Hawk Cruiser sliced through the sky, leaving a golden trail in the brilliant blue desert air. Onboard, Utopian observed the arid landscape unfolding beneath him. A strange sensation ran through him, an unpleasant shiver he had never felt before. It was as if the air itself was charged with a hostile, unpredictable energy.
---
Meanwhile, on the ground...
Teth-Adam awoke in the dim light of a modest home. The eyes of Amon, Adrianna's son, were fixed on him, full of curiosity mixed with fear. It was from him that Adam learned the incredible truth: five thousand years had passed.
Adrianna, studying the Crown of Sabbac, read an enigmatic inscription in a low voice: "Life is the only path that leads to death."
Driven by the enthusiasm of youth, Amon begged the Champion to free Kahndaq from Intergang's yoke. Adrianna, more measured but equally determined, encouraged him. But Adam, silent, walked out. His gaze was drawn to a colossal statue erected in his likeness, facing the city. A symbol of hope he did not yet understand.
---
It was at that precise moment the Hawk Cruiser entered Kahndaq's airspace. The quiet was shattered by the arrival of Intergang troops, who captured Adrianna and Amon.
Teth-Adam's reaction was lightning-fast.
In a flash of divine fury, he appeared and massacred the mercenaries with primal brutality. He seized two survivors and ascended into the air with them, just as the JSA's vessel materialized before him.
As a challenge, he dropped the two men. Hawkman, in a steep dive, caught them just in time, but before he could set them down safely, an electrical discharge from Adam reduced them to ashes.
The tone was set.
As the team landed, Doctor Fate stepped forward, his golden cape flowing in the desert wind. His voice, amplified by magic, resonated with supernatural authority.
Doctor Fate: "Teth-Adam, I am Nabu, Lord of Order. Kneel... or perish."
A contemptuous smile stretched Adam's lips.
Teth-Adam: "A god does not kneel to a mortal. Not even one clad in gold."
The fight began, as violent as it was uneven. The JSA converged on him.
· Hawkman struck him with his mace, but Adam absorbed the blow without flinching.
· Atom Smasher tried to pin him down, but was thrown back with a mere shove.
· Cyclone unleashed furious winds to contain him, but he walked through the storm as if it were nothing.
Utopian, following the plan, attempted a frontal assault. As he rushed Adam, a magical bolt erupted from the Champion's hand to repel him.
It was as if his entire being was flooded with a poisoned current. The pain was blinding, far more intense than any physical impact. The Compound V within him, usually so reactive, seemed short-circuited, powerless. He was thrown backward, landing heavily in a cloud of dust, his body wracked with uncontrollable tremors. Magic was his weakness.
During this brief moment of vulnerability, Doctor Fate's piercing gaze penetrated the secrets of the scene. His eyes, behind the helmet, settled on Adrianna.
Doctor Fate: "The Crown... She holds it."
Humiliated and overpowered, the Justice Society could only witness their failure. Meanwhile, the locals, who saw them as invaders, began cheering their liberating Champion. Teth-Adam, indifferent to their adulation, flew off towards the ruins of Ahk-Ton's palace.
Hawkman, regaining his composure, turned to Adrianna. He revealed the truth hidden in the ancient texts.
Hawkman: "Your Champion, in his rage, nearly destroyed Kahndaq itself. It wasn't justice guiding him, but vengeance. A vengeance so all-consuming it unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins upon the world and rendered him uncontrollable. The Council of Wizards had no choice but to imprison him. You did not free him from his tomb, Dr. Tomaz. You freed him from his prison."
Stunned, Adrianna went with them to the palace. There, alone with Teth-Adam amidst the ruins, she confronted him.
Adrianna: "They say it wasn't justice. That it was vengeance. That your anger was so powerful it unleashed evil upon the world, and that you killed those who gave you your powers."
She then pointed towards the horizon, where his statue stood.
Adrianna, voice trembling with emotion: "That statue... it wasn't built to glorify a tyrant or a murderer. It was built in hope. The hope of one day seeing the true Champion of Kahndaq rise again."
Meanwhile, Utopian struggled to his feet, his muscles still aching. But deep within, he felt something new: a faint reaction. Like a spark in the darkness. The Compound V, confronted with this destructive magical energy, was not remaining passive. It was beginning, atom by atom, to analyze, to understand. The adaptation, slow and painful, had just begun.